385: struggle

In the black hall, Ximen Yun had been standing in the shadows at the very edge of the crowd.

Wearing a black cloak, he had suppressed his aura to the extreme, appearing like an inconspicuous patch of shadow as he silently watched everything that transpired.

When he saw the siblings of the Xiao Family take the initiative to step forward and greet Mu Zun, Ximen Yun's hand subconsciously clenched.

When he saw the Prodigies of top forces like the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, the South Sea Dragon Palace, and the Kunpeng Clan of the Northern Dark Sea showing their goodwill to Mu Zun one after another, his nails almost dug into his palms.

And when Mu Zun severely injured Savage Dragon with a single finger, effortlessly intimidating everyone present, Ximen Yun's heart sank completely to the bottom.

Strong.

Too strong.

That kind of strength had already completely exceeded his scope of understanding.

In the Origin Secret Realm, although Ximen Yun had been defeated by Mu Zun and fled with heavy injuries...

...at that time, he could at least feel the gap between them. Although it was huge, it wasn't insurmountable. (In Ximen Yun's imagination.)

As long as he was given time, with the nine-layered immortal pagoda, he had the confidence to catch up or even surpass him.

But now... "A casual finger could severely wound a Prodigy of Savage Dragon's level..."

Ximen Yun's Face was pale, his eyes filled with bitterness and despair.

If he were to Face Savage Dragon, it would be basically impossible to avoid injury, and he might even die at Savage Dragon's hands.

Yet an expert like Savage Dragon was like an ant before Mu Zun.

Only now did Ximen Yun realize that compared to Mu Zun, his progress was like a snail's crawl.

"The gap is getting wider and wider."

Ximen Yun gritted his teeth hard as a sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.

Just then, the nine-layered immortal pagoda that had been silent in his Inner Universe for a long time suddenly trembled slightly.

A faint thought entered his Sea of Consciousness:

"Don't... give up..."

It was Li's voice!

Although still weak, she had at least regained a sliver of consciousness!

Ximen Yun's spirits lifted, and he quickly communicated via Divine Thought.

"Li! You're awake?"

"I haven't fully recovered yet..."

Li's voice was intermittent and incredibly weak.

"But I can feel that there's something here that can help the immortal pagoda recover..."

A light flashed in Ximen Yun's eyes.

The nine-layered immortal pagoda was his greatest reliance. As long as he could restore the immortal pagoda's power, he would have a chance to grow stronger quickly!

"Li, where exactly is the thing you sensed?"

Li didn't respond, falling silent once more.

But her sharing this information was enough.

"Perhaps that thing is inside the third trial, the Wanfa Pavilion?"

Ximen Yun took a deep breath, suppressing the stray thoughts in his heart.

He knew that now was not the time for dejection.

No matter how strong Mu Zun was, he must have weaknesses.

The nine-layered immortal pagoda was a relic of a Buddha Venerable, containing nine layers of supreme treasures.

If he could open them all, he might not be unable to contend with the Chaos Body.

The priority was to obtain enough Opportunities in the Wanfa Pavilion to rapidly increase his strength!

"Saintess Zi Xuan, the successor of the Pure Void Palace, Master of Heavenly Secrets of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion..."

Ximen Yun's gaze swept over the Prodigies who were friendly with Mu Zun, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"I will let everyone know who you really should be currying favor with!"

At that moment, the ancient bronze gates of the Wanfa Pavilion swung open with a boom.

Without hesitation, Ximen Yun transformed into a shadow and rushed into the ancient gates along with the flow of people... The first floor of the Wanfa Pavilion.

Ximen Yun appeared in the hall, his gaze sweeping over the densely packed light spheres around him.

He could feel that the grade of the Opportunities within these light spheres wasn't high, but they were vast in number.

"Time is limited; I must find the most valuable Opportunity as quickly as possible."

Ximen Yun wasted no time, directly activating the trace of power remaining in the nine-layered immortal pagoda to sense the surrounding auras.

Although the nine-layered immortal pagoda was silent, its essence was extremely high, and it had a natural sensitivity toward high-quality Opportunities.

Soon, Ximen Yun locked onto a direction.

It was a dark-gold light sphere located in a corner, containing a fragmented Buddhist seal.

The Buddhist seal was only the size of a fingernail, dark-gold throughout, and its surface was covered in fine cracks, looking quite unremarkable.

However, the nine-layered immortal pagoda inside Ximen Yun produced a strong desire for this Buddhist seal!

"Is this an Ancient Buddhist Seal?"

Ximen Yun reached out toward the light sphere.

The light sphere felt cold to the touch, and ripples appeared on its surface as if resisting his contact.

But the nine-layered immortal pagoda in Ximen Yun's body trembled slightly, releasing a trace of Buddhist aura.

As if meeting its own kind, the dark-gold light sphere instantly calmed down, allowing Ximen Yun to take out the Buddhist seal.

As the Buddhist seal entered his hand, a gentle wave of Buddha Power surged into his body.

Ximen Yun could feel that this Buddhist seal contained a trace of ancient Buddhist Origin, which would be of great help in repairing the nine-layered immortal pagoda.

"Good stuff!"

Without hesitation, he stored the Buddhist seal into his Inner Universe and sent it directly into the nine-layered immortal pagoda.

The first floor of the immortal pagoda lit up slightly as the Buddhist seal merged into the tower, and the originally dim body of the pagoda regained a hint of luster.

The consciousness of the artifact spirit, Li, also seemed to have solidified a bit.

"It works!"

Ximen Yun was delighted.

He looked around, wanting to find more similar Buddhist relics.

But just then, a cold voice suddenly rang out:

"Kid, hand over the thing you just got."

Ximen Yun turned his head and saw three Cultivators dressed in black robes appearing behind him at some unknown time.

The leader was a young man with a sinister Face, whose cultivation had actually reached the Middle Stage of the Creation Profound Venerable realm!

The two behind him were also at the Peak of the Taiyi Profound Venerable realm.

"Who are you?" Ximen Yun retreated warily, suppressing his aura even deeper.

"It doesn't matter who we are," the sinister youth sneered.

"What matters is that I've taken a fancy to that Buddhist seal you just got. If you're smart, hand it over, and I might spare your life."

Ximen Yun's eyes turned cold.

These three obviously saw his weak aura and thought he was an easy target.

"In the Wanfa Pavilion, Opportunities are won by one's own ability. If you want it, go find it yourselves."

"Courting death!"

A cold light flashed in the sinister youth's eyes.

"Since you refuse to be sensible, then don't blame me for being impolite!"

As his voice fell, he took a step forward and struck a palm toward Ximen Yun!

The palm wind was fierce, carrying a cold ghostly Qi—he clearly practiced an Evil Path Cultivation Technique!

Ximen Yun didn't dare to be careless. The mysterious jade pendant in his body heated up slightly, and his Physical Body strength instantly increased to the limit!

He likewise threw a punch. The punch was vigorous and collided with the sinister youth's palm wind!

Boom!

With a muffled sound, both of them retreated three steps at the same time.

The sinister youth's expression changed slightly.

"Such a strong Physical Body! Kid, were you hiding your strength?"

Ximen Yun didn't speak, only looking at him coldly.

With that strike just now, he had already used his full strength to barely manage a tie with the opponent.

But the opponent still had two helpers. If the three of them attacked together, he would definitely not be their match.

"Interesting."

The sinister youth licked his lips.

"However, this level of strength is not enough!"

He formed hand seals, and a hideous ghost shadow emerged behind him.

"Hundred Ghosts Soul Devour!"

The ghost shadow roared, transforming into countless ghosts that lunged toward Ximen Yun!

These ghosts were formless and intangible, specifically attacking the Divine Soul—extremely insidious!

Ximen Yun's expression changed.

He quickly activated the remaining power of the nine-layered immortal pagoda, forming a faint layer of Buddhist light as a protective shield on his body.

The ghosts crashed into the Buddhist light, emitting shrill screams and dissipating into blue smoke.

But the Buddhist light shield also vibrated violently, threatening to shatter at any moment!

"I'll see how long you can hold out!"

The sinister youth grinned hideously, continuing to drive the ghost shadow.

The other two black-robed Cultivators also attacked at the same time, sacrificing two black bone banners and releasing even more ghosts!

Ximen Yun's pressure increased greatly, and cracks had already appeared on the Buddhist light shield!

Right at this moment...

"amitabha."

The name of Buddha rang out.

A beam of golden Buddhist light descended from the sky, enveloping Ximen Yun within it.

The ghosts crashed into the Buddhist light and instantly melted away like snow meeting fire!

The sinister youth's Face changed drastically. "Who is it?!"

A young monk dressed in moon-white robes walked over slowly; it was none other than the Buddha Son of the Vajra Temple, Dharma Bright.

"This is a pure land of Buddhism; how can evil spirits be allowed to run wild?"

Dharma Bright pressed his palms together, appearing solemn and dignified.

"Someone from the Vajra Temple?"

The sinister youth's Face darkened. "This matter has nothing to do with you. I advise you not to mind other people's business!"

Dharma Bright smiled slightly.

"The benefactor is mistaken. This benefactor possesses a Buddhist affinity. Since I have seen it, I must naturally protect him."

Saying so, he looked at Ximen Yun, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

When Ximen Yun activated the Buddhist light of the nine-layered immortal pagoda just now, Dharma Bright had sensed a pure Buddhist aura.

Although this aura was faint, its essence was extremely high, not even inferior to the Vajra Temple's own temple-protecting Buddhist treasure!

"This person must have a supreme Buddhist treasure on him!"

Dharma Bright thought to himself.

Seeing Dharma Bright's firm attitude and knowing he wouldn't gain anything today, the sinister youth gritted his teeth.

"Fine! I'll give Face to the Vajra Temple! Let's go!"

After saying that, he led his two companions away, quickly disappearing into the clusters of light spheres.

Ximen Yun breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands to Dharma Bright.

"Thank you for your help, Great Master."

"amitabha, the benefactor is too polite," Dharma Bright smiled gently.

"The benefactor possesses a Buddhist affinity and is destined for the Buddhist path. I wonder if the benefactor is willing to join my Vajra Temple to Cultivate?"

Ximen Yun sneered in his heart.

This Dharma Bright seemed gentle but was actually deep-scheming. The look in his eyes just now clearly showed covetousness.

He had obviously taken an interest in the Buddhist treasure on him.

"Thank you for your kindness, Great Master, but I already have a Legacy and it's not convenient to switch to another sect."

Ximen Yun politely declined.

A trace of disappointment flashed in Dharma Bright's eyes, but his smile remained unchanged.

"In that case, I will not force you. However, if the benefactor is ever interested, you may come to the Vajra Temple at any time."

Saying this, he changed the subject.

"Could the benefactor allow me to take a look at that Buddhist seal from just now? I have some research into ancient Buddhist artifacts and might be able to help the benefactor identify it."

Here it comes.

Ximen Yun was wary but remained calm on the surface.

"My apologies, that Buddhist seal has already merged with me and cannot be taken out."

"Merged with you?"

Dharma Bright's eyes flashed with suspicion.

An Ancient Buddhist Seal was an external object; how could it merge with a human body?

"Could it be that the benefactor has practiced some kind of secret Buddhist technique?"

Dharma Bright pressed for an answer.

Ximen Yun didn't want to get entangled further and cupped his hands.

"If the Great Master has nothing else, I will take my leave now."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"Benefactor, wait a moment."

Dharma Bright suddenly spoke.

"I see that the benefactor's aura is unstable; it seems you have suffered a heavy injury and your cultivation has fallen. My Vajra Temple has a sacred healing medicine, the Vajra Bodhi Pill, which can help the benefactor restore your cultivation. If the benefactor is willing, you may follow me to get it."

This was already blatant enticement.

Ximen Yun sneered in his heart and didn't stop walking.

"No need."

A cold light flashed in Dharma Bright's eyes, but it was quickly hidden as he pressed his palms together.

"amitabha, in that case, benefactor, please do as you wish."

Ximen Yun didn't stay any longer, quickly walking toward the stairs leading to the second floor.

After Ximen Yun left, the gentle smile on Dharma Bright's Face gradually disappeared, replaced by a touch of coldness.

"This person must have a heavy Buddhist treasure on him."

"Perhaps he can be put to good use."

...The second floor of the Wanfa Pavilion.

Ximen Yun stepped up the stairs, and the scene before him changed once again.

The space on the second floor was much smaller than the first, but the number of light spheres was even scarcer.

Every single one of them emitted a powerful aura.

The Opportunities here were clearly a level higher than those on the first floor.

As soon as Ximen Yun appeared, he felt several gazes fall upon him.

One of the gazes, cold and frigid, came from a young man in black not far away.

It was none other than Xuan Ming of the Xuan Yin Ancient Clan.

When Xuan Ming saw Ximen Yun, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He could feel that Ximen Yun's cultivation was only at the Early Stage of the Taiyi Profound Venerable realm.

His aura wasn't particularly strong either; logically speaking, he shouldn't have been able to enter the second floor at all.

"This person is strange."

Xuan Ming thought to himself.

Another gaze came from Dharma Bright.

He had also arrived at the second floor at some point and was standing in the distance, looking at Ximen Yun with a half-smile.

Ximen Yun's heart sank.

These two, one the Saint of the Xuan Yin Ancient Clan and the other the Buddha Son of the Vajra Temple, were both characters that were not to be trifled with.

He didn't want to invite trouble, so he chose a direction far away from the two of them and began searching for Opportunities.

Although the light spheres for Opportunities on the second floor were sparse, every one of them was extremely precious.

Relying on the sensing of the nine-layered immortal pagoda, Ximen Yun quickly locked onto a target.

It was a misty white light sphere, containing a fragmented Jade Slip.

Ancient runes were carved on the surface of the Jade Slip, emitting dense spatial fluctuations.

"A Legacy Jade Slip for the Law of space!"

Ximen Yun was delighted.

The Law of space was one of the top Laws. If he could comprehend it, his combat strength would be greatly enhanced.

He reached out toward the light sphere.

Ripples appeared on the surface of the light sphere, and a strong repulsive force came through.

The Opportunities on this second floor were clearly much harder to obtain than those on the first.

Ximen Yun activated all his power, his palm slowly but firmly probing into the light sphere.

Just as he was about to touch the Jade Slip.

A cold chill suddenly attacked!

Ximen Yun's Face changed, and he quickly pulled back!

Crack!

The spot where he had been standing was instantly frozen by a layer of black profound ice!

If he had retreated half a beat slower, he would have been turned into an ice sculpture by now!

"What do you mean by this?!"

Ximen Yun looked at the person who had attacked, anger burning in his eyes.

Xuan Ming walked over slowly, his expression indifferent.

"I don't mean anything, it's just that I've taken a fancy to this Jade Slip."

"Everything has a first come, first served!"

Ximen Yun gritted his teeth.

"First come, first served?"

A trace of mockery curled at the corner of Xuan Ming's mouth.

"In this Wanfa Pavilion, strength is the hard truth. You are not qualified."

As his voice fell, he waved his hand, and another blast of Xuan Yin cold Qi attacked!

Ximen Yun didn't dare to take it head-on and quickly dodged.

But although he was fast, Xuan Ming's cold Qi was faster!

Ssh!

The cold Qi brushed past his left shoulder, instantly freezing his sleeve and even causing the flesh on his left shoulder to lose all sensation!

"What terrifying cold Qi!"

Ximen Yun was shocked in his heart.

Xuan Ming's strength was far above his own!