Chapter 1420: The Swastika Seal
Chapter 1420: The Swastika Seal
The heat was almost unbearable, as though he had cast himself into a furnace. That was Qin Sang's most immediate impression upon entering Pure Sea Sect.
Even a middle-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator could not shut out the effects of this place. It was hard to imagine how much crimson flame qi had accumulated within the sect. All of it was pressed down here, and what filled the array was no more than the tip of the iceberg.
Qin Sang half suspected the whole sect might detonate at any moment and reduce itself, intruders and all, to ash.
He observed carefully for a long while and confirmed there was really no one else inside.
I owe this to the Sky-Eyed Butterfly's abilities. And the Fire Jade Centipede pointing the way, of course. That's how I got a step ahead of the Chaotic Devil Elder and broke through first...
He had a rough grasp of the reason, but it did not make him relax. The Chaotic Devil Elder knows Pure Sea Sect well, his cultivation exceeds mine, and he has help. They can't be far behind. Golden roof, pagoda... Those are likely the sect's most important sites, and there's a good chance Buddhist treasures lie within, but they'll be sealed by powerful barriers all the same. At best I'll get through one location before he arrives.
Turning these thoughts over, Qin Sang descended rapidly while studying his surroundings.
The purple flowing fire obstructed his view, but he could roughly make out Pure Sea Sect's contours. He then raised his head toward the sky.
Through the purple fire he could faintly see a golden dome covering the sect from above. He could imagine that the dome was the manifestation of the protective array.
Just as he had suspected, Pure Sea Sect occupied a small area, and neither did the array. He had spent five full days shuttling back and forth within a small patch of ground. The array's boundless space had been nothing but an illusion.
This was decidedly not good news. The narrower the ground, the higher the odds of his being discovered and the less room he had to maneuver against his opponents.
Forcing his way through unfamiliar Buddhist barriers would inevitably produce visible phenomena. Any significant action on his part would not escape the Chaotic Devil Elder's senses.
Qin Sang's expression turned grave. Isolated and without support, he felt hemmed in on every side.
With no sign of Valley Master Mu and the others after so long, he suspected the worst had befallen them. Against a great cultivator's deliberate ambush, escaping unscathed himself was already a fortunate outcome.
The enemy was strong and he was weak, and the enemy even had help.
Five days. That should have drawn in a few more Spiritual Infant cultivators by now. I only hope they haven't joined forces. The messier the situation, the better. Ideally one of them is a sworn enemy of the Chaotic Devil Elder, a scramble for treasure breaks out, and I can fish in troubled waters... He thought and then regretted it silently.
Newly arrived as he was, he knew nothing of the tangled web of relations among Boundless Sea's Spiritual Infant cultivators. Otherwise he could have exploited their grudges to create his own opportunities.
Still weighing his options, Qin Sang passed through the purple fire and landed on a mountaintop.
The stone scorched underfoot. This place had once been lush and green, alive with birdsong and blossoms. Now it was nothing but charred earth, lifeless and still.
"Never mind all that for now. Secure at least one treasure first, then adapt as things develop," Qin Sang muttered.
Standing on solid ground, he swept his gaze around.
Lesser Buddhist sects were one thing, but he had at last found the ruins of a powerful one, and the Jade Buddha remained utterly still, offering no guidance whatsoever. It was a little disappointing.
In the end he settled on the two most conspicuous locations.
The first was the center where the two mountain ranges crossed. Crimson flame qi gushed forth there, and the golden roof stood atop the neighboring mountain immediately beside it. It was the highest peak in the entire sect.
The second was a thirteen-story pagoda. It lay somewhat farther off, built on a mountain slope. Its Buddhist light was dimmer than the golden roof's splendor, though hardly ordinary.
Both were clearly sites of consequence, and in Qin Sang's estimation neither outranked the other.
Yet he did not move, because the Fire Jade Centipede was pointing in a third direction entirely. Not the pagoda, not the golden roof, but behind him, toward a valley almost at the far end of the mountain range!
Qin Sang strained his eyes toward it and saw nothing but purple fire.
The Myriad Spirit Fruit is over there, and it's very likely a Myriad Spirit Fruit Tree! Pure Sea Sect's herb garden has survived, and there's probably more than just the one tree. Coming away with a few spiritual herbs would make this trip worthwhile on its own. The golden roof and pagoda are tempting, but their barriers are formidable, and I may not break through before the Chaotic Devil Elder arrives. Even if I did, the treasures inside might not suit me. Spiritual herbs are another matter, and the Myriad Spirit Fruit is directly related to my spiritual insects' advancement...
Without hesitation, he resolved to head for the herb garden first!
He was on the verge of moving when something caught his attention. He whipped his head around to stare at the place where the crimson flame qi gushed forth, then looked up at the sky, his gaze flickering.
Only now did he notice it. At the mountain mouth spewing the crimson flame qi, golden light glimmered faintly in the shape of a swastika. It looked very much like a seal.
The swastika seal, the barriers on the golden roof and the pagoda, and even the protective array itself. All of these forces seemed to be one and the same!
Could the entire Pure Sea Sect be a single enormous seal? What lies sealed inside that crimson flame qi? And what happens if the seal is broken? The thought surfaced suddenly and his eyes narrowed.
He picked out further details. The golden roof was sound enough, but the pagoda gave the impression of being on the verge of collapse.
Thoughts flashing one after another, Qin Sang did not slow for an instant. He swept past peak after peak, keeping constant watch on the array's shifts overhead.
The Fire Jade Centipede grew more and more animated, a sign they were drawing nearer to the Myriad Spirit Fruit.
Before long he reached the valley and looked down to find it sealed off by a bank of mist. Though tainted purple by the flowing fire and damaged, the barrier here had survived.
Delight flashed in his eyes. He swept his gaze around, left the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet lurking in concealment on watch, and slipped into the mist.
Whoosh... The mist churned. As expected, the barrier here had been affected as well, and it was nowhere near as grand as the protective array.
Qin Sang soon found a weak point and passed through. The first thing he saw was a square plot of earth before him.
"The herb garden, just as I thought!" Qin Sang exclaimed.
The plot too had been reduced to scorched earth, the spiritual herbs within long since turned to ash.
Following the Fire Jade Centipede's guidance, he pressed deeper into the mist. Plot after plot of charred ground passed by, a lamentable sight.
At last he drew up short. The centipede in his hand grew restless, straining to rush forward.
The Myriad Spirit Fruit lay ahead, yet no Myriad Spirit Fruit Tree appeared anywhere in his field of vision, only dense purple mist with nothing out of place about it.
A concealment art? Qin Sang thought.
Compared with the other herb plots, Pure Sea Sect had clearly placed greater importance on this tree.
Could Pure Sea Sect really possess the method for refining Spirit-Calming Incense?
With these thoughts in his mind, Qin Sang summoned the Sky-Eyed Butterfly and paired a witch race secret art with its supernatural ability. After a long and careful examination, he finally spotted the irregularity.
"Go!" he barked the word, sent his sword up, and stabbed hard at an empty patch of purple mist.
Boom! The mist shuddered and the sword light vanished into thin air. At the same instant a mote of golden light burst from within the mist, only to wink out and dissolve into nothing.
Rather than alarming him, this delighted him. He turned the phenomenon over in his mind, and a moment later sent the sword stabbing in again.