Chapter 1438: The Seven-Master Buddha Seal
Chapter 1438: The Seven-Master Buddha Seal
"Why has the Myriad Devil Assembly suddenly been moved up? When did this news arrive?" Qin Sang started, and then his brows drew tight together.
In that instant, many connections occurred to him. Does the assembly being moved up have anything to do with the Chaotic Devil Elder, or with Pure Sea Sect? And if not, what's the real reason? If it's a trap, why not convene the assembly right after we left Pure Sea Sect, instead of waiting a year and a half before announcing that it was brought forward?
Sage Yinquan caught the suspicion in his voice. "It only got out recently, so nothing is confirmed yet, but the source is reliable and it shouldn't be false. If you can stay a few more days, I expect part of the treasure list will arrive. There's only half a year left, after all, and those coming from farther away still have to travel."
Qin Sang shifted his palm and slid the Hidden Fragrance Pill into the Thousand-Jin Ring. Leaning back slightly in his chair, he asked quietly, "Has there ever been a precedent for this?"
Sage Yinquan thought it over. "I came from Pill Cauldron Mountain and have attended the Myriad Devil Assembly only once. They say the interval between assemblies is only ever approximate and isn't fixed until the time draws near. The figure originally going around was seven years, but that was never confirmed either."
Qin Sang nodded slightly and tapped the table with a finger, feigning thought. "Has anything else worth noting happened in Boundless Sea lately? I heard the Chaotic Devil Elder appeared in Ethereal Sea, and that an ancient relic surfaced there."
"I heard the same, but I doubt it's connected. Word is it was a Buddhist sect's ruins, and not an especially ancient one. The sect's protective array was destroyed by the crimson flame eruption before it even opened, and every Spiritual Infant cultivator present came away in a wretched state, some nearly perishing. The sect's treasures were swallowed by the flame currents, and they only managed to snatch out a very small portion. Even if there were Buddhist treasures or secret manuals inside, I doubt they'd be worth much to people like us, and they certainly couldn't push the Myriad Devil Assembly forward. The Buddhist disciples would want them, of course, but they can't afford the prices."
Sage Yinquan shook his head repeatedly, then added, "The history of the Myriad Devil Assembly can no longer be traced. It's far older than the Chaotic Devil Elder, and those who attend aren't confined to Boundless Sea. Its reach is wide. The reason it's held on Chaotic Devil Island is that a great cultivator serves as a deterrent there. The Chaotic Devil Elder can't decide matters with a word. The various powers have to maneuver against one another before a suitable date and set of rules are agreed on."
So it was exactly as Qin Sang had guessed. The Chaotic Devil Elder stood alone, without clan or faction, and could not dominate the rest, nor would the other powers permit him to act as he pleased and ruin the assembly's credibility. Even if the old devil intended something, he could not make it too obvious.
Qin Sang turned it over in silence.
Just then something occurred to Sage Yinquan, and he laughed. "Rather than the Buddhist ruins, I'd say another matter is the likelier cause."
"What matter?" Qin Sang looked up.
"Huang Longshi's temporary imperial residence has surfaced!"
For a moment Qin Sang was at a loss. Then he remembered having heard the name once before. Huang Longshi had been the strongest figure of Boundless Sea two generations before the Chaotic Devil Elder, unquestionably a great cultivator, his power felt throughout the three realms of the North Sea.
Huang Longshi's temporary imperial residence has surfaced, and I know nothing about it? Qin Sang thought.
That was worth far more than Pure Sea Sect. Huang Longshi was said to only be a single step away from the Divine Transformation Realm, and he had perished in a failed attempt at that very breakthrough. His temporary residence might hold his relics.
Whether there were spiritual treasures in it was hard to say, but there might be handwritten records of his experience with the breakthrough, or secret techniques to aid the passage into Divine Transformation. Either would be enough to send Spiritual Infant cultivators flocking.
"It happened a month ago. The details are still unclear, but rumor says this too was the Chaotic Devil Elder's doing. Apparently several Spiritual Infant cultivators from Mystic Heaven Palace discovered Huang Longshi's palace at the same time as a few devilish monsters, and a great battle broke out. The Mystic Heaven Palace people were slaughtered, and one of their elders was among the dead." Sage Yinquan gave a short laugh. "My suspicion is that Mystic Heaven Palace found the palace and the Chaotic Devil Elder seized it from them."
That was the old devil's style.
Qin Sang nodded without thinking, sighing inwardly. So every gain came paired with a loss.
Because he had made an enemy of the Chaotic Devil Elder in Pure Sea Sect, he had deliberately cut down on venturing out, and had he received the news in time, he might have found a way to get a foot in the door.
The Spirit Cup Flower and the Wishing Pearl were precious, but Qin Sang would far rather have traded them for secrets concerning the Divine Transformation Realm.
Huang Longshi's temporary residence had certainly been stripped bare by the Chaotic Devil Elder already, and Qin Sang doubted the old devil would be willing to share any of it with him.
Several of Mystic Heaven Palace's Spiritual Infant cultivators were butchered. The Chaotic Devil Elder truly had no scruples and did whatever he pleased.
Qin Sang thought of the ice box inside his Thousand-Jin Ring. A Mystic Heaven Palace elder leading a party in person, roaming Boundless Sea, had very likely come out searching for that ice box, stumbled on Huang Longshi's residence by accident, and met a vicious end for it.
Mystic Heaven Palace hasn't given up. But the ice box has shown no disturbance at all. Either I simply haven't crossed paths with them, or the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells have successfully sealed off their sense of it. Master Feng said he wanted to use this business to scheme against Bifang. I wonder whether he's put the word out yet. Qin Sang's pondered and started connecting the dots.
Sage Yinquan, suspecting nothing, went on. "Huang Longshi's residence surfaced less than a month before the Myriad Devil Assembly was announced as moved up. Following your line of thinking, perhaps the Chaotic Devil Elder and those other old devils really did find something inside, and want to make a move at the assembly, or urgently need to gather certain treasures..."
He stopped short there, and his expression changed slightly.
The two of them looked at each other, the same thought surfacing in both minds. Surely this couldn't have to do with Divine Transformation?
Qin Sang gave a dry laugh. "Across countless years, the immortal cultivation world has produced more dazzling talents than anyone could count. The Divine Transformation Realm was never so easy to break into."
If the Chaotic Devil Elder really did break through to the Divine Transformation Realm, Qin Sang would have to give serious thought to where he might dig himself a hole and hide.
The factions of Crescent Moon Realm and Mystic Heaven Palace certainly had no wish to see a Divine Transformation devilish cultivator rise in the North Sea either.
They talked a while longer without untangling anything.
Qin Sang decided to stay a few more days and wait for the treasure list. The news spread with remarkable speed. On the third day, Yinquan had the list in hand.
"This is only part of it. Aside from a few items at the very top, everything here can be bought at the auction. If you want to know what the true supreme treasures are, you have to attend the trade fair on the final day of the Myriad Devil Assembly." Yinquan passed him the jade slip as he spoke.
The Myriad Devil Assembly ran for ten days, and only on the last did it reach its climax.
Qin Sang took the list and found line after line of writing packed densely across it. He spotted several of the spiritual objects the Spirit Elevation Rite required at a glance, and a rough scan told him that apart from the three most critical ones, he could assemble the whole set at the auction.
It was an impressive showing indeed! There were materials capable of improving the Golden Sinking Sword as well, though they were not the best options. For anything better, he would have to wait for the trade fair and barter goods for goods.
Qin Sang shifted his gaze to the very top of the list, and just as he was about to study it closely, one line caught his eye. Seven-Master Buddha Seal, a Buddhist body cultivator's martial technique.
There were no other detailed explanations.
The Seven-Master Buddha Seal would not go up at the auction. It was being held back for the final trade fair, and that alone said everything about its worth.
It had to be a Spiritual Infant Realm martial technique!