Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 888: Forbidden Ground

The devil seed's primordial spirit, which was nurtured by the sword soul, gave off a faint ripple of yellow light across its surface. That was the lingering power of the Jade Buddha.

When the yin-yang qi slipped into the upper dantian, it paused slightly, then flew to the primordial spirit and began to circle around it at a leisurely pace, clearly visible.

"As expected, it worked!" The incarnation opened his eyes, his expression shifting.

After reading the spell, he had already felt the Yin-Yang Armor was not simple. Later, upon hearing the Daoist boy’s explanation, he gained further insight. With his breadth of vision, it was not difficult to draw inferences from a foundational spell like this.

With a brief attempt, he had successfully drawn the Yin-Yang Armor into the upper dantian without dispersing it. This showed the Yin-Yang Armor was not merely external armor. It could also serve as an internal armor sheltering the primordial spirit.

He suppressed his delight, rose, and walked out of the stone room.

Gao Yi stood outside and glanced in, puzzled. "Junior Brother Zhang, you finished refining the pendants a while ago. Why did you not call me?"

"I worried I might interrupt you with something important. Since I could cultivate here all the same, I chose not to disturb you," the incarnation answered calmly.

"I had nothing important at hand. I will take you to your cave dwelling now." Gao Yi chuckled, clearly warming to him.

They left the stone hall together, rode their artifacts, and flew toward the mountain where the cave dwellings lay. Along the way, when they met fellow disciples, Gao Yi introduced him.

Gao Yi had just turned thirty. He had long followed Jin Yan to study artifact refinement, straightforward in temperament. After a few subtle compliments from the incarnation, he already regarded him as a friend and earnestly arranged the cave dwelling for him.

By the time they finished the menial tasks, night had fallen.

The incarnation’s cave dwelling sat near the mountaintop with an excellent view. He lifted his head to the bright moon and scattered stars, sent a sweeping gaze across Landou Sect, allowed himself a faint smile, then closed the door.

Over the next few days, he stayed put in Landou Sect, condensing the Yin-Yang Armor while befriending as many people as he could. He even found a chance to leave the sect and meet his true body, passing along information and also transmitting the Yin-Yang Armor spell to him.

Outside Landou Sect, Qin Sang chose a barren mountain, opened a stone cave, sat inside, and formed a hand seal. With his cultivation, training in this spell was easy. In less than an hour, two clusters of qi, one black and one white, had already formed at his sides.

He opened his eyes, swept his gaze once, and gave a command. "Condense!"

Poof!

The yin-yang qi slammed together. The resulting ripple was perfectly suppressed by Qin Sang. The two clusters melded, as if devouring one another.

Soon, a gray armor flashed onto Qin Sang’s body. It looked quite ordinary, except for the yin-yang emblem on the chest that turned gently, much like Daoist Huayang’s Yin-Yang Disk.

"Withdraw!" At his next command, the Yin-Yang Armor sank into his body.

At the same time, a Yin-Yang Armor appeared over the primordial spirit within his upper dantian. The faint yellow radiance from the Jade Buddha that used to gleam on the primordial spirit’s surface was now concealed beneath the armor.

With the Jade Buddha, he had never been in urgent need of spells that protected the primordial spirit or resisted primordial-spirit attacks. No armor could compare with the Jade Buddha.

Moreover, he suspected the Yin-Yang Tiandou Secret Technique was incomplete. If it had been patched up by later generations, then it likely could not evolve the Yin-Yang Armor’s subsequent transformations and would not unleash its true power.

However, worn over the primordial spirit, the armor could hide the Buddha’s golden glow, serving as a layer of cover.

Although even Spiritual Infant grandmasters rarely dared let their Spiritual Infants leave the body, making exposure of the Jade Buddha unlikely, nothing was absolute in the cultivation world. As his cultivation rose, the opponents he faced would wield stronger and stranger methods and possess broader knowledge. Concealing the Jade Buddha was prudent.

This treasure was his greatest secret. If someone with ill intent discovered it, it might invite disaster. By sheathing the primordial spirit in the Yin-Yang Armor, he could mask the golden light.

The Jade Buddha’s radiance was too distinctive to be hidden by ordinary means. Only this peculiar armor formed from yin-yang qi could veil it perfectly.

Compared with the Yin-Yang Tiandou Secret Technique, this most basic spell actually pleased him more.

"Its power is not great and will matter little in battles among higher-realm cultivators, but it suffices to conceal the Jade Buddha. An unexpected boon." Murmuring to himself, Qin Sang refined it a while longer, then ceased investing more effort.

"Even the true disciples of the Yin-Yang Branch do not know Douniu Peak exists. Clearly there are many secrets buried there. I'll let the incarnation continue investigating, while I proceed with the plan to contact Core Formation peers."

He settled on his course, slipped away without a sound, and headed straight for Landou Sect’s market.

***

Within Landou Sect, all disciples in the stone hall had gathered in the largest chamber. Senior Uncle Jin Yan sat on the platform, speaking slowly.

It was the once-every-three-months lecture day. Disciples asked Jin Yan for guidance on cultivation and artifact refinement, a reward for their recent labors. The incarnation sat among them.

Jin Yan looked rough but had a good temper. He answered the disciples’ questions patiently. After the formal lecture, the atmosphere grew more relaxed.

The incarnation was turning something over in his mind when he sensed a stir. He looked over and saw a sturdy, bull-headed youth glare at him, then raise his hand. Seeing this, the incarnation’s expression shifted slightly, and he smiled inwardly.

"Xiong Biao, what is your question?" Jin Yan pointed to him.

Xiong Biao stood and asked, "Senior Uncle Jin, besides our Five-Elemental Branch and the Yin-Yang Branch, does our sect have any other true branches?"

Jin Yan’s brows knit. He scolded, "What sort of question is that? How does it help your cultivation?"

"I made a bet with Junior Brother Zhang. He insists our sect has another branch called Douniu Peak. We have never heard of it. He must be tricking me," Xiong Biao said, looking wronged.

"Douniu Peak!" Jin Yan’s face tightened. His gaze sharpened as he fixed on the incarnation. "Who told you about Douniu Peak?"

At this, the incarnation thought to himself that Jin Yan indeed knew something. This man had reached the late stage of the Foundation Building Realm and was adept at artifact refinement. He held the stone hall alone, which gave him considerable standing within Landou Sect. He surely knew more secrets than the Daoist boy.

The incarnation had intended to start with Jin Yan, so he had chosen a simple-minded youth and prodded him on purpose. The bait had taken.

He rose with feigned trepidation. "I have heard Grandmaster Huayang mention Douniu Peak as one of the branches at Yanmiao Pavilion. After entering the sect, I could not find Douniu Peak, so I asked Senior Brother Xiong about it..."

The story of how he was snatched from Yanmiao Pavilion by Daoist Huayang had already spread through Landou Sect, and Jin Yan knew the matter well.

"Senior Uncle Huayang..."

Jin Yan’s expression eased slightly. After a moment of silence, he said, "Whether it is a true branch or not, I do not know. What I do know is that the place is now a forbidden ground. That is why none of you have heard of it. From this moment, no one is to speak the words ‘Douniu Peak’ again. If you do, do not blame me for disregarding sentiment."

He snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and left.