Chapter 338: Northern Crimson Silk Golden Pure Land

Above the grasslands inside the Eight Treasure Table.

Wang Ping and Xianfu joined forces. Leading eight inner sect disciples who had recovered from their severe injuries, they conducted a carpet search of the entire grassland.

The results, however, were entirely unexpected.

"Nothing?"

Wang Ping frowned deeply. The six ears on the sides of his head twitched as he unleashed the Sound Perception spell, listening for past human voices. He found absolutely nothing.

No divine power was invincible, and for cultivators, intelligence was paramount. Clearly, his mastery of Sound Perception was no secret to the Brahma Nation. They had taken targeted countermeasures, wiping their voices from the world the moment they finished speaking.

"Where could they be hiding?"

Xianfu was equally surprised. It wasn't just Baohu who had vanished; despite searching for days, they hadn't found a single Brahma Cultivator.

This was not good news.

"They joined forces... It seems Baohu has some real skill. It can't be helped. In this regard, the Brahma Nation holds a slight edge over the Immortal Gate."

That edge was unity.

If these were Immortal Gate disciples, they would have scattered at the first sign of disaster, completely ignoring anyone else's orders. But the Brahma Cultivators were different.

Brahma Cultivators adhered to a strict hierarchy. Lower-tier cultivators were expected to endure ruthless humiliation from their superiors, possessing no control over their own cultivation, divine powers, or even their lives and deaths. As a disciple of a Bodhisattva, Baohu stood at the absolute pinnacle of this chain of contempt, and she undoubtedly possessed the means to enforce it.

"Let me listen again."

Wang Ping raised his head, his six ears twitching once more. This time, he didn't listen for human voices. Instead, he shifted his focus to the sounds of heaven and earth—traces that were incredibly difficult to erase.

A second later, voices rang in his ears:

'What are they trying to do?'

'Why leave... We can't get out anyway.'

'I don't understand.'

The desolate, melodious voices were ancient echoes of the world itself. It wasn't that heaven and earth were truly speaking, but rather that his spell had captured traces left behind in the environment.

"Leave... beyond the sky?"

Wang Ping's eyes lit up as he finally realized where the Brahma Cultivators had gone. "They went beyond the sky... to the Heavenly Frost Cave Abode!

They went there!"

The moment he said this, Xianfu realized something was wrong. Previously, during the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle, the deaths of a massive number of Brahma Cultivators had shaken the Heavenly Frost Cave Abode. While this had lured out and trapped the True Person's will residing inside, it also ran the risk of forcing the heavenly abode to manifest in the world.

Originally, this risk was minor.

After all, the Heavenly Craft Cave Abode on the other side was already under Wang Ping's control and had gone back into hiding. The associated Earth Yang Fire would also be extinguished within three months.

Once that happened, the Great Rebellion Exploits of Destroying the Six Heavens' Past would be restored to completion.

In terms of time, they held the upper hand.

As long as the Heavenly Frost Cave Abode did not fully manifest before then to create a new flaw, it would be sealed once more by the restored Great Rebellion Exploits.

The True Person's will would remain trapped inside until death.

Conversely, if the Heavenly Frost Cave Abode manifested in the world before the Earth Yang Fire was completely extinguished, all their efforts would be ruined on the verge of success.

"To the sky beyond!"

Realizing the severity of the situation, Wang Ping and Xianfu immediately rode streaks of light, tearing through the air until they arrived in the space beyond the sky.

What met their eyes was a dead zone of Five Elements Yin Wood. The white dew of the eighth month had turned to frost—pure, clear, and crystal-translucent. It was the arc of light manifested by the Heavenly Frost Cave Abode.

Compared to before, the scale of this arc of light had expanded slightly. A mansion could vaguely be seen bobbing within it, though its outline remained indistinct; it certainly wouldn't fully manifest for at least three months. Yet, directly beneath the arc, a resplendent, golden ancient Buddhist temple had astonishingly appeared.

It was a temple as massive as a mountain range.

It possessed deep red tiled walls and a brilliant golden roof. Intertwined flames of red and gold burned upward from its foundations, passing through layers of corridors and archways to condense into a halo of light atop the main hall.

From afar, it looked like a sun wheel, yet also like a giant beast.

It crouched over the temple, its head facing the mountain gate as if opening a bloody, gaping maw. Above it hung a towering black-and-gold plaque:

Willow Leaf Palace.

Flanking the mountain gate sat imposing Vajra Dharma protectors, each wielding a magical artifact and glaring with wide, angry eyes. Soaring Buddhist light and Sanskrit chanting converged inside and outside the temple.

"What... is this?"

The sheer magnificence of the sight made Wang Ping narrow his eyes. Clearly, this was the final hiding place of Baohu and the rest of the Brahma Cultivators.

"Incredible."

Beside him, Xianfu marveled, "So Baohu actually has this kind of ability. Methods like this are very close to the direct lineages of True Persons and True Monarchs in the Immortal Gate."

Seeing Wang Ping's questioning gaze, Xianfu explained, "This is the Northern Crimson Silk Golden Pure Land, the residence of the Master of Secret Traces, one of the eight great Bodhisattvas of the Brahma Nation. It is equivalent to the True Monarch Pinnacle Station and situated in the deepest reaches of the Great Brahma Heaven. Normally, it never manifests in the mortal world. To think Baohu could recreate it here."

"Ah?"

Wang Ping blinked at those words. A Bodhisattva's residence?

You aren't telling me that the Master of Secret Traces saw the True Persons and True Monarchs of the Immortal Gate locked in a chaotic war and decided to personally descend to join the fun, are you?

Then what was the point of fighting!

Seeing Wang Ping turn around to leave, Xianfu hurriedly pulled him back. "It's not that exaggerated. If a real Bodhisattva were here, we wouldn't even be able to perceive them."

"Baohu's version is merely an empty shell."

Xianfu explained, "She most likely used the assembled Brahma Cultivators to temporarily construct a hollow facade... But even so, she must have borrowed a fraction of its profound power."

Wang Ping frowned. "What kind of profound power?"

"I don't know."

Xianfu shook his head, looking toward the distant ancient Buddhist temple. "We can't tell just by looking from the outside. I'm afraid someone will have to go in personally to find out."

"Then let's go take a look."

Wang Ping made a prompt decision. He turned to look at the eight inner sect disciples behind him. "Which junior brother is willing to share my burden and take a trip inside?"

Hearing this, the eight inner sect disciples exchanged looks of dismay.

Fortunately, thanks to the previous self-detonation tactic, the eight had immense confidence in Wang Ping. A middle-aged man wearing Dharma robes quickly stepped forward.

"Senior Brother, I'll give it a try."

Wang Ping focused his gaze. The one who stepped forward was Zhu Fuzi from the Ten Thousand Dharmas Immortal Peak. Like Xuanlongzi, he was skilled in crafting talismans, and even the worldly qi they cultivated was identical.

Evidently, he had his methods.

Moreover, when they had executed the self-detonation tactic earlier, he was the second to trust Wang Ping right after Fairy Hehuan, fiercely blowing himself up without hesitation. His temperament was certainly ruthless enough.

Thinking of this, Wang Ping simply nodded and said, "Go with ease, Junior Brother. Detonate yourself directly if necessary. With me here, nothing major will go wrong."

This was undoubtedly a reassuring pill.

A second later, Zhu Fuzi rode a streak of light, flying straight toward the Northern Crimson Silk Golden Pure Land. Without dawdling, he plunged headlong into the mountain gate.

Immediately after, light and shadow shifted before his eyes as an array formation slowly rose within the pure land. The person presiding over the array was a Brahma Cultivator serving under a Wisdom King, grasping an array flag in his hand. Seeing Zhu Fuzi enter, he shook the flag without a word, instantly summoning billowing golden water that surged outward.

"Hmm!?"

Zhu Fuzi abruptly suppressed his flying light and stood firm. However, endless golden water poured from all directions, emitting a foul stench and carrying a strong aura of rot and decay.

'Great Golden Wheel Wisdom King?'

Zhu Fuzi pointed a finger, and over a hundred talismans immediately flew out. They materialized into sword light that slashed wildly, obliterating the surrounding golden water in an instant.

However, on the other side, the array-presiding Brahma Cultivator, Jinchi, didn't panic in the slightest.

There was nothing particularly profound about his Gold Tasting Array; it simply contained endless golden water. As long as one couldn't pluck the banner from the array to break the formation, the golden water would never cease.

No matter how superb your methods were, under the constant deluge of this vast golden water, your divine powers would be corroded, and your magical artifacts would be defiled. Even if you won in the end, it would be a devastating loss.

Zhu Fuzi clearly realized this as well. Although the talisman swords he unleashed were sharp, after slashing back and forth three or four times, they were defiled by the golden water, taking on the same foul stench and losing their profound magic. His reserves had already been heavily depleted in the previous two massive battles; how could he endure such attrition now?

Realizing this, he immediately pulled back and retreated.

"Trying to leave?"

In the distance, Jinchi sneered at the sight. He shook the array flag again, manipulating the array formation to block Zhu Fuzi's escape route, intending to drown him alive in the golden water.

Seeing this, a flash of ruthlessness instantly crossed Zhu Fuzi's face.

"Boom!"

A second later, without the slightest hesitation, he ignited his entire body's magical power, divine powers, and even his destiny form, transforming on the spot into a blazing sun that incinerated everything.

This detonation instantly caused Jinchi's expression to change drastically. But there was no time to dodge; the devastating flames of the self-destruction had already boiled the golden sea dry and swept over his position.

In the blink of an eye, the array formation shattered.

Meanwhile, outside the pure land, Wang Ping reached out his hand, operating the profound mysteries of his Immortal Physique.

Heaven-Reversing Sun-Turning!

Immediately, Zhu Fuzi's figure rapidly reformed amidst twisting time. He cast a lingering glance of dread at the pure land behind him before escaping outward.

At the same time, Wang Ping intended to unleash Extracting Primal Yang to draw out the lifespan of Jinchi—who had been blown up along with his array by Zhu Fuzi—to replenish the energy consumed by Heaven-Reversing Sun-Turning. Yet this extraction unexpectedly pulled nothing but air... Instead, deep within the pure land, a figure slowly emerged.

It was Jinchi, the very person who should have been blown to pieces!

"...Hoh."

Clearly, they had prepared defenses against the self-detonation tactic.

Witnessing this scene, Wang Ping frowned slightly, feeling somewhat helpless. These Brahma Cultivators had not only refused to surrender, but they actually dared to fight back against him.

"Senior Brother?" Wang Ping looked at Xianfu.

Although Zhu Fuzi hadn't been able to penetrate deeply into the Northern Crimson Silk Golden Pure Land, he had at least broken an array. His self-detonation had also shed some light on the truth of this pure land.

Right after, Xianfu sighed. "Mastering the extreme mysteries of Brahma's body, speech, and mind—only a living Buddha can truly know them. This is the act of keeping secrets, which is why they are called the Master of Secret Traces... Baohu has borrowed this profound mystery."

'Keeping secrets?'

"In other words, she has hidden herself away," Xianfu explained. "Every Brahma Cultivator within this pure land is a secret-keeper hiding her."

"Unless we break this pure land, we won't be able to find her."

"But if we break the pure land, the Heavenly Frost Cave Abode is right next to it... The shockwaves of the resulting phenomena will likely trigger its early manifestation."

"This is a complete abandonment of any aggressive intent, seeking only to stall for time and preserve their lives... Junior Brother, if nothing else, she must have guessed that we plan to kill her."