Chapter 221 Jinling is Uncrossable (Part 7) "Aren't you a sword cultivator?"...

The main hall of the Esoteric Buddhism is an unusual Taoist temple, built on the mudflats of Mirror Lake. The interior is shaped like the Chinese character "回" and has eight stories. In the center of the hall is a Yin-Yang clear pool, in which several crystal-white water lilies are planted. Sunlight shines in from the dome, making the water shimmer white.

Behind this cluster of lotus flowers, several floating stones are placed in the pond and then move towards the back. At the innermost part of the main hall, there is an extremely tall jade statue, but it has no facial features and is only dressed in a simple Taoist robe, making it impossible to tell whether it is male or female.

This is the statue of the Dao Lord.

He never showed his true face, and no one knew what he looked like, so he simply sculpted according to the ideas of the craftsmen. Therefore, the statues in each esoteric Buddhist temple are not exactly the same.

Some are small children, some are elegant women lifting their skirts, and some are androgynous jade statues like this one, but none of them have facial features carved out.

"It's like adding the finishing touch to a painting. Without that touch of brilliance, it's just an imperfection. Once it's added, it has to become real, which is not good for the Dao Master."

Standing behind Lin Feiran, Li Changfeng slowly recounted the information he had gathered over the past few days.

They had been infiltrating the main temple of the esoteric sect for more than three days.

Previously, due to the matter of the spiritual veins of heaven and earth, the Nine Swords of Fengtian returned to the main hall to discuss the matter. All the buildings above the fifth floor were sealed off, using a powerful and domineering aura to keep the believers out.

It was at this opportune moment that the female cultivator, who was as small as a child and called Qingque, placed them among them and observed the situation.

For the past three days, Lin Feiran and Li Changfeng have spent their days sweeping and worshipping in the temple, making friends with the followers, and gathering information. At night, they go home to quietly ponder where the fire seed is hidden.

Although such a magical treasure was not enough for the followers below to know, the fragmented information pieced together did allow her to narrow down the general area.

Lin Feiran turned his gaze away from the jade statue and shared his own information: "Since the discussions began, neither the Holy Maiden nor the Dao Lord has been in the main hall. They must have entrusted the matter of the spiritual vein entirely to the other nine swords. As for what they themselves are doing, what are they up to?"

Who could possibly know?

Li Changfeng shook his head. He and Lin Feiran stepped onto the floating stones in the clear pool, and then skillfully bent down and knelt down, scooped up a handful of pool water to wash their faces, and drank a drop of dew from a water lily under the watchful eyes of the followers not far away.

"Their daily worship practices are too strange. Is it really harmless to drink this water?"

"It shouldn't kill him from drinking it." After doing all that, Lin Feiran scooped up a spoonful of clear pool water and poured it over the whisk in the jade statue's hand.

The two of them completed all of this with great skill, then left the pool and settled down to clean the surrounding area, making room for the other worshippers.

Just then, several petite figures descended from the third floor. The one in the lead was a young Taoist boy who reached waist height. He had cinnabar dots on his eyebrows, a clear face, and phoenix eyes. Although he was smaller than the other, he exuded an aura that was almost impossible to underestimate.

One of the Nine Swords, Fuyin.

Lin Feiran and he were acquaintances who had never been close, but Lin Feiran recognized him at a glance.

Behind Fu Yin followed cultivators of similar height, including Qing Que, the female cultivator who had placed them there.

She followed behind Fu Yin, glancing at Lin Feiran and Li Changfeng out of the corner of her eye, giving a barely perceptible nod, before stopping and bowing with the others.

"Respectfully seeing off Lord Fuyin."

The other followers also bowed. People like Fuyin rarely appeared in public, so everyone looked at him with either fervent or reverent eyes. Their words of farewell echoed throughout the hall.

Fu Yin looked anxious. Hearing this, he only nodded hastily and didn't pay much attention to them. After turning around and giving instructions to the people behind him, he flew away on his sword like a streak of light.

The crowd remained stunned for a long time, staring blankly at the streak of light. Lin Feiran glanced at them out of the corner of his eye and saw an indescribable longing in their eyes.

Like a dying traveler seeing a clear spring, or a jackal seeing its prey, but mixed with it is a kind of reverence.

The followers who were able to come to the main hall to conduct business were almost all the most devout and accomplished people in the esoteric sect. After spending three days with them and seeing their genuine devotion, Lin Feiran's feelings were complicated.

A moment later, Qingque, the leader of the esoteric sect, turned around. She pretended to look around the hall, then pointed at Lin Feiran and Li Changfeng and said coldly, "You two come with me."

"yes."

Lin Feiran and Li Changfeng naturally wouldn't refuse, and their actions wouldn't arouse suspicion.

As a qualified esoteric practitioner, all they have to do is obey orders unconditionally.

In esoteric Buddhism, being ordered around is something to be envied.

Amidst the almost envious gazes of everyone, Lin Feiran and his companion followed Qingque up to the second floor.

The main hall is where believers worship and cleanse themselves, while the second floor is where the heads of incense offerings and altars conduct their business.

Tasks are assigned, achievements are verified, and the backs of believers are marked with birthmarks—all of these are done here.

Qingque led the two into her territory. At first, she maintained a certain air of authority, but as soon as she entered, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and a hint of lingering fear appeared on her lovely, fair face.

"Good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?"

Li Changfeng waved his hand: "Whether it's first or last, it has to be said eventually, so let's listen to the good stuff first."

Qingque sat down on the table, brushed aside the "Book of Merit" beside her, but her face showed little joy: "The good news is that the plan above seems to have gone wrong. The Holy Maiden is furious, and all nine swordsmen have been sent out. Now there are only two people left in the main hall."

"Now that we have a chance to catch our breath while stealing the fire, and the interior is hollow, it's the perfect opportunity to steal it."

Lin Feiran stroked the table and asked again, "And the bad news?"

Qingque immediately lowered her eyes and sighed, "The bad news is that those who remain are two unpredictable and deep-thinking individuals."

One of them is Ao Xue, whom I mentioned before. Her cultivation is unfathomable. Fortunately, she spends most of her time cultivating in the eighth floor and rarely leaves her seclusion unless there is something important to do.

"The rest are either the cultivator hiding in the human realm or the masked man you mentioned earlier, but judging from the current situation, the latter is more likely," Lin Feiran replied.

Qingque nodded: "It seems you still remember my words very well. I think the same way. The other person left behind should be the 'Seventh Sword'."

Neither of them were easy to deal with, and both were highly skilled in cultivation. If you wanted to take the item away, you had to catch them off guard before they discovered someone had infiltrated.

Otherwise, let alone that thing, we might all lose our lives here.

Li Changfeng sighed: "You only said that the thing is sealed in an ice chest, but there's no sign of where the ice chest is yet, so how can it be fast?"

Qingque blushed and couldn't help but say, "The secrets of the esoteric sect are countless, and they are all stuck in the mouths of the Nine Swords. It was already difficult enough for me to pry the Fire Seed and the Ice Mirror out of Fuyin's mouth. Even if he is stupid, he would never tell me where they are hidden."

The source of the information about the fire seed was discovered by Qingque; otherwise, they might not have been able to find a way to break through the Northern Plains' illusion.

Lin Feiran stood to the side, tapping her fingertips on the table from time to time, and said, "I have a guess in my mind, but I don't know if it is reasonable."

Qingque looked at her and said, "Just speak. You're very perceptive; you might actually be able to figure something out."

Lin Feiran picked up a pen and quickly sketched out the layout of the main hall, then the pen tip landed in the southeast corner.

"A treasure as inextinguishable as the Fire Seed, even if it is placed in an ice chest, would certainly not be able to withstand such prolonged burning. If we want to keep it here indefinitely, we must use an array to draw upon its spirit."

Judging from the terrain here, the place of extreme yin, softness, and water should originally be in the east, which is the sixth, seventh, or eighth floor here. There must be a place where fire is hidden.

However, I spoke with someone a few days ago and learned that Ao Xue's room is on the eighth floor, east side. Someone who is in seclusion year-round wouldn't have such a treasure that absorbs spiritual energy nearby. Therefore, its hiding place should be where the Kan water and Xun wind converge, which is the southeast corner.”

Qingque was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you a sword cultivator?"

In the early stages of cultivation, basic techniques encompass everything and integrate various paths, but each path has its own specialization, and few people can master everything. The higher one goes, the more focused one needs to be, which is why there are very few people who cultivate multiple paths.

The main hall of the esoteric sect is located in a complex area. The Cloud Ascension Platform behind it is enough to disrupt the flow of spiritual energy, not to mention the Mirror Lake below where spiritual energy converges and becomes mixed.

In such a chaotic situation, Lin Feiran spoke as simply as eating and drinking, which was quite remarkable.

"I also have some knowledge of formations." Lin Feiran paused, then suddenly remembered something and said, "Speaking of which, a few volumes of classic texts will soon appear in the world, called 'The Great Sound is Silent,' which everyone can cultivate. If you are interested, senior, you can read a few volumes."

Li Changfeng was silent for a moment. He was no longer as disheveled as before. He straightened his hair and coughed lightly: "Now is not the time to sell books, but if you want to promote them, I can carry those books with me after this matter is over."

I, Li Changfeng, still have some reputation.

Qingque: "..."

Now is not the time to worry about appearances.

She pressed Lin Feiran's pen down, looked up and said, "It was agreed from the beginning that you would have full authority to make this decision, and I would only act as your assistant to clear away any obstacles. Now that the position has been found, what are your next steps?"

Lin Feiran's wrist was held down, but she did not pull it away. Instead, she slightly twirled the pen and flicked it back onto the pen holder with her fingertip: "Once we know the location, we can start stealing. But before that, I would like to ask for your cooperation in setting up the formation."

After a moment of contemplation, Qingque understood the meaning behind her words: "You want to trap Aoxue? I don't know how well you've mastered the Dao of Formations, but if we were to set up an array based on our respective levels, it would be almost impossible to trap her for long."

Li Changfeng replied, "Leave the task of luring the tiger away from the mountain to me."

When they were discussing things in the secret chamber, the senior from the Goddess Sect said that Lin Feiran's aura was ethereal and different from everyone else's. This was the so-called variable. Only she could succeed in obtaining such a spark.

After the three of them carefully planned how to steal the fire, Lin Feiran had dinner that day, bid farewell to Xun Feifei and the other two, and returned to the secret sect.

Although the layout of the main hall of the esoteric sect is largely the same, there are subtle differences between the three upper floors, which are where the Nine Swords reside. She plans to walk through the passageways while setting up the formation here, in case she makes a mistake when she actually takes action.

Using the moonlight as cover and relying on the pass token on his body, Lin Feiran avoided the circulating formation, flipped over and leaped up to the sixth floor, landing the first magic seal.

The main hall is extremely spacious, a single-story building with a U-shaped layout. Stepping inside is like entering a courtyard with corridors, and it is not cramped at all.

According to Qingque, this sixth floor originally belonged to a human of unknown identity, but that person rarely visited the main hall, so the place became empty, with no other activity except for a few cultivators who came and went on patrol.

Lin Feiran skillfully avoided them, secretly memorizing the plan, and then stealthily moved to a corner in the southeast, where he placed the second magic seal.

Just as she passed by the northwest corner and was about to place the third magic seal on one of the pillars, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a bright light in the corner of her eye.

She immediately became alert and retreated, lying in wait for a few breaths, but heard no movement. So she reappeared and looked at the faint light, only to find that it was a sliver of light shining through the crack in the door next to her.

It was extremely faint and brief, yet she managed to see it.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Feiran turned around and first left a magic seal on the pillar. Then she slowly approached the door. Instead of going in directly, she took out a piece of spirit jade and placed it in front of the door.

The jade was decorated with a kaleidoscope-like magic array that changed constantly; this was the method of investigation taught in "The Great Sound is Silent".

After waiting for a few breaths, the changing array patterns lit up at a certain moment, connecting with the array patterns on the roof, and then disconnected at the next moment.

This is an extremely complex formation.

There must be something special inside!

Lin Feiran immediately made a judgment, then put the spirit jade away, listening warily to the surrounding sounds while breaking the formation.

Just as the footsteps of the patrolling monks approached, the door creaked open a crack, and in the next moment, she had already sneaked into the room, leaving no trace in the corridor.

Lin Feiran stood by the door, and only turned around after the footsteps of the group had disappeared.

Then, he met pair after pair of eyes staring straight at him.

Lin Feiran: "..."

Author's Note: The red envelopes in this chapter are still available.