"I've never seen a Buddha statue like this before. If it had existed, there would surely be some record of it."Yao Yue shook her head as she spoke.
"To be enshrined here, it must have been real. But for some reason, just looking at this Buddha gives me a deeply uneasy feeling... as if a pair of eyes is constantly watching us."Lian Xing frowned slightly. A strong sense of dread surged from her instincts.
"This Lanruo Temple gives off a sinister aura,"Cai Yan agreed with a nod.
"When incense offerings are abundant, temples are sacred sites of the Buddhist path. But when incense wanes, demons and monsters often take residence—masquerading as cultivators to deceive others. The monsters here are certainly more than just that Blood-Robed Monk."Yi Tianxing spoke slowly.
He had never believed that the only danger in Lanruo Temple was the Blood-Robed Monk. Nor did he believe it was just the tree demon crone and a few ghostly women. This place harbored deeper horrors. The entire area around the temple felt like it was sealed off from the outside world—as if it were trapped in some kind of mysterious geomantic formation.
Originally, Lanruo Temple must have been sealed by the Heavenly Dao itself. For a place to be judged by the Dao as a threat to the world—it couldn't possibly be so simple.
His Innate Yin-Yang Eyes swiftly scanned the Buddha Hall, probing the statues. Sensing nothing unusual, he spoke, "Let's head to the back courtyard and find that thousand-year-old tree demon."
Under his Yin-Yang Eyes, the Buddha Hall revealed nothing. But the courtyard behind was shrouded in a dense, gloomy aura—clear evidence of powerful ghostly presences.
"Alright. I'd like to see just how beautiful this ghost woman is, the one who's left my husband so captivated."Cai Yan rolled her eyes at Yi Tianxing and commented sarcastically.
"Yes. Just hearing her name bewitched him. She must be extraordinary,"Yao Yue echoed, half-smiling.
Yi Tianxing could only force a bitter smile—there was no explanation that would satisfy them.He stepped toward the doorway.
Yet as he did, he failed to notice the eerie smile that flickered across the eight-faced Buddha statue behind them.
"Something's wrong!!"
The instant he stepped outside the Buddha Hall, a deep sense of foreboding struck Yi Tianxing. He instinctively turned back—and his face turned to ice.
The three women—Cai Yan, Yao Yue, and Lian Xing—who had just been standing in the hall, had vanished without a trace.
Gone.
In the very instant he stepped outside, they disappeared simultaneously and silently.
No doubt, the problem was inside this very Buddha Hall.
"Courting death!"Yi Tianxing's gaze swept coldly across the surrounding statues and the entire hall, his voice chillingly calm.
His rage ignited like a spark to dry grass.
He had only intended to explore Lanruo Temple, to experience the feeling of stepping into legend. But in the blink of an eye, Cai Yan and the others had been taken from him—disappeared into thin air.
A dragon has its reverse scale. Touch it, and you die.
For Yi Tianxing, that reverse scale was his loved ones—his family. And now, someone had dared touch them. That meant war.
His curiosity toward this place burned away, replaced by searing fury.
"Fine. So be it. I don't care what mystery lies in this Buddha Hall. Today, everything here... shall be destroyed!"
His blood and qi surged violently, roiling with emotion.And just then, this emotional surge triggered something deep within—
From the White Cauldron in his body came a clear ringing. Golden blood energy rolled within, crisscrossed by profound Dao runes, fused into an inseparable whole.
Within the cauldron, blood essence morphed into vivid images of Mighty Bull Demons, each embodying the martial spirit of the Bull Demon Sky-Battle Diagram.
Every Dao rhythm from the Bull Demon form became perfect nourishment, heavy as the earth itself.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, from beneath his feet, without warning, streams of mysterious yellow earth energy surged up from the ground and entered his body.
Each wisp of this qi made his body feel as though it was being crushed by unimaginable weight. If his physical strength had been any lower, he would've been instantly pulverized.
✴️ [ Earth-Crushing Seal (覆地印)]
An innate divine power born from fusing bull demon Dao rhythm with the essence of the earth. Grants a permanent link to the land beneath, allowing infinite strength and resilience while rooted on solid ground.
"This is the Earth Qi... The White Cauldron is pulling in the power of the land. Is it finally time? Is the divine power about to be born?"
Yi Tianxing was inwardly startled. His original plan to raze the temple had to be put on hold—the divine power once triggered could not be interrupted.
His body refinement had long reached the pinnacle of the Second Stage (Refiner Body Twofold), with the White Cauldron already at its limit. All that remained was for the divine power within to fully mature. Once it did, he could attempt a breakthrough to the Third Stage.
He knew the birth of divine power happened fast—extremely fast. Provided enough nourishment, the cauldron could birth a power in mere moments. The result could be either extraordinary... or ordinary. There was no way to predict—only to guide its outcome through the quality of nourishment.
Now, the White Cauldron was automatically absorbing Dao rhythms from the void, refining them into nourishment.
The Earth Qi flowing through his body was being sucked into the cauldron. Inside, a mysterious yellow egg had formed. Runes danced across its surface—within, the divine power was taking shape.
The egg devoured the Earth Qi ravenously. As more Qi was absorbed, the form within grew clearer—a Mighty Bull Demon roared toward the heavens, its horns piercing the sky, the image vivid and real.
Golden qi and blood boiled as bull-like roars echoed from the cauldron.
Suddenly—
The yellow egg burst apart.
In that moment, countless runes inside condensed into a single yellow seal. A mighty image of the Bull Demon rose from the seal, so lifelike it could've walked from the ancient past.
The aura it radiated was heavy and primeval. As the fragments of the broken egg merged into it, the seal took on the air of a sacred treasure.
At the bottom of the seal, two ancient characters glowed:
覆地 – Earth-Crushing
As the seal formed, Yi Tianxing immediately sensed a profound connection between his body and the land. Standing on solid ground, he could draw upon endless strength, his body fortified by a flood of Dao rhythm.
His flesh, skin, bones—all were transformed in an instant, forged anew by the divine power.
Endless yellow runes poured into his body, etching themselves into his flesh.
✴️ [Earth Law Chain (玄黄法则神链)]
A mysterious yellow divine chain, formed within the body, derived from the Earth-Crushing Seal. It continuously tempers the flesh with Dao essence, marking the culmination of the second stage of body refinement.
A moment later, a golden chain appeared inside his blood and flesh, radiating the aura of an ancient golden dragon-elephant. Then, a second chain of yellow earth formed, identical in structure, weaving through his body, bones, and meridians—etching Dao runes into his every cell.
This was the hallmark of the Second Stage's perfection—the emergence of the Law Chain.
For body refiners, each divine power birthed anchors their advancement. The Law Chain is the very core, the Dao fruit of the flesh.
Now, the formation of the yellow Law Chain signaled the complete mastery of the second refinement stage, leaving no barriers to the next breakthrough.
"Earth-Crushing Seal—Suppress!"Yi Tianxing took a deep breath, eyes flashing with killing intent.
Though it all seemed slow, in truth, everything had happened within just a few breaths.
He had undergone a complete transformation—And now, the fury within him could no longer be contained.
With a single thought and a sharp cry—
Shuua!!
A yellow seal appeared before him. Swirling with Earth Qi and radiant with divine light, the instant it emerged, the space around it trembled—unable to withstand the might it contained.