Two Realms High Martial Arts: Gathering the Heavens to Become a Great Luo Immortal

Chapter 386 Buddhist Beads

After crossing the terrifying sea of ​​thunder, the four of them stopped before this enormous ruin.

On the dilapidated plaque, the solitary character "宝" (treasure) seems to encapsulate the past glory and present desolation of this place.

The building in front of us can still be vaguely seen as a magnificent palace, but now it has collapsed by nearly half. Among the broken walls and ruins, some overturned jade racks and broken stone platforms can be vaguely seen, indicating that this place was once a place to store treasures.

"This place should have been where the cave dwelling stored magical artifacts and spiritual weapons. Judging from the layout, it must have had a considerable collection back then." Su Manniang's gaze swept over the ruins, her tone filled with regret. "It's a pity that it was destroyed so thoroughly."

As the group stepped into the ruins known as the "Treasure Pavilion," all they saw was shocking desolation.

The vast majority of the jade shelves had collapsed, and the items displayed on them were in a terrible state. Flying swords with dim spiritual light were broken into several pieces, exquisite pagodas were shattered into pieces, protective jade talismans were reduced to dust, and various strange and grotesque remnants of magical artifacts were scattered all over the ground, devoid of spiritual energy and Daoist charm, no different from ordinary iron and stubborn rocks.

Clearly, this place was the first to be hit by that devastating disaster, and most of the treasures were destroyed along with the collapse of the palace. Over the ages, their spiritual essence has long been extinguished.

"Alas, what a waste!" Luo Qingyang looked at the mess on the ground and felt heartbroken.

If even one or two of these treasures could be preserved, it would be a tremendous benefit to the sect.

The four split up and searched carefully through the ruins, hoping to find anything intact that had survived by sheer luck.

A moment later, Luo Qingyang found a jade pendant covered in dust but faintly exuding yin and yang energies beneath a half-collapsed jade shelf.

He carefully picked up the jade pendant, brushed away the dust, and saw that the pendant was round, half of it as warm and smooth as jade, and half as black as ink, with a smooth curve dividing it in the middle. It was a [Yin-Yang Fish Pendant].

The jade pendant felt warm to the touch, exuding a natural Daoist charm, subtly resonating with the "True Scripture of Feathered Ascension" he cultivated.

"This item—contains the essence of Yin and Yang circulation, tranquility and non-action, which perfectly aligns with the principles of my Feathered Ascension Sect!" Luo Qingyang's face lit up with joy as he tightly gripped the jade pendant, feeling the peaceful and profound Taoist essence within it, as if he had found a priceless treasure.

Su Manniang, meanwhile, unearthed a tattered tortoise shell from a pile of shattered star-refined gold.

The tortoise shell was dark and covered with cracks, as if it would shatter at any moment. But when she poured her own Xuanwu spiritual power into it, deep blue lines, as deep as the sea, lit up on the tortoise shell, and a defensive Daoist aura that seemed capable of bearing all things spread out.

Her beautiful eyes lit up with delight, and she exclaimed, "Although this item is damaged, the principles it contains are extremely profound. If I can nurture it slowly, my chances of reaching the Grandmaster realm will increase by at least 50%!"

Li Qinghan's reward was an ancient sword with its sheath still attached, which was stuck diagonally in a charred stone pillar.

The scabbard is simple and unadorned, silvery-white in color, with faint tiger stripes engraved on it.

She drew her sword half an inch from its sheath, and a chilling, incomparably sharp sword light shot out, cutting a deep gash in the ground.

The sword's blade was like a pool of autumn water, exuding a chilling aura. Two small ancient seal characters, "白" (white), were engraved on the hilt.

Although the sword's spirituality had subsided somewhat with the passage of time, its essence was extremely high, perfectly matching her White Tiger Demonic Metal Dao, which brought a hint of satisfaction to her usually cold and aloof face.

"Om one"

The ancient sword emitted a clear and melodious sword cry, as if it had met its true master. The sword trembled slightly, and an icy blue light flowed around it. It actually took the initiative to restrain its bone-chilling coldness and became docile.

"Although this sword is damaged, its spirit remains. Its nature is cold, which complements my White Tiger's fiery metal energy." A hint of satisfaction flashed in Li Qinghan's eyes as he sheathed the sword.

Meanwhile, Li Xijun, who had been unusually silent since entering the place, ignored the few incomplete treasures that Luo Qingyang had discovered, which still retained some spiritual light.

His gaze seemed to pierce through layers of ruins, landing on an inconspicuous corner.

There, amidst the rubble and metal fragments, was a dusty, dark yellow bead with a surface covered in fine cracks.

Li Xijun stepped forward, bent down to pick it up, brushed away the dust, and revealed the original appearance of the bead—a Buddhist bead that had been broken and was now only half intact.

The moment his fingertips touched the broken Buddhist beads, a slight tremor ran through the depths of his consciousness, prompting him to sink his divine sense into them.

In that instant, he felt as if he were in a golden Buddhist paradise.

The air was filled with the vast and peaceful chanting of Buddhist scriptures; before my eyes appeared the compassionate and solemn image of the Buddha, surrounded by blooming lotuses and protected by celestial dragons. A surge of pure and powerful Buddhist essence flowed in like a warm spring—the fierce glare of a Vajra, subduing demons and monsters; the gentle brow of a Bodhisattva, showing boundless compassion for all beings; the wisdom of meditation, illuminating the emptiness of the five aggregates; the sharp power of Prajna, discerning truth from falsehood—

Although the true meaning of the prayer beads was incomplete due to their brokenness, its essence and profound meaning far surpassed any Buddhist tradition that Li Xijun had ever encountered before.

This could not possibly be left behind by someone at the Dharma Body level; its owner was likely a being who had truly surpassed the Dharma Body level and touched upon the realm of immortals and Buddhas.

He immersed himself in the vast Buddhist atmosphere, carefully contemplating and gaining profound insights.

Although these truths were not entirely the same as his own path, they were interconnected and greatly benefited him in perfecting himself and understanding the principles of the world.

However, just as Li Xijun thought his enlightenment was about to end and his mind relaxed slightly—

In the deepest part of that boundless golden light of the Buddha's teachings, at the end where all true meanings returned to silence, he keenly sensed a subtle, almost fused-into-the-light—an anomaly!

That was not the compassion of Buddha, nor the emptiness of Zen, but a dark color that seemed to be destruction or an end flashing by.

This feeling was fleeting, so faint as to be almost nonexistent. If Li Xijun had not experienced the [Cosmic Primordial Darkness] containing the essence of laws and had not possessed an extraordinary sensitivity to this power that symbolized the ultimate destination of all things, he would have completely ignored it and thought it was merely a manifestation of the Buddhist concepts of "extinction" and "emptiness".

But this is absolutely different; this meaning is purer, more essential, and more—heart-stopping.

It lies hidden behind the Buddha's light, like an inescapable darkness beneath the background of a perfect painting.

Li Xijun suddenly opened her eyes, a hint of surprise and uncertainty flashing in them.

He looked down at the broken Buddhist bead in his palm, his brows furrowing slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he solemnly put the seemingly insignificant broken Buddhist bead into his inner world.

The four continued searching for a while, and after confirming that they had found nothing more, they left the ruins that buried countless treasures and returned to the rift leading to the entrance to the secret realm.