Zhenyue King Mu Xi obtained a jade pendant made from the blood of a true spirit in this place.
Huoqiong King Xiahou Ling took away a Buddha statue refined from the bones of a true spirit.
From this, it can be inferred that if this ruined Zen temple is indeed an ancient Buddhist relic, then this Buddhist sect is by no means ordinary.
"Let's go," Su Yi took the lead.
Before they could cross this ruin, a loud rumbling erupted from the pond filled with black demonic lotuses. Then, as if awakened, countless scarlet demonic lights shot out from the blooming flower buds, piercing into the sky.
Boom~~
The earth and sky trembled.
With the naked eye, one could see numerous blood-red vines as thick as water buckets emerging in the eastern area.
In the western area, the sound of blood-red golden halberds echoed.
In the southern area, blood-red flames burned and boiled.
In the northern area, an icy and bone-chilling blood-red flood surged and roared.
In the central region, a blood-red mountain rose from the ground, reaching up to the sky, like an insurmountable barrier.
In an instant, the powers representing the five elements transformed into a sinister blood-red array, covering the heavens and earth.
Ning Yihu and the others felt a sense of unease, their expressions unprecedentedly solemn. This was undoubtedly an extremely terrifying killing array that made them feel a strong mortal threat.
However, Su Yi shook his head slightly and chuckled, "If it were any other formation, I might have to exert some effort, but in front of a formation based on the five elements, it would be an insult to myself to struggle."
The five elements are the fundamental powers in the way of talisman formations, giving rise to the infinite mysteries of talisman dao.
Although Su Yi wasn't a true talisman master, he had perused the countless laws of the heavens in his previous life and possessed rich experience in array formation and breaking.
He calmly walked forward as if strolling in a courtyard.
Boom! Boom!
As soon as he entered the formation, the entire five elements array resounded and started operating.
First, countless raging fires descended like a deluge. These fires carried a fierce and sinister blood-red aura, capable of incinerating gold and boiling iron, and possessed a corrosive and malevolent power.
But Su Yi paid them no attention, as his figure revealed a layer of true essence shield, directly blocking the surging flames several zhang away from him. He stepped forward into the formation step by step.
Boom!
The formation seemed to be provoked, resounding with loud rumblings.
A torrent of blood-red currents surged forth, transformed from the essence of water, akin to a towering tsunami.
Following closely, blades, spears, swords, and halberds, all blood-red, howled through the air like rain of magical treasures.
Countless blood-red vines twisted and writhed, like dancing whips, lashing out.
Most terrifying of all, from the blood-red mountain that resembled an insurmountable barrier, large blood-red rocks tumbled down like meteor showers, creating a deafening sound and a horrifying spectacle.
The powers derived from gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, erupted with all their might at this moment.
Ning Yihu and the others felt their hair stand on end, as they wielded their weapons and stood in a defensive formation. However, in the face of such a terrifying array, they still felt their hearts pounding and a sense of helplessness.
This made them suspect that even if an immortal of the land were to come, it would be difficult to contend with the power of such a grand formation.
But at this moment, a faint laughter escaped Su Yi's lips.
"Devouring Spirit Command, Order as Guiding Force, Activate!"
The Xuanwu Sword in his hand suddenly swung towards the empty space.
On the dark-as-night blade of the sword, a complex and obscure pattern emerged, resembling layers of swirling black vortexes, rising into the air.
The Devouring Spirit Command!
One of the nine commands inherited from the Elysium Demon Land, it possessed the marvelous ability to devour and utilize the spirits of the heavens and earth.
And now, Su Yi used it to break the formation!
In the void, the surging blood-red currents rushing towards them were immediately drawn and devoured by the vortex-like patterns of the command, unable to approach Su Yi and the others.
The interwoven and operating formation of the five elements, when one formation was disrupted, the other formations would also be affected.
"Break!"
Su Yi vigorously waved the Xuanwu Sword, and the Devouring Spirit Command dragged the mighty blood-red currents, sweeping across the blood-red sea of fire that was rolling towards them.
Water and fire were incompatible, and the collision of the two formidable array powers erupted with a destructive force, sweeping in all directions.
Under the impact of such power, the golden array power that manifested as blood-red blades, spears, swords, and halberds, the wooden array power that transformed into massive blood-red vines, and the earth array power that turned into towering blood-red mountains, all suffered a terrifying blow.
Boom! Boom!
In an instant, the entire formation of the five elements fell into complete chaos. The array powers of raging flames, surging currents, blades, spears, and falling rocks clashed and dissipated continuously, causing the formation to collapse.
In just a few breaths, under the almost stunned gaze of Ning Yihu and the others, the entire killing array that covered the heavens and earth crumbled!
"This..."
Lansuo widened her eyes and looked at Su Yi, wearing a look of astonishment as if she was looking at a monster.
Could such a formidable array be broken so easily?
Ning Yihu and Mu Xi glanced at each other, secretly sighing. Since they met Su Yi until now, it felt as if there was nothing in this world that could pose a challenge to him!
The smoke and mist dispersed, and the rain of light faded away.
As the formation vanished, the scene before them suddenly changed.
It was as if layers of illusions had been shattered, revealing the true appearance of this ruined Zen temple.
"That is..."
Ning Yihu was taken aback.
In the distance of the vast and broken courtyard, a massive dragon coiled, its body resembling towering mountains, with scales the size of houses. Its head was raised high, seemingly supporting the sky.
The dragon's body was covered in golden light, radiating brilliance that illuminated the heavens and earth, exuding a sacred and majestic aura, like a celestial deity, unattainable.
The onlookers felt a profound sense of insignificance and, especially when faced with the golden dragon, an uncontrollable feeling of awe overwhelmed them, almost compelling them to kneel and worship.
Suddenly, Su Yi's voice resounded in their ears:
"It's just an illusion, don't let it disturb your mind."
His words thundered like a lightning bolt, causing Ning Yihu and the others to stiffen, instantly snapping out of their feelings of insignificance and reverence.
When they looked again, they saw that the massive dragon was actually a towering mountain range, dull and lifeless, merely resembling a dragon in shape, devoid of the grand, sacred, and lofty aura they had perceived at first glance.
"Transforming mountains into dragons, harnessing spirits for formations. Quite a grand plan! Unfortunately, the spiritual essence within the mountains has been lost, and we can no longer witness the scenery it once possessed..."
Su Yi expressed some regret.
His gaze turned towards the highest point of the distant mountain range, where the dragon's head was located, and a pagoda stood tall.
"Let's go there."
Su Yi immediately flew towards the distance.
Ning Yihu and the others quickly followed suit. At this point, Su Yi had become their backbone. If they were on their own, they wouldn't dare to venture so recklessly.
As they ascended the winding mountain path, it felt as if they were walking on the back of a giant dragon. Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened along the way.
However, Su Yi noticed that every part of the mountain range was meticulously arranged with enigmatic and intricate formations.
Unfortunately, the spiritual essence of the mountain range had long been extinguished, causing the formations to deteriorate and suffer significant damage.
Nevertheless, Su Yi had roughly deduced that this dragon-shaped mountain range, similar to the 108 altars in the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain, possessed the power of suppression, sealing, and confinement!
However, what exactly this mountain range was suppressing remained unknown.
After half an hour, Su Yi and his group finally reached the mountaintop, where the dragon's head was situated.
As they approached, they saw clearly the towering pagoda, reaching a height of a hundred zhang, with an octagonal shape, flying eaves, and majestic grandeur.
The entire pagoda had a translucent and pure black color, divided into nine tiers. In front of the main gate of the lowest tier, two stone steles stood erect.
The stone steles were all in a state of ruin, but their inscriptions could still be faintly discerned. However, whether it was Ning Yihu, Mu Xi, or Lan Suo, they didn't recognize the characters. They were too unfamiliar, appearing strange and contorted like earthworms.
Subconsciously, they turned their gaze towards Su Yi.
As expected, just as they had anticipated, Su Yi pointed to the left stone stele and said, "The characters on this one are written in Mahayana Sanskrit and read as 'Prajna Meditation Courtyard'."
He then looked at the stone stele on the right and said, "The inscriptions here are in 'True Spirit Secret Script.' It's an ancient script created by beings of the True Spirit lineage. It is said that this script was developed based on the innate Dao patterns within the bodies of the True Spirit beings. Each stroke carries a unique trace of the Great Dao, making it extremely profound."
Su Yi stared at the stone stele and carefully discerned it before saying, "The True Spirit Secret Script on this one reads 'Forbidden Land of the Sinful Dragon'."
Ning Yihu and the others fell into silence, their hearts in turmoil.
Fortunately, Ning Yihu had some knowledge. She had at least heard of Mahayana Sanskrit and knew that it was an ancient script originating from Buddhism.
However, Mu Xi and Lan Suo were completely clueless. They had never even heard of Mahayana Sanskrit or the True Spirit Secret Script, let alone being able to recognize them.
Because of this, when Su Yi casually deciphered the inscriptions on the steles, it left them particularly shocked.
They couldn't help but wonder, what is there in this world that Su Yi doesn't know?
"Prajna Meditation Courtyard should be the name of the Buddhist cultivation force in this place. As for the Forbidden Land of the Sinful Dragon..."
Su Yi pondered, "Could it be that beneath this mountain, a true dragon that committed heinous sins was once suppressed?"
Thinking of this, Su Yi couldn't help but recall the scene he had witnessed before.
A white-robed monk riding a true dragon, soaring through the starry sky!
"This Prajna Meditation Courtyard seems interesting. Let's go in and take a look."
Su Yi didn't delay any longer and stepped towards the entrance of the first floor of the pagoda.
Upon pushing open the door, they saw that the first floor of the pagoda was a massive hall.
Thirty-six stone pillars stood tall, and on the walls hung bronze lamps, emitting a bright and pure light, diffusing a tranquil and fragrant aroma.
Su Yi sniffed the air and said, "Burning lamps with Buddha's fat can remain unextinguished for thousands of years. It seems that during its glorious period, the Prajna Meditation Courtyard also had many powerful beings presiding over it."
Looking at the walls, they saw a series of patterns, although heavily eroded by time, still discernible. These were depictions of teaching and lecturing, with dragons soaring, phoenixes flying, heavenly flowers falling, and countless monks in the picture.
Everything was filled with a sense of sacredness and solemnity.
However, Su Yi furrowed his brows, feeling that something was amiss, although he couldn't quite put his finger on it.