Crossing that bizarre, time-fragment-flying street, Xiao Qi's group finally arrived before that most magnificent round-topped building. Up close, one could better feel its majestic momentum. The entire building was constructed from golden sand, its round top reaching into the clouds (the space inside the city seemed far more vast than it appeared outside). The walls were carved with huge golden lotuses, swastika Buddhist seals, and many relief sculptures of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Vajra warriors. Though having gone through endless years, they still radiated dignified appearances, emitting faint Buddhist light.
However, forming a sharp contrast with this solemn sacredness was the building's ruined state. Those huge, originally vermilion door panels had long rotted away, leaving only some broken frames, as if blasted open by some giant force. The walls also had many huge cracks and damage. Some reliefs were even half-destroyed, exposing the dimmed golden sand structure within.
Here was the Golden Sand ancient city's undisputed core—the ruins of an ancient Buddhist temple.
Standing before the ruined main door, a complex pressure mixed with pure Buddhist power and some kind of cold, evil aura surged from inside like a tide, heavily pressing on the heart. That Buddhist power, though still powerful and pure, carrying the dignified intent to cleanse heart demons and suppress evil, faintly revealed a sense of weakness from lack of successors. That cold, evil aura, though faint, was like a bone-attached maggot, entangled in the Buddhist power, carrying an erosive, degenerate, and ominous flavor.
"Demonic energy..." Xiao Qi's eyes narrowed, his heart growing cautious. This ancient Buddhist sacred ground had indeed suffered demonic path invasion. And looking at this situation, the erosion had probably reached the core. No wonder the monk phantoms in the final stages outside all carried a tragic and resolute intent.
Zhao Tiezhu also felt that uncomfortable cold aura. His body surface's pale golden qi and blood involuntarily accelerated circulation as he said quietly: "Brother Qi, inside here... doesn't seem right."
The rabbit spirit was even more nervously grabbing Xiao Qi's hair, its small head alertly turning.
"Stay close to me, be careful and vigilant." Xiao Qi said in a low voice, taking the lead, stepping across that ruined threshold, entering the Buddhist temple.
The space inside the temple was indeed extremely vast, as if forming its own world. First entering view was a huge plaza paved with golden sand. In the plaza's center stood a nine-story golden pagoda. The pagoda body also had damage, but still emitted the densest Buddhist light, seemingly the core of the entire temple's array or faith power.
Around the plaza were distributed some side halls and corridors, mostly already collapsed, leaving only broken walls.
And most eye-catching was the main hall located at the plaza's deepest end, built against a mountain (or perhaps a sand dune). The main hall was the most grandiose in scale, but also the most severely damaged. The hall's roof had almost completely collapsed, leaving only a few huge golden pillars standing stubbornly. The strongest fluctuation of intertwined Buddhist power and demonic energy was coming from that direction.
On the plaza, there were also many monk time phantoms. Some were devoutly kneeling in worship under the pagoda, some were practicing some fierce fist or palm techniques on the plaza (seemingly body refining technique basics), and others were gathered in the main hall direction, their faces solemn, as if guarding something, or... preparing to welcome the final battle.
These phantoms were much more solid than those outside. Especially those near the main hall, their bodies even faintly revealed powerful energy fluctuations. Though only imprints, one couldn't underestimate them.
Xiao Qi didn't linger too long on the plaza. His goal was clear—the core main hall where the fluctuation was strongest. He led Zhao Tiezhu and the rabbit spirit, avoiding those solid monk phantoms (though they had no consciousness, touching them might trigger unpredictable changes), walking straight toward the main hall.
The closer to the main hall, the stronger that intertwined Buddha-demon aura became. In the air, invisible forces seemed to be clashing and wearing against each other, issuing faint, heart-palpitating sizzling sounds. The golden sand ground underfoot also showed many charred and corroded traces, clearly having experienced fierce energy impacts.
Finally, they stepped into the main hall's range.
Inside the main hall was even more ruined. The huge Buddha statue had long collapsed, shattered into countless pieces scattered on the ground. Only half a forearm barely maintained a palms-pressed posture, yet the fingertips were wreathed in an imperceptible black energy. The originally exquisite murals on the walls had mostly peeled off. The remaining parts were also covered with cracks. Scenes of Buddhas preaching scriptures and Bodhisattvas lowering their eyes were destroyed by ferocious, claw-mark-like black stains, full of desecration and ruin.
And at the main hall's deepest end, where the main Buddha should have been enshrined, was now shrouded in a hazy halo formed by pure Buddhist light and pitch-black demonic energy intertwined. That halo constantly twisted and transformed. Buddhist light tried to purify demonic energy, while demonic energy constantly eroded Buddhist light, forming a strange balance and confrontation.
In the halo's center, an ancient jade platform was faintly visible. On the platform seemed to be enshrined something, but blocked by the halo, it couldn't be seen clearly. But the jade pendant in Xiao Qi's bosom, as well as his own Purification Source, both gave strong reactions to that direction—there, both supremely pure and orthodox Buddhist power existed, as well as evil that needed purification!
"The transmission... is probably within that halo." Xiao Qi's gaze was sharp, staring at that Buddha-demon intertwined core, "But to obtain it, we must first resolve that demonic energy erosion entangled for ages."
Zhao Tiezhu looked at that heart-palpitating Buddha-demon halo, feeling the terrifying fluctuations within, swallowed, and clenched his fists: "Brother Qi, whatever you say, I'll do! My Diamond Subduing Demon Divine Ability might just come in handy!"
The rabbit spirit also jumped from Xiao Qi's shoulder, its small paw pointing at the halo, issuing "squeak squeak" calls, seeming somewhat excited, yet also somewhat alert.
Xiao Qi didn't rashly approach. He could feel that halo wasn't only the manifestation of energy confrontation, but more likely a powerful seal or trial. Forcibly charging might trigger unpredictable consequences. He needed to carefully observe and find a safe way to contact the transmission.
This Buddhist temple ruin, while revealing its antiquity and power, also exposed the trauma and degradation it had once suffered. To obtain that supreme body refining secret technique, they had to face this leftover problem of the Buddha-demon struggle. The real trial had only just begun.