Data cultivation, I observe immortality in the five elements

“These runes resemble a ritual inscription, and are definitely not products of this era,” observed the second spirit body.

He fell from the clouds and landed on a pillar, his gaze constantly scanning his surroundings.

The cylinder is made of a very special material; it looks like old stones, but it is extremely hard to the touch.

It cannot be destroyed by violence at all.

Luo Yan tentatively released a wisp of spiritual energy, which was instantly absorbed by the cylinder, disappearing without a trace as if it had sunk into the sea.

Then he released various kinds of laws of power, which were also absorbed by the cylinder.

They all vanished without a trace in an instant.

Or rather, it was absorbed by the mysterious array of runes inscribed on the cylinder.

This results in all the energy being unable to dissipate.

Such a rare item piqued the interest of even Luo Yan, whose mind was clear and tranquil.

"If we could take this thing with us, it would probably be an incredibly useful tool," Luo Yan murmured, a look of inquiry in his eyes.

Although he rarely uses ritual implements, it doesn't mean he doesn't know how to use them, nor does he need them.

While fighting is a matter of personal preference, if it can enhance one's own strength, then of course one shouldn't miss it.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard Luo Yan tried, he couldn't budge the cylinder even an inch.

His plan to cut off a section of the cylinder and use it to hit someone failed.

Luo Yan was unwilling to give up, so he followed the pillar down, wanting to reach the bottom of the Sea of ​​Ruins and find out what the problem was there.

Unfortunately, he had only ventured a few hundred feet into the Sea of ​​Return to Nothingness when he was blown back by gusts of wind from the Nine Netherworlds.

This kind of gale was extremely strange. It didn't look strong, but it made Luo Yan's soul tremble.

In addition, the temperature below was extremely cold. As soon as Luo Yan went down, he felt a bone-chilling cold seep into his body.

It almost froze his physical body.

Clearly, even with the power of faith and his pure energy body, he still cannot reach the bottom of the Sea of ​​Ruins.

Left with no other choice, Luo Yan had to abandon the idea of ​​seizing the pillar and instead focused his attention on the ancient and mysterious sacrificial tattoos.

"Zero, restore the formation with my eyes," Luo Yan whispered.

The next moment, a familiar mechanical voice slowly rang out in his sea of ​​consciousness:
"The task is to create a replica of an ancient sacrificial array."

"Start parsing."

"Preliminary analysis results: This formation contains the power of the Great Dao, and is the precursor to some ancient grand formation. It cannot be fully analyzed."

"The ancient sacrificial array in front of us is found to be incomplete. Please provide more sample data."

"Divine runes being inscribed"

Upon hearing this, Luo Yan paused slightly, gazing thoughtfully at the intricate patterns beneath his feet.

So, the sacrificial patterns on these cylinders, although they look roughly the same, are actually different in detail?
Without delay, Luo Yan moved repeatedly above the clouds of the Sea of ​​Return to Nothingness, landing on one pillar after another.

He meticulously copied all the sacrificial patterns standing amidst the sea of ​​clouds.

"The inscription of the divine runes has begun."

"The data sample is insufficient; this analysis only represents one-sixty-one percent of the complete array."

"If we continue analyzing, there is a 75.42% probability that we will unleash one-thousandth of the power of the ancient sacrificial array."

"Continue the analysis?" the indifferent mechanical voice asked.

Luo Yan looked at the pillar that pierced straight into the sea of ​​clouds. Although most of it was submerged in the Sea of ​​Return to Nothingness, the divine patterns engraved on it were still ancient and mysterious.

Even when shrouded by the winds of the Nine Netherworlds, it did not weaken in the slightest.

Such divine runes are no ordinary things!
Even if it's only one-thousandth of its power, it could probably have an unimaginable effect in certain situations.

Luo Yan nodded and replied softly, "Analysis!"

"The Divine Rune Array Analysis Mission Continues."

"The analysis is expected to take 425 days and 19 hours," the mechanical voice echoed in Luo Yan's mind.

The sacrificial patterns on the cylinder are very mysterious. They don't seem mysterious at all, but they can absorb most of the energy in the world.

At least all the power that Luo Yan possessed was completely absorbed by these divine runes, without a single trace escaping.

This is amazing.

After all, the second spiritual body can mobilize the laws and energies, in addition to the power of destiny, as well as the power of incense and vows, the laws of life, the power of reincarnation, and so on.

But all that energy of the Law of Void was absorbed by the divine runes on the cylinder?
This result shocked even Luo Yan.

After Luo Yan's numerous attempts, he discovered that the secret patterns engraved on the cylinders could devour the power of the laws he released, but they did not actually disappear.

Instead, they were silently transferred to another unknown space.

It looked as if it had been swallowed up and vanished into thin air.

This demonstrates the mystery of these sacrificial deity patterns.

The Sea of ​​Return to Nothingness is a desolate and empty place. Luo Yan has been here for so long, but he has not seen a single living being.

This is a quiet place, shrouded in boundless thick clouds, with endless gales raging in the distance.

Everywhere was shrouded in mist and fog, and there was not a sound.

The world of thousands of undulating bubbles that I remember from the past has completely disappeared at this moment.

There was not a trace of those powerful figures from the major human sects.

Luo Yan knew that it wasn't that the entrances to those small worlds were gone, or that the powerful figures from the major human sects hadn't arrived, but rather that he had come at the wrong time and lacked the key to unlock the starry skies of those small worlds.

Without a specific key to unlock it, even a powerful monster at the Mahayana realm cannot find the exact location of those small worlds.

"The divination at Hai (亥) indicates a missed opportunity; the answer is now revealed."

Riding on the back of the Qilin, Luo Yan chanted an ancient incantation, using his own Dao foundation as the source, a chant that resembled both song and dance, like the murmur of a deity.

The next moment, endless clouds rolled in, and a dazzling spiritual light rose from the Sea of ​​Return to Nothingness.

Correspondingly, Luo Yan's body was also affected. He could sense an invisible force passing through the spiritual light and gathering around him.

This is a test, seemingly examining whether Luo Yan is qualified to enter that magical world.

The path of the "Ten Thousand Spirits' Pride" selects its members; those who are too old or whose talent is too mediocre are not allowed to enter.

Even though it wasn't my first time here, I still couldn't get in.
'Om! '

A short while later, the Sea of ​​Return to Calm returned to calm, and an ancient bronze door rose up, resembling the entrance to a teleportation array.

The interior of the door was empty; there was no way back, and no idea where it led.

A faint suction force emanated from the bronze door, as if it wanted to swallow Luo Yan whole.

Luo Yan did not resist and rode the Qilin inside.

‘Wow! ’

The world inside rapidly shifted, with boundless starry skies and an endless universe, scenes flashing by, the world within the painting flowing and changing. After an unknown amount of time, the world within the scroll gradually settled, finally settling on a deep yellow ancient realm.

Immediately afterwards, this ancient realm also began to rotate, and the scenes inside were like the changing of the sea and the transformation of the world, constantly passing by and receding.

One after another, magnificent and ancient buildings vanished like fleeting shadows, disappearing into the world.

The air was thick with the scent of time. Although much of it had turned into ruins, it was not hard to see the former glory of this ancient place.

Luo Yan watched the scene before him pass by like a fleeting glance, the ancient and simple Taoist charm overwhelming him, yet his mind remained completely unaffected.

During this process, he could even sense that the power of destiny within his body was constantly dissolving and undergoing some kind of transformation until it merged with this world.

Luo Yan guessed that this was due to the bronze door.

His body may not have been teleported away, but is still in the same place, standing in the Sea of ​​Return to Nothingness, where some kind of change is taking place.

The loss of his destiny's power seemed to be related to that ancient incantation.

With the help of a biochip, Luo Yan, though unaware of all the meanings contained in this ancient incantation, could still understand its general meaning.

'Shihou' represents oneself, or the creatures that come to this place.

'来' should mean to pay tribute.

'一古' corresponds to the soul, or the spirit.

Therefore, the general meaning of this ancient incantation should be that one sacrifices one's own soul and spirit to pay tribute to this world and become one with it.
Just from this ancient incantation, one can guess the strangeness and mystery of the Path of the Prodigy of Ten Thousand Spirits.

As Luo Yan pondered in silence, the scene in the world suddenly stopped and froze in place.

With a whoosh, he and the Qilin were enveloped in a dazzling white light and then disappeared into the bronze door.

When Luo Yan opened her eyes again, she found herself in an ancient Taoist temple. The surrounding area was shrouded in mist, and ancient buildings could be vaguely seen.

Luo Yan glanced back at the door that had disappeared into the void, then walked slowly forward, with the Qilin auspicious beast following closely behind him.

He saw many palaces that did not belong to this era, some of which even had terrifying restrictions remaining.

No matter how powerful the force, it couldn't shake those buildings in the slightest; they were indestructible, untouchable, and could not be forcibly opened.

In some palaces, there are also ancient artifacts covered in dust, carelessly tossed on the ground, looking quite inconspicuous.

Luo Yan picked up an item and examined it, sensing a special energy within it. The ancient artifact was glowing and gradually reviving.

All the dust disappeared, revealing the ancient artifact in its truest form: a lustrous and dazzling white jade porcelain bottle.

This is a secret treasure, its power is no less than that of modern magic weapons, and it can be considered a handy magic tool.

Luo Yan was about to take it away for observation, but he discovered that the power of destiny within him had suddenly decreased by a small amount.

He suddenly moved and put the white jade porcelain bottle back in its original place.

The moment the ancient artifact hit the ground, its form became blurry; it was still right in front of him, yet it became illusory.

Luo Yan tentatively reached out, only to find that he could no longer grasp the ancient artifact.

It was as if an unknown law permeated this palace, maintaining all order here.

Fortunately, after Luo Yan put down the ancient jade porcelain bottle, the energy of destiny within his body stopped surging and returned to himself.

"This training ground is interesting. It seems to be a treasure trove, but it requires a cultivator's mana to be consumed in order to obtain it," Luo Yan murmured.

'Snoring!'

The auspicious Qilin beast following behind him seemed to sense some kind of mystery, and transformed into a stream of light that entered Luo Yan's brow.

Luo Yan didn't care and continued searching for these ancient buildings.

He wandered through the palaces and paused among the broken walls and ruins, seeing countless ancient artifacts, some of which were extremely powerful, with power comparable to the most top-tier spiritual treasures.

However, to take it out, it would require consuming all of Luo Yan's current Destiny Energy.

After much hesitation, he finally put down the powerful ancient artifact.

The ancient Taoist temple contained a wide variety of ritual implements, including knives, spears, halberds, bottles, jade ropes, and hooks—almost everything imaginable.

Unfortunately, Luo Yan was not someone who liked to pursue material things. Although there were many spiritual treasures here, each with different powers, they were not what he wanted.

Luo Yan continued his journey, handling numerous ancient artifacts, but taking none with him.

The buildings ahead thinned out, as if we were nearing the end.

'clang! ’

Faintly, Luo Yan heard the sound of a bronze bell ringing. His eyes were clear as he scanned his surroundings, but he found nothing.

The bronze bell continued to ring, seemingly conveying a message: if one does not approach in time, this opportunity will be lost.

'Boom! '

The clear chime rang out again, and Luo Yan was certain that it was not a hallucination, but a real chime.

Strangely, no matter how Luo Yan searched, he couldn't find the direction of the bell sound.

It comes from heaven and earth, rises from nowhere, melodious and lofty, yet omnipresent.

Luo Yan stood there deep in thought, trying to find out the specific source of the bell sound.

The sound of the bronze bell did not come from a forbidden area, nor from a particular palace; it seemed to be everywhere.

Luo Yan frowned and walked around the surrounding palaces, the sound of bells still ringing in her ears.

"If the voice wasn't coming from the palace, where did it come from?" Luo Yan asked, puzzled.

Suddenly, Luo Yan seemed to have thought of something. She took a deep breath, slowly closed her eyes, and emptied her mind.

A flash of inspiration struck him, and the distant chime rang out even more clearly.

Luo Yan followed the ray of light and walked towards the very back of the ancient building, where there was only ruins and nothing else but collapsed walls.

Luo Yan paused there, listening to the bells ringing in his ears, and his mind began to wander.

An invisible force of law rose up and echoed between heaven and earth.

He stood motionless in front of the broken wall, seemingly lost in some strange state.

"The moon hides the jade rabbit, the sun hides the crow, and the tortoise and snake are intertwined."

"They are intertwined, their lives are strong, yet they can grow golden lotus in the fire."

"Gather the five elements and use them in reverse order; once the work is complete, one can become a Buddha or an immortal."

After the bell rang, an aged voice suddenly arose, reciting an ancient scripture that stirred Luo Yan's mind.

Although it is a fragment of a manual, its value is immeasurable.

If Luo Yan is not mistaken, this ancient scripture is about how to cultivate one's mind.
He stood before the broken wall for a long time, constantly observing and contemplating, merging with it.

This realization took more than ten days.

When Luo Yan opened his eyes again, he found that the broken walls and ruins in front of him had all turned into clouds and disappeared, and the energy of destiny in his body had also been completely emptied.

His eyes, however, sparkled, filled with an otherworldly brilliance.

The Bodhicitta Sutra! (End of Chapter)