Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

Three days ago, the sect leader sent a messenger to report that an ancient Buddhist site had been discovered near the Mulan Grassland, which borders the Great Jin Dynasty. The sect wanted to invite him to lead a team to explore for the treasure.

As for why Yuan Xiang chose Murong Fan to lead the treasure hunt—whether it was because of his deep affinity with Buddhism, or because Yuan Xiang appreciated him and intended to give him more cultivation resources and opportunities, or because he had a deeper test for him—none of these mattered to Murong.

In his view, this was like a pillow delivered to someone who was sleepy: he had always wanted to leave the Leiyin Sect to travel and seek opportunities to improve his cultivation.

Three days later, just as dawn was breaking, Murong Fan packed his bags. Besides his usual storage bag and personal magical artifacts, he also carefully kept the power transfer token bestowed upon him by the Thunder Sound Sect close to his body, so that he could contact the sect at any time in case of danger. When he arrived at the mountain gate, the ten elite inner sect members who were responsible for accompanying him were already waiting there.

Upon seeing Murong Fan's arrival, they all bowed respectfully and greeted him as "Elder Murong." Murong Fan's gaze swept over the crowd, noticing that each of them possessed a cultivation level above Foundation Establishment and a steady aura. The leader, in particular, had already reached the early Golden Core stage. Murong Fan nodded, said nothing more, and simply raised his hand, saying "Let's go." He then led the group in their flying divine vessel towards the Mulan Grassland.

Those dozen or so elite inner disciples rarely went out and had never seen Murong Fan's flying vessel before, so they were both curious and amazed.

The flight was relatively smooth, with the only minor incident occurring when passing through the Chaotic Star Desert, where he slew two arrogant level-seven sand worm demonic beasts. The disciples, seeing Murong Fan effortlessly subdue the two sand worms, were secretly amazed when Murong Fan casually remarked, "Whoever performs exceptionally well on this trip will be rewarded with these two sand worm demon cores."

The ten inner sect elites accompanying him were already eager to perform well in this mission and win Murong Fan's favor. These disciples already held Murong Fan in high esteem and admiration, and now their eyes were filled with fervor as they looked at him.

After flying for about half a day, they gradually moved away from the territory of the Thunder Sound Sect. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth around them had thinned considerably. Instead of the boundless green grasslands and the charming scene of wind swaying the grass, what came into view was an extremely barren land.

The spiritual energy here is thin and difficult to gather, and spiritual veins are even rarer. Although the grassland is vast, various extreme natural disasters occur frequently. Terrifying white winds sweep by and instantly freeze thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, causing nearby people, livestock, and vegetation to be frozen.

As they flew at low altitude, the distant roars of demonic beasts could be heard, and a wild, pungent stench filled the air. Murong Fan paid no heed to these beasts; at this moment, all they wanted was to reach the ancient Buddha ruins as soon as possible.

Murong Fan stood at the bow of the Shenzhou ship, his gaze fixed on the horizon where a faint golden light was rising. That was the place where the ancient Buddha's ruins were discovered. At this moment, many cultivators from the surrounding sects had already rushed there upon hearing the news, and presumably, the area around the ruins was already teeming with experts.

They continued flying for half an hour, and in the distance they could see the outskirts of the small hill where the ruins were located. Tents had been set up, and various sect flags were planted densely. The sound of air being torn apart rose and fell, and cultivators were constantly rushing in from all directions.

Murong Fan piloted the flying vessel and landed at the pre-designated camp of the Thunder Sound Sect. The elders who were waiting there to provide support rushed forward and bowed, saying, "Elder Murong, you've finally arrived."

"The entrance to this ancient Buddha's ruins was revealed three days ago, but it is covered by an ancient Buddhist power barrier that ordinary cultivators cannot break through. The major sects have tried several times together, but they have only managed to blast open a crack. There are restrictions inside, so it must be full of traps. All the cultivators who went in to explore for treasure are waiting outside," the elder continued.

Murong Fan nodded slightly and followed the elder to the main tent of the camp to meet the several Leiyin Sect elders on duty there. After discussing the division of labor after entering, they agreed that once the Buddhist cultivation inheritance was found, it would be handed over to the sect for unified distribution, and the rewards would be distributed only according to the amount of effort contributed. Murong Fan then got up and walked out of the main tent, and slowly explored the outer perimeter of the ruins by himself.

The closer he got to the small hill, the stronger the Buddhist energy fluctuations in the air became. The Mingwang Technique, which he had just perfected, was faintly warming up, clearly indicating that the Buddhist energy here was greatly beneficial to his cultivation technique.

Murong Fan felt even more excited; this ancient Buddhist relic was indeed a cultivation opportunity sent to him by heaven.

Murong Fan rested at the camp for a day. Early the next morning, the disciple in charge of scouting brought back news that the restrictions on the entrance to the ruins had been opened by the major sects, but there seemed to be many more obstacles in the valley.

A disciple quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and presented a jade slip with both hands: "Reporting to Elder Murong, we found this jade slip at the entrance of the valley, and it seems to have a restriction fluctuation on it."

Murong Fan accepted the jade slip from his disciple, scanned it with his divine sense, pondered for a moment, and then spoke calmly: "It's alright. Let's scout ahead in the valley. Those cultivators from other sects, remember this name: Cola Novels. Remember this domain name: Good books don't get lost. Since they want to rush ahead, that's fine too. Let them lead the charge, deplete the power of the restriction first, and then we'll seize our opportunity."

After saying this, he straightened his robes and led his disciples leisurely into the depths of the valley.

The Buddhist sculptures on both sides of the mountain path became increasingly dense, and the air was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood, yet also carried a subtle chill. After walking along the mountain path for about half an incense stick's time, a half-collapsed dark blue lotus platform came into view.

"This is... a demon-infected Buddhist altar!" Murong Fan's expression changed slightly. He suddenly remembered that his master, Yuan Xiang, had mentioned this strange phenomenon. "It seems that a great battle between Buddhism and demons once broke out here. This lotus altar was originally a Buddhist treasure, but it was later corrupted by demonic energy, which is why it looks like this now."

A semi-transparent, ancient Buddhist seal is imprinted in the center of the lotus platform, exuding a gentle yet unapproachable aura, forming an eerie contrast with the dark blue lotus platform, inspiring awe in the viewer.

Murong Fan stepped forward and, following the cultivation method of the "Ming Wang Jue," slowly channeled the Buddhist power within his body into the Buddhist seal. Suddenly, the Buddhist seal, which had been dormant for so long, lit up with a dazzling golden light. The lotus platform slowly parted to the sides, revealing a dark stone staircase leading to the ground. Dense Buddhist power surged out along the stone staircase, even tinging the surrounding vegetation with a faint golden light.

At the end of the stone steps was a spacious stone chamber, its walls covered with indistinct Buddhist scriptures. Murong Fan examined them closely and recognized them as the long-lost "Meditation Mantra." Overjoyed, he quickly took out a jade slip and copied the text. As he walked deeper into the chamber, he found a half-open lotus pedestal embedded in the stone wall at the end. On the pedestal sat a pure white relic, emanating a profound and enduring Buddhist power.

Murong Fan had intended to bring these dozen or so inner sect elites out for training and to broaden their horizons, but as they approached the stone chamber, the restrictions were suddenly triggered, and a deafening bell rang out. The sound was so disturbing that those who heard it lost their minds and were on the verge of madness. Murong Fan quickly activated his spiritual power and pushed the dozen or so inner sect elites out of the stone chamber.

"You all guard the entrance outside. I'll go in first to scout ahead. If I haven't come out after half a month, send a message back to the sect and ask the presiding master to make a decision." After giving the instructions, Murong Fan didn't wait for his disciples to dissuade him. He picked up the "Xiaoyin" magic sword and walked step by step up the stone steps into the stone chamber.

Upon entering the stone chamber, one sees an ancient bronze bell suspended in the center, its surface covered with dense Buddhist patterns, radiating immense Buddhist power—this is none other than the Great Sun Tathagata Bell, a supreme spiritual treasure! Beside the bell floats a golden Dharma wheel, its surface shimmering with the shadows of the Buddhas of the Three Worlds—this is another supreme spiritual treasure, the Wheel of the Three Worlds Bright Kings! On the stone wall in a corner of the chamber is carved a diagram of a killing formation—the supreme killing formation, the Vajra Subduing Demon Formation!

Murong Fan stepped forward and saw that the relic was enveloped by a layer of light golden Buddhist light. He dared not be careless and immediately activated the Mingwang Technique to activate Buddhist power. He condensed a wisp of pure Buddhist light at his fingertips and carefully touched the restriction.

Upon first touch, the Buddha's light barrier only trembled slightly and did not dissipate;

On the second attempt, the restriction rippled, yet remained stable.

The third time, Murong Fan pushed his Buddhist power to its limit, and the Buddhist light at his fingertips surged, causing the restriction to shatter. The relic flew into his palm on its own, and a powerful enlightenment instantly flooded into his sea of ​​consciousness. It was the cultivation method of the fourth level of the "Ming Wang Jue"!

Murong Fan suppressed his excitement, sat down against the stone wall, and immediately began to circulate the Mingwang Technique. He slowly began to comprehend the enlightenment he had gained. The new Buddhist power flowed through his meridians, constantly washing away the bottleneck of his cultivation that was about to reach the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. He felt that this trip to the ancient Buddhist ruins had found the most precious opportunity.

After an unknown amount of time, Murong Fan finished his practice and stood up. He felt that the Buddhist power in his meridians had become increasingly powerful and refined, and his aura had become more stable. The barrier that had blocked him from reaching the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm had begun to show fine cracks. He knew in his heart that this was only a sign of a breakthrough. To truly break through the barrier, he would need a period of refinement and accumulation, and it was by no means something that could be accomplished overnight.

He put the warm, smooth relic into his storage bag, picked up the Xiaoyin Dharma Sword, and continued walking deeper into the ruins. After passing through the passage behind the stone chamber, the space in front of him suddenly opened up into a plaza several tens of feet wide. In the center of the plaza stood a dilapidated ancient Buddhist temple. The temple door was half open, and a rich Buddhist power flowed out from the door, carrying a faint sandalwood fragrance.

Just as Murong Fan was about to step into the plaza, he was blocked by an invisible barrier. He frowned slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he immediately took out the relic and placed it between his eyebrows, drawing upon Buddhist power to form a dazzling Buddhist seal, which he slowly pushed forward. The moment the Buddhist seal touched the barrier, ripples spread across it, before slowly dissipating after a moment.

The moment the restriction dissipated, an immense and unparalleled Buddhist power suddenly erupted from the hall. Murong Fan felt a sudden increase in pressure around him, as if an ancient behemoth was lurking in the hall, scrutinizing him with its cold gaze.

He gripped the Xiaoyin Sword tightly and cautiously stepped into the plaza. As soon as he landed, countless golden runes suddenly lit up on the plaza floor, forming a huge Buddhist array that trapped him within.