Gui Qu Lai Xi would also have the buyer sign many harsh conditions before handing over the body. At the same time, they would provide numerous warnings, including a list of places where one might encounter trouble after using the body.
In other words, only the buyer would know the approximate origin of the physical body. However, for a cultivator of Hong Yin's level, once her soul merged with the body, as long as she could eventually achieve perfect compatibility, the body would be influenced by her soul. Within a sixty-year cycle, it would subtly and gradually transform to resemble her soul's appearance, no longer bearing its original features.
... A dozen or so breaths later, Gong Shanhe waved his hand, setting up another layer of restrictions in Hong Yin's courtyard. Although Hong Yin had already activated her own formation's restrictions, he still felt uneasy and added another set.
Li Yan sensed that his own Divine Sense was now confined within the courtyard by the restrictions. With a thought, a string of prayer beads appeared in the air.
He flicked his fingers repeatedly, and the prayer beads instantly radiated golden light. One by one, the Dharma Manifestations of the Vajra Hand Bodhisattvas were revealed. With each one that appeared, it was as if another invisible restraint was added to the space.
Li Yan didn't activate the Dharma Manifestations' divine abilities, merely having them reveal themselves. But as they appeared one after another, the surrounding restrictions began to emit creaking sounds, as if they were about to break under the strain. Gong Shanhe's expression changed slightly, and he quickly sent out several more technique seals to stabilize the restrictions.
"Four and a half Dharma Manifestations!" Hong Yin gazed at the golden lights in the void and nodded. This was more than Li Yan had mentioned before. She released her Divine Sense to probe them.
"I have not refined this magical treasure. Elder Hong Yin may activate it directly." Hong Yin nodded upon hearing this.
Since Li Yan planned to use this magical treasure for sealing, there was no need for him to refine it personally. This would increase its power, but because there would be no connection to his own mind, if the treasure were ever destroyed, Li Yan himself would not be implicated.
Subsequently, Hong Yin casually pointed a finger. The golden light on one of the Vajra Hand Bodhisattvas suspended in mid-air flared, and with a flicker, it flew out.
At the same time, though the other three and a half Dharma Manifestations remained motionless, their bodies also erupted in golden light. The Buddhist light on their surfaces spread out, instantly merging into the Dharma Manifestation that had flown out. In a flash, that Dharma Manifestation was above Gong Shanhe's head.
"Suppress!" Hong Yin uttered a soft cry, her fingertip pressing down from a distance. The Dharma Manifestation abruptly stood up, its arms suddenly raised, ten fingers interlocked in a fist, smashing down toward Gong Shanhe.
Gong Shanhe had been observing the Buddhist figures in the air. As Hong Yin's cry sounded, the Dharma Manifestation attacked him, and he instantly understood her intention.
He let out a low shout and, facing the fist shadow the size of a head above him, also threw a punch.
The next moment, Gong Shanhe's expression changed slightly. His punch felt like it had struck a viscous yet incomparably hard space. Immediately after, the space around him solidified, and as the fist shadow from above drew closer, that solid space expanded, seemingly intending to envelop him.
A series of cracking sounds erupted where Gong Shanhe's fist passed, and visible cracks appeared in the void. This wasn't his fist tearing open the void; it was the two forces clashing, "shattering" the solidified spatial seal, like breaking through layers of thick ice.
Seeing this, a red dot of light suddenly flashed in the center of Hong Yin's forehead. She pointed a finger at the Dharma Manifestation again from afar. The Vajra Hand Bodhisattva's clasped-fist posture suddenly changed, forming the "Tathagata's Root Mudra." Instantly, rings of golden light surged from the Dharma Manifestation's body, and a halo of Buddhist light appeared behind its head. Its arms extended infinitely, the hand seal continuing to push horizontally toward Gong Shanhe.
In an instant, the cracks that had just shattered swiftly closed, trapping Gong Shanhe's punch and freezing it in place.
Divine light bloomed in Gong Shanhe's eyes. Exerting force from his waist, he shook his shoulders like a mighty lion shaking a mountain, and his trapped fist rotated with the momentum.
The cracking sound rang out again. The cracks that had just disappeared reappeared as spiraling fractures in the space above his head, extending further and further.
The restrictions Gong Shanhe had set up earlier rumbled even louder, on the verge of collapse.
Seeing this, Li Yan, from the side, was about to cast a spell to reinforce the restrictions. But at that moment, Hong Yin had already withdrawn her finger and, with a flick of her sleeve, retracted the technique.
The Vajra Hand Bodhisattva blurred and returned to its position above the prayer beads, sitting cross-legged. Then, the four and a half Dharma Manifestations rapidly shrank, transforming into wisps of golden light that entered four of the prayer beads.
"Amitabha. My apologies for troubling you, Fellow Daoist Gong. This nun has lost her physical body and cannot test it personally!" Hong Yin gave Gong Shanhe a slight bow.
Gong Shanhe had also stopped and stood firm. He waved his hand, his gaze still fixed on the string of prayer beads in the air.
"Fellow Daoist Gong, I used about forty percent of that Dharma Manifestation's power just now." Hong Yin continued before he could ask. Gong Shanhe withdrew his gaze upon hearing this.
"Oh? Forty percent? Then a single Dharma Manifestation is roughly equivalent to a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!" Gong Shanhe quickly calculated in his mind. He, of course, hadn't used his full strength either.
Li Yan stood quietly to the side, but he was somewhat astonished by the scene. At the same time, he wondered why Hong Yin didn't continue testing the other three Dharma Manifestations.
When this magical treasure had been re-refined, he had only stood to the side and felt its pressure. The pressure from the three and a half Dharma Manifestations was no weaker than the one refined by Great Master Dajing.
With this perception, he had decided to come back and test it together. Yet, the first Vajra Hand Bodhisattva Dharma Manifestation that Hong Yin had just activated was the very one refined by Great Master Dajing.
He clearly remembered that when Great Master Dajing had wielded it, that Dharma Manifestation's power was roughly at the peak of the Initial-stage Nascent Soul, comparable to Great Master Dajing's own strength.
But now, after being re-refined, the first Dharma Manifestation had actually reached the power of a Mid-stage Nascent Soul, an unexpected increase.
'Is this the result of the re-refinement, or is there some other reason? If it improves like this with every refinement, once all eighteen prayer beads are done, wouldn't the power of each Dharma Manifestation be heaven-defying...'
As Li Yan's thoughts raced, Hong Yin's gaze swept over him.
She had seen this Dharma Manifestation before, albeit activated by Li Yan, but she knew its power. Now, she seemed to have seen through his confusion.
"The realm of these Dharma Manifestations is related to the refining materials. The materials Fellow Daoist Li showed me should be the bones of a Late-stage or peak Fourth-rank creature. Also, this is a composite magical treasure. Once you refine it, you must re-refine the whole set. Although this particular Dharma Manifestation didn't need a complete re-refinement, it was still influenced by the molten bone liquid. Its power can only rise or fall to maintain a balance between the several Dharma Manifestations, so the difference between them cannot be too great. Therefore, by testing one, you can know the approximate power of the other three!"
After hearing Hong Yin's explanation, Li Yan nodded. Although he was not skilled in artifact refinement, he had studied it. Once the principles were explained, he understood.
Indeed, as Hong Yin said, this magical treasure was called "Secret Traces Vajra Suppresses the Sacred Mountain." With two or more, it could form the "Vajra Suppressing the Sacred Mountain Formation," albeit the weakest version.
"Four and a half Mid-stage Nascent Soul Dharma Manifestations, and they can form a formation? Fellow Daoist Hong Yin, does this mean the magical treasure's power will increase once the formation is formed?" Gong Shanhe was also knowledgeable about formations. He immediately thought of a result, and though he had already guessed, he wanted Hong Yin's confirmation.
"Of course! Otherwise, even with ten Mid-stage Nascent Soul experts at your disposal, you would be no match for a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator. But once a formation is formed, its power can suppress a Late-stage Nascent Soul expert. What's more, you are dealing with the 'Yin Mountain Beast,' which has an elemental weakness to it. This magical treasure is sufficient to reinforce the seal!" Hong Yin finally gave a definitive answer.
Although Gong Shanhe had long known that Li Yan had communicated with his daughter and Hong Yin about the prayer beads, he could tell from Hong Yin's calm expression and words that Li Yan had told her quite a lot.
It was one thing for his own daughter to know, but even Hong Yin knew, yet not a single piece of information had been revealed to him.
'Good lad, his master, who he just met, knows everything, but you don't mention a single word to me. You... you're still guarding against me?' Thinking of this, Gong Shanhe couldn't help but feel a little frustrated. Was Hong Yin's relationship with him closer than his own? He had given his daughter to him.
However, a smile appeared on his face.
"Thank you for clearing up my confusion, Fellow Daoist Hong Yin. Li Yan, your plan is initially feasible, but we still need to go and discuss it in detail with the Great Elder and the others." As Gong Shanhe spoke, he waved his hand, and the restrictions vanished. He glanced at Li Yan and even smiled.
Li Yan nodded in agreement, but he felt that the glance Gong Shanhe cast his way was a bit strange. Moreover, this was the first time the other party had called him by his name.
Previously, he couldn't call him "Fellow Daoist," and it was too early for "Lord Father-in-law," but "Clan Head" was acceptable. But it was difficult for Gong Shanhe to address Li Yan. Calling him "Fellow Daoist" was also inappropriate. Calling him "Li Yan" felt like an elder addressing a junior, given Li Yan's realm. In the Cultivation World, strength was paramount, and despite his relationship with Gong Chenying, it felt off. Thus, since learning of Li Yan's relationship with his daughter, Gong Shanhe had always used "you, me, he," which seemed a bit formal. This sudden use of his name, though Li Yan didn't mind, still felt like a sudden change in Gong Shanhe's attitude!
"Wait, please wait a moment, Clan Head Gong. Oh... it's like this, I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Li to truly complete the refinement of this magical treasure, and in such a short time. However, if this is all, it may not be enough to successfully seal that fifth-rank 'Yin Mountain Beast.' There is one more thing I haven't mentioned. At the time, I didn't think it could be re-refined within a decade, so..." Seeing that Gong Shanhe was about to proceed immediately, Hong Yin quickly spoke to stop him, her voice tinged with hesitation.
Her words made the smiles on Li Yan's and Gong Shanhe's faces freeze. A bad feeling welled up in their hearts. Li Yan asked with some hesitation.
"Fellow Daoist Hong Yin, you're not going to say that even with this power, this magical treasure still can't suppress it, are you? That's not what you said before!" Li Yan's tone already carried a hint of questioning.
'Great, you said before that with your seal, plus a Late-stage Nascent Soul Buddhist art, it could be suppressed for at least ten years or so.'
Now that they had finally reached this step, she was saying it might not succeed, and... there was something else she hadn't said. Li Yan was starting to feel rather annoyed.
Hearing this, Hong Yin didn't look embarrassed. She shook her head.
"I still stand by what I said. I didn't think you could refine such a powerful Buddhist magical treasure in such a short time. To seal that Wind Beast, you must go to where its main body sleeps. Now is a good opportunity, with several of its avatars severely wounded, but the place you need to go is not somewhere you can reach..."
"Fellow Daoist Hong Yin, are you talking about that cave? Are you afraid it will use the extreme cold yin wind again? This time, it won't be just one or two of us going. The Great Elder can go too. Our chances should be quite high." Li Yan frowned and interrupted Hong Yin.
Hong Yin glanced at Li Yan, knowing he was a bit annoyed.
"To get close to the main body of the fifth-rank 'Yin Mountain Beast,' you don't need to go through the cave. To tell you the truth, those two so-called caves are actually just the two 'nostrils' of the illusory beast shadow it projected when it tried to break through upwards. Its main body is only about a hundred zhang in size! The reason I was there was that as it used its divine ability to break through the seal, the part of the seal that I had transformed into was constantly being consumed and thinning. My divine soul would subconsciously move to the weaker parts of the seal to reinforce them."
As soon to as Hong Yin said this, Li Yan and the others were stunned.
"'Nostrils' of the projected beast shadow?" Amid his shock, Li Yan recalled the strange feeling he had when he was underground. He had felt as if the cave was "breathing."
"Fellow Daoist, where is its main body then? And what is the danger in going there? It only has two avatars left. Our number of Nascent Soul cultivators can completely overwhelm them. Is there still a problem?" This time, it was Gong Shanhe who asked directly.
This was something he and Li Yan had agreed on. The seal was meant for its main body. They would definitely bring more people this time; they just needed to prevent its avatars from interfering.
"Theoretically, yes. But sealing a fifth-rank 'Wind Beast' is not so simple. Especially back then, his strength was almost equal to mine; there was no possibility of crushing him. After he was severely wounded, he fled back to his lair. His goal was to use the 'Heaven's Eye Pit' to recover quickly. And the place he is at is the very eye of the 'Heaven's Eye Wind,' where the extreme cold power is most concentrated—the best place for his recovery. When I transformed into a Sarira to seal him, I fell into a deep sleep and couldn't move him. Do you understand now, Clan Head Gong?" A complex, inexplicable look flashed in Hong Yin's eyes. For a moment, it was as if she had returned to that earth-shattering battle of the past.
Unfortunately, in the end, her desire to perish together with him had not been fulfilled.
"You sealed its main body at the eye of the 'Heaven's Eye Wind'?" Gong Shanhe's expression changed repeatedly. The Tianli Clan had fought the Wind Beasts for generations; he certainly knew what this meant.
As Wind Beasts, besides using spirit qi to cultivate, powerful ones could also use the gushing "Heaven's Eye Wind" to cultivate, and the most potent location was the eye of the wind.
The "Heaven's Eye Wind" usually covered a vast area, but the wind blowing from the very center, the eye, was a place that not even Nascent Soul cultivators dared to approach.