Originally, they thought they were the group walking at the very front of the Cauldron Competition, with no opponents possibly appearing ahead of them.
But no one expected that after passing through five full layers and reaching the sixth layer, they would discover someone even faster than them!
And moreover…
They were Snow Domain Esoteric sect cultivators!
The first layer’s Cold Ice Prison Division, with its towering Buddha statue standing on corpses, countless strange murals surrounding it, and that Yashan token smashed on the ground, broken into several pieces…
Jian Chou hadn’t forgotten any of it!
Standing on the battle chariot, her right hand hidden in her sleeve had instantly grasped her new trump card. The killing intent in her heart also continued growing and then boiling with the flashing images in her mind!
Zhang Tang and the others had also never expected to encounter Snow Domain Esoteric sect cultivators here.
Moreover…
They had driven the chariot all the way here at what could be called “riding the wind” speed. Logically, no one in the entire Cauldron Competition could be faster than them!
Yet before their eyes, this group of Esoteric sect cultivators stood below, facing them from afar.
Jian Chou’s group felt surprised, while the Snow Domain Esoteric sect cultivators below felt no less shock!
The Western Sea Chan sect and Snow Domain Esoteric sect were the two largest branches within Buddhism, with most other smaller branches existing under the protection of these two sects.
Over these hundreds of years, because of “reincarnation,” their understanding of the Extreme Domain and Cauldron Competition far exceeded ordinary people.
Among them, the Snow Domain Esoteric sect, due to the convenience of their cultivation methods and essential teachings, had more combat power than the gentleness of Western Sea Chan Buddhist cultivators.
Therefore, even with the same understanding of the Cauldron Competition and Extreme Domain, their speed could leave their opponents far behind!
Yet there were actually people who could catch up to them!
And they definitely weren’t from the Western Sea Chan sect!
What was the background of these people?
Such doubts arose in their hearts.
The Snow Domain Esoteric sect crowd was immediately on high alert!
Even their leader Zongtu, upon hearing Jian Chou’s four words filled with killing intent, couldn’t help feeling shocked and frowning.
The moment he saw Jian Chou clearly with his physical eyes, he was already somewhat surprised. But when he saw her clearly with his mind’s eye, he felt complete astonishment and wonder!
It seemed like…
This was the one?
Zongtu stared at Jian Chou in a daze, momentarily forgetting to respond.
Jian Chou’s piercing gaze had already swept over those below, her heart filled with killing intent rapidly calculating the possibility of eliminating everyone in one breath.
However, when she glimpsed the strange look the leading red-robed monk was giving her, she narrowed her eyes slightly.
The old woman didn’t care about any of that.
She had once been a Buddha Mother of the Snow Domain and was extremely familiar with the attire of this group below. She immediately let out a cold laugh and said: “Why waste words with them? They’re from the Snow Domain Esoteric sect!”
This voice immediately attracted the attention of many Esoteric Buddhist cultivators below.
They looked up and only then noticed this old woman beside Jian Chou. Many recognized her: “Isn’t she a Buddha Mother?”
“Right, a Buddha Mother from our Esoteric sect—when did she become eligible for the Cauldron Competition?”
…
Some immediately became puzzled, and a gloomy-faced monk standing beside Zongtu stepped forward, pointing at the old woman and sternly demanding: “Which master’s Buddha Mother are you? How dare you not follow our Esoteric sect rules?!”
What tremendous arrogance!
What tremendous audacity!
In that instant, Jian Chou couldn’t help laughing aloud, her eyes already blazing with killing intent!
“A mere Esoteric sect rule dares to demand obedience?!”
A chilling cold laugh!
Almost the moment that person’s words fell, Jian Chou’s right hand had already struck out directly, bringing forth a trail of ethereal light like the Milky Way hanging from heaven, smashing down directly!
None of the Esoteric sect cultivators expected her to attack without any discussion!
Moreover, what did their sect’s affairs have to do with this female cultivator?
Several red-robed monks immediately became angry, raising their hands to form mudra seals.
Lotus flowers immediately bloomed from their palms, about to block Jian Chou’s ethereally radiant strike!
Seeing this, Zongtu was immediately alarmed!
Others couldn’t discern the depth of Jian Chou’s strike, but how could he not know?
Immediately, he let out a shocked shout: “No!”
His wide sleeves suddenly flicked!
Zongtu’s long eyebrows knitted tightly, his face already completely solemn as he directly stirred up a wind, sweeping away those fellow sect members who were about to attack Jian Chou!
Simultaneously, his right hand slapped his chest, actually directly producing a blood-red lotus seal!
Zongtu reached out to pluck it, holding this lotus and blocking forward!
The ethereal light like a silver river waterfall immediately crashed into the lotus seal, like mist hitting a breeze, instantly dissipating completely as if it had never existed!
In that instant, Zongtu’s face went white!
On his chest, a smaller thousand-petaled lotus mark immediately appeared, as if blocking something. The layered lotus petals suddenly closed inward!
“Snap!”
As if crushing something alive inside!
Then the thousand-petaled lotus opened with a “whoosh,” releasing only a few ethereal beams of light that soon scattered and became untraceable.
Only then did the thousand-petaled lotus mark disappear into Zongtu’s chest.
Jian Chou immediately exclaimed “Oh!” in great surprise: “You do have some ability!”
Her attack had been ethereal within ethereal, making it impossible for the attacked person to capture its shadow. That’s why Zongtu had grasped at nothing earlier, instead getting attacked on his chest.
Unexpectedly, this thousand-petaled lotus that appeared from nowhere could distinguish truth from falsehood, blocking the attack at once.
It was truly somewhat wondrous.
Moreover, it gave people a sense of Snow Domain’s sacred solemnity…
Jian Chou narrowed her eyes slightly but smiled.
With a flip and turn of her wrist, the ethereal light dispersed from around her palm.
Thus, everyone finally saw clearly the magical artifact she held, which had launched that ethereal strike!
Jian Chou’s second trump card prepared specifically for the Cauldron Competition—
Six Meridian Spirit Splitting Mirror!
Hexagonal.
A stone mirror surface, rough and unsmooth, reflecting not half a shadow.
Profound runes carved around the hexagonal mirror’s edge, like ancient patterns one after another.
The back had a coiled dragon-shaped stone ring that Jian Chou’s finger could pass through to secure the mirror tightly.
The entire mirror looked extremely ordinary.
Just like Jian Chou’s earlier incomprehensible attack, it seemed unremarkable.
However, countless spectating cultivators throughout the seventy-two cities had already cursed in unison!
“Damn it all!”
“How many trump cards does she still have?!”
“How did the Six Meridian Spirit Splitting Mirror end up in her hands? Who gave it to her?!!!”
The several red-robed monks in the field who had earlier tried to intercept Jian Chou didn’t know what kind of existence the Six Meridian Spirit Splitting Mirror was, but they knew the power of Zongtu’s thousand-petaled lotus!
Zongtu was an inheritor of the Esoteric sect’s most ancient Nyingma school, practicing the mental techniques left by Guru Padmasambhava. After achieving minor success in the third transformation, a “heart mantra” would condense on his heart.
Thousand-petaled Lotus Heart Mantra!
Only in extremely critical moments would this mark appear to protect its master.
This female cultivator’s seemingly casual strike had actually forced out Zongtu’s heart mantra—what terrifying methods, what powerful magical artifact was this?
Everyone, whether red-robed or white-robed, whether they had questioned the old woman earlier or not, now became vigilant, bodies tense and ready to attack at any moment!
Only Zongtu, after receiving Jian Chou’s move, still hadn’t recovered his pale complexion.
He only looked at Jian Chou, his examining and probing gaze not withdrawing, merely pressing his palms together and saying: “Qiannuo.”
This was a phrase similar to Buddhism’s “Amitabha” or “Amitayus”—a verbal habit, just originating from the Esoteric sect.
Jian Chou could roughly guess this.
However, she couldn’t understand his attitude.
She had already attacked first, yet after this person blocked her strike, he showed no intention of counterattacking. Instead, he pressed his palms together in greeting, as if the earlier attack had never happened.
As the saying goes, “Don’t hit a smiling face.” Though Zongtu wasn’t smiling, Jian Chou felt it wouldn’t be good to attack again.
She only maintained a stern expression and coldly laughed: “We’re traveling and wish to pass through here. Please have your Esoteric sect quickly get out of the way and make room!”
These words were extremely domineering!
Anyone with a temper would immediately start fighting with Jian Chou.
The always perceptive Zhang Tang immediately sensed something was wrong.
Though Jian Chou would indeed use extremely sharp tones when in a bad mood, it was basically only during battles.
Now she was actually telling people to get out of the way?
Wrong.
This was forcing people to attack, wanting to fight!
All along, she had been seeking speed.
Zhang Tang also knew her background wasn’t simple—agreeing to participate in the Cauldron Competition carried other purposes. Even earlier when driving the Kunwu Battle Chariot, she had secretly mentioned to him and Chen Tingyan that she must reach the eighteenth layer of hell first.
But now…
Her every word and phrase went against achieving this goal!
Such domineering unreasonableness, even showing contempt, was clearly meant to anger the other party and make them attack!
In an instant, Zhang Tang already knew what Jian Chou was thinking.
She disliked this group of Esoteric sect people.
Though his mind had already analyzed that not fighting was best, that avoiding conflict and leaving directly would be fastest, his heart couldn’t swallow this anger, so he was creating opportunities for himself, repeatedly provoking!
The phrase “please have your Esoteric sect get out of the way” showed complete disregard for others.
Zhang Tang turned his gaze and saw that below, whether white-robed or red-robed monks, all showed angry expressions, as if wanting to rush up and tear Jian Chou apart!
Only Zongtu timely stopped them, bearing restraint and control, actually bowing to Jian Chou and saying: “We Esoteric Buddhist cultivators enter the Cauldron Competition only to cultivate ourselves, not to fight with others or compete for the cauldron. Our fellow disciples spoke offensively—please be magnanimous, Senior Sister Jian Chou.”
Jian Chou…
Senior Sister?!
Everyone was stunned.
Jian Chou’s pupils contracted sharply, nearly throwing the Spirit Splitting Mirror at Zongtu!
But when she met Zongtu’s gaze that held no malice, she forcibly restrained herself. Only in her heart, waves of shock exploded beyond control!
She had never revealed her identity as Yashan’s Senior Sister to anyone in the Extreme Domain!
Non-Nineteen Continents cultivators couldn’t possibly know her identity!
This Esoteric sect cultivator…
Either he had noticed something, or he had definitely entered the Extreme Domain in the recent two years and happened to know her!
Too coincidental…
It simply gave her an impulse to twist off Zongtu’s head!
She gripped the Six Meridian Spirit Splitting Mirror tighter, surging soul power already coiling around her five fingers, ready to launch the strongest strike at any moment!
Jian Chou stared and lied coldly: “I am Jian Chou, not your Senior Sister. Who are you?!”
It didn’t matter if Jian Chou didn’t acknowledge it.
Zongtu peacefully raised his gaze and said normally: “Zongtu comes from the Snow Domain Esoteric sect, belonging to the sect’s Nyingma school. I entered the Extreme Domain four months ago. Our sect’s Saint Jiye warned Zongtu when entering reincarnation that if I encountered Senior Sister Jian Chou in the Extreme Domain, I should retreat and not become her enemy.”
“…”
Strange.
This time, everything inside and outside was strange.
The old woman’s expression changed dramatically upon hearing the two words “Jiye”!
Jian Chou in the field could no longer speak, feeling all her hair stand up after Zongtu’s words, her soul power circulation nearly disrupted by this sentence.
Others mostly didn’t know what riddle Zongtu and Jian Chou were playing, so they were completely confused.
Only Chen Tingyan and Zhang Tang guessed something but remained silent.
Inside and outside the seventy-two cities, the pot completely boiled over.
This development was truly unexpected for everyone.
Immediately, discussions swept countless places.
Even the several Yan Lords who had been paying attention to Jian Chou in the Bafang Yan Halls couldn’t help but lightly exclaim “Oh.”
Senior Sister?
Could this Jian Chou actually come from the Esoteric sect?
But then why did she say she didn’t know Zongtu?
They sensed something strange in the situation and looked at each other without speaking.
Before the sixth layer’s No Obstacles Prison Division.
An enormous sense of crisis had already risen from Jian Chou’s heart. She stood on the Kunwu Battle Chariot facing the Prison Division, her body tense.
She didn’t understand the Snow Domain Esoteric sect.
On the contrary, she only felt deep disgust and profound suspicion!
Saint, Jiye?
Jian Chou simply also secretly gripped her third trump card with her left hand—the White Jade Four Symbols Crown!
Ready at any moment to kill Zongtu to silence him!
However, her expression remained unchanged as she calmly continued asking: “This Saint Jiye you speak of, I neither know nor recognize. Are you really not mistaking me for someone else?”
Zongtu actually didn’t quite understand the circumstances of this matter either.
But he was completely convinced by Jiye, so he hadn’t asked many questions then. Now he still pressed his palms together and said: “The Saint only said that after eighty-one years, you will become his close friend and complete his nirvana.”
Great, another mystic!
Close friend?
Nirvana?
Nonsense—how dare he speak such things!
Jian Chou knew that the cultivation world had always had claims about peering into heavenly secrets.
Xie Buchen’s immortal master Hengxu Real Person was among the best: he had once calculated that Xie Buchen was the person who could save Kunwu from a hundred-year catastrophe, so he specifically went to take Xie Buchen as a disciple.
From this came today’s “Yashan Jian Chou”!
Even her former “Cosmic Eye” obtained from Fish Eye Tomb could peer into the river of time, the torrent of history, and see billions of future possibilities.
It was just that her cultivation wasn’t sufficient—even opening the Cosmic Eye was very difficult.
Eventually, this Cosmic Eye was borrowed by the mayfly Fu Chaosheng, who would probably return it to her later.
But she didn’t know where this “Saint Jiye” who suddenly appeared in others’ words had peered into heavenly secrets!
Jian Chou couldn’t help but sneer: “According to what you’re saying, if I really am this Senior Sister Jian Chou, then your Esoteric sect can’t be my enemy and must obediently make way for me?”
Zongtu only said: “Indeed so.”
“Senior Brother Zongtu!”
“Why should we?!”
Several red-robed monks immediately became dissatisfied, looking at Zongtu with eyes like they were poisoned!
However, Zongtu didn’t pay attention.
This was already his third time in the Extreme Domain and third time participating in the Cauldron Competition.
For non-Buddhist cultivators, the Extreme Domain was a battleground; for these Buddhist cultivators, the Extreme Domain became a transit point.
They participated in reincarnation here, using “reincarnation” to cultivate and gain insight.
They preserved their experiences through secret methods, so when reincarnating, even with mortal flesh, their “heart” cultivation would far exceed ordinary people.
Thus, “cultivating the body” became simple.
As an inheritor of the Snow Domain Esoteric sect’s most ancient Nyingma school, Zongtu’s temperament and talent were first-rate.
Originally, after the previous two reincarnations, he had already accumulated sufficient enlightenment to cultivate all the way to ascension to the heavenly Buddha realm in the Snow Domain.
Unexpectedly, the arrival of Saint Jiye ignited turbulent undercurrents within the Esoteric sect.
The Snow Domain Esoteric sect had five schools total. Though all worshipped Shakyamuni, they had different founding ancestors and believed in different Buddhist concepts.
Any Buddhist cultivator must choose one of the five schools to join.
In the larger cultivation direction, they were divided by secret methods like “empowerment” and “dual cultivation” into two factions with completely different stances.
One faction was closer to pre-split Buddhist cultivation methods, advocating enlightenment for liberation and great perfection, called “Old Esoteric”;
The other faction centered on supreme yoga, using consorts and Buddha Mothers for male-female dual cultivation, not transmitting teachings without “empowerment,” called “New Esoteric.”
Saint Jiye was invited from hundred-lifetime reincarnation by the New Esoteric faction’s ritual practices, intending to use his heaven-reaching Buddha power and hundred-lifetime sacred enlightenment to purge dissidents.
But no one expected Jiye to turn around and directly support the Old Esoteric!
What kind of supreme existence was a Saint in the Snow Domain?
Revered by ten thousand, worshipped by ten thousand cultivators!
He had never taken sides or been close to anyone. Now this sudden support nearly stunned everyone!
The entire Snow Domain Esoteric sect immediately fell into chaos.
Complete and utter!
In this complex situation, Zongtu, having sided with Saint Jiye, was killed by a Sakya school master on the most terrifying night of chaos.
The opponent severed his head and threw it into the Snow Domain’s sacred lake.
His soul was thus dissolved and scattered by the sacred lake’s waters.
Zongtu thought he had completely vanished, no longer existing in the world.
Unexpectedly, the Saint forcibly cleansed the Sakya school—the strongest opposition force—and after slaughtering 183 masters in their school, actually awakened the sacred lake and reconstituted his divine soul.
Thus, he could enter reincarnation for the third time, waiting to be reborn and return to the Snow Domain.
Now, the struggles in the Nineteen Continents’ Snow Domain had developed to the point of frequent slaughter among sect members. The Extreme Domain couldn’t possibly be unaffected.
Various school members were here, and reincarnation would transmit news between upper and lower realms.
Thus, the Extreme Domain naturally divided into corresponding factions. It was just that being in the Extreme Domain, with the Ten Great Ghost Clans and Bafang Yan Halls present, no one dared mutually massacre and weaken their own strength.
But after he just spoke the four words “Saint Jiye” and indicated he would make way for Jian Chou’s group, those clearly belonging to the “New Esoteric” faction were already extremely displeased!
Zongtu understood this clearly.
His gaze fell on the hexagonal stone mirror tightly gripped in Jian Chou’s hand, then glanced at the crown faintly held in her left sleeve. Finally, he lowered his gaze, unable to bear seeing his fellow disciples seek death, and let out a long sigh.
“What she holds in her right hand is the Six Meridian Spirit Splitting Mirror, and in her left hand is the Four Symbols White Jade Crown. Fellow junior brothers and nephews, if you’re dissatisfied, feel free to test yourselves!”