The Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect.
The Second Elder and Hong Jing sat facing each other across a table, each holding a color of chess pieces.
Hong Jing placed a white jade chess piece onto the board, the click a crisp sound against the wood.
The Second Elder stared at the board for a long moment before sighing softly, "I lose."
Hong Jing offered a serene smile, "Nor did I win. The true game has just begun."
The Second Elder met his gaze, a faint curve gracing the corners of his lips.
"Yes, it has only just begun."
...
Within the Vermillion Bird Tomb, Xu Yi was blissfully unaware of the storm brewing outside. Currently, she stood with a solemn expression in a deep pit, carefully examining the stone surface at its base.
Ji Buwang, who had been waiting above, saw that Xu Yi remained still for an extended period. Knowing she must have found a clue, he leaped into the pit as well.
Ji Buwang's arrival did not interrupt Xu Yi's deep contemplation.
Xu Yi tilted her head, her eyes unfocused, lost in thought.
After another half-stick of incense, Xu Yi suddenly snapped back to awareness.
"What did you find?" Ji Buwang asked.
"I found something interesting," Xu Yi replied, leaning closer and placing her hand on the smooth stone surface. "Touch here."
Ji Buwang asked no questions, immediately mimicking Xu Yi's action by placing his hand on the stone. He then froze slightly. "It's warm?"
Xu Yi nodded. "Yes, the rock here contains incredibly potent fire element, and it's not just this spot. Every pit is like this."
Xu Yi tested several more pits before daring to confirm this.
"Is there something wrong beneath this mountain?"
"No, it's left by the attack that created the pits," Xu Yi stated, standing up with a grave expression. "And I suspect these pits weren't created by the Ancestor Vermillion Bird."
Ji Buwang's eyes narrowed.
This was the personal space of the Ancestor Vermillion Bird. If it wasn't the Ancestor, then who else could it be?
"Is there any basis for this?"
Xu Yi nodded. "After a thousand years, the spiritual energy has faded. It's almost impossible to sense any spiritual energy within the Vermillion Bird Tomb. Yet, the fire element left on the stone surface remains incredibly powerful.
To speak with such disrespect, this surpasses the Ancestor Vermillion Bird's own strength."
Ji Buwang recalled carefully and realized it was indeed as Xu Yi had said. The Vermillion Bird Tomb was thin on spiritual energy, clearly in a state of collapse.
The Vermillion Bird Tomb was supported by the spiritual power left by the Ancestor Vermillion Bird, which precisely indicated that it had reached the limit of what the Ancestor could achieve.
If the Ancestor Vermillion Bird had caused this, the fire element on these stones should have been as faint as the spiritual energy, barely perceptible, not in such an active state.
Therefore, Xu Yi's statement could almost be confirmed.
Could there have been another person within this Vermillion Bird Tomb back then?
Was the Ancestor Vermillion Bird's eventual seated enlightenment here in accordance with the heavens, or an accident?
Ji Buwang hadn't expected that accompanying Xu Yi to investigate the secret of the Chastisement Rod would lead to such an unexpected discovery.
He pondered for a moment, and a guess flashed through his mind.
But he quickly shook his head, dismissing it. It shouldn't be like that.
"Ji Buwang, what are you thinking about?"
Seeing Ji Buwang's expression, Xu Yi knew he had an idea, but as he remained silent, she proactively asked.
Ji Buwang paused before slowly saying, "Could these marks be caused by the Vermillion Bird Divine Fire?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Buwang felt a pang of regret. His guess was truly absurd.
To his surprise, Xu Yi strongly supported his idea. "It's very possible. Apart from the Vermillion Bird Divine Fire, I can't think of any other primordial fire in this world that is so potent."
Xu Yi had also thought of the Vermillion Bird Divine Fire.
After all, every trace within the Vermillion Bird Tomb seemed to be related to the Vermillion Bird. It was natural for her to associate it with the Vermillion Bird.
Ji Buwang's thought coincided with hers, and a hint of joy appeared on Xu Yi's face.
Perhaps her Chastisement Rod was indeed a magic treasure forged from the Vermillion Bird Divine Fire.
With this thought, Xu Yi's mind stirred, and she directly took the Chastisement Rod from her storage ring.
The usually steady Chastisement Rod, upon falling into Xu Yi's hand, behaved unusually for the first time.
It trembled slightly at first, and then the tremors grew larger, threatening to slip from Xu Yi's grasp.
Xu Yi's eyes brightened, and she simply let go.
The next moment, the Chastisement Rod shot out like a lightning bolt, hurtling in one direction.
"Let's follow!"
Xu Yi’s toes pushed off, pulling the lotus platform as she quickly pursued.
Ji Buwang's figure flickered, following closely behind.
The two followed the Chastisement Rod for a full three hours.
Midway, the Chastisement Rod would occasionally stop and look back at them, as if to confirm they were still following before continuing its journey.
Xu Yi's heart inexplicably quickened. She had a feeling the Chastisement Rod was leading her to an extraordinary place.
Perhaps she would soon discover the secret of the Chastisement Rod.
Finally, the Chastisement Rod led Xu Yi and Ji Buwang to a clearing and stopped.
This place was vastly different from the areas they had passed through before. It was a vast expanse, nearly ten miles in radius, completely flat without any undulation or pits of varying sizes.
This seemed to be the only location within the Vermillion Bird Tomb not affected by the divine fire attack.
Why was this?
Xu Yi looked around, extending her divine sense, but detected nothing unusual.
She looked at the now quiet Chastisement Rod. "You brought us here. What are you trying to tell us?"
The Chastisement Rod seemed to consider its task complete. It no longer showed the previous anxiety. In response to Xu Yi's question, it merely trembled gently.
Xu Yi: ?
What did this mean?
She didn't understand the language of rods.
Xu Yi took the Chastisement Rod back into her hand, walked a few steps away with it, then lowered her head and muttered to it.
Ji Buwang stood in place, and without any effort, he could hear Xu Yi's fluctuating emotions.
"Big Brother Chastisement Rod, what exactly do you mean?"
"Chastisement Rod! Are we still friends?"
"Considering our relationship, could you give me a hint?"
"..."
Xu Yi tried every tactic and finally returned, dejected.
"It refused to say."
Xu Yi feigned anger, glared at the Chastisement Rod, and complained to Ji Buwang.
Ji Buwang coughed softly, suppressing a smile, and defended the Chastisement Rod. "Perhaps it has its own difficulties, or perhaps its actions are purely instinctual. It has done its best."
Xu Yi wasn't truly angry. Hearing Ji Buwang's words, she went along with it. "You're right. Then let's search the vicinity again and see if we can find new clues."
Xu Yi was convinced she would find the answers she sought here.
The Chastisement Rod's主动 guidance had significantly narrowed their search area, saving them considerable time.
After Ji Buwang agreed, the two parted ways, searching in the east and west directions respectively.
Xu Yi searched with utmost seriousness, unwilling to miss any detail.
However, after several hours, she still found nothing.