Chapter 1220: News of the Ancestral Sacred Flame
Chapter 1220: News of the Ancestral Sacred Flame
Qin Sang patiently listened as Mei Gu finished her account.
The disciple of Devilish Qingyang Sect's leader had been extremely cautious. Mei Gu had never revealed her true intentions directly. Instead, during each exchange of cultivation experience, she had casually slipped in a few seemingly trivial remarks.
Combined with information gathered from other channels, a vague picture had gradually taken shape.
What drew Qin Sang’s attention the most was the news that the sect leader of Devilish Qingyang Sect returned to the sect at regular intervals and often stayed at Divine Gale Peak.
Moreover, during his last return, he had traveled together with Bing Han, the sect leader of Xuling Sect.
There were other details as well. For instance, although that disciple’s cultivation level was similar to Mei Gu’s, she still could not ascend to the summit of Divine Gale Peak to obtain Gale Jade for cultivation. Instead, she had to rely on a senior brother of higher cultivation to do it for her.
Putting everything together, it became clear that Devilish Qingyang Sect had not yet fully suppressed the Ancestral Sacred Flame.
However, whether the sect leader had already found a solution remained uncertain.
Bing Han, as the master of Xuling Sect, was also highly skilled in fire-controlling arts. If the sect leader of Devilish Qingyang Sect had invited her to help resolve this hidden danger, then this might well be an opportunity for Qin Sang!
His gaze flickered as he pondered for a long time.
After giving Mei Gu some guidance, Qin Sang left Shiqu Mountain. He instructed the fat chicken to go to Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea to check on the progress of establishing an overseas foothold, and also told the white cat and the others to take turns training at Sandi’e Stronghold.
Meanwhile, he continued disguising himself as an elder of Yuanshen Sect and returned there.
Bai’s cave dwelling remained tightly sealed. He had been in seclusion all this time.
Qin Sang triggered the barrier at the entrance and waited a full two days before Bai finally opened the cave dwelling and stepped out.
To his surprise, Qin Sang noticed that Bai seemed somewhat listless.
"Brother Bai, have you been attempting a forced breakthrough?" Qin Sang frowned, sensing something was wrong.
Bai gave a bitter smile. "I had been in seclusion for many years without any progress. I did grow impatient. I nearly suffered a backlash from the Corpse Soul Orb and almost caused a disaster. Fortunately, I regained clarity at the last moment. I only sustained some injuries, and I’ve mostly recovered now."
"You have endured ten thousand years of tempering. Why rush now?" Qin Sang had not expected something like this to happen to Bai.
He had assumed that after being trapped by devilish fire and enduring endless desolation and despair, Bai’s temperament had been tempered enough to withstand anything. Yet even he had grown anxious.
Bai admitted his shame and said no more. Seeing this, Qin Sang did not press further. With Bai’s experience, he would not make the same mistake again.
Qin Sang then took out the bones marked with bone curses. "Not long ago, I followed the trail left by Tan Hao and found the headquarters of Heavenly Corpse Sect. Although I didn’t find any records, I did obtain these bones. Their origin is far from simple. They may belong to the person who guided the sect leader of Heavenly Corpse Sect and founded the sect..."
"You even found the headquarters of Heavenly Corpse Sect, yet you didn’t encounter Tan Hao?" Bai asked, somewhat surprised.
Qin Sang nodded. "I only found a place where Tan Hao had stayed briefly, a branch of Heavenly Corpse Sect. He rescued that mysterious person and then vanished. The trail was completely cut off. I’ll ask some trusted allies to help search later. I suspect that mysterious person came from the same era as you..."
Bai fell into thought. "The Heavenly Corpse Talisman is indeed difficult to deal with. It does not seem like something created by a Spiritual Infant cultivator. From what you’ve said, Abyssal Ruin resembles a prison used to suppress high-tier cultivators. For someone to survive there until now, their background must be extraordinary. Their past cultivation might even have surpassed mine. It’s a pity I didn’t go with you. I might have recalled something."
Now that the passage had been exposed, it would be very difficult to infiltrate Abyssal Ruin again.
As Bai spoke, he picked up the bones and examined them. At first glance, he became completely absorbed. Seeing this, Qin Sang felt a surge of relief. At least the trip had not been in vain.
"So that’s how it is... So that’s how it is!" After examining all the bone curses, Bai muttered to himself, his expression filled with excitement. It was clear he had gained a great deal.
"Thank you, Brother Qin. The secret techniques of Heavenly Corpse Sect must originate from these bone curses. Once I fully comprehend them, I can refine the Corpse Soul Orb and advance to a corpse king!" Bai was overjoyed and immediately prepared to return to seclusion.
Qin Sang nodded inwardly. Helping Bai achieve a breakthrough was already worthwhile. As for whether these bone curses could be used to derive a method to unravel the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, that would have to wait until Bai emerged from seclusion.
Just as Bai was about to go back in, he suddenly remembered something. "Has Ziwei Palace shown any signs of emergence?"
He had heard from Qin Sang that before Ziwei Palace emerged, a Spirit Tide would appear. Judging by the time, it should have been close.
Qin Sang knew Bai had always been very interested in Ziwei Palace. Last time, due to time constraints and insufficient strength, he had not been able to explore it thoroughly.
"The Spirit Tide has already appeared. This time, the interval will definitely be within a hundred years!"
"As expected." Bai nodded lightly, then suddenly changed the subject. "You control that passage between the two domains. When do you plan to return to Canglang Sea?"
Qin Sang pondered. "Given the current situation, Ziwei Palace will appear more and more frequently. There’s no need to rush to Canglang Sea. The chances of finding a second fragment of the Killing Sword there are low, and my current strength isn’t sufficient to search freely in the Demonic Sea. I have the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros's horn, so when I encounter a bottleneck in cultivation, I plan to travel through the other three realms and broaden my horizons."
"Besides the Killing Sword fragments, what attracts you most in Ziwei Palace is the Southern Sun Fire. Have you decided what kind of artifact you’ll use to subdue that spiritual fire?" Bai seemed very interested in Qin Sang’s plans.
Qin Sang sighed. "I only have a rough idea. Recently, I’ve been too occupied with various matters to think it through carefully. If necessary, I can wait until I enter and subdue it then."
Bai disagreed. "Ziwei Palace is clearly undergoing major changes. Whether they are good or bad remains uncertain, but they will certainly cause instability within. If the ancient barriers inside shift and someone else discovers the Southern Sun Fire, they will undoubtedly covet such a top-tier spiritual flame and compete with you for it. In my opinion, the sooner you subdue it, the better."
"Your words make sense. I’ll consider it carefully." Qin Sang understood the logic. Small Cold Domain was unstable, and Sin Abyss was ambitious. The future was unpredictable. It was best to secure such treasures as soon as possible.
Speaking of artifact refinement, Qin Sang’s thoughts stirred. He took out the piece of white copper. "Brother Bai, do you recognize this?"
Bai examined it for a while and shook his head. "I can’t recall what it is, but this white copper can repel spiritual consciousness and prevent any probing of its interior. It is certainly no ordinary object."
Whenever spiritual consciousness entered the white copper, it would feel a burning pain. This was why Qin Sang had never been able to fully understand its properties.
Now Bai was no longer in a hurry to return to seclusion. He asked Qin Sang about the war and the situation in Sin Abyss. There was nothing to hide, so Qin Sang told him everything he knew.
Qin Sang had also searched through the records of Yuanshen Sect but found no mention of the white copper. That very night, he left the sect and returned to Li Yufu’s cave dwelling.
Bai Hanqiu had lived up to expectations and had successfully reached the Foundation Building Realm. She was currently consolidating her cultivation.
After giving Bai Hanqiu some guidance, Qin Sang took Li Yufu with him, regrouped with the fat chicken and the others, and returned once again to Sandi’e Stronghold.
He had received a message from his senior sister. The Two-Domain Alliance had already sent people to investigate Endless Valley. Once they returned, all Spiritual Infant cultivators would be summoned to discuss the matter.