The Eight Righteous Sects referred to eight great sects: the Chunyang Sect, the Taiyi Dan Sect, the Wuji Sect, the Yuling Sect, Shaohua Mountain, the Shangyuan Qingjing Palace, the Xuling Sect, and the Yuanshen Sect. Each was guarded by a Nascent Soul patriarch and possessed formidable strength, collectively known as the Eight Sects.
In the Lesser Cold Domain, designations such as the Eight Righteous Sects were not set in stone. If a sect's Nascent Soul patriarch passed away and left no successor, the sect would decline—much like the Yuanzhao Sect—and its status would be replaced by another.
Moreover, most cultivation clans throughout the Lesser Cold Domain existed by depending on these sects.
Yu Lian talked on and on with great flourish, though the substance was largely the same as what Qin Sang had heard in the Kuiyin Sect.
By the time Yu Lian had spoken his fill, dusk was drawing near. The gathering broke up in high spirits, everyone bidding one another farewell.
Only then did Qin Sang tell Yu Lian that he wanted a map of the Lesser Cold Domain's cultivation world. It did not matter whether mortal kingdoms were marked, but the locations of the major sects had to be clearly indicated.
"Might Senior Yu point me in the right direction as to where nearby I can buy such a map? I have been away from home traveling for many years, blundering about like a headless fly. I have longed to visit and admire the great cultivation sects, but without a map, searching for them has truly been an ordeal."
Naturally, Yu Lian did not believe Qin Sang's nonsense about admiring holy grounds, inwardly thinking him just another seeker of immortal fortune.
Such matters were all too common. Yu Lian smiled and said, "There is no need to look elsewhere for a map of the Lesser Cold Domain. My clan has one. If you can wait a few days, I will bring a copy for you at the next Phoenix Peak gathering."
Qin Sang was overjoyed. "Thank you, Senior. I wonder if your clan has any requirements? I have a few spirit stones on hand, or I could trade with a magic tool..."
Perhaps fearing that carrying too many treasures would reveal his identity, Zhao Yan had kept relatively few items in his mustard seed bag. Even so, what Qin Sang had recovered from it was of immense value.
There were three middle-grade spirit stones alone, alongside over a hundred low-grade spirit stones.
To say nothing of the mysterious orchid and that black bead, there were also two quite practical magic tools.
One was a high-grade magic tool called the Sky-Soaring Shuttle. Capable of flight, it was not as fast as the Void-Traversing Wind, but it could fly much higher. Furthermore, it automatically generated a protective barrier to keep out freezing winds, allowing one to cruise above the clouds. However, this made it quite conspicuous to cultivators, so Qin Sang had rarely used it before.
The other tool had remained after Zhao Yan's corpse was burned: a teardrop-shaped artifact known as the Heavenly Star Tear. A top-grade magic tool, once refined, it could be stored inside the body, and with a mere thought, it would generate a layer of protective divine light.
Qin Sang could not help but feel a lingering chill of dread. If he had not launched a sneak attack right when Zhao Yan's spiritual power was depleted, the ebony sword might not have killed Zhao Yan in a single strike.
Apart from those, there were a handful of spirit pills and over a dozen talismans with various functions, all carefully stowed away by Qin Sang.
He could easily afford to buy a map.
Yu Lian, however, waved his hand. "Youniang is my junior. You helped her without asking for anything in return and cured Silang's illness. How could I take your spirit stones? Consider this map a gift from me on Youniang's behalf."
"Then I shall trouble Senior."
Ten days later.
Having obtained the map, Qin Sang waved farewell to Li Youniang and Yu Lian. He mounted the Sky-Soaring Shuttle and surged into the white clouds, heading straight south toward the Yuncang Great Marsh.
Shaohua Mountain's sect gate was right on the edge of the Yuncang Great Marsh, at the southernmost tip of the entire Lesser Cold Domain.
Mount Jiuding saw few conflicts. Safe as it was, the path to immortality there was dim. Those rogue cultivators did not even dare dream of reaching Foundation Establishment; some blamed heaven and other men, some lived like mortals as Li Youniang did, and some completely abandoned all thought of cultivation, drifting through life as if drunk or in a dream.
Qin Sang had never given up. He would fight for his path.
His journey to Shaohua Mountain was to try his luck and see if the Song family ancestor's Sword Intent decree was still there.
In truth, Qin Sang had little confidence and did not know how much hope remained. Song Hua was a cultivator, but his younger sister Song Ying lacked a spiritual root and was merely a mortal.
It had already been eleven years since he arrived in this world.
To a cultivator, eleven years passed in the snap of a finger, but for a mortal, ten springs and autumns meant generational change in the human world.
Song Hua had died by the Chenshui River and had not returned in eleven years.
Back then, Song Ying had been only a ten-year-old girl. How could she have survived on her own in a cultivation market for eleven years? Could she have held onto that family estate?
Or, worse yet, she might already be dead.
Even so, Qin Sang decided to make the trip. Joining Shaohua Mountain would naturally be best, but if that failed, settling in a market beneath Shaohua Mountain would make it much easier to find yin baleful qi and interact with high-level cultivators.
The Soul Pills he had hoarded in the Kuiyin Sect could only sustain him up to the ninth layer. Returning to the Kuiyin Sect was out of the question, but it was not the only place where yin baleful qi existed.
With yin baleful qi, he would not have to worry about his cultivation. As for the Foundation Establishment Pill, he could take his time to find a way.
...
Shaohua Mountain.
Wenyue Cultivation Market.
Standing outside the market, Qin Sang was filled with emotion. This was the third cultivation market he had found.
Two full years had passed since his departure from Mount Jiuding. A month ago, he had arrived at the border of the Yuncang Great Marsh, awed by the vast, boundless expanse of water, before finally locating the mountain gate of Shaohua Mountain.
Shaohua Mountain stood on the rim of the Yuncang Great Marsh. Within its sect gate rose dozens of sword-like peaks, exuding the sharp, piercing aura of sword cultivators.
Qin Sang had cultivated while traveling, and his cultivation had now reached the late eighth layer. He was stuck before the bottleneck of the ninth layer, unable to break through, but haste would accomplish nothing.
However, few Soul Pills remained, so he had to prepare early.
Near Shaohua Mountain, there were four well-known cultivation markets, none of them small. Searching from nearest to farthest, Qin Sang had visited them one by one without finding any trace of the Song clan. Wenyue Cultivation Market was the third.
He had already grown familiar with the rules of the local markets. Cultivators needed only to pay a few spirit stones to stay long-term, and they could also purchase property within the market.
Ordinary residences where mortals lived were well within reach of any cultivator. With Shaohua Mountain's backing, security and trustworthiness were guaranteed.
However, inside a cultivation market, residences blessed with abundant spiritual power to aid in cultivation commanded exorbitant prices. Qin Sang possessed a substantial fortune, yet he would still have to empty his pockets just to barely afford one.
Keeping a low profile, Qin Sang blended into the crowd and began making inquiries around Wenyue Cultivation Market based on his prior experience.
Before long, Qin Sang emerged from a shop with a faint look of delight on his face. He had finally found what seemed to be Song Hua's home.
Shaohua Mountain had strict rules: within the market, cultivators were strictly forbidden from flaunting their abilities or bullying mortals. Anxious though he was, Qin Sang could only walk slowly through the crowd, heading from the entrance of Wenyue Cultivation Market all the way into its deepest quarters.
Compared to the noise outside, this place was far more serene. Grand compounds, each brimming with spiritual energy, served as prime immortal residences. Clearly, those living in this area were cultivators or their descendants.
Even the shops along the street were quiet.
Qin Sang arrived before a grand manor. Seeing a plaque inscribed with 'Li Residence' hanging above the gate, he could not help but frown slightly.
Turning his head, he noticed what appeared to be an artifact-refining shop across the way. A thought stirred in Qin Sang's mind, and he walked over.
The Mortal Realm.
Chapter 100