South of Wuchen Country stretched continuous mountain ranges, devoid of human presence.
Mortals were unaware that in the midst of those mountains lay several enormous, desolate ranges where not a blade of grass grew, neither birds nor beasts could be seen, and even the stones and earth were an eerie black. Plumes of black smoke steadily drifted from fissures in the ground, eating away at the surrounding mountain forests.
Arriving here brought a pervasive chill—not just on the body, but deep within the heart.
Qin Sang flew through the air and touched down from his Sky-Soaring Shuttle. Looking out at these boundless "black peaks," he thought to himself that calling this place Dichen Cave was an utter misnomer—it covered an area even larger than the Yin Baleful Abyss!
Especially the entrance to Dichen Cave: it resembled a sinkhole blasted out by a falling meteorite, spanning several hundred zhang across. The pitch-black maw faced the sky, with plumes of black yin baleful qi battering the restrictions sealing the entrance, confined within like darting fish. The bottom of the cavern was pitch-dark, as if leading straight into the Nine Netherworlds.
Fortunately, Dichen Cave lay deep in the wilderness. Had it been any closer to the neighboring minor mortal states, there was no telling how much catastrophe it might have wrought.
Qin Sang leaped down into the cave and immediately shivered, his expression shifting slightly. He had two magic tools specifically meant to counter yin baleful qi—the Warm Yang Bead and the baleful-warding pouch—which had easily warded off the erosion of yin baleful qi back in the Yin Baleful Abyss. Yet here in Dichen Cave, he could still feel a bone-piercing chill.
Descending from the entrance, Dichen Cave grew wider and wider. Deeper inside, the subterranean space opened into a massive abyss, not the least bit inferior to the Yin Baleful Abyss. Innumerable fissures ran along both sides of the chasm like creeping vines, stretching far into the distance, so much so that living beings across hundreds of li around were affected by the yin baleful qi.
Qin Sang found his cave dwelling on a stone wall. Entering and activating the restriction, warmth finally returned to his body.
The cave dwelling was simple and crude as ever. Qin Sang picked up the jade slip left inside and pressed it to his brow, discovering that it contained an overview of Dichen Cave, focusing on several restrictions laid down by Shaohua Mountain.
Sealing off such a vast area completely with restrictions would have been far too costly. Shaohua Mountain merely used a simple illusory array to conceal Dichen Cave, then sealed the larger openings and fissures to keep the yin baleful qi from spreading too quickly.
Because the terrain was prone to shifting, new major fissures could emerge, and the restrictions were sometimes damaged when battered by surges.
Thus, Qin Sang's duty was to patrol the entire Dichen Cave once every two days, recording every change to report back to the sect, guarding against any sudden anomalies that might catch them off guard.
Qin Sang pondered for a moment and decided to conduct a patrol first.
He had spent a month listening to lectures on Shaohua Mountain and had benefited immensely. In particular, hearing a martial uncle recount his experiences breaking through various hurdles during the Qi Refinement stage had triggered a sudden impulse of inspiration, loosening the bottleneck of the ninth layer—which was why he had hurried over in such a rush.
That patrol ended up taking more than half a day. Upon returning, Qin Sang felt as though he had wandered naked across a glacier. Only after sitting quietly and circulating his cultivation technique for a long time did he purge the chill from his body.
Recording the changes in Dichen Cave on the voice transmission talisman provided by the sect and sending it off, Qin Sang sealed his cave dwelling, set up the Soul-Bewildering Mirror at the entrance, and entered seclusion.
...
One month later.
Dianyun Mountain.
Qin Sang, Sun De, and several rogue cultivators were gathered at the mountain summit, drinking and making merry. Sun De had planted many spirit fruits in his medicine garden, every one of them sweet and delicious, yet Sun De repeatedly lamented that they were nowhere near as good as Shaohua Mountain's ruby peaches.
The other rogue cultivators all nodded along in deep agreement.
Having broken through to the ninth layer, Qin Sang was in high spirits and chimed in, saying that once the ruby peaches ripened, he would definitely return to the mountain gate to have a proper taste.
Sun De raised his cup in a toast toward Qin Sang. "Congratulations, Junior Brother Qin, on breaking through to the ninth layer! I offer this humble wine, though it is far less mellow and fragrant than the immortal brew made from the spirit fruits of our sect. I hope you will not mind."
Qin Sang modestly demurred, clinking cups with Sun De and the other rogue cultivators one by one.
Between Dianyun Mountain and Dichen Cave lay a considerable distance, as well as the natural barrier of a great river, but none of this posed a problem to immortal cultivators. Since Qin Sang arrived at Dichen Cave, Sun De had sent voice transmission talismans inviting him over several times, but Qin Sang had politely declined on the grounds of entering seclusion to break through.
This time Sun De had come to his door in person, and since Qin Sang had just succeeded in his breakthrough, he did not refuse.
Only upon arriving at Dianyun Mountain did Qin Sang realize Sun De truly lived up to his moniker, Timely Rain. Not only did he enjoy an excellent reputation at Shaohua Mountain, but even the local rogue cultivators held him in high esteem.
Every so often, he would invite nearby rogue cultivators to gather on Dianyun Mountain. He bore none of the arrogance typical of sect disciples, greeting even rogue cultivators with meager cultivation with a warm smile, making people feel as comfortable as a spring breeze.
Whenever cultivation came up during the gathering, should anyone ask for guidance, he would do his utmost to advise them without hoarding his knowledge.
Sipping wine and listening from the side, Qin Sang felt the trip was well worth it, silently admiring this Senior Brother Sun and thinking it wouldn't hurt to visit often in the future.
Taking his leave of Sun De and returning to Dichen Cave, Qin Sang conducted his routine patrol. Passing by a certain fissure, he suddenly sensed something amiss within. His heart tightened, and he immediately rode the wind in a rapid retreat, retrieving the Azure Wave Sword from his mustard seed bag while activating the Heavenly Star Tear to shield his body, shouting sharply, "Who's there? Get out here!"
A moment later, a dark figure flashed out of the fissure, babbling incessantly, "Fellow Daoist Qin, please don't be hasty! It's me, it's me..."
Once the man revealed himself, Qin Sang said in surprise, "Fellow Daoist Hong?"
This Fellow Daoist Hong was a rogue cultivator he had met at the Dianyun Mountain gathering, named Hong Shan; the two had only just parted ways there.
Being mere nodding acquaintances, Qin Sang did not lower his guard. He demanded, "Fellow Daoist Hong, instead of returning to your cave dwelling after the gathering, why have you trespassed into Dichen Cave?"
Hong Shan gave an awkward smile. "Fellow Daoist Qin might not know, but the defensive magic tool I am refining myself requires tempering with yin baleful qi, so I often have to go into the depths of Dichen Cave. Fellow Daoist Wang, who guarded Dichen Cave before you, as well as Fellow Daoist Sun from Dianyun Mountain, were both aware of this. While on Dianyun Mountain, I had intended to explain this to you, but the wine got the better of me and it slipped my mind. If you don't believe me, you can ask Fellow Daoist Sun; he can testify for me."
Although Shaohua Mountain had sealed off Dichen Cave, they did not forbid others from coming in to gather yin baleful qi, and people could enter and leave freely through the various fissures.
Many rogue cultivators could not afford magic tools and went to great lengths to craft their own, resulting in all manner of bizarre creations. Yin baleful qi was exceptionally frigid, and tempering it into a magic tool lent it an extra edge of power.
Qin Sang possessed several top-grade magic tools and had no need to craft tools himself.
To be safe, Qin Sang sent a talisman to verify with Sun De. A moment later, he received a voice transmission talisman from Sun De confirming that this was indeed the case. Qin Sang no longer barred his way, nodding as he warned, "Fellow Daoist Hong, remember not to disturb the restricted areas. If an eruption of yin baleful qi claims lives, we'll both be in deep trouble."
"Understood, understood!" Hong Shan patted his chest. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Qin. I only need to find a fissure, gather some yin baleful qi, and leave. I would never dare intrude into the core zone."
Unexpectedly, when the next gathering came around, Qin Sang did not see Hong Shan.
Chapter 106