"If one can cultivate true essence, the physical body, and divine consciousness together, there are undoubtedly immense benefits. But the resources, energy, and difficulty required are far more than triple. Moreover, the heavenly tribulation hangs overhead like a suspended sword—fail to advance, and one dies. Who would dare divide their focus? In the ancient cultivation world, it might have been possible, but in our present era, secret arts have been lost, resources have dried up, and it is virtually impossible for anyone to see it through. Therefore, most cultivators choose magic cultivation, which is the easiest path, and spiritual roots have become the sole standard for measuring a cultivator's talent."
Qingzhu shared his insight.
"When I was teleported to the Canglang Ocean, I was originally just a step away from forming a nascent soul. But because my killing intent fractured and my origin soul was grievously wounded, it took me over a hundred years of trying every conceivable way to heal before I finally managed the breakthrough with great difficulty. From this, one can see that if essence, qi, or spirit suffers any injury, it will have an impact, and vice versa. That the Soul-Washing Liquid has such miraculous efficacy stems from this very principle."
Qin Sang was lost in thought.
The Nine Illusions Heavenly Orchid and the Soul-Washing Liquid served as external aids.
When the Heavenly Eye Butterfly grew to the peak of its third metamorphosis in the future, it would also help him break through bottlenecks.
Without realizing it, he had already gathered so many aids for forming a nascent soul.
If Qingzhu's words were true, it seemed he would have to place equal importance on the Heavenly Demon Metamorphosis and the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter moving forward, Qin Sang thought.
Once he cultivated the Heavenly Demon Metamorphosis to the peak of the third layer, he might be able to directly break through to the fourth layer by having astral essence poured into his body.
When that time came, his physical body alone would be no weaker than a Nascent Soul, which would surely provide an even greater boost.
The two thresholds of Foundation Establishment and Core Formation had caused Qin Sang immense suffering; he knew full well how difficult cultivation was for someone with five spiritual roots.
He only had a single stalk of the Nine Illusions Heavenly Orchid, unlike the Soul-Washing Liquid whose effects persisted after ingestion, so he definitely had to wait until success was guaranteed before consuming it.
After offering a few words of guidance, Qingzhu returned to the main topic.
"Do you know that the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter was hidden in Ziwei Palace, in a place similar to Nether Valley? Back when the ancestor of Shaohua Mountain obtained the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter, he also discovered a spirit sword fragment. Only someone who has mastered this cultivation method can gain the recognition of the spirit sword fragment. Even Dongyang Bo could not command this treasure, which was how the spirit sword fragment ended up in my hands."
"Senior means..."
Qin Sang almost held his breath.
"Indeed!"
Qingzhu did not beat around the bush. "Unless something unexpected occurred, another portion of the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter should be hidden within Nether Valley. As for whether it is the second volume, we will only know once we have it. Back then, I had already racked my brains and found it very difficult to continue deducing the cultivation method, so discovering Nether Valley left me ecstatic. Unexpectedly, extremely dangerous ancient restrictions existed within Nether Valley, and only a Nascent Soul ancestor would possess the strength to break them..."
As they spoke, they arrived at the Sword Qi Hall outside Nether Valley.
"Entering a mountain of treasure only to return empty-handed."
Qingzhu's face was filled with regret. "To make matters worse, I had severed my own origin soul to forcibly cultivate the technique, which caused killing intent to accumulate endlessly until a demonic soul was born. After I was heavily injured that time, the demonic soul finally found its chance. Provoked by the sword qi in this hall, the demonic soul retaliated and nearly spiraled out of control. In the end, I was forced to use the spirit sword fragment to barely seal the demonic soul within this hall. I thought this place was rarely visited by mortals or cultivators, never imagining that an ancient demon was sealed beneath the mountain. The demonic soul was beguiled by the ancient demon, stirring up countless troubles and leaving behind a disaster that lasts to this day..."
Qin Sang carefully guarded Qingzhu, listening to his detailed account.
"After sealing the demonic soul, I struggled out of the Hall of Seven Kills, only then discovering that I had arrived in an unfamiliar cultivation world. I traveled far and wide before ultimately choosing Spirit Turtle Island, rarely having any contact with other factions. I remained in seclusion there the entire time, nursing my wounds while attempting to form a nascent soul.
"For over a century afterward, unable to enter the Inner Hall to retrieve the demonic soul, I could only try various methods, including teaching and lecturing disciples, and quieting my mind to comprehend the Dao. Through sheer fortune, I managed to force a breakthrough even with a damaged origin soul. However, this also planted the seeds of trouble for the future. I had to retrieve the demonic soul, or my cultivation path would be unimaginably difficult.
"Several decades later, the Hall of Seven Kills emerged for the second time. I originally intended to subdue the demonic soul, take the spirit sword fragment and the cultivation technique, and then return to the Xiaohan Realm to take my revenge and reunite with friends and family. Who would have thought heaven's will would prove impossible to defy?"
Qingzhu let out a long sigh.
Qin Sang knew the most critical moment had arrived.
Why had he appeared on the Witch God Continent?
What had Qingzhu encountered?
All of it was about to be revealed.
Qingzhu looked at Qin Sang, an inexplicable look in his eyes. "After the Hall of Seven Kills emerged, I first entered the Trial Realm left by the Four Sages, and then reached Nether Valley without incident. Just as I was about to subdue the demonic soul, I discovered that it had vanished! Unexpectedly, you were then teleported over from Ziwei Palace. All my plans were thrown into disarray by you and the sword spirit on your person."
"Sword spirit?"
Qin Sang froze for a moment, then realized that what Qingzhu was referring to was most likely the gray qi inside his body.
"It's the spirit sword fragment's sword spirit? Wasn't it placed in my body by Senior after arriving at the Hall of Seven Kills?"
Qin Sang's face was filled with astonishment.
This was completely different from what he had guessed.
Qingzhu stared blankly, then shook his head. "Why would I bring trouble upon myself? After arriving at the Hall of Seven Kills, the sword spirit inside you sensed the spirit sword fragment and attempted to draw the fragment back. This caused an anomaly in the spirit sword fragment inside the demonic soul. At that time, the demonic soul had long been released by the ancient demon and occupied a new physical body. What was more, his cultivation was far superior to that of my true self. Fortunately, the seal on the spirit sword fragment had not yet been broken, so his memories had not returned. The sword spirit stirred the spirit sword fragment inside the demonic soul, leading him to follow its traces. He nearly saw through the restrictions inside the Sword Qi Hall and discovered Nether Valley..."
Qingzhu reached out and lightly pressed against the wall of the Sword Qi Hall, revealing an illusory door.
The two passed through the restriction and arrived at Nether Valley.
Qingzhu cast a backward glance and said, "I originally intended to forcibly subdue the sword spirit, but unexpectedly, it possessed immense intelligence and had already recovered a portion of its strength. After discovering me, it hid inside your body and dragged you around, hiding everywhere. Had the demonic soul found Nether Valley and the ancient teleportation array, recovered his memories, and unleashed the killing intent, the situation would have been irredeemable. In my desperation, I had no choice but to use a Lesser Teleportation Talisman to forcibly send you out of the Hall of Seven Kills, severing the connection between the sword spirit and the spirit sword fragment."
"When I woke up, I found that I had landed on the Witch God Continent. It was Senior who sent me away using a Lesser Teleportation Talisman? If the sword spirit was inside me, why has it always taken the form of gray qi and never made any move for a hundred years?"
Hearing Qingzhu recount all this, Qin Sang felt as though he were listening to a fantastical tale.
When he was heavily injured and unconscious back then, the sword spirit had actually occupied his body, and so many things had taken place!
"Indeed. The Lesser Teleportation Talisman was an ancient spirit talisman I accidentally discovered in the immortal restrictions above. It had an extraordinary origin. Once activated, it could instantly teleport someone elsewhere to escape danger—a supreme life-preserving treasure. However, the direction and location of the teleportation could not be controlled. From here, you had a high probability of being sent deep into the storm belt, with slim chances of survival. But back then, seeing you surrounded by corpse qi, I assumed you were already dead."
Qingzhu conjectured, "Looking at it now, the Lesser Teleportation Talisman was most likely influenced by the sword spirit, which sent you to the relatively safe Witch God Continent. To do so, the sword spirit surely paid a tremendous price and fell into a deep slumber. Otherwise, when the Witch clan opened the Hall of Seven Kills for the first time later on, both the demonic soul and I were present. The moment the sword spirit stirred the spirit sword fragment, the demonic soul would have seen right through you."
Chapter 1092