The primary ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill could not be cultivated artificially; they had to be gathered from secret realms deep within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.
"Legend has it that the battles of ancient immortals shattered heaven and earth, leaving the spiritual power of this world far diminished from what it once was. Even cultivation has become harder for cultivators than in days of old. The spiritual herbs nurtured by heaven and earth demand exceptionally harsh environments to grow, making them increasingly rare. Today, the easiest place to find spiritual herbs in our Lesser Cold Domain is deep within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, where a few ancient immortal abodes and ancient forbidden grounds remain, seldom trodden by living souls. The several main herbs in the Foundation Establishment Pills you took were all gathered from an ancient forbidden ground controlled by our sect, which is why they are so exceedingly scarce."
Martial Uncle Wen warned Qin Sang, "Countless perils lurk in the depths of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. The sect paid a considerable price just to secure that ancient forbidden ground. Many weaker sects might be lucky enough to stumble upon one, but they lack the strength to break the restrictions and enter, let alone defend it. In the depths of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator who makes a single misstep faces the end of their path and life. A low-tier cultivator in the Qi Refinement stage like you shouldn't harbor such foolish delusions."
Qin Sang had never pinned much hope on the path of alchemy anyway. Even cultivating with all his might, he couldn't catch up to others; if he dared divide his attention further, any hope of attaining immortality in this life would vanish. His mood did not stay gloomy for long, and he seized the opportunity to bring up his true objective.
Upon learning that Qin Sang wished to borrow his waist token, Martial Uncle Wen did not refuse outright. After a moment's contemplation, he said, "You are not my nephew or kin. Although the sect has no explicit prohibition, it would hardly look proper for me to hand the token to you directly."
Qin Sang had already prepared his spirit stones and was trying to discern whether there was any hidden meaning behind the words, when Martial Uncle Wen abruptly shifted his tone. "It just so happens that a matter has come up, and I have no time to look for anyone else. If you take this task and handle it properly, I will grant you the waist token as a reward upon your return. That should silence any idle gossip."
Hearing this, Qin Sang felt mixed joy and apprehension. He was glad to have saved his spirit stones, but worried that any task significant enough to catch a Foundation Establishment cultivator's attention and be personally assigned would hardly be simple, likely costing him a good deal of time.
Safety, at least, was not a major concern. With his recent surge in realm, the ebony sword at his side, and Sun De's Ten Directions Yanluo Banner now refined, his combat power was a far cry from what it used to be—well beyond the reach of ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators. Even if he ran into danger he could not defeat, preserving his life would be no trouble.
While Qin Sang's thoughts wandered, Martial Uncle Wen tossed him a jade slip.
"The jade slip contains information on Guyuan Country, which lies under our sect's jurisdiction. The disciple stationed there is named Gu Tiannan, whose cultivation is comparable to yours. Not long ago, he sent a letter reporting unexplained disappearances among commoners in several areas. Gu Tiannan later discovered that an evil fiend was causing havoc, but he was no match for it and requested sect reinforcements. Go take a look."
Qin Sang took the jade slip and examined it with his spiritual sense.
Guyuan Country was merely a small realm. According to the slip's description, it was even smaller than Great Sui, and its location was remote—situated at the southeasternmost reach of Shaohua Mountain's territory, lying almost within the Yuncang Great Marsh.
Generally speaking, cultivation sects rarely interfered in mortal affairs. Mortal kingdoms were typically overseen by cultivation clans affiliated with the sect. Only in remote backwaters like Guyuan Country, where no nearby cultivation clans existed, would the sect dispatch one or two disciples to maintain a presence.
Gu Tiannan, the disciple overseeing Guyuan Country, was a local native. After entering Shaohua Mountain, his mediocre talent prevented him from breaking through to the tenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage before the age of forty. Having given up on the path of cultivation thereafter, he willingly accepted the assignment to return to his homeland and safeguard the region.
Due to its remote location, evil fiends had caused trouble in Guyuan Country multiple times, but Gu Tiannan had handled them all appropriately, and his requests for sect aid had always been timely. The jade slip's evaluations of him were predominantly positive.
After sending Qin Sang off, Martial Uncle Wen murmured softly, "If he proves meticulous and handles things cleanly, he might be worth relying on in the future."
Evidently, he had already written off any chance of Qin Sang reaching Foundation Establishment.
...
The capital of Guyuan Country was called Zecheng.
Abruptly returning from a secluded cultivation sect to the mortal world, seeing crowds bustling shoulder-to-shoulder on the streets and taking in the familiar earthly atmosphere, Qin Sang felt a fleeting wave of daze and nostalgia. Only then did he realize that ten years had passed since he left Great Sui.
Daoist Priest Jixin, Mingyue, Princess Dongyang, Bai Jianglan, Wu Chuanzong, Water Monkey...
Familiar faces flashed through his mind one by one. For mortals, ten years was enough for a child to grow into youth, and for a robust middle-aged man to turn gray at the temples.
Would he ever have the chance to see them again in this lifetime?
Qin Sang quickly reined in his stray thoughts, resolve returning to his eyes. He stepped into the crowded street, found a bun stall to wolf down several steamers of meat buns, and then set off toward the eastern quarter of Zecheng.
On Xianglong Mountain outside the eastern walls stood a Daoist temple called Huilong Temple. It housed only a master and his disciple, bearing no comparison to bustling temples filled with incense smoke; apart from nearby villagers, very few people knew of it.
Walking along the mountain path of Xianglong Mountain, Qin Sang was reminded of his days at Qingyang Temple. Those memories seemed ordinary, yet they ran deep—likely because that had been the most tranquil, peaceful period of his life since coming to this world, making it all the more precious.
The temple had no worshippers. Since it was the dwelling of a fellow disciple, Qin Sang observed proper etiquette and tapped gently on the door.
Before long, the heavy wooden doors swung open from within, and a fair-faced young man poked his head out to look.
Qin Sang could tell the youth was also a cultivator, though only at the seventh layer of the Qi Refinement stage. "You must be Senior Brother Gu's disciple, Gu Yuan? I am Qin Sang. The sect received Senior Brother Gu's letter and dispatched me here."
Hearing this, the youth immediately threw the doors wide open and bowed respectfully with hands clasped. "Gu Yuan pays respects to Martial Uncle Qin! My master is currently burning incense and meditating in the quiet room. Please follow me to the guest room for some tea, Martial Uncle, and I will go inform him at once."
Qin Sang raised no objection. After sitting in the guest room for a brief moment, he heard hurried footsteps approaching and rose to his feet. An old, white-haired Daoist rushed in, his eyes lighting up the moment he saw Qin Sang.
"You must be Junior Brother Qin?"
"Senior Brother Gu, I am Qin Sang."
Qin Sang cupped his hands in greeting, quietly taking in Gu Tiannan's appearance. The jade slip stated that he was already over a hundred years old; his hair was silver-white, and his complexion was unnervingly pale as snow.
For some reason, looking at Senior Brother Gu's face stirred a faint sense of unease within him.
*Could it be that I fear turning out like this myself one day?* Qin Sang mocked himself silently.
"Junior Brother Qin, please, have a seat!" Gu Tiannan warmly took Qin Sang by the arm and guided him to a chair. "To attain such high cultivation at such a young age, Junior Brother Qin surely has a limitless future ahead!"
Qin Sang was eager to return to the mountain and report the completion of his task, in no mood for pleasantries. Cutting straight to the point, he asked, "Senior Brother Gu, where is the evil fiend currently hiding? When do you plan to make a move?"
Gu Tiannan stroked his long beard and replied, "Troubling you to make such a long journey leaves me truly ill at ease. It is only that the fiend's power was too formidable, leaving me with no other choice. Now that I have your assistance, Junior Brother Qin, we will surely bring that wicked creature to justice!"
Chapter 115