Progress

Sever delusions and temper the Dao heart. No cultivator dared treat this lightly on the path of cultivation. Qin Sang still experienced the rise and fall of desires and the ebb and flow of stray thoughts, but his true heart was never led astray, and no heart demons ever took root. Even when he faced his Nascent Soul heavenly tribulation, the heart demon tribulation had been bypassed entirely. For the time being, of course, this was a blessing. Qin Sang was spared the need to defend against heart demons, nor did he have to rack his brains in search of secret treasures for that purpose. His cultivation and breakthroughs would certainly proceed much faster than those of other cultivators. Yet Qin Sang had no way of knowing how long the jade Buddha would continue to protect him. If the day came when the jade Buddha was no longer there, would his Dao heart—having never been honed by heart demons—still be able to hold firm? Because of this, he dared not act recklessly. Even without heart demons to worry about, he could not afford to slacken. Still, tempering his Dao heart was far easier for him, and he had no need to tread on thin ice in constant fear like other cultivators. Never had Qin Sang imagined that the jade Buddha, capable of suppressing heart demons, would one day become an obstacle. He attempted to follow the secret technique of the Lifeless Demonic Seal, stirring the desires in his heart in hopes of inducing a heart demon. Yet it remained as calm as a secluded lake, without the slightest ripple. If no heart demon arose, how could there be a demonic seal? *Lifeless Demonic Seal, Lifeless Demonic Seal... On me, it truly lives up to its name—nothing comes to life at all...* Qin Sang sighed inwardly. He caressed the jade slip. Having no lead for now, he had no choice but to shelve this wicked art. Nevertheless, gaining the technique was hardly in vain. Since Senior Sister had cultivated it before, the method itself genuinely possessed the power to shatter bottlenecks. Given time, he could dedicate himself to studying it; perhaps he might grasp some profound truth from it. After all, a cultivator traveled the world precisely to broaden their horizons and draw parallels across different teachings. After sitting in meditation for a long time, Qin Sang rose and left the side hall. He stepped out of the castellan's estate, masked his aura, and quietly made his way to an abandoned courtyard in the city. Before long, a figure slipped in quietly. It was Meigu. "Disciple greets Master!" Having received word, Meigu had hurried over. Under Qin Sang's personal guidance, she had sorted out her past mistakes, and her cultivation had progressed noticeably. Qin Sang bade her rise. Seeing the significant improvement in her cultivation, he nodded inwardly and asked in a low voice, "How many casualties did our disciples suffer in the recent battle?" "Reporting to Master, after Disciple was instructed to deliver the letter to Senior Leng, we received Senior's covert protection all along. In this major battle, only a few disciples were inadvertently injured..." Meigu reported the details thoroughly. Curiosity lingered in her heart. Over this period, she had secretly gathered information on the Nascent Soul experts of the two domains, yet she still could not ascertain her master's true identity. To be on such intimate terms with Sect Master Leng of the Yuanshen Sect, he was in all probability a senior of the righteous path, yet she had no idea which patriarch he might be. After listening to Meigu's report, Qin Sang nodded slightly and asked, "Has there been any progress on what I instructed you to look into?" Meigu's expression tightened, knowing this was the real reason Master had summoned her. Fortunately, she had treated this matter as top priority all along and had never slacked off in the slightest. "After arriving at Mount Shiqu, Disciple found ways to befriend fellow Daoists from the Qingyang Demonic Sect and gathered some news regarding Divine Astral Peak. After the sect master of the Qingyang Demonic Sect formed his Nascent Soul, he went into secluded cultivation on Divine Astral Peak for a full year. Once he emerged, the azure mist on the peak surged dramatically, blanketing the entire summit. Even the phantasm of the Ancestral Holy Fire was enveloped by the azure mist, and its previously restless, violent aura vanished without a trace..." Hearing this, Qin Sang's heart sank. Could that Qingyang Demonic Sect master have subdued the Ancestral Holy Fire right after forming his Nascent Soul? The aura of the Ancestral Holy Fire atop Divine Astral Peak was not the least bit inferior to the Dongming Cold Flame. Qin Sang had assumed he would need to reach at least the mid Nascent Soul stage to achieve that. There was only one plausible explanation: the Ancestral Holy Fire was in fact the Qingyang Demonic Fire left behind by the sect's founding ancestor. Since later generations cultivated the very same art, it would naturally be far easier for them to refine it. Qin Sang recalled that the Qingyang Demonic Sect's cultivation method was quite peculiar. When disciples failed in their cultivation and perished, their bodies and Dao extinguished, they would leave behind demonic fire seeds. For others to refine these seeds served as a tremendous supplement. This was also why the righteous path refused to recognize the Qingyang Demonic Sect. This made things rather troublesome. If the sect master could not resolve the hidden dangers of the Ancestral Holy Fire, there would still be room for negotiation. But if he had already subdued it, how could he possibly part with it? That man's strength was likely far beyond the rumors. Unless Qin Sang could offer some treasure the man could not possibly refuse, no other method would work. *Must I seek out another spiritual fire instead?* Qin Sang frowned in secret. He had originally hoped to meet this demonic sect master in person, but the man had happened to be sent out on patrol by Daoist Zhenyi, causing them to miss each other. Unaware of what Qin Sang was thinking, Meigu continued to report what she had uncovered. "There is one strange thing. After the sect master came down from the mountain, he issued a strict order forbidding all disciples at or above the late Foundation Establishment stage from going up the mountain to absorb the Qingyang astral jade. Instead, the sect distributes it at regular intervals for their cultivation." "Oh?" Qin Sang's eyes flickered. That was indeed strange. Qingyang astral jade was the purest divine astral essence. Back when he had infiltrated the Qingyang Demonic Sect, the Ancestral Holy Fire was already exceptionally violent and its origin qi in chaotic turmoil, yet disciples were still permitted to enter the mountain on their own to absorb it. They were simply forbidden from absorbing it recklessly near the summit, lest it trigger a sudden flare-up. Now, they were not even allowed up the mountain at all. No matter how one looked at it, this hardly seemed like the behavior of someone who had successfully subdued the Ancestral Holy Fire. "A while ago, Disciple became acquainted with a fellow Daoist who is a direct disciple of the Qingyang Demonic Sect master and is held in high regard. She is bound to know many secrets. However, she is suspicious by nature, and Disciple was worried about raising her suspicions, so I dared not inquire too deeply for now. I will need to wait a while longer until I become more familiar with her before..." After finishing her report, Meigu felt somewhat uneasy, fearing her master would reprimand her for being ineffective. "You did well." Qin Sang nodded, knowing full well that matters like this could not be rushed. It was already no easy feat for Meigu to have accomplished this much. "These are pills I recently acquired, capable of boosting the cultivation of a Core Formation cultivator. You only need to gather information. Do not attempt anything extra, and do not rush for quick results. Remember to prioritize your own safety." Knowing an army marched on its stomach, he produced a jade bottle containing pills retrieved from Old Demon Pei's relics. "Thank you, Master!" Seeing that her master had not only refrained from punishing her but had even shown concern for her well-being, Meigu felt her fear of him diminish slightly, and her gratitude held a bit more sincerity. After seeing Meigu off, Qin Sang transformed back into the demon king and led the lesser demons of the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea back to Sandie Pass. Jinglin and Si Di were considerate and accommodated the lesser demons without Qin Sang having to say much. Taking advantage of this time, the old macaque sped back to the mountain to deliver orders. The war was still ongoing, with skirmishes breaking out at other passes from time to time, but the Sandie Mountains remained remarkably quiet throughout. Sin Abyss seemed to have decided this place was a tough nut to crack and showed no intention of attempting a breakthrough here. Jinglin and Si Di had done the opposite, taking the initiative to attack, only to discover that Chanling had pitched camp a hundred li away from Sandie Pass. With Chanling personally guarding it, shattering their forces proved exceedingly difficult. After several bouts of back-and-forth tugging, both sides gradually ceased hostilities. During this period, Qin Sang presided over the Cold Bell Grand Array according to their agreement, barely ever leaving the high tower, which allowed his cultivation to continue undisturbed. His seven sword souls were finally on the verge of being fully integrated into his seven mortal souls. He had kept a constant eye on Shaohua Mountain. Not long ago, he had finally received definitive word: ever since this war began, Mu Yifeng, Che Yutao, Qiu Mubai, and the others had spent their years in secluded cultivation within the sect, never once appearing on the battlefield.