News of the Ancestral Holy Fire

Qin Sang listened patiently until Meigu finished speaking. That disciple of the Qingyang Demonic Sect's master was exceedingly vigilant. Meigu had never directly revealed her intentions, only casually slipping in trivial matters whenever they exchanged insights on cultivation. Combined with information gathered through other channels, a general picture gradually took shape. What drew Qin Sang's attention the most was that the Sect Master of the Qingyang Demonic Sect returned to the sect at regular intervals and frequently lingered at Shengang Peak. Moreover, on his last return to the sect, he had traveled in the company of Bing Han, the Sect Master of the Xuling Sect! There were other details as well. For instance, though that disciple's cultivation was comparable to Meigu's, she was not permitted to go to the summit of Shengang Peak to retrieve the Qingyang Gang Jade needed for cultivation; instead, a senior brother of higher cultivation had to do it on her behalf. ... Pieced together, one thing was certain: the Qingyang Demonic Sect had yet to completely suppress the Ancestral Holy Fire! However, it remained uncertain whether the Sect Master had already found a solution. Bing Han was the Sect Master of the Xuling Sect and was likewise well-versed in fire-manipulation arts. If the Sect Master of the Qingyang Demonic Sect had taken the initiative to invite her to help resolve the underlying hazard, this would be Qin Sang's opportunity as well! Qin Sang's eyes flickered with thought as he pondered for a long time. After offering Meigu some guidance, Qin Sang left Mount Shiqu. He instructed Fat Chicken to go to the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea to inquire about the progress in finding an overseas base, and told White Cat and the others to take turns going to Sandie Pass to temper themselves. Meanwhile, he maintained his guise as an elder of the Yuanshen Sect and returned there. Bai's cave dwelling was shut tight; he had remained in secluded cultivation until now. Qin Sang touched the restriction before the entrance and waited for two full days before Bai finally opened the door and walked out. To his surprise, Qin Sang noticed that Bai looked somewhat listless and wan. "Could Brother Bai have been attempting a forced breakthrough?" Qin Sang asked with a frown, sensing something was amiss. Bai gave a bitter laugh. "After years in seclusion with zero progress, I did become somewhat impatient. I almost brought about a backlash from the Corpse Soul Pearl and invited disaster. Fortunately, I regained my senses at the crucial moment and only suffered some injuries, which are mostly healed now." "You have weathered ten thousand years of tempering. Why be in such a rush now?" Qin Sang had not expected such a thing to happen to Bai. He had thought that after being trapped by demonic fire and enduring endless desolation and despair, Bai's temperament would have been honed enough to endure anything, yet even he had grown so anxious. Bai confessed his shame with a shake of his head and said nothing more. Seeing this, Qin Sang pressed no further, confident that with Bai's experience, he would not make the same mistake twice. He produced the bones inscribed with bone curses. "Not long ago, I followed the clues left by Tan Hao and found the headquarters of the Heavenly Corpse Sect. Although I didn't find any ancient manuals, I did find this skeleton. Its origin is extraordinary—it may belong to the person who guided the Sect Master of the Heavenly Corpse Sect in founding the sect..." "Brother Qin even found the Heavenly Corpse Sect's headquarters? Did you not see Tan Hao?" Bai asked, somewhat surprised. Qin Sang gave an affirmative grunt. "I only found a branch altar of the Heavenly Corpse Sect where Tan Hao had stayed briefly. After rescuing that mysterious person, he vanished, and the trail went cold. Later, I will ask some friendly Daoists to help search for him. I suspect that mysterious person hails from the same era as you, Brother Bai..." Bai looked thoughtful. "The Heavenly Corpse Talisman is so intractable; it truly does not seem like a method created by a Nascent Soul cultivator. From what you've described, the Abyss Ruins sounds like a prison meant to suppress high-ranking cultivators. For that person to have survived there to this day, their origin must be extraordinary, and their past cultivation might have surpassed mine. A pity I didn't go with you, or I might have remembered something." The passage had already been exposed; infiltrating the Abyss Ruins in the future would be very difficult. As Bai spoke, he picked up a bone to examine it, only to be captivated at the very first glance. Seeing Bai's reaction, Qin Sang was overjoyed inwardly; at least his trip hadn't been in vain. "So that's how it is! So that's how it is!" After reading through all the bone curses, Bai murmured to himself, his expression energized, having clearly gained a great deal. "Thank you, Brother Qin! The secret arts of the Heavenly Corpse Sect must have originated from these bone curses. As long as I thoroughly comprehend them, I can refine the Corpse Soul Pearl and advance to a corpse king!" Bai was full of excitement and immediately prepared to return to secluded cultivation. Qin Sang nodded secretly. It was well worth it if this could help Bai break through. As for whether he could use the bone curses to deduce a way to unravel the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, that would only be known after Bai came out of seclusion. Just as Bai was about to head inside, he suddenly recalled something. "Right! Are there any signs of Ziwei Palace emerging?" He had heard Qin Sang say that a spiritual tide would precede the emergence of Ziwei Palace, and calculating the time, it should be about ready to appear. Qin Sang knew that Bai had always been keenly interested in Ziwei Palace. Last time, due to time constraints and Bai's insufficient strength, he hadn't been able to explore it thoroughly. "The spiritual tide has already appeared. The interval this time will definitely be under a hundred years!" "As expected." Bai nodded gently, then suddenly changed his tone and asked, "Since you command the passage between the two domains, when do you plan to return to the Canglang Ocean?" Qin Sang pondered and said, "From the looks of it, Ziwei Palace will emerge with increasing frequency, so there's no need to rush back to the Canglang Ocean. The likelihood of finding a second Killing Sword fragment in the Canglang Ocean is slim, and with my current strength, I don't dare roam and search freely across the Demon Sea. I have the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn, so once my cultivation hits a bottleneck in the future, I plan to travel to the other three realms first and broaden my horizons along the way." "Aside from the Killing Sword fragment, what attracts you most about Ziwei Palace must be the Nanming Primordial Fire. Have you decided what kind of treasure to refine to subdue that spiritual fire?" Bai seemed quite interested in Qin Sang's plans. Qin Sang sighed. "I only have some preliminary thoughts. I've been bogged down by trivial matters recently and haven't had time to think it through carefully. If worst comes to worst, it won't be too late to subdue it during a later entry." Bai disagreed with Qin Sang's thought. "Ziwei Palace is clearly undergoing a major shift—whether for better or worse remains unknown—which means things inside won't be stable either. If the ancient restrictions within shift and someone else discovers the Nanming Primordial Fire, they will certainly be tempted by such a top-tier spiritual fire and vie with you for it. In my view, the sooner you subdue it, the better." "Brother Bai's words make sense. I will give it careful thought." Qin Sang agreed with Bai's reasoning. The Xiaohan Realm was unstable and Sin Abyss was ambitious; with the future situation unpredictable, securing the treasure first was the only way to have peace of mind. Speaking of artifact refining, Qin Sang's heart stirred, and he took out that piece of white bronze. "Brother Bai, do you recognize this?" Bai looked at it for a while and shook his head. "I can't recall what it is, but this white bronze can actually repel divine consciousness, making it impossible to probe inside. It is definitely no ordinary item." Probing the white bronze with divine consciousness produced a burning prickle of pain, which was why Qin Sang had never been able to ascertain its properties. Now Bai was in no hurry to go into seclusion and asked Qin Sang about the war and the situation with Sin Abyss. There was nothing to hide regarding these matters, so Qin Sang recounted everything he knew. Qin Sang browsed through the Yuanshen Sect's texts without finding any records related to the white bronze. That night, he departed from the Yuanshen Sect and returned to Li Yufu's cave dwelling. Bai Hanqiu had lived up to expectations, having successfully established her foundation, and was currently consolidating her cultivation. After offering Bai Hanqiu some pointers, Qin Sang took Li Yufu, rendezvoused with Fat Chicken and the other demons, and headed back to Sandie Pass. He received word from his senior sister that the Two Domains Alliance had already dispatched personnel to Wuya Valley to investigate the situation. Once those individuals returned, they would convene all the Nascent Soul cultivators to deliberate on the matter.