The moment he had approached the forbidden grounds, the Fire Jade Centipede had grown restless.
Qin Sang had only seen such a reaction twice before.
Once was when discovering the Scarlet Fire Flowing Gold in the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode; the second was in the Abyss Ruins, drawn by the mysterious white copper.
Qin Sang looked up toward the summit.
Whatever was attracting the Fire Jade Centipede lay deep in the belly of the mountain!
Within the Xuling Sect's forbidden grounds, what other secret was hidden besides the Mountain within the Mountain?
Qin Sang suppressed his curiosity and placed a layer of restrictions over the Fire Jade Centipede, lest Bing Han notice it when they met and misunderstand his intentions.
There might be a rare treasure in the mountain, but Qin Sang harbored no delusions of seizing it for himself.
His purpose in coming to the Xuling Sect was to foster good relations with Bing Han and consult her on artifact refinement; he had no desire to cause complications. However rare a treasure might be, it could not compare to the Nanming Primordial Fire.
Returning the Fire Jade Centipede to his corpse puppet bag, Qin Sang cleared his mind. He took out a demonic banner, activated the fire lotus seed within him, and practiced the Fire Seed Golden Lotus to refine demonic fire.
Not long after, Yanhuo Pavilion suddenly shuddered.
Startled from his cultivation, Qin Sang's eyes flashed. He rose to his feet and stared fixedly toward the summit.
That fluctuation had appeared once more.
Here, his perception was much clearer; the entire forbidden grounds had violently trembled.
Qin Sang was certain that the source of the tremor was none other than the mountain's core!
Surprise showed on his face. Judging by what he sensed, the fluctuation was extraordinarily powerful, and its origin was bound to be even more ferocious. With his level of cultivation, even he would have to summon a magic treasure to defend himself if he were inside the mountain right now.
"What on earth is in there? Could it be the treasure the Fire Jade Centipede sensed?" Qin Sang mused to himself.
One thing was certain: Bing Han was definitely not in peaceful seclusion. The fluctuations were undeniably related to her.
Qin Sang noticed Yun Lan standing guard outside and observed her discreetly.
Yun Lan's expression was calm, as though she had long grown accustomed to such tremors.
Wondering if he was overthinking things, he shook his head, sat down cross-legged, put away the demonic banner, and summoned the Nascent Soul talisman puppet again.
While subduing the Nascent Soul talisman puppet, Qin Sang had also begun to experience its soul phantoms.
The Dao Manifestation Tree was truly remarkable.
When Qin Sang merged his mind into a soul phantom, he forgot himself, as if transformed into an entirely different person.
This was dangerous, carrying the risk of soul phantom backlash and becoming utterly lost, but Qin Sang had no such reservations.
What he gained was not the lingering memories of the phantom as one might imagine, but an ineffable glimmer of comprehension regarding cultivation realms and the Great Dao held during its lifetime.
This comprehension remained preserved within the phantom's form, and an outsider could experience it.
Qin Sang possessed an unshakeable will and would not be swayed by another's Dao, yet the experience was of immense benefit to him—not in terms of cultivation speed, but when confronting bottlenecks.
All Daos connected; by integrating the insights of others, his own Dao became clearer.
There was also a process of synthesis, which was not fast. However, Qin Sang had plenty of time at present, and whenever he had a spare moment, he would summon the talisman puppet.
Over time, patience and accumulated depth would yield great results.
Once the Corpse Flower Blood Amber was fully purified, his cultivation would surely enter a stage of rapid advancement.
In the blink of an eye, it was Qin Sang's fifth day at the Xuling Sect.
Over these five days, the tremors appeared daily.
Qin Sang deduced a pattern: the fluctuations varied in intensity, but each day only one was the strongest. The others were very faint, provoking no reaction from the forbidden grounds, though they could not escape Qin Sang's senses.
After the strongest tremor occurred, everything would settle into complete stillness.
Then, on the next day at the exact same hour, the tremor would return.
The sixth day.
In the Xuling Sect's forbidden grounds.
A streak of light flew out from the mountain's core, circled briefly, and shot toward a palace.
Qin Sang, who was meditating in Yanhuo Pavilion, immediately detected the person's presence. Surprise flashed in his eyes. He glided out of Yanhuo Pavilion, ignoring Yun Lan, and rose into midair.
"Huh? Fellow Daoist Qin!"
A familiar voice echoed from the light, which came to an abrupt halt, revealing Xiang Qing.
"Fellow Daoist Xiang, what happened to you?" Qin Sang looked Xiang Qing up and down, secretly astonished.
Xiang Qing looked exceptionally disheveled. Scorch marks marred his Daoist robe, his breathing was ragged, and his energy seemed drastically depleted.
"It's a long story," Xiang Qing shook his head. "Not long after the peace talks between the three domains, I accompanied Fellow Daoist Bing Han back to the Xuling Sect. We've attempted it multiple times, failing each time in succession, and this time I nearly suffered a severe backlash. I was just planning to seek you out, Fellow Daoist Qin, never expecting you would already be here."
"I've been waiting here for days! What in the world is happening in the mountain that even the two of you joining hands ended in failure?" Qin Sang asked in surprise.
Xiang Qing bore the aura of the Ancestral Holy Fire, indicating he had already refined a portion of it and was stronger than before.
Xiang Qing was taken aback. "You don't know the story yet? Then it wouldn't be appropriate for me to say more. I swore an oath to Fellow Daoist Bing Han never to reveal the Xuling Sect's secrets to anyone. If you wish to understand, you can only ask her. She should be coming out soon as well..."
"I shall explain everything to Fellow Daoist Qin myself. Please go regulate your breath, Fellow Daoist Xiang. This fire poison is extraordinary; even with your Qingyang Demonic Fire, you must not let it linger for too long."
Before the words finished falling, a woman in courtly attire flew out from the mountain summit—Bing Han.
Xiang Qing cupped his hands to Qin Sang and flew into the palace.
Bing Han flickered and appeared before Qin Sang.
Outwardly, she showed no obvious signs, but her weakened aura could not be concealed. Just like Xiang Qing, the true essence within her had suffered immense depletion.
"I wonder if I have arrived at an inopportune moment. It appears something in there concerns a vital secret of your esteemed sect." Qin Sang looked up toward the summit.
Bing Han smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist Qin has arrived at the perfect time! Truly nothing escapes your discerning eyes. The secret within the mountain is indeed of utmost importance to the Xuling Sect and permits no failure. If you wish to know, please follow me."
With that, Bing Han made to fly toward the mountain peak.
Qin Sang remained where he was without moving. "From what Fellow Daoist Xiang said, this matter is of grave importance. Must I also swear an oath first?"
Bing Han took a serious tone. "If you do not mind, Fellow Daoist Qin, that would naturally be best."
"And when the time comes, what will I receive in return?" Qin Sang fixed his eyes on Bing Han.
"What do you desire, Fellow Daoist?" Bing Han could naturally tell that Qin Sang had come with an objective in mind. Since the stakes were so high, she had no wish to haggle, stating forthrightly, "Everyone in the Xuling Sect will do their utmost to satisfy your request."
Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, torn between amusement and exasperation. He had originally come to ask for a favor, never expecting to stumble upon Bing Han and Xiang Qing's scheme, turning the tables so that Bing Han was now asking him for assistance instead.
This was no bad thing; it would make negotiating terms all the easier.
Whatever Bing Han was pursuing was not an ancient secret realm, but judging by the condition of the two, it was likely just as perilous.
"I wish to peruse all of your sect's artifact refinement manuals. And if you could personally offer some guidance, that would be even better!" Qin Sang deliberately placed emphasis on the word "all."
"So Fellow Daoist Qin wishes to learn artifact refinement." Bing Han was not surprised. Once cultivating to the Nascent Soul realm, most people forged their own magic treasures to ensure the best fit. She let out a sigh of relief. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Qin. Whether we succeed or fail, I will grant you access to our manuals. However, you will also need to swear an oath never to leak them to outsiders. I trust you can understand."
Chapter 1318