After taking his leave of Senior Brother Gong, Qin Sang went to the Spirit Beast Hall. Many tamed demon beasts were reared within the hall, each possessing unique utility. For cultivators, they served as excellent tools, capable of easily resolving numerous troubles.
Just as Qin Sang descended from his escaping light, a Qi Refinement disciple came forward to greet him. "Disciple greets Martial Uncle."
Qin Sang nodded, handed over his waist token, and explained the purpose of his visit.
The disciple returned the waist token with both hands raised, saying, "May I ask where Martial Uncle Qin intends to establish your cave abode? On land, or in the Yuncang Great Marsh?"
Qin Sang understood that different demon beasts were suited to different environments, so he replied, "In the Yuncang Great Marsh."
The disciple nodded and said, "If it is the Yuncang Great Marsh, the Spirit-Bearing Bird or the Golden-Eyed Snake would be best. Both are exceptionally sensitive to fluctuations in spiritual energy. Among them, the Golden-Eyed Snake is the most adept at discovering underwater spirit veins. However, the Golden-Eyed Snake must dive deep underwater, yet it is not proficient in water-escape arts, and its strength is only slightly superior to that of ordinary beasts. It might encounter unforeseen dangers. When going into the water, I ask that Martial Uncle look after it carefully."
Taming demon beasts required considerable manpower and resources, and every spirit beast was of significant value. Qin Sang naturally gave his full agreement. Following the disciple, he flew away from Pagoda Peak to the mountain where the spirit beasts were kept, collecting a Spirit-Bearing Bird and a Golden-Eyed Snake.
Although the jade box had restrictions that sealed away its spirituality, several years had already passed since the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid was plucked, and the orchid had already begun to show signs of withering.
To replant it, it had to absorb sufficient spiritual power before it could regain vitality.
This process was exceedingly long, requiring at least a year even within a spirit spring. Even the best spirit eye would not suffice; it could only slow the pace of its wilting.
Once its life force was severed, it would be beyond remedy. If the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid lost its medicinal efficacy, it certainly could not be refined into a Du'e Pill, which would be a tremendous waste.
Although the white cat's cave abode was concealed enough, both the white cat and the bamboo demon knew of it after all. Qin Sang was uneasy about leaving the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid inside alone, yet unfortunately, the spirit spring had not fully formed and could not be moved.
Qin Sang planned to first use the two spirit beasts to search for a cave abode. If he could find another spirit spring, that would be ideal; if not, he could only temporarily plant it in the white cat's cave abode.
Having retrieved the spirit beasts, Qin Sang flew slowly toward Jianmen Pass. Looking back on everything along the way, there did not seem to be any oversights.
Once he returned to his cave abode, Qin Sang intended to immediately enter secluded bitter cultivation. The difficulty of cultivation was immense; it could not be achieved in just a year or two, and he would likely have no mind for other matters for a long time.
The address he had left with Sect Master Yu was Gu Tiannan's Huilong Temple; he would only need to stop by in his spare time to check if anything important had come up.
Passing by Jianmen Pass, Qin Sang looked upon the vast swathes of peach trees on the mountain and sighed inwardly. He wondered what his future fate held, and whether he could follow in Senior Qingzhu's footsteps.
After flying out of Jianmen Pass, Qin Sang urged the Sky-Soaring Shuttle and arrived at Wenyue Cultivation Market. To avoid trouble, he concealed his cultivation with the Spirit Concealment Art and found the artifact-refining shop he had visited before.
The shopkeeper recognized Qin Sang at a glance and enthusiastically served fine tea. "Fellow Daoist Qin, please come in!"
Qin Sang took a sip of tea and glanced at the Li Residence across the way. Since Song Ying was willing to give up her ancestral mansion, he would not meddle. His visit this time was to ask the shopkeeper to repair the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword.
"Fellow Daoist Wu, take a look at this sword and see if it can still be repaired."
Qin Sang took out Gu Tiannan's Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword. One of the swords had been damaged by the ebony sword during their clash, leaving the blade covered in cracks and rendering it unusable.
For the incantation Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword, the greatest hurdle was gathering five suitable five-element spirit swords. As long as the spirit swords were in hand, cultivating it was merely a matter of spending some time.
Qin Sang happened to want to cultivate several incantations to serve as means to counter enemies after reaching Foundation Establishment. With these five swords already in his possession, he had purchased the jade slip when making his selection.
Even if it could not be repaired, finding another one would not be difficult.
When Qin Sang probed his spiritual sense into his mustard seed bag to take out the spirit sword, he suddenly paused, a faint ripple crossing his expression. Returning to normal, he handed the spirit sword to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper took it, glanced at it, and said with a smile, "I see, the quality is quite good; it seems Fellow Daoist Qin put quite some effort into it. Let me see... Mm! The spirit sword's origin hasn't been damaged. It only needs to be re-refined. It will take about two shichen to restore it to how it was before. Please wait a short while, Fellow Daoist Qin."
It seemed he had come to the right person.
Qin Sang nodded, indicating that the shopkeeper could go ahead.
Once the shopkeeper went into the back room, Qin Sang pulled the shop door shut, then took another item out of the mustard seed bag and placed it in his palm. It was a section of dried tree root.
This root, like the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword, had been scavenged from Gu Tiannan. He still remembered that when Gu Tiannan fought Hei Wa, he had unleashed a bolt of lightning using this root, shattering half the face of Hei Wa's bull-headed skull on the spot and scaring the skull so badly it dared not emerge again. Its power was quite remarkable, and it likely possessed the ability to restrain demonic beings.
However, when Qin Sang later trapped Gu Tiannan with the Ten Directions Yanluo Array, Gu Tiannan had not used this item again.
After obtaining the root, Qin Sang had also examined it closely. Unable to sense any lightning power within, he thought it was just an ordinary tree root—a single-use item—so he had casually tossed it aside.
Only when retrieving the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword earlier did Qin Sang discover that the root had quietly undergone a change.
Lying in his palm, the root appeared utterly unremarkable. Yet when Qin Sang touched it with his spiritual sense or spiritual power, an arc of lightning instantly flashed out. The arc was as thin as a strand of hair, but its power was exceptionally violent, not to be underestimated.
"Could it be lightning-struck spirit wood?"
Qin Sang stroked his chin and murmured, a touch of delight appearing on his face.
Certain spirit trees grew within lightning marshes, surviving year-round baths in lightning. Over time, the wood itself would fuse with the power of lightning, transforming into lightning-struck spirit wood.
Lightning-struck spirit wood contained the most masculine and unyielding power of lightning within. Not only was it the bane of evil and corruption, but it was also a rare and precious material. For Qin Sang, it had an even more fitting use.
Qin Sang's Gui Water Yin Thunder Incantation could be relied upon to defeat enemies during the Qi Refinement stage, but when battling Foundation Establishment cultivators, its power felt somewhat lacking. Still, after having spent so much time cultivating this incantation, abandoning it would be a pity.
Fortunately, its power was not impossible to improve. If one could find a spiritual object containing lightning power, one could borrow it to unleash an even more terrifying Yin Thunder—and lightning-struck spirit wood could not have been more suitable.
With this thought, Qin Sang immediately grasped the root and attempted to activate the Gui Water Yin Thunder Incantation.
The next moment, a flash of electrical light gleamed across Qin Sang's palm before he voluntarily dispersed it.
This thunder was no longer merely Yin Thunder; its power was incomparable to what it had been before, causing even Qin Sang to feel a secret tremor in his heart. When an incantation and a spiritual object combined, the surge in power was far more than a simple doubling.
Looking at the root again, it had returned to its ordinary appearance, the newly restored lightning power completely exhausted.
Chapter 137