Tombstone

"Boom! Boom!" Sword strike after sword strike, each thrust aimed at a different point. The Nascent Soul talisman puppet gave no warning; Old Man Hunmo had not yet entered. Qin Sang held nothing back, striking with all his might. The purple mist over the herb garden churned as bizarre phenomena repeatedly manifested. Finally, the purple mist before Qin Sang slowly parted to both sides, revealing a faint golden light. Qin Sang sheathed his spirit sword and peered through narrowed eyes, discovering that the golden light was a barrier shaped like a Buddhist pagoda, inside of which stood a spirit tree! The barrier served a defensive purpose, but under the onslaught of the crimson fire aura, it had grown exceptionally dim; cracking it to harvest the fruit would not be difficult. The spirit tree was rooted in a jade altar from which the defensive power originated. The tree stood as tall as three men, yet resembled a withered husk. Its bark was dried and parched, showing a color akin to charred charcoal. A few sparse leaves hung listlessly from its branches, all of them a dull, ashen gray. Only at the very tip of the branches was a precious speck of green visible, demonstrating that this spirit tree was stubbornly clinging to life. Qin Sang glanced over, a look of pleasant surprise welling in his eyes. Such a near-withered spirit tree had actually borne quite a few fruits! Qin Sang remembered Valley Master Mu mentioning that the Myriad Spirit Fruit Tree took an extraordinarily long time to gestate Myriad Spirit Fruits, and their yield was exceedingly scarce. When spirit insects consumed Myriad Spirit Fruits directly, more was not necessarily better. A spirit insect below the fourth transformation could only take one; only after breaking through to the fourth transformation and fully digesting the medicinal efficacy could it consume another. Yet there were as many as nine on this tree! And every one was ripe. However, baked by the crimson fire aura, the tree was on the verge of withering, and the Myriad Spirit Fruits lacked much of their luster. "My three spirit insects only need four right now. That's more than enough, with more than half left over." Qin Sang had never expected such an enormous haul and felt overjoyed. Without standing on ceremony, he slashed with his sword, shattering the dim barrier. Retrieving nine jade boxes, he carefully plucked all the Myriad Spirit Fruits and gently patted the Qianjun Ring. "I didn't expect things to go this smoothly. The Pure Sea Sect's herb garden shouldn't just contain a Myriad Spirit Fruit Tree, right? Since I'm already here, I might as well search around. Perhaps other herbs have survived..." Just as Qin Sang was about to head elsewhere, he paused, looking the Myriad Spirit Fruit Tree up and down, contemplating whether he could dig up the entire spirit tree and take it with him. The Myriad Spirit Fruit could advance spirit insects and be used to refine Spirit Suppressing Incense, and perhaps it had other uses as well. If he transplanted it back to Qingyang Temple, even if he had no personal use for it, it could serve as a sect-guarding treasure. However, the tree was on the brink of death and exceedingly fragile. Digging up a spirit tree was unlike plucking its fruit; it required destroying the entire jade altar. If he forced his way through crudely, Qin Sang worried the Myriad Spirit Fruit Tree might die on the spot. He had no time to stay here and decipher the restriction. "Forget it! Leaving it here will only let it fall into someone else's hands. Besides, what I discovered earlier has given me an uneasy premonition. The Pure Sea Sect probably won't remain in this world much longer." Qin Sang made up his mind. After staring at the jade altar for a moment, he waved his hand to summon demonic fire. It lunged downward, encircling the jade altar in a roaring blaze. *Crack...* Qin Sang changed his hand seals in rapid succession as the golden light teetered. Cracks were scorched into the jade altar. Right at that moment, an astonishing scene unfolded. Without the slightest warning, raging flames suddenly surged from the spirit tree's roots, engulfing the entire trunk in the blink of an eye. Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. He slashed his sword down swiftly, driving it deep into the fractured jade altar to forcefully unearth a section of root. Fortunately, the severed root Qin Sang salvaged still retained some vitality. With meticulous care after getting out, he might be able to cultivate it back to life. He cast a regretful glance at the spirit tree, which had been reduced to ashes, and swept his gaze over the shattered jade altar, deep in thought. Just now, when destroying the altar, Qin Sang's perception had become even clearer—the scope affected seemed to extend far beyond just this jade altar. With no time to dwell on it, Qin Sang applied restrictions to seal the root, placed it into a vitality-preserving jade case, and turned away, beginning his search across the area. Soon enough, Qin Sang found another intact herb field. Although the spirit herbs here possessed considerable age, they were not as precious as he had hoped. Qin Sang had a realization: whether a field survived depended on luck. The purple mist restriction in this vicinity was relatively intact, having suffered less from the impact, which allowed it to endure. Not wanting to waste time on ordinary spirit herbs, he moved swiftly, breaking through layers of restrictions and traversing between patches of herb fields until he finally made a new discovery! "Spirit Cup Flower! Thunder Snake Vine..." Qin Sang abruptly halted, looking at the intact herb field ahead and the wondrous glow radiating from the spirit herbs within it. A strange light flickered in his eyes. Protected and cultivated by various restrictions, these spirit herbs before him were languishing just like the Myriad Spirit Fruit Tree, but a portion had survived. Even certain Nascent Soul cultivators would be tempted and unwilling to pass them by. Qin Sang's attention was drawn to a spirit flower the size of an infant's fist, shaped like a jade cup. He remembered that refining the Spirit Cup Flower into a Hidden Fragrance Pill allowed one to strengthen divine consciousness upon consumption, and it also had a certain effect on the Nascent Soul—it was a rather rare spirit herb. He was not far from breaking through to the second layer of the *Fire Seed Golden Lotus*. Taking a Hidden Fragrance Pill would certainly accelerate his progress. The other spirit herbs had their own uses as well. While less important to Qin Sang than the Spirit Cup Flower, other Nascent Soul cultivators would surely covet them. If he looted all these spirit herbs clean, his trip would be well worth it even if he left immediately afterward. Qin Sang's gaze swept over the herbs one by one. Just as he was marveling at the Pure Sea Sect's affluence, his eyes suddenly narrowed, fixing intensely on the depths of the herb field. There were several empty spots. Judging by the marks, the spirit herbs had not withered away; rather, they looked as though someone had dug them up. "Wait!" Qin Sang's pupils constricted sharply. These marks were not ancient; they appeared to have been left recently. Someone had gotten here before him and dug up some of the spirit herbs! Qin Sang's mind tautened instantly. Demonic fire surged from his sleeve and circled his body. His divine consciousness burst outward, and he pushed the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's Heavenly Eye divine ability to its limit. *Someone has already entered and dug up the most precious spirit herbs. Is it Valley Master Mu or Old Man Hunmo? Why didn't I notice any traces earlier? Where is he now? Has he spotted me?* Countless thoughts flashed through Qin Sang's mind. Right at that moment, he suddenly felt a warning from the Nascent Soul talisman puppet outside. Through the puppet, Qin Sang "saw" violent fluctuations surging above the Pure Sea Sect, followed by a tremendous explosion. Amidst the chaos of drifting flames, a fissure tore through the spirit array. Old Man Hunmo and Realized Master Chijie flew out first, their appearances slightly disheveled. Behind them, there seemed to be other figures. The purple drifting flames in the air were violently disrupted, completely chaotic, momentarily obscuring the view. "It's not Old Man Hunmo!" Qin Sang felt a slight relief, but his doubts deepened. *Could Valley Master Mu have beaten everyone to the punch? But why didn't he look for the Myriad Spirit Fruits?* Qin Sang ordered the Nascent Soul talisman puppet to conceal itself and continue watching. He cast a deep, lingering look at the herb field. Instead of trying to harvest the spirit herbs, he remained vigilant, concealed his aura, and slipped deeper into the purple mist. He was unsure how far he had walked. The purple mist suddenly dispersed, and the view before him opened up dramatically. A sheer cliff face came into view, separated from Qin Sang by a rolling stretch of knolls. With a single glance, he saw a solitary tombstone standing on the barren knoll. Inscribed upon it: *Tomb of My Brother, Tan Jie.*