Back then, the situation had been urgent. After breaking the restriction on the golden-roofed Buddhist hall, Qin Sang had only cast a hurried glance inside.
Buddhist statues, stone statues, and an altar table.
Skeletal remains and magic treasures.
One thing was certain: there were no written markings.
The seven-tiered stupa had been hidden inside the Guanyin statue, enclosed within an outer Buddhist niche and placed at the very center of the altar table, holding a status higher than both the Lingzhi Ruyi and the Ruyi Orb.
Such placement could not have been without reason.
"Could it be a symbol of some senior's identity, holding special significance to the Jinghai Sect?"
The thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind. His eyes shifted as he stared at the seven-tiered stupa. "A relic of that person... consecrated as a sacred object?"
He recalled the stone statue that should not have appeared in the Buddhist hall.
For the stone statue to share equal status with the Buddhist statues, enshrined together in the Buddhist hall, was a desecration of the Buddha and of their own faith.
The Jinghai Sect should not have made such an error. Even a life-saving debt of gratitude could not have driven Buddhist disciples to go that far.
Qin Sang developed an intense curiosity about that stone statue.
Unfortunately, Tan Hao did not know either.
The stone statue had been lifelike, with clear facial features.
If that person was an eminent senior hailing from the North Sea, it should not be difficult to find out.
"I'll reconsider after uncovering that person's identity."
Qin Sang put away the seven-tiered stupa for the time being.
Afterward, Qin Sang remained in the cave dwelling, paying no heed to worldly affairs.
While refining the demonic fire and the Ruyi Orb, he pondered how to alter the demon-subduing pestle and referenced Buddhist artifact-refining methods through it, reaping substantial gains.
Since he was only altering its appearance rather than raising its grade, there was no need for overly precious materials.
Qin Sang searched through his Qianjun Ring for a few items, which proved to be just about enough.
Over two months later, Qin Sang channeled his demonic fire to reforge the demon-subduing pestle.
In his hands, the imposing demon-subduing pestle underwent a drastic transformation. The Buddhist patterns upon it vanished, and bumps rose all over its surface, turning into sharp spikes until it finally became a spiked mace!
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Qin Sang swung it in his hand, a slight smile touching the corners of his mouth as he imagined the burly Tan Hao violently bashing an opponent with a spiked mace.
Stowing the spiked mace, he had not meditated long before the cave dwelling's restriction was suddenly triggered.
Qin Sang roused, pushed open the door, and went out. As expected, Tan Hao had returned.
"Give it a try," Qin Sang said, tossing the spiked mace to him.
"The reforging is finished?"
Tan Hao caught the spiked mace, his face beaming with delight. He swung it several times, reluctant to put it down, and consecrated it according to Qin Sang's instructions. The spiked mace immediately glowed with bursts of chilling, eerie blue light, looking every bit like a vicious weapon.
"I did my best to disguise it. However, the essence of a Buddhist treasure cannot be changed. Once you cross hands with someone, your opponent will still be able to sense the unique fluctuations of Buddhist restrictions. Leave no loose ends when you strike," Qin Sang cautioned, then shifted his tone to ask, "What did you find out?"
Tan Hao happily stowed the spiked mace and turned solemn. "The waves stirred up by the Jinghai Sect haven't settled yet. Many cultivators still linger in the Kongling Sea, and some have even traveled tens of thousands of li to rush over. However, traces of the Jinghai Sect were wiped from the world by the crimson fire aura. So far, I haven't heard of anyone finding treasures, though quite a few swindlers have seized the chance to stir up trouble. In the first few days, Nascent Soul Patriarchs appeared frequently, but recently they've been nowhere to be seen..."
Tan Hao then went over the highlights of the information he had gathered.
"The collapse of the seal caused countless cultivators to die gruesome deaths—too many to tally. Wailing echoed across the islands near the Kongling Sea. However, aside from the phenomenon caused by the eruption of the crimson fire aura, there were no other anomalies, nor did a major battle break out between Old Man Hunmo and the other Nascent Soul cultivators. After waiting for the phenomenon to fade, they searched the vicinity for a while and then departed one after another."
Qin Sang gave an acknowledging grunt. "With no major battle breaking out, it seems the demon inside the seal has already fallen. Of course, it's also possible it used some method to deceive everyone's eyes, but that has little to do with us. Go on—any news on the duo Qi and Wang?"
Tan Hao nodded. "The identities of those two weren't hard to find. The man surnamed Qi and Realized Master Chijie, the island master of Nine Precepts Island, are both overlords in the vicinity of the Kongling Sea. The two have never gotten along, and there's frequent friction between their juniors. Qi never established a sect, but he has eight disciples under him. The female cultivator surnamed Wang only recently formed her Nascent Soul; she's said to be his Dao companion."
Qin Sang silently repeated Realized Master Chijie's name, knowing that the second person who ambushed them had been him.
However, with Old Man Hunmo behind the man, it would not be wise to cause trouble for him for the moment.
Without pausing, Tan Hao continued, "At first, I didn't dare directly inquire about the eight disciples, but soon I heard rumors that the island where the cave dwelling of the cultivator surnamed Qi was located had been attacked by a mysterious expert. Everyone on the island, mortal or cultivator alike, was slaughtered down to the last person. However, there are rumors that before the slaughter took place, the eight disciples had already mysteriously vanished without a trace, though the truth cannot be confirmed."
If the eight disciples had mysteriously disappeared, they were likely taken away by someone.
They didn't know what had happened in the Jinghai Sect, and the Qi-Wang pair could never have imagined that a single fortunate encounter would trigger such a massive tempest; they couldn't have taken precautions in advance.
That meant someone among Valley Master Mu's trio had survived.
Most likely, it was Valley Master Mu, who had the highest cultivation and possessed the fourth-transformation Tide-Guiding Horseshoe Crab.
Qin Sang felt somewhat relieved. This way, seeking him out to trade later on would be much easier.
"These are the individuals and forces in the Boundless Sea who excel in alchemy and accept commissions," Tan Hao said, handing him a jade slip.
Unless a major event like the Jinghai Sect occurred, Nascent Soul Patriarchs rarely made public appearances.
Core Formation cultivators were the true protagonists of the cultivation world.
The information Tan Hao gathered was very detailed.
"The one universally recognized in the Boundless Sea to have the best reputation and deepest mastery of the Dao of alchemy is actually the Grand Elder of the Nine Stars Association."
Qin Sang was somewhat taken aback to see this piece of information.
After a moment of contemplation, Qin Sang ruled out the Nine Stars Association.
Before entering the Jinghai Sect, he had made inquiries about the Kongling Sea at the Nine Stars Association. Now that this had occurred, the Nine Stars Association would surely associate it with abnormalities. It was best not to deal with them again.
He skimmed through quickly, his brow gradually furrowing.
The other candidates either lacked skill or had questionable reputations.
Although he was not afraid of people being swayed by greed upon seeing his treasures, he still preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Oh? The Danding Association."
Qin Sang's gaze locked onto a certain power. He discovered that this was also a merchant association, and behind it lay the shadow of Mount Danding, a prominent sect from the Crescent Moon Realm.
Mount Danding had an illustrious reputation in both artifact refining and alchemy, akin to a combination of the Taiyi Dan Sect and the Xuling Sect, and enjoyed an excellent reputation.
He had originally planned to head to the Crescent Moon Realm if he couldn't find anyone in the Boundless Sea.
The Danding Association it was.
Qin Sang put away the jade slip, spoke a few words with Tan Hao, and returned to the quiet chamber to enter meditation.
Over half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Tan Hao went out several more times to gather intelligence, yielding largely the same results.
The storm stirred up by the Jinghai Sect seemed to have completely settled.
A figure broke through the surface of the water, skimming west across the sea. It was Qin Sang.
He was ready to head to the Danding Association to have someone refine the Hidden Fragrance Pill.
As the Danding Association was not a local power, its strongholds were sparse.
Qin Sang selected the nearest stronghold, which was on an island named Blue Star Island. The island was said to boast flourishing commerce. Qin Sang was in no hurry to travel and took more than half a month to arrive.
Chapter 1431