Meeting at Last

"He broke your heart and made you suffer for so many years, despite your peerless natural talent and heavenly aptitude. You endured the agony of sealing your emotions and painstakingly cultivated the Ice Soul Divine Light. Yet of all times, he didn't appear earlier or later—he just had to show up at the crucial moment when your profound art was nearing completion, throwing your Dao heart into chaos. His malice is downright despicable!" Shixue was filled with righteous indignation as she furiously denounced the heartless man. Especially since the fellow, upon seeing her Junior Sister, had actually dared to act violently and attack her. He was nothing but a cold, unfeeling wretch, completely unworthy of her Junior Sister's devoted heart. Liuli's expression turned somewhat peculiar. Waiting until Shixue had vented to her heart's content, she said softly, "I need to go out for a while." Shixue sniffled, gave her Junior Sister a long look, and frowned. "That man is so unfeeling, yet you still want to see him? We might as well just let the Grand Elder and Old Man Hunmo beat him to death, putting an end to this ill-fated entanglement once and for all!" Liuli remained silent. They gazed at each other for a moment. Shixue knew her Junior Sister had a stubborn streak; once she set her mind on something, no amount of sweet talk could sway her. Reluctantly, she waved her hand. "Go on, go on!" She flopped angrily onto her prayer mat, exasperated by her Junior Sister's lack of resolve, yet entirely helpless to stop her. "Thank you." Liuli rose to her feet. With a light tap of her jade-like fingers, she left an ice sculpture in her place. Reaching the door, she paused slightly and said, "I will convince him to return the sacred relic." With that, Liuli's figure blurred into an illusion, and she departed without a sound. A faint sigh drifted through the quiet chamber. …… On the reef island. Qin Sang busied himself for a good while, setting up another formation. Then, he flew eastward for a distance, searching the surroundings, and soon spotted the place Chen Yan had mentioned. There were seven small islands aligned in a formation like seven stars strung together, making them easy to spot. The largest spanned only a thousand zhang across, while the smallest was no bigger than a large reef. Qin Sang inspected the area from above before descending onto the largest island. The island was uninhabited, endowed with elegant and spiritual scenery. He casually sat cross-legged beneath an ancient tree, closing his eyes to rest. After an unknown amount of time had passed, Qin Sang suddenly felt a stir in his heart. Opening his eyes, he gazed eastward. The moon shone bright and clear. Beneath the moonlight, a figure in pure white glided gracefully toward him like a fairy treading the waves. It was none other than Chen Yan. She had come alone, with no one else by her side. With Qin Sang's divine sense having advanced by leaps and bounds, combined with the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine abilities, hardly any disguise could escape his eyes. Looking at this figure both familiar and foreign, his gaze turned somewhat conflicted. He stood up, adjusted his robes, released his aura, and stepped out of the woods. A cool breeze drifted past. Liuli brought down her light, lightly stepping onto the shore. Her aloof eyes shifted and settled on Qin Sang's unmasked face. Qin Sang met her gaze openly, taking in the sight of the only woman in this life with whom he had shared intimate physical contact. The passing of countless years had left not the slightest trace upon her peerless countenance; she was every bit as breathtaking as when they had first met. Back then, however, his dominant emotion had been terror. Even having met her only twice, Qin Sang could tell that she had changed considerably. Her aura was noticeably colder than before, akin to an iceberg. After a prolonged silence. Qin Sang glanced behind her and spoke first, breaking the stillness. "I didn't expect you to come alone." "There is no enmity between us," Liuli said calmly. Qin Sang nodded and sighed. "Indeed. Back then, it was fortunate that Fairy stepped in to crush Lord Dongyang's plot, allowing me to escape his clutches. The name Chen Yan was likely an alias?" "You created the opportunity, and I struck back. I did it to help myself," Liuli said earnestly, claiming no credit. She did not ask how Qin Sang had escaped back then, nor where he had hidden over all those years. Pausing briefly, she said, "Chen Yan was my mortal name. Master took me in and gave me the name Liuli." "Liuli..." Qin Sang looked into her eyes, which were indeed as clear and limpid as colored glaze. At a loss for words for a moment, he retrieved the mysterious ice chest, cleared his throat, and smiled. "Fairy gave me that ice bead—weren't you worried I might deduce a method to conceal the seal and keep this item for myself?" Chen Yan seemed not to catch the teasing tone in his voice, still answering in all seriousness, "My cultivation art is unique and cannot be replicated by others. Had I not helped you isolate the seal, you would have been suspicious." *Of course I know why you did it; there's no need to be so stiff and literal.* *Besides, only answering when asked—communicating with an iceberg beauty like this is truly a headache. Who knows if she was always like this, or if experiencing so much upheaval and tribulation made her this way.* Qin Sang grumbled inwardly. Thinking of the past, he and Liuli shared a mutual plight. Sighing quietly, he gathered his thoughts and said solemnly, "Does Fairy wish to convince me to return this item?" Seeing Liuli nod, Qin Sang asked with some curiosity, "How do you plan to persuade me? What would I gain from it?" "I can help you obtain a fair trade." Liuli's gaze fell upon the ice chest. *A fair trade.* Qin Sang believed she surely understood that fairness was relative. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Do you mean you will tell me its origins and value, as well as the baseline Xuantian Palace can accept?" Liuli dipped her head slightly. Without waiting for Qin Sang to press further, she took the initiative to explain, "This is a sacred relic of Xuantian Palace." *A sacred relic!* Qin Sang turned solemn. No wonder Xuantian Palace had mobilized on such a grand scale. As the founding patriarch of a sect, Qin Sang knew very well that an item revered as a sacred relic by a sect was not necessarily a peerless treasure unique in the world, but it was certainly of vital importance to the sect—at worst, tied to its very rise and fall. Once a sacred relic slipped away, the sect would spare no cost to reclaim it. Were it not for the difficulty in unraveling the seal, which left some room for maneuvering, Xuantian Palace would likely have been driven mad and stirred up a massive storm. "What is sealed inside? What does it do?" Qin Sang pressed. He had expected Liuli to hold something back. To his surprise, she showed neither hesitation nor reluctance. "The sacred relic is the key to opening the Sacred Ground." *As expected,* Qin Sang thought. "Is this Sacred Ground some sort of secret realm, or what kind of place is it?" Liuli shook her head. To make things clear, she spoke a few more words: "The internal environment of the Sacred Ground is unique, offering special benefits to certain cultivation arts, but I have never entered it. The Sacred Ground was supposed to open recently, but an unforeseen accident led to the sacred relic being stolen." She seemed unaccustomed to speaking so many words at once in a long time, her enunciation slightly slow. Listening closely, Qin Sang sank into thought. The accident Liuli mentioned likely referred to the Ghost Mother infiltrating Xuantian Palace. Could the Ghost Mother's objective be connected to the Sacred Ground? The more Qin Sang considered it, the more plausible it seemed. If she only wanted sea charts, she could have simply paid a direct visit; there was no need to go through the trouble of infiltrating and wreaking havoc in Xuantian Palace. Thinking this far, he refrained from asking directly, deciding to probe indirectly instead. "Do most people in Xuantian Palace cultivate the ice-cold path?" Qin Sang asked. If it only benefited cultivators of such arts, Xuantian Palace's Sacred Ground would be of little use to him. "Yes." Liuli reverted to her taciturn state, confirming the matter. "If it is a key, why did that person not hesitate to betray Xuantian Palace just to steal the sacred relic? Did he want to monopolize the Sacred Ground for himself?" Qin Sang sensed something odd. The sacred relic definitely had more than just this one function. "The entrance to the Sacred Ground is a forbidden area; an outsider cannot enter." Liuli first dispelled any thought Qin Sang might have had of infiltrating the Sacred Ground himself, then added, "It is an ice demon crystal." "An ice demon crystal?" Qin Sang frowned and pondered. None of the various ancient records and tomes he had read in the past contained any mention of such a treasure. "A crystal core left behind after an ice demon perishes." Pausing briefly, Liuli perceived Qin Sang's confusion and explained, "Ice demons are peculiar demonic spirits bred by heaven and earth. If a cultivator transitions into an Ice Demon Body and refines an ice demon crystal, they stand a chance of bringing the Ice Demon Body to great completion and advancing to the late Nascent Soul stage." Hearing the words "Ice Demon Body," Qin Sang immediately recalled the strange spirit body of the man in white. No wonder that man had not hesitated to betray his sect to steal the sacred relic. In the current cultivation world, late Nascent Soul was the pinnacle of existence. Such a temptation was more than great enough. Deliberating for a moment, Qin Sang asked, "Is the Ice Demon Body a secret technique focused purely on cultivating the essence soul?" Liuli was not surprised that Qin Sang knew about this, as the traitor had in all likelihood died at his hands. She corrected him, "It is not a secret technique, but a spirit cultivation art. The essence soul transforms into an ice demon, existing in the world as a spirit body." *Such a cultivation art truly exists!* Qin Sang was stirred, hastily asking for details. Liuli spoke a bit more fluidly than before. "Upon completing the Ice Demon Body, the essence soul absorbs the fleshly body's vital essence and transforms into an ice demon spirit body. The physical body becomes merely a vessel, which can be refined into something akin to a natal magic treasure or a puppet. This method is flawed—only a cultivator whose Nascent Soul is partially preserved and who walks the ice-cold path can forcefully switch to it. Moreover, the danger is immense; it easily spirals out of control, offering nine deaths to one life. Unless driven into a corner with no way out, one must never rashly practice it." She seemed to be explaining, yet also warning. Qin Sang was not worried about losing control. However, abandoning his physical body to exist as a spirit body was difficult for him to accept. The accumulation of so many years—his entire cultivation, his physical body painstakingly tempered with astral essence—would all have to be discarded. According to his experience, cultivating three paths simultaneously was the proper way. The Ice Demon Body was pure spirit cultivation, even more extreme than modern spell cultivators. Furthermore, having only a possibility of advancing to late Nascent Soul upon refining the ice demon crystal held virtually no appeal for him. He had ample time to prepare for breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage. If it were a chance at Deity Transformation, he might have hesitated. With that thought flashing through his mind, Qin Sang continued to press, "Does the ice demon crystal only have this single use?" Speaking with greater ease, Liuli said frankly, "The ice demon crystal is connected to the Sacred Ground; few in Xuantian Palace know of it. I once heard Master mention that it was kept in the forbidden Unfrozen Spring, absorbing the power of the cold spring. Its spirituality has been worn away, rendering it akin to a dead object. It has three uses: first, to cultivate the Ice Demon Body; second, it allows a ghost king to fuse with it, who, if able to withstand the impact, can directly transform into an ice demon; and third, to be refined by demon cultivators of the same path to strengthen their bloodline." At the end, she added another line: "These are merely conjectures, never verified." Hearing this, Qin Sang came to a sudden realization. The ghost spirit controlled by Old Man Hunmo was undoubtedly of the ghost king caliber; the ice demon crystal would hold immense appeal for him. That was why Xuantian Palace guarded against Old Man Hunmo. At the very least, he did not have to worry for now about Xuantian Palace and Old Man Hunmo joining forces to reclaim the sacred relic. Mulling this over, Qin Sang glanced down at the ice chest in his hand and said thoughtfully, "So unless I wish to switch to the Ice Demon Body or possess a ghost king servant, this sacred relic is of virtually no use to me." He did not completely trust Liuli's words, but reviewing their conversation just now, he found no flaws. Qin Sang did not dig to the bottom of the matter, because he believed that Liuli had her own intentions in doing this; if she concealed or lied about anything, she would eventually reveal a flaw. "Yes!" Liuli emphasized her tone. "You are in grave danger!" *Does she mean keeping the ice demon crystal is dangerous?* Qin Sang raised his head to look into Liuli's eyes. They were as clear and calm as ever, making it impossible to read her thoughts or what she was truly thinking. Pondering for a moment, Qin Sang chuckled and said placidly, "I have heard that the Palace Master of Xuantian Palace is in poor condition and cannot easily take action. Aside from him, how many people can truly threaten me?" A slight ripple appeared in Liuli's eyes, surprised that Qin Sang knew so much about the Palace Master of Xuantian Palace. "It isn't hard to guess. Xuantian Palace lost its sacred relic, yet the Palace Master has not shown himself. Either he cannot easily act, or there is something more important. What matter could be more important than the Sacred Ground? Or could it be that you plan to join hands with Old Man Hunmo?" Qin Sang did not mention that he knew about the Ghost Mother causing havoc in Xuantian Palace. He still did not know what the Ghost Mother had done there. If the Palace Master had been injured by her, or if she had stolen some grand treasure, and Xuantian Palace could not find the culprit and took their anger out on him instead, that would be a terrible injustice. Liuli gave an imperceptible nod, conceding Qin Sang's reasoning. After a moment of silence, she said, "Not for now." Qin Sang nodded inwardly. As he had anticipated, Xuantian Palace would initially want to seek a transaction with him; unless driven to an impasse, they would not risk cooperating with Old Man Hunmo. "If not the Palace Master or Old Man Hunmo, then who?" Qin Sang asked curiously. "The Grand Elder." Liuli added an explanation: "Before the Myriad Demons Assembly, the Grand Elder received word that the traitor had fought fiercely with demon kings and that the sacred relic might have fallen into demon hands, so she went to the Demon Realm alone." Hearing this, Qin Sang was stunned, immediately guessing the source of the news and finding it both laughable and exasperating. It had to be Master Feng. Unwilling to accept that his efforts had been in vain and believing the supreme treasure had fallen into demon king hands, he had intentionally spread this rumor to draw Xuantian Palace into causing trouble for Bi Fang. Qin Sang had overheard Master Feng and the others discussing borrowing a knife to kill, while wanting to avoid drawing fire upon themselves or plunging the area around Mount Fengyang into chaos. Thus they hadn't publicized it brazenly, which was why it had only recently reached Xuantian Palace's ears. Had the Grand Elder found Bi Fang yet? If Bi Fang learned the truth, he would surely fume with rage. Thinking of Bi Fang hiding in his cave dwelling only for disaster to strike from the blue, Qin Sang felt a burst of schadenfreude and chuckled inwardly. "Is the Grand Elder a great cultivator as well?" Once again, he marveled at the profound depth of Xuantian Palace's foundation. On the surface, they had the Palace Master whose might awed the world, and in secret, a Grand Elder holding down the fort. If not for the Ghost Mother disrupting things, even with the traitor's premeditated plotting, he would never have had a chance to steal the sacred relic. A thought struck him: *Could the Grand Elder be her master?* Absorbed by the topic of the sacred relic, Qin Sang had forgotten to ask how she had ultimately resolved her grudge with Lord Dongyang, and whether she had rescued her master. "No." Liuli's answer was somewhat unexpected. Before Qin Sang could ask, she continued, "The Grand Elder reached the peak of the middle Nascent Soul stage long ago. Her divine sense has taken form and is no weaker than yours. She once suffered from qi deviation, leaving behind hidden damage that caused her attempt at late Nascent Soul to fail. Only because of that has she been trapped by the bottleneck." Half a foot into the late Nascent Soul stage. Divine sense taking form. A figure surfaced in Qin Sang's mind—Old Demon Mu of the Canglang Ocean! Not counting Old Demon Ye, who could have advanced but used an avatar to suppress his cultivation, and his unfathomable Senior Sister, Old Demon Mu was the foremost person below great cultivators whom Qin Sang had ever seen. Backed by Xuantian Palace, the Grand Elder's prowess might be even greater than Old Demon Mu's. At this point. Liuli paused briefly, her voice grave. "The Grand Elder wields a spirit treasure!"