Xuantian Palace actually possessed a spirit treasure!
Qin Sang was reminded of the Xuling Sect's sword embryo, as well as his own Wandering Sword.
The difference in heritage between the Xuling Sect and Xuantian Palace was immeasurable. Starting with their founding master, generation after generation had plotted and schemed, and only in Bing Han's era was there finally an opportunity to refine the fire jade nurtured within the mountain within a mountain into a sword embryo.
Whether it could ultimately birth spirituality and advance to a spirit treasure, and how long that entire process would take, remained entirely unknown.
As for the Wandering Sword, it had successively fused with the Boundless Blood Mulberry, Soul-Nurturing Wood, and the true spirit of the Pure Blessing True Bamboo. As Qin Sang's lifebound spirit sword, it had been nourished in his primordial spirit for decades, yet it still showed no signs of undergoing a transformation.
Completion was nowhere in sight.
Taking a more pessimistic view, Qin Sang did not even know whether he would reach the Deity Transformation bottleneck first or if the Wandering Sword would advance to a spirit treasure first.
From this, one could see just how difficult it was for a Nascent Soul cultivator to forge a spirit treasure.
That Grand Elder was only at the middle Nascent Soul stage, so it was virtually certain that the spirit treasure had not been forged by her own hands, but was Xuantian Palace's ancestral heritage.
Qin Sang was unfamiliar with Xuantian Palace's sect rules and did not know why an ancestral spirit treasure was placed in the hands of the Grand Elder rather than the Palace Master.
"What divine abilities does that spirit treasure possess?" Qin Sang asked thoughtfully.
He was taking stock of the treasures he possessed.
For the time being, he could not rely on the Wandering Sword.
The changes in the Solar Divine Tree were encouraging. Especially after his divine sense materialized, Qin Sang had discovered that he could exert some influence on it. The rate at which the bud gathered flame power seemed to have accelerated, and its color was growing deeper, which was promising.
The might and rank of the Nanming Primordial Fire were beyond question.
However, much like the demonic fire sealed within his demonic banners, Qin Sang could only command the Solar Divine Bird, which contained merely a fraction of the Nanming Primordial Fire's power.
Once the Solar Divine Bird took form, how strong would it be? Could it truly reach the level of a spirit treasure? That remained a big question mark.
The only things he could roughly evaluate were the demonic banners and the Nine Nether Demonic Fire.
The Eighteen Demonic Banners surpassed top-grade magic treasures, which was why Qin Sang had not fallen at a disadvantage when fighting Old Man Hunmo.
However, the source body of the Nine Nether Demonic Fire was sealed within the banners; this was not yet its true might. Once he refined all the demonic fire using the Golden Lotus Seeded with Fire, even with the losses incurred during purification, it ought to become a divine ability no weaker than a spirit treasure.
Yet this would take time and could not be accomplished overnight.
Thinking carefully, before condensing the Solar Divine Bird, he truly lacked an effective means to counter a spirit treasure.
Qin Sang quickly ran through his options, only to find Liuli looking at him without saying a word.
Seeing this, realization dawned on him.
Liuli was, after all, from Xuantian Palace. She could not possibly lay bare all her sect's secrets. Her warning had already been enough; he would simply have to exercise greater caution if he crossed paths with Xuantian Palace's Grand Elder in the future.
After a moment's thought, Qin Sang smiled and said, "Thank you, Fairy, for taking the pains to lay out the stakes. I understand now that clinging to the sacred relic brings more harm than good. I wonder what price Xuantian Palace is willing to pay to trade for it?"
"What do you want?" Liuli asked in return.
She was not surprised by Qin Sang's question. She understood full well that on the surface, any past grievances between her and Qin Sang had already been settled. She could not expect Qin Sang to return the sacred relic for nothing.
Even now, Liuli's heart remained tangled with complex emotions, though none of it showed on her face. Ever since her master went missing and she had taken shelter alone in Shaohua Mountain, she had grown accustomed to suppressing her feelings.
On one hand, the lingering repercussions of the evil art had still not been resolved.
Shixue's words held a kernel of truth.
Back then, Liuli had left the Beichen Realm and returned to Xuantian Palace to cultivate the Ice Soul Divine Light precisely to seal her emotions with ice soul and rid herself of the evil art's influence.
Silver needles to lock emotions, ice soul to seal emotions.
From beginning to end, she had relied on her own strength, striving to find a solution.
She believed this was an inevitable price to pay for choosing that evil art. It had nothing to do with Qin Sang, and she did not wish to drag anyone else down. Thus, she had never been swayed by Dongyang Bo to cultivate the so-called Stone Bridge Zen.
Yet when Qin Sang truly appeared before her eyes, she was startled to realize how deeply rooted the evil art's influence truly was!
On the other hand, seeing Qin Sang inevitably reminded her of her days in Shaohua Mountain.
Back then, he had been like an insignificant ant; she could have crushed him with a single finger. Today, his cultivation had surpassed hers, and he had grown into a top-tier powerhouse that even Xuantian Palace feared, forcing her to suppress all other thoughts and seek a transaction.
Five-element spiritual roots.
Selling himself into servitude just to establish his foundation.
Cultivating a method that nourished a sword with the primordial spirit by slicing away pieces of the soul.
Consuming the Kan-Li Golden Pill, Snow Spirit Lotus, and Iris Flower, failing his Core Formation twice until even Dongyang Bo was at his wit's end, going to great lengths just to invent a plausible pretext to bring Qin Sang into the Bronze Hall...
After leaving the Ziwei Palace, she had searched everywhere for Qin Sang, wanting to tell him that he did not need to worry about his feud with Dongyang Bo, that he could cultivate in peace, and that she would bear the burden alone.
In that process, she had learned of some of Qin Sang's deeds, shocked by the sheer effort he had put into pursuing the Great Dao and the countless tribulations he had endured.
She believed that this was not even the full extent of it.
It was unimaginable: after being plotted against by his ancestral master and betrayed by his sect, what else had this man gone through?
How had he formed his core? How had he gathered his nascent soul? How had he walked step by step to where he stood today?
Compared to Qin Sang, she was undoubtedly a favored child of heaven. The efforts she had made to save her master and the hardships she had experienced were hardly worth mentioning.
At the very least, she had possessed the ability to seek out and try various solutions to her problems, whereas back then, Qin Sang could only clutch at every single straw, climbing forward with unyielding grit and indomitable perseverance.
Qin Sang could not guess the whirlwind of thoughts racing through the icy fairy's mind.
He pondered in silence. Originally, his primary goal had been the sea chart to Zhongzhou, leaving other conditions open for negotiation. But hearing that the sacred relic was the key to opening their Sacred Ground gave him a new idea.
His original purpose in leaving the Beichen Realm and traveling abroad had been to search for the other Killing Sword fragments.
Yet after arriving in the North Sea, he had heard nothing of any ancient secret realms or ruins here; the Jinghai Sect was merely a powerful Buddhist sect from modern times.
By the sound of it, Xuantian Palace's Sacred Ground was quite mysterious. Perhaps he might discover something inside.
Qin Sang proposed to enter the Sacred Ground as an observer, asking, "Can Xuantian Palace agree to this condition?"
He knew how important a Sacred Ground was to a sect. Normally, outsiders were never permitted entry. But now, the key was in his hands. If they refused, at worst, none of them would enter.
Liuli froze for a moment, clearly not expecting him to make such a request. After a long silence, she said, "There is no precedent for this."
Pausing, she added, "I will ask the Grand Elder."
Qin Sang nodded slightly. After weighing his words, he said deliberately, "My Dao is completely different from that of your Xuantian Palace. The secrets within your Sacred Ground hold little attraction for me, and I will not do anything that harms others without benefiting myself. I mainly wish to broaden my horizons. It will suffice if I am merely granted an opportunity to observe from the periphery of the Sacred Ground. If you are uneasy, I can swear an oath upon my inner demons beforehand."
As long as he could enter the Sacred Ground, he would be able to sense any Killing Sword fragments through the sword spirit.
If there truly were a Killing Sword fragment inside, Xuantian Palace would have no say in the matter; he would find a way to obtain it no matter what. Naturally, an amicable resolution would be best.
Liuli nodded noncommittally.
She continued to look at Qin Sang, knowing that this could not possibly be his only condition.
Qin Sang had already prepared his next request. "I also want the sea chart leading to Zhongzhou."
"Zhongzhou?"
A look of bewilderment appeared in Liuli's eyes.
Seeing this, Qin Sang was taken aback. He quickly asked, "You've never heard of Zhongzhou?"
Liuli nodded, answering frankly, "I don't know of it."
"This..."
Qin Sang frowned.
Given Liuli's identity and strength, her standing in Xuantian Palace was surely not low, and she should have had access to most secrets. Yet she did not know about Zhongzhou!
Even if she were not yet qualified to view the sea chart, she had a mysterious master and could not possibly have never heard of it.
Qin Sang suddenly realized a problem.
Upon hearing that the Ghost Mother had infiltrated Xuantian Palace, he had taken it for granted that Xuantian Palace must possess a sea chart to Zhongzhou.
Could it be that back then, the Ghost Mother had merely been guessing? Had she only ventured into the Jinghai Sect after discovering that Xuantian Palace truly had no such chart?
This was something Qin Sang had not anticipated.
If even Xuantian Palace, the number-one sect in the North Sea, lacked the sea chart, where else could he look? The Jinghai Sect's chart had already been taken by the Ghost Mother. Unless he went to visit forces even more ancient than Xuantian Palace, his search might hit a dead end.
Qin Sang offered no explanation. "Relay my words to the Grand Elder verbatim. She should know what I am talking about."
Liuli asked no further questions and committed it to memory in silence.
Next, Qin Sang fell into deep thought. The spiritual materials for the Jinchen Sword were basically assembled, and while he was still missing two spirit items for the Spirit Ascending Sacrifice, they could be gathered through Hundred Flowers Valley.
It seemed he truly had no pressing needs.
If possible, Qin Sang would have preferred to enter Xuantian Palace's treasury and select what he wanted personally.
Liuli remained quiet, not showing the slightest hint of impatience.
At that moment, Qin Sang suddenly recalled something. "Does Xuantian Palace possess any secret arts handed down through the orthodox Daoist sects for cultivating an external incarnation?"
Almost every Nascent Soul cultivator had entertained the thought of cultivating an external incarnation or a second nascent soul, but such secret arts were exceedingly rare.
Furthermore, the vast majority originated from demonic paths, violating the heavenly harmony and carrying endless hidden perils. While orthodox Daoist arts carried fewer hazards, their requirements were invariably harsh in the extreme, and those who truly managed to cultivate them were few and far between.
Liuli was not surprised by this request.
Her gaze lowered slightly as though she were recalling something.
Moments later, she truly thought of a secret art that met Qin Sang's criteria. Under Qin Sang's pleasantly surprised gaze, she nodded and said, "There is one! The Jade Chapter of Nine Nether Returning to Yin!"
"Nine Nether Returning to Yin..."
Qin Sang turned the name over in his mind, unable to glean much from the title alone.
After recalling the details carefully, Liuli said, "The Jade Chapter of Nine Nether Returning to Yin is exceptionally difficult to cultivate, with three main requirements. First, the host body's divine sense must be formidable; otherwise, the subsequent two steps can hardly succeed."
She paused and glanced at Qin Sang. Clearly, he had no need to worry about this part.
"Second, one must refine a unique spiritual body through a special method and temper it in an underground yin vein for nine times nine, eighty-one days. One can take a shortcut by using a demon beast carcass, but to my knowledge, only a few rare humanoid demon beasts can meet the criteria, and they are virtually impossible to find in this age. Third, one must use rare treasures of the cold path to lay the foundation for the spiritual body before it can be refined into an external incarnation."
Harsh indeed!
Qin Sang sighed inwardly after hearing Liuli list all the requirements.
The present-day cultivation world was impoverished, making it nearly impossible to refine a spiritual body from scratch. As for the few types of demon beasts that could serve as substitutes, they had long gone extinct in the North Sea. Perhaps there was a chance of encountering them in the Demon Sea, but there was no way to return there now.
'Bai once said that the Dao Manifestation Tree is a natural embryo of heaven and earth, incomparably superior to any man-made spiritual body. However, the Dao Manifestation Tree is an untainted body, yet it has already been contaminated. Can it still be used to cultivate the Nine Nether Returning to Yin Dharma Body? This secret art clearly belongs to the extreme path of ice and cold...'
Qin Sang was somewhat uncertain.
Even if he read the secret art, he likely would not be able to confirm whether it was viable; he would only know once he tried it.
The Nascent Soul talisman puppet had practically exhausted its potential as a puppet.
With strength bordering on the middle Nascent Soul stage, it was gradually falling behind his pace. It was time to put an external incarnation on the agenda. It was just a question of whether the Dao Manifestation Tree could endure further tampering.
As for the rare treasures of the cold path, Qin Sang was not worried; Xuantian Palace was certain to have them.
"What divine abilities does this external incarnation possess, and what are its hidden hazards?" Qin Sang inquired in detail out of caution.
Liuli had evidently entertained the idea of refining an external incarnation herself, for she was exceedingly familiar with this secret art. "Once the external incarnation is formed, it can execute several divine abilities of the cold path and wield magic treasures with considerable combat power. However, it will not condense a true second nascent soul on its own, but rather an illusory nascent soul. Compared to demonic arts like the blood infant or demonic infant, the chance of it revolting against the host body is minuscule."
Qin Sang did not interrupt, listening attentively to understand what this "illusory" state entailed.
"If the host body perishes, so long as the distance to the external incarnation is not too great, one can be resurrected through the external incarnation. The illusory nascent soul will solidify and transform into the main body."
As she spoke of this, a flicker of anticipation crossed the depths of Liuli's eyes as well.
This was equivalent to a second life; who would not be tempted?
'Truly worthy of an orthodox Daoist secret art!'
Qin Sang's heart jolted. Even now, he could not guarantee smooth sailing forever; the chance at a second life was immensely appealing to him.
Yet he did not lose his head. "Surely there are drawbacks?"
"Naturally!" Liuli nodded. "A spiritual body is not one's true body, after all; a sense of alienation is inevitable, along with various disharmonies. Furthermore, once resurrected, one can only cultivate techniques of the cold path."
Qin Sang nodded as he listened.
These drawbacks were far smaller than he had anticipated. Compared to the heaven-defying ability to resurrect, they were hardly worth mentioning.
Seeing Qin Sang remain silent for a long time, looking quite tempted, Liuli hesitated for a moment before saying, "I am bound by sect rules and cannot pass the technique to you myself. However, if you manage to refine a spiritual body, I can give you the most suitable rare treasure for it. Whether the foundation is solid directly affects the future potential of the external incarnation."
Qin Sang was startled to hear that she would take the initiative to offer him a rare treasure. It seemed she had no small ambitions of her own.
Staring at Liuli for a moment, Qin Sang asked, "What kind of rare treasure is the best?"
"Xuantian Palace has a store of Kan Mirage Pearls suited for cultivating the Jade Chapter of Nine Nether Returning to Yin. Because they are so precious and can assist in the cultivation of another technique, one must render great service to exchange for one. However, the effect of a Kan Mirage Pearl falls short of another treasure."
Liuli slowly uttered four words: "Ice Soul Divine Astral Qi!"
Following the Qingyang Demon Sect's Qingyang Divine Astral Qi and the Chunyang Sect's Chunyang Divine Astral Qi, this was the third type of Qiantian Divine Astral Qi Qin Sang had heard of.
He naturally knew just how rare Qiantian Divine Astral Qi was. First, the astral qi had to descend into the mortal realm, and only through a confluence of fortuitous circumstances could it condense into an astral essence resembling astral jade to endure in the world.
To think Liuli had Ice Soul Divine Astral Qi in her hands!
"Ice Soul Divine Astral Qi is an object of extreme cold in this world, but its power is too violent and lacks gentleness, making it exceedingly difficult to control. However, with how powerful your divine sense is, you should be able to manage it with some effort."
Pausing, Liuli added, "This will not affect your ability to demand a Kan Mirage Pearl from Xuantian Palace. Precious though it is, the Grand Elder will not be stingy with it. Having the external incarnation refine it will further bolster its strength."
"I did not expect Fairy to possess such a treasure!" Qin Sang marveled before getting straight to the point. "One does not accept rewards without merit. What can I do for you, Fairy?"
Chapter 1458