Liuli's eyes shifted toward the ice chest in Qin Sang's hand. She said frankly, "First, before you return the sacred relic, I want to borrow it for one day to extract the power of the ice demon crystal."
So there was a second condition.
Qin Sang had anticipated Liuli's first request. Not asking what she intended to extract the ice demon crystal's power for, he asked with some surprise, "Won't doing that affect the seal or damage the ice demon crystal?"
"It won't," Liuli replied without the slightest ripple in her tone. "Master once taught me this type of seal. The Ice Soul Divine Light can seep through it to extract the power of the ice demon crystal. It won't cause any damage, but it will diminish the ice demon crystal's potency, requiring it to be placed back in the Unfrozen Spring to be nourished for more than ten years. That will delay the opening of the Sacred Ground."
The environment within the Sacred Ground aided the cultivation of Xuantian Palace's disciples.
Within Xuantian Palace, many were trapped at bottlenecks, eagerly anticipating the opening of the Sacred Ground; even waiting an extra year would be agonizing and unbearable.
Shixue was the lineage master of the Snow Listening Tower.
As the lineage master's Junior Sister, Liuli's status was not low.
However, factions within Xuantian Palace were intricate. The Snow Listening Tower was merely one of the four main lineages, and currently the weakest among them. Beyond the four lineages lay prominent clans and various functional halls, overseen by elders and the Palace Master.
With so many eyes watching, under normal circumstances, Liuli—who was thought to have faded into mediocrity—could never have been permitted to use the sacred relic. This was her only chance.
Qin Sang said, "When you extract the ice demon crystal's power, Fairy, it must be done before my eyes."
First, it was to prevent her from absconding with the sacred relic alone; second, he also wanted to take the opportunity to inspect the ice demon crystal.
As for Liuli's actions causing the ice demon crystal's potency to diminish, that was hardly a major issue—it could easily be pinned on the traitor.
A ten-year delay to the opening of the Sacred Ground was something Qin Sang would welcome with open arms.
Once matters here concluded, he planned to make a trip to Hundred Flowers Valley.
Barring any mishaps, in ten years, he would most likely be able to complete the spirit ascension ritual for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. If the ascension succeeded, the butterfly could advance to the mid-Fourth Metamorphosis stage, greatly boosting its divine abilities.
Moreover, by then, the Sun God Bird might have fully coalesced, giving him another formidable magic treasure.
Before entering the Sacred Ground, he needed to make thorough preparations to handle any potential variables.
Liuli hesitated briefly. "Very well."
Qin Sang gave a slight nod, agreeing to the request. "And what is the second condition?"
In an instant, Qin Sang felt Liuli's gaze suddenly shift, gaining a touch of gravity and solemnity.
Looking straight at Qin Sang, she said in a grave tone, "When you break through to the late Nascent Soul stage, I want you to accompany me on a trip to Ziwei Palace to help rescue my master. When that time comes, I will provide commensurate compensation."
For a moment, Qin Sang was stunned.
Mainly because there were so many problems packed into that statement that he hardly knew where to begin.
Having spoken, a glimmer of anticipation flashed deep within Liuli's eyes. To her, rescuing her master was far more important than siphoning power from the ice demon crystal.
With his five-element spiritual roots, Qin Sang had achieved such heights at less than four hundred years old, which could only be described as shocking. Even the arrogant prodigies of Xuantian Palace were outshone by him.
In Liuli's eyes, Qin Sang was the cultivator of this era with the greatest hope of breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage—perhaps with no equal.
After being dazed for a while, Qin Sang looked at Liuli with a peculiar expression. "Back then in Ziwei Palace, after I escaped, were you still threatened by Dongyang Bo and unable to rescue your master?"
Liuli shook her head, then nodded.
"After you escaped, he lost his leverage and could no longer coerce me. I agreed to take part in the Three Realms War to fight for Shaohua Mountain, and promised to ask Master to impart a tribulation-crossing secret art to him. We then joined forces to enter the Demon Cave and sensed Master's aura, but our strength was insufficient, and we could not free her."
Recalling the scene back then, Liuli's expression dimmed slightly.
Her master had clearly been right before her eyes, yet she had been powerless, only able to curse her own low cultivation.
Qin Sang sensed Liuli's emotions. Thinking back to the past, someone as proud as Liuli had willingly cultivated an evil dual-cultivation plundering art just to save her master, making countless grueling efforts, only to fail in the end.
And now...
Thinking of Ziwei Palace, which had already ascended, and meeting Liuli's resolute gaze, Qin Sang fell silent, able only to sigh at the cruelty of fate.
Reining in her downcast emotions, Liuli revealed a look of hope. "Fortunately, Master's condition was still fine. She transmitted a message bidding me return to Xuantian Palace to cultivate the Ice Soul Divine Light. Only when the Ice Soul Divine Light reached great mastery and I enlisted the aid of a Great Cultivator to enter the Demon Cave together would there be a chance of breaking the Demon Cave's ancient restriction."
Hearing of the Ice Soul Divine Light, Qin Sang recalled that it was likely the strange divine ability she had used against him earlier; it truly was a peerless divine ability.
Thinking for a moment, he asked, "Why didn't you ask Xuantian Palace's Palace Master to help? And the Grand Elder—she certainly has more hope of breaking through to late Nascent Soul than I do."
Liuli's eyes flickered, and she said, "The Palace Master... it is inconvenient for him to act. As for the Grand Elder, she was injured during the recent chaos, damaging her foundation. It nearly triggered a lurking threat of cultivation deviation, making matters worse. Before that hidden danger is resolved, I am afraid..."
The Palace Master's condition was even worse than imagined!
No wonder Liuli hadn't asked him to rescue her master, and had stayed away from the Beichen Realm for so long.
The Grand Elder had likely been wounded by Ghost Mother. For Ghost Mother to be so formidable after recovering her strength that even the Grand Elder wielding a spirit treasure was no match for her...
Just how strong had Venerable Tianyue been back then, to force Ghost Mother at her peak into a corner and seal her away until now?
Thoughts flashed rapidly through Qin Sang's mind, and he asked, "I remember Dongyang Bo mentioning in the Bronze Hall that he wanted to retrieve some treasure?"
Liuli held nothing back: "Perhaps because Master broke into the Demon Cave, causing changes in the Bronze Hall's restrictions, we never found it in the end."
A sharp glint flashed in Qin Sang's eyes.
He had long suspected that the Killing Sword's spirit had possessed him in the Bronze Hall, and hearing Liuli's words made him even more certain.
Perhaps Liuli's master breaking into the Demon Cave had caused the sword spirit to accidentally escape its seal. Wandering the Bronze Hall, upon encountering him—someone cultivating the Primordial Spirit Sword Nurturing Chapter—it had attached itself to him.
Of course, these were all conjectures.
Where the sword spirit truly came from and why it had been sealed remained a mystery.
"Dongyang Bo..."
Qin Sang paused slightly. "His breakthrough to the mid-Nascent Soul stage and surviving the last heavenly tribulation—was that thanks to your master? Did he never visit you at Xuantian Palace afterward?"
He didn't know where Dongyang Bo was now.
If Dongyang Bo had visited her, even if bound by a heart demon oath not to reveal the Ascension Platform, he could still have disclosed the disappearance of Ziwei Palace, extinguishing her hopes.
It seemed that although the two had struck another deal, the rift between them ran too deep, and Dongyang Bo hadn't wanted to invite trouble or embarrassment.
"Master imparted to him a breakthrough secret art that came at an immense cost. Happening to coincide with the Three Realms War, Dongyang Bo went to great lengths to gather all the required conditions. After forcibly breaking through, the vitality within his body would wither at an accelerated pace. Even if he possessed methods to solidify his foundation and nurture his origin, forcing his way until the next heavenly tribulation descends, he would surely perish. Counting the time, he has only several decades left."
As she spoke, Liuli couldn't help glancing at Qin Sang.
She suspected Dongyang Bo might already have died at Qin Sang's hands.
Dongyang Bo was no match for Qin Sang now, and the grudge between them was virtually irreconcilable—after all, Qin Sang had been plotted against so deeply, nearly falling into damnation.
Upon hearing this, Qin Sang recalled his senior sister's earlier assessment of Dongyang Bo and suddenly understood.
No wonder Dongyang Bo had consistently chosen to yield; it turned out he had few years left to live.
His departure from the Beichen Realm was evidently driven by clinging to a sliver of hope for recovery, roaming far and wide, or perhaps helping Qiu Mubai seek an opportunity to form a Nascent Soul.
"Dongyang Bo should be in the North Sea right now. I don't know why he never visited you. When we clashed earlier, how did you recognize me?"
Qin Sang asked curiously. He had worn a mask and disguised himself thoroughly, so he had thought Dongyang Bo might have told Liuli about his exploits and that she already knew he possessed a pair of phoenix wings and excelled in thunder escape.
Liuli remained silent for a moment before parting her lips slightly. "Sword intent."
Qin Sang understood.
The sword intent of the Primordial Spirit Sword Nurturing Chapter was unique, one of a kind in the world.
Since Liuli had sought him out later, she undoubtedly knew he cultivated this art. He hadn't expected her to recognize the sword intent so quickly and connect it to him.
Qin Sang nodded, glanced at Liuli with some hesitation, and mumbled softly, "There is something you might not know. In a brief span of two hundred years, Ziwei Palace opened two more times, with the intervals growing shorter each time."
He paused slightly.
As if sensing something, Liuli pursed her lips tightly, staring unblinkingly straight at Qin Sang.
Being stared at like this by Liuli, Qin Sang felt immense pressure and sighed inwardly. "The last time, Ziwei Palace... for some unknown reason, the Inner Hall reverted to its true immortal palace form and ascended entirely. It has already left this world—including Tianshan, including the Bronze Hall, everything... Even if your master survived that upheaval, she is no longer in this realm."
Having said that, he gave a wry smile. "You must swear an oath not to let word of this leak out, or the Beichen Realm will know no peace."
He himself had no fear of heart demon backlash.
After Qin Sang spoke, there was no reply.
Dead silence.
Liuli's lips lost all color, her face turning deathly pale.
At this moment, her eyes seemed to lose all light as she stared vacantly toward the north.
There were no tears, yet Qin Sang felt a thick, palpable sorrow.
He did not know Liuli well, but he could deeply sense the profound bond between master and disciple—as if rescuing her master was the sole obsession of her life.
Alas...
The Heavenly Dao was ruthless; it had always been so.
Liuli remained motionless for a long time, looking almost like an ice sculpture.
Worried that his words might drive her to cultivation deviation, Qin Sang gave a light cough and said, "Your master's cultivation was profound and mystical. Trapped in the Demon Cave, she had the ancient restrictions of the Demon Cave, the Bronze Hall, and the Black Pagoda outside, as well as the layers of immortal restrictions on Tianshan. While those were originally restrictions, at that moment they served as four layers of protection. Your master might not only be completely unharmed, but she might have even turned misfortune into a blessing, seizing the chance to break free and behold more magnificent scenery and a broader Grand Dao in the upper realm! That is a heaven-defying fortune. Compared to her, we are the ones trapped in a cage, our Grand Dao severed, our futures uncertain, not knowing when the day will come that we can break free of these fetters..."
Though offered as comfort, these words reflected Qin Sang's genuine thoughts.
After all, Ziwei Palace had not shattered on the spot; during its ascension, most of the immortal palace had remained intact. There might well have been special places where hiding inside allowed one to escape the shockwaves and smuggle oneself through.
Unfortunately, the immortal palace's ascension had occurred too abruptly, and everyone's attention had been consumed by the Jade Bone devil and the Ascension Platform, leaving no opportunity to investigate.
Liuli's rigid eyes finally stirred, suddenly regaining a touch of vitality.
"Thank you!"
Her voice was somewhat strained, yet it carried hope.
Qin Sang smiled. "You can change to another condition."
Liuli looked up toward the sky, seeming to talk to herself or perhaps confiding, her voice somewhat ethereal. "I was once helpless and alone. Master took me in, serving as both master and mother to me. I remember clearly that night: a crescent hook of moon, myriad twinkling stars..."
Qin Sang listened quietly without uttering a word.
He looked up toward the horizon.
Shadows swayed as the river of stars drew near; the moon shone bright, untouched by dust.
"Phew!"
Liuli let out a soft breath and rallied her spirits. "Aside from observing the Sacred Ground and the Jade Chapter of Nine Nether Returning to Yin, do you have any other requests?"
"Let me think about it some more... Best if I could enter Xuantian Palace's treasury and take my pick."
Qin Sang gave a slight smile. Seeing that Liuli didn't plan to propose any further conditions, he straightforwardly handed over the ice chest. "Fairy, please begin! This can be considered borrowing another's flowers to offer the Buddha; being able to obtain the Ice Soul Divine Astral Qi this way is already an advantage for me."
"You earned it," Liuli replied.
Without refusing, she accepted the ice chest and glanced around.
"Follow me."
Qin Sang led Liuli into the center of the island and excavated a cave dwelling. After entering, he set up restriction arrays, then sat down opposite Liuli.
Liuli sat cross-legged and placed the ice chest flat before her.
Next, she withdrew an object from her mustard pouch and handed it to Qin Sang.
Taking it, Qin Sang felt a burst of chill pierce through his fingertips straight into his viscera, nearly freezing his meridians. Looking down, he saw a pouch-like white sack woven from transparent strands of ice silk, feeling heavy in his hand.
Liuli explained, "This is an Ice Soul Pouch that Master wove from ice silkworm silk refined with the Ice Soul Divine Light back then. It can store Ice Soul Astral Essence. Not much of the Ice Soul Astral Essence Master left me remains, but this contains half of it, which is enough for you to lay the foundation for an external incarnation."
Qin Sang nodded, stowing it away without hesitation, and then quietly observed Liuli's actions.
The cave dwelling was tranquil.
Liuli closed her eyes, her breathing steadying until only an imperceptible ripple remained. Opening both palms, she held them flat above the ice chest.
Qin Sang waited patiently.
After an unknown period, the sky outside grew bright with daylight. Liuli's expression was weary, having expended no small amount of energy.
Suddenly, Qin Sang felt an inexplicable chill.
He looked down, fixing his gaze on Liuli's fingertips.
The void there was calm as before, but he knew for certain that Liuli had activated the Ice Soul Divine Light ability, sensing subtle fluctuations.
"What a peculiar divine ability! It sounds like she hasn't reached great mastery yet. Once mastered, I might not even be able to detect it before being struck. How fierce! Has she gone so long without breaking through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage because she focused most of her energy on cultivating the Ice Soul Divine Light?"
Qin Sang secretly guessed.
At that moment, he noticed the seal on the surface of the mysterious ice chest loosening. Following Liuli's movements, streams of aura as clear as water began seeping out from the cracks in the seal.
Seeing this, Qin Sang clicked his tongue in wonder.
If that traitor had possessed Liuli's methods, he would have secured the sacred relic long ago and not met such a miserable end.
Ultimately, these wisps coalesced into a water droplet.
Liuli held it in her hand, concentrating as she examined it, then froze in place.
Qin Sang noticed something amiss and asked in a low voice, "Is this... not usable?"
Liuli nodded, her tone flat. "It doesn't align."
Qin Sang scratched his head. Not knowing what Liuli aimed to do, he couldn't offer any good suggestions.
However, he could tell that Liuli was likely searching for some icy Dao treasure, in all probability meant for a cultivation method or secret art.
"Let me take a look."
Qin Sang held out his hand.
Without hesitation, Liuli handed the 'water droplet' to Qin Sang.
Qin Sang analyzed it from every angle but found no clues.
He knew very little about the Dao of ice and cold, but he understood that even spiritual items with similar properties differed fundamentally, and at the Nascent Soul realm, the requirements were even more stringent, brooking no error.
For instance, when refining the Jinchen Sword, if he were like others who demanded extreme affinity with oneself, then among the three spiritual materials on him, perhaps only the Falling Phoenix Jade would barely qualify, while Blue Dot Gold and Heavenly Crown Heavy Liquid would be unusable.
A miss by an inch was as good as a mile.
This was also why supreme-grade magic treasures were so difficult to refine.
Qin Sang returned the 'droplet'. He already believed eighty to ninety percent of what Liuli had said before.
Since Liuli hadn't known about Ziwei Palace's ascension and had wanted to ask him to rescue her master, she could not possibly have lied about such things and made an enemy of him.
After some thought, Qin Sang asked, "Were the rumors about Huang Longshi's temporary palace spread jointly by Xuantian Palace and Old Man Hunmo to divert attention and secretly advance the Myriad Demons Assembly?"
Liuli hadn't known about this beforehand.
Later, Shixue had learned of it from an elder, and only then did they understand. With matters having progressed to this point, whether it was true or false no longer mattered, so Liuli gave a nod, silently acknowledging it.
"As expected!"
Qin Sang felt more confident in his judgment and said with certainty, "They didn't anticipate the sacred relic would be in my hands; their true goal was to lure the traitor into revealing himself."
Liuli nodded again, her eyes flickering as she faintly caught his drift.
Qin Sang said casually, "That fellow isn't an idiot. Knowing Xuantian Palace can sense the sacred relic, how could he openly bring it to the assembly like an oblivious fool like me?
"Xuantian Palace must have had another way to lock onto him!
"You didn't dare make a move on Hunmo Island, which shows your ties with Old Man Hunmo aren't that deep, and the factions behind the Myriad Demons Assembly certainly wouldn't allow you to conduct widespread searches and break the rules.
"Thus, the best approach was to make him expose himself."
Qin Sang had simply pieced together the bits of information he had learned, putting himself in their shoes to make a reasonable deduction.
He raised his eyes. "Your Grand Elder must have prepared an exceedingly rare treasure—the kind the traitor would stop at nothing to obtain, even at the risk of exposure."
Liuli stopped nodding and instead looked at Qin Sang.
Such a treasure was very likely what she needed.
However, with her standing in Xuantian Palace, she could never trade for it so easily.
Unless...
Qin Sang chuckled softly. "When I meet the Grand Elder, I will tell her that you, Fairy, braved the danger yourself, appealing to emotion and reason with earnest persuasion, thereby dispelling my anger and vigilance and convincing me to return the sacred relic. In returning the sacred relic, thirty percent of the credit belongs to you. As for what you tell the Grand Elder, I won't pry."
Liuli stared fixedly at Qin Sang and said, "Thank you."
"You've said 'thank you' twice in a row; can't you use a different word?"
Qin Sang couldn't help joking, but then turned serious. "It's just a small effort! If not for you stepping in to mediate, things between Xuantian Palace and me wouldn't have gone so smoothly. There would have been a confrontation, needlessly piling up grudges, and perhaps I might even have been ambushed by the Grand Elder with her spirit treasure. This truly is your contribution! Besides, we are each taking what we need; there's no need to take it to heart."
From beginning to end, both he and Liuli tacitly refrained from mentioning the matter of dual cultivation and plundering.
Since Liuli didn't mention it, it wasn't appropriate for him to bring it up either.
Qin Sang had originally wanted to ask if she had cultivated the Stone Bridge Zen, but seeing her solemn demeanor, she did not look like someone who had practiced such a twisted form of Zen, so he found it hard to ask.
He remembered Dongyang Bo saying back then that the Mystic Female Jade Tripod True Scripture had endless repercussions.
Having been protected by the jade Buddha, he had fortunately escaped that calamity, which meant the lingering troubles fell upon Liuli instead.
Ever since seeing Liuli, Qin Sang had been quietly observing her and hadn't felt her emotions rippling because of him, which made him wonder if Dongyang Bo had merely been alarmist back then.
Liuli fell silent for a long time, but in the end, she still uttered, "Thank you."
Qin Sang showed a helpless expression.
As they parted, Qin Sang handed Liuli a voice transmission talisman and instructed, "If your Grand Elder agrees, crush this talisman near Pearl Island. I will transmit the location to her so we can meet and talk in detail. Oh, and tell the Grand Elder that it would be best not to bring too many experts along—I am quite timid."
Liuli's gaze flickered swiftly across Qin Sang's face, as if thinking: *You, timid?*
She said nothing more, quietly stowing the voice transmission talisman, and soared away through the air.
Qin Sang stood on the shore watching her leave.
Once Liuli's escaping light vanished, he pondered for a long time, gave a soft sigh, and turned back.
He first retrieved the array, then went to pay a visit to Daoist Yinquan. Through him, he made the acquaintance of several Fellow Daoists, stayed for a day, and then bid farewell to the others, returning to Pearl Island together with Daoist Yinquan.
Qin Sang was now treated as an honored guest. When he offered to rent a fire room from the Danding Association, Daoist Yinquan took offense, so Qin Sang had no choice but to reluctantly occupy it free of charge.
He understood in his heart that part of the reason they valued him so highly was those ancient formulas. Furthermore, Danding Mountain might already be suspicious of his origins.
Setting aside the fact that Qin Sang didn't know the route to the Beichen Realm, even if he did, he would never leak it.
Through his travels during this period, Qin Sang had come to realize deeply that the strength of the North Sea's cultivation world far exceeded that of the Beichen Realm. Fortunately, the human and demon races in the North Sea were on bad terms, and the human race was like a tray of loose sand, checking and balancing each other.
The Beichen Realm had just emerged from major turmoil, with its powerhouses having ascended, leaving it in a vulnerable state.
Restoring contact between the two domains at this time would bring more harm than good to the sects of the Beichen Realm and was not a wise move; it would be best to wait until a Great Cultivator emerged.
Therefore, he consistently feigned ignorance, not letting slip the slightest clue.
Thanking Daoist Yinquan, Qin Sang entered the fire room, taking out the Jinchen Sword as well as the three spiritual materials including the Falling Phoenix Jade, preparing to elevate it to the level of a supreme-grade magic treasure before meeting the Grand Elder.
With his current cultivation, he could entirely use his own Nascent Soul fire and the Nine Nether Demonic Fire for artifact refinement.
However, doing so consumed too much energy.
Refining a magic treasure could not be accomplished in a single stroke; for most of the process, such potent spiritual fire was unnecessary, and a subterranean fire vein was more than sufficient. Since it would save his own effort as well, why not take advantage of it?
He added several more layers of restrictions outside the fire room.
Then, making a grasping motion with one hand, he drew over the Falling Phoenix Jade as Nascent Soul fire flickered in his palm.
The Falling Phoenix Jade spun slowly in his palm until signs of melting appeared. Qin Sang halted his action and gave his palm a light jolt, casting it into the furnace to be calcined by the subterranean fire.
After an unknown time, the Falling Phoenix Jade melted into a pool of spiritual liquid, cleansed of all impurities.
Qin Sang placed it above the furnace to maintain that state, then drew over the other two spiritual materials one after the other, treating them in the same manner until all were refined.
He did not rush to re-forge the spirit sword. First picking it up, he used his divine sense to comprehend the respective properties of the spiritual materials and the sword. Once he was certain that nothing could go wrong, he summoned the Nine Nether Demonic Fire and cast the Jinchen Sword into its flames.
Chapter 1459