In the world of immortal cultivation, top-tier experts generally avoided harboring grudges against one another unless one could slay their foe on the spot without leaving future troubles, or unless colossal, exclusive interests were at stake.
Even when misunderstandings arose, so long as things had not escalated to a fight to the death, the best course of action was to find a way to resolve it; at worst, the two would simply never cross paths again.
Old Man Hunmo had found himself unable to handle Qin Sang, so sending an emissary with a visiting card to bury the hatchet was entirely within reason.
However, Qin Sang knew all too well how cunning and unscrupulous the old demon was; his actions could never be judged by common sense.
Even assuming the contents of the visiting card represented Old Man Hunmo's genuine thoughts, his offer of reconciliation certainly did not stem from sincere contrition. It was almost certainly tied to that "tremendous opportunity."
Old Man Hunmo was clearly seeking an accomplice—or cannon fodder.
In this day and age, very few matters could compel Old Man Hunmo to treat them with such gravity, which made it undeniably tempting to Qin Sang.
Yet whether this affair would prove a boon or a bane remained up for debate.
Even Old Man Hunmo lacked confidence in success, showing that the prize would not be easily claimed.
Qin Sang had witnessed with his own eyes Old Man Hunmo visiting Great Sage Tianpeng. That could hardly have been a coincidence; it was likely connected to this very matter, meaning Great Sage Tianpeng was another helper the old demon had invited.
Great Sage Tianpeng, Old Man Hunmo, and Qin Sang himself—that would make three experts at the late Nascent Soul level. A matter requiring such forces was bound to harbor immense danger.
Another possibility was that Old Man Hunmo was using this as bait to lure Qin Sang out.
Old Man Hunmo might have colluded with Great Sage Tianpeng to lay an ambush and kill him.
Still, going to such lengths seemed overly dramatic.
When Qin Sang would actually reveal himself was entirely outside Old Man Hunmo's control; Great Sage Tianpeng could not possibly idle away his days waiting alongside the old demon indefinitely.
Furthermore, if Old Man Hunmo genuinely harbored such an intention, he would surely have painted the opportunity in glowing, irresistible detail in his visiting card, rather than being so vague.
What truly aroused Qin Sang's suspicion was what Old Man Hunmo termed their "common adversary."
Qin Sang's transaction with Tong Lingyu had involved the sacred relic, something Xuantian Palace would never publicize willingly to bring shame upon themselves, and he had subsequently joined Snow Listening Tower under a different identity. Old Man Hunmo likely had no idea that Qin Sang had already cleared up his misunderstanding with Xuantian Palace and even become a guest elder.
As for the dealings between Old Man Hunmo and Xuantian Palace, Qin Sang was well aware of them.
The old demon had collaborated with Xuantian Palace in putting on a grand spectacle to deceive the world, pushing forward the Myriad Demons Assembly ahead of schedule. How could there be any enmity between them?
Unless, during the years Qin Sang had spent roaming abroad, something had occurred to turn the two sides against each other. That would also explain why Old Man Hunmo had not invited the Palace Master and Grand Elder of Xuantian Palace.
Or perhaps he already had, but Xuantian Palace possessed immense influence while Old Man Hunmo was isolated, forcing him to seek external help to counterbalance them.
The more Qin Sang pondered it, the more likely this seemed.
It would be best to wait until he returned to Xuantian Palace and questioned Tong Lingyu before making any final decisions.
Moreover, though the chances of Old Man Hunmo ambushing him were slim, he could not afford to drop his guard.
Qin Sang was in no hurry to meet with Old Man Hunmo. While he no longer feared the old demon as he once had, he was reluctant to casually reveal the Sun God Tree or squander such a treasure in an ordinary clash.
Though the divine sun birds possessed terrifying might, the timing of their release had to be pinpoint accurate. Once an opponent was on guard, the probability of missing rose dramatically.
He wanted to wait for an opportunity to strike with certainty, delivering Old Man Hunmo a nasty surprise.
Having swiftly weighed the pros and cons, Qin Sang looked up at the black-robed youth and said calmly, "You may take your leave. Tell Fellow Daoist Hunmo not to pry into Hundred Flowers Valley again in the future."
"Understood!"
The black-robed youth bowed respectfully and immediately retreated from the hall.
Qin Sang had neither agreed to go nor explicitly refused, yet the youth dared not ask further; the fact that Qin Sang had retained the visiting card was sufficient answer. Before setting off, his grandmaster had not demanded a definitive reply either.
Once the black-robed youth departed, the banquet wound down to an early close.
From that point onward, Qin Sang remained in Hundred Flowers Valley, studying the art of insect mastery from Valley Master Mu.
Hundred Flowers Valley possessed an ancient lineage founded on insect mastery. Through successive generations, its patriarchs had gathered all manner of insect-controlling techniques across the realm, not limiting themselves to the Witch Clan's path of natal insect-gu.
Qin Sang absorbed these essences like a parched man drinking water, reaping tremendous gains.
Previously, he had been entirely at a loss as to how to nurture spiritual insects after their fourth transformation. Combining these teachings with the texts he had read in the Spirit Beast Sect, he cross-referenced and verified their methods.
Though he still had no definitive blueprint, he gradually developed a clearer grasp of what types of spiritual materials he ought to seek for different kinds of spiritual insects, which would drastically narrow down his trial-and-error in the future.
During this process, Valley Master Mu also discovered that Qin Sang's foundation in the art of insect mastery was far from as shallow as he had imagined; the man was truly a fellow traveler on this path.
On a whim, Valley Master Mu took the initiative to ask Qin Sang for his thoughts on Hundred Flowers Valley's inheritance.
Earlier, Mu had already imparted the portions prior to the Nascent Soul stage to Qin Sang.
Qin Sang had been waiting for just such an opening, so he held nothing back and delivered an expansive discourse.
After all, what he possessed was the genuine secret art of the Witch Clan. His explanations gave Valley Master Mu a sudden burst of profound enlightenment; several conundrums that had vexed the cultivators of Hundred Flowers Valley for generations were miraculously untangled.
Astounded by Qin Sang's profound understanding, Valley Master Mu deliberated at length before requesting Qin Sang swear an oath, after which he revealed the complete inheritance.
This was precisely what Qin Sang had hoped for.
Back in the Canglang Ocean, limited by his cultivation at the time, he had only obtained the techniques up to the fourth transformation of the natal insect-gu, which was why the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's progress had slowed to a crawl after breaking through to the fourth transformation.
Now unable to return to the Canglang Ocean, he hoped only that Hundred Flowers Valley's inheritance could offer him some inspiration.
"What our founding ancestor obtained was a defective legacy," Valley Master Mu sighed. "The natal spirit insects of our ancestors across the generations basically hit a bottleneck at the early fourth transformation. Even if there were exceptions, they were due to unrepeatable strokes of fortune. Worst of all, the higher the natal spirit insect's cultivation grows, the more it shows signs of turning against its master..."
Qin Sang understood in his heart that this inheritance was not merely defective; it had been fundamentally incomplete from the start.
The Witch Clan was uniquely gifted by nature to tame natal insect-gu. Qin Sang, too, relied on the jade Buddha to ward off backlashes, but other human cultivators possessed no such advantages.
Ghost Mother had modified the Witch Clan's legacy, attempting other methods to bypass these hidden dangers, but evidently those adaptations had their limits. The path trodden by the cultivators of Hundred Flowers Valley was doomed to be a dead end.
Whether Ghost Mother had been powerless to solve it or simply had not applied her full efforts remained unknown.
Within Hundred Flowers Valley's inheritance, the portions regarding spiritual insects beyond the fourth transformation were sparse.
Nonetheless, these contents confirmed a suspicion Qin Sang had harbored: natal insect-gu truly underwent a transformation after the Nascent Soul stage, and relying solely on essence blood to nourish them yielded diminishing returns. No wonder the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's progress had been so agonizingly slow.
Regrettably, these methods were designed by Ghost Mother specifically to suit Hundred Flowers Valley and were ill-suited for Qin Sang and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. He could not adopt them wholesale, only glean reference from them.
Only by finding Ghost Mother could he obtain the complete inheritance.
In the end, all problems led back to where they started.
Three months later, Qin Sang bade farewell. Valley Master Mu personally saw him off for a hundred li, reluctant to part.
This exchange had been a win-win for both parties.
Not only had Qin Sang gained immense insight, but he had also procured from Hundred Flowers Valley numerous pill recipes and spiritual herbs for raising the Fire Jade Centipede.
After taking his leave of Valley Master Mu, Qin Sang continued south, traversing the entire Crescent Moon Realm to its southernmost reach before turning east.
The Boundless Sea was vast beyond measure yet equally desolate. Qin Sang selected islands occupied by renowned old eccentrics and approached them briefly; whenever the sword spirit gave no reaction, he swiftly flew on.
Speeding along, Qin Sang made a stop at Ghost Mother's former cave dwelling along the way, where he met Tan Hao.
Over the past few days, Tan Hao had been regulating his state, preparing to enter secluded cultivation to attempt breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage.
When a cultivator attempted to form a Nascent Soul, there was little assistance others could offer.
Qin Sang merely shared some of his own insights regarding the breakthrough, keeping away from fundamental Daos so as not to mislead Tan Hao.
That very night, Qin Sang departed the cave dwelling and set out once more.
***
In the Hidden Sun Realm, spring had returned to the land, melting away the ice and snow.
The white-capped snowy mountains were tinged with green.
Mortals seized this most precious time of the year, heading outdoors to plow and plant.
At this moment, the Hidden Sun Realm was finally graced with a touch of vitality.
Across the cloudless sky, Qin Sang concealed the radiance of his escape light and flew upon his sword.
Looking down upon the scenery of the Hidden Sun Realm, so starkly different from what it had been before, he murmured softly to himself, "Eight years..."
Over those eight years, Qin Sang had only paused for brief periods at Mount Tianpeng and Hundred Flowers Valley; the rest of the time had been spent in near-constant travel, weary and wind-blown.
Worried about missing the opening of Xuantian Palace's sacred realm, Qin Sang had traveled as swiftly as possible. Crucially, having found no clues whatsoever, while his body felt no fatigue, his mind had grown somewhat weary.
In one more year, the ice demon crystal would be fully restored.
Qin Sang decided to return to Snow Listening Tower first.
Along the way, cultivators were rarely seen.
During his travels, Qin Sang had picked up various pieces of news. It was said that Xuantian Palace and the demon clan had clashed fiercely several times; Xuantian Palace had fallen slightly to the disadvantaged side, but they had only lost parts of the outer sea, while their heartland remained unaffected.
Curiously, even during the fiercest and most deadlocked phases of the conflict, there had been no word of the Palace Master of Xuantian Palace taking the field.
Presently, the two sides had settled into a stalemate.
Great Sage Tianpeng had likely realized that crushing Xuantian Palace swiftly was impossible, and he was no longer as aggressively overbearing as he had been eight years prior. With the sacred realm on the verge of opening, Xuantian Palace naturally would not launch an offensive on its own initiative, leading to a stabilizing situation.
Before long, Snow Listening Tower came into view.
Qin Sang activated his guest elder token and passed through the mountain-protecting grand array without alarming anyone, heading straight for his cave dwelling to rest properly for a few days.
The moment he activated the token, Shi Xue, situated on the main peak, felt the resonance and awoke from her meditation.
"He's finally back!"
Confirming it was Qin Sang, Shi Xue let out a sigh of relief. She hastily rose and pushed open her door.
Qin Sang had been gone for eight years without a single message. Although few beings in this world could threaten him, unexpected mishaps were always possible.
Shi Xue quickly crossed the jade bridge, entered the valley where Piaoxue Tower stood, and flicked a streak of spiritual light.
With a creak, the wooden door swung open.
Stepping inside, Shi Xue saw Liuli seated cross-legged upon the cold jade bed.
All these years, Liuli had remained in the company of the cold jade bed, rarely stepping out of Piaoxue Tower.
At this moment, Liuli's eyes were tightly shut, seated motionless.
There were no visible anomalies inside Piaoxue Tower, yet Shi Xue could sense an exceedingly faint, strangely powerful fluctuation lingering beside Liuli.
Shi Xue watched in silence until that wave of energy gradually dispersed, before calling out softly, "Junior Sister."
Liuli opened her eyes, their luster returning, though her tone remained cold and aloof. "Senior Sister, is he back?"
"He just returned to his cave dwelling. I haven't gone to see him yet."
Shi Xue nodded, then hesitated. "Junior Sister, have you truly made up your mind?"
Liuli steadily brought her cultivation exercise to a close, her voice devoid of ripple. "Only he can accomplish this matter."
"Why don't you wait a moment and let me sound him out first?" Shi Xue suggested, unable to bear the thought.
Straightening her robes, Liuli rose, stepped down from the cold jade bed with graceful strides, and shook her head gently. "That is my own matter. There is no need to trouble Senior Sister."
"You are my junior sister, and besides, this matter concerns our Snow Listening Tower. How could you say it has nothing to do with me?"
Shi Xue's brows furrowed deeply as she asked hesitantly, "Junior Sister, why were you unwilling to dual cultivate with him, yet you agreed to this?"
"It is different."
Liuli gazed out at the vast, boundless world beyond Piaoxue Tower. After a long silence, she spoke in an even, measured tone.
"How is it different? In the eyes of outsiders, what difference is there?" Shi Xue pressed.
"Why care about the eyes of outsiders?"
Liuli withdrew her gaze and cast an odd look at Shi Xue.
Shi Xue lowered her head, dispirited. "Fine. I will no longer pry into the affairs between the two of you; handle it yourselves! Lest I meddle out of good intentions and end up making a mess of things again, like last time."
As they spoke, the two sisters stepped out of Piaoxue Tower and walked along the snowy path toward Qin Sang's cave dwelling.
Liuli's expression remained tranquil as ever.
Following behind, Shi Xue gazed at Liuli's back, a flicker of worry surfacing in the depths of her eyes.
Before long, the two women arrived before the small building.
Qin Sang had sensed their approach well in advance. Dispelling the spirit array, he came out personally to greet them with a bow. "Head Shi, Fairy Liuli, I trust you have been well. I had intended to wash off the dust of travel before paying you two a visit; pardon my discourtesy."
As he spoke, he surreptitiously appraised Liuli.
Liuli had made no effort to conceal her aura, and Qin Sang could easily tell that her cultivation remained at the early Nascent Soul stage.
It was evident that her previous breakthrough had ended in complete failure.
Was the imprint of the Mystic Female Jade Tripod True Scripture truly so intractable?
Qin Sang frowned slightly. For someone with Liuli's extraordinary talent, backed by a faction as colossal as Xuantian Palace, even they were powerless to resolve it.
"It is we who have presumed to disturb you, Daoist,"
the two women returned the greeting.
Shi Xue also took the opportunity to observe Qin Sang. "Daoist, did your travels through the North Sea go smoothly?"
Qin Sang stepped aside to invite them into the dwelling, personally brewing a pot of spiritual tea. "There were a few twists and turns, but fortunately, no real harm came of it. This spiritual tea is something I stumbled across in the Demon Realm. Though it cannot compare to Snow Listening Tower's immortal tea, it carries a unique flavor of its own. I invite you both to taste and judge it."
Shi Xue took a sip, instantly finding a lingering fragrance coating her mouth, and praised, "Fine tea! I had not expected you could traverse the demon territory as though walking through an empty realm, Daoist. I was constantly worried you might be seen through by demon kings and run into peril."
"Mere petty tricks unworthy of grand stages," Qin Sang smiled faintly. "I wonder, was the information of any help to Xuantian Palace?"
Shi Xue nodded. "The Grand Elder has publicly mentioned multiple times that Daoist Mingyue must be handsomely rewarded; only you dared to venture deep into demon territory to investigate. Through that intelligence, we estimated the demons' rough troop strength, allowing us to focus our efforts and make calm arrangements, averting unnecessary casualties. After announcing your position as guest elder, Snow Listening Tower's circumstances improved considerably as well."
"As long as it did not backfire," Qin Sang nodded, then turned to the matter that concerned him most. "The sacred realm should be opening soon, yes?"
"The various lineages have long grown impatient. We are merely waiting for the sacred relic to absorb sufficient energy before opening it. When the time comes, the Grand Elder will strongly advocate for your participation, Daoist..."
At this point, Shi Xue paused slightly, casting a sideways glance at Liuli, who was quietly sipping her tea.
Qin Sang raised his cup, took a sip of the fragrant brew, and observed both women through the rising steam.
He had keenly noticed that ever since stepping through his door, Shi Xue had seemed hesitant to speak, clearly carrying something on her mind. Judging by her demeanor, it was likely related to Liuli.
Or more precisely, related to Liuli's cultivation and the imprint of that evil art.
Yet on Liuli's face, not the slightest hint of abnormality could be seen.
Chapter 1473