The Jiyuan Technique was likely not created by Yin Changsheng, but a legacy recorded within the Xuantian Token.
Yin Changsheng had hoarded this secret technique for himself, never passing it down to Tong Lingyu and the others. It was by wielding both the spirit treasure Fourfold Tengshe Seal and the pseudo-spirit treasure Suspended Sword Tower that he had been able to capture them alive with such ease and refine them into blood servitors.
Qin Sang felt that the Jiyuan Technique was exceedingly complex and profound, harmonizing with the Great Dao. It was certainly not the work of any contemporary cultivator.
The difference in power between a magic treasure and a spirit treasure was as vast as heaven and earth.
This secret technique was designed precisely to bridge the gap between them, filling in a missing link in cultivation.
Looking at it from this perspective, it carried an awe-inspiring grandeur; one could only wonder which ancient almighty figure had devised it.
Perhaps in ancient times, the Jiyuan Technique had not been particularly mysterious.
Or perhaps there existed other secret techniques akin to the Jiyuan Technique, which did not require one's life-bound magic treasure, enabling ordinary magic treasures to be refined into pseudo-spirit treasures as well.
What a magnificent world that must have been!
The relics unearthed from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield by the Beichen Realm were nothing more than a superficial scratch on the surface.
Qin Sang sighed with emotion, his heart filled with yearning.
He silently committed the Jiyuan Technique to memory and handed the Xuantian Token to Liuli.
Qin Sang was not certain whether this technique could accelerate the Wandering Sword's nurturing of spirituality; he would only know once he tried. Practicing the Jiyuan Technique was extraordinarily difficult. While his divine consciousness met the requirements, his cultivation was still too weak.
Liuli had also been jolted awake by the tribulation lightning.
Her expression had calmed, returning to her former cold, aloof demeanor. Yet no one knew how deeply this unexpected turn of events had affected her.
Rumble!
The tribulation lightning cascaded down from the clouds like a cyan waterfall.
The mere aftershocks of the lightning caused the edges of the sinkhole to collapse continuously.
A terrifying spectacle of cataclysmic destruction unfolded right before their eyes.
Yin Changsheng's figure had completely vanished.
Under such terrifying tribulation lightning, there was no chance he could have survived.
The tribulation clouds did not gather further, showing signs of dispersing instead—which confirmed his demise. Yin Changsheng, who had once shaken the North Sea with his might, had thoroughly fallen!
Even at the final curtain call, his end was breathtaking.
Tong Lingyu stared blankly, lost in thought.
Her feelings toward Yin Changsheng were exceedingly complex: respect, hatred, and pity all mingled together.
Just then, Tong Lingyu seemed to recall something. She turned to Qin Sang and asked, "Fellow Daoist Qin, do you remember the eight-word maxim left behind by Senior Xiaoxiangzi that I mentioned before?"
Qin Sang nodded. He had kept that matter in mind all along.
After a brief silence, Tong Lingyu turned her gaze back toward the spot where Yin Changsheng had vanished, her tone faint and mournful.
"The maxim is: After Deity Transformation, one naturally knows their destination!"
Deity Transformation!
After Deity Transformation, one naturally knows their destination!
Qin Sang was shaken to the core, vast waves surging within his heart alongside endless questions.
What was this "destination"?
Did it refer to ascension, or beyond the storm belt, or merely the mysterious Zhongzhou?
Having witnessed the spectacle of "ascension" with his own eyes, Qin Sang could not help but make associations in that direction.
Why would one naturally know upon reaching Deity Transformation?
Could it be that advancing through that realm brought a mystical transformation, deepening a Deity Transformation cultivator's comprehension of the Heavenly Dao, elevating them to a higher plane where they grasped the rules of heaven?
And even if one knew the destination, how was one to reach it?
Was the storm belt not boundless, allowing a Deity Transformation cultivator to traverse the storms at will and depart with ease?
Or could a Deity Transformation cultivator ascend directly without the need for an Ascension Platform?
If so, the Jade Bone Demon's former cultivation must have been beyond imagination, and recovering to the Deity Transformation stage should have been far easier for him than for contemporary cultivators—so why had he insisted on boarding the Ascension Platform when Ziwei Palace ascended?
Why hadn't the Ghost Mother kept a low profile to recover her cultivation, choosing instead to roam far and wide in search of Witch Clan bloodlines?
Qin Sang had a feeling that things were not so simple.
"Fellow Daoist need not look at me," Tong Lingyu gave a wry smile. "Senior Xiaoxiangzi left behind only this single maxim without any explanation, leaving infinite room for later generations to imagine."
At a time like this, there was indeed no need for Tong Lingyu to conceal anything.
Qin Sang furrowed his brows and remained silent.
To make such a statement, Xiaoxiangzi had undoubtedly reached the Deity Transformation stage, and the eight-word maxim reflected his own insight.
If so, other Deity Transformation cultivators should be no exception.
The other Deity Transformation cultivators Qin Sang knew of originated from the Four Sages Palace of the Canglang Ocean. The Four Sages Palace possessed a complete legacy, and since Qin Sang had forged good ties with them, they would likely not have been stingy with knowledge.
Unfortunately, the path back had been severed.
"Did any other Deity Transformation seniors ever emerge in the North Sea?" Qin Sang asked in turn.
Tong Lingyu replied, "None after Senior Xiaoxiangzi. However, it cannot be ruled out that certain seniors possessed detached temperaments and never revealed their divinity before the world. If that 'destination' truly exists, they likely departed in silence. As for the era before him, those are even more ancient legends. The layout of the North Sea back then was vastly different from what it is today, making it impossible to investigate."
Feeding on wind and sipping dew, untouched by the mortal world, drifting away upon attaining the Dao to ascend to immortality—that was truly what mortals envisioned an immortal to be.
Qin Sang recalled the sects of the Beichen Realm.
The Beichen Realm was small in territory, yet disputes were ceaseless, no less fierce than in the North Sea. Cultivation sects rose and fell in succession. As far as he knew, the one with the longest legacy was Shangyuan Qingjing Palace.
The new palace master of Shangyuan Qingjing Palace had chosen to align with Qingyang Temple. Qin Sang had browsed through the precious records preserved in their palace, yet he had seen no mention of any Deity Transformation cultivator.
Regardless, this was good news.
It meant that beyond Deity Transformation, there might still be a path forward!
At the very least, he saw a glimmer of hope for escaping this cage.
Xiaoxiangzi had offered no further explanations because such explanations were meaningless to cultivators below Deity Transformation. Only by first breaking through to Deity Transformation did one qualify to contend for the Great Dao!
Once Qin Sang understood this, his spirits surged!
The higher the realm of contemporary cultivators, the more bewildered they felt.
When ascending to immortality became a mere legend, when one was trapped by the Endless Storm and the path ahead was severed—where even the highest cultivation led to no way out, and longevity became an illusory reflection in water—what was the point of bitter cultivation?
Qin Sang had once harbored such doubts as well, but he forced himself not to dwell on them, keeping his footing firm and advancing toward his goal step by step!
The Ascension Platform.
Deity Transformation.
Now, he knew of two paths!
Surging with boundless fighting spirit, Qin Sang snapped his head up just in time to see the tribulation clouds dissipate, revealing clear, open skies.
Brilliant cyan light gleamed within the sinkhole like vast misty waves. The power of the tribulation lightning had not yet subsided, and countless threads of lightning still slithered through the depths.
With the aid of his Heavenly Eye divine ability, Qin Sang could faintly make out the scene inside the sinkhole.
The sinkhole was damaged beyond recognition; not a trace of Yin Changsheng's corpse or bones remained.
Right at that moment, Qin Sang noticed a reflection near the edge of the sinkhole. Uttering a soft gasp of surprise, he leaped down into the pit, activating the astral barrier of the Ruyi Orb to charge into the lightning glow.
It was a shattered coffin.
It was none other than the ice coffin Yin Changsheng had been lying in.
The ice coffin was severely damaged, cracked into two halves alongside numerous shards, yet remarkably, it had not been completely obliterated by the tribulation lightning.
"Yin Changsheng lay inside this ice coffin all this time, so it must be a rare treasure as well. It is so heavily damaged, though; I wonder if there is any chance of repairing it."
Rubbing his chin, Qin Sang stowed the damaged coffin away without hesitation and carefully collected every single shard.
A piercing chill met his touch.
Qin Sang did not examine them closely, simply packing everything away. He searched through the subterranean cavern once more, but found nothing else.
The tribulation lightning was truly ruthless!
Qin Sang shook his head with a sigh and flew out of the sinkhole. He saw that Tong Lingyu's complexion had regained some rosiness, and her external injuries were completely healed. Most of the restrictions within her body had been undone, and by taking healing pills to forcefully suppress her wounds, she had recovered fifty to sixty percent of her strength.
"Fellow Daoist Qin, Hall Master Jiang and the others are still locked in a bitter struggle against Shang Lu's group outside the mist. Let us quickly restore our strength. I hope Fellow Daoist will lend me a helping hand once more to purge our sect!"
Tong Lingyu's face was tinged with murderous intent.
Yin Changsheng had left behind the Xuantian Token. In deference to his final gesture, Tong Lingyu could refrain from settling scores with the descendants of the Yin clan, but Shang Lu and Hall Master Yin had to be purged.
It was not merely because these people had sided with Yin Changsheng and launched a sneak attack against them.
What truly stoked Tong Lingyu's resolve to kill was that blood pool.
The blood in the pool came entirely from fellow disciples.
Over the years, following Yin Changsheng's orders, who knew how many of their own sect members they had slaughtered?
As a hall master and the leader of a primary lineage, there was far too much within their power. Had they not aided the tyrant in his evil deeds, Yin Changsheng could never have avoided leaking even the slightest flaw.
Whether they had acted out of their own desires or had been seduced by Yin Changsheng, their guilt was unforgivable.
No sect could tolerate such people.
Pausing for a moment, Tong Lingyu glanced at Liuli and said to Qin Sang, "I will tell them that Yin Changsheng broke through to Deity Transformation, failed his tribulation, and the Fourfold Tengshe Seal was destroyed in the heavenly tribulation! After we return, I may still need to rely on Fellow Daoist's strength."
She was now deeply wary of Qin Sang, having never once asked about the whereabouts of the Fourfold Tengshe Seal from beginning to end.
Escaping with her life was already a stroke of fortune; she dared not harbor extravagant hopes of demanding the spirit treasure back.
Moreover, with the Jiyuan Technique, so long as Xuantian Palace continued to produce Great Cultivators, they would not lack pseudo-spirit treasures, which were sufficient to substitute for a spirit treasure's role.
Yin Changsheng had fallen, and in his final moments had only had time to pass on the Xuantian Token. The lower half of the Tongbao Formula remained a mystery, meaning the seal's power could never reach its peak.
Unless Qin Sang turned around and gave the spirit treasure to Liuli, allowing it to recognize her as master.
After that full circle, wouldn't it end up back in Xuantian Palace anyway?
Tong Lingyu had calculated her abacus very well.
Qin Sang considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Very well!"
Helping Tong Lingyu clean up the aftermath was something he had decided on long ago.
Once they left the Sacred Ground, purging the remnants in Xuantian Palace would pose little danger and provide an excellent opportunity to scavenge for treasures. Qin Sang was naturally glad to take part.
Tong Lingyu breathed a sigh of relief and immediately closed her eyes to regulate her breathing and unravel the last few restrictions.
Meanwhile, Qin Sang and his incarnation shared the remaining Feixue Pills.
Unlike when he had first arrived at the North Sea—when he had nowhere to adjust his breathing inside the storm belt and could only continuously absorb spiritual energy from spirit stones, consuming so many medicinal pills that impurities accumulated in his body and had to be refined away first—he had only taken a few pills now, so the impact was negligible.
By the time Qin Sang's true essence had recovered seventy to eighty percent, Tong Lingyu also stood up.
"Aren't you going to unseal Fellow Daoist Luo Yun?" Qin Sang asked curiously.
Tong Lingyu shook her head. After gazing fixedly at the ice sculpture for a moment, she said softly, "Senior Brother Luo was sealed with evil sorcery by Yin Changsheng for too long, and he suffered severe harm within the blood pool. We must wait until we return to Xuantian Palace and place him in the Unfreezing Spring to rest and recuperate for a time. Otherwise, even if we could awaken him now, it would damage his foundation and cause his realm to fall."
Leaving Luo Yun behind for now, the three stepped into the ancient restriction, traversing the black mist.
Falling a step behind, Qin Sang returned the molt of the Eight-Winged Heart Cicada to Liuli and asked via voice transmission, "Can you still unleash the Ice Soul Divine Light right now?"
"I can," Liuli replied affirmatively as she took it back, not a single ripple audible in her tone.
Qin Sang grew thoughtful and asked no more.
Tong Lingyu did not look back either, seemingly oblivious to their small exchange.
The ancient restrictions within the black mist were extraordinarily intricate, but with Yin Changsheng dead, no one was controlling them. Furthermore, Tong Lingyu had been captured and brought inside, so she knew the path. With Qin Sang's assistance, the three quickly found a way out.
By this time, the struggle outside had ceased.
The cultivators wore varied expressions, gazing into the depths of the black mist.
The earlier dispersal of the tribulation clouds seemed rather abnormal.
However, blocked by the ancient restrictions, they could not see clearly, and none of them had ever witnessed a Deity Transformation tribulation before. No one dared make a reckless judgment, resulting in a bizarre, tense standoff.
Spotting the silhouettes outside the ancient restrictions, the three halted their steps.
Qin Sang noticed one person among them, a strange expression surfacing in his eyes as he asked, "Kill the one surnamed Yue as well?"
The cultivator surnamed Yue had neither corpse flower blood amber nor a Nascent Soul talisman puppet; using only a hundred-odd years of bitter cultivation, he had broken through to the mid Nascent Soul stage, making him a genius in the truest sense.
Yin Changsheng had needed Qin Sang to come into contact with the cicada molt to achieve his aim.
Yet the cultivator surnamed Yue had appeared at the Body Cleansing Pool; unless it had been an act, he was almost certainly not a mastermind.
However, he had been nurtured entirely by Shang Lu. The two were both teachers and friends to each other, and he had later joined in besieging Tong Lingyu.
To kill Shang Lu while leaving this man alive would surely be leaving behind a potential great enemy for their own side.
If anyone was to blame, it was only that he had chosen the wrong side.
Tong Lingyu took a deep breath and said with resolute firmness, "Though an orchid stands in our path, it must be cleared away!"
Qin Sang nodded.
Outside the black mist.
"Why is there still no word from the palace master? Could it be..."
Shang Lu and Hall Master Yin exchanged a glance, an inexplicable sense of unease creeping over them.
However, they had both experienced breakthroughs before and knew that after breaking through, one had to cultivate in seclusion to stabilize their cultivation realm.
Moreover, whether the palace master succeeded or failed, Tong Lingyu was doomed to die with no possibility of turning the tables. Thus, they suppressed their anxious feelings and waited for the outcome.
Right at this moment.
Unnoticed by them, a glint of delight flashed in Hall Master Jiang's eyes, and he struck without warning.
Hall Master Jiang's magic treasure was an ice jade cauldron.
The ice jade cauldron, shrunk to the size of a palm, had been hovering upside down over the heads of Hall Master Jiang and his companions, its opening shedding a faint cold glow to form a solid barrier that had been used exclusively for defense.
Now, the ice jade cauldron suddenly inverted, transforming in an instant into a colossal cauldron that smashed violently toward Shang Lu.
Boom!
The colossal cauldron surged with astonishing momentum.
Hall Master Jiang's cultivation was also at the mid Nascent Soul stage; unleashing his full power, he instantly created a terrifying pressure.
Simultaneously, Elder Mei stamped her foot heavily down, causing paths of mystic ice to fan out rapidly, targeting the highest-cultivated Shang Lu and his cadre.
The others unleashed their attacks one after another as well.
None of them held back in the slightest, appearing as though they were staking their very lives on a desperate gamble.
At the sight of this, Shang Lu flew into a rage. "Old bastard, you're still clinging to your delusions!"
Before his voice had even faded, Shang Lu summoned his magic treasure, a jade ruler, striking with full force from the start.
The surface of the jade immediately conjured the phantom of a mountain, weighing a thousand jun, with momentum not in the least inferior to the giant cauldron. This treasure was inherently an exceptionally hard object, fearless of collisions.
However, Shang Lu was clearly focused primarily on protecting himself, unwilling to truly fight to the death with them.
If Hall Master Jiang and the others wanted to flee, let them flee.
In the vast North Sea, where could they possibly run?
Once the palace master stepped out of the Sacred Ground, the situation would be entirely under his control, and that would be the hour of execution for these traitors!
Risking one's life against desperate madmen—if some mishap occurred due to a momentary lapse of vigilance, the regret would be boundless.
Hall Master Yin and the others shared similar thoughts. While parrying the incoming attacks, they dodged aside, leaving an escape path open for them.
To their surprise, Hall Master Jiang and the others had no intention of escaping at all, pressing the attack with utter frenzy.
Witnessing their bizarre behavior, Shang Lu suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
The next moment, Shang Lu felt a sudden chill at the back of his head, and sheer horror flooded his eyes.
Chapter 1501