Soul Absorbing True Words

Qin Sang gently patted his mustard seed pouch and released Hall Master Yin's Nascent Soul. Before entering the stele space, Hall Master Yin had been brought out for a brief glance before being sealed once more. Upon regaining consciousness, Hall Master Yin glared at Qin Sang with bitter resentment, his eyes tinged with profound disappointment. He could deduce that the upheaval in the Sacred Ground was inextricably linked to Old Man Hunmo and Great Sage Tianpeng. He had desperately wanted to see Qin Sang and Tong Lingyu perish at the hands of the fiends and be buried alongside him. Alas, things had not gone according to his wishes. Qin Sang gazed steadily into Hall Master Yin's eyes. "Qin has no fondness for tormenting others for pleasure. I merely wish to ask you a few questions, Fellow Daoist. If you answer truthfully, I will grant you a swift end. Do not attempt to use these conditions to coerce me—it is impossible for me to release a tiger back to its mountain." Hall Master Yin's eyes widened in fury, radiating terrifying murderous intent, incensed by Qin Sang's words. "The victor becomes king, and the vanquished an outlaw. Given your intellect, Fellow Daoist Yin, you should understand this principle well enough without needing to put on such a display," Qin Sang said in a flat tone. The murderous aura on Hall Master Yin's face remained thick, yet a measure of composure returned to his gaze as he stared coldly at Qin Sang. *** Ten days later. The Hidden Sun Realm. Tianshan. Deep in the night, heavy snow drifted through the air. A gloom of despondency hung over the Tianshan branch. Tianshan Main Peak had originally been a crucial domain of the Tianshan branch, always bustling with noise and activity. At this moment, however, only guards stood watch, leaving the place exceedingly desolate. Palace lanterns suspended along the mountain cast pale, hazy light, brimming with a sense of solitary abandonment. The snow fell heavier and heavier; in merely the time it took an incense stick to burn, another thick layer blanketed the snowpack, signaling that tonight on Tianshan would be far from peaceful. Suddenly, a phantom figure darted out from the darkness. After observing for a moment, he silently swept toward the back of the mountain. His body was nimble, his speed exceptionally swift, faintly radiating an eerie dim glow. Whenever snowflakes crossed his path and made contact with the glow, space seemed to warp slightly. The snowflakes continued falling in their original trajectories; even if someone had been nearby, they would have noticed nothing amiss in this area. This person was clearly proficient in an extraordinarily high-level escape art. He crossed a level clearing, and seeing that he had not been detected, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. His figure flashed repeatedly as he wove through crags and sheer cliffs, fleeing in frantic haste. He was intimately familiar with the terrain here and could easily circumvent the other cultivators. Just as he was about to successfully flee into the distance and leave this den of trouble behind, a voice suddenly sounded by his ear: "Where might Fellow Daoist You be heading?" The person froze, stiffening where he stood, revealing an aged face beneath his cloak. With great difficulty, the old man turned his head to see a figure standing with hands clasped behind his back atop a nearby boulder, looking down at him imperiously. "It's you!" Recognizing the newcomer's face, the old man's expression drastically shifted. Over the past several days, he had heard this person's name countlessly often—enough to wear calluses on his ears. Daoist Priest Qingfeng's real name was Qin Sang. This man had suppressed countless peak demons in the Sacred Ground, and even Old Man Hunmo and Great Sage Tianpeng had fallen into his hands! When Tong Lingyu brought back this news, everyone else's first reaction had been that it was utterly preposterous! However, bad news traveled faster than good. After the Sacred Ground closed, plenty among the surviving fiends knew what had transpired, and the news spread like a raging tempest! Gradually, Xuantian Palace gathered intelligence from the outside world, corroborating the details until they had no choice but to believe it. Seeing that Qin Sang had personally pursued him, Elder You was intimidated before the battle even began, terrified to his core. Qin Sang stood lightly upon the boulder, the freezing snow unable to come near him. Looking down at Elder You, he sighed. "The Grand Elder is merciful. Though Shang Lu and the others acted as accomplices to evil and committed such atrocities, she is only executing the ringleaders and penalizing the rest. Why must you act like this, Fellow Daoist You? Qin can only send you to the Heart Repentance Spring." Nowadays, he had no need to conceal his identity and had resumed using his true name. After being teleported back from the unnamed island, he, Tong Lingyu, and the others confronted the Xuantian branch, presenting the comatose Luo Yun whose life and death hung in the balance. Having lost two peak experts, the Yin family was left without a leader and was powerless to defend itself. The plan proceeded with exceptional smoothness. Yin Changsheng's faction was demoted from the main branch, stripping away the authority of the Xuantian branch. The Xuantian branch understood that they had incurred public wrath. For Yin Changsheng to commit such deeds, if the matter were brought before all branches for collective deliberation, even retaining their status as a main branch would have been wishful thinking. In the end, they chose to submit to Tong Lingyu and silently accept their fate. Even if there were some diehard loyalists and remnants of Yin Changsheng, Qin Sang and Liuli cleared them out without exerting much effort. Having witnessed Qin Sang's divine abilities, the Xuantian branch dared not entertain any further defiance. Qin Sang had reaped bountiful rewards, the most valued among them being a cultivation method and a secret art. The cultivation method was called the Record of Pure Subtlety, one of Xuantian Palace's fundamental heritages—a profound, wondrous art. Qin Sang intended to have his external incarnation switch to cultivating this method, though he still needed to deliberate carefully. The secret art was precisely the divine sense attack technique Qin Sang had yearned for: the Soul Absorbing True Words. This was the very technique Hall Master Yin had unleashed back then. Qin Sang had already interrogated him and extracted the Soul Absorbing True Words, but to be safe, he felt truly reassured only after locating the original manual of the cultivation method and secret technique within the Xuantian branch. If Qin Sang guessed correctly, the secret art Yin Changsheng wielded had likely been an improved version derived through comprehending the Soul Absorbing True Words. Unfortunately, he had not passed it on to anyone else, and with Yin Changsheng's demise, it was lost for good. In addition, Qin Sang obtained some true essence-restoring pills similar to Falling Snow Pills, along with other treasures, all in preparation for his journey to Zhongzhou. Having gotten what he wanted, Qin Sang granted Hall Master Yin a swift end. Having dealt with the Xuantian branch, Tong Lingyu moved without pause against the Tianshan branch. With the earlier decision to carve up Tianshan and demote them to a branch line, the Tianshan branch's resistance was far fiercer than that of the Xuantian branch. However, the atrocities committed by Shang Lu and his cohort were ironclad facts. Furthermore, the tales of Qin Sang battling fiends in the stele space, nearly taking Old Man Hunmo's head amidst an army, along with other legends circulating outside, were told with vivid detail, striking terror into the hearts of all who heard them. For these various reasons, the Tianshan branch failed to muster the resolve to fight to the bitter end right from the start. Tong Lingyu naturally gave them no chance to forge alliances. Cutting through the knot swiftly, she unleashed a flurry of suppressive and divisive measures, employing both carrot and stick, until it became impossible for the Tianshan branch to resist. Tonight was about thoroughly purging the lingering poison on Tianshan. Tong Lingyu and the others were busy elsewhere. Having dealt with his opponents first, Qin Sang arrived at Tianshan Main Peak. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly saw through the old man's disguise and discovered that he had secretly infiltrated the main peak to steal something. Although this person was at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, he was neither an elder nor a hall master; like the elder surnamed Lu guarding the Xuantian Palace treasury, he was an independent ascetic cultivator. He had not originally been on the purge list, yet for some reason he had chosen to commit such an act. The old man sneered. "Who is guilty and who is innocent—isn't that all decided by your words? Such high-sounding rhetoric! Tong Lingyu merely wants to eliminate dissent! For a hen to crow at dawn, and to bring in an outsider of unknown origin like you—she is inviting a wolf into the fold! In the future, once the two of you occupy the nest and run amok, the downfall of Xuantian Palace will only be a matter of time! I have no desire to be buried alongside Xuantian Palace!" "So Fellow Daoist You intended to steal treasures, flee far away, betray your sect, and start anew?" Qin Sang remained unmoved. The old man surnamed You's words were equally high-sounding, but at the end of the day, it was nothing more than greed at work. "Since that is the case, Qin can only bring you before the Grand Elder and let her deal with you!" With that, Qin Sang waved his sleeve, and the demonic fire flame dragon surged forth, coiling overhead and locking onto the old man. "Arrogant junior!" The old man was infuriated. He brought his fingers together like a blade and slashed fiercely toward Qin Sang. His hand blade was instantly glazed in a layer of ice crystals, turning along with his arm into a sharp edge of mystic ice. Swish! As the saber qi left his body, snowflakes froze solid in the void. Qin Sang saw only an eerie blue torrent rushing head-on toward him. Just as he was about to unleash his demonic fire to block it, he felt something, and with a stir of his mind, the demonic fire flame dragon dispersed, encircling him completely. The moment the demonic fire dispersed, the incoming saber qi abruptly dwindled at extreme speed. The blue torrent vanished visibly into thin air, leaving only a wisp of clear wind that swept past Qin Sang without shaking the demonic fire in the slightest. At the same time, sudden shifts erupted from nine directions around Qin Sang. Without anyone noticing, the saber qi had split into nine strands, each matching the original in power. Hovering in the void, they aimed straight at Qin Sang in unison, their qi locked together to seal off all routes of escape. "Sever!" the old man roared. Nine strands of saber qi tore through the air, their speed like lightning, swift to the extreme. Undaunted, Qin Sang sneered. With a thought, the demonic fire divided into nine, transforming into nine slightly smaller flame dragons, while he quietly activated the Ruyi Pearl to form a protective barrier. Boom! The saber qi pierced into the demonic fire with extreme sharpness, boring hollows into the fire as if attempting to puncture right through it. However, Qin Sang ultimately had the upper hand. Demonic fire formed and dispersed without fixed shape. The saber qi could not damage it, and instead weakened steadily under the corrosion of the flames until it was entirely consumed. Even if any residual shockwaves remained, they were firmly repelled by the protective barrier, unable to harm Qin Sang in the slightest. The old man evidently had not expected to slay Qin Sang with this move. Without even glancing ahead, he retrieved a black brush. Without dipping it in ink, he painted in midair with sweeping flourishes, completing his stroke in a single breath. In an instant, an image materialized in the air depicting a figure bearing an uncanny resemblance to the old man. Putting away the black brush, the old man flashed forward, pressing against the painted silhouette and passing right through it. An astounding sight followed: having entered the image, the old man did not emerge from the other side. He simply vanished into thin air! Before departing, the old man cast a mocking glance back at Qin Sang. A bright glint flashed in Qin Sang's eyes. The phoenix wings unfolded behind him, and his figure shot upward at extreme speed. The old man's secret art was peculiar, and he seemed to have prepared it well in advance. Qin Sang could not instantly determine the location to which the old man had shifted, but one thing was certain: the old man could not have moved too far, or he would have departed directly after succeeding. Moreover, when the old man vanished, an unmistakable ripple had surfaced, proving that this secret art was not without flaws. Qin Sang reacted with lightning speed, soaring into the high sky where the surrounding terrain was laid bare beneath him. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly flew out from his qi sea and settled upon Qin Sang's shoulder. With wings spread wide, it took in the view below and immediately spotted something unusual in a distant mountain ravine, where a faint glimmer flashed and vanished. Had Qin Sang not acted swiftly enough, and had the Heavenly Eye Butterfly lacked such exceptional sight, the old man might truly have escaped. On the cliff face of the ravine, naturally formed striations outlined the vague silhouette of a person. Suddenly, the cliff face glowed faintly. The old man's figure materialized out of nowhere, stepping down from the rock, his Daoist robe fluttering as he quickly suppressed the ripples caused by the secret art. Then, with a shift of his body, his form shattered with a bang, dissolving into a flurry of snowflakes. Just as he was about to blend completely into the blizzard and flee, a sharp tearing sound rang out overhead, and a bolt of lightning arrived in an instant, blocking the ravine's exit. The old man stiffened. Turning in the other direction, his vision blurred, and another figure appeared before him—Qin Sang's incarnation. "If you remain obstinate, Fellow Daoist You, Qin will have no choice but to use ruthless means..." Qin Sang's eerie voice drifted from behind. Carried along with it was an aura that made the old man's hair stand on end. The old man spun around abruptly, his eyes wide and fixed, staring straight at the Sun God Tree hovering before Qin Sang. The Sun God Bird was poised and ready to strike. The spirit treasure whose legends had been spoken of with godlike awe by the outside world was finally revealed before the old man's eyes. Experiencing it up close, the old man finally understood that the rumors were not an exaggeration in the slightest. His expression flickered between pale and flushed. In the end, he let out a cold snort, reached for the mustard seed pouch at his waist, and tossed it to Qin Sang. Qin Sang opened it to look: it was packed full of various treasures, ample enough to support the flourishing growth of a whole sect. The old man had harbored the exact same idea as he did: to take advantage of the power vacuum in the Boundless Sea, defect from Xuantian Palace, found a sect, and become a founding patriarch. "Pardon the offense!" Qin Sang and his external incarnation escorted the old man back to Tianshan Main Peak and headed straight for the Dragon Rearing Pond. Though called the Dragon Rearing Pond, it actually reared snow pythons. When paired with the python banners, these spiritual beasts could unleash considerable combat strength, and their masters did not need to divert their attention to control them, making them truly useful helpers. Qin Sang showed no restraint, sweeping away most of the snow pythons and leaving behind only the lowest-grade ones. Before long, Tong Lingyu finished wrapping up loose ends and arrived with her entourage. The Tianshan branch had thoroughly become history! What followed was a feast of division. With their different inheritances, there were few treasures in the Tianshan branch's collection that caught Qin Sang's eye. He selected a bottle of cultivation-assisting pills and several special magical treasure crafting methods. To his pleasant surprise, he also discovered an ingredient required for Spirit-Calming Incense. Most of what he claimed were various cultivation resources; Qingyang Temple would be able to enjoy a period of abundance. According to their agreement, all top-grade spirit stones and pills that restored true essence belonged to Qin Sang. Snow Listening Tower did not understand why Qin Sang made such an eccentric demand, but they took the initiative to send over a share nonetheless. Not only that, but Qin Sang also planned to purchase them en masse to ensure nothing went wrong. Tianshan was destroyed. The Xuantian branch relinquished authority. Tong Lingyu and Hall Master Jiang assumed the positions of Palace Master and Grand Elder, respectively. The shifting of factions within Xuantian Palace sent continuous aftershocks rippling through the sect, but these no longer had much to do with Qin Sang. He had Xuantian Palace deliver records concerning the Boundless Sea so he could select a suitable site for his sect's headquarters. Snow Listening Tower. Jade slips and records covered the table before Qin Sang. Having browsed through them, he picked out three favorable locations and was preparing to bid farewell to Liuli. A streak of flying light sped over from the direction of Lingxiao Peak, landing inside Snow Listening Tower. "Fellow Daoist Qin!" The newcomer was one of Tong Lingyu's trusted confidants. Treating Qin Sang with utmost deference, he presented a stone box with both hands. "A mysterious person left this item at the Seventy-Two Springs, claiming to be an old acquaintance of yours, and came specially to present a grand gift." "Oh?" Qin Sang was surprised. He had very few old acquaintances in the North Sea. Rising, he accepted the stone box. After inspecting it, he unsealed the restriction on the box and found only a teardrop-shaped object inside. Within it was a sealed figure, exceptionally diffuse and battered out of human shape, as though it had endured countless agonizing tortures. After scrutinizing it for a long while, Qin Sang finally confirmed: it was actually Old Man Hunmo!