Saizhou.
Liuzhou Hall.
Qin Sang twirled a jade cup in his hand, watching the river rush eastward outside the window, his thoughts drifting.
At that moment, the door was gently pushed open. A steward walked in and returned a keepsake token to Qin Sang. "We have located him. That friend of yours left a token in Fudu Commandery of Zhuozhou seven years ago. More detailed information will take some time, as we must contact our branch in Zhuozhou and await their reply."
Zhuozhou.
One of the Four Northern Provinces.
The Four Northern Provinces were roughly arranged in a diamond-like shape.
Zezhou lay in the northwest, adjoining Saizhou and bordering the Northern Wilderness. When Qin Sang and Zhou Jin had walked out of the Northern Wilderness, Zezhou had been their first destination.
However, among the Nineteen Misty Rain Provinces, the northernmost was actually Zhaoyao Province. Its name derived from the renowned Mount Zhaoyao, a mountain range that sprawled across most of the Four Northern Provinces and served as one of the landmark boundaries separating the Central Plains from the Northern Wilderness.
Located in the east of the four provinces, Jinyu Province was a major coastal province boasting year-round booming trade. It was the most prosperous among the Four Northern Provinces, also known as the Little Jiangzuo of the North.
Jinyu Province was home to the major sect Jinyu Gate, whose wealth was renowned throughout the Central Plains. Sharing its name with the province invited much speculation, though the exact origins were now lost to history.
Zhuozhou, situated in the southernmost part of the four northern provinces, lay closest to the Six Jiangzuo Provinces. While it could not compare to the six provinces of Jiangzuo, it was still one of the Nineteen Misty Rain Provinces, far surpassing the Western Desert and the Northern Wilderness.
Yet no matter how prosperous a region was, impoverished and destitute corners were inevitable.
Fudu Commandery was one such place.
However, this happened to be the location of an exceptional cultivation ground mentioned by Xiaoxiangzi, which Qin Sang had previously instructed Zhou Jin to investigate with particular care.
Seven years ago, Zhou Jin had entered Fudu Commandery and had not left since. Either he had met with an accident, or he had uncovered some lead and was investigating it.
Lost in thought, Qin Sang stood up, offered his thanks, and was just about to leave the meditation room when he paused and turned back to ask, "Has anything major happened in the Central Plains recently?"
The steward replied with a smile, "The realm is at peace, the seas and rivers clear."
"Peace is truly hard to come by..."
Qin Sang nodded softly and stepped out of Liuzhou Hall.
***
The Tiantuo River originated from the Snow-Linked Mountains, flowed through Saizhou, and joined the great marshlands of Zezhou.
In Zezhou, it split into another great river flowing south before curving eastward, passing through the Six Jiangzuo Provinces, and finally emptying into the Eastern Sea.
Some viewed these two stretches as parts of the same grand river, but with the changing eras, they had acquired different names: the upper stretch was still the Tiantuo River, while the lower stretch was called the Fu River.
The Six Jiangzuo Provinces sat along the banks of the Fu River.
"Guest, we have arrived at the commandery seat."
A boat hand's call came from outside the cabin.
In the Four Northern Provinces, water travel was naturally the most convenient. Though not as fast as Qin Sang's escape arts, it had the advantage of conserving energy and avoiding unwanted attention.
Traveling by boat across Zezhou and taking a tributary of the Fu River, he had smoothly arrived at the commandery seat of Fudu Commandery in Zhuozhou.
Qin Sang withdrew from his contemplation and looked at the incarnation sitting cross-legged across from him.
His external incarnation had its hands clasped flat on its knees, palms facing upward. The Fourfold Tengshe Seal hovered above the palms, radiating a faint, cold glow.
The radiance and fluctuations of the spirit treasure were kept completely confined within the small cabin by a spirit array Qin Sang had laid down.
Throughout their journey, Qin Sang had been assisting his incarnation in practicing the Tongbao Formula to refine the spirit treasure.
Ever since departing the North Sea, the external incarnation had been trying to cultivate the Ice Soul Divine Light, but the progress had been underwhelming. Qin Sang had simply told the incarnation to halt cultivation of that divine ability and focus primarily on refining the spirit treasure, so it could master a formidable asset as quickly as possible.
He stood up and opened the window.
With hands clasped behind his back, Qin Sang gazed out, the Western Desert already long out of sight.
The evening sun shone into the cabin, falling across his face.
Just like that day, when golden clouds had filled the sky.
Ever since Liuli had departed, whenever he saw such scenery, he would think of that slender silhouette vanishing into the sunset.
He understood Liuli, for had their positions been reversed, he would have made the same choice.
Thus, he had not tried to dissuade her.
He could only wish her well in silence and resolutely pursue his own Dao. There would always come a day when they met again.
When refining the Buddha-bone relic, Qin Sang had held out the longest, reaping the greatest benefits.
He had a premonition that breaking through the upcoming bottleneck would be much easier. Combined with the dual enhancements to his innate talent from the Killing Talisman and the Body Cleansing Pool, the late Nascent Soul stage was well within reach.
The only thing left to do now was to find a secure cultivation ground and engage in bitter cultivation until he broke through!
As for the incarnation, it had already refined both Kan Mirage Pearls. If used purely to boost its cultivation base, it would likely reach the bottleneck of the late stage even sooner than the primary body, though breaking through would not be so simple.
Qin Sang harbored no extravagant hopes of possessing an incarnation of the same realm at the same time he broke through to the late stage.
He had formed a plan long ago.
In the future, the primary body would remain in a cave dwelling to cultivate diligently, prioritizing the Great Dao. Once the incarnation reached mastery in the Tongbao Formula, it would travel abroad, scouring Zhongzhou for various leads.
To that end, Qin Sang had constantly been pondering how to strengthen the primary body's control over the incarnation, preventing it from birthing demonic thoughts and turning against him.
If the incarnation and primary body were too far apart and something unexpected occurred, he would be unable to counter it in time; in severe cases, the incarnation might even be controlled by a powerful foe, leading to irrevocable ruin.
Of course, an incarnation wielding a spirit treasure would not be easily captured unless it provoked a Deity Transformation cultivator, and since Qin Sang's purpose was merely to gather information, it would not rashly make enemies.
During the boat journey, Qin Sang had spent most of his time occupied with this matter. Delving into the various cultivation methods and secret arts he had acquired in Xuantian Palace, he had already achieved results: the external incarnation would simply need to return to the cave dwelling periodically, allowing the second Nascent Soul to re-enter the primary body so that their mind and spirit could re-harmonize into perfection.
All in all, there were quite a few tasks that lay ahead.
Through the channels of Liuzhou Hall, he had learned nothing regarding the Ghost Mother's whereabouts, so Qin Sang had settled for second best, inquiring whether there were any Witch Clan cultivators in Zhongzhou.
If the Ghost Mother had arrived safely in Zhongzhou, she would certainly be searching for the Witch Clan as well.
Liuzhou Hall was indeed widely resourceful, unearthing several ancient tomes with records concerning the Witch Clan. Regrettably, these were merely ambiguous ancient legends.
At the very least, there was no Witch Clan on the continent.
As for the overseas territories, they were beyond Liuzhou Hall's reach.
The boat docked against the shore.
The hull jolted slightly.
Storing away his incarnation, Qin Sang stepped off the boat.
In the distance, green mountains resembled indigo pigment. The pier bustled with people—peddlers, laborers, boatmen, and merchants flowing in an endless stream.
Qin Sang moved into the crowd. While seemingly hemmed in, not a single leaf brushed him; he maintained a slight distance from everyone around him, yet none of the mortals noticed anything amiss.
After entering the city and passing the prefectural yamun, Qin Sang sensed the aura of an immortal cultivator inside.
This was the greatest difference between Zhongzhou and other regions. The walled cities and commandery seats of Zhongzhou served not only as market towns where immortal cultivators gathered, but also bore the responsibility of governing and instructing the local commoners. Moreover, immortal cultivators held the post of prefect, preventing mortals from establishing dynasties and ruling independently.
Whether the immortal cultivators of Zhongzhou truly valued mortals was something Qin Sang did not know.
What he did know was that with these cultivator prefects presiding over each region, rogue cultivators and minor sects were heavily constrained. They dared not act recklessly and had to tread carefully within the established rules.
Even a remote place like Fudu Commandery actually had a Foundation Establishment prefect. In all likelihood, this individual came from Mount Bunian, the foremost sect in Zhuozhou.
Qin Sang did not pay a visit to the prefect, slipping inconspicuously into the market district instead until he found a small courtyard. Fudu Commandery was too remote to catch Liuzhou Hall's eye, so they had only set up a liaison post in the commandery seat. Even so, the courtyard was graceful and elegant, situated in the heart of the market district—a clear testament to their deep pockets.
In the courtyard, he met the steward of Liuzhou Hall.
Qin Sang produced his token and explained his purpose.
The steward bowed politely, immediately went back to the inner hall to fetch the corresponding half of the token, and verified its authenticity. Cupping his hands, he said, "Fellow Daoist, that friend of yours left no other messages, but he visits our establishment once every year, without fail over the past seven years. By my reckoning, it is less than two months until his next visit. If Senior does not mind our humble courtyard, you may select an elegant room..."
It appeared Zhou Jin had not met with misfortune, but was tied down by something.
Once they met, the truth would be made plain.
Qin Sang nodded and tossed the steward a pouch of spirit stones. "This poor Daoist happens to have a few questions for you."
The steward bounced the spirit stones in his hand, beaming. "Please ask, Senior! Junior will certainly share whatever he knows."
Just as Qin Sang was about to speak, his expression shifted slightly, and he let out a soft exclamation.
Then, murmuring an apology to the steward, Qin Sang leapt into the air and dashed briskly out of the courtyard. In a few flashes, he was outside the commandery seat.
By the time the steward chased after him, there was not a trace of Qin Sang left on the street.
At a total loss, the steward shook his head. "How bizarre!"
Once outside the commandery seat, Qin Sang glanced left and right, picked a direction, and sped off. Before long, he plunged into deep, ancient mountains where human traces grew sparse.
At the same time, he reached into his spirit beast pouch. When he withdrew his hand, a plump worm rested in his palm.
After consuming the amber insect crystal, the fat silkworm had grown even chubbier than before.
Over the years, the fat silkworm had been slumbering inside Yagu. Now that it had finally awakened, it was rolling incessantly across Qin Sang's palm, letting out bursts of mournful whimpers as though enduring excruciating pain.
Ring after ring of rainbow halos continually rippled outward from the fat silkworm, highly unstable.
This aura...
It seemed to be undergoing a metamorphosis!
The fat silkworm had expended its source energy when concluding the trade with the rotting phosphorus firefly king, lapsing into weakness. Qin Sang had assumed it would need to recuperate quietly for some time before recovering.
Refining the insect crystal was also sure to take time—even taking a century would not have been surprising. He had never expected it to approach a breakthrough so soon.
Stranger still, Qin Sang sensed that this fellow was about to draw down a heavenly tribulation and undergo it right away!
"Why was there no cocooning process?"
Qin Sang recalled the fat silkworm's two previous metamorphoses. Each time, it had first formed a cocoon on its own and slumbered for at least several years to complete the transformation.
Yet this time was an exception.
'Could it be that after devouring the frogfish's toxic core earlier, the fat silkworm was already on the verge of a breakthrough, missing only the final nudge? When crossing the storm belt, its slumber inside Yagu was essentially equivalent to forming a cocoon?'
Qin Sang pondered inwardly. That seemed the only viable explanation.
Back in the Hall of Seven Kills, after the fat silkworm and Yagu had fused, both had undergone unknown changes.
"Squeak, squeak..."
The fat silkworm's cries pulled Qin Sang from his thoughts.
Sending out his divine sense to scan its entire body, Qin Sang found that it was in reasonably good condition. He suspected it had welcomed metamorphosis before fully absorbing the amber insect crystal.
From this, it was evident that the amber insect crystal was truly an extraordinary treasure.
A metamorphosis was always a good thing; the Fire Jade Centipede was still stuffing its belly full of Fire Melting Pills with no signs of transformation whatsoever.
Still, Qin Sang was somewhat worried. The fat silkworm was so useless—capable only of warding off poison—could it really withstand a lightning tribulation? Since he was not the fat silkworm's true master, he could only use a spirit array to help weaken the tribulation lightning on its behalf.
There was no point in overthinking it. Qin Sang spread his divine sense and dashed toward desolate, uninhabited wilds to prevent the heavenly tribulation from causing unforeseen consequences.
Right at this moment, another change occurred in the fat silkworm.
The rainbow halos on its body stopped expanding and began contracting, eventually condensing into a rainbow bead of light. Forcing its head up, the fat silkworm swallowed it down eagerly.
Immediately afterward, a fresh rainbow halo spilled from its body.
It seemed unable to control its own power.
Next, Qin Sang discovered that the new rainbow halo was far more solid than before, quickly encasing the fat silkworm in a thick layer.
If the previous poison-warding armor had been a mere thin membrane, this was now true plate armor!
'Every spirit insect possesses its own means of self-preservation,' Qin Sang thought to himself.
Once the poison-warding armor took shape, the aura of heavenly tribulation on the fat silkworm grew increasingly dense, and tribulation clouds began to gather in the sky.
Qin Sang looked up, sensing the heavenly tribulation.
As expected, its power was not terribly strong, very similar to the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's back then.
Seeing that the heavenly tribulation was imminent, Qin Sang glanced around and flew onto a mountain peak. Looking down, he saw that the fat silkworm was already enveloped in heavy rainbow light, forming something akin to a cocoon of light.
Placing the fat silkworm on the ground, Qin Sang busied himself. The Qianjun Ring flashed continuously as palm-sized gold tokens flew out one after another.
Before departing, he had made some preparations against the possibility of the fat silkworm suddenly undergoing a tribulation.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of gold tokens formed a grand array and vanished into the void.
Rumble!
Tribulation clouds churned, and thunderclaps shook the heavens.
Birds and beasts throughout the mountain forest scattered in terror.
Qin Sang swiftly finished his final hand seal and beat a hasty retreat. The moment he landed on a distant mountain, brilliance flooded his vision as a cascade of silver lightning descended from the heavens.
The sun paled in comparison.
Crack!
The tribulation lightning struck true, hitting the fat silkworm dead on.
As it passed through the gold token array, threads of gold wove into a web. Yet because the heavenly tribulation was extraordinary, imbued with the might of the Heavenly Dao, even the most profound array could not completely neutralize it.
The tribulation lightning pierced the array and slammed down onto the fat silkworm with its remaining might!
Boom!
The earth ruptured and mountains crumbled.
The peak where the fat silkworm sat was flattened outright, massive boulders tumbling down the cliffs.
After that single bolt of tribulation lightning, the tribulation clouds slowly dispersed.
Qin Sang hurried over and swept the area with his divine sense. Finding the fat silkworm inside a fissure in the rock, he flashed to its side and drew it into his hand. Upon a brief examination, surprise showed on his face.
After enduring the tribulation lightning, the cocoon of light around the fat silkworm appeared practically unscathed—whether because it was too resilient, or because its recovery speed was astonishingly rapid.
Crack!
The cocoon of light split open, and the fat silkworm poked out its head. There was not a trace of external injury on its body, though it appeared somewhat weary.
With a suck of its mouth, it swallowed the rainbow halos back into its belly. It rubbed against Qin Sang's finger, wiggling its plump body as if wanting to go straight back to sleep.
How could Qin Sang let it off so easily? Moving quickly, he erased the surrounding traces as thoroughly as possible before fleeing the area. He then pinched the fat silkworm between his fingers, held it up before him, and commanded it to demonstrate its new divine ability.
Having spent so long with the fat silkworm, while they had not reached telepathic accord, he could still make it understand simple commands.
The fat silkworm bobbed its head and spat out the familiar rainbow halo, which transformed into the poison-warding armor and enveloped Qin Sang.
Aside from being somewhat thicker than before and giving the impression of stronger protective capability, nothing else seemed to have changed.
The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.
Qin Sang was expressionless.
The fat silkworm looked completely innocent.
Chapter 1541