Qin Sang's incarnation returned to the Qingxu Illusory Realm, immediately activated the restrictions, and personally stood guard outside the cave dwelling.
Ten days later.
The incarnation suddenly stood up and looked up toward the sky.
The heavens were vast and clear, the clouds light.
The Qingxu Illusory Realm sat atop Mount Pu, commanding an unobstructed view of the scenery beyond the mountain.
After Qin Sang ordered the sealing of Mount Pu, Xie An had been exceedingly busy these past days arranging various affairs in Fudu Commandery and recalling the disciples of the Xie clan.
At this moment, several youths returned together in high spirits, chattering and laughing as they flew up to the mountain gate. The disciples guarding the mountain opened the entrance for them, exchanged greetings, and talked about recent happenings both within and beyond the sect gates.
While they were engrossed in their lively conversation, none could see that the celestial phenomena within the Qingxu Illusory Realm were undergoing a change.
First came cool gusts of breeze.
The wind blew ever stronger.
Rustle, rustle...
Fallen leaves came showering down like rain.
These leaves were still green, far from the season of defoliation, yet they were snapped cleanly from their branches. Forest vegetation bent and flattened, thoroughly shattering the pristine beauty that had existed before.
Wild winds converged midair, and the sky gradually darkened, as though draped in a sheet of somber clouds.
The expanse directly above the cave dwelling was the thickest and heaviest.
These were no ordinary clouds, but a celestial manifestation born of spiritual energy concentrated to the absolute extreme. Spiritual energy throughout the void converged there at ever-increasing speed.
The incarnation swiftly swept his gaze around, confirmed that the anomaly would not affect the outside world, and withdrew his gaze to focus intently on the cave dwelling.
In merely a few breaths, a visible tide of spiritual energy manifested above the cave dwelling, magnificent and tempestuous. Immediately following, an abrupt tremor shook the entire Qingxu Illusory Realm, accompanied by the shrill whistling of the wind.
Spiritual energy surged violently upward, only to crash downward with a resounding roar.
A waterfall of spiritual energy materialized in the void, pouring straight into the cave dwelling!
Boom!
The cave dwelling shuddered violently. Restrictions flared, casting multicolored glows across the incarnation's face.
The incarnation's expression shifted slightly, his gaze shifting to peer straight into the center of the cave dwelling.
In the next instant, the spiritual waterfall abruptly reversed, surging upward. Amidst the deluge, a silhouette emerged, defying the torrent and plunging straight into the core of the spiritual energy. Not only was he completely unharmed, his body seemed to draw in water like a giant whale, drinking every drop of spiritual energy clean.
The celestial anomaly arrived swiftly and vanished just as fast, revealing the figure of the true body.
The true body hung suspended midair, eyes tightly shut, motionless.
This stillness did not last long.
Before the true body could even fully refine the spiritual energy he had just absorbed, the aura around him suddenly began surging with tremendous force, climbing steadily higher.
Yet the smooth progress was short-lived.
The momentum of the breakthrough came to an abrupt halt, clearly having encountered a bottleneck.
The true body let out a cold snort. His aura stagnated for merely a breath before surging explosively. The so-called bottleneck offered only this fleeting resistance before being shattered by the true body's momentum.
The late Nascent Soul stage was achieved!
"Hahaha..."
Hearty, exhilarating laughter echoed throughout the Qingxu Illusory Realm.
Standing suspended in midair, his Daoist robe billowing, pure delight spread between his brows as the true body laughed toward the heavens.
Effort did not betray a resolute heart.
Over a hundred years of closed-door seclusion, enduring boundless solitude—today, he had finally broken through!
To this day, less than three hundred years had passed since the day Qin Sang coalesced his Nascent Soul, and his first Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation was still two to three decades away.
If word of this spread, it would inevitably cause an immense uproar in the cultivation world.
Even among the cultivators of the super sects in Zhongzhou, who enjoyed inexhaustible resources, very few could ever achieve such a feat—and those who did were peerless geniuses without exception.
Whoosh!
His laughter paused, and the true body appeared beside the external incarnation. Exchanging a smile, the second Nascent Soul slipped back into the true body, and all the events of these past years became fully known to him.
Qin Sang absentmindedly browsed through the various pieces of information, his thoughts still lingering on the experiences of these hundred-odd years of seclusion.
After acquiring the Qingxu Illusory Realm, his true body had arranged the cave dwelling and entered seclusion; only now had he stepped outside for the very first time.
Needless to mention the dull monotony of cultivation.
It was not until twenty years ago, when he first touched the bottleneck of the late Nascent Soul stage, that Qin Sang began making preparations for the breakthrough. Prior to that, he naturally had to comb through his path of Dao, patching flaws, reinforcing his cultivation, and adjusting his condition to perfection.
This process had gone exceptionally smoothly.
He could barely be counted as cultivating essence, qi, and spirit all at once, giving him a far more solid foundation than other cultivators.
More than a decade ago, Qin Sang had already felt an inkling that he could attempt a breakthrough with considerable confidence.
However, such rapid speed gave him a sense of unease. Lacking any worry regarding heavenly tribulations or lifespan, he pondered the matter and chose to consolidate for some more time to ensure absolute certainty.
Building momentum for ten years, he charged at the bottleneck in a single burst of effort, and everything indeed fell into place naturally!
The Body Cleansing Pool and killing talismans had increased his cultivation speed without altering his innate talent. For the breakthrough to go so smoothly, the buddha bone relic deserved the greatest credit, while the role of the Fire Seed Golden Lotus could not be overlooked either.
Achieving the realm where divine sense took form ahead of time had aided his breakthrough, once again proving Senior Qingzhu's conjecture from back then.
Simultaneous cultivation of essence, qi, and spirit was beneficial for breaking through.
Even in Zhongzhou, great cultivators were figures standing at the pinnacle. Deity Transformation cultivators could be counted on one's fingers and were now mysteriously missing, meaning there were even fewer who could hold great cultivators in check.
Pleased with his success, Qin Sang looked inward at his body.
His Nascent Soul was more condensed and solid, but after all, this was merely a minor realm, not a qualitative leap between major realms.
The most obvious change was his significantly deepened true essence.
In the past, though his strength was not inferior to that of a great cultivator, he was always constrained by his true essence—forced either to resolve battles swiftly or make an early escape.
Now, he harbored no such concern.
Next was his divine sense.
Qin Sang had long materialized his divine sense, and with this breakthrough, as his cultivation realm elevated, his divine sense had improved as well.
He had anticipated that after breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage, his divine sense would definitely surpass ordinary great cultivators, yet such a profound change still left him thoroughly surprised.
'If I continue cultivating Fire Seed Golden Lotus and refining demonic fire, and if all goes smoothly, my divine sense has a chance to transcend the Nascent Soul stage and rival Deity Transformation cultivators!'
Qin Sang arrived at a conclusion that brought him immense delight.
One had to realize that he had only just broken through to late Nascent Soul and had not even stabilized his realm, yet he already dared harbor such wild ambitions and set his sights on the Deity Transformation stage.
Even if it was merely a one-sided breakthrough in divine sense, it was astonishing enough.
Fire Seed Golden Lotus and the Nine Nether Demonic Fire—one a top-tier divine ability, the other a rare spiritual fire. Combining the two would elevate him to an unimaginable height!
Nor should one forget the role of the Soul-Nurturing Wood.
He had possessed it for so long, and the subtle, imperceptible benefits he had reaped from it were immeasurable.
'If my divine sense breaks through once more to rival the Deity Transformation stage, will it be able to resist the Heavenly Dao suppression of a Deity Transformation cultivator?'
Qin Sang pondered this question.
The greatest gulf between Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation stemmed precisely from this.
Qin Sang knew too little about the Deity Transformation stage to imagine it out of thin air.
With this realization, Qin Sang could hardly wait to return to seclusion and focus on cultivating Fire Seed Golden Lotus to see what height he could ultimately reach.
In his previous plans, upon breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage, Qin Sang had intended to devote part of his energy to body refinement and advance Heavenly Demon Refining Form.
After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, he had barely practiced this technique.
Heavenly Demon Refining Form remained at the early fourth stage, lagging far behind.
The Seven Masters Buddhist Seal was a divine ability with impressive might and potential, but constrained by his physical body, it lagged far behind Qin Sang's other techniques and could not show its efficacy in combat.
Cultivating essence, qi, and spirit together meant that even if he failed to encounter an opportunity for Deity Transformation in the future, cultivating all three to the pinnacle would increase his chances of breakthrough.
'My plans have to change...'
Qin Sang rubbed his chin.
Deity Transformation was not an urgent matter.
If his divine sense could break through, the benefits would be boundless. An opportunity that could be encountered only by serendipity naturally took top priority. Even leaving aside the elusive Deity Transformation cultivators whose heads could be seen but never their tails, it would still form an overwhelming suppression against cultivators of the same rank.
Zhongzhou was seething with turbulent undercurrents.
Qin Sang had always kept his incarnation wandering outside, steering clear of conflicts, for a single reason: his strength was not yet great enough.
The foundations and heritage of the super sects in Zhongzhou were undeniably terrifying. What was more, some factions possessed more than one great cultivator, bound to one another by countless intricate ties—offending one would provoke a swarm.
Compared to them, Qin Sang was alone and unsupported. Only by making himself stronger would he possess the qualification to meddle in the overarching affairs of the world.
Putting these thoughts aside, Qin Sang directed his attention to other matters.
"Deer Wilderness, Old Fiend Lu," Qin Sang murmured, then listed several more names: "Eight Views Abbey, True Monarch Danyu, Ganlu Zen Monastery, Saint Huiguang, Ghost Mother, the demon race, the Gu God Cult, the South Sea immortal palace..."
These names, along with sects like Mount Bunian, could sketch a rough outline of the distribution of power across Zhongzhou.
Yet much was missing, preventing Qin Sang from connecting them into a coherent thread; thick mists obscured what lay behind, revealing nothing clearly.
Where had the Deity Transformation cultivators gone? What were the Gu God Cult and Deer Wilderness plotting?
After pondering for a long while, Qin Sang suddenly burst into wry laughter.
Why was he thinking so much?
He had no attachments in Zhongzhou and was free to come and go as he pleased. So long as he kept his own goals in mind, responding to all changes with constancy was enough.
As for Wuwang Hall, Qin Sang not only forbade his incarnation from going, but his true body had no intention of joining the fray either.
In his view, Wuwang Hall was very likely to detonate the conflicts of Zhongzhou, and the forces gathering overtly and covertly near the Chinan Island Chain were bound to be astoundingly numerous.
His true body had just broken through to the late stage and needed to stabilize his cultivation.
According to Chengweizi, those people had already locked onto the location of the Wuwang Hall ruins. Rushing there now would likely be too late anyway, so he might as well wait for further news.
Afterward, Qin Sang had his avatar remain on guard outside, stay in touch with Mount Bunian, and monitor the outcome of the struggle over Wuwang Hall.
His true body returned to the cave dwelling to continue his seclusion.
Besides cultivating, Qin Sang also needed to prepare to face the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.
It was merely the first heavenly tribulation, and given his strength, he had no real cause for concern, but he could not afford to be careless.
In particular, as the time drew nearer before the tribulation fell, the oppressive heaviness of heavenly might felt by a cultivator grew ever stronger, which would affect him in combat.
Barring a major event, Qin Sang planned to keep his true body in seclusion until he had weathered the heavenly tribulation.
Returning to the cave dwelling, Qin Sang spent some time slightly consolidating his cultivation, then could not wait to summon the Wandering Sword.
A beam of light flashed between his brows, and the Wandering Sword appeared before him.
The blade was like jade, possessing a breathtaking beauty.
Qin Sang gazed at it for a long time, murmuring, "Old friend, it has been a long time."
Back then, Bai had warned him that after accommodating Yunyouzi's true spirit, he would be unable to use this sword for a very long time. He had not expected that even after becoming a great cultivator, he still could see no glimmer of hope.
During the mid Nascent Soul stage, Qin Sang had attempted to refine the Wandering Sword using the Yuan-Sacrificing Technique, but had failed repeatedly due to insufficient cultivation. Now, he decided to try again.
The Wandering Sword trembled slightly and settled gently into Qin Sang's palm.
Qin Sang placed his palms one over the other, sank his heart into meditation, and the complete text of the Yuan-Sacrificing Technique flashed through his mind.
A life-bound magic treasure aligned with a cultivator's Great Dao and was a cultivator's most vital possession.
Through the Yuan-Sacrificing Technique, there was no need to seek out various treasures; merely by expending energy and time, a cultivator could gradually elevate it, refining it into a pseudo spirit treasure, or even a spirit treasure.
On this point alone, the difficulty was far lower than crafting an ordinary spirit treasure.
Naturally, the process was also extraordinarily protracted.
Recalling the full text, Qin Sang connected his mind with the Wandering Sword. Focusing part of his mind on the changes within Yunyouzi's true spirit, he simultaneously began circulating the Yuan-Sacrificing Technique.
At that moment, rays of radiance emerged before Qin Sang, countless runes flashing and continuously sinking into the Wandering Sword, fully absorbed by it.
The runes were exceptionally intricate, requiring the simultaneous mobilization of true essence and divine sense.
The further he progressed, the more strenuous Qin Sang felt it to be. In the mid Nascent Soul stage, the final portion of the Yuan-Sacrificing Technique had exceeded his capability, forcing him to abandon it every time he reached that point.
Now, things were clearly different.
Swish!
The final dozen-plus runes were executed in one smooth stroke.
A hazy radiance suffused the surface of the Wandering Sword, giving it an ethereal aura.
Qin Sang let out a soft breath, his face showing delight. Without hesitation, he drew the Wandering Sword into his primordial spirit, circulated the secret art, and focused on refining it.
The Yuan-Sacrificing Technique was immensely taxing.
In less than an hour, Qin Sang began to feel exhausted.
Awakening from his meditation, he slowly withdrew his power and sensed the Wandering Sword.
A cultivator always shared a blood-linked connection with their life-bound magic treasure, and after this refinement, they seemed slightly closer, though Yunyouzi's true spirit showed no evident change.
At least the Yuan-Sacrificing Technique did no harm to the true spirit.
Having confirmed this, Qin Sang felt reassured.
Next, Qin Sang took a brief rest to regulate his breath, then summoned the fire lotus seed and demonic fire once more. Refining demonic fire after his divine sense had vastly increased was indeed faster than before.
...
While the true body was devoted to refining demonic fire, the incarnation finally received word from Mount Bunian.
Fu Han had personally delivered the invitation, and not just to him alone—Mount Bunian was actually convening all Nascent Soul powers under its domain for a conference.
Qin Sang closed the invitation, looked toward Fu Han, and asked, "This poor Daoist heard no whispers at all; I didn't expect the matter of Wuwang Hall to have concluded already. May I ask when Sect Master Situ returned from the Eastern Sea? Since Sect Master Situ set out together with Fellow Daoist Chengshenzi, they must have reaped quite a harvest?"
Before long, this matter would spread throughout Zhongzhou.
Fu Han had no need to conceal anything from Qin Sang, so he shook his head and said, "Master and Martial Uncle both returned empty-handed! Anomalies did indeed appear near the Chinan Island Chain, and it was essentially confirmed to be the Wuwang Hall ruins, but before anyone could enter, the entrance vanished."
"Oh?" Qin Sang was startled and asked in surprise, "And then? They just gave up like that?"
Fu Han hummed in assent. "After the entrance vanished, Master and the others searched everywhere, but found nothing. In truth, the anomaly lasted quite a while, but it was extraordinarily perilous, so Master remained outside watching. Unexpectedly, Daoist Zilei, the Abbot of Eight Views Abbey, braved the danger and ventured inside, only to suffer severe injuries and still fail to breach the outer forbidden zone. It is said that Eight Views Abbey and Ganlu Zen Monastery lost several Nascent Soul cultivators inside."
Pausing, Fu Han added, "Master said that the Wuwang Hall ruins are a perilous place even for Deity Transformation cultivators."
Chapter 1565