Impossible!

The jade pendant! "You are... Ghost Mother?" Qin Sang froze, and the fierce might of the demonic fire flame dragon plummeted abruptly. This jade pendant had been given to him by Tan Hao. Ghost Mother had gifted the jade pendant to Tan Hao as a warning treasure, sealing a sliver of her divine thought inside. Whenever they encountered Ghost Mother, a resonance would stir. Both his true self and incarnation had kept this jade pendant on their person whenever moving about outside. In the nearly two hundred years since arriving in Zhongzhou, there had been no word of Ghost Mother. Even when Su Zinan reopened Wuwang Hall, shaking the entire cultivation world, Ghost Mother had not shown herself. Qin Sang could not help but wonder if Ghost Mother had met with an accident from fierce beasts in the storm belt, or if she had already found a route to the Canglang Ocean and left Zhongzhou. Fortunately, he had not given up. At the Ullambana Assembly, with experts from all across the realm gathered, Ghost Mother had finally appeared. Aside from her, no one else could possibly have recognized the jade pendant! Just then, the pursuers arrived late. "Elder Qin, be careful! We are here to assist you!" Jiang You shouted aloud. He had already joined forces with the experts of the Jinyu Sect. Several streaks of escape light tore through the void, faintly forming an encirclement to corner Ghost Mother. The white figure did not deny her identity. Giving Qin Sang a nod, she turned and fled, flashing through the dark. After a few flickers, she plunged deep into the mountain ranges. Qin Sang hurriedly urged his Phoenix Wings to keep up, surging his true essence to send a voice transmission behind: "Hall Master Jiang, it is a misunderstanding! I will give you an explanation later!" *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* Jiang You and the others descended from the sky. Looking upon the devastated battlefield, they exchanged glances. "Were both of them great cultivators?" One of the Jinyu Sect elders inspected the traces, his expression turning solemn. Jiang You hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly. ... Ghost Mother and Qin Sang flew one after another through the mountains. Having shaken off their pursuers, Ghost Mother halted on a boulder. Qin Sang also landed not far away. "Did Senior sense the jade pendant during the day?" Though Qin Sang was asking, he was essentially certain that the prying gaze during the day had come from Ghost Mother. The sounding of the Seven Sounds Gong earlier had also certainly been her deliberate doing. Her goal had not been stealing treasure at all, but luring him out. If Ghost Mother even dared infiltrate the treasury of Xuantian Palace, could she not handle three bronze gongs? Ghost Mother said indifferently, "Back then, great cultivators in the North Sea could be counted on one's fingers. If I didn't test you, how would I know where you sprang from? If you were a disciple of Xuantian Palace, you would likely have committed murder to seize treasure! Tan Hao was my savior after all, so I would certainly have had to settle accounts with you!" Still remembering Tan Hao—she was not a callous or ungrateful person. Qin Sang relaxed the divine sense maintaining the fire lotus and said, "Does Senior now know Junior's identity?" "The Nine Nether Demonic Fire!" Ghost Mother glanced toward Qin Sang's sleeve. "I recall Tan Hao mentioning that the demonic sect he joined had an old ancestor famous for the Nine Nether Demonic Fire. However, that demonic sect was wiped out long ago. For Tan Hao to divulge the secrets of this palace master and the jade pendant to you, are you the benefactor who gave him the Heavenly Corpse Talisman?" "Senior's discerning gaze is sharp indeed; Junior is full of admiration!" Qin Sang cupped his hands. "Junior Qin Sang greets Senior!" He sighed with no small emotion, "Several decades after Senior set out, Junior obtained a sea chart in the Sacred Ground of Xuantian Palace and pursued all the way to Zhongzhou. I never expected that nearly two hundred years would pass before I finally met Senior." "Two hundred years?" Ghost Mother's dark brows knitted slightly, as if recalling something. "Black spiritual fire... Did you go to the Vast Sea in the Western Desert?" Qin Sang froze slightly, immediately catching the underlying meaning in her words, and asked in surprise, "Could Moonlight Bodhisattva be...?" A mysterious person versed in Buddhist scriptures had suddenly emerged in the mortal realm, debating countless Buddhist eminent monks into silence and stripping Zhongzhou's Buddhist sects of all face. Only an ancient cultivator like Ghost Mother could accomplish such a feat, couldn't she? In the ancient cultivation world, talent must have abounded in brilliant splendor, beyond anything this ruined, near-apocalyptic world today could match. What ancient cultivators had seen, heard, and learned was unimaginable to contemporary cultivators. Ghost Mother was surely widely experienced, even if she had never formally studied Buddhist scriptures. As the saying goes, all great daos converge. Ghost Mother's casual words were pearls of wisdom; couched in Buddhist scriptures, awing today's Buddhist cultivators was hardly difficult. Ghost Mother scoffed, "So it was you who dared take advantage of this palace master! This palace master disguised herself as Moonlight Bodhisattva, first to gather ancient Buddhist texts, and second to lure Buddhist Deity Transformation cultivators west so that I could take something from Ganlu Zen Monastery. You nearly ruined my plans!" Hearing this, Qin Sang sighed repeatedly. Back then, he had had two chances to meet Ghost Mother. Ghost Mother had once set up an altar at Mount Jiujia, which Liuli had personally attended. Qin Sang had been delayed for a time in Sky Rift Valley, brushing past Ghost Mother. In the Vast Sea, they had used Moonlight Bodhisattva to plot for the buddha bone relic, missing each other once more. The whims of fate could not be crueler! "Was it also Senior who infiltrated Ganlu Zen Monastery?" Qin Sang traced back the past, and the various facts fell into place. Indeed, his suspicion had been correct: only Ghost Mother could come and go freely at Mount Lesser Fangcun. "It was me!" Ghost Mother nodded. "Failing to draw out Saint Huiguang, I tried approaching Ganlu Zen Monastery. Discovering the Deity Transformation cultivator was not in the mountain, I slipped inside, obtained the method to travel to the Western Lands, and left Zhongzhou. I only returned recently. Naturally, you couldn't find me." Qin Sang had inquired about Canglang Ocean in Zhongzhou, but with little success. The alien territory most often rumored in Zhongzhou was the Western Lands. He had heard rumors that the Buddhist sects had countless ties to the Western Lands, which Ghost Mother now confirmed for the first time. Beyond the Western Desert, in the storm belt, the continents were torn apart and magma was everywhere; the environment was even harsher than the sea realm. Crossing the continent below the Deity Transformation stage was perilous in the extreme, virtually impossible even with a map. Powerful as Ghost Mother was, she likely had not broken through to the Deity Transformation stage yet. From this, one could see that Ganlu Zen Monastery was not just the foremost sect of Zhongzhou's Buddhist path; it held intimate connections with the Western Lands. Moreover, the disappearance of Deity Transformation cultivators was also confirmed. Qin Sang knew Ghost Mother had entered the Western Lands certainly to seek the Witch Clan. "Tan Hao mentioned that Senior endured countless hardships wishing to find your kin. Did Senior make any discoveries in the Western Lands?" Ghost Mother gave a noncommittal response and asked instead, "You chased all the way to Zhongzhou from thousands of li away. What do you want?" Qin Sang's expression grew solemn. Bowing respectfully, he said with utmost gravity, "Junior wishes to ask Senior to intervene and save someone! Junior will repay you a thousandfold!" Ghost Mother had already guessed this and was not in the least surprised. She chuckled, "No wonder you could become friends with Tan Hao! Who is it? Was this person also kept alive with a Heavenly Corpse Talisman and can no longer be unbound?" "Indeed." Qin Sang sighed softly. "She is a friend of Junior's. She first saved my life, but was later implicated by Junior and met disaster. When her soul was about to dissipate, Junior was forced to use the Heavenly Corpse Talisman to suppress her primordial spirit and plunge her into slumber. Unexpectedly, to this day, though Junior has cultivated to the late Nascent Soul stage, I remain powerless..." Learning it was a female cultivator, Ghost Mother cast a deep look at Qin Sang. "What friend? Your bosom companion, surely? For a passionate romantic to appear among great cultivators is rare indeed!" Qin Sang shook his head with a bitter smile. No longer teasing Qin Sang, Ghost Mother explained the reason: "The Heavenly Corpse Talisman was simplified by this palace master from a high-grade slave talisman, combining the corpse dao and the dao of divine runes. I created it for you humans to use. Although its grade is not high, its complexity is beyond ordinary imagination. Unless you are proficient in both the slave dao and the dao of divine runes, it will not be easily dispelled." Qin Sang said, "No wonder." He continued, "Junior fumbled for five hundred years, exhausting all methods, yet could not awaken her. So it was because I had not found the right doorway." "What did you say? How long has she slept?" Ghost Mother froze. "To prevent the Heavenly Corpse Sect from feigning compliance and betraying me, I only taught them an incomplete Heavenly Corpse Talisman at first. The one you used on Tan Hao's brother was also of this kind, only capable of enslaving souls below the Golden Core stage... What was her cultivation before falling asleep?" "Qi Refining stage. I can sense that her soul is growing increasingly stable, yet she cannot communicate," Qin Sang said. If Yagu had not been by his side all along, he would not have believed it himself. Yagu's existence undoubtedly went against the laws of the Heavenly Dao, breaking the shackles of lifespan. Unless everything he sensed was an illusion—that Yagu's soul had already perished and what remained in her body was no longer her. "Impossible!" Ghost Mother said categorically, "Do you take my Heavenly Corpse Talisman for an immortal talisman capable of defying the heavens and changing fate! Soon after the Heavenly Corpse Talisman enters the body, corpse poison will attack the heart and consciousness will be extinguished. No matter how well preserved, it is absolutely impossible to exceed the original lifespan. Knowing full well it was impossible to revive Tan Jie, I only tried several times to appease Tan Hao. Her soul being stable must be your delusion. I see that the poison of passion has clouded your mind and longing has made you sick. Beware of cultivation deviation!" With that, Ghost Mother could not be bothered to say more and swept her sleeve to leave. Qin Sang hurriedly stopped her. "Senior, please don't rush. Whether it is a delusion or not, Senior will know at a glance. She is also of the Witch Clan, of the same race as Senior." Hearing the words "Witch Clan", Ghost Mother's expression shifted slightly. She halted abruptly, her gaze sharp as a blade as she stared into Qin Sang's eyes. "In the four realms of the North Sea, there is no Witch Clan!" Qin Sang said calmly, "Junior dares not speak falsely. During the years I disappeared, I accidentally fell into the realm where the Witch Clan resides. If Senior is interested, Junior will recount everything in detail." Ghost Mother said coldly, "If you dare deceive me, don't think I cannot kill you." Qin Sang glanced around, flew toward a leeward cliff face, carved out a cave dwelling with a sweep of his sword, and invited Ghost Mother inside. Then he took down the corpse puppet bag from his waist, summoned Yagu, and gently placed her on a stone platform. Yagu's eyes were closed, her face rosy, her breathing deep and even. She looked in no way like a refined corpse, appearing entirely like a young woman peacefully asleep. At a glance, Ghost Mother noticed the wooden plaque on Yagu's chest. "Soul-Nurturing Wood?" She glanced at Qin Sang with some astonishment, her cold expression softening slightly. Stepping over to the stone platform, she looked down at Yagu. With the facts before her, Ghost Mother had no choice but to believe. "She truly is of my clan's bloodline..." Ghost Mother could not hide her shock. Activating some unknown secret technique, the depths of her pupils shimmered with light, glowing brighter and brighter until her gaze seemed almost tangible, piercing through Yagu's body to examine her inside and out. Qin Sang took half a step back, holding his breath, not daring to disturb Ghost Mother. "Her physical body—Yigu Runes! The bones I discarded in the Abyss Ruins were found by you. The alterations made show ingenuity; there are places even I hadn't thought of. Exquisite... Huh? What a peculiar energy!" Ghost Mother discovered the Three Lights Jade Liquid inside Yagu; after so many years, it was nearly exhausted. The one who modified the bone runes was Bai. As Yagu's condition grew better and better, combined with the effects of the bone runes and other spirit herbs Qin Sang found to suppress corpse qi and protect the body, it could be maintained without Three Lights Jade Liquid. That Ghost Mother could still detect the lingering fluctuations of the Three Lights Jade Liquid spoke volumes of her keen spiritual sense. "You've used many fine things on her! Tan Hao's luck was not as good as yours. I'm starting to believe your words a little now, but to retain consciousness after five hundred years defies all reason..." Ghost Mother's brow furrowed tighter and tighter, deeply perplexed. A moment later, the divine light in her eyes receded. Raising her right hand, she executed more than a dozen extraordinarily intricate mudras in succession, tapping her index finger toward the center of Yagu's brow. Ghost Mother immediately noticed something unusual, drew back her finger, and said in a grave voice, "She has a natal gu insect. How did it acknowledge her as master? Did the spirit insect take the initiative to recognize her?" Qin Sang nodded. "Is there any difference when a spirit insect actively acknowledges a master?" Ghost Mother frowned in silence, then said, "Her natal gu insect is very vigilant. It hid inside her soul; I cannot force it out, or it will harm her primordial spirit. You should be very familiar with her natal gu insect..." The fat silkworm was sometimes audacious and other times timid as a mouse. Qin Sang sent his divine sense into Yagu's purple palace to call the fat silkworm. Unexpectedly, this time the fat silkworm refused to come out no matter what, trembling in fear within Yagu's soul, terrified of Ghost Mother. Speechless, Qin Sang looked at Ghost Mother, not understanding why. Ghost Mother chuckled. "It must have sensed the aura of my gu insect." Qin Sang did not know what realm Ghost Mother's gu insect had attained; during their clash earlier, she had not used any spirit gu insects. After patiently soothing it for a while, Qin Sang finally coaxed the fat silkworm out. The fat silkworm crawled onto Qin Sang's palm and immediately spat out venomous mist to envelop itself. The moment the fat silkworm appeared, Ghost Mother's eyes changed instantly. She stared fixedly at the fat silkworm, her astonishment growing deeper and deeper. After waking and falling into this ruined world, few things could astonish Ghost Mother, yet today she had encountered several in Qin Sang's presence alone. Noticing Ghost Mother's unusual expression, Qin Sang looked at the fat silkworm in surprise. Could this fellow have a remarkable origin? "A descendant of the divine silkworm!" Ghost Mother blurted out in disbelief. Qin Sang was slightly taken aback, recalling the legend he had heard in the Witch Clan. The ancient divine silkworm underwent nine metamorphoses to achieve immortality. The divine silkworm was revered as the sacred insect of the Witch Clan, the gu insect of the Witch God, and the only spirit insect in Witch Clan legends to attain the immortal dao! Qin Sang found it hard to imagine that this creature—with its wretched, cowardly temperament and mastery of only the venomous dao—was actually a descendant of the divine silkworm. "No! It isn't!" Ghost Mother suddenly refuted her own judgment. Disregarding the fat silkworm's reaction, she cast a secret technique to sense it, then breathed a sigh of relief. "Not a descendant of the divine silkworm, but it possesses the bloodline of the divine silkworm. Though very thin, this is her great fortune!" Ghost Mother looked toward Yagu, a hint of envy in the depths of her eyes. "The divine silkworm is arrogant, even with just a sliver of its bloodline! Barring extraordinary circumstances, it is impossible for it to actively acknowledge a master. How did she do it?" Qin Sang felt somewhat embarrassed. "Does being terrified by me count as extraordinary?" Where was there any trace of arrogance on this fat silkworm? Gluttonous, fearful of death, borrowing power from others... Back then, threatened by him, the fat silkworm had instead acknowledged Yagu as its master, full of smugness, unaware that it had fallen completely into his grasp. Ghost Mother was struck speechless. "Is the reason Yagu could live until now because of it?" Qin Sang examined the fat silkworm. "Both. The Soul-Nurturing Wood and that peculiar energy all played major roles," Ghost Mother first affirmed Qin Sang's efforts, then added, "After taking the initiative to acknowledge a master, the spirit insect and master are essentially one entity. Furthermore, the divine silkworm bloodline definitely possesses special abilities..." As she spoke, Ghost Mother grabbed the fat silkworm and forced it to display its divine abilities. The fat silkworm could only repeatedly spit and swallow venom pearls and the warding poison halo, until finally, exhausted, its tongue lolled out. Ghost Mother was dumbfounded, glaring at Qin Sang. "Who raised a divine silkworm into this state?!"