Of all the classical records preserved in the Langhuan Jade Pavilion, the only one truly useful to Qin Sang was the latter part of the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter.
The other texts showed no obvious utility for now.
This was only natural; anything easy to comprehend had already been divided among the five branches long ago.
The Yin-Yang Heavenly Dipper Secret Art was not here, but Qin Sang still expended some mental effort to commit all the records here to memory, whether useful or not.
Qin Sang found himself unable to fathom the relationship between Xiaoxiangzi and the Wuxiang Immortal Sect.
Based on the various clues obtained earlier, Qin Sang had believed Xiaoxiangzi very likely originated from the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, had been forced to flee far to the northern borders, and, thoroughly disheartened, was unwilling to speak of his former sect.
However, the latter part of the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter had been kept right here in the Langhuan Jade Pavilion for people to contemplate. If the Killing Sword fragments had been discovered alongside the cultivation method back then, they should have been placed into the Cloud Pool as well.
Xiaoxiangzi had attached such importance to the Killing Sword fragments, yet made no mention of the cultivation method in his surviving writings, appearing entirely unaware that this method was related to the fragments.
Unless, back then, he had not yet possessed the qualifications to ascend to the summit of the jade pavilion, and had only obtained them by chance out in the world after the Wuxiang Immortal Sect was wiped out and the fragments had drifted away.
Qin Sang shook his head.
The truth of those distant days was already submerged in the passage of time; Xiaoxiangzi's experiences were known to him alone.
Qin Sang dwelled no further on these inconsequential matters. Withdrawing his mind from the orb of light, he remained quietly seated for a good while, sorting through what he had just acquired.
With the cultivation method now in hand, there was plenty of time ahead—no need to rush.
Next, Qin Sang rose from the prayer mat and walked down toward the lower levels, intending to search the Cloud Pool for any other treasures of interest.
After that, he would consider whether to head to the ice palace to rendezvous with his incarnation, or continue operating separately and proceed directly to the Fire Phase Hall in his true body.
Returning to the gallery.
Qin Sang looked around.
Within the immortal's abode, iridescent light shifted in a thousand hues.
His chief concern was naturally the precipice, wondering if any new variables would arise.
The unusual phenomenon at the cliff had died down, and no signs of fighting could be seen.
"The remnants of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect clashed with the Eight Views Abbey—who knows who won or lost? Now that the Immortal Palace has ascended, will they still fight to the death? My understanding of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect is still too lacking; perhaps I should consider making contact with one side..."
Qin Sang pondered silently, unable to divine which way the situation would develop next.
Fortunately, with the cultivation method in hand, he could act with far greater ease and composure.
The emergence of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect was a monumental event unseen in ten thousand years, and with countless undiscovered treasures remaining in the abode, he certainly was unwilling to just leave like this.
Thinking thus, Qin Sang cast his gaze toward the Cloud Pool to seek out targets.
The treasures inside the jade cages could not be seen.
The broken sabers and swords outside, on the other hand, could be seen clearly.
Though they were all dormant now, their might long gone, when intact they had been pseudo-spirit treasures at the very least. Ordinary magic treasures had not possessed the qualifications to be placed into the Cloud Pool by the Wuxiang Immortal Sect.
He was versed in artifact crafting as well; if he could comprehend a thing or two from these remnant treasures, he would surely benefit immensely, which would help Yunyouzi nurture spirituality.
At this thought, Qin Sang fixed his eyes on a broken sword.
In exact contrast to the Killing Sword, this sword possessed a hilt but no tip.
Its blade was transparent, flickering in and out of sight beneath the glow of the Cloud Pool like an illusory silhouette of a sword. Without a second thought, Qin Sang gave it the name Chengying Sword!
The Chengying Sword was snapped in the middle, the break smooth and clean—it had actually been severed by an even sharper weapon.
"This is the one!"
Having settled on the Chengying Sword, Qin Sang repeated his previous trick, summoning four fire figures.
Because the Chengying Sword gave him no response, fishing for this treasure was noticeably more difficult than the last time. Only after three consecutive failures did Qin Sang manage to pull out the Chengying Sword right before the treasure faded away.
Doing this alone is still too strenuous...
The thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind. Grasping the Chengying Sword, he was surprised to discover that whether he channeled true essence or divine sense into it, both passed straight through, as if the sword did not exist at all.
Controlling it as a spiritual sword was pure fantasy.
"The treasures in the Cloud Pool truly are stranger and stranger. If its secrets were that easy to see through, it wouldn't have been left for me..."
Maintaining a good mindset, he toyed with it for a moment, stowed the Chengying Sword into the Qianjun Ring, and continued fishing for treasures.
Next, after resting for a while, he made intermittent attempts and succeeded in fishing out a small drum with a hole in it, as well as a tattered scroll, from the Cloud Pool.
The small drum was intact except for a single puncture in the center of the drumhead. Qin Sang had initially thought there might be a chance to repair it, but upon obtaining it, he realized it was not that simple.
The scroll depicted a boundless stretch of water flowing unceasingly even to this day, with no discernible source or destination. Bringing it close, one could actually hear the gurgling murmur of running water.
These three items were the most conspicuous among the Cloud Pool's remnant treasures.
Without exception, no matter what method he employed, the remnant treasures showed no reaction whatsoever.
Having obtained the three remnant treasures, Qin Sang turned his gaze once more toward the jade cages, hoping to fish out a few more to see what treasures lay inside and try his luck.
Just at this moment, an anomaly suddenly appearing in the distance drew his attention!
While fishing for treasures, Qin Sang had never let down his guard.
The whereabouts of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect remnants and the Daoist cultivators were unknown, and both factions were stronger than him; he could not afford to be careless.
First, he had to prevent anyone from approaching the Langhuan Jade Pavilion unnoticed; second, he needed to keep an eye on the ice palace in case his incarnation encountered a powerful foe.
The anomaly was coming from none other than the ice palace!
Straining his eyes into the distance, Qin Sang could see a faint blue celestial light undulating between the mountains, beneath which the vague silhouettes of several ice palaces were reflected, interwoven with the gleam of restrictive spells, though the full view of Bingyi Palace remained hidden from sight.
After his incarnation entered, thanks to the ice plate in hand, the restrictions and the faint blue celestial light within the ice palace had remained steady.
Now, several beams of white light suddenly burst forth from inside the ice palace, quickly stirring the surrounding restrictive glow into erratic flickering.
The white light shot outward, but did not surge skyward.
Moreover, the area where the disturbance occurred was located in the middle of the ice palace, which amounted to very little relative to the palace as a whole.
Those too far away would most likely fail to notice, but Qin Sang, standing atop the Langhuan Jade Pavilion at a commanding height and equipped with the Heavenly Eye, naturally saw it with absolute clarity.
"The incarnation has been inside for quite some time. If all went well, he should have already reached the central main hall of the ice palace, or even emerged by now... Why would a disturbance occur in the middle section of the ice palace?"
Qin Sang's gaze narrowed slightly.
When parting ways with his incarnation, they had agreed that in the event of trouble, the incarnation would send a signal to warn him.
No signal could be seen at this moment, yet the timing of the anomaly was clearly abnormal.
Nor was there anything in the Cloud Pool that he absolutely had to obtain.
Glancing at the anomaly, Qin Sang made a swift decision. Stowing away the demonic fire, he left the Langhuan Jade Pavilion and sped toward the ice palace.
...
Bingyi Palace.
The scar-faced man and Cave Master Qiling arrived together before the ice palace.
"To think that back then, any single branch of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect picked at random was not the least bit inferior to today's top-tier sects, yet now it has come to this..."
Looking at the dilapidated Bingyi Palace, Cave Master Qiling spoke from the heart, sighing all the more ruefully when he heard the scar-faced man say that Fire Rhinoceros Island had suffered even worse damage than Bingyi Palace.
"Can you still sense the wood spirit aura?" He turned his head to ask the scar-faced man.
The scar-faced man said nothing. He closed his eyes and sensed for a while before answering, "The precious wood is still there, but its exact location cannot be discerned. Perhaps disrupted by the remnant formation, I can only lock onto a general direction. It should be in the deepest part of Bingyi Palace."
"Such precious wood would definitely be heavily guarded." Cave Master Qiling summoned his magic treasure to protect himself and urged, "Even if only a remnant formation remains, breaking it won't be easy. Let's move quickly."
Naturally having no objection, the scar-faced man stepped forward and followed.
Upon entering Bingyi Palace, they first saw the dried-up small lake. Then they discovered the three paths through the woods.
With their goal clear, they headed straight down the middle path.
Just as Cave Master Qiling was about to enter the grove, he was suddenly called to a halt by the scar-faced man.
"Hold on!"
The scar-faced man stood before the grove and spread his arms. The flora beneath his feet suddenly began to grow wildly. With his ten fingers fluttering, speckles of green light drifted from his fingertips into the woods.
A light breeze swept through the trees.
The treetops swayed gently as a green wave rolled forward.
Yet in the eyes of Cave Master Qiling, the vegetation felt completely different from before; it seemed to have been brought entirely under the scar-faced man's control, becoming an extension of him.
Next, the scar-faced man signaled Cave Master Qiling to follow and walked into the grove.
With every step he took, the green wave surged forward by an equal distance.
The branches of the ancient trees bent downward on their own, weaving a pathway of boughs for them through the woods, and once they passed, the branches returned to their original places.
Following behind the scar-faced man, Cave Master Qiling asked when they were halfway through, "Found anything?"
The surrounding vegetation served as the scar-faced man's eyes; had anyone left a mark in the woods, it would not escape his senses.
The scar-faced man shook his head.
"Let's see. We might be the first ones here," Cave Master Qiling said in a relaxed tone, constantly examining his surroundings with considerable curiosity.
The lineage of the Water Phase Hall did not align with his own Daoist path.
Still, back when the five branches of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect shared equal renown, if the Wood Phase Hall possessed such a top-tier secret art, the Water Phase Hall was bound to have secrets of its own!
Taking advantage of this opportunity, he could search thoroughly.
Having traversed the woods without incident.
The two saw the garden and the Qilin screen wall!
Before being activated, the Qilin screen wall showed no sign of abnormality, so the two inevitably repeated the misstep of Qin Sang's incarnation.
Stepping close, just as they were about to bypass it—
Swish!
The screen wall flared with blinding chill-light, and ice qilins broke free from the wall in an instant, lunging at the two.
The scar-faced man's expression shifted slightly as he uttered a low warning, "Careful!"
Cave Master Qiling's reaction was not slow in the least. The moment the scar-faced man spoke, he flicked his sleeve, and a burst of silver light flashed out as a silver cord flew from his cuff.
The silver cord was soft as nothingness, yet suddenly spread wide in midair before snapping taut into a straight line. Shooting straight toward the first ice qilin at an exceptionally tricky angle, it flashed beneath the beast's neck and instantly bound it on the spot.
At the same time, the scar-faced man spread his five fingers wide. A point of green luminescence appeared in the void, and dozens of vines sprouted from thin air, writhing madly like serpents.
An ice qilin happened to pounce right above the vines. Catching the enemy's scent, the vines surged forward in competition, tying the ice qilin firmly in place.
There were eight ice qilins in total, but seeing two controlled so easily, the scar-faced man and Cave Master Qiling relaxed their expressions.
Without needing to exchange words, the two acted in tacit harmony, each selecting three of the remaining beasts.
Cave Master Qiling uttered a single word—"Settle!" Without needing to deploy his red flower, he repeatedly flicked his fingers, sending three beams of spiritual light streaking through the air toward three ice qilins.
The spiritual light transformed into rings in midair, landing dead center over the ice qilins' heads to slip collars onto their necks.
The scar-faced man looked even more at ease.
After the cluster of vines bound the first ice qilin, an unending stream of vines continued to grow, swiftly weaving into a massive net in the air that engulfed the remaining three ice qilins.
In the blink of an eye, all the ice qilins were imprisoned!
"Restrictions still remain ahead. It seems we must be careful..."
Cave Master Qiling did not take the ice qilins seriously, speaking while glancing into the depths of the garden.
Unexpectedly, halfway through his sentence, Cave Master Qiling abruptly stopped, looking in surprise at the silver cord—the ice qilin originally bound by it was gone without him knowing when!
Immediately afterward, the two discovered that the ice qilins they had restrained were turning ethereal one by one, vanishing into thin air from their confinements.
"Move!"
Sensing trouble, the scar-faced man darted forward at top speed.
The next moment, their surroundings shifted drastically.
Chilling winds howled.
The garden lay right in front of them, yet was rapidly receding into the distance, with only the Qilin screen wall standing steadfast before them. The broken screen wall seemed like a towering barrier, blocking the path ahead.
This was no illusion.
The two felt themselves severed from reality by a bizarre force.
Experienced as they were, they instantly drew together, only to see the vanished ice qilins reappear around them.
Eight ice qilins, crouched in identical postures, surrounded them and opened their maws wide, exhaling endless waves of frosty chill.
The white chill danced around them, its qi linked to the Qilin screen wall, radiating an extraordinary power—it was precisely this power that trapped the two in place!
The frosty chill grew ever denser, threatening to freeze them solid.
"Strange!"
The scar-faced man frowned deeply and stamped down hard, bursting forth a green halo of light from his body.
Cave Master Qiling guided with his finger, sending the red flower soaring high before turning upside down. Its petals fluttered with apparent gentleness, yet exerted an immense suction that devoured streams of frosty chill.
He defended against the chill.
The scar-faced man targeted the true bodies of the eight qilins. Everywhere the halo passed, vines grew rampant, instantly plunging the eight ice qilins into a thriving jungle of creeping boughs.
The next moment, the vines withered in unison!
Deathly energy erupted.
Had the incarnation been here, he would have recognized at a glance that this was none other than the Senluo Withered Prison the scar-faced man had once used against them.
Casting it now, the scar-faced man was clearly far more composed than before, restricting the divine ability's area of effect solely to the vicinity of the eight ice qilins.
In an instant.
Invaded by deathly energy, the ice qilins' translucent bodies were coated in gray. Slabs of ice flaked off, on the verge of total collapse.
Yet before the two could devise a way to break free from the blockade—
The Qilin screen wall flickered with cold light, and fresh ice qilins leapt out.
What was more, the frost left behind by the previous batch had not vanished; the moment these new ice qilins appeared, they could manipulate the vast reservoir of cold as naturally as fish in water, possessing power far surpassing the earlier group.
At this moment, the scar-faced man and Cave Master Qiling finally realized they were in trouble.
As long as the Qilin screen wall did not fall, the ice qilins were immortal, endless, and would grow increasingly powerful.
The two were confident they could protect themselves amidst the ice qilins' siege until the power of the screen wall was exhausted. But that was clearly unfeasible; it would take far too long. They had to find a way to resolve their current predicament!
...
In the depths of Bingyi Palace.
The Taiji Immortal Platform.
Having memorized the restrictions of the Taiji Immortal Platform, the incarnation returned to the grand formation outside and placed the ice plate back onto the ice dais to recharge it, while simultaneously analyzing both the dais and the remnant formation.
The Qilin screen wall shook Bingyi Palace.
His expression shifting slightly, the incarnation darted out of the hidden hall.
Chapter 1631