At that moment, the entire river of stars seemed to twinkle for them.
Anyone gazing up at the night sky might have glimpsed a strange omen, yet none knew someone was traversing the void, taking it merely for an illusion of their own eyes.
Qin Sang gazed up at the star-studded night sky, then looked back at the empty sacrificial altar.
By all reason, resolving an obsession that had weighed on him for five hundred years should have brought immense relief. Instead, Qin Sang felt as though in a dream, lingering in long silence.
That brush of lingering chill would not fade.
The feeling of this moment would likely never leave his memory.
Recalling Ghost Mother's parting words, Qin Sang murmured softly, "Liuying..."
She truly had transformed into a firefly and flown away!
And the fat silkworm with her.
Now, only the poison pearl remained by his side—the sole physical link left of that five-hundred-year bond, bearing witness to all the years gone by.
Qin Sang walked onto the sacrificial altar step-by-step.
The altar itself appeared largely unchanged, but only now did Qin Sang realize that the power of its grand formation had been completely exhausted when the ritual dance concluded. It was now nothing more than an ordinary earthen terrace.
The spiritual liquid in the spring pool was likewise utterly drained of spirituality.
Ghost Mother's mortal body still stood there, frozen in her final pose.
Ghost Mother had left no particular instructions regarding this fleshly shell.
Qin Sang looked it up and down, watching the skin rapidly lose its luster. Shamanic divine runes surfaced across the parched, cracking skin, suggesting it was far more complex than simple body possession—it had been refined by Ghost Mother with Witch Clan secret arts.
Unable to make anything else of it, Qin Sang turned his palm downward and pressed down. The ground rumbled violently as the earthen terrace, the spring pool, and Ghost Mother's mortal body sank together into the depths of the earth, erasing every last trace.
After a few final glances, Qin Sang took to the air and returned to Luye. His incarnation soon led the others back as well.
The Dark Moon Guard had no idea what had just occurred and looked entirely bewildered.
Qin Sang left orders to head back to Beihuang, then entered his cave abode to begin seclusion.
This time, he did not enter deep meditation. Instead, he prepared to carefully organize his gains from the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. Ever since leaving the sect, he had been consumed with healing his injuries and assisting in Liuying's ascension, never finding time to properly sort through everything.
First were the low-grade cultivation methods, incantations, and Daoist arts obtained from the Langhuan Jade Pavilion. He naturally had no use for them, but now that he intended to establish the Qingyang Temple in Zhongzhou, they were perfectly suited for disciples to cultivate.
At this thought, Qin Sang brought out several blank jade slips and transcribed the other ancient texts he had acquired.
Among them were the inheritances of the Water, Metal, and Wood Aspects.
The Water Aspect inheritance was the most complete, comprising portions from both the Bingyi Palace and the snowfield tomb, with some inevitable overlap, alongside an alchemical legacy that included the recipe for the Boiling Snow Pill.
Next was the Wood Aspect branch, which held several inheritances, including the supreme cultivation method *Wood Emperor Strategy*, the great divine ability *Acquired Wood Human Stele*, and a complete artifact refinement lineage.
Within the gold sword was recorded the sword formation of the Metal Aspect lineage.
There were also various fragmented scrolls recovered from the top of the Langhuan Jade Pavilion.
Most of these cultivation methods and Daoist arts did not align with Qin Sang's path and could only serve as reference, but leaving them to the Qingyang Temple would immensely enrich its heritage. After all, every one of them stood among the world's finest.
Combined with the several supreme lineages from the North Sea, future disciples might well be dazzled by the choices before them.
Only in hindsight did Qin Sang realize that having inherited so many legacies from the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, Qingyang Temple could almost be dubbed a "Little Wuxiang Immortal Sect."
Having sorted and set those aside, Qin Sang brought out the treasures he had fished from the treasure pool: the unpolished jade tied to the *Yin-Yang Heavenly Dipper Secret Art*, the Chengying Sword, the broken drum, and the rolled-up picture scroll.
Acquiring these four treasures had been a pure stroke of luck. They were either damaged or of unknown origin. Even now, with time to study them thoroughly, he remained utterly at a loss. Rather than wasting more effort, he stowed them all away.
Perhaps when his attainments in artifact refinement improved significantly in the future, a breakthrough would present itself.
Most important of all were naturally the eleventh and twelfth layers of the *Essence Cultivation and Sword Nurturing Chapter*, corresponding to the Deity Transformation and Void Refining stages. Not having reached those realms yet, Qin Sang could only study them superficially.
What shocked Qin Sang most was how the seven killing talismans evolved alongside advancements in cultivation realm.
Prior to the Nascent Soul stage, a cultivator's primary task was condensing the killing talismans, then splitting off a total of seven sword lights during the late Core Formation stage, which Qin Sang referred to as sword souls.
Upon stepping into the Nascent Soul stage, one had to project the killing talismans from the lifebound spirit sword onto the seven sword souls, subsequently merging those sword souls with their own seven corporeal po.
Yet all of that was merely laying the groundwork for what came after.
As the realm advanced, the cultivator could gradually split off seven sword po, each born solely from sword intent and dedicated exclusively to the sword dao.
Deploying all seven sword po in concert with the true body wielding the lifebound spirit sword formed the true *Seven Po Slaying Formation*—a slaughtering array of the authentic sword dao!
Of course, all of that remained somewhat distant for Qin Sang.
Filled with anticipation, Qin Sang turned his gaze to another group of treasures:
The Bingyi Divine Plate, the Fire Rhinoceros Pendant, and the Ice and Fire Token, all tied to the tribulation-transcending grand formation.
With a shift of his thought, the incarnation pushed the door open, picked up the Bingyi Divine Plate, the Fire Rhinoceros Pendant, and a large hoard of spirit materials, and set off to construct the spirit formations to nurture the treasures.
Neither formation was particularly intricate, and Qin Sang had already chosen a suitable location within Luye.
Next came the spoils from his battle against the scar-faced man.
For the time being, he chose not to touch the Heavenly Exquisite Spirit Embryo.
The wooden armor had already been handed to the incarnation to refine for personal defense.
The Gu King had been soothed by Ghost Mother's secret art and fallen into slumber, requiring no constant vigilance. It only awaited Qin Sang re-refining the toxic core before he could set about devouring it.
Lastly was the fragment of the ancient red mystery tree.
This treasure was too severely damaged to cultivate the *Acquired Wood Human Stele* and was best reserved for artifact refinement later on. Qin Sang could not possibly discard his external incarnation, so if he wished to cultivate that technique, he would have to find a different medium to anchor it.
The treasures obtained on Fire Rhinoceros Island were few in number, yet they had proven the most helpful on Dishou Mountain.
The Mani Pearl was indisputably a supreme defensive treasure, and it currently contained the demonic fire source.
The Fire Jade Centipede had remained asleep ever since leaving the estate. Once it finished consuming the ice-sealed fire spirit, its cultivation would undoubtedly take a great leap forward.
Though Dishou Mountain had been fraught with twists and turns, the harvest had been exceptionally bountiful.
The Fire Rhinoceros Pendant, relics of a Deity Transformation cultivator, dao rhythm, Five Elements Pills...
With the foundation laid by the relics of the Witch Clan Deity Transformation cultivator, cultivating the *Panhu True Scripture* and elevating the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's realm would be vastly easier.
In Qin Sang's eyes, the Five Elements Pill was second in value only to subsequent cultivation methods, though the upcoming trade might still involve further complications.
Su Zinan's relics had also brought Qin Sang a tremendous windfall. Fitting for the adopted son of a Deity Transformation cultivator, his hoard was packed with treasures; the spirit stones alone were enough to sustain the growth of an entire sect.
The scar-faced man seemed far more modest by comparison, though with his cultivation level, he had still managed to amass a fair share of heavenly treasures and earthly wonders.
Qin Sang kept the most valuable items and handed the rest to his incarnation for the future development of the sect.
Even among the treasures he kept, not all would be useful to him immediately; he could trade them away later for the resources he needed to sustain his cultivation. Once the trivialities were handled, Qin Sang planned to enter seclusion and make a dedicated push toward late-stage perfection.
The dao rhythm from the Wordless Jade Wall and the Buddha bone relic had already cleared much of the dust from his dao path.
As for the Three Corpse God-Extinguishing Banner—perhaps more appropriately called the One Corpse God-Extinguishing Banner now—Su Zinan had fused into the demonic soul and was still recovering. Qin Sang was currently refining it, planning to hand it over to his incarnation alongside the Thousand Domain Mirror once the mirror was repaired.
The Thousand Domain Mirror had sustained only minor damage, which would not be difficult to fix.
With the wooden armor, the Thousand Domain Mirror, and the demonic banner in his possession, the incarnation's strength would soar to an entirely new tier, to the point where ordinary Great Cultivators would hardly be his match.
And that was assuming the incarnation had not yet broken through.
Even before the battle at the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, the incarnation had already brushed against the bottleneck and sensed the opportunity for breakthrough; advancing to the late Nascent Soul stage was only a matter of time.
Having the incarnation break through, helping the Heavenly Eye Butterfly advance, and refining the demonic fire source with his true body—these were Qin Sang's upcoming goals.
Other matters, such as comprehending the Wuxiang Immortal Sect's heritage and refining the Taiji Immortal Terrace and Ice and Fire Token, were equally unavoidable.
With such a mountain of tasks weighing on him, even with his incarnation sharing the burden, Qin Sang felt stretched to his limits.
There was yet another matter of utmost importance: trading with Mo Xingdao for the Spirit Rhinoceros Immortal Fruit!
Through the Dark Moon Guard, Su Zinan had controlled several subordinates in Beihuang. Qin Sang had integrated those subordinates, and throughout his travels across Beihuang, a steady stream of intelligence had been delivered to him.
Qin Sang had been keeping close watch over the movements of the Ganlu Monastery, trying to uncover any trace of Mo Xingdao's whereabouts.
Yet no one knew what Saint Huiguang was scheming. Ever since Sect Master Yu entered the Ghost Rock Plateau, the Azure Fox Saint King and the three great sects of Daoism, Buddhism, and Demonic Cultivation had never left.
Old Demon Fan, the Poison King, Yue Lingtian, and the others who had taken part in the battle to subdue the demon had likewise made no public appearances.
Mo Xingdao was likely still being kept within the ancient estate.
Qin Sang had already dispatched a member of the Dark Moon Guard to slip into their agreed trading location and await Mo Xingdao.
With everything sorted out, the incarnation packed up the assorted treasures and turned to leave.
Qin Sang's true body paused for a moment, then stepped outside the cave abode as well.
His cave abode had been carved deep within the bamboo grove, where Su Zinan had originally refined the Three Corpse God-Extinguishing Banner. Now that the sinister gloom had been cleared away, immortal mists swirled through the air, lending it the distinct air of an immortal's dwelling.
After a few paces, Qin Sang heard a faint hissing sound.
The snake cavern remained in its original spot. Some of the Earthbound Dragons Su Zinan had reared possessed decent strength; Qin Sang had no intention of drawing their sinews to craft treasures. Keeping them as mountain-guarding spirit beasts would be fine, provided their ferocity was curbed first.
Stepping out of the bamboo grove, he found the sea of flowers still spread before him. Under Shen Chen's meticulous redesign, however, it had lost its decadent perfume, taking on a natural, harmonious grace that suited Qin Sang's taste perfectly.
*Has this cheap disciple of mine learned how to read his master's mind?*
Qin Sang smiled faintly and flew toward the other side of the flower sea. Before long, he spotted several newly built cottages at the foot of the mountain, from which Shen Chen's voice could be heard expounding the Dao.
Inside a bamboo pavilion, Shen Chen sat cross-legged at the head, explaining the most elementary teachings meant only for those just embarking on the path of cultivation.
Xie Yi and Zhou Li were listening with rapt attention.
Behind them sat several beautiful women, all looking just as earnest.
Qin Sang landed beside the bamboo pavilion without anyone inside noticing.
Just then, a woman carrying a bamboo tray with a pot of spirit tea and jade cups hurried along the path. Catching sight of Qin Sang, she gasped in fright, her arms trembling so hard that the items on the tray nearly went flying.
"This servant pays respects to the Master!"
The woman dropped to her knees, her voice shaking.
The lecturing inside came to an abrupt halt. Shen Chen hurried out, and upon seeing Qin Sang, hastily knelt to salute. Xie Yi, Zhou Li, and the women swarmed out as well, dropping to their knees in a disorderly heap, some calling him Grandmaster and others Master in utter confusion.
Noticing Qin Sang glancing at the women, Shen Chen grew flustered and rushed to explain, "Reporting to Master, not all of the demon Su Zinan's concubines were here willingly. After careful screening, I have erased the memories of most and properly sent them home. The few who remain have nowhere to go and were confirmed to have been taken by force. They pleaded bitterly with me to let them stay in Luye to live out their days. Remembering Master's instructions, I feared that turning them out abruptly might invite calamity, yet I did not dare decide on my own to keep them, so I intended to wait until Master emerged from seclusion before handling the matter."
"You certainly know how to pity the fairer sex," Qin Sang remarked, his tone betraying neither pleasure nor displeasure.
Shen Chen shifted uneasily.
"Luye can certainly afford to feed a few extra mouths. There is no harm in letting them stay; the everyday affairs of the dao arena require hands to manage them anyway. As for these..."
Qin Sang looked at the women who had been listening to the lecture.
The concubines Su Zinan favored had a very high proportion of spiritual roots. These women were relatively recent arrivals, had not cultivated for long, and possessed low cultivation realms.
The women trembled in fear.
If they harbored any ill intentions, they could never hide them from Qin Sang's discerning eyes.
"If any among them possess exceptional character and talent, they may be chosen as nominal disciples at your discretion."
Dismissing the women, Qin Sang led Shen Chen and his two grand-disciples to the mountain peak, where a Daoist temple had already been constructed according to his instructions.
The furnishings inside the temple were very simple, with no ancestral tablets upon the altar table. Shen Chen and his disciples watched curiously as Qin Sang walked to the altar and solemnly brought out three spirit tablets, belonging to Yunyouzi, Daoist Jixin, and Mingyue.
Quick-witted, Shen Chen immediately led his disciples in bowing.
"The Qingyang Temple was founded by Senior Yunyouzi. Your master once received great kindness from Daoist Jixin and Mingyue. Later, honoring Senior Yunyouzi's dying wish, I inherited the Qingyang Temple's lineage to carry it forward..."
Hearing this, Shen Chen felt surprised. Searching his memory of Zhongzhou, he had never heard of a sect called Qingyang Temple. Then he heard Qin Sang continue, "The Qingyang Temple is located in the North Sea. Seeking the Dao, your master came from the outer realms, traversing the storm belt for decades before finally arriving in Zhongzhou..."
Shen Chen's jaw dropped in disbelief.
Though they had never experienced the storm belt in person, they had heard countless terrifying rumors about it. His master actually hailed from an outer realm—no wonder he had been entirely unheard of before!
Yet the moment he emerged, he had carved out an earth-shattering reputation in Zhongzhou!
Shen Chen could hardly fathom what it meant to traverse the storm belt for decades, and the awe he felt toward his master deepened several folds.
"Today, your master re-establishes the Qingyang Temple in Zhongzhou. Though separated across two realms, the lineage remains one. Should fate allow you to cross paths with fellow disciples from the North Sea in the future, you must never turn against one another..."
Qin Sang's tone turned stern as he laid out the sect rules one by one.
Shen Chen, Xie Yi, and Zhou Li bowed their heads, etching every word into their hearts.
"Shen Chen, as my direct disciple, you belong to the second generation of the Qingyang Temple. Above you are Li Yufu, Mei Gu, Shangguan Lifeng, Zhao Ying, Tan Yi'en, and others..."
Speaking these names, Qin Sang's voice lowered slightly, wondering how many of them were still alive.
Qin Sang knew that the chances of disciples from both branches ever meeting were vanishingly slim.
Nevertheless, the formal rites had to be observed without the slightest neglect. Moreover, should a Great Cultivator emerge from either side and decide to travel abroad, a meeting remained entirely possible.
While the true body was instructing his disciples, the incarnation had already made his way behind the bamboo grove. Entering a cave purposely excavated into the mountain, he sent out spirit materials in a steady stream to lay down a spirit formation, then placed the Bingyi Divine Plate and the Fire Rhinoceros Pendant within to be nurtured.
Afterward, the incarnation did not leave, entering seclusion right beside the Bingyi Divine Plate to comprehend its mysteries.
...
Time flowed by quietly.
With the Qingyang Temple newly established, Qin Sang acted as a hands-off master, leaving Shen Chen to manage affairs with the assistance of the Dark Moon Guard, gradually steering the sect onto the right track.
Just as Qin Sang was deep in bitter cultivation, word finally arrived from Beihuang:
Mo Xingdao had appeared at the agreed location!
Chapter 1697