"Compensation?"
The incarnation let out a cold laugh.
Neither Saint Huiguang nor the Azure Fox Saint King reacted to his scoff.
They were certain that with Qin Sang's cultivation, he would not lose control of his emotions, making idle bickering pointless.
Saint Huiguang pressed his palms together. The expression and eyes of the sand silhouette appeared somewhat rigid and dull, yet anyone meeting that gaze would feel an indescribable sense of oppression.
The incarnation fell silent for a moment, seemingly aware that such posturing was useless as well.
He felt no pressure from the sand silhouette, nor did he ask what item had provoked the Azure Fox Saint King's greed. Driven merely by curiosity, he countered, "Why must the Holy Monk wade into these muddy waters?"
"Amitābha."
Saint Huiguang chanted the Buddhist name. "The enmity between the two almsgivers has not yet reached an irreconcilable point. Although Almsgiver Qin has not reached the Deity Transformation stage, you stand as an apex powerhouse at the pinnacle of this realm. A clash between you two would inevitably bring far-reaching consequences. This poor monk cannot bear to see the feud deepen further, implicating innocent living beings and plunging the immortal cultivation world into endless unrest. Thus, I persuaded the Saint King first before negotiating with Almsgiver Qin."
Hearing this, the incarnation's eyes turned frosty.
What he heard in Saint Huiguang's words was not compassionate concern for the world, but a veiled threat.
Of course, this threat did not originate from Saint Huiguang himself. Rather, Saint Huiguang's mouth was being used to convey the Azure Fox Saint King's intention to Qin Sang.
She would never rest until her objective was met!
The Azure Fox Saint King had locked her sights firmly onto him. If he failed to satisfy her demands, he had best prepare to face relentless pursuit from both her and the Saint King Palace.
Once he refined the demonic fire's origin, Qin Sang might possess the strength to fight a Deity Transformation cultivator, but that was all.
Beneath the Azure Fox Saint King's banner lay the Saint King Palace, teeming with countless great demons. His own force, on the other hand, was far too weak, with only a single external incarnation capable of taking the field.
The Dark Moon Guards would not even fill the gaps between demon teeth.
His only alternative was to ignore the peril of fierce beasts within the storm belt and flee to the North Sea or the Canglang Ocean. Heading to the Western Lands would be easiest, but after Ghost Mother's success, the Buddhist sects would surely guard the borders with iron vigilance, making it unsafe as well.
Moreover, Qin Sang had to ensure he left no trace behind. Most of this world consisted of storm belts, and safe havens were few. Did he truly believe a storm belt could hold off the hunt of a Deity Transformation expert?
Who could say for sure whether the powers of Zhongzhou possessed sea charts of this entire world?
Naturally, that was the worst-case scenario.
The Azure Fox Saint King might not be willing to squander so much energy on him, pursuing him relentlessly into the outer realms.
Yet one thing was certain: Zhongzhou was no longer a place where he could linger easily.
Even if Luye was concealed well enough to ensure his personal safety, he would never dare release the Dark Moon Guards again. Once his subordinates were uprooted, his ties to the outside world would be severed as well.
With Mo Xingdao willing to run errands for a Deity Transformation cultivator, their previous transactions were likely already exposed.
Not only did the Spirit Rhinoceros Immortal Fruit become an impossible wish, but even stepping outside in the future would prove difficult.
Furthermore, Qin Sang's future cultivation and the spirit-rearing arts of the *Panhu True Scripture* would inevitably require external materials.
Worse still, if Qin Sang refused Saint Huiguang's admonition, Saint Huiguang—in order to prevent the demon race from throwing the cultivation world into chaos—might instruct the Buddhist sects to cooperate covertly with the Azure Fox Saint King to quell the disturbance as swiftly as possible.
When that time came, the entire world would be his enemy!
Conscious of his own standing, Saint Huiguang had not voiced an explicit threat, but Qin Sang was forced to consider the possibility.
The incarnation flared with fury and barked grimly, "Is the Saint King not afraid that Qin will slip into the Eastern Sea and butcher the Saint King Palace to the last creature?"
Silent since her appearance, the Azure Fox Saint King spoke for the first time.
"This king was once merely a wild fox in the mountain woods of the land. Absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, I gained sapience, only to draw the attention of immortal cultivators. I narrowly escaped with my life, while my closest kin perished miserably in their den. Having heard that the demon race held vast power across the sea, I was left without options, drifting alone to the Eastern Sea atop a piece of driftwood. Little did I expect that the internal strife of the demon race would be even bloodier. Lacking the protection of my own kind, I hid and fled, hunted again and again, until I finally grasped the law of the jungle. Before fighting my way to the seat of Saint King, blood was my constant companion, and countless demon souls fell to my hand. I have only enemies, no kin or friends. Even if you butcher the Eastern Sea demon race down to the last soul, what of it?"
Her tone held a trace of indolence, as though recounting a story completely detached from herself.
Anyone hearing these words would feel a chill in their heart, even separated by a communication talisman seal.
A Deity Transformation cultivator was not terrifying; what was terrifying was a Deity Transformation cultivator unbound by any scruple.
Their sects were the soft underbelly of the Daoist and Buddhist Deity Transformation experts. Although they dominated the Immortal Hall, they always left a line of leeway in everything they did.
Toward fellow Deity Transformation cultivators in particular, regardless of background—even an old monster drenched in blood like Old Demon Lu—they would always show courtesy before resorting to arms, courteously escorting them beyond their borders.
Faced with an Azure Fox Saint King of this nature, even Saint Huiguang had to yield by three-tenths.
While these were merely the Azure Fox Saint King's own words, perhaps containing an element of bluster, her attitude had already been made plain.
Against such an adversary, no threat held any meaning.
"How do I know the Azure Fox Saint King is not using the Holy Monk's hand to draw Qin out? And how will the Holy Monk guarantee Qin's safety?"
The incarnation ceased wasting breath on idle contention, directing his question straight at Saint Huiguang to strike the heart of the matter.
This was precisely the question Saint Huiguang had been waiting for. As if having prepared his response long in advance, he said swiftly, "This poor monk is fully aware of Almsgiver Qin's concerns. Today, I intend to negotiate this very matter with you. First, both the Azure Fox Saint King and this poor monk will swear upon our inner demons never again to take action against the almsgiver's true body, incarnation, or friends and kin. If the Saint King breaks her word, this poor monk will never sit idly by. The wording of the oath will be drafted by this poor monk, with additions from both almsgivers..."
Saint Huiguang promptly recited the terms of the oath aloud.
Qin Sang, however, cared little for how exhaustive the oath was. He remarked indifferently, "To tell the Holy Monk the truth, Qin has always harbored reservations toward inner demon oaths. Leaving aside the various methods to circumvent them, even the great vows of the Buddhist sects speak of breaking or abandoning vows. What, then, is a single spoken oath worth?"
As though anticipating Qin Sang's objection, Saint Huiguang replied without hesitation, "Since this poor monk is acting as guarantor, resolving the grievances between the two almsgivers ought to take place within our humble monastery. This poor monk wishes to invite Daoist Qingfeng to grace Ganlu Zen Monastery with his presence and sit to discuss the Dao. When an honored guest calls, our monastery will swing wide its gates to welcome Daoist Qingfeng! At that time, this poor monk will erect an altar, and the almsgiver will witness the Saint King swear a karma oath."
When speaking the four words 'Daoist Qingfeng,' Saint Huiguang deliberately placed extra emphasis on his tone.
"Daoist Qingfeng?"
The incarnation stirred inwardly, faintly divining Saint Huiguang's intentions.
From what he knew, on that day, the Xie clan had boarded the dharma boat of Longju Grotto-Heaven and rushed toward Ganlu Zen Monastery before the eyes of the public.
Longju Grotto-Heaven seemed keen on watching Ganlu Zen Monastery make a fool of itself, escorting the dharma boat all the way to the monastery gates.
The members of the Xie clan had disembarked and dropped to their knees before the monastery gates en masse.
Master Xingji had stepped forward in person, soothing them with gentle words before receiving the clan into the monastery and settling them properly. To this day, the Xie clan remained within Ganlu Zen Monastery.
"Indeed!"
Saint Huiguang said in a deep voice, "Ganlu Zen Monastery is willing to join Eight Views Abbey and Tianhao Tower in proclaiming to the entire world that in this battle to subdue the demon and deliver all living beings, the Xie clan's ancestor, Daoist Qingfeng, offered up the demon-subduing strange treasure, the Demon Sealing Stake, achieving tremendous merit. Toward this end, this poor monk has already contacted Sect Master Situ of Mount Bunian, and prepares to deliberate with all parties to grant Fudu Commandery, Hongping Commandery, and Bo Commandery of Ning Prefecture to the Xie clan."
Hearing this, the incarnation was greatly surprised.
He had not expected Saint Huiguang to take the initiative to vindicate his name before the world, and even bestow so many benefits upon the Xie clan.
Fudu and Hongping Commanderies were secondary; those had been seized from the Six Void Sect by Qin Sang himself back then. Without this upheaval, once Qin Sang freed his hands to bring the Six Void Sect to heel, those territories would have been theirs sooner or later.
The crux lay in Bo Commandery of Ning Prefecture!
Ning Prefecture was one of the six prefectures of the Central Plains, bordering Zhuo Prefecture, and was among the most affluent lands in Zhongzhou. Bo Commandery sat right along the border between the two prefectures, adjoining Hongping Commandery.
The six prefectures of the Central Plains had long been partitioned among apex sects like Ganlu Zen Monastery—an intricate, impenetrable bastion where not even water could seep through.
A single commandery was no small territory in the Central Plains, where every inch of soil was worth its weight in gold. It was sufficient to yield unimaginable wealth and prestige, far beyond what the Xie clan had ever dared dream of before.
The Xie clan's revival was imminent; it would leap straight back into the ranks of eminent, illustrious clans!
For Qin Sang, the most tangible advantage was Saint Huiguang publicly clearing his name. From then on, backed by moral righteousness, he could openly move throughout the cultivation world under the identity of the Xie clan's ancestor—even if only through his incarnation.
As for why Saint Huiguang sought to sever his true body from his incarnation, Qin Sang understood with a brief turn of thought.
Vindicating the incarnation and the Xie clan served both as conciliation and as a means to muzzle the wagging tongues of the world.
Yet the Azure Fox Saint King had attacked the true body right in front of Saint Huiguang. If Qin Sang's true body and incarnation were not decoupled, questions would inevitably arise. Were Saint Huiguang to claim he had been entirely focused on dealing with the ancient demon and failed to recognize the relationship between the incarnation and the true body, hardly anyone would believe it.
"The Holy Monk must have demands of Qin as well, yes?" the incarnation countered.
Back then, Saint Huiguang exchanging the Five Elements Pill for the Demon Sealing Stake had already counted as a reward for his contribution. Qin Sang had never thought to use that merit to coerce the Buddhist sect; otherwise, he would have antagonized the Deity Transformation experts of both races.
Now that Saint Huiguang was personally offering guarantees and going to such lengths to vindicate him, there had to be an ulterior motive!
Saint Huiguang made no attempt to conceal it. "Daoist Qingfeng may continue to serve as the Xie clan's ancestor, but Almsgiver Qin must not leave any legacy of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect within the Xie clan. Furthermore, the almsgiver's true body must not collude secretly with the sects of the Central Plains or participate in their disputes. Should you take disciples in the future, you must not preach the Dao within the Central Plains..."
A succession of 'must nots' drew a rueful chuckle from the incarnation.
Though not outright forbidding him from setting foot in the Central Plains, it was practically the same.
In particular, regarding the restrictions placed on the Wuxiang Immortal Sect's legacy—did they all suspect him of being the inheritor of the Fire Aspect Hall?
He had no desire to shoulder such a baseless grievance.
"Whether the Holy Monk believes it or not, Qin is no descendant of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect," the incarnation stated frankly.
Saint Huiguang continued unperturbed, "So long as the almsgiver can accomplish this, once you achieve Deity Transformation, we shall treat you without distinction, sharing all esoteric secrets concerning what lies beyond Deity Transformation and ascension entirely, without reservation."
Whether Qin Sang was a remnant of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect was no longer important.
Saint Huiguang had previously intended to capture all the remnants in one sweep, but following such a massive disruption, any fool would know a reckoning was due. The remnants were either hiding or fleeing; there was no hope of smoking them out in the short term.
Consequently, Saint Huiguang had altered his strategy.
Taking advantage of the ancient demon's resurgence, he would spread word that the ancient demon had been awoken by remnants of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. He would claim that the sect's destruction in antiquity was precisely because its upper echelon had suffered demonic corruption, becoming thralls of the ancient demon, and that the cultivation world had paid a grievous price to halt the spread of the corruption, only for the blight to linger to this day.
So much time had passed that even if someone knew the truth, they would possess no evidence. The major sects no longer needed to hide their deeds.
At the same time, distributing the *Mind Calming Incantation* across the cultivation world would allow cultivators to inspect themselves. In this manner, every cultivator would feel imperiled, and the scions of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect would become rats crossing the street, reviled by all.
The most critical reason, however, was that time was running out for Saint Huiguang.
Having witnessed the demon spirit's miserable fate, the Azure Fox Saint King had lost her patience. She would not wait for him to secure full control over the situation before departing. Her insistence on claiming the Spirit Calming Incense for herself this time signaled that more chaos might erupt down the line.
For this reason, Saint Huiguang's arrangements for Ganlu Zen Monastery differed vastly from what he had originally envisioned. He prepared to draw in Eight Views Abbey, Tianhao Tower, and several other powers to forge a long-term alliance, though the precise details remained to be settled.
In Qin Sang's eyes, Saint Huiguang's terms could hardly be called ungenerous.
In any case, he had never harbored ambitions of worldly hegemony. He had never expected Qingyang Temple to achieve towering prosperity, nor had he ever intended to interfere with the Central Plains. Qingyang Temple possessed a top-tier dao arena like Luye; claiming a patch of land at will in the Northern Wilderness in the future would suffice, with no need to contend for resources in the Central Plains.
Once the name of Daoist Qingfeng spread across the world, his incarnation could pay a formal visit out in the open. Though absolute safety could not be guaranteed, why would Saint Huiguang go to such elaborate lengths if he intended to turn hostile—especially when the one lured in was merely an incarnation?
Indeed, despite Saint Huiguang promising so much, Qin Sang had no intention of allowing his true body to show its face.
"May I ask what item the Saint King has set her eyes upon?"
Sensing Saint Huiguang's sincerity, the incarnation's thoughts shifted, and he finally asked what had drawn the Azure Fox Saint King's covetous gaze. If it were treasures like the Vermilion Bird True Feather, he would never agree under any circumstances.
To his surprise, the Azure Fox Saint King replied, "Spirit Calming Incense."
"Spirit Calming Incense?"
The incarnation was incredulous, nearly spitting blood.
To think that the Spirit Calming Incense had triggered such a colossal storm.
Had he known, he would never have put it up for auction!
"You..."
The incarnation started to speak, then held his tongue.
This Azure Fox Saint King was utterly mad. The incense was useless to him; had she approached him with courteous words, trading or even offering the incense to preserve his own life would not have been out of the question.
"Is the Spirit Calming Incense something the Saint King must have at all costs?"
Doubt arose in the incarnation's heart. "Does this treasure still have an effect at the Deity Transformation stage?"
The Spirit Calming Incense had most likely been concocted by Xiaoxiangzi during the Nascent Soul stage to overcome the inner demon tribulation when breaking through bottlenecks. Its efficacy on a Deity Transformation cultivator would surely be drastically diminished; otherwise, Xiaoxiangzi would have been a peerless genius beyond compare.
The Azure Fox Saint King said, "Its effect is slight, but this king requires a vast amount of Spirit Calming Incense."
"A vast amount..."
Enlightenment dawned on the incarnation. What she truly wanted was the formula.
Unexpectedly, the Azure Fox Saint King's tone shifted. "If you are willing to trade that spiritual fire in your possession, this king would be more than delighted, and will ensure you are thoroughly satisfied."
"That spiritual fire is Qin's greatest reliance. If the Saint King covets that fire, there is no need for further discussion today." The incarnation's tone turned frigid. No wonder she had moved straight in for the kill back then; she had also set her sights on the Nanming Primordial Fire.
Saint Huiguang chimed in promptly, "This poor monk has already counseled the Saint King to seek only the medicinal formula and forgo the spiritual fire. The transaction shall adhere entirely to Almsgiver Qin's wishes."
The incarnation gave a cold snort. "I wonder what treasures the Saint King is willing to offer to demonstrate her sincerity?"
"Most of the treasures in this king's hands belong to the demon race, but there are a few connected to the human race. Humans cannot set foot in the Eastern Sea, so they know nothing of its abundance."
The Azure Fox Saint King's tone was laden with temptation. "For instance... an ancient Spirit Gathering Array used by humans for cultivation..."
Chapter 1699