Reaching complete perfection in his cultivation in a mere seventy years was beyond Qin Sang's expectations as well.
Inside the cave dwelling, Qin Sang's aura was steady and calm as he slowly brought his circulation to a close.
He looked down at the Four Sages Spirit Gathering Array beneath him.
The spiritual array had not yet reached its limit, but the cracks on the array disk were more than twice as numerous as when he had first acquired it. The illusory figures of the Four Sages engraved upon it had also been torn apart by the dense fissures, making their true forms hard to discern.
If he returned it to its original state and let it turn back into the Four Sages statues, there was no telling whether it would shatter on the spot.
Having experienced the tremendous power of the Four Sages Spirit Gathering Array, Qin Sang had hoped to master its principles and forge a new spirit-gathering array, but the results had been disappointing.
Perhaps his realm was not yet high enough. He had forcefully committed all the runes and intricate details of the spirit-gathering array to memory, leaving them for future contemplation.
A glimmer of faint light flickered.
The Heavenly Eye Butterfly flew out from his dantian and danced around Qin Sang.
Sensing her filial affection, Qin Sang wore a gentle expression. His rapid progress had also benefited the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, who was constantly chasing her master's footsteps.
The spiritual herbs prepared for her had already been exhausted. His incarnation had ventured out precisely to search for more spiritual herbs in hopes of swiftly pushing her to the peak of the late fourth metamorphosis stage as well.
With his cultivation at its peak, there was no further progress to be made for now.
Qin Sang's subsequent objectives were clear. Beyond crafting the Taiji Immortal Platform and the Ice Fire Tokens to prepare the tribulation-transcendence array, most of his tasks lay in the realm of cultivation itself.
The first was to seek the so-called resonance between heaven and man on his own.
This resonance of heaven and man was profound and mysterious. Qin Sang had scavenged many ancient texts from the Wuxiang Immortal Sect and had consulted Liuli regarding the hidden archives of Moon Concealing Nunnery, but there was very little concerning Deity Transformation.
Of course, no matter how many ancient records one had, they could never compare to those renowned, major sects. Their lineages had been passed down for generations, all cultivating the same techniques, and certain experiences could only be transmitted from mind to mind.
For instance, at Ganlu Zen Monastery, once one reached this stage, one could seek guidance directly from Saint Huiguang to avoid straying onto the wrong path, saving an unimaginable amount of effort.
Qin Sang had once considered seeking Saint Huiguang's advice. Through the incarnation's mouth, he had probed discreetly and sounded out Master Xingji's attitude.
To his surprise, Ganlu Zen Monastery did not seem to reject him, an outsider.
Instead, it was Qin Sang who harbored reservations. For one thing, he worried the other party would impose harsh conditions, binding him under their control even if he attained Deity Transformation, depriving him of freedom. For another, he was not a Buddhist cultivator. Their paths differed, and the other party's experience might not apply to him, perhaps even leading him astray.
If Saint Huiguang harbored ill intent, it would be even more terrifying!
A single "careless" remark could plant cognitive obstacles in Qin Sang's mind.
Even among fellow disciples, such exchanges only went so far.
Therefore, Qin Sang decided to attempt it on his own first.
According to the strange-faced man, possessing five spiritual roots made seeking the resonance between heaven and man easier for him than for others.
The second objective was to search for spiritual herbs for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, helping her break through her bottleneck so she could in turn feed back into him, her master.
Between breaking through on his own and helping his life-bound Gu break through, succeeding on either path would suffice.
As for the supplementary herbs for the Qingshuang Pill, the Dark Moon Guard and the incarnation had already gathered a portion, but there was still no news regarding the three main ingredients, and he had no second portion of blue luan essence blood to feed the Heavenly Eye Butterfly.
It seemed that helping the butterfly break through would be even more difficult than achieving a breakthrough himself.
The third was to resume cultivating the *Heavenly Demon Refining Form*, bringing his essence, qi, and spirit to full completion and replicating the path he had taken when forming his Nascent Soul. Now, only his physical body fell short.
With his goals set, he should have proceeded step-by-step, steadily elevating himself.
Yet right at this moment, an unexpected change occurred with the Lifeless Demon Seal.
When others cultivated the *Lifeless Demon Seal*, they had to carefully calculate the frequency of watering it with their obsessions so that it matched the timing of their own breakthroughs and the fulfillment of those obsessions.
Qin Sang, however, had practiced without restraint, watering it again and again whenever he had spare time.
At present, the secret art had not yet reached its pinnacle, but it was not far off.
Having arrived at the threshold of Deity Transformation first, Qin Sang had an impulse to try circulating the secret art to sense the embryonic demon seal, wanting to see if it truly possessed the effect of breaking through bottlenecks.
To his utter shock, the result was almost beyond belief!
The secret art was not yet complete, and the demon seal was still an embryonic form that had not undergone the crucial step of solidifying the seal. Yet a stirring arose within Qin Sang, accompanied by a bizarre, indistinct sensation.
Sensing it carefully, an indescribable aura seemed to connect with him through the demon seal. Every time he touched it, the true essence within his body leaped with delight.
When Qin Sang returned to his senses, he looked somewhat dazed.
If his perception was not mistaken, this demon seal condensed from an external demon not only possessed the same breakthrough effect, but its power seemed to vastly exceed what Senior Sister Qingjun had described!
"This..."
Qin Sang felt as though a great pie had fallen from the heavens and struck him squarely!
According to the information he had gathered before, aside from certain special circumstances, cultivators charging toward Deity Transformation generally took one of two paths.
The first was to first refine oneself and project outward into heaven and earth, seeking a breakthrough from within to without. Most prodigies with heavenly spiritual roots chose this path. The *Lifeless Demon Seal* was nourished by obsessions, and condensing the seal, shattering it, and breaking through the bottleneck were all self-transformations, falling into this category.
The second was to first pursue the resonance between heaven and man and reflect it back onto oneself.
Qin Sang was clearly better suited for the second path and had planned his cultivation accordingly: primarily seeking the resonance of heaven and man while using the Lifeless Demon Seal to assist in the breakthrough.
He had not expected the *Lifeless Demon Seal* to produce such an unforeseen development.
"If the effect of the Lifeless Demon Seal far exceeds expectations, could someone with my five-spiritual-root aptitude actually take the first path? Or perhaps even advance along both paths simultaneously? If so, the chances of success would probably be..."
Qin Sang muttered to himself in disbelief.
Even with his mental fortitude, he could not calm the swirling thoughts in his mind.
Looking back at the past, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul—each hurdle had been harder than the last. When had things ever gone smoothly?
The bottleneck of Deity Transformation, the hardest in this world, had trapped and extinguished countless heroes throughout the ages; even Daoist Zilei, the foremost figure of the Daoist sects, had fallen before this barrier. Yet he had encountered such a massive opportunity.
It felt like a dream!
Having weathered countless trials and tribulations, Qin Sang soon suppressed his stray thoughts and pondered the reason behind the change in the *Lifeless Demon Seal*.
Senior Sister Qingjun had no reason to deceive him, and the records within the secret art also indicated that the demon seal's power had its limits and could never be this potent.
"Did this change occur because I used an external demon in place of an internal demon? Could the demonic will of an extramundane heavenly demon be this much stronger than an inner demon? Or could it be..."
Lost in thought, a flash of realization crossed Qin Sang's mind as he recalled the anomaly during the ritual. "Could the source of that demonic will—the rank of that extramundane heavenly demon—also affect the seal's power? That demonic will was so swift and immensely powerful..."
If that was the reason, it was rather hair-raising.
The *Heavenly Demon Spirit-Reflecting Scripture* had merely drawn down a single wisp of demonic will, not even amounting to an avatar thought of an extramundane heavenly demon. A mere Void Refining stage extramundane heavenly demon probably would not produce such a remarkable effect.
"Could it be that against minuscule odds, I touched upon an exceptionally powerful entity among extramundane heavenly demons? What kind of existence was the one I summoned?"
Was this misfortune or fortune?
Qin Sang could not help feeling a lingering fear.
Had the jade Buddha not protected him, he might have already perished upon the altar.
Fortunately, he had not been overconfident and had terminated the ritual in time, severing the connection.
Though powerful, the jade Buddha could only protect his meta-soul and block attacks of divine intent. An extramundane heavenly demon would not rely solely on stirring inner demons, just as spiritual cultivators did not rely only on spiritual consciousness to attack an opponent's soul, possessing all manner of bizarre, unfathomable abilities.
If that extramundane heavenly demon was an entity at the Body Integration stage or something even more terrifying, it would have countless ways to make Qin Sang wish he were dead!
Qin Sang sat upright, lost in thought for a long time.
The demon seal was not yet complete; it was too early to celebrate.
Yet he could not help envisioning the future.
If the demon seal's power was truly that great, he might not even need to pursue the complete perfection of essence, qi, and spirit. He could rely entirely on the demon seal, the Lingxi Immortal Fruit, and his life-bound Gu to aid his breakthrough.
This would save an enormous amount of time.
The *Heavenly Demon Refining Form* had been stalled for many years, remaining equivalent only to the early metamorphosis stage. Elevating it would take an unknown amount of time, comparable to the duration spent on the *Fire Seed Golden Lotus*.
If he could break through directly, temper himself through the Three Disasters, and receive the influx of primordial qi, cultivating his physical body after Deity Transformation would yield twice the results with half the effort, as the *Heavenly Demon Refining Form* would lag behind by an entire major realm.
Qin Sang had experienced this during the Golden Core stage, when cultivating the first two layers of the *Heavenly Demon Refining Form* had taken him very little time.
If his physical body was not strong enough, crossing the Three Disasters might be unstable, and there was also the worry of whether the heavenly tribulation would mutate once more.
However, Qin Sang possessed the tribulation-transcendence array from the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. With the spiritual array weakening the might of the Three Disasters, his formidable spiritual consciousness, and Deity Transformation-tier divine abilities like Nanming Primordial Fire and Nine Nether Demonic Fire, he should have a decent chance.
The time saved would be far from meaningless.
Various rumors pointed to one fact: the path of ascension in Guixu was not safe.
Legends said that even after breaking through, Deity Transformation cultivators had to cultivate for a very long time until they could progress no further before daring to set foot in Guixu. Even then, no small number of them had perished there.
Now, fierce beasts were fleeing their nests and roaming freely, and numerous signs indicated that changes were occurring in Guixu. Achieving Deity Transformation earlier would grant Qin Sang ample time to prepare for ascension.
Otherwise, what a tragedy it would be to laboriously cultivate to Deity Transformation only to die along the path of ascension!
Turning these thoughts over in his mind, though Qin Sang did not finalize his decision immediately, his cultivation plan had already shifted.
Thereafter, Qin Sang's true body continued his secluded cultivation.
Although he resumed body refinement, he merely brought out the stone platform to train from time to time.
He spent most of his time perceiving heaven and earth, pursuing the state of unity between heaven and man, using spirit-raising methods to assist the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, and closely monitoring the changes in the Lifeless Demon Seal.
"Heaven and earth, the Five Elements..."
Qin Sang extended his right arm and opened his palm, his eyes vacant and his expression somewhat bewildered.
The resonance between heaven and man was easy to speak of, but how to actually achieve mutual resonance and merge into heaven and earth was something Qin Sang had never experienced before, leaving him to grope forward bit by bit.
Reflecting upon himself, Qin Sang decided to start with the Five Elements spiritual energy.
He possessed five spiritual roots, giving him an affinity with all five elements of spiritual energy. When circulating his cultivation, he would draw all five into his body at once—chaotic and tangled. He had to expend energy to sort them out, and the mixed nature of the five elements made refining impurities immensely difficult, entirely unlike the purity of a heavenly spiritual root.
Following this affinity, Qin Sang released his thoughts and actively merged into the Five Elements spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
In an ethereal state, his thoughts seemed to blend in as well, flowing alongside the spiritual energy, spreading outward into the boundless distance, touching all things, drifting without knowing where they reached.
Before long, a sudden warning sign flared in Qin Sang's mind, and he abruptly reined in his consciousness.
Only then did he discover that in this brief span of time, his spiritual consciousness had been nearly drained dry.
Amidst his astonishment, Qin Sang realized that doing this consumed an immense amount of spiritual consciousness. One had to remember that his spiritual consciousness had already reached the Deity Transformation tier; other cultivators of the same rank who had not tempered their spiritual consciousness would last an even shorter time.
"Refining qi to transform spirit, Deity Transformation... It seems spiritual cultivators truly have an advantage at this juncture! Cultivating the *Fire Seed Golden Lotus* first was an unintentional yet correct choice..."
Qin Sang mused to himself, then reined in his thoughts and sat in quiet meditation.
……
The true body remained inside Luye, devoting himself entirely to cultivation.
In stark contrast to the true body, the incarnation was constantly on the move, rushing across the Southern Frontier, the Central Plains, the Northern Desolation, and the Western Desert. Except for the Eastern Sea, his footprints were everywhere.
Sometimes leading the Dark Moon Guard, sometimes traveling alone, he was also not averse to inviting helpers.
Whether out of gratitude for his contribution of offering treasures to slay the demon, or because Saint Huiguang and Ganlu Zen Monastery held him in high regard, or perhaps both, whenever the incarnation visited to ask for assistance, the other party gladly helped even if they had only met a few times before.
A good reputation brought countless intangible benefits.
Facts proved that holding moral righteousness afforded him great convenience, and unless necessary, Qin Sang had no desire to ruin it himself.
To obtain the treasures, the incarnation exhausted every method to seek the possibility of a transaction.
Under the identity of Daoist Qingfeng, the incarnation made wide acquaintances and was himself one of the world's top experts. Moreover, Qin Sang was in no rush to advance the incarnation's cultivation, so he did not mind even if some vitality was damaged.
Whenever the owner of a treasure encountered a dilemma, he could always devise various solutions to resolve it, using that to move them.
Word spread throughout the cultivation world that never had there been a grand cultivator who manifested his power before others so frequently, yet remained so approachable, gentle, and courteous. Most parties on both sides of these transactions accepted gladly.
What they did not know was that if the other party was too unyielding and the treasure was something he must have, the incarnation had no qualms about creating a predicament for them, only to step in afterward to help resolve it.
Through all these means, the incarnation's fame grew ever louder throughout the cultivation world.
Conversely, because the true body had vanished from sight for many years, and the cultivation world was in an uproar over the Three Sects Alliance, fewer people spoke of him.
……
More than twenty years later.
At some point, Luye flew to the edge of the Northern Desolation, lingering in the northern part of Zhaoyao Prefecture for several days.
Midnight, the hour of the rat.
A faint ripple stirred the night sky.
A phantom flashed and vanished.
At the entrance of Luye, before the stone stele, a figure materialized—it was none other than the incarnation.
The incarnation paused, looked up, and saw the true body standing atop the mountain peak, gazing out at the night-shrouded mountain ranges beyond the secret realm.
Their eyes met. The true body nodded slightly and opened the grand array, letting the incarnation enter.
Just now, he had extended his perception; there were no abnormalities outside, and no one had tracked the incarnation.
*Whoosh!*
Once the incarnation entered, Luye immediately set in motion, drifting northward.
Qin Sang glided down from the mountain peak. Sensing through their mental link everything the incarnation had experienced over the years, and seeing the instability in the incarnation's aura, he murmured, "You have worked hard."
"You are me, and I am you. What talk is there of hard work?"
The incarnation untied the wooden gourd at his waist and handed it to the true body, though his tone was laced with exhaustion.
A good reputation did not come easily.
To ensure transactions went smoothly, the incarnation had spared no effort, braving perilous realms, healing others' injuries, or aiding people in cultivating secret arts. He had damaged his vitality several times and required long periods of quiet cultivation to recover—taking anywhere from decades to a century.
The Second Nascent Soul retreated back into the true body to be nourished by secret arts, after which Qin Sang yielded the cave dwelling, letting the incarnation return to meditate in peace.
Opening the wooden gourd, though the incarnation had sent people to deliver items before, the interior remained dazzling with treasures.
The spiritual materials for the Taiji Immortal Platform and the Ice Fire Tokens were fully gathered!
A look of delight surfaced on Qin Sang's face. Without hesitation, he immediately stored all the spiritual materials away, sorting them into separate containers, and headed to the specially prepared refinement chamber to begin forging the tribulation-transcendence array.
Time flowed by.
Another ten years passed.
Chapter 1709