Hearing one incredible secret after another, even these preeminent powerhouses—who would not bat an eye though a mountain collapsed before them—were left dizzy with shock.
Was this still the world they knew?
Yet with True Monarch Qin speaking from personal experience, the three factions of Buddhism, Daoism, and Demonism bearing witness, and all the bizarre occurrences of recent times, they had no choice but to believe.
Qin Sang had already fulfilled every moral obligation by giving this warning; his words ended here. Whether they believed it or not was no concern of his. After requiring them to swear an oath never to disclose what they had heard, he dismissed the gathering.
The grand ceremony drew to a close.
The unwitting guests departed in high spirits, their faces alight with novelty and excitement.
Everyone was discussing the Ascension Platform, believing that cultivators of this realm had gained an alternate way forward. Those who were unable to attain Deity Transformation and had no choice but to await death now saw a glimmer of hope.
Those who knew the truth, however, were weighed down with dread.
It was not that a new path had opened, but that the old path was severed!
The Ascension Platform might well be their only hope from now on.
It was easy to foresee that once the grand ceremony concluded and the news spread across the cultivation world, a massive craze to search for the Ascension Platform would inevitably erupt.
Every faction would spare no effort, scouring ancient texts and plumbing every secret and hidden recess.
Mobilizing the might of an entire realm was undeniably far greater and far more promising than the strength of a single person or a single sect.
This was precisely what Qin Sang wished to see.
The guests dispersed.
The Poison King and Elder Ming of Myriad Poison Mountain bid farewell to Master Xingji. Reaching the temple gates, they were just about to take to the skies and fly back to Myriad Poison Mountain when someone spoke from behind them.
"Fellow Daoists, please wait."
The Poison King turned around to see Qin Sang walking over at an unhurried pace. "I have long heard that the scenery of Myriad Poison Mountain is wondrous and quite distinct from that of other sects. I happen to be wishing to pay a visit."
No good comes of an uninvited guest!
The Poison King's expression stiffened slightly.
He had repeatedly offered polite persuasion, yet this man had brushed the subject aside, clearly determined to keep the Gu King for himself.
Since the man had achieved the status of True Monarch, the Poison King had already resigned himself to the loss. Yet here this man was, taking the initiative to come calling, clearly harboring other designs.
Could even the Gu King not satisfy his appetite?
This was intolerable bullying!
The Poison King felt secretly infuriated, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. "The True Monarch's exalted presence will bring immense honor to our humble sect. Elder Ming, return to the mountain immediately and summon the disciples to welcome the True Monarch."
Elder Ming acknowledged the order and was about to leave.
Qin Sang raised a hand to stop him, saying, "This is a private visit; there is no need for grand fanfare... I have already made an arrangement with Sect Master Yan of the Qiongying Sect to visit her sect first. If you two have no urgent business, why not come along?"
The Poison King and Elder Ming exchanged a glance, cupped their hands, and replied, "The True Monarch commands, and we dare not disobey."
The three waited for a short while until the contingent from the Qiongying Sect arrived.
The Qiongying Sect was predominantly made up of female cultivators, where the yin flourished and the yang waned.
Sect Master Yan wore the robes of a Daoist nun. She had delicate, elegant features and a heroic air between her brows. Having long occupied a position of authority, she possessed an imposing dignity that commanded respect without anger, keeping others at a distance.
Back at the Six Prefectures Hall auction, both Qin Sang and the Grand Elder of the Qiongying Sect had attended. Unfortunately, both sides had concealed their identities, never seeing each other's true faces.
Qin Sang learned from Sect Master Yan that their Grand Elder's heavenly tribulation was approaching, so she was in secluded cultivation and unable to attend.
The group did not board any flying artifacts, instead traveling upon clouds and conversing as they went.
Qin Sang stated the purpose of his visit.
Upon learning that Qin Sang wished to seek guidance on artifact-refining techniques, Sect Master Yan readily agreed, saying, "True Monarch Qin enlightened us all with such noble righteousness! A trifling craft like artifact refinement is nothing to hoard possessively; I only fear it may fail to catch the True Monarch's discerning eye."
Qin Sang did not neglect the Poison King and Elder Ming either, discussing the Dao of poison control with them.
With Sect Master Yan setting the tone, the Poison King could hardly withhold everything.
The group conversed pleasantly the entire way to the Qiongying Sect.
The Qiongying Sect was situated north of the Fujiang Estuary, upon Lake Qiongying not far from the Eastern Sea. A spirit formation transformed into mist to conceal the mountain gate; outsiders could see only a spiritual island within the fog and a pavilion in the middle of the lake.
Little did they know that beyond the pavilion lay another world entirely.
Passing through the gate, Qin Sang saw spiritual islands scattered across the lake like stars, each boasting exquisite scenery, understated and pleasing—truly befitting a sect composed primarily of female cultivators.
Sect Master Yan kept her word, promptly sending someone to fetch the sect's ancient texts.
Among them was the Spirit-Confining Art that Qin Sang had requested by name.
It was not merely the fragmentary scroll from the auction back then.
The Qiongying Sect had excavated the ruins of Mount Xuanqi, and through continuous searches afterward, they had obtained most of Mount Xuanqi's heritage. Furthermore, through generations of masters researching, comprehending, supplementing, and perfecting it, the disciples had surpassed the original masters.
Even the Seven Water Mirror Islands, famed for artifact refining, conceded their inferiority to the Qiongying Sect.
This Spirit-Confining Art could not only refine pseudo-spirit treasures, but when cultivated to the utmost limit, it could truly awaken spirituality within a magic treasure, advancing it to a genuine spirit treasure!
Moreover, after advancing to a spirit treasure, there were subsequent nourishing methods.
However, causing a spirit treasure to birth an artifact spirit was far more difficult than refining a spirit treasure, so Qin Sang did not dare harbor extravagant hopes for now.
Even if Qin Sang did not intend to nurture the Grey Oriole Sword, obtaining this secret artifact-refining technique broadened his horizons and provided immense benefits; some insights could even be applied to the Wandering Sword.
Qin Sang lingered at the Qiongying Sect for more than ten days, receiving meticulous guidance from Sect Master Yan and an artifact-refining grandmaster. He swore an oath never to transmit it to outsiders, but secured an opportunity for Shen Chen.
During this time, the Poison King and Elder Ming also remained at the Qiongying Sect.
Once Qin Sang finished seeking guidance on the artifact-refining techniques, the three departed together and headed straight for Myriad Poison Mountain without stopping along the way.
Myriad Poison Mountain was located in the sparsely populated Man Prefecture.
Man Prefecture was full of treacherous mountains and noxious waters. The cave dwelling occupied by Myriad Poison Mountain was a rare blessed land, yet multicolored mists drifted within its gates, and various venomous creatures frequented the area, tinged with the wild atmosphere of Man Prefecture.
After entering the mountain behind the two, Qin Sang noticed that nearly every disciple of Myriad Poison Mountain held a venomous insect or beast in hand. Some had even disfigured themselves through careless poison handling, appearing as ferocious as ghosts.
No wonder cultivators from the outside world felt dread whenever Myriad Poison Mountain was mentioned.
Unbeknownst to Qin Sang when the Poison King had sent word, Master Xingji was already waiting here when they arrived.
"Apologies for keeping you waiting, Master," Qin Sang greeted with a smile.
They entered the main hall.
After Qin Sang met the various elders of Myriad Poison Mountain, the Poison King dismissed the others. Master Xingji was also tactful, pressing his palms together and excusing himself.
The two sat opposite each other, the table set with spiritual fruit, celestial peaches, and exquisite nectar.
Qin Sang picked up the jade cup before him. Myriad Poison Mountain was indeed unique; the spirit wine in the cup was a deep, dark green bordering on black. Were it not for the exotic fragrance assailing the nostrils, one could not help suspecting it was not wine, but venom.
"True Monarch Qin, please sample our sect's Myriad Poison Wine!" The Poison King raised his hand in gesture and drank a cup along with him.
As the wine entered his mouth, Qin Sang immediately felt a searing spiciness rush down his throat, like a thread of fire plunging into his belly. A ball of fire exploded inside him with a roar, coursing into all his limbs and bones as though cleansing his entire body—an intensely exhilarating sensation.
"Fine wine! Thank you for the hospitality, Fellow Daoist!"
Qin Sang praised, then suddenly sighed, "Back when you were trapped by the ancient demon, I was deeply worried for your plight, Fellow Daoist. Alas, my cultivation was meager then, and I could not offer assistance."
"I appreciate the True Monarch's kind intentions," the Poison King replied, holding his jade cup and gazing at Qin Sang quietly.
In a voice full of concern, Qin Sang asked, "For you to withstand the ancient demon back then, you must have relied on your sect's sacred relic, correct? After such a brutal battle, I wonder what state the sacred relic is in now. Has it suffered damage?"
*He really is here for the sacred relic!*
The Poison King's expression darkened slightly. "Thank you for your concern, True Monarch. The sacred relic overtaxed its foundation during that battle. Because it was originally a dead thing, its recovery is exceedingly slow, and it is currently being nurtured in the forbidden grounds."
The Poison King was speaking the truth.
The true form of the sacred relic was a fifth-transformation bloodthirsty miasma spirit. Unfortunately, what Myriad Poison Mountain had obtained was merely an insect corpse. Later, they refined the corpse into a gu, recovering a portion of its divine abilities, but it was vastly different from a living insect.
First, controlling the sacred relic required mastery of Myriad Poison Mountain's true transmission, because the relic had been refined with authentic techniques by successive sect leaders to possess its present divine abilities.
Second, controlling it was extremely difficult; even as the master of Myriad Poison Mountain, who had personally refined it for many years, the Poison King still had to pay a price.
Third, each time it was used, it had to be placed in Myriad Poison Mountain's forbidden grounds for prolonged recovery. Back at the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, it was fortunate that the relic had first devoured the fire poison on Fire Rhinoceros Island; otherwise, it might have suffered irreparable damage.
However, if not for these constraints, it likely would have been borrowed away by Saint Huiguang and the Azure Fox Saint King long before Qin Sang ever came calling.
In the battle at the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, the grey cocoon spun by the sacred relic had performed remarkably, capable of withstanding divine abilities on the level of Deity Transformation—an exceptionally rare protective treasure.
Qin Sang nodded, pondering for a moment before saying, "Then I can be at ease... To tell you the truth, Fellow Daoist, I have come to ask a few questions, which are also related to your sect's sacred relic."
The Poison King's hand gripping the jade cup suddenly stiffened, nearly crushing it!
"Is it because the Gu King's cultivation realm is too low to satisfy the True Monarch's requirements?"
A trace of mockery flashed in the depths of the Poison King's eyes, though his tone remained calm. "Regrettably, even if I were to present the sacred relic with both hands, it would be as useless as chicken ribs in the True Monarch's grasp—unless the True Monarch is willing to switch sects and cultivate our Myriad Poison Mountain's true transmission..."
"Oh?"
As if completely oblivious to the Poison King's anger, Qin Sang asked curiously, "I had no idea your sect's sacred relic had such a peculiar origin. I noticed that the Gu King and the sacred relic have distinctly different forms, yet share a certain connection. I wonder what the reason for that is?"
The Poison King frowned.
This was a core secret of Myriad Poison Mountain; how could it be shared with outsiders?
Qin Sang said meaningfully, "When I slew that scar-faced man, I made an unexpected discovery. Before his death, he suffered backlash from the Gu King, and because of the residual poison from the sacred relic in his body, the two virulent poisons actually merged into one, producing a terrifying toxicity. I had intended to preserve his Nascent Soul to search his soul, yet I could only watch helplessly as he was reduced to ashes, unable to stop it."
Hearing this, the Poison King's expression shifted repeatedly.
Myriad Poison Mountain had given the scar-faced man's enemy a fleece of the sacred relic to continually agitate the lingering poison in his body and keep him fleeing for his life. Despite calculating everything, they never foresaw that someone as powerful as the scar-faced man would die at the hands of another, nor that he would suffer backlash from the Gu King on the brink of death.
With a sigh, the Poison King said, "Since the True Monarch slew that scoundrel, you must have obtained our sect's true transmission, the Gu Classic. I wonder if you have attempted to refine gu."
Qin Sang replied candidly, "I have, and gained some benefit from it. One of my spirit insects broke through with the help of this art."
"The Gu King was born from that very gu-refining technique. However, nurturing the Gu King not only consumed several rare venomous insects, but also incorporated the origin stripped from the corpse of the bloodthirsty miasma spirit. After our ancestral master obtained the insect corpse, he once attempted to use the gu-refining technique to refine a genuine bloodthirsty miasma spirit. Alas, a dead thing is a dead thing after all, capable of bearing only a fraction of its former divine abilities. The only way was to divide the origin and blaze a new trail—refining a new gu insect that could inherit the bloodthirsty miasma spirit's divine abilities."
Saying this, the Poison King could not help glancing at Qin Sang. "Our sect attempted this countless times, failing every single one, until by sheer luck this single Gu King survived. Because the Gu King and the sacred relic share the same origin, their poisons can blend together."
And then it had been stolen away by the scar-faced man!
Although Qin Sang had not asked in detail about the scar-faced man's background, he could guess that the man must have had deep ties to Myriad Poison Mountain in the past; otherwise, he could never have come into contact with the Gu King.
"From what you say, there is only this single Gu King, and it cannot be replicated?" Qin Sang asked.
The Poison King said dejectedly, "I do not even know how it managed to survive... Had I known, I would have guarded it far more strictly."
Myriad Poison Mountain had tried time and again, each attempt ending in failure. Facts had proven that success was virtually impossible.
The Poison King had never thought he would succeed either, merely following his master's orders step by step. Unbeknownst to him, it actually succeeded, only to be stolen by a thief—a regret he still carried.
*Could the Gu King's success have had something to do with the scar-faced man?* Qin Sang thought to himself.
After musing for a while, Qin Sang suddenly said, "Your sect spent vast resources to nurture the Gu King. Surely it wasn't just to obtain a single gu insect?"
Without waiting for the Poison King to reply, Qin Sang added, "I kept the Gu King because I am interested in the Dao of poison control. It has already been put to other uses by me, so it is impossible to return it to you. However, I have an idea."
The Poison King furrowed his brows tightly. "Please speak plainly, True Monarch."
Qin Sang nodded. "I wish to know your sect's true intention in refining the Gu King. The Gu King is no longer present, but I can wield its toxic power. Perhaps I can be of assistance."
The Poison King shook his head. "Not unless the True Monarch is willing to return the Gu King to our sect."
"I would like to hear the details," Qin Sang said seriously.
The Poison King remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Nurturing the Gu King is tied to our sect's true transmission cultivation method. If the Gu King reaches maturity, it will bring immense benefits to myself and the future generations of our sect... The True Monarch need say no more. If you desire the merged poison, I can grant you a bottle of the toxic smoke exhaled by the sacred relic. In return, I would also like to ask the True Monarch for some of the Gu King's toxic power."
Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly, yet he seemed completely unsurprised.
He shared an intimate bond with the poison pearl; the poison pearl refining the Gu King was tantamount to him refining it himself, and he had already sensed something before.
Seeing that the Poison King was still unwilling to speak the complete truth, he decided to be blunt: "Once the Gu King reaches maturity, it can merge with the sacred relic, can it not? Or rather, devour it. That wouldn't simply merge two types of poison, for that is mere superficiality! What you truly want is to recreate the origin poison of the bloodthirsty miasma spirit, and through that verify and comprehend the true intent of your cultivation method to attain Deity Transformation—am I right?"
Hearing this, the Poison King's countenance changed drastically.
Before the Poison King could respond, Qin Sang waved a hand to interrupt: "You need not worry. I do not intend to take it by force. I wish to discuss a sound approach with you."
Having reached this point, the Poison King could no longer hide anything. He said quietly, "The True Monarch does not cultivate our sect's methods. Even if the sacred relic were given to you, you would not be able to recreate the origin poison of the bloodthirsty miasma spirit."
"How do you know I cannot?"
Qin Sang gave an enigmatic smile.
Although he could not recreate the bloodthirsty miasma spirit itself, he could devour the toxic power of the sacred relic to restore the genuine origin poison of the bloodthirsty miasma spirit, rather than a simple fusion.
Such was the capability of the poison pearl!
Qin Sang had only discovered this after refining the Gu King, and he could not help marveling at the fat silkworm's innate talent.
The Poison King was utterly astonished upon hearing this.
"I wish to request some of the sacred relic's poison from you, Fellow Daoist. It will not harm the relic's core, and it can slowly recover in the future. Once merged and the origin poison of the bloodthirsty miasma spirit is obtained, I will first give some to you. What do you think?" Qin Sang proposed.
How could the Poison King possibly refuse? He sighed, "Alas, with the Demonic Voice blocking the path, obtaining the origin poison of the bloodthirsty miasma spirit comes too late."
...
Several months later.
Qin Sang departed Myriad Poison Mountain and headed southeast, arriving at the Moon-Veiling Nunnery.
Chapter 1722