"That is correct."
Noticing that Senior Brother Chu's tone was not harsh, Qin Sang felt a wave of relief. He retrieved the ice coffin from his mustard seed bag.
Senior Brother Chu frowned and studied it for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Junior Brother Qin, put the ice coffin away for now. Once we return to the sect, several senior brothers will examine it together."
Upon returning to Shaohua Mountain, Qin Sang was escorted by Senior Brother Chu to Sect Master Peak and settled in a great hall.
Senior Brother Chu took the ice coffin away. Later, another senior brother brought it back and questioned him about what had transpired in the subterranean caverns. After that, no one else came to disturb him. Qin Sang simply settled his mind and cultivated in the hall.
It was not until more than ten days later that Senior Brother Chu finally showed up to tell him that the matter was resolved.
Qin Sang had not expected the affair to conclude so smoothly. Wondering what had taken place during these days, he ventured an inquiry.
Senior Brother Chu did not hide anything. "Two senior brothers went to the devil's lair and confirmed that every word you two junior brothers said was the absolute truth—it was indeed an accident. We have already submitted a full report of the incident, so naturally you are cleared of all suspicion. All of us had heard of what happened to Junior Sister Qingting and Junior Brother Jiang back then, and none could look upon Junior Sister Qingting's remains without sighing in grief. Junior Brother Qin, do not forget Junior Sister Qingting's final request. Choose an auspicious land of good geomancy to bury them together so their souls may rest in peace."
Qin Sang agreed solemnly, "Please rest assured, Senior Brother Chu. I will certainly see to it."
Senior Brother Chu gave a nod of acknowledgment. "Then I will not see you off. Please suit yourself, Junior Brother Qin."
Watching Senior Brother Chu depart, Qin Sang pondered in silence for a while. He glanced left and right, but seeing no sign of Yu Daiyue, he took to the air alone and flew toward Pagoda Peak.
Senior Sister Qingting's dying wish was simple: she only asked Qin Sang to bury her and her husband on a small island called Mingqin Island. It was on Mingqin Island that they had first met, watching the morning glow together, and there they wished to sleep forever.
Mingqin Island lay deep within the Yuncang Great Marsh, an immense distance away. Before setting off, Qin Sang intended to settle a few lingering matters first.
First, he would visit Pagoda Peak to see if the sect's treasury held any Five Elements yin materials. If not, he would have to purchase them at nearby cultivation markets. After that, he would head to the archives on Daomen Peak to peruse the ancient texts.
Only by gathering all five Five Elements yin materials could he begin refining a baleful corpse, a process that allowed no mistake in its sequence. As for the earth fiend qi required for corpse refinement, that was simple enough—he could just draw it from Dichen Cave.
Having stayed there for several years, he knew Dichen Cave like the back of his hand and was aware of several secluded spots. He could collect enough earth fiend qi and leave immediately without alerting anyone.
Next was the black tiger's demon corpse. The portions he had obtained from Baiyun Shanren and Qingting only added up to three-quarters; the remaining quarter was likely on Li Zai.
Though incomplete, the black tiger had been a mid-Demon Spirit stage great demon. A magic tool refined from its remains would surely surpass the quality of one made from the white rhinoceros demon beast. If he carefully gathered some auxiliary spirit materials, crafting a top-grade magic tool would be well within reach.
Even so, Qin Sang intended to have Shopkeeper Wu fashion it all into Essence-Devouring Awls. These single-use magic tools were exceedingly handy and extraordinarily powerful, serving as splendid life-saving trump cards.
Once he departed for the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, returning would be no simple feat, and having a demon corpse would do him no good if he had no way to get it refined.
With these thoughts in mind, Qin Sang landed upon Pagoda Peak. He entered a grand hall and emerged shortly after, a hint of joy gracing his features.
The sect indeed possessed such treasures. Qin Sang had managed to purchase a fist-sized nine-aperture stone and a nail-sized piece of blue nether metal.
The nine-aperture stone did not merely have nine apertures; it was riddled with dense clusters of tiny holes from which a steady yin wind blew. With his current cultivation, when that yin wind brushed against his skin, he could still feel a lingering chill that refused to dissipate—it was truly extraordinary.
The blue nether metal was already refined, glowing with a soft blue luster like a shard of blue glacial crystal. Though small in quantity, it was enough for several uses.
Neither of these items was exceptionally rare; both could be purchased with spirit stones, and the price was not unreasonable. With his current wealth, he could easily afford them.
As for the ghost eagle feather and the moon locust heartwood, the sect did not have them in stock, so he could only search for them in the cultivation markets.
***
Zhuang Yan was still in secluded cultivation on Dianyun Mountain. Senior Brother Wen had taken on a young Daoist boy as his helper, who also recognized Qin Sang.
Hearing that Qin Sang wished to consult the texts in the archives, the boy hurriedly brought out the keys and led the way. It turned out the archives were situated within the belly of Daomen Peak, which explained why Qin Sang had never seen them before.
After showing Qin Sang inside, the boy bowed and took his leave.
The archives were vast. Spirit formations were laid out all around to preserve the wooden slips and paper scrolls. The jade slips accounted for only a small portion, all stacked together in one area, and Qin Sang located them effortlessly with a sweep of his spiritual sense.
These jade slips were piled haphazardly, containing a mishmash of subjects that were mostly of little value. Qin Sang sorted them into categories, finally selecting those related to spirit veins, spirit eyes, and spirit springs, and settled down to read them patiently.
***
The eastern sky gradually paled into the color of a fish's belly.
Dawn on Daomen Peak carried a unique, crisp freshness. A dewdrop slid along the vein of a leaf, trembling at the tip before the morning breeze swept it down to shatter across the stone path.
*Crack!*
The sound was crisp and clear.
The restrictions at the archive entrance flickered, and a figure walked out.
He possessed a slender, upright build and looked to be around thirty years old. Though his features were not extraordinarily striking, his posture was tall and straight, and his Daoist robe fitted him impeccably. His lips were pressed firmly together, his eyes brimming with focus and resolve, exuding a distinct, refined air.
This person was none other than Qin Sang.
Although he was already forty years old, for one thing, cultivators naturally appeared younger than mortals; secondly, after breaking through to Foundation Establishment, one's vital energy only began to show signs of decline once their age exceeded one hundred and fifty years. Until then, their appearance would not age further, remaining frozen at the moment they broke through.
Had he not lost ten percent of his vital energy to plucking and replenishing, he would have looked even younger, resembling a youth in his early twenties.
Holding a jade slip in his hand, Qin Sang strolled out with a thoughtful expression.
As the cool morning wind brushed his face, Qin Sang snapped out of his reverie. He gazed intently at the beautiful scenery before him for a moment, smiled faintly, and rose upon his flying sword.
The sword light swept past Jianmen Pass, streaking straight toward Wenyue Cultivation Market.
Qin Sang stowed the jade slip into his mustard seed bag. The contents within had been copied from the archives—a text titled *Secret Notes on Dragon Spotting*, authored by a cultivator who had specialized in the study of geomancy.
It contained techniques for dragon searching and acupoint spotting, though they were far less practical than the vein-seeking spirit beasts reared by the great sects. What caught Qin Sang's attention was a method recorded in the text for accelerating the formation of a spirit spring.
The author of the jade slip hypothesized that materials from a depleted spirit spring could be used to hasten the formation of a new one.
If he failed to find a way to make a spirit spring form quickly, Qin Sang had planned to take the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid with him and return every few years just to ensure it did not wither completely, waiting until a spirit spring finally matured.
It would be troublesome, but the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid was an elixir capable of aiding Nascent Soul formation; no amount of caution was excessive.
Now that a possible method had presented itself—even if it was merely the author's untested conjecture—it was certainly worth a try.
Chapter 177