Watching the Morning Glow Together

Qilong Island. The island was long and narrow, shaped like a crouching azure dragon, from which it took its name. It was not large, but it was rich in spiritual power and made an excellent cave dwelling. It had already been somewhat renowned in the past, and after being claimed by the Liu brothers, Qilong Island's reputation grew even greater. The Liu brothers cultivated the same cultivation method. What made them remarkable was that both possessed good innate talent, each breaking through to the thirteenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage at a young age. With enough luck, they even had a chance at Foundation Establishment. While still in the Qi Refinement stage, they could join forces to contend against Foundation Establishment cultivators. Had they broken through to Foundation Establishment, their strength would have been even more formidable. Consequently, they were renowned among rogue cultivators, and no one was willing to provoke them. Living on Qilong Island were members of the Liu clan. Under the protection of the Liu brothers, they had lived tranquil and comfortable lives. But with the brothers' deaths, this peace was destined to be shattered. On this early morning, the usually composed head butler of the Liu estate suddenly wore a look of utter panic. He rushed into the inner residence, tripping over the threshold and nearly taking a fall. Looking thoroughly disheveled, he paid it no mind at all. Hearing the commotion, Liu Jiang's wife emerged from her room, her willow-leaf brows knitted in displeasure as she questioned him, "Uncle Wu, what urgent matter has made you scurry about in such a hurry?" "Eldest Madam, disaster has struck! A terrible disaster!" Uncle Wu hurried to her side and whispered a few words. Madam Liu's face shifted drastically, and she gasped in horror, "Is that truly so?!" Uncle Wu looked as if his own parents had died. "Both Masters'… are right in the ancestral hall!" *** Concealed in the shadows, Qin Sang did not show himself. Seeing that the Liu family had discovered the corpses of the Liu brothers, he drifted away into the distance. As for where the Liu family would go from here now that they had lost their pillars of support, that was no longer his concern. After entrusting Shopkeeper Wu to help find ghost eagle feathers and refine the Essence-Devouring Awls, Qin Sang had left the cultivation market to settle the final affairs of this trip. He was on his way to Mingqin Island to bury Senior Sister Qingting and her husband, and passing by Qilong Island along the journey, he had dropped off the corpses of the Liu brothers as a matter of convenience. Leaving aside the terror of the Liu family, Qin Sang traveled south for over a dozen days before finally finding the unassuming islet within the region Senior Sister Qingting had described. The name Mingqin Island had been given to it by Qingting and her husband. It was by no means a famous island; the whole place was merely a solitary hill, devoid of any special traits or spiritual grace. Only the sheer cliff facing the water on its eastern side appeared steep. Upon that cliff, there was an enormous carving—or perhaps a sculpture—hewn by a flying sword. A man and a woman were embracing tenderly, gazing toward the east where they could watch the morning glow together each day. The sculpture clearly had a long history, weathered and mottled, but one could still tell that the figures carved there were Senior Brother Jiang and Senior Sister Qingting. Beside the sculpture was a stone chamber furnished with a few crude daily necessities. Qin Sang could picture it: after Senior Brother Jiang suffered his mishap and his origin soul grew weaker by the day, Senior Sister Qingting had run all across the cultivation world seeking a cure for him, pleading for help on all sides and clinging tightly to even the slimmest shred of hope, never daring to relax for a moment. Only when she returned here, watching the sunrise and reminiscing about the sweetness of their past, could she find a fleeting moment of relief and allow a smile to touch her face. That single word, 'love', was truly something one could never fathom. Qin Sang sighed softly. Swinging his sword, he excavated a grave beneath the sculpture, laid Qingting and her husband to rest there, and erected a stone stele. At first he thought of composing an epitaph, but ultimately abandoned the idea, simply carving: 'Joint Tomb of Husband and Wife, Jiang Yi and Qingting.' Afterward, he set up several array artifacts he had prepared beforehand. There were two minor formations: one an illusion array, and the other a protective restriction. Qin Sang ought to have departed immediately, yet he lingered there, gazing at the sculpture for a long while without moving. Memories he had previously cast to the back of his mind came surging forth in rapid succession. Since coming to this world, the only woman he truly admired had been Princess Dongyang. She had once remarked that the two of them were the same kind of person: both sought a sliver of possibility amid the impossible, remaining resolute even when their paths were thick with brambles. Perhaps that was the real reason Qin Sang admired her. Unfortunately, though they admired each other, their ambitions diverged. His heart was set on seeking immortality, while Princess Dongyang was unswerving in her pursuit of the pinnacle of worldly power. What would have happened if he had chosen to stay back then? Harmonious companions living a lifetime of wealth and comfort—would that have held more meaning than pursuing illusory longevity? Over countless years, how many Nascent Soul cultivators in the Lesser Cold Domain had still failed to escape death? Not a single one had even broken through to the Divine Severing stage, let alone achieved immortality. A trace of confusion surfaced in Qin Sang's eyes, but clarity abruptly returned. He shook his head vigorously, his gaze fixing firmly on the east. There, the morning sun was rising, painting the sky with a boundless red glow. There were no 'what-ifs'! Once he chose this path, he would walk it unswervingly. Even if he perished and his Dao were extinguished, he would have no regrets. Qin Sang accompanied Qingting and her husband in watching the morning glow, and then drifted away. *** Upon returning to his cave dwelling, Qin Sang sorted through the spoils he had obtained from the underground cavern. Those suited to his hands he kept for his own use, while the rest would be dealt with when an opportunity arose. After several life-and-death battles in the cavern, Qin Sang had also gained insights into his cultivation methods. However, he was in no hurry to cultivate; instead, he prepared to thoroughly study the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art, striving for success on his first attempt at refining a baleful corpse. Five days later, Qin Sang opened his eyes and nodded quietly to himself. At present, he possessed only Baiyun Shanren's corpse and had no living Foundation Establishment cultivator on hand. Refining the most ordinary baleful corpse did not require a Heavenly Corpse Talisman. So long as he gathered the necessary spiritual materials and refined it patiently, it would suffice. The only concern was that earth fiend qi was exceedingly dangerous; a single careless mistake would not only destroy the corpse, but might also injure him in the process. Such a minor danger could naturally never deter Qin Sang. Baiyun Shanren had possessed strength on the verge of breaking through to the mid Foundation Establishment stage. A baleful corpse refined from his body would not be lacking in power and was bound to become a fine assistant in the future. In the underground cavern, the baleful corpses Qin Sang had encountered had not seemed difficult to deal with, but those were masterless corpses without intellect or guidance, acting purely on killing and bloodthirsty instincts. Once controlled by someone, a baleful corpse would immediately become a different beast altogether: a rigid body carrying corpse poison, feeling neither pain nor fear of death. Used skillfully, it could achieve great things. Even if it were only used to entangle an opponent and buy time to prepare the Ten Directions Yanluo Array, it would be well worth it. Today happened to be the agreed date for Shopkeeper Wu to deliver the goods. Qin Sang sealed his cave dwelling and rode his flying sword first to Huilong Temple. There were no new voice transmission talismans, nor had any word come from Granny Jing. Arriving at Shopkeeper Wu's shop, Qin Sang saw the items he wanted: ten ghost eagle feathers and two Essence-Devouring Awls! The ghost eagle feathers resembled the legendary feathers of a black phoenix, bearing a massive eye-shaped pattern. The 'pupil' in the center was pitch-black; in truth, it was a cluster of black flame, a rare variety of yin fire. According to Qin Sang's request, Shopkeeper Wu had secured six ghost eagle feathers. Arriving in such a short time, their price was naturally exorbitant. Qin Sang paid the commission for refining the Essence-Devouring Awls as well. Calculating it all, from purchasing the nine-aperture stone and blue nether metal at Pagoda Peak until now, he had spent over eight hundred low-grade spirit stones like running water. Of course, this was also because he was planning ahead and had prepared several extra portions of Five Elements yin materials.