White Jade Old Man

The White Tiger Fierce Malevolence pierced through its body; descending from the starry sky, it returned to the void, the tiger's phantom fading into nothingness. As though the sacred beast, the White Tiger, had merely made a solitary patrol, the evil ghost's life force had already been completely extinguished, its form disintegrating. Qin Sang flashed before the evil ghost and thrust out his right palm, plunging through its brow to snatch an object from within its skull. It was a transparent bead. Pure and flawless like crystal, the bead was only the size of a bean. "What is this?" Qin Sang was certain it was not a demon core. Yet just moments ago, the evil ghost had intended to detonate this very bead before being slain in time by the White Tiger Fierce Malevolence, allowing the bead to be preserved. "It seems to have condensed from pure flower poison..." Discerning a subtle clue, Qin Sang's expression tightened slightly. With utmost caution, he sealed the bead and stowed it into his Qianjun Ring. Now was not the time to examine it closely. With the evil ghost dead, the flower spirits were not frightened away. Instead, the resentment in their eyes deepened, and the blood streaming down their cheeks grew even more brilliantly crimson. Driven mad by malice, the flower spirits shrieked at Qin Sang, their pearly teeth bared like fangs. Steeped in horrifying resentment, their shrill, ear-piercing screams echoed across the bone flower field. Clouds surged and winds rose in the void. The clouds were a coalescence of malice and flower poison, pitch-black as ink. The vivid pollen was nowhere to be seen, all dyed black. A cloud of virulent malice drifted through the air—the deepest grievances of the mortal world could scarcely compare. *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* It was as though a hurricane had whipped across the bone flower field. The clouds of virulent malice churned violently, howling with a deafening roar. The sprawling black clouds twisted continuously, coalescing at last into colossal black dragons that lunged straight toward Qin Sang. Swathed in thick venomous malice, phantom after phantom of the flower spirits materialized around Qin Sang. Staring fixedly at him, they stretched out their arms to seize him, seeking to drag him down into the venomous resentment to share their fate of eternal torment. Qin Sang indeed felt a bizarre tearing force. With a cold snort, thunder suddenly flashed in his eyes. A glint of lightning burst forth, revealing a divine talisman of exceptionally intricate design. The divine talisman shot high into the sky, piercing through layer upon layer of the venomous clouds. The next instant, a brilliant burst of lightning erupted within the black clouds. Anyone with keen enough sight would have seen a thunder seal resting at its center. Mysterious runes flickered across the thunder seal—the Five Thunders Heavenly Heart Righteous Seal! This divine talisman, which bore the power of the third-rank talismanic register of the Supreme Divine Empyrean Register, was now unleashed by Qin Sang for the very first time. The talisman transformed into a seal to command the thunder and execute heaven's punishment! A thunderclap roared out of the blue! The thunder seal burst with blinding brilliance. Crashing thunder and flashing lightning shook heaven and earth, staggering the soul. The lightning was so dazzling that Qin Sang, standing beneath the seal, was momentarily obscured from sight. When the lightning subsided, Qin Sang's surroundings fell completely quiet. The flower spirit phantoms dragging at him had been struck by lightning, perishing in an instant. Looking down from above, a massive hole had opened in the middle of the virulent clouds, cleared entirely of black mist by the thunder. The remaining flower spirits seemed paralyzed with fright and ceased their shrieks. For a fleeting moment, time seemed to stand still. Qin Sang let out a breath and nodded inwardly. He was exceedingly pleased with the power of the Five Thunders Heavenly Heart Righteous Seal; his painstaking efforts to obtain the Supreme Divine Empyrean Register had truly not been in vain. Originally, Qin Sang had thought that so long as it helped pacify his primordial qi while granting him a respectable divine ability, his labors would not be for nothing. It had to be said that the Five Thunders Heavenly Heart Righteous Seal Talisman had exceeded his expectations, and he had only received the register ten years ago, still far from mastery. Truly worthy of thunder magic! No wonder even though the future path of the Supreme Divine Empyrean Register seemed uncertain, the Left and Right Thunder Offices still showed no desire to replace it. Countless disciples pressed forward wave after wave, and the Daoist Court itself appeared to hold the Supreme Divine Empyrean Register in high regard. Even as these thoughts crossed his mind, Qin Sang did not pause for a second, flying toward the edge of the flower field. He knew neither what kind of space this was nor where it was located. With no way to tell direction, Qin Sang could only pick one at random, prioritizing escaping this flower field first. If the flower spirits could not pursue him beyond the field, his situation would improve. Flower spirits were born from spirit flowers; by common logic, Qin Sang reasoned they could not stray too far from them. As for that evil ghost that posed as a flower immortal, judging from the bead, it was undeniably tied to the flower spirits. However, there was only one such evil ghost, making its origins impossible to determine for now. Qin Sang set his sights on a mountain pass. The edge of the flower field was ringed by mountains, beyond which lay an expansive void. Directly ahead of him was a noticeable breach. Strictly speaking, this was not a true mountain pass; between two towering peaks ran a ridge about halfway up the mountainside, resembling a portal of stone. *Crack!* Thunder Escape tore through the clouds of virulent malice, swift as wind and lightning. First the thunder seal, then Thunder Escape—to any onlooker, Qin Sang would certainly look like a thunder cultivator. Of course, the Grey Oriole Sword blazing a path ahead for its master displayed swordsmanship that was anything but ordinary. Sword light opened a thoroughfare, dancing alongside the lightning. Flower spirits were cut down one after another beneath the blade, and swaths of spirit flowers withered across the bone flower field. Yet the flower spirits still threw themselves at Qin Sang in endless waves, seemingly inexhaustible. *Boom!* Sword qi arched like a rainbow, cleaving a chasm through the virulent clouds. The next moment, Qin Sang landed atop the mountain ridge and looked beyond. What met his eyes was utterly disheartening, and his expression instantly darkened. *Whoosh! Whoosh!* Behind him, the clouds of virulent malice surged forward, inundating the ridge. The flower spirits were not bound to the field as he had supposed; they could leave it freely. Ahead lay an open expanse, likewise a valley cradled by mountains, littered with the same white bones and spirit flowers. It was an even larger bone flower field! Here, the skeletal remains were an ashen grey and the spirit flowers grew more sparsely, yet they gave birth to flower spirits all the same. When he appeared on the ridge, he saw flower spirits already sitting up within their floral cocoons. In unison, they turned their heads toward him, their abyssal eyes fixing him with a stare as malice welled inside them. Especially once the virulent clouds pursued Qin Sang across the ridge, their resentment surged to a fever pitch. Blood leaked from their eye sockets, and they parted their mouths to shriek. Beset before and behind. Having just escaped one flower field, Qin Sang found himself trapped in another dire straits. "Could this space be a realm of evil spirits?" Qin Sang's expression grew solemn. Such flower spirits were completely unheard of, taking root and drawing nourishment from among white bones. Remembering the evil ghost he had just slain, Qin Sang felt a tremor of unease. Field upon field of flowers, populated by the same sinister flower spirits—it was hard to believe this had formed naturally. Nor could this place be compared to illusions conjured by divine abilities elsewhere. Were there still more flower fields beyond the mountains? Just how many such fields were there? Qin Sang had no way of knowing. Yet noting the differences between the fields, he deduced that the one ahead was of a lower grade than the one behind. Following this logic, continuing in this direction should lead to fields of progressively lower quality—perhaps a way out. With only this information to go on, this was the only deduction Qin Sang could make, and it needed verification. Silently gauging the limit of the Poison Bead and how long he could hold out, Qin Sang paused briefly on the ridge before the Grey Oriole Sword surged into an arc of sword light. With no second evil ghost barring his way, though he had failed to capture an evil ghost alive as hoped, Qin Sang crossed the second flower field without much obstruction. Man and sword once more traversed the flower field. Behind him trailed the vast, roiling clouds of virulent malice and the relentless flower spirits, like a nighttime parade of a hundred demons—a truly harrowing spectacle. If he could not shake off the flower spirits, even if the poison did not kill him, he would eventually be worn down to death. He cast a cold glance behind him, then looked ahead and noticed several towering peaks. His expression shifted, and he shot directly toward the highest mountain, alighting on its summit in the blink of an eye. He raised his head to look at the sky. The sky was dim and seemed fathomless, yet Qin Sang could faintly sense a twisting force within the void. His reluctance to fly recklessly high was precisely due to his wariness of this force. Gazing at the firmament, Qin Sang fell into contemplation. While flying, Qin Sang had continually pondered various ways of escape. If he could not shake off the flower spirits, his only option was to leave this place altogether. He recalled the banks of fog drifting about earlier, which could reflect images of the flower fields. Did that mean those fog banks were passages connecting the flower fields to the outside world? The firmament was vast and deep, showing no obvious signs for the moment. Trusting the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine ability, Qin Sang instructed her to watch the sky and remain alert for any unusual signs. Qin Sang withdrew his gaze and surveyed his surroundings. In the distance rose countless mountains, undulating in orderly patterns rather than haphazard chaos. One could well imagine that nestled between these ranges were likely field upon field of bone flowers. The more he saw, the more deeply he felt the eerie nature of this place. The clouds of virulent malice were about to crest the mountain peak. Qin Sang swiftly swept his gaze across the ranges; the flower spirits in nearby fields had also been alerted, and plumes of black clouds were converging toward him. The black clouds were too dense to see any glow from divine abilities or magic treasures. Finding no trace of the two Masters, Qin Sang could only proceed with his own strategy. Just as he was about to look away, his gaze suddenly froze. "The layout of these mountains seems somewhat familiar..." Qin Sang muttered to himself. Comparing this terrain to another seemingly unrelated scene, Qin Sang's eyes suddenly lit up. He realized that the layout of the mountain ranges and valleys matched the floor plan of the palace perfectly! Treat the valleys as the courtyards and halls, and the mountain ranges as the drill grounds and passageways between them! Looking back toward where he had come from, another valley lay side by side with the flower field he had first landed in, similar in size—precisely corresponding to the two main halls! The flower field he had just crossed and several nearby valleys, in both position and size, corresponded to the ninth section of the palace. Looking forward. Straight ahead lay a colossal mountain range composed of countless peaks, extending further forward into another massive range leading into the distance. Interspersed among them were flower fields of varying sizes. These two mountain ranges reminded Qin Sang of the large drill ground in the eighth section of the palace and the passageway in the seventh. Though Qin Sang had no idea why such a correspondence existed, this discovery was unquestionably good news. "If I follow the mountain ranges to where the palace gates would be, could that be the exit to this space?" Thoughts flashing through his mind, Qin Sang immediately flew off the peak. *Rumble!* Thunder echoed through the mountains with immense grandeur. Black clouds had already risen from distant flower fields. It was not that Qin Sang did not wish to conceal himself, but that concealment was useless. The flower spirits were exceptionally sensitive to the aura of outsiders; none of the secret techniques Qin Sang tried could mask his presence. Soon, Qin Sang reached the mountain range corresponding to the drill ground. Black clouds already blotted out the sky and sun, flower spirits gathered in swarms, and shrill shrieks rose and fell in a terrifying cacophony. It was as though he were fleeing with ten thousand ghosts in tow—a shocking sight. Mountain range after mountain range receded rapidly behind him. Qin Sang kept part of his mind linked to the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, feeling her thoughts. Living up to expectations, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly indeed discerned something. Qin Sang glanced instinctively at the sky, his face thoughtful. Soon, Qin Sang crossed the mountains. Ahead, a mountain ridge stretched like a dragon crouching upon the earth. Without slowing down, Qin Sang continued to ponder as he flew. Scanning the peaks below, he suddenly remembered something. When crossing the seventh passageway of the palace, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had spotted a secret door on the wall. If the palace corresponded to the flower fields, what did the secret door correspond to? Qin Sang quickly swept his gaze across the entire mountain range and immediately locked onto several peaks. Deducing from the distance, the location corresponding to the secret door had to be nearby! *Whoosh!* Lightning streaked across the mountains before suddenly plunging downward in front of a peak. At the same time, Qin Sang told the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to look away from the sky and scan their surroundings. Moments later, she indeed made a discovery. With a blur of movement, Qin Sang landed before a stone cliff. Behind him lay a flower field; the peak with this stone cliff was situated on the edge of the mountain range. Upon the cliff face was a very well-concealed secret door! A look of surprise crossed Qin Sang's face as he wondered where the secret door led. Then his brow furrowed as he looked down at the bones beneath his feet. The bones here were also ashen grey, but mingled among them were several segments of pitch-black bone. Qin Sang drew a black bone into his palm with qi and confirmed it was human bone. But why was the color so completely different? The black bones were incomplete, scattered across multiple spots. The clouds of virulent malice were already rolling in. Unable to fathom the reason, Qin Sang decided to breach the secret door directly. The secret door was protected by a poison restriction, similar to the one on the archway in the seventh section, but its power was somewhat disordered and seemingly incomplete, with several cracks running across the stone door itself. Qin Sang pressed a palm against the stone door. Drawing in a sliver of the poison's power, he traced its pathways. With a sharp clang, his sword slashed down upon the stone door! *Boom!* The restriction violently shuddered, and the stone door opened a crack. At the same time, a clap of thunder exploded, echoing through the mountains. The mountains turned stark white with blinding light as the thunder seal manifested once more, obliterating the closest pursuing flower spirits. Flashing into motion, Qin Sang slipped behind the stone door and swung it shut behind him, on high alert. Stepping past the stone door shut out the clamor, finally restoring silence. At the same time, Qin Sang keenly noticed that the air here was completely free of poison; the flower poison was entirely barred outside. He focused his attention on the stone door. After waiting a moment and confirming the flower spirits were not battering against it, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. A large amount of flower poison had accumulated within his body; he had finally found a place to meditate and recover. Yet not knowing what this place was, Qin Sang did not let his guard down. Looking around briefly, he saw a cave that seemed not very deep. The Grey Oriole Sword transformed into protective sword light swirling around him. Qin Sang quietly walked deeper inside, soon arriving at the end. The scene before him made his pupils contract slightly. At the end of the cave was a circular grotto with smooth walls, clearly excavated by human hands. In the center of the grotto stood an altar table bearing a divine statue. Three prayer mats lay scattered before it. Upon one of the mats sat a skeleton in a kneeling posture facing the altar, showing that right before death, it had still been worshipping the statue upon the table. The skeleton was pitch-black as ink, matching the broken bones outside the cave. The statue was seven inches tall, carved from white jade of warm, lustrous texture, depicting a benevolent-looking old man. The White Jade Old Man possessed an ethereal, transcendent bearing, truly carrying the aura of an immortal. Qin Sang came to a halt. His eyes first went to the skeleton, but the instant his gaze met the eyes of the White Jade Old Man, he inexplicably felt a flicker of sinister malice, striking a chill through his heart. He sensed no unusual fluctuations from the White Jade Old Man. Staring at it for a moment, he suspected that subtle malice might simply be the result of a peculiar carving technique by the sculptor. However, since arriving in this world, Qin Sang had seen with his own eyes earth deities cultivating the divine dao, as well as the Daoist sects' peculiar talismanic registers and enigmatic celestial deities. He dared not take any divine statue lightly. Standing in place, he stared intently at the White Jade Old Man, his expression solemn.