The moon hung high in the sky.
Both men were in high spirits from the wine.
Caught up in the mood, Real Person Zhijian rose to his feet. He casually snapped a long leaf from a swordheart orchid and wielded it as a sword. In an instant, sword shadows swept across the void. Entirely free of slaughterous intent, their ethereal grace matched the moonlit night to perfection, a truly exquisite sight.
Qin Sang watched intently. Accompanied by Real Person Zhijian's explanations, this was arguably the first time he had received such guidance in swordsmanship.
Senior Qingzhu had been a fine mentor and friend, but they had met too late, and he had left Qin Sang only a single sword scripture.
Qin Sang could only interject occasionally, even though what they were currently discussing pertained to the legacy of the Chengying Sword.
Though Real Person Zhijian had not received the legacy himself, he was able to draw inferences and grasp the whole picture after Qin Sang's descriptions and demonstrations, offering Qin Sang a stream of fresh inspirations. His attainment and natural talent in the sword dao left Qin Sang feeling inferior.
They drained the last cup of fine wine.
Qin Sang was still immersed in the insights of the sword dao, only startled back to his senses when the sword slave stepped forward to pour more wine.
Real Person Zhijian waved his hand, dismissing the sword slave. He looked Qin Sang up and down with a chuckle. "You are a sword fanatic as well, my brother."
Qin Sang offered a wry smile, shook his head, and bowed deeply. "Only through Daoist Brother's guidance have I caught a glimpse of the true vistas of the sword dao."
Real Person Zhijian turned slightly to avoid receiving the full bow, then flicked the orchid leaf, which produced a crisp, resonant clang. "This poor daoist is still waiting for you to achieve great mastery in your sword dao so we can fulfill our pact of debating the sword."
With that, he flicked his sleeve and strolled leisurely toward his cave dwelling.
Watching Real Person Zhijian's retreating figure, Qin Sang pondered a moment before calling out, "Should you ever have any need of me, I will spare no effort."
Real Person Zhijian laughed heartily. "This poor daoist certainly will not stand on ceremony with you."
The moonlit night grew quiet and solitary.
There was nothing of importance left in his cave dwelling.
After bidding farewell to the sword slave, Qin Sang departed Jianxin Island and headed straight east. Passing through Zuodai Pass, he took a Minor Shift Formation and entered the territory of the demon kingdoms.
Among the many demon kingdoms in Jushan Diocese, one was ruled by the White-tailed Demon Wolf clan. Situated in the northeastern part of Jushan Diocese, its location was rather remote, so it rarely came into conflict with humans, enjoying a peaceful existence in its own corner of the world.
Entering this demon kingdom, Qin Sang eventually came to a giant boulder atop a barren mountain and sat cross-legged, seemingly waiting for someone.
Three days later.
Beyond the mountain, amid the dense jungle, a squat figure darted through the trees at great speed. From its shape, it was a demon beast, resembling a dog yet looking like a fox. Its concealment techniques were extraordinary; as it moved, not the slightest fluctuation leaked out.
*Whoosh!*
The demon leaped onto the mountain peak and met Qin Sang's eyes. It could not help but shudder, instantly plastering a fawning expression onto its face before prostrating itself on the ground, speaking with agitation, "This humble demon pays homage to the exalted immortal!"
"It seems you have already obtained a demon talisman," Qin Sang said impassively. "Why haven't you taken human form?"
The newcomer was none other than the bei demon.
Back then, he had released the bei demon so it could seek out a demon talisman on its own. Cunning and deceitful by nature, the creature had indeed succeeded.
Kneeling on the ground, the bei demon dared not rise. "This small one's transformation is incomplete and my appearance is hideous. I feared offending the exalted immortal's discerning eyes."
Qin Sang gave it a half-smile. "Should I be addressing you as Lord Bei God now?"
The bei demon looked up, suddenly adopting an expression of righteous indignation. "Those demon wolves practice blatant nepotism! Only their kin and blood relatives are qualified to build temples and be consecrated as gods. This small one is not trusted, and I deeply regret being unable to pry into any state secrets on the exalted immortal's behalf!"
"Oh? There is such a rule?"
Qin Sang had not known the specifics behind the consecration of demon gods. The more importance these demons attached to it, the more significant the demon gods clearly were.
In truth, even now Qin Sang remained in the dark about what Guifang Kingdom was plotting, and the Dao Court kept the matter strictly under wraps as well.
The bei demon babbled on, confirming that after the demons were consecrated as demon gods, they sat high in their temples, enjoying offerings and incense. At least for now, there was no noticeable difference compared to before their consecration.
Qin Sang's expression remained calm and unruffled.
Unable to guess Qin Sang's thoughts, the bei demon felt uneasy. Suddenly remembering something, it hurried to add, "May it please the exalted immortal to know: this humble demon has remained in contact with that snake demon all along. It has now become a demon commander under a marquis, swaggering about with great prestige! Rumor has it that it will soon be dispatched to the Sin Plains. Why don't I summon it at once to pay respects to the exalted immortal...?"
Qin Sang gave a slight nod. He had intended to contact both demons during this trip anyway.
He had previously suspected that the legacy the snake demon had obtained was far from simple, and it had indeed turned out as expected.
"Summon it here. This poor daoist will wait for you both right here," Qin Sang said calmly.
The bei demon bowed and withdrew, disappointment written across its face.
It had racked its brains trying to neutralize the latent poison within its body, all in vain. It lived each day in constant terror, dreading that Qin Sang might forget about it and leave it to perish when the poison suddenly erupted.
Having finally awaited Qin Sang's arrival, the man had not mentioned bestowing an antidote pill at all.
Lamenting inwardly, the bei demon hurried away.
***
Atop the barren mountain.
The Grey Oriole Sword hovered in midair, causing the surrounding void to ripple and twist slightly. In a flash, the spiritual sword vanished into the void, its sword shadows flickering in and out of sight.
Rustling sounds came from the base of the mountain.
The bei and the snake arrived side by side.
While still outside the mountain, they had already revealed their demon forms to demonstrate their submission. They dutifully crawled up the mountain peak, and upon seeing Qin Sang deducing his swordsmanship, they respectfully stood by in attendance.
Several days later, Qin Sang slowly withdrew his sword.
The two demons immediately threw themselves to the ground in homage.
"Rise," Qin Sang said indifferently, looking toward the snake demon. Before he could speak, the snake demon took the initiative to recount everything it had experienced over the years.
After listening, Qin Sang asked, "The demon marquis intends to dispatch you to the Sin Plains to establish a temple, proclaim yourself a god, and civilize the ghost folk? By becoming a demon god, can you truly remain in the Sin Plains permanently without your mind falling into madness?"
As it turned out, the snake demon had taken its token to Guifang Kingdom and was granted an audience very quickly—and with a demon marquis serving under a demon king, no less.
Through this, it learned that the legacy it had obtained was actually a dao seed scattered by that demon marquis on the demon king's orders while traveling far and wide.
Demon cultivators who obtained this legacy found it far easier to transition into demon gods.
They had been scattered everywhere. When Guifang Kingdom launched its operation, orders would be issued through those tokens, whereupon all of them would proclaim themselves gods to bolster the nation's prestige.
However, that demon king cherished talent and had instructed the demon marquis to leave a message: any demon of exceptional gift could journey to Guifang Kingdom to serve before him.
The snake demon had only managed to reach Guifang Kingdom safely thanks to Qin Sang.
Its aptitude was decent, but hardly enough to catch the demon king's eye; it had not even been granted a glimpse of the demon king's true face.
The demon marquis had appointed it as a demon commander under his banner and bestowed many treasures upon it. Not only had the snake demon fully recovered from its injuries, but it had also successfully broken through to the mid-stage. Were it not for the looming threat from Qin Sang, it would have felt it had already reached the pinnacle of its life.
Yet to its dismay, it had suddenly learned recently that it was to be dispatched to the Sin Plains to serve as a demon god.
Though both were demon gods, how could being stationed in the Sin Plains compare to residing in the interior? If the Dao Court ever began demolishing temples and purging demon gods, they would undoubtedly start with the Sin Plains. Those stationed there would bear the brunt of the onslaught, no different from being exiled.
The snake demon had instantly felt the precariousness of its situation and the uncertainty of its future; those benefits had truly not come for free.
"This small demon does not know either. It is said that after becoming a demon god, one can stay longer, but every so often, one must still return to Guifang Kingdom..."
The snake demon dared not hide anything, pouring out every detail.
Qin Sang fell into thought. Seeing that nothing more could be gleaned, he dwelled on it no further. Sweeping his gaze over the two demons, he flicked his fingers and shot two beams of spiritual light toward their foreheads.
The two demons shuddered, not daring to resist.
As the spiritual light sank in, it turned out to be a body-tempering secret art.
"Why have you not entered meditation yet?" Qin Sang said in a deep voice.
The two demons immediately obeyed, circulating the secret art. Qin Sang raised his hand and pressed it lightly toward the tops of their heads.
Immediately after, the two demons felt a portion of the latent poison within their bodies drawn out. It circulated throughout their flesh and bones, being refined as they ran the secret art.
A long time later, the two demons woke, astonished to find that their physical bodies had improved significantly. Joy and surprise washed over their faces.
"In the future, you may also collect poisons to temper your bodies, but remember never to be greedy. If this poor daoist cannot deliver the antidote in time, you may use this technique to suppress it for a period. However..."
Qin Sang barked coldly, "Do not attempt to refine the poison within you, or else if the poison erupts, even immortals cannot save you!"
Qin Sang barked coldly, "Do not attempt to refine the poison within you, or else if the poison erupts, even immortals cannot save you!"
"This small demon would never dare!"
The two demons threw themselves to the ground, shouting, "We thank the exalted immortal for bestowing the art!"
This secret art came from the *Canon of the Poison God*. Qin Sang had extracted a portion of it; though not as potent as the original version, it was relatively safe, and he had modified it slightly to suit demon cultivators.
Only by combining benevolence with authority could he keep the two demons thoroughly submissive.
"Very well. Serve me faithfully in the days ahead, and this poor daoist will not mistreat you. There are still matters for you to attend to..."
Qin Sang gave them secret instructions. Before long, he parted ways with the two demons and retraced his steps, heading straight for Huzhong Island.
He first arrived at the mortal courtyard he had rented.
Old Chen, who looked after the courtyard, showed a few more signs of aging, yet having received medicine bestowed by Qin Sang, his hidden ailments were cured. Robust and hale, he was in even higher spirits than back then.
Qin Sang stepped into the meditation chamber in the rear hall.
The spiritual array inside the chamber remained as before, with no letter from Mo Xingdao.
Ten years had passed. Qin Sang had been cultivating in seclusion on Jianxin Island, never leaving Jushan Diocese, and he had no idea of Mo Xingdao's current situation.
He retrieved a blank spiritual talisman, pondered for a moment, inscribed a new method of contact upon it, and flicked his finger.
The spiritual talisman shot into the array like a stone cast into water, rippling with clear waves before vanishing from sight.
He was headed to cultivate at the Jushan Diocesan Altar and would be unable to check here frequently; the previous method of contact could no longer be used.
With the snake demon being dispatched to the Sin Plains to establish a temple and proclaim itself a god, it could conveniently relay messages on his behalf, which made things much simpler.
He had already made arrangements: when the time came, Mo Xingdao would send word to the bei demon, who would forward it to the snake demon. Qin Sang and Mo Xingdao had long established secret ciphers, so even if the messages were intercepted, others would never discern their true meaning.
In addition, Qin Sang had tasked the snake demon and the bei demon with gathering the spiritual herbs he required within Guifang Kingdom.
Waving his sleeve to erase all traces, he stepped out of the meditation chamber. Seeing Old Chen waiting respectfully outside, Qin Sang asked, "Old Chen, do you have any nephews or children still living?"
Old Chen paused in surprise. "Replying to the master: this old servant has a nephew who made a life for himself on Hongdong Island, though we have not been in touch for many years."
"I will not be returning in the future."
With that, Qin Sang produced some silver and a few spirit stones. "I give this small courtyard and these items to you; they will be enough for you to live out your twilight years in peace. Remember, use the spirit stones with caution."
Old Chen suddenly felt his arms grow heavy. Overwhelmed and at a loss for words, by the time he came back to his senses, Qin Sang had already vanished without a trace. He knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
Leaving the courtyard, Qin Sang went to Grandmaster Qi's residence, explained his purpose, and soon flew out of Huzhong Island once more, leaving an emergency contact method at Jianxin Island as well.
With everything properly arranged, there was no need to linger.
Qin Sang immediately stirred his escape light and flew northward.
Returning to the Sin Plains, Qin Sang flew on without stopping. Reaching the vicinity of the Jushan Diocesan Altar, he did not pause, but continued flying north.
Gradually, he penetrated deeper and deeper.
Few people ever ventured this far; even late-stage Deity Transformation experts only came here when hunting ferocious beasts.
Qin Sang's purpose on this trip was precisely to hunt ferocious beasts.
First, he wanted to obtain beast carcasses and demon cores to trade for spiritual herbs; second, he wished to validate his earlier comprehension of the slaughter dao.
Whether due to the lingering effects of the Jushan Diocesan Altar's tremor or some other reason, Qin Sang had searched for so long without spotting a single Deity Transformation ferocious beast.
*Whoosh...*
Qin Sang ventured even deeper, finally landing on a mountain summit. Ahead of him lay a lush, boundless forest suffused with dense wood spiritual qi.
"A fine place," Qin Sang murmured.
The wood spiritual qi here was abundant enough to support a grand battle.
Flying a circuit around the forest, he set up several preparations and then began searching the perimeter.
Heading further north, Qin Sang covered some distance before halting. Frowning at the expanse ahead, he hesitated briefly, then veered to the left.
Pressing deeper might have allowed him to locate a target quickly, but according to the rumors Qin Sang had heard, the deepest reaches of the Sin Plains harbored not only ferocious beasts, but also bizarre and unfathomable yaksha ghosts, far more terrifying than the beasts.
Those ghosts roamed the depths of the Sin Plains and rarely ventured out, so very few people had ever seen them. It was said that encountering one brought dire peril, and no one wished to cross their path.
Some claimed they were evil ghosts emerging from the underworld, even attributing the netherworld legends found in daoist scriptures to the Sin Plains.
Most tales concerning the ghosts were mere rumors. Not knowing their true nature or abilities, Qin Sang naturally chose to avoid them whenever possible.
Using that forest as a center, he continually expanded his search radius until, upon finding a mountain brook, he finally spotted his quarry!
*Boom!*
The moment Qin Sang released his aura, a colossal spray of water erupted from the brook. A beam of silver light charged straight at him with ferocious, peerless momentum.
The Heavenly Eye Butterfly saw it clearly: within the silver light was a bizarre, ferocious beast shaped like a young calf, bearing stag-like antlers and nine fleshy tumors along its spine.
Sensing delicious flesh and blood, the strange ox's eyes gleamed with greed, drool dripping from its jaws.
"Mid-stage Deity Transformation!"
Qin Sang nodded inward approval.
An ordinary late-stage Deity Transformation cultivator out here would already have to divert their attention to resist the erosion of the worldly aura, and they would have to weigh their chances carefully upon encountering a mid-stage Deity Transformation beast.
Qin Sang had no such qualms. He immediately executed Thunder Escape, tearing through the air to flee into the distance.
How could the strange ox stand by and watch its prey escape? It pursued relentlessly.
Lightning and silver glare vied across the sky, throwing the surrounding region into turmoil. Qin Sang controlled his speed, keeping the strange ox trailing behind him.
Before long, the forest came into view.
*Thump!*
Qin Sang touched down, the ground trembling violently beneath him. Glancing back with killing intent flaring in his eyes, his body underwent a drastic transformation in an instant.
*Whoosh!*
A treant as massive as an ancient tree rose straight from the earth. Compared to him, the strange ox suddenly appeared almost petite.
Sensing the threat, the strange ox let out a low roar and ballooned in size as well, swelling into a giant ox the size of a small mountain. Lowering its head slightly, it charged viciously at Qin Sang.
As long as wood spiritual qi was plentiful, Qin Sang dared to trade blows with late-stage Deity Transformation experts; he had even slain Marquis Li before his cultivation had fully recovered, to say nothing of a mere strange ox.
*Swoosh!*
Sword light flashed as night enveloped the forest. Sword stars hung high in the sky, bearing witness to the clash between the two combatants.
The Heavenly Eye Butterfly fluttered leisurely up to one of the sword stars, keeping watch so as not to attract other ferocious beasts or ghosts.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
The earth shook.
Refusing to be outdone, Qin Sang broke into a sprint, charging straight at the strange ox, intending to clash with it head-on.
Just as they were about to collide, the strange ox roared frantically. A flash appeared on its brow, and a silver vortex expanded at blinding speed, instantly blanketing heaven and earth to swallow everything—only to strike empty air.
Qin Sang had vanished on the spot. Stepping out from an ancient tree behind the strange ox, he seized the beast's long tail with both hands and hurled it violently.
Tilted off balance, the strange ox was flung far into the distance, crashing straight through a nearby stone peak and snapping it in two.
*Boom!*
The strange ox burst from the rubble, roaring like thunder. But before it could recover, a brilliant beam of starlight plummeted from the heavens, slashing squarely against the crown of its head. It was sent flying backward once more, crashing down all four hooves in the air.
Just as it struggled to scramble to its feet, a shadow loomed over it. A withered, gaunt palm, imbued with a bizarre, uncanny force, pressed straight down toward its chest and abdomen.
*Pfft!*
Desperately dodging its vitals, the strange ox erupted with silver radiance and burrowed into the earth to flee. By the time it burst out from the ground elsewhere, its chest and abdomen were dripping with gore.
Having lost the initiative in a single exchange, it was already grievously wounded.
Chapter 1814