Black Flame Camphor Wood

Nearly all prominent disciples of the Kuiyin Sect had been slain by the Yuanzhao Sect, leaving scarcely any survivors. The sole surviving Core Formation cultivator had lost his physical body, his golden core severely damaged, and his strength drastically diminished; in hiding and afraid to show his face, he would not recover anytime soon. To Qin Sang, this was good news. The looming mountain that was the Kuiyin Sect had finally been lifted from his chest. Yet the Kuiyin Sect was merely a potential threat for the future; the truly pressing danger before him right now was Old Ghost Dique. "Do you want to rid yourself of the Heart-Devouring Insect gu and regain your freedom?" Old Man Dique's tone was thick with temptation. Qin Sang asked in return, "Senior can remove the gu for me? You are *willing* to do so?" When he reached the word "willing," his emphasis sharpened abruptly. Old Man Dique smiled. "Though I cannot undo an insect gu personally crafted by Patriarch Kuiyin, I still have means to conceal it and fool the perceptions of others. When the time comes, not even the people of the Kuiyin Sect will be able to control the gu inside your origin soul. Furthermore, I have no friendship with the Kuiyin Sect. Although you plotted against me, you retrieved the Fire Jade Centipedes and helped steal the Red Gold Vine fruit. I ought to thank you; your merits offset your offenses. Not only that, I actually appreciate you all the more. Only someone with your cunning can help me achieve my goals. As long as you serve me faithfully, why wouldn't I be willing to help you?" Qin Sang's eyes flickered, and he replied derisively, "Senior just said that the Kuiyin Sect has been wiped out. If that is so, then without truly curing the gu, merely cloaking it seems of little practical use to me. Whatever Senior wants me to do, just speak plainly. There is no need to dress it up in high-sounding words and pretend this is a fair deal." "You wouldn't want me to reveal your identity to Che Yutao, would you? Even though the Kuiyin Sect is gone, I doubt Shaohua Mountain would tolerate a demonic spy like you sullying their sect. The simplest solution would be to strike you dead on the spot with a single palm to erase every trace. Old Ghost Che Yutao is hardly soft-hearted..." Old Man Dique wore a beaming smile, yet it sent a chill straight down Qin Sang's spine. "However, I am no elder of Shaohua Mountain. Why should I help them ferret out a spy and take on such thankless toil?" Old Man Dique shifted his tone. "As the saying goes, one must use both stick and carrot, but what I dislike most is relying on threats to force someone's hand. Only mutual benefit provides a solid foundation; only then will you dedicate yourself wholly. How about this? I see that life spirit sword of yours has quite some ingenuity to it—it actually possesses a pure wood embryo. Do you need spirit wood to elevate its power?" "Senior has keen eyes." The ebony sword was exceedingly unusual, so it was only natural that Old Man Dique saw through it. Qin Sang sneered internally. He didn't believe a word coming from Old Man Dique. Even if lavish benefits were promised, they were nothing more than empty checks. He had to find a way to escape this predicament. It would be best if he could kill Old Man Dique. Yet the chasm between a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a Core Formation cultivator was like heaven and earth; Qin Sang dared not even entertain the thought. The second option was to break free of Old Man Dique's control first, and then, before Dique could expose his identity to Shaohua Mountain, flee elsewhere or find a sufficiently secluded place to hide. Deep within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, the Land of Disorder was a prime hiding spot, but far too dangerous. Beyond that, since the Kuiyin Sect's fortune had run dry, he could entirely flee to the domain of the demonic sects and live as a rogue cultivator. He had never done anything to harm Shaohua Mountain; surely Shaohua Mountain would not brazenly intrude into demonic territory to mount a massive manhunt for him, so staying hidden shouldn't be difficult. The only pity was losing access to Shaohua Mountain's resources and many conveniences. Still, compared to Qi Refinement cultivators, someone at Foundation Establishment was considered something of an expert in the cultivation world, capable of roaming it alone and gathering cultivation resources through their own efforts. It was not unacceptable. However, none of this could be accomplished inside this sealed ancient cultivator's abandoned abode. He would have to leave the abode before he could seek a suitable opportunity. ... Old Man Dique nodded. He transferred the remaining Scarlet Fire Flowing Gold into a jade bottle, then stowed it away with the utmost care, treating it like a priceless treasure. He then took out a piece of black spirit wood and displayed it to Qin Sang. The spirit wood was as black as charcoal, covered in intricate grain patterns that formed peculiar, flame-like shapes. "This is black flame camphor wood. I retrieved it from a restriction not long ago." Black flame camphor wood was even more precious than golden-thread snow cedar wood. If the ebony sword absorbed this piece of black flame camphor wood, it would certainly be able to bear the second killing talisman. Between struggles of life and death, the speed of comprehending a killing talisman became exceptionally swift. Qin Sang had already been close to fully comprehending the second killing talisman, and after the trial grounds as well as his repeated ventures into the magma lake battling the flame flying monkeys, he had now mastered it completely. From now on, he only needed to shut himself in a cave dwelling for arduous cultivation; even with his mediocre talent, barring any accidents, he would certainly be able to break through to the middle Foundation Establishment stage within another twenty years. If the ebony sword's quality fell short, he would have had to travel abroad in search of spirit wood. With the black flame camphor wood, there would be no need to worry. "Come with me to do something right now. Achieve half of it, and the black flame camphor wood is yours; once the matter is fully done, there will be even greater rewards," Old Man Dique tossed the piece of wood in his hand, enticing him. "Does Junior have any other choice?" Qin Sang fell silent for a long moment, then smiled bitterly. "May I ask what Junior can do?" "Follow me. You'll know soon enough." Old Man Dique glanced back at the sea of magma and walked toward the surface. With their spiritual fruit stolen, the monkey swarm in the magma lake had fallen into a violent frenzy, furiously battering the restriction in an attempt to tear the two of them to shreds. Under their relentless assault, the restriction actually showed signs of trembling. Qin Sang hurriedly followed, flying out of the ancient well and passing through the water mirror. Just as Old Man Dique was about to step out of the illusion formation ahead, he let out a sudden gasp of surprise, as if encountering something utterly unexpected. "Why is that wench outside?" Old Man Dique halted, his expression shifting between dark and pale. He suddenly began hurling curses, clearly harboring intense resentment toward the person he mentioned, which left Qin Sang deeply puzzled. Dique then waved his hand abruptly, shooting out several bursts of spiritual power that concealed both their auras and figures before stepping out of the illusion formation. On the distant horizon, spanning between the mountain peaks, hung an enormous Eight Trigrams diagram. Above the Eight Trigrams stood more than a dozen figures—all disciples of the various sects who had entered the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode together. In their midst was a woman in palace attire. Standing at the very center of the Eight Trigrams, her aura was not in the least inferior to Old Man Dique's. She was none other than Sikong Muyue, one of the five Core Formation cultivators! The others stood at various points around the Eight Trigrams, positioned around Sikong Muyue according to a specific pattern. Spiritual power surged from their bodies and poured into the Eight Trigrams, causing the black and white qi upon it to grow increasingly dense. Then the Eight Trigrams trembled, and the boundless black and white qi coalesced into two flood dragons, swooping downward with earth-shattering might. In an instant, the black and white qi slammed into the restriction atop the mountain peak below. *Boom!* The restriction unleashed a seven-colored divine glow to resist the onslaught of black and white qi, but ultimately failed to hold. Its brilliance dimmed rapidly until it was shattered by the surge of black and white qi.