"When such divine objects appear, they must have all fallen into the hands of Nascent Soul Patriarchs, right?"
Qin Sang remarked with feeling.
Wherever one of the Ten Great Divine Woods appeared, danger was bound to lurk on all sides. Anyone whose cultivation was slightly weaker would never even reach it.
And without sufficient strength, even if one were fortunate enough to obtain such a treasure, possessing it would only invite disaster and likely bring about one's demise.
"Not necessarily!"
Yunyouzi shook his head. "Of those three occasions, one involved another type of spirit bamboo—the Qingfu Upright Bamboo, the most upright and pure among the Ten Great Divine Woods. Back then, there was no shortage of Nascent Soul cultivators and transformed great demons vying for it. Legend has it that the Qingfu Upright Bamboo fled on its own and its whereabouts remain unknown to this day; no one has ever heard of anyone wielding a magic treasure refined from it."
"It escaped right under the eyes of Nascent Soul cultivators and transformed great demons?"
Qin Sang was astonished. "Could the Qingfu Upright Bamboo have developed sentience and already become a transformed demon?"
"Hard to say. It might also have been hidden away by someone. It is exceedingly difficult for demons to assume human form, let alone an entity of the Ten Great Divine Woods' caliber. Developing sentience alone would invite the envy of heaven; the tribulation of taking human form would certainly not be easy to endure. After all, how arduous is the immortal path..."
Yunyouzi seemed to recall his own journey of cultivation, letting out a deep sigh. Thinking back on everything he had experienced along the way, Qin Sang felt a poignant resonance with those words.
"What about the second time?" Qin Sang pressed.
"The second was the Boundless Blood Mulberry of the Ten Great Divine Woods. This wood is legendary for being the most defiled of all. A magic treasure refined from the Boundless Blood Mulberry can unleash a divine ability called Blood Filth Divine Light. This light can defile an opponent's magic tools and magic treasures. Inferior magic tools might be ruined outright, and even magic treasures struck by it will suffer severe loss of spirituality, requiring long periods of nurturing to recover.
"It is said that when the Boundless Blood Mulberry appeared, several Nascent Soul cultivators of the demonic sects accidentally shattered it during their struggle. The fragments scattered into the depths of Wuya Valley. Even now, cultivators still venture into Wuya Valley in hopes of finding a single piece. After all, a divine ability like the Blood Filth Divine Light can decide a battle outright.
"However, Wuya Valley is not a place to trespass lightly. As the saying goes, men die for wealth just as birds perish for food. Unable to find the treasure, many lose their lives instead."
Yunyouzi spoke with a trace of irony.
"Wuya Valley?"
Qin Sang searched his memory carefully. He did not recall hearing the name before; among the well-known secret realms in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, none seemed to be called Wuya Valley.
Yunyouzi smiled. "Wuya Valley is not in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, but a forbidden ground deep within Tianduan Mountain. Most who enter are demonic cultivators, and countless have died there—it would not be an exaggeration to describe it as a land strewn with corpses."
Qin Sang nodded quietly. So it was in Tianduan Mountain.
The Tianduan Mountain range was vast beyond measure, and its wilderness held many such forbidden grounds, every one of them exceptionally perilous.
"The third time was even more intriguing.
"To this day, it remains unknown which of the Ten Great Divine Woods appeared. Not long after it happened, the Chunyang Sect suddenly launched a massive assault against the Xueming Sect. Single-handedly, they wiped out the Xueming Sect—a major demonic sect of that era—and executed their sect master on the spot, sending shockwaves throughout the entire Lesser Cold Domain!
"Only later did rumors emerge claiming that the one who obtained the divine wood was a disciple of the Xueming Sect with modest cultivation.
"Whether there was a connection between the two events was a subject of endless speculation, shrouded in mystery.
"However, word later spread—suspected to have been leaked by the Chunyang Sect—that the disciple had long since fled with the divine wood, leaving the Lesser Cold Domain behind.
"As to whether that is true or false, only the Chunyang Sect itself knows."
Yunyouzi spoke in a rather amused tone.
So that was why the Chunyang Sect had destroyed the Xueming Sect.
Qin Sang nodded inwardly. The Chunyang Sect was undeniably the foremost among the Eight Righteous Sects, and their sect master's cultivation stood second to none in the Lesser Cold Domain. Naturally, no one would dare show up at their door to seek confirmation.
"Senior, I have almost finished regulating my breath. Let me take the helm."
Qin Sang stood up, offering to relieve Yunyouzi.
Yunyouzi was indeed severely exhausted and saw no reason to refuse. He taught Qin Sang how to operate the spirit bamboo flying boat, and with Qin Sang's help, they were still able to steer the craft smoothly.
The bamboo boat sped underground. No matter how magnificent and grand the flowing magma appeared, the sight had long grown tiresome.
Qin Sang cast a calm glance at Yunyouzi, silently sighing to himself. *Hopefully the trial space isn't too far from the stone stele, and no further mishaps occur.*
The two took turns at the helm several times, steadily maneuvering the spirit bamboo flying boat to leave the fire spirit beasts behind, facing perils without real disaster throughout.
When Qin Sang felt his spiritual power depleted to a certain point once more, he switched with Yunyouzi. Yunyouzi looked at Qin Sang with puzzlement, hesitating as if wanting to say something.
"Brother Qin... forgive this old Daoist for speaking frankly, but does your dantian and sea of qi harbor a hidden injury?"
Qin Sang froze momentarily, then realized what had happened. Although he had always taken care to conceal his damaged foundation, the fire spirit beasts had been pursuing relentlessly behind them, forcing him to exert his full strength when piloting the spirit bamboo flying boat. It had been impossible to hide it completely.
Yunyouzi was well versed in alchemy and medicine, so it was only natural for him to notice some clues.
With the ebony sword and the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner at his disposal, Qin Sang had no fear whatsoever of cultivators of the same realm.
Furthermore, Yunyouzi could only detect that his sea of qi was damaged; as for how great the damage was and how severe it had become, it was impossible to tell with the naked eye alone.
Because of this, Qin Sang was not afraid of Yunyouzi seeing through his secrets.
Besides, Qin Sang had indeed intended to consult someone skilled in medicine and alchemy to find a way to repair his foundation, and Yunyouzi had already been on his list of candidates.
Since it had been noticed, Qin Sang answered candidly, "Senior has keen eyes. To break through to Foundation Establishment, I used a secret technique and sustained some damage to my sea of qi. Although it doesn't affect my cultivation much, I have searched for many remedies and failed to cure it. It has always remained like a thorn that cannot be pulled out, leaving me quite helpless."
To his surprise, Yunyouzi gave a sudden chuckle upon hearing this, catching Qin Sang off guard.
"Brother Qin, it seems there is truly quite a fate between us. Do you know that the hidden affliction left behind when I broke through to Foundation Establishment lies in my origin soul, and just like yours, it has become a chronic ailment? I have rushed about for years searching for spirit medicines to restore the origin soul, yet it has never improved. The spirit medicine I encountered underground earlier was the Fire-Averting Green Lotus. I thought... who could have expected that the green lotus seeds were already gone..."
Yunyouzi's smile faded. His brows knit tightly, carving deep wrinkles into his forehead, and his eyes brimmed with profound fatigue and melancholy as he let out a deep sigh.
"If I cannot cure this chronic affliction, not only is there no hope of achieving a Golden Core in this life, but whether I can even break through to the middle Foundation Establishment stage remains uncertain..."
The Fire-Averting Green Lotus was an exceedingly rare spirit medicine. A green lotus would nurture twelve green lotus seeds, but these seeds would ultimately merge into a single one for their medicinal efficacy to reach its peak.
The green lotus seed had the effect of nourishing the divine soul and strengthening the origin soul, making it a spirit medicine one could only encounter by chance.
To be fortunate enough to find the Fire-Averting Green Lotus, only to discover the crucial green lotus seed missing...
It was fortunate that Yunyouzi possessed a steadfast will; after suffering the whiplash between great joy and profound sorrow, he could still face it calmly, only showing his despondence when speaking of the matter.
Chapter 269