The Demonic Sect

Qin Sang glanced in the direction of Qingyang Market, a cold sneer appearing on the corners of his lips. There were also a few handy magic tools in the mustard seed bag; Qin Sang kept a few for his own use. Before the ebony sword had finished devouring the Boundless Blood Mulberry, throughout his years of wandering and tempering, emergencies had been unavoidable. When there had been no time to set up formations, both the Myriad Crows Pot and the seven-colored parasol had been destroyed in Wuya Valley, leaving only the Yin-Yang Compass to survive thanks to its unique functions. Lately, he had been relying solely on the ebony sword to fight enemies, making his methods feel somewhat monotonous. These magic tools were just what he needed to replenish his arsenal. Apart from those, the remaining items had little to recommend them, so Qin Sang sorted and put them away. Having eliminated a claw and fang of Daoist Jiupao and turned a handsome profit to boot, he had accomplished two goals with a single stroke. After a moment's contemplation, Qin Sang did not continue on to Qingyang City, instead riding the Nether Silk Cloud toward Qingyang Market. Having killed Silver Flame, he was well satisfied; he could not make any further moves in the short term. Daoist Jiupao was no fool. If every incident was a coincidence, it was certainly no coincidence at all. Better to return to Qingyang Market and cultivate peacefully. *** Qingyang Market. Disguising his appearance, Qin Sang entered the market and returned first to his cave dwelling to rest a little, washing away the dust of travel. He then walked over to a multi-story pavilion named Tiange Tower. Standing five stories high with carved beams and painted rafters, it was a tall building rarely seen even in Qingyang Market. Tiange Tower's fame lived up to its imposing grandeur; it was known to all across Qingyang Market and the surrounding cultivation world. The true owner behind this establishment was said to be a merchant guild under a major faction, specializing in magic tools. In particular, they specialized in offensive magic tools, such as spirit swords. As Qin Sang rose to fame in Qingyang Market, several factions had approached him in succession. After deciding to hand over the Sword Pavilion to Ning Youwei, Qin Sang accepted Tiange Tower's invitation and became a guest elder of the tower. The artifact-crafting legacy Qin Sang had obtained originated from the Xuling Sect. After the ebony sword devoured the Boundless Blood Mulberry, it was as if he possessed experience in refining magic treasures—an advantage no ordinary artifact craftsman could match. In the cultivation world, top-grade magic tools were rare. Qin Sang had delved deep into methods for crafting spirit swords, and his success rate for crafting high-grade magic tools was remarkably high, which perfectly matched Tiange Tower's requirements. Tiange Tower was extremely pleased with Qin Sang. Even when he traveled for tempering or entered seclusion to cultivate, sometimes appearing only once every several months, they tolerated it without complaint. "Daoist Qingfeng, you've finally arrived..." Catching sight of Qin Sang in his Daoist robes, the elderly manager of Tiange Tower was overjoyed and trotted over at once, incessantly venting his grievances. "Daoist master, you appear and vanish like a divine dragon—this trip took nearly a year! Those young ancestors from the Qingyang Sect refuse to go to anyone else; they're counting entirely on you! Waiting and hoping, they've nearly been driven mad. If you hadn't shown up, Daoist master, they would've torn these old bones of mine apart..." Qin Sang glanced sideways at the theatrically complaining manager and gave a light laugh. "A magnificent establishment like Tiange Tower, afraid of those brats from the Qingyang Sect? If they dare lay a finger on you, Fellow Daoist, have your backers lead men to kick in their doors and demand an explanation from their elders..." Tiange Tower had a mysterious background, and the masters behind it did not necessarily fear the Qingyang Sect; it was simply that Qingyang Market was the Qingyang Sect's territory, necessitating some restraint. "Even a mighty dragon cannot crush a local snake!" The elderly manager shook his head and asked earnestly, "Daoist master, now that you're back, how many days do you have free?" Not keeping him in suspense, Qin Sang replied, "I plan to stay for several days. Fellow Daoist, send out messenger talismans and have them all come over." The old manager was thrilled. "Splendid! This old man will see to it at once. Daoist master, please rest in the fire chamber first..." Following a familiar path, Qin Sang arrived at the rear hall of Tiange Tower. A secret passage in the rear hall extended down to a subterranean fire vein. This subterranean fire vein was quite small in scale, far smaller than the thunder-devouring falcon's lair, but its fiery power was stable, making it ideal for artifact crafting. The further down he went, the drier and hotter the air became, while the underground chamber walls gradually turned crimson. Reaching the deepest part, Qin Sang took out a command token and opened the fire chamber reserved exclusively for him. The furnishings of the fire chamber were very sparse. There was a stone platform, before which stood a furnace set atop the fire vein. The furnace was no ordinary object; layer upon layer of restrictions covered it. Once the fiery power was absorbed by the furnace, it remained perfectly docile inside, ready to be driven at will. Before Core Formation, cultivators could not control core fire, making such earth fire the premier spiritual flame for refining pills and crafting artifacts. Especially under the restraint of restrictions, one did not need to divert attention to suppress the flames, greatly increasing the success rate. Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the stone platform, waiting for his clients while lost in thought. He had accepted Tiange Tower's solicitation not only to earn money, but also with the intention of using it to come into contact with Qingyang Sect disciples and discreetly probe for information about the sect. With this objective in mind, Qin Sang treated all Qingyang Sect disciples equally. Regardless of their cultivation level or the remuneration offered, whenever they made a request, he would generally agree. This included many Qi Refinement stage disciples. Though they hailed from the Qingyang Sect, the Qi Refinement stage was merely the bottom rung in the cultivation world. The market was heavily regulated, making it difficult to bully others by borrowing their sect's prestige, and finding a handy magic tool was no easy task. Finding someone to custom-make one was even harder; it would inevitably cost an arm and a leg, which they could not afford. Qin Sang charged fair prices, granted every request, and was skilled at crafting flying swords—the most graceful and powerful among magic tools—making him widely popular. Over the years, through his deliberate overtures and accommodating demeanor, he had grown genuinely familiar with quite a few Qingyang Sect disciples, deepening his understanding of the Qingyang Sect. The so-called demonic sects were not entirely composed of perverse eccentrics who fought and killed at the drop of a hat. Unless driven by profit, many demonic sects—at least within their own territories—sought to maintain a certain order, an order beneficial to themselves that kept the sect functioning. There were also many sects that had been branded as demonic sects simply because their unique cultivation methods or philosophies could not be tolerated by the righteous path. The Qingyang Demonic Sect was one such case. Upon entry, Qingyang Demonic Sect disciples cultivated Qingyang Demonic Fire. First, they received a seed fire bestowed by the sect; after refining it and merging with it, they relied on Qingyang astral essence to cultivate, growing the seed fire while advancing their cultivation day by day. However, the Qingyang Demonic Fire originated from Qingyang astral essence, and its fiery power was incomparably violent. Cultivating the demonic fire was not easy. Most disciples perished during the cultivation process from the demonic fire's backlash, ultimately ending up with not even their bones left behind—a truly wretched fate. After their deaths, the seed fire remained and grew stronger. When that happened, the Qingyang Demonic Sect would reclaim the seed fire. As for what purpose these seed fires served, Qin Sang did not know. This could not help but remind Qin Sang of the Kuiyin Sect's Yanluo Banners; the two demonic sects actually bore some resemblance. Only the Kuiyin Sect was even more ruthless: even if one endured endless hardships and fended off the backlash of the Yanwang, one would still be turned into the ghost banner's main soul, leaving disciples not a shred of hope for survival. In the Qingyang Demonic Sect, there was at least a glimmer of hope: as long as you could suppress the backlash of the seed fire, there was a chance to break through to Foundation Establishment, or even Core Formation. The reclamation of the seed fire took place only after your death. Stepping into the Core Formation stage meant reaching the sect's very pinnacle, where one could instead enjoy the benefits of the reclaimed seed fires. Even so, this cultivation philosophy of treating disciples as tools was still irreconcilable with the righteous path; being branded a demonic sect was beyond question.