"Disciple greets Martial Uncle Qi!"
Upon seeing Qi Yuanshou, Qin Sang bowed deeply.
It had been nearly thirty years since their last meeting, and Qin Sang did not know whether Qi Yuanshou's cultivation had progressed.
To Qin Sang's eyes, there was no noticeable difference from before—it was just as unfathomable.
To him, all Core Formation cultivators seemed the same.
Standing before Qi Yuanshou, Qin Sang felt as though he were facing a towering mountain. Such was the vast gulf between the Core Formation and Foundation Establishment stages that it was difficult to discern Qi Yuanshou's true depth.
He wondered if things would change once he reached the False Core stage.
Pondering this in his heart, Qin Sang only rose and sat down when Qi Yuanshou gave the word.
"You broke through to late Foundation Establishment, yet concealed it instead of reporting. If I hadn't sent a letter forcing you back, how long were you planning to stay away? Did you not want the Kanli Golden Pill anymore?"
Qi Yuanshou's gaze was piercing as lightning, bearing down on Qin Sang, though his tone was relaxed, carrying no real accusation.
Qin Sang knew he could not hide anything from Qi Yuanshou. Seeing that the martial uncle had no intention of reprimanding him, he breathed an inward sigh of relief and explained hurriedly, "Reporting to Martial Uncle, disciple only just broke through the bottleneck not long ago and my cultivation was unstable. I feared delaying Martial Uncle's important affairs..."
"Enough!"
Qi Yuanshou could not be bothered to listen to Qin Sang's excuses. With a beckoning wave of his hand, a jade box flew out from the depths of the hall and landed before Qin Sang.
"This Kanli Golden Pill is the sect's reward for disciples in late Foundation Establishment who are qualified to attempt Core Formation. It provides a degree of assistance when forming a core.
"At your age, reaching the False Core stage is all but assured. By rights, the Kanli Golden Pill should only have been given to you after you reached the False Core stage, but your cultivation technique is unique and requires continuous tempering in the outside world, so you might not have had the time to return and fetch it.
"The Kanli Golden Pill's effect is limited. Among all spiritual items capable of aiding Core Formation, it ranks in the lower-middle tier. Open it and take a look."
Qin Sang opened the jade box with both hands, his expression tense.
Inside, cushioned upon brocade silk, rested a spiritual pill the size of a longan!
The pill was golden throughout, radiant and dazzling. As its glow reflected across the hall, the surroundings seemed gilded in a sheet of gold leaf.
In Shaohua Mountain, any disciple qualified to attempt Core Formation could receive a Kanli Golden Pill as a reward.
Though Qi Yuanshou spoke of it casually, to rogue cultivators, a Kanli Golden Pill—even if merely lower-middle tier—was a precious treasure they could only dream of obtaining.
It was said that Shaohua Mountain had discovered a herb garden within a secret realm on the Ancient Immortal Battlefield where the primary ingredient for the Kanli Golden Pill grew. Only with such wealth could they afford to hand them out as rewards to their disciples.
The Kanli Golden Pill emitted no dense medicinal fragrance, but atop the golden pill was a tiny vortex. Within the vortex gathered black and white qi, distinct as night and day, swirling like a dragon and a tiger.
Dragon and tiger born of a pill, vibrant as life itself—truly marvelous.
Seeing Qin Sang's captivated gaze fixed upon the Kanli Golden Pill, Qi Yuanshou warned in a deep voice, "Do not think that obtaining a Kanli Golden Pill means you can rest easy. Few have truly managed to form their core relying solely on a Kanli Golden Pill. When I formed my core, it was thanks to a middle-to-high tier spiritual item bestowed by the Patriarch, combined with years of bitter cultivation, that I succeeded by a stroke of luck. With your innate talent..."
Qin Sang was inwardly surprised. So Qi Yuanshou's Core Formation had been aided by a spiritual item bestowed by Dongyang Bo, and perhaps even guidance.
He wondered what meritorious service Qi Yuanshou had performed to earn Dongyang Bo's favor.
Qi Yuanshou paused slightly, seemingly reluctant to say it outright. "You will inevitably have to take pains to seek other spiritual items—preferably aided by upper-tier or top-tier ones. It all depends on your own fortune."
"Thank you for your guidance, Martial Uncle Qi. Disciple understands!"
Qin Sang carefully put away the Kanli Golden Pill.
Seeing that Qin Sang's gaze did not waver in the slightest at his words, his temperament remarkably steady, Qi Yuanshou nodded inwardly. Without further ado, he went straight to the point: "I called you back this time originally intending to have you guard a spirit stone mine alongside disciples from the Taiyi Dan Sect. But since you have already broken through to late Foundation Establishment, and the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter is so unique with such formidable combat prowess, having you sit idly at a spirit stone mine would be a waste of your talents..."
Qi Yuanshou fell into thought.
Qin Sang dared not disturb his train of thought and could only wait quietly for orders.
To his mind, guarding a spirit stone mine would have been quite fine; free of trivial distractions, he could have focused on cultivation. But Qi Yuanshou's decision was clearly not his to influence.
Moments later, Qi Yuanshou's eyes lit up. "It just so happens that the sect needs hands at an herb garden in the Yuncang Great Marsh. The spiritual herbs there are nearing maturity, and once they are harvested, the sect plans to temporarily close the garden down. It is at a critical juncture right now. The sect cannot spare anyone else at the moment, so sending you would be just right..."
With that, Qi Yuanshou retrieved a jade slip. "This is a map of that herb garden. The herbs grown there are not exceedingly rare, but several of them are supplementary ingredients for the Kanli Golden Pill. If they fall into the hands of the Heaven-Traversing Alliance and are destroyed, it would take considerable effort to replace them. The garden is well-hidden, and under normal circumstances, it shouldn't be discovered. Act with caution. Precious as the herbs are, your life is more important; if things turn hopeless, do not force the issue. A few disciples were originally stationed at the garden, and they will all be under your complete authority."
"Disciple obeys!"
Qin Sang accepted the jade slip, committed its contents to memory, and took his leave.
Qi Yuanshou's orders were urgent, and Qin Sang dared not dawdle. Leaving a voice transmission talisman for Zhuang Yan to explain the situation, he departed hastily into the night.
However, he did not rush immediately to his destination, instead making his way first to Dichen Cave.
He had accumulated quite a few cultivators' corpses in his corpse puppet pouch, including that of Silver Flame, who had been at the False Core stage.
When refined into a baleful corpse, the corpse of a False Core cultivator might not match a living corpse, but its strength was still formidable—a fine helper.
The situation within the Yuncang Great Marsh was unpredictable. Qin Sang knew that a lion used all its might even when hunting a hare, not to mention that the cultivation world was full of countless experts; he had to be thoroughly prepared.
Patiently staying in Dichen Cave, he finished refining all the baleful corpses before setting out.
The herb garden was situated in a secluded spot deep within the Yuncang Great Marsh.
Keeping a low profile, Qin Sang used his movement technique to travel. He did not use the Nether Silk Cloud; though that magic tool could conceal one's figure, it would offer no hiding place if he crossed paths with a true expert, potentially inviting disaster instead.
Halfway through his journey, Qin Sang suddenly remembered something. With a shift in thought, he altered his course.
An hour later, Qin Sang's figure appeared before an islet. He hovered midair, his face sinking like still water.
This islet was the very one where he had buried Senior Sister Qingting and her husband.
Now, the islet was unrecognizable!
The restrictions had been shattered, the cliff collapsed, and the statues and graves thoroughly destroyed. What should have been the final resting place and emotional sanctuary of a devoted couple had been reduced to a field of ruins.
Qin Sang had known that the outbreak of war would destroy many precious things, yet he had not expected this little island to be among the first casualties!
The last traces left by Senior Sister Qingting and her husband had not weathered away with the passage of time, but had fallen to another's hand. Now, they existed only in Qin Sang's memory.
Who knew which meddlesome bastard had done this!
Whoever it was knew full well that their deed was contemptible. They had used brute spiritual power to wreck the island without leaving behind a single trace. Now that the Yuncang Great Marsh was a chaotic mix of dragons and snakes, uncovering the culprit was simply impossible.
Chapter 424