Conjectures

Qin Sang hesitated. "Given Senior Qingzhu's strength, for him to actually perish in that place means it must be fraught with peril. I am only in the Foundation Establishment stage..." "There were other reasons behind Qingzhu's death. However, that place is located within an ancient palace in the Inner Palace of Ziwei Palace, so it naturally holds danger. If you fear death..." Mid-sentence, Granny Jing's voice abruptly cut off. She turned her head toward the outside of the grand hall as if noticing something, her brow gradually furrowing. After a moment of contemplation, she pointed at the handsome young man Qin Sang was carrying and asked, "What do you plan to do with this person?" "I..." Qin Sang opened his mouth. Before he could answer, Granny Jing shook her head. "I don't care what your intentions are, but let me warn you: his identity is no simple matter. If you don't wish to be implicated, you had best not take him out of Heaven-Pointing Peak—not even his corpse. That includes the magic tools and talisman treasures on him; they are quite unique, exclusive to the Yuanshen Sect." Qin Sang nodded solemnly. "Senior, rest assured, I understand the gravity of the matter. But on the other side, Old Man Star-Grasper triggered a spatial storm, and there is less than half an hour before Heaven-Pointing Peak seals itself. Will there still be enough time?" "No need to worry. Although the spiritual array in the square is damaged, the remnants are sufficient to stabilize space and smooth out the spatial storm—so long as this door can be opened..." Granny Jing looked down at the stone platform, her fingers dancing as she launched several bursts of spiritual power into the platform beneath their feet. As the runes on the stone platform lit up, the entire grand hall began to vibrate. It shook relentlessly like an earthquake, growing increasingly violent. The stone pillars around the hall unleashed dazzling light, each topped with an embedded middle-grade spirit stone. From every pillar, a beam of light shot toward the space above the platform—right over Qin Sang and Granny Jing's heads. Qin Sang quickly looked up and saw that where the beams converged, an extraordinarily pure eight-sided crystal hovered in midair, rotating slowly. Neither too large nor too small, the crystal was roughly the size of a fist. It seemed to devour the power of the pillars, shining brighter and brighter. A ray of light connected the runes on the platform to the crystal, channeling a peculiar force downward. A cracked door manifested upon the stone platform, with the rays released by the crystal converging before it. Once the light reached a certain intensity, Granny Jing tapped the crystal with her finger, and all movement abruptly ceased. Granny Jing nodded slightly and murmured, "Indeed, once Heaven-Pointing Peak reveals itself, this restriction can be activated... In fifteen minutes, once the spatial storm on the other side calms down, you may open this door and leave this place. In the meantime, stay put in the hall. Do not touch this crystal, and do not leave. The space inside this immortal abode is even more fragile than Heaven-Pointing Peak. If you fail to suppress your cultivation, you will only follow in Old Man Star-Grasper's footsteps. The same applies once you return to Heaven-Pointing Peak; you had best not use the Xutian Thunder there..." "Once you have thought it over, go wait for me at Xuanlu Pass before Ziwei Palace opens..." With that, Granny Jing leapt off the stone platform. Her white robes fluttered, and her evasion technique was astonishing; in the blink of an eye, she had already swept to the exit. Qin Sang had not expected Granny Jing to leave in such a hurry. Anxious, he quickly called out to her, "Senior, there is no need to think it over—I will go!" If Ziwei Palace was truly as Granny Jing had described, then once transported to the Inner Palace, he should be fine as long as he acted prudently. As for how dangerous the place where Senior Qingzhu had fallen truly was, he would only know once he saw it with his own eyes. Even if he failed to obtain the cultivation technique Senior Qingzhu had left behind during this trip, he could at least scout the way and gain experience for next time. When Ziwei Palace opened again, he would be far more at ease. Moreover, Granny Jing was elusive and unpredictable. If he missed this opportunity, he might never get another, and by then it would be too late for regrets. He had to make this journey. Speaking rapidly, Qin Sang feigned anxiety and said, "I have heard that those of us with insufficient cultivation require a token to enter Ziwei Palace. Such tokens are extremely rare and difficult to obtain. I wonder if Senior might..." Granny Jing paused slightly. She turned and gave Qin Sang a profound look, flicked her hand to toss an object toward him, and then drifted away. Qin Sang caught it in one swift motion, feeling a touch of softness in his palm. Unfolding it, he saw that it was indeed a piece of sheepskin, virtually identical to his own. Holding the sheepskin, Qin Sang mused, *I wonder if Yunyouzi has obtained any heavenly treasures. Has he recovered from his injuries? Will he still enter Ziwei Palace?* Even if Yunyouzi did not need it, selling it would fetch a handsome price. Putting the sheepskin away, Qin Sang recalled everything he had experienced and seen in this brief span of time and sank into thought. For some reason, he had always felt that there was more to this immortal abode than met the eye. It was just that Granny Jing had dropped one shocking revelation after another, scrambling his thoughts and leaving him no time to reflect. Surveying the empty grand hall, Qin Sang's eyes suddenly lit up as he recalled several matters concerning why Senior Qingzhu had defected from Shaohua Mountain. Back then, Senior Qingzhu's beloved confidante had been exploring an immortal abode and obtained a great treasure within, but the news was inadvertently leaked. She was besieged and killed by the companions who had entered the immortal abode with her, and two Golden Core Masters from the Yuanshen Sect had taken part in the attack. Afterward, Senior Qingzhu cleaved open Jianmen Pass and defected from the sect, spending over a decade pursuing vengeance. In the end, he even found an opportunity to storm the Yuanshen Sect, slaying two Golden Core cultivators in succession to avenge his beloved. The immortal abode, the Yuanshen Sect, Leng Yuntian, Granny Jing, Senior Qingzhu, Ziwei Palace... What kind of great treasure could have driven Golden Core cultivators of the Yuanshen Sect to cast all shame aside, defy the world, and openly commit murder to seize it? Could that so-called great treasure merely have been a key? Qin Sang looked up at the crystal, connecting the dots in his mind. The tragic fate of Senior Qingzhu and his confidante... The Star Element Stones of Heaven-Pointing Peak could lay ancient arrays and held immense significance for the Yuanshen Sect... Both Senior Qingzhu and Granny Jing harbored grudges against the Yuanshen Sect... Granny Jing's familiarity with Senior Qingzhu and the *Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter* was far beyond ordinary... And then there was Granny Jing's disposition—she despised nothing more than those who murdered others for treasures and slaughtered their own companions. There had to be a reason for that. The more Qin Sang thought about it, the more he felt that Granny Jing likely shared a profound connection with Senior Qingzhu. Could the immortal abode Senior Qingzhu's confidante had entered be this very place? Was that ambush the origin of everything, its ripples spreading all the way to the present day? When they ambushed Senior Qingzhu's confidante, was there another mastermind behind those two Golden Core cultivators of the Yuanshen Sect? If that was truly the case, then the one who gravely injured Leng Yuntian in Ziwei Palace was... When Granny Jing ambushed Leng Yuntian, was it out of personal vengeance, or was there another reason? Qin Sang was lost in thought, a thousand tangled threads forming countless conjectures. Yet in the end, all questions converged on a single focal point: what was the relationship between Granny Jing and Senior Qingzhu? Or perhaps, what was the relationship between Granny Jing and Senior Qingzhu's confidante? The sect's records should not be false. Senior Qingzhu had been an ascetic cultivator; to dare cultivate the *Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter*, he must have been a devoted seeker wholly dedicated to the Great Dao. There had never been any mention of Senior Qingzhu having close family.