Sealing the Mountain

Astral jade was exceedingly peculiar. When left undisturbed, its texture was exceptionally hard. The piece of astral jade Qin Sang had selected back then had originally been the size of an infant; it had shattered only after he absorbed its astral qi until almost nothing remained. Yet once brought down from Divine Astral Peak, it could not exist in the world and would dissipate immediately. Still, doing so might make the Ancestral Holy Fire even more unstable. It was just that taking down those pieces of astral jade while ensuring his own safety would likely not be easy. Whether the Ancestral Holy Fire remained stable was tied to the astral jade. And the Ancestral Holy Fire itself was also the protector of the astral jade. Qin Sang quietly circulated his true essence. His figure flashed and vanished in an instant, and he found that his speed had surged dramatically compared to before, now on par with a genuine Core Formation cultivator. With a shift in thought, the ebony sword flew out from between his brows, quietly floating before him. True essence was also power that belonged to him and had no adverse effect on using the ebony sword. At a mere thought from Qin Sang, the ebony sword flickered with light, circling his body in a flash before swiftly returning to its original position, as if it had never moved at all. Next, Qin Sang extended his right hand. With a flash, the ebony sword flew into his palm and transformed into sword light, swimming lithely around his fingertips like a darting fish. The corners of Qin Sang's mouth turned up in a satisfied smile. The ebony sword was his life magic treasure. At the False Core stage, although he could wield it, doing so had still imposed a heavy burden upon him, and he could not unleash the magic treasure's true might. Now it was completely different. He could effortlessly command the ebony sword to execute all kinds of sword arts without the slightest difficulty! Regrettably, he could not use the Sword Qi Thunderclap divine ability. Otherwise, what reason would he have to fear a mere early Core Formation opponent? The other party would never be able to catch up with him! And of course, there was the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner. Qin Sang pondered silently. The ebony sword's greatest value right now lay in the Blood Filth Divine Light inherent to the spirit sword, which could cause tremendous trouble for an opponent if used as a surprise attack. However, to fight that Core Formation cultivator head-on, he would still need the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner. The Qingyang Demonic Sect's Qingyang Demonic Fire had unique intricacies. Using the ebony sword against demonic fire at the Core Formation level would likely be of little effect. But within the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner resided the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, which was also an extraordinary flame and could clash with it head-on. In any case, with his current green face and fangs, no matter how keen that Core Formation cultivator's eyes were, he could not possibly discern his background. Moreover, he now possessed strength at the Core Formation level—he was not who he once had been. Using the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner openly would no longer bring lingering worries. However, the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner was buried outside the Qingyang Demonic Sect. First, he had to get out. Qin Sang flicked his finger, recalled the ebony sword, retrieved the Xutian Thunder from his robes, and was just about to execute his movement technique to return to the Qingyang Demonic Sect's inner sect. He wondered what the situation was like in the inner sect right now. He had only sped out a short distance when an intuition struck him. Turning his head sharply, he saw white clouds churning at the Qingyang Demonic Sect's mountain gate before parting to both sides. Soon, that stone tablet was revealed within Qin Sang's field of vision. Seeing the six Foundation Establishment cultivators sitting cross-legged around the stone tablet, Qin Sang thought to himself that the formation core was indeed right here, while inwardly cursing how composed these six were. With an abnormality at Divine Astral Peak, they could actually still sit still. If they had been lured away by Divine Astral Peak, he would have escaped long ago! What Qin Sang did not know was that there had originally been eight people here. They were well aware of the anomaly at Divine Astral Peak. After two of their fellow disciples entered the mountain and went missing, two others had hurried back to rescue them and quickly sent word back. The Qingyang Demonic Sect was in complete disarray now, and those two remained at Divine Astral Peak to pacify the other disciples. The remaining six knew they lacked the ability to solve the problem and rescue their fellows. The anomaly at Divine Astral Peak had not yet reached an uncontrollable stage, and they knew that the more critical the situation, the less they could afford to panic. After conferring, they decided to obey Martial Uncle Wu's orders prior to his departure: hold the mountain gate steadfastly, send word to Martial Uncle Wu as quickly as possible, and request his return to take charge. The mountain gate swung wide open. Qin Sang saw the six Foundation Establishment cultivators rise in unison and line up, bowing deeply toward the outside of the mountain gate. Immediately after, a streak of rainbow light shot in from the distant horizon, dazzling like a shooting star! It was that Core Formation cultivator! Qin Sang's eyes narrowed sharply. He had not expected this person to rush back so quickly. His expression shifted rapidly. Suddenly, his figure flickered as he vanished into the mountain forest, fully suppressing his aura as he slowly crept closer to the mountain gate. "Disciples pay respects to Martial Uncle Wu!" That Core Formation cultivator did not tread the stone steps; the rainbow light flew directly before the mountain gate. None of them dared make any criticism, instead offering their respects with utmost deference. "What happened?" Before the rainbow light had even arrived, an enraged interrogation boomed out, deafening as it echoed through the mountains. In the next moment, the rainbow light landed before the six and dissipated instantly, revealing the cultivator surnamed Wu, his face filled with fury. As the saying went, environment shapes temperament, and nurturing shapes stature. A Core Formation cultivator, even if naturally unattractive, unconcerned with appearances, and uninterested in secret methods to alter their looks, possessed a bearing sufficient to make others overlook all else. Naturally, there were exceptions—such as those affected by their cultivation methods or altered in temperament, which was most common among demonic and unorthodox cultivators. This man was named Wu Youdao. He had been brought into the Qingyang Demonic Sect by his master in his youth. His talent had not been the very best among his peers, yet he was the only one who had successfully formed a core, becoming the sect's fourth Core Formation expert. Those whose natural gifts exceeded his were either struggling bitterly in the False Core stage or had ventured outside to hone themselves in search of opportunities, only to gradually vanish without a trace. With Wu Youdao's composure, he ordinarily would not have displayed his rage so openly, but right now he genuinely felt an urge to curse aloud. This was the first time since forming his core that he had guarded the mountain gate alone. He had been cultivating peacefully in his cave dwelling. First, a beast tide suddenly erupted in Wuya Valley, affecting several promising disciples and forcing him to leave the mountain to rescue them. The Qingyang Demonic Sect was not like those colossal sects with vast foundations; nurturing any disciple with hope of Core Formation was no easy task. Unexpectedly, not long after he reached Wuya Valley, word came that the Ancestral Holy Fire had undergone an anomaly! Running ragged from running back and forth, plagued with headaches, Wu Youdao felt as though the heavens were deliberately working against him, and right now, everyone he looked at irritated him. The six also noticed Wu Youdao's raging fury. Terrified of becoming the targets of his wrath, they stammered tremblingly, "Reporting to Martial Uncle Wu, the eight of us followed Martial Uncle's orders to seal the mountain gate. An omen suddenly arose from the Ancestral Holy Fire, and Junior Brothers Dong and Zhu went up the mountain to investigate, only to be trapped by the Ancestral Holy Fire for reasons unknown. Fortunately, the true body of the Ancestral Holy Fire remains stable, and two other junior brothers are currently calming the rest of the disciples. As for what exactly triggered this anomaly, we do not know yet..." "When this old man left, Divine Astral Peak was clearly completely normal. I'd like to see just what..." Wu Youdao snorted coldly and waved his sleeve. Just as he was about to fly back to the inner sect, he suddenly remembered something and said coldly, "Once Li Qing returns, spare no spirit stones and seal the mountain immediately until the Sect Master returns! These are turbulent times, and this old man doesn't have the energy to go out and save people again and again. Understood?" The six exchanged glances and replied in unison, "Disciples obey!"