Begging them directly was even more out of the question.
Unless he could find a way to make Dongyang Bo or Chenyan give up on him of their own accord.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Qin Sang carefully scrutinized the Xuanwu Beast Seal.
The beast soul roared inside, still restless.
He could not even tell what spiritual materials had been used to craft the seal, and the method used to seal the beast soul was extraordinarily intricate. Such refining techniques were completely beyond Qin Sang's knowledge.
Bracing against the beast soul's onslaught, Qin Sang probed the seal with his spiritual sense and finally saw the beast soul in its entirety.
It was actually a genuine Xuanwu beast soul, identical to the carving on the seal's handle!
Qin Sang was greatly shocked. Were the beast souls in the other four seals the same? Where could Dongyang Bo have found divine beasts that existed only in legends?
However, as Qin Sang observed the beast soul more closely, he finally noticed something amiss. It definitely had not been extracted from the body of a true divine beast.
Through some unknown method, it had been artificially refined into a peculiar, ferocious soul, devoid of any intelligence and retaining only raw ferocity. No wonder it was so frenzied.
Cradling the Xuanwu Beast Seal in both hands, Qin Sang channeled an incantation to begin refining it.
Though the beast soul was wild and intractable, with the jade Buddha to rely on, Qin Sang would not need six months; half a month at most would suffice to complete the refinement, which would not delay treating the Flying Yaksha's injuries.
Che Yutao was cultivating in an immortal's cave deep within the residence, so Qin Sang would have to be extra cautious when healing the Flying Yaksha.
While subduing the beast soul, Qin Sang pondered whether there was some way to work around or exploit the beast seal itself.
He waited patiently until late at night. There was an auction tonight.
Che Yutao had not strictly confined them to their quarters. Qin Sang drew the beast seal into his body, intending to take this opportunity to slip out, meet Yunyouzi, and ask for his thoughts.
Just as Qin Sang reached the door and pushed it open, his expression changed slightly. He whipped his head around and saw that another figure had appeared in the room at some point.
It was Granny Jing!
Qin Sang breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Delighted, he stepped forward quickly and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Senior. Did you just arrive at Xuanlu Pass today?"
He had thought Granny Jing was still at Jiuyong Pass, covertly investigating the Yuanshen Sect and Leng Yuntian.
Granny Jing still leaned on a walking stick, appearing as an old crone, just as she had when they first met years ago at Wenyue Cultivation Market.
Qin Sang had already seen Granny Jing's true face, so seeing this appearance felt indescribably odd to him, and he wondered why she was unwilling to show her true self.
Granny Jing shook her head. "I have been at Xuanlu Pass for some time, but trivial matters kept me busy, so I never met with you. Today, seeing Dongyang Bo uncharacteristically come out of seclusion, and finding out you all had been summoned here, I guessed something must have happened."
"Something unexpected did happen..."
Seeing Granny Jing, Qin Sang immediately felt a weight lift from his mind. Nodding repeatedly, he hurried to recount everything that had transpired today.
Granny Jing asked Qin Sang to summon the beast seal and held it in her hand to examine it.
After a moment, she looked up and asked, "There are five of these beast seals in total?"
"That's right." Qin Sang pointed toward the adjacent rooms. "The others hold the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Gouchen Beast Seals, which together with mine form the Five Elements Beast Seals."
"Five Elements Beast Seals, five elements, ferocious souls..."
Granny Jing fell into thought.
Suddenly, Granny Jing's eyes brightened. "So that's it! They are going to that place! No wonder they need the Five Elements Beast Seals. Dongyang Bo certainly has clever methods to come up with such a scheme! Though it's a bit forced, with the two of them joining hands, they might actually blaze a new trail."
With that, Granny Jing tossed the beast seal back to Qin Sang. "That man surnamed Che wasn't lying to you. All you need to do is wield the seals to break the restrictions; there is little danger. Besides, with two Nascent Souls shielding you, what is there to fear?"
"Two?"
Qin Sang paused in surprise, then quickly realized Granny Jing was referring to Chenyan. He said in astonishment, "Miss Chenyan really succeeded in forming her Nascent Soul? Why hasn't any news reached the outside world?"
Granny Jing replied, "You'd have to ask your sect's ancestor that. Over a decade ago, when that woman underwent her heavenly tribulation for Nascent Soul formation, she specifically chose an impoverished, remote location. On top of that, Dongyang Bo spent a fortune in spiritual materials laying down a grand formation to conceal it. Had I not happened to be near your sect back then and caught a glimpse of it by chance, probably no one would know that Shaohua Mountain now boasts two Nascent Soul cultivators! If that news were to spread, every sect in the Lesser Cold Domain would be restless. However..."
Her tone shifted, turning puzzled. "After discovering this, I conducted a secret investigation, yet couldn't uncover that woman's origins. 'Chenyan' is probably just an alias. After Ziwei Palace closed last time, Dongyang Bo suddenly brought her back to Shaohua Mountain; she must have been quite young back then. It has only been a little over two hundred years since Ziwei Palace last appeared, which means she is likely not even three hundred years old now. Even for a heavenly spiritual root, breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage at such a young age is exceedingly rare. Her background is definitely far from ordinary."
Granny Jing did not know about Chenyan's plucking and replenishing.
Only Qin Sang knew that Chenyan's breakthrough had not been as straightforward as it seemed.
Still, that speed left Qin Sang deeply envious. He didn't even know if he would reach late Core Formation by the age of three hundred, yet Chenyan was already a genuine Nascent Soul expert.
Yet he wondered why someone so young had been in such a rush to form her Nascent Soul through evil methods.
Learning these things from Granny Jing settled Qin Sang's mind considerably. Having seen plenty of scheming in the cultivation world, his greatest fear was being used as cannon fodder and discarded.
However, when Qin Sang asked about the specifics, Granny Jing also demurred, claiming ignorance. "I only know that place is regarded by many Nascent Souls as a vital restricted area of Ziwei Palace, but I have never entered it myself. When the time comes, simply follow orders. Dongyang Bo has a decent reputation among the righteous sects, unlike those ruthless demonic sects that recognize no kin. With your meager cultivation, what would he gain by deceiving you? Take this..."
Granny Jing tossed Qin Sang a wooden bracelet and taught him how to manipulate it.
"Before entering the inner palace, just obediently follow them. I have confirmed that Leng Yuntian will go to the inner palace; that is where we will make our move! Take this wooden bracelet. The moment you enter the inner palace, put it on—it will temporarily mask your tracking mark. If Dongyang Bo finds you later, just say you accidentally stumbled into an ancient hall and were trapped by the restrictions inside."
Granny Jing truly had a solution after all!
Delighted, Qin Sang held up the wooden bracelet to examine it.
The carving was exceedingly simple, resembling an ordinary wooden hoop with sharp edges and not a speck of decoration.
Yet for some reason, it held a unique charm, prompting one to marvel at how Granny Jing's carving had returned to simplicity and reached natural perfection, bordering on the Dao itself.
"Senior, how long will this wooden bracelet last?"
A thought struck Qin Sang, and he looked up to ask.
"What else are you planning to do?"
Granny Jing gave him a strange look. "You only need to unleash the Blood Filth Divine Light; after that, I won't need you anymore. It won't take long."
Qin Sang quickly explained, "I also need to visit the place where Senior Qingzhu perished. I don't know what the situation inside will be, and I worry that if I'm delayed too long, the wooden bracelet will lose its effect."
If the wooden bracelet lasted long enough, Qin Sang was determined that even if he had to risk punishment, he would first join Yunyouzi to finish his own business before rendezvousing with Dongyang Bo.
Chapter 553