"These two killing talismans were created through a lifetime of painstaking effort to mend the cultivation method, though not without lingering regret. Tempered along the Sword Path, further insights were attained, yet pursued by formidable foes, I was forced into distant exile, my future unknown. Should a successor arrive here, I hope you will carry on my aspirations and press forward unyieldingly. May the might of the Killing Dao Sword Scripture be restored to the world one day..."
At the end, carved in sword qi, were two words: "Qingzhu."
The handwriting was extremely messy, etched in sword qi in obvious haste.
It was clear that whoever wrote this had been in desperate urgency. Just as the inscription said, he had been pursued by enemies and forced to flee for his life through the ancient teleportation array.
Not knowing what dangers lay on the other side and fearing that this journey would be a one-way trip, Senior Qingzhu had left these killing talismans behind before departing, unwilling to let the fruits of his life's devotion vanish forever.
He hoped that whoever came after—someone who had achieved success in cultivating the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter—would discover this ancient hall and use these talismans as a foundation to continue repairing the method, allowing this remarkable art to see the light of day once more.
This was an act of profound selflessness, guiding the way for those who followed.
Perhaps there was also the reluctance of being forced into exile, an urge to leave behind proof of his existence in the Lesser Cold Domain.
Qin Sang finished reading the lines in silence, filled with solemn reverence.
He felt gratitude for Senior Qingzhu's generosity, and awe at his boundless talent.
Faced with an incomplete scripture, a severed path, and no one to guide him, Qingzhu had not switched to another technique. Instead, he had charged forward undaunted, single-handedly inventing two killing talismans and blazing a new trail.
Two killing talismans represented two layers of the cultivation method.
This meant Senior Qingzhu's cultivation before he fled had been at least at the late Core Formation stage.
Yet even so, he had been hunted down by formidable enemies with no strength to fight back, forced to activate the ancient teleportation array and plunge into the unknown.
Had his enemy been a Nascent Soul Patriarch?
Qin Sang did not know the full story, but from what he had heard of Senior Qingzhu in the past, combined with a few stray words from Granny Jing, he could piece several clues together.
Senior Qingzhu had betrayed Shaohua Mountain for the woman he loved, yet Shaohua Mountain had never pursued the matter.
His only openly known enemy was the Yuanshen Sect, and Qin Sang suspected the mastermind had likely been Leng Yuntian.
Back then, Leng Yuntian had been gravely wounded by someone in the Ziwei Palace and had never recovered. Though he had forcibly achieved Nascent Soul formation, he possessed only the power of a pseudo-Nascent Soul. Could the person who struck him down have been Senior Qingzhu?
Had Qingzhu ambushed Leng Yuntian in the Ziwei Palace for vengeance?
If so, the one pursuing Senior Qingzhu had very likely been the Yuanshen Sect Master at the time—Leng Qian!
Not long after the previous opening of the Ziwei Palace, Leng Qian had reached the end of his lifespan and sat in death. He had undoubtedly groomed Leng Yuntian as his successor long beforehand.
Having the disciple he had painstakingly nurtured nearly killed would have infuriated Leng Qian beyond measure. He would have wanted nothing more than to tear the culprit to shreds.
However, these were merely Qin Sang's speculations.
Only those involved knew what had truly transpired back then.
The two killing talismans were carved with meticulous precision, sword charm flowing through them while their killing intent remained tightly restrained, sharing a continuous lineage with the first five layers of the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter.
Yet as Qin Sang carefully comprehended the contents of the killing talismans, he discovered subtle differences.
The talismans contained a great deal of Senior Qingzhu's personal comprehension. While creating them, he had unconsciously infused his own enlightenment into the diagrams.
The original text of the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter embodied the principle that the Great Dao was simple yet all-encompassing, inclusive of all things. Anyone could glean their own Dao from it and find the path best suited to them.
In contrast, the technique Senior Qingzhu had created was far narrower, tailored specifically to himself.
This was tied to cultivation and breadth of vision. The creator of the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter had undoubtedly been an unparalleled powerhouse, whereas Senior Qingzhu had merely been a Core Formation cultivator.
The gap between them was like cloud and mud.
For Senior Qingzhu to reach this point was already an extraordinary feat, marking him as a once-in-a-millennium prodigy!
Because of this, if another person came here, even one who cultivated the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter, it would be difficult to blindly follow Senior Qingzhu's path without deviation.
One would have to make adjustments suited to oneself; otherwise, it would run contrary to one's true heart. As their cultivation grew higher in the future, the rift between the technique and their own Dao would widen, bringing the looming danger of qi deviation.
Qin Sang, however, was different. He knew very well that all he sought was to advance his cultivation rapidly.
He viewed cultivation methods merely as tools, relying entirely on the killing talismans to advance. With the jade Buddha shielding his mind, his inner core remained completely unshaken. Even changing to an entirely different path would not sway his foundational resolve, let alone merely adopting these minor variations.
Once he reached the mid Core Formation stage, he could follow the path forged by Senior Qingzhu without alteration, sparing himself the trouble of modifying the killing talismans.
Qin Sang stared unblinkingly, committing the killing talismans to memory and comprehending the subsequent technique.
Though created by Senior Qingzhu, they were still extraordinarily profound. Most of it lay beyond Qin Sang's current understanding, but with his discernment, he could tell this path was truly viable!
Absorbing it voraciously, Qin Sang quickly memorized the first killing talisman. But when he looked at the second, his gaze narrowed slightly.
This talisman was incomplete; it seemed to be missing the final stroke!
Looking closely at the true intent of the technique embedded within, a portion was indeed absent.
The regret Senior Qingzhu mentioned in his inscription had to refer to this missing stroke. It appeared his cultivation back then had been exceedingly close to the late Core Formation perfection, leaving only this final part ungrasped—a mere hair's breadth from the Nascent Soul realm.
After testing and tempering his sword along the Sword Path, Senior Qingzhu had gained further insights and finally found the way to complete it, yet time had run out.
What a pity!
A sigh from Qin Sang echoed through the ancient hall.
Though only a single stroke remained, it could not be taken lightly, much less carved carelessly.
The entire killing talisman had to form an organic whole without the slightest discord. Acting recklessly would, at best, cause the talisman to collapse and his cultivation to plummet; at worst, even his ebony sword risked shattering.
Qin Sang engraved both killing talismans into his heart, calmed his emotions, and let go of his disappointment.
Obtaining Senior Qingzhu's subsequent techniques so easily was already a tremendous windfall. These two killing talismans were enough to support his cultivation all the way to the late Core Formation stage. With so much time in between, another opportunity might well present itself.
Worst came to worst, he could enter secluded death seclusion to deduce the rest of the method.
It was only a single stroke. No matter how dull his aptitude was, he was bound to find a solution eventually.
Having committed the killing talismans to memory, Qin Sang bowed toward Senior Qingzhu's inscription to express his gratitude for the guidance. He then turned to look at the ancient teleportation array in the center of the altar, his expression turning pensive.
There were no remains of Senior Qingzhu in either the ancient hall or the Sword Path, which meant he had likely teleported away successfully.
Evidently, the ancient teleportation array had been functional back then.
Whether it could still be used today, however, was difficult to say.
Qin Sang asked himself: if he had been in Senior Qingzhu's position—with a Nascent Soul Patriarch hot on his heels and his life hanging by a thread—the very first thing he would do upon arriving on the other side would be to destroy the ancient teleportation array there.
Potent as the Sword Path within the hall was, it might not hold off a Nascent Soul Patriarch. Only by destroying the teleportation array could the threat be eliminated.
Doing so would cut off one's own retreat. If it could not be repaired, one might never be able to return, but that was a concern for later.
This ancient teleportation array was very likely unusable.
After a moment's thought, Qin Sang took out eight middle-grade spirit stones from his Thousand Jun Ring.
Chapter 594