Heavenly Mountain

Qin Sang attempted to activate the green bronze chunk, but in the end, his efforts proved futile. Clutching the chunk, he backed out of the stone chamber. Turning around to look back along the way he had come, the bird spirit puppet was still struggling within the Nanming Li Fire. Most of its body had melted away, its aura extraordinarily faint, its lifespan rapidly drawing to a close. Gripping the green bronze chunk in one hand, Qin Sang mounted his sword and retraced his path. This time, as he traversed the Nanming Li Fire, he sensed a slight difference. With the green bronze chunk in hand, he no longer felt as though he would be reduced to ash at any second. A gentle warmth seeped into his palm, seemingly shouldering the brunt of the Nanming Li Fire's pressure for him. Under the verdant radiance of the green bronze chunk, even the Nanming Li Fire appeared to dim a shade. *Whoosh!* Qin Sang cleared the Nanming Li Fire and touched down on the ground. Within the demon fire, the bird spirit puppet gave a silent wail. The instant Qin Sang landed, it dissolved into ashes. Yunyouzi slumped on the ground, drenched in sweat and nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Manipulating both the spirit array and the bird spirit puppet had pushed him back to his absolute limits right after he had barely recovered. *This green bronze chunk really doesn't fear the Nanming Li Fire!* Qin Sang looked down at the chunk, silently amazed as he reflected on what had just occurred. Yet apart from this single property, it seemed to be nothing more than a scrap piece of metal. No matter how formidable the ancient immortal cauldron once was, that belonged to the past; now, it was merely a broken fragment. "Senior, how are you?" Qin Sang walked over, handed the green bronze chunk to Yunyouzi, and reached down to help him up, cautioning, "This bronze chunk is extraordinarily heavy. Be careful, Senior." A stir of emotion showed in Yunyouzi's eyes as he received the green bronze chunk with both hands. Sure enough, his arms sank under the weight, and he set it down on the ground. Waving off Qin Sang's support, he rose on his own and said, "Many thanks for your assistance, Brother Qin! How is the mark on your wrist? I must meditate and recover to my peak before I can begin my attempt, so let me send you out first." Qin Sang raised his wrist to look. Seven or eight cracks had already spiderwebbed across the wooden bracelet, and even a dragon scale had shattered. The bracelet likely would not hold out much longer. Qin Sang said no more. Wishing Yunyouzi swift success, he strode toward the exit of the secret tunnel. "Brother Qin, until we meet again!" Clad in his Daoist robe, Yunyouzi stood tall at the entrance of the passage. He offered Qin Sang a formal Daoist salute and smiled freely. "If this old Daoist fails, it will be enough if you light a stick of incense for me the next time you enter Ziwei Palace!" "Until we meet again!" Qin Sang solemnly returned the bow. If Yunyouzi failed to be reborn from the flames, this would be their final farewell! The secret passage slowly sealed shut. Qin Sang stood in place, watching as Yunyouzi turned resolutely and strode toward the blazing firelight. *** *Crack!* Another fissure surfaced on the dragon-shaped wooden bracelet. This time it was at the dragon's head; a whisker snapped off and drifted down. Qin Sang paused for a fraction of an instant, then quickened his pace, racing toward the foot of the mountain. Along the way, he took stock of the gains he had made since entering Ziwei Palace. Though he had braved so many places and experienced so much, thanks to having precise information, he had actually not spent much time, with most of it consumed by travel. Terrified that the wooden bracelet might snap along the way and reveal his position to Dongyang Bo, Qin Sang had not dared to pause for even a single breath. Both of his original goals for entering Ziwei Palace—the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit and the subsequent chant of the *Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter*—had been miraculously achieved, and he had even obtained unexpected fortunes. The Three Light Jade Liquid went without saying; Qin Sang regarded it as his most precious prize, directly tied to the Du'e Pill. The Ten Directions Yanluo Banner possessed the potential of a medium-grade magic treasure, and the refined corpse had a high probability of transforming into a true Flying Yaksha, capable of holding its own against early Core Formation stage cultivators without falling into a disadvantage. Taken together, these treasures laid out a broad, open avenue before him for the path between achieving Core Formation and reaching the Nascent Soul stage. The only minor flaw was that the cultivation method remained incomplete, missing its final stroke. As he descended the mountain, Qin Sang summoned the Flying Yaksha from the corpse puppet pouch. It was currently immobilized, its origin soul still in a state of chaos. The metamorphosis was progressing even slower than Qin Sang had anticipated and would likely continue for some time. By now, Qin Sang had returned to the shore of the small lake. Stowing the Flying Yaksha, he retrieved the compass Yunyouzi had given him and stepped into the illusion formation. Because the illusion formation was a remnant from ancient times, it harbored numerous weak points. Guided by the compass, Qin Sang quickly located one and approached it. He put away the compass and inspected himself to ensure no flaws remained. Then, reaching down, he crushed the wooden bracelet to powder before taking a stride forward into the weak point. Feigning confusion and panic, he began thrashing around inside the illusion formation like a headless fly, seemingly unable to find a way out. Just as Qin Sang was blundering about, he abruptly felt his body tighten, alarmed to find himself engulfed in a massive shadow. Startled, he jerked his head up, only to see a colossal palm effortlessly tearing through the illusion formation and snatching toward him swift as lightning. Powerless to resist, Qin Sang was seized by the palm, hoisted up like a helpless chick. *Whoosh...* By the time he gathered his wits, he was already high in the air, having been plucked clean out of the illusion formation. Qin Sang stumbled, and upon steadying himself, saw Dongyang Bo glaring at him with a dark, brooding face, fury practically ready to erupt from the depths of his eyes. Standing before a Nascent Soul Patriarch, the sheer weight of that gaze exerted terrifying pressure. Qin Sang's back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. Bowing low, he pleaded, "Patriarch, forgive me! This disciple fell into the illusion formation and lost all sense of direction. I almost thought I would perish inside until I was fortunate enough to be rescued. For delaying the Patriarch's grand undertaking, my death ten thousand times over could not atone..." He had anticipated that squandering time on his own affairs would enrage Dongyang Bo. Fortunately, the excuse he had prepared was reasonably plausible. Certain areas within the illusion formation could indeed mask the fluctuations of the imprint. When entering the Inner Hall through the jade wall, few people landed on the Central Continent, and even fewer were unlucky enough to drop directly into an immortal restriction, but it was by no means impossible. By framing it as an accident while he was still of use, Dongyang Bo would not lash out outright, no matter how furious he was. Once they left Ziwei Palace and Qin Sang successfully formed his core, his value would be entirely different. Dongyang Bo would hardly take out his wrath over an unforeseen mishap. Qin Sang deemed the risk of angering Dongyang Bo well worth the price for securing his own future. With a face full of terror, Qin Sang babbled his excuses in hasty agitation. Dongyang Bo stared darkly at him for a moment, then cast a glance toward the illusion formation on the mountain before letting out a cold snort. "There are countless immortal restrictions here. Count yourself lucky that you didn't die inside!" With that, Dongyang Bo swept his sleeve, sweeping Qin Sang up in a surge of true essence before streaking off like a shooting star in pursuit of the moon, flying straight toward Heavenly Mountain. Not daring to struggle, Qin Sang allowed himself to be carried along, breathing an inward sigh of relief. He had finally managed to pull off the deception; fortunately, Dongyang Bo had pressing matters at hand and had not pried deeper. As long as he carried out Dongyang Bo's demands to the letter in a moment, this matter would be put behind them. Dongyang Bo flew at astonishing speed, the scenery below receding in a blur. Before long, the distant Heavenly Mountain loomed directly before their eyes.