Qin Sang was carried out of the sect master's cave dwelling by two senior martial brothers.
All seventeen of them looked as pale as gold paper. The others were pale from sheer terror, whereas Qin Sang was pale from injury. In his earlier panic, he had struck with too much force, severely wounding his origin soul. It would likely take a long period of recuperation before he recovered.
That creature was called the Heart-Devouring Insect, an ancient demonic insect that had long since gone extinct in the present cultivation world. It fed upon the origin souls of immortal cultivators, moving stealthily and proving exceedingly difficult to ward off. It had once brought about a demonic insect calamity in the cultivation world, striking terror into the hearts of cultivators everywhere.
In the sect master's words, implanting the Heart-Devouring Insects into them was not meant to control them, but merely to guard against unforeseen troubles.
So long as they obeyed and exerted all their efforts to accomplish the task assigned by the sect, the Heart-Devouring Insects would remain dormant within their origin souls and pose no danger. Once the mission concluded, the sect would bestow the antidote upon them.
Yet the moment anyone had thoughts of fleeing, attempted to leak information, or betrayed the sect, the Heart-Devouring Insect would awaken instantly, gnawing their origin soul down to nothing in the blink of an eye.
No one knew how much of the sect master's words was truth and how much was falsehood.
However, they had already tasted the torment. Just recalling the horrific sensation of their origin souls being gnawed by the Heart-Devouring Insects sent involuntary shudders down their spines. None of them wanted to experience it a second time.
Martial Uncle Yue unleashed his sword light, sweeping everyone up and flying toward the Yin Baleful Abyss. This time, instead of returning to their previous cave dwellings, they descended all the way into the depths of the abyss.
Along the pitch-black cliff face stood a row of cave dwellings. Their main entrances were covered with restrictions, making them look more like a prison.
"You still have one month. Strive your utmost to digest the medicinal power of the Qi Gathering Pills. Only by possessing sufficient strength will you survive the Ascension Assembly. In every Ascension Assembly held by the Yuanzhao Sect, at least half of the participants die inside."
Yue Wu shot them a profound, lingering look. With a wave of his hand, he struck out a beam of spiritual power to seal them inside the cave dwellings before departing on his sword.
Within the pitch-black cave dwelling where one could not even see one's own fingers, Qin Sang lay unconscious on the ground for who knew how long. He felt somewhat better upon waking, though his head still ached as if it were splitting apart.
Lying on the freezing ground, Qin Sang stared wide-eyed into the darkness. He silently recited the Clarity and Stillness Scripture countless times, yet he remained unable to calm the fear and unease in his heart.
After a long while, a feeble sigh echoed through the deathly silent cave dwelling.
Qin Sang pushed himself up, endured the headache, and flicked his fingers to conjure a burst of flame for illumination. The place was largely identical to his former cave dwelling, the sole difference being that the main entrance was sealed tight by restrictions.
Fortunately, Martial Uncle Yue had informed them before leaving that should they need to absorb yin baleful qi, they could trigger a specific restriction inside the cave dwelling, which would draw it in.
Qin Sang turned his consciousness inward to his sea of consciousness and discovered that the Heart-Devouring Insect was wrapped in a layer of black film, clinging to the golden light of the jade Buddha in deep slumber.
Though the insect had gnawed at the golden light earlier, there was not the slightest trace of the barrier being pierced; it held the pest firmly at bay.
This was the second time the jade Buddha had saved his life.
He did not know what the others were thinking right now, but Qin Sang felt immensely fortunate to have the protection of the jade Buddha. Unafraid of having his origin soul gnawed by the Heart-Devouring Insect, he still had some room to maneuver.
As long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would give it his all!
The bewilderment in Qin Sang's eyes was gradually replaced by resolve.
Banishing distracting thoughts, he sat cross-legged and circulated his cultivation method. After dozens of heavenly circuits, the gut-wrenching agony in his origin soul eased, finally allowing him to settle his mind and carefully consider his predicament.
This Ascension Assembly was hosted by an immortal cultivation sect called the Yuanzhao Sect. Only rogue cultivators who had broken through to the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement stage before the age of thirty were qualified to participate, and merely twelve disciples were accepted each time.
If they failed, even if they did not die in the Ascension Assembly, Qin Sang did not believe Sect Master Yi would show mercy and spare their lives.
With one month remaining, even if Qin Sang completely absorbed the medicinal efficacy of the Qi Gathering Pill, he would at most reach the late sixth layer of the Qi Refinement stage. That would not constitute a qualitative change; only by advancing a whole realm would his strength see a noticeable leap.
In the end, Qin Sang decided to halt his cultivation and dedicate the entire month to practicing the Song Family Sword Art and incantations.
Those rogue cultivators possessed no Yanluo Banner. For them to break through to the sixth layer of Qi Refinement before thirty, every single one of them had to be a formidable opponent.
Without a doubt, this was no longer an occasion where merely preserving one's life was enough. One had to go through brutal slaughter to stand out—and even his sixteen fellow disciples were his rivals!
Furthermore, he likely would not have access to yin baleful qi once he entered the Yuanzhao Sect, so he needed to harvest more Soul Pills.
Qin Sang activated the restriction in the cave dwelling, releasing Yanluo to absorb the incoming yin baleful qi. Meanwhile, he sat in full lotus posture and sank his mind into his dantian, where the ebony sword quivered softly within his sea of qi.
***
"The Ascension Assembly of the Yuanzhao Sect has always been held in a place containing ancient restrictions. It was originally a forbidden ground, but after all the treasures inside were stripped clean, the Yuanzhao Sect claimed it for themselves. The terrain inside forms the shape of the Eight Trigrams. Once you enter, the restrictions will randomly transport you into one of the eight outer regions. Due to the presence of the restrictions, communication magic tools cannot be used at all. I have agreed on a secret mark with you; once you encounter a fellow disciple, you must work together to fight for a spot. Brother-killing is strictly forbidden, or you will face no leniency!"
"Very well, this old man has explained every matter clearly. You may now proceed to the Yuanzhao Sect—remember to travel separately. Above all, do not even think of fleeing. Through the Heart-Devouring Insect, I can sense your locations, and at that point, you will be executed on the spot without question! Have you heard clearly?"
It was a murky night, dark clouds veiling the moon.
Within an uninhabited mountain forest, Martial Uncle Yue's expression was slightly dark, his eyes filled with stern warning.
Qin Sang and the others hurried to voice their assent.
They had been locked away at the bottom of the Yin Baleful Cliff for a full month, released only today. Martial Uncle Yue had carried them in a flying shuttle for an entire day before touching down in this mountain forest.
The mountain gate of the Yuanzhao Sect lay not far ahead, and the Ascension Assembly would commence in two days.
Qin Sang waited until the very end, watching his fellow disciples leave one by one, before taking his leave of Martial Uncle Yue and using the Cloud Escape Technique to slip into the mountain forest.
According to his observations, after taking the Qi Gathering Pills, five of his sixteen fellow disciples had actually broken through to the seventh layer of the Qi Refinement stage. One senior brother possessed shockingly profound spiritual power, likely not far from breaking through to the eighth layer, which weighed heavily on Qin Sang's mind.
Every one of them had a top-grade magic tool in hand, making them difficult to deal with.
As for Martial Uncle Yue's words forbidding brother-killing, Qin Sang had long tossed them to the back of his mind.
He could only hope he would not be assigned to the same region as his fellow disciples.
Emerging from the mountain forest, Qin Sang pondered beneath a giant boulder for a long while before letting out a soft sigh. Taking a circuitous route, he hurried toward the Yuanzhao Sect.
Over a distance Martial Uncle Yue considered not particularly far, Qin Sang still journeyed for an entire day, arriving at the foot of the Yuanzhao Sect's mountain gate only as dusk fell.
The mountains here appeared perilous and ancient trees grew dense, with clouds and mist lingering perpetually. In truth, this was merely a facade meant to deter mortals.
Only by using the Qi-Watching Technique could one perceive that no sky-blotting thick mist existed within the mountains. Instead, amidst countless pavilions, terraces, towers, covered bridges, and waterside pavilions, immortal clouds swirled gracefully, painting a magnificent spectacle befitting an immortal domain.
Chapter 68