Memories

"You want the Soul-Nurturing Wood?" A faint smile appeared on Bai's face as he looked Qin Sang up and down. "It seems the Soul-Nurturing Wood was your true objective all along. Do you understand the value of this treasure? It is the sole treasure left to me from my former life, and it is of immense help to ghost cultivators like us. Do you honestly think I would surrender the Soul-Nurturing Wood just to spare my life?" Qin Sang fell silent for a moment before replying, "It seems you have been trapped within the demonic restriction for so long that you are unaware of the situation outside. This place has become a secret realm that opens only once every several decades, providing the only opportunities to enter. Because the secret realm is extraordinarily dangerous—the fierce beasts have lost their wits due to some unknown influence, and none trapped in the Hall of Seven Kills have ever appeared again, including renowned great cultivators—and due to various other eerie phenomena, no one dares remain here after the secret realm closes. Yet you have been able to stay safely in the Ghostland all this time, making you the sole exception I have ever encountered. Could it be that the demonic restriction circumvents the influence of the Hall of Seven Kills? In that case, perhaps I need not be in any rush to leave. I could simply stay within the demonic restriction for several decades until the next opening of the Hall of Seven Kills before departing. Would that person truly dare to block the entrance outside the entire time?" The smile on Bai's face froze. The threat implicit in Qin Sang's words was unmistakable. At worst, they would go down together; Qin Sang was gambling that the interior of the demonic restriction was unaffected, allowing him to wait out the decades until the next opening in peace. "You are gambling with your own future! Your physical body is extremely strong, and your body refinement attainments are on par with your cultivation. The techniques you cultivate must have extraordinary origins, perhaps leading straight to the immortal dao. Here, there is only boundless ghost mist. If you dare linger here for decades, even if your origin soul remains unharmed, your physical body will almost certainly fail to hold out. Once corroded by the ghost mist, you would have no choice but to switch to the Corpse Ghost Dao. For an external object, is that truly worth it?" Bai stared intently at Qin Sang, speaking in earnest admonition. Yet his intuition warned him that if this man were pushed to extremes, there was nothing he wouldn't dare do. Qin Sang chuckled suddenly, his tone laced with amusement. "Do you know, Fellow Daoist? In order to form my core, I once staked everything on a single throw and deliberately stepped onto the corpse dao. It was only later, through a stroke of fortune, that I returned to the orthodox path and broke through to Core Formation in an unexpected turn of fate." Hearing this, a flash of astonishment crossed Bai's eyes, and his understanding of Qin Sang deepened another notch. "Furthermore, the Soul-Nurturing Wood is by no means an external object to me." Light flashed between Qin Sang's brows, and the ebony sword shot out, hovering between the two of them. "This sword is named the ebony sword. It is my life magic treasure, intimately tied to my cultivation. It is unique in that it requires fusing with spirit wood to grow, yet now, only spirit wood on the level of the Ten Great Divine Woods can advance it further. My cultivation has stagnated for years because of this. With the Soul-Nurturing Wood right before you, if you were in my place, would you let such an opportunity slip away?" Qin Sang knew full well that remaining in the Ghostland carried immense risks; unless pushed to the brink, he had no desire to drag both of them down together. He practiced the dual cultivation of dharma and body, possessing top-tier techniques of two races. If his body were corroded by the ghost mist and he was forced to switch to the Corpse Ghost Dao, the loss would be far too devastating. Besides, he possessed no top-grade cultivation methods of that kind. Thus, he had simply revealed the ebony sword to let Bai know that the Soul-Nurturing Wood was something he was determined to claim. "While the Soul-Nurturing Wood is a priceless treasure to ghost cultivators, you should no longer need to rely on it, correct? Once you regain your freedom, with your abilities, you might very well find a way to restore your human body..." Qin Sang offered gentle persuasion, but noticed that Bai was staring transfixed at the ebony sword, his expression rather strange. At the sight, Qin Sang's heart stirred, and he quickly asked, "Did you recall something, Fellow Daoist?" Bai was the remnant soul of an ancient cultivator. Could seeing the ebony sword have triggered some forgotten secret? Qin Sang took the initiative to circulate the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter, channeling power into the ebony sword. Ripples of hazy azure-green sword radiance flickered across the blade as he displayed it before Bai. "Ah!" Bai suddenly cried out in shock, clutching his head with both hands in agony. It took quite a while before he returned to normal. Under Qin Sang's tense gaze, he said, "The Boundless Blood Mulberry! Only now do I see—this magic treasure of yours was refined from the Boundless Blood Mulberry?" "It is indeed the Boundless Blood Mulberry!" Qin Sang had thought Bai had recognized the origins of his cultivation technique, so he could not help feeling a twinge of disappointment. Probing, he asked, "Have your memories returned?" Bai shook his head, though his tone held a hint of pleasant surprise. "No. Perhaps because I hold the Soul-Nurturing Wood, my subconscious drew a connection to related things, and when I saw this sword, the words 'Boundless Blood Mulberry' suddenly leaped into my soul. It seems it truly is possible for my memories to return! I understand now. No wonder your life magic treasure cannot advance—the Boundless Blood Mulberry is the most filthy wood under heaven, sharing equal renown with the Soul-Nurturing Wood. Unless it is a supreme spirit material capable of resisting the corrosive filth of that wood, it cannot be refined alongside the Boundless Blood Mulberry, or it will be tainted and stripped entirely of its spirituality. Your fortune is truly profound to have obtained even the Boundless Blood Mulberry." "You flatter me. I merely obtained a razor-thin shaving of the wood. Back then, I was ecstatic, believing it to be a tremendous stroke of fortune, never anticipating that blessing and misfortune would go hand in hand..." Qin Sang offered a brief explanation, unable to resist pressing further. "In that case, does that mean so long as you encounter things familiar to you from your former life, you can recall those memories?" "Not necessarily!" Bai's tone shifted, his expression far from optimistic. "I am only a remnant wisp of a soul. Even if I recover anything, it will at most be a minuscule fraction of my memories, and most of that will be inconsequential. How difficult it is to find oneself again! The Boundless Blood Mulberry is a prime example: in life, my understanding of it was surely far more thorough, yet now I recall only these superficial scraps..." Saying so, Bai rubbed his forehead, fell silent for a while, and then looked up. "You are right. When one's Grand Dao is at stake, I would not pass up such an opportunity either if I were in your shoes." Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. "What do you mean, Fellow Daoist?" "It seems I have no choice but to offer the Soul-Nurturing Wood as ransom for my life, does it?" Bai gave a bitter laugh. To Qin Sang's surprise, Bai actually agreed to his condition cleanly and decisively. Hearing this, Qin Sang breathed a huge sigh of relief. This was undoubtedly an outcome where everyone got what they wanted. Bai reminded Qin Sang not to celebrate too early. "I cannot hand the Soul-Nurturing Wood over to you right away. You and I must agree to terms and swear a heart demon oath. Only after you help me break through the demonic restriction and deliver the dead souls into reincarnation can I give you this treasure. Afterward, you must do your utmost to help me refine this body, and you may not take action against me..." He seemed to have prepared the terms beforehand, speaking at a brisk pace to lay out a heart demon oath that left no loopholes. Qin Sang weighed the terms for a long while before softening his tone. "Unless pushed to the brink, I have no desire to make an enemy of you. I can swear a heart demon oath in accordance with those terms. In fact, if you run into difficulties while seeking yourself in the future, I might even be able to offer some help. However, you should let me take a look at the Soul-Nurturing Wood first to verify it, should you not?" He did not fear the heart demon oath, but nor did he intend to break the promises he made. "No problem. I will hold you to the words you just spoke..." Bai nodded readily, a sly smile touching his face. Opening his mouth wide, he spat out a plume of corpse qi. Something seemed wrapped within it, which, upon falling into Bai's palm, turned out to be a piece of rotten black wood nearly half a foot long and as thick as a forearm. It was none other than the Soul-Nurturing Wood! Yet within Bai's body, another piece of Soul-Nurturing Wood of similar size remained hidden. It was as though he had foreseen this very turn of events long ago, having split the Soul-Nurturing Wood in two well in advance.