Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros

Qin Sang swiftly explained the sequence of events. As Yuan Zhu listened, his mouth hung slightly agape, and he suddenly chuckled with amusement, leaving Qin Sang thoroughly bewildered. "I was framed by a Demon King of my own clan, and who would have thought that you would end up hunted by a Nascent Soul cultivator right after leaving? It seems we truly are birds of a feather..." "A formidable enemy is almost upon us. Please, Fellow Daoist, don't joke," Qin Sang said helplessly. Sobering up, Yuan Zhu pondered for a moment before asking, "Must you venture into the depths of the Storm Belt to throw off your pursuer?" Qin Sang nodded. He was already inside the Storm Belt, yet Old Devil Mou was still relentlessly giving chase. Evidently, the outer fringes of the Storm Belt had only a limited effect on disrupting the fire curse. Yuan Zhu's eyes flickered as he gave Qin Sang a look. "Why are you so certain I possess a treasure that can help you weather this tribulation?" Hearing this, Qin Sang felt a stir in his heart. If Yuan Zhu were truly helpless, he would not react this way. With danger closing in, there was no time to bargain. Qin Sang took out a jade slip he had prepared beforehand and sent it flying toward Yuan Zhu, saying in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Yuan, no matter how precious your treasure is, this cultivation method should satisfy you!" Recorded inside the jade slip was precisely Heavenly Demon Form Refining, though for now, Qin Sang had only placed the first layer within. Seeing how confident Qin Sang was, Yuan Zhu's projection paused in mild surprise. He caught the jade slip and sank back into the pillar of light. A moment later, a soft gasp came from the pillar of light. Then Yuan Zhu's true body flew out from within and landed before Qin Sang. His expression was fraught with urgency as he pressed in rapid succession, "Where did you obtain this cultivation method? Is there really only the first layer?" "There is indeed more than one layer..." Qin Sang paused, then countered, "Shouldn't you answer my question first, Fellow Daoist?" Yuan Zhu sighed deeply. "Even the finest legacy techniques handed down in our Flood Dragon Clan cannot compare to this Heavenly Demon Form Refining. Had I encountered such a method in the past, I would have gladly given up everything I owned just to obtain it." "Though you are afflicted by a secret art, flood dragon blood still flows within your veins," Qin Sang said in a low voice. "You were curious before about how I grew Phoenix Wings and possessed such pure demonic qi, weren't you? To tell you the truth, I have already cultivated Heavenly Demon Form Refining to the third layer. This technique must have been created by a supreme expert of ancient times; it is all-encompassing, to the point that even I, a human, can cultivate it. Perhaps you can find a breakthrough from your predicament through it. Even gleaning a fraction of its true essence would yield tremendous gains and grant you a promising future." Naturally, Qin Sang would not volunteer that his ability to cultivate Heavenly Demon Form Refining was actually thanks to the jade Buddha. Yuan Zhu nodded, not denying it. After pondering for a while, Yuan Zhu changed his tone and asked, "Have you ever heard of the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros?" "The Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros?" Qin Sang recalled carefully. "I once read about it in an ancient tome. It seemed to be an extraordinary spirit beast from ancient times, but I am not certain what divine abilities it possessed." Yuan Zhu explained, "The bloodline of the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros has long gone extinct, and not a single descendant remains in the Demon Sea. However, in our Flood Dragon Clan's ancient texts, there is a record stating that the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros could absorb moonlight during cultivation. Even at high noon, when solar energy was at its peak, their cultivation remained unaffected. No matter where they were, they could sense lunar power—far more effectively than we can discern directions by the stars..." Pausing slightly, Yuan Zhu revealed a secret. "In truth, our demon race has constantly sought a way to launch a counterattack against the Canglang Sea. Not only did we search everywhere for ancient teleportation formations, but Demon Kings also ventured into the depths of the Storm Belt, attempting to traverse the tempest to find a passage into the Canglang Sea. "Long ago, the demon race obtained a broken Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn, which possessed abilities akin to the beast itself. "A senior of ours used fragments of that horn to refine several magic treasures. When powerful Demon Kings carried a Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn into the Storm Belt, the risk of losing their way was drastically reduced. "Regrettably, all those attempts ended in failure. Otherwise, we would not have been exploited and reduced to such a state today. "And in my possession happens to be a magic treasure refined from a Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn." Yuan Zhu kept Qin Sang in suspense no longer. With a flash of radiance from his palm, he produced an object. It was tiny, only the size of a thumb. The magic treasure was smooth as a mirror throughout, its surface shimmering with a moonlight-like luster. Shaped like a tapering cone with a slightly upturned tip, it resembled a real rhinoceros horn. Hearing the treasure's origin, Qin Sang gave Yuan Zhu a searching look. "To be able to acquire such an item, your standing in the Flood Dragon Clan must be no lower than Gu Heng's, right?" It seemed there was good reason Yuan Zhu had been vigilant enough to see through the demon race's plot. "The past is like smoke; none of it matters anymore. The moment they treated me as an expendable pawn, I severed all ties with the demon race of the Demon Sea," Yuan Zhu said calmly. "This treasure has only this single capability and is of little use to me now, so giving it to you is no issue. After all, even if one does not lose their way, countless perils still lurk within the Storm Belt, and I wouldn't dare enter alone." Delighted by his words, Qin Sang tossed another jade slip to Yuan Zhu right away. "I have only obtained the first four layers of Heavenly Demon Form Refining, sufficient to cultivate up to the late Transformation stage. That should satisfy you, Fellow Daoist." Yuan Zhu caught the jade slip and pressed it eagerly to his glabella. Skimming through the contents inside, he beamed with pleasant surprise. Hearing Qin Sang mention that the method was incomplete, Yuan Zhu nodded without the slightest surprise, wearing an emotional, wistful expression as he murmured in an enigmatic tone, "This is a lost world: the supreme treasures are all shattered, and the peerless methods are all scattered..." Qin Sang's heart skipped a beat at those words. "What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist?" "Those aren't my words, but a maxim left behind by a senior of the Demon Sea who reached the Deity Transformation stage..." Yuan Zhu gripped the jade slip tightly. "In ancient times, Heavenly Demon Form Refining must have been one of the peerless arts reigning supreme over the demon race. That you could acquire the first four layers is already a tremendous stroke of fortune, far exceeding my expectations." Qin Sang's thoughts raced. Among the supreme cultivation methods and secret arts he had obtained, the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter, Heavenly Demon Form Refining, the Yin-Yang Heavenly Dipper Secret Art, and the Thunder Command Art were all fragmentary. He had already harbored a faint intuition about this. The demon race's Deity Transformation senior had just confirmed his suspicions. Not only was the immortal cultivation world fractured, but even the world's most supreme legacies and treasures were broken and incomplete. The secrets behind this sent a chill down his spine. Yuan Zhu did not expect that a phrase he recalled on a whim would shake Qin Sang so deeply. Holding the jade slip, Yuan Zhu said, "I am willing to exchange the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn with you for this cultivation method. However, you must also agree to one condition: I have a matter in which I will need your assistance." "What would you have me do?" Yuan Zhu hesitated slightly before replying, "I cannot afford distractions at the moment, and I must verify something first, so whether I will even need your help remains uncertain. How about this... If you manage to escape this calamity, meet me here ten years from now, and we can discuss it then. Rest assured, I won't ask you to act for free; I will compensate you accordingly." With the situation dire and pressing, Qin Sang could only agree.