Old Man Black Corpse, the Great Elder of the Xieling Sect who had run rampant across Mount Tong for over a century, had his soul fire extinguished in an instant.
He passed away without a sound, his body simply going limp before collapsing into a heap on the ground.
Looking at Feng Jiu's corpse, Qin Xuan felt a gaze sweeping toward him from the painting. Guilt pricked his conscience, and he hurriedly bowed his head.
The sword immortal sister didn't have the gentlest temper...
At a time like this, even the Divine Quail True Fire would have to tuck in its feathers and act like a meek quail.
Though Qin Xuan made no motion, his body began to drift on its own, drawn by the scroll into the center of the hall.
Unable to control his movements, he lifted his head in awe and raised his gaze, once again beholding that peerless celestial countenance. The moment his eyes met the female immortal's, vivid, lifelike scenes suddenly flooded his mind!
In those visions, a towering mountain stood shrouded in swirling clouds and mist, through which a single gray sparrow took flight.
All at once, the clouds parted. Qin Xuan felt as though he had slipped into the sparrow's perspective, gazing upon the sights at the mountain peak.
There sat an elder with long brows and a flowing beard, opposite the stalwart, imposing back of a tall man.
The two were engrossed in a game of chess atop the summit...
The elder placed his stones with lightning speed, whereas with every move the towering man made, he pondered for an agonizingly long time.
Qin Xuan was thoroughly immersed in the scene, losing all track of time.
The surrounding crags and trees never shifted, yet the gray sparrow grew larger and larger before Qin Xuan's eyes, until its wings stretched wide enough to blot out the sky.
The stalwart man's moves came slower and slower. The long-bearded elder seemed to urge him on, yet the man remained utterly unfazed, meticulously examining the board.
In the end, unable to endure the endless waiting, the elder conceded and tossed down his stones.
It was hardly an honorable victory, yet as the towering man rose to his feet, he threw his head back and laughed boisterously toward the heavens. He spoke a few words, but unfortunately Qin Xuan could hear no sound.
At the end of the vision, the gray sparrow was enlightened into human form. It knelt upon the ground, weeping uncontrollably, while the stalwart man and the elder vanished together.
Qin Xuan, too, was pulled from that vast stretch of time.
Next, the female immortal's celestial countenance flickered past him.
A beam of white light shot forth, leaving his mind reeling until he could no longer tell heaven from earth...
When he came to, he was startled to find himself already out of the main hall, leaning against the old pear tree outside the tomb.
His foot pressed against something. Instinctively giving it a kick, he watched Great Elder Feng Jiu roll over a few times on the ground.
Only then did Qin Xuan fully regain his senses.
He looked up at the sky and realized that hardly any time had passed while he was in the tomb.
*Why did the sword immortal sister show me those scenes? And who were they?*
That stalwart man had likely attained the Dao as well. In a game of chess against an ancient immortal, he had actually won by dragging the match out to exhaust the old fellow.
*Could the sword immortal sister be teaching me to take a page from that stalwart man's book and adapt to circumstances on the fly?*
"It must be..."
As he muttered to himself, he suddenly remembered the white light that had flown into him at the very end. Sensing something new lingering in his consciousness, he immediately turned his awareness inward.
Sure enough...
A cluster of white light floated quietly within his sea of consciousness.
The moment Qin Xuan probed it, his nerves tightened. Drenched in cold sweat, he panted heavily and broke out of his introspection.
It felt as though he had stepped into Feng Jiu's perspective, witnessing what the man had seen right before his death—a beam of sword light piercing heaven and earth, terrifying beyond imagination.
The female immortal had not spoken a word.
Yet with merely a single glimpse of that sword light, three insights bloomed in Qin Xuan's heart.
First, it was a warning: bring no more people into the tomb.
Second, that sword light could be unleashed from his mind, but only once, leaving nothing behind afterward.
Third, he could comprehend sword arts through the perspective of Feng Jiu's death.
Surging with excitement, he also came to understand the source of the female immortal's goodwill. The moment he laid eyes on that sword light, an innate sense of familiarity had welled up within him.
There was no doubt about it—it was *Spring Letters, Autumn Post*!
He had suspected as much before, but now he was virtually certain.
*Spring Letters, Autumn Post* was tied to this female immortal; it was a genuine immortal sword art!
"Thank you, sword immortal sister!"
Ignoring the throbbing pain of the corpse poison in his arm, he bowed repeatedly in gratitude toward the false tomb.
*This little romance novel... no, this grand classic—I, Qin Xuan, must study it thoroughly.*
He dusted off his robes, walked over to Feng Jiu, and delivered a few swift kicks to the corpse.
First, he retrieved his own hundred-treasure pouch, checking it carefully to make sure nothing was missing, then took Great Elder Feng's pouch as well.
"Old bastard, let's see what treasures you've got."
This old demon had refined evil qi and achieved Core Formation; he was bound to have plenty of good things on him.
That snake cane alone was a precious weapon no less impressive than Old Daoist Wu's glazed lamp cover.
A magic implement could only become a precious weapon after repeated rounds of refinement and the incorporation of myriad rare materials, which meant they were generally found only in the hands of Core Formation cultivators or above.
Qi Refining cultivators opened the Flowery Pool to give birth to a spirit spring, while Foundation Building cultivators forged a dao foundation within that spring. These were the fundamentals of cultivation, the stage for accumulating underlying potential.
Upon reaching Core Formation, one could manifest a portion of that potential, causing a dao flower to bloom upon the dao foundation, which was then used to nourish and refine evil qi.
Only implements nurtured by a dao flower during this process could bring forth a precious gleam and become precious weapons.
For a cultivator below Core Formation to obtain a precious weapon, it had to be either bestowed by an elder or gained through a fortuitous encounter. It was an impassable chasm; one could never refine such an item on their own.
Qin Xuan lifted the snake-shaped cane and hefted it in his hand. It felt as heavy as a mountain, far too burdensome to wield comfortably.
It seemed he would need to refine it before it could be of any use.
The old bastard had been a Core Formation cultivator, virtually at the peak of that realm.
At such a stage, he only needed to cross the yin fire inner demon tribulation to refine the Six Desires core fire and achieve a true Golden Core. At that point, his core fire would transform into true fire, and once this cane was tempered by his true fire, it would have become his natal magic treasure.
Unfortunately, Great Elder Feng would never get that chance.
Inside the hundred-treasure pouch lay a pile of magic implements, beside which rested a stack of secret manuals. In addition to a more complete inheritance of the Xieling Sect, there was a separate secret method.
"This is... *Sky-Digging Earth-Shrinking Curtain*."
Qin Xuan's eyes lit up. The old bastard's earth-escape technique had been superb, truly formidable.
Unrolling the scroll, he found that it was indeed the origin of that earth-escape art.
When practiced to its pinnacle, this technique could manifest a curtain-like screen of light upon the ground. Passing through it folded a hundred li of the outside world into a mere tapestry; a single step beyond brought one a hundred li away!
It might not match the little fox's Zhongzhou art, but this secret method from the Juetian Sect possessed the advantage of being complete.
*A fine treasure indeed; I'll take it!*
"Where is the Talisman of Conferment? I need to send word to the temple head first, so the old man doesn't worry."
Qin Xuan swallowed several Solidifying Origin Pills and searched through Feng Jiu's hundred-treasure pouch for a while. At last, he found the talisman inside a long-necked porcelain bottle.
Like Qiu Bailu's gourd from the Renmao Sect, this bottle was used to store evil qi.
It was filled entirely with Feng Jiu's Gui Yin Corpse-Refining Divine Evil, something Qin Xuan dared not touch.
When Feng Jiu had taken Qin Xuan's talisman, fearing there might be some trick to it, he had sealed it with evil qi as an extra precaution.
"This old demon, like the temple head, had peak Core Formation cultivation, yet he remained this cautious against a mere Qi Refining junior like me. Sword immortal sister, I truly owe it all to you this time."
Standing beside the pear tree, Qin Xuan let out a sigh and frowned.
He had never expected to be ambushed by so many Xieling Sect disciples on his way back to Jinghu Manor. The Yuansong Temple had maintained communication with the City God Temple, yet they had received no warning whatsoever.
This ordeal taught him a lesson: beings of the Divine Way were not to be trusted, and demon sect figures were far more reckless and willing to pay any price than he had realized.
This was the most perilous situation he had faced since Uncle Li rescued him and brought him to the Yuansong Temple.
Old Daoist Wu had been ready to ruin his own dao foundation for his sake. Having received so much kindness over the years, how could Qin Xuan stand by and watch this hardworking elder sacrifice a lifetime of cultivation?
He had known the Xieling Sect's motive for capturing him, known their secret methods, and seen He Wushuang—a sensitive mountain-and-sea exotic beast—fall victim to the painting in the false tomb. Playing upon the Xieling Great Elder's own understanding of tombs, Qin Xuan had lured him into this living tomb...
Even so, it remained the greatest gamble with his life since embarking on the path of cultivation.
He reflected continually, warning himself to stay vigilant.
Just as his thoughts churned...
Heavy footsteps echoed from eight or nine zhang away!
The steps came down hard, seemingly meant as a deliberate warning. Otherwise, in Qin Xuan's current state, the newcomer would likely have had to draw much closer before being noticed.
"Amitabha."
A muscular monk built like an iron tower strolled over, offering a light smile and chanting a Buddhist greeting upon seeing Qin Xuan.
The monk looked familiar. Qin Xuan focused his gaze and realized it was none other than the great demon of Hawk's Beak Mountain, the blind bear of Black Wind Ridge whom he had crossed paths with once before.
In the very same place, they had met by chance once again.
The cassock the Black Bear Monster had worn last time had been tightly stretched across his frame, ill-fitting and clumsy.
This time, who knew where he had found a new cassock, but it draped properly over him, lending him an even more dignified, Buddhist aura.
Qin Xuan offered a one-handed Buddhist greeting. "Master, we meet again."
The Black Bear Monster glanced at Feng Jiu on the ground. "What is Patron doing?"
Qin Xuan pointed to the pear tree beside him. "This elder passed away peacefully beneath the tree just now. I am helping to arrange his final rites, earning a bit of merit in the process."
The Black Bear Monster stared blankly, uncertain whether to believe him or to marvel at how preposterous Qin Xuan sounded—putting on an act even better than a bear could.
Seeing Qin Xuan's benevolent countenance, he almost looked more like a Buddhist than the monk himself.
The Black Bear Monster nodded and made to leave, then paused and added, "A few wild boars in this poor monk's home have passed on into nirvana. Would Patron care to accompany me to chant scriptures for their crossing over?"
Not wishing to provoke him, nor wanting to go to Black Wind Ridge, Qin Xuan pointed to his arm, which was tainted with corpse poison. "Master, perhaps next time."
Seeing his state, the Black Bear Monster did not press the matter. He glanced toward the west, turned, and headed back toward the mountain.
Qin Xuan looked in the direction the bear had gazed. Seven or eight breaths later, the rush of sweeping wind reached his ears.
Evidently, someone was flying over, riding the wind!
By the time he sensed the aura of the Divine Way, a long-faced man with large eyes and thick brows had already materialized before him. The scent of incense clinging to him was identical to that of Shi Chun, who had died earlier outside Lianyun Manor.
This was a Divine Way being under the Hawk's Beak Mountain God Temple.
The protector deity of Hawk's Beak Mountain had been thick as thieves with that crab demon; these people were all cut from the same cloth.
Qin Xuan kept his wits about him. Considering his weakened state, he hurriedly shouted after the blind bear, who was about to vanish into the distance:
"Master, wait! I will go with you to help deliver them!"
Hearing this, the Black Bear Monster immediately turned around and beamed. "Patron, please, come this way."
"Hold on!"
The long-faced man leaped forward, barring Qin Xuan's path.
He was a mountain ghost spirit official serving under the Hawk's Beak Mountain God Temple, a spirit selected from the mountain spirits after Mountain God Tan Gang received his conferment. Having tasted the incense of the prince's temple, his seniority was even greater than that of Shi Chun, who had died at Lianyun Manor.
Going by the name Tan Chi, he was a trusted confidant of Mountain God Tan Gang.
This stretch of the mountain range had always been under his watch. Sensing fluctuations of magic power beneath the earth today, he had tracked them here, only to stumble upon Qin Xuan.
He was thoroughly familiar with Qin Xuan's face, having seen his portrait long ago.
Tan Chi glanced at the corpse on the ground, noticed Qin Xuan's feeble aura, and sneered inwardly.
"Young Master Qin, I am a spirit official of the Hawk's Beak Mountain God Temple. Please accompany me to the temple; the mountain god wishes to see you."
"Another day, perhaps."
As he spoke, Qin Xuan swept Feng Jiu's corpse into his hundred-treasure pouch.
"I must discuss Buddhist teachings with this master. I have no free time today."
The iron-tower monk transformed from the Black Bear Monster walked over and looked at the spirit official. "Friend of the Divine Way, please return."
Tan Chi stared intently at the monk before him, completely unable to discern his origins. He was eager to strike, but the sheer composure of Qin Xuan and the monk filled him with unease.
"Master, may I ask in which monastery you cultivate?"
The Black Bear Monster cast a glance to the west and said leisurely, "Xiniuhezhou."
The mountain ghost spirit official's heart clenched. He abruptly recalled that on the night Protector Shi Chun died, a spider demon outside Lianyun Manor had attacked Qin Xuan, only for her magic treasure to be shattered by an expert of the Western Religion.
Back when Qin Xuan was at the Geng residence, there had also been rumors that the Western Religion had aided him.
In that instant, fear gripped him.
He cast a subtle, wary glance at the towering monk...
It seemed the rumors were true.
Qin Xuan truly had formed ties with an elder from Xiniuhezhou.
He knew his divine power was only equivalent to a Foundation Building cultivator's; there was no way he could contend with someone at Core Formation or beyond.
With that thought, Tan Chi put on an innocent, harmless smile, stepping backward as he said, "In that case, this humble god shall take his leave..."
Chapter 59