Chapter 1352: This Sword Wanders

Rain hitting bluestone:

Ten years later.

Peach Blossom Valley.

Qin Sang was cultivating quietly in his cave abode, with its protective formations activated.

Peach blossoms were in full bloom, their fragrance filling the valley, creating a serene atmosphere.

At the entrance to Peach Blossom Valley, there was a simple cave abode carved into the rock face. A flat, large stone lay at its entrance, where a white cat was lazily sprawled.

The years passed peacefully.

The white cat had clear, intelligent eyes and fur as smooth as satin. It lay in a languid posture, seemingly dozing.

After Qing Jun departed, Qin Sang began cultivating in Peach Blossom Valley and brought the white cat here.

The white cat was naturally delighted.

Fatty Chicken was a second-generation demon beast, personally tutored by its mother. It also had a Corpse Flower Blood Amber awaiting its breakthrough, giving it the greatest hope of transforming into human form in the future.

White Crane came from humble beginnings but found a good cultivation partner.

After Qin Sang and the Serpent King reconciled, the two bird partners frequently traveled between Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea and Dragon Transformation Mountain to pay their respects to the Serpent King, earning his favor.

Only the white cat diligently cultivated, having switched to the 'Heavenly Demon Refinement' technique. In Peach Blossom Valley, it could consult Qin Sang directly.

The effects of the top-tier cultivation method were immediate.

Observing its aura, it was far stronger than before, on the verge of breaking through to the mid-stage Demon Core realm.

Though it appeared to be sleeping, it was actually never slackening. Its spine occasionally rippled, as if a small snake was moving within its meridians.

It was circulating spiritual energy and practicing its cultivation method.

The reason it stayed outside the cave abode was that today was an extremely important day, and the white cat feared getting too engrossed in cultivation and missing something crucial.

After one cultivation cycle.

The white cat's tail twitched, then it suddenly opened its eyes, flipped over to stand, and looked cautiously towards the outside of Peach Blossom Valley.

Immediately, its expression shifted to one of respect, and it opened the entrance's restrictive formation.

"Greetings, Senior."

Whoosh!

A silver flash appeared as Jing Yu landed in front of the white cat, glancing inside. "Tomorrow is the grand ceremony for the establishment of the Green Goat Temple, and guests from all directions will arrive. Your master is remarkably calm; is he still in seclusion?"

"Reporting, Senior, Master is forging a sect-guarding treasure and said he would emerge from seclusion by tonight at the latest," the white cat replied respectfully.

"Oh?"

Jing Yu showed curiosity. "A few years ago, he refined the Beast King Banner from the souls of cloud beasts. Its power was quite impressive, capable of protecting the Green Goat Temple's lineage, and could arguably be considered a sect-guarding treasure. What other ingenious ideas does he have?"

The white cat simply stated it didn't know.

Jing Yu, not treating himself as an outsider, flashed into a pavilion in the peach grove to wait for Qin Sang. He also called the white cat over to give it some pointers.

Meanwhile,

Inside the cave abode.

Qin Sang sat upright on a meditation cushion.

The Ebony Sword hovered before him, and in his hand, he held the charred wood where Wandering Cloud's true spirit resided.

After acquiring the Southern Blazing Fire on Sword Mark Mountain, Qin Sang gained new insights into artifact refinement. He didn't begin until he had thoroughly comprehended these insights and ensured foolproof success.

It was uncertain how long it would take for the Ebony Sword to stabilize after fusing with Wandering Cloud's true spirit, but he didn't hesitate in the slightest.

Buzz... buzz...

The Ebony Sword vibrated continuously, its amplitude steadily increasing.

Gradually, the Ebony Sword nearly transformed into a ball of light.

At this moment, Qin Sang raised his hand and gently tossed the charred wood towards the Ebony Sword. In the blink of an eye, it submerged into the ball of light.

From start to finish, the ball of light remained very stable.

Qin Sang gazed at the ball of light, hesitating slightly. Black flames emerged from his brow, and the Fire Lotus Seed flew out, releasing a wisp of demonic flame that slowly approached the ball of light.

Fusing the charred wood's true spirit into the Ebony Sword inherently didn't require external force; in fact, it could even lead to failure.

However, Qin Sang had already refined the demonic flame of the Fire Lotus Seed, making it completely synchronized with him. Combined with several secret arts Qin Sang had mastered, it could increase the chances of success.

These methods were developed by Qin Sang after careful deliberation.

Inside the ball of light.

The Ebony Sword hung inverted, pointing directly at the charred wood.

Sword light streamed down, like strands of light dancing in the wind, appearing extremely gentle as it gradually enveloped the charred wood. The demonic flame also transformed into runes, blending into the sword light, with hardly any trace of the usual wildness associated with demonic flames.

Qin Sang's expression was solemn; he dared not show the slightest negligence. Extremely complex talisman seals, dazzling to behold, surged towards the ball of light like a tide.

As time passed,

The core of the Ebony Sword gradually 'melted down'.

The charred wood was originally a Pure Fortune True Bamboo, but it had been almost completely destroyed by a lightning tribulation. It was stripped of layer after layer of 'impurities' by the sword light and demonic flame, finally allowing Wandering Cloud's true spirit to merge into the Ebony Sword.

He exhaled.

Qin Sang let out a long breath, his inner tension easing slightly.

This was Wandering Cloud's only hope of revival, and failure was not an option. Fortunately, his preparations were extremely thorough, and the fusion process went very smoothly, fulfilling his task admirably!

Swish!

The sword light receded, and in mid-air, a sword embryo of jade-like purity hovered.

Qin Sang could clearly sense that Wandering Cloud's true spirit was inside the sword embryo, still extremely fragile.

The sword embryo was like an embryo, nurturing the true spirit.

He extended a hand to gently touch the sword embryo, not daring to use force. His eyes held a complex gaze, as if reminiscing about the past while also brimming with hope. Finally, he murmured a single sentence.

"This sword shall be named Wandering Cloud!"

After gazing for a long time, Qin Sang put the sword embryo into his nascent soul for nurturing. Fragments of his interactions with Wandering Cloud flashed through his mind.

Then, he recalled Bai and Qing Jun, whose fates were uncertain.

He remembered the scenes of Ziwei Palace's ascension ten years ago.

As the immortal palace ascended, Qing Jun, Bai, and Old Demon Ye entered the Heavenly Cavern with it.

The remaining Nascent Soul cultivators found that the outer hall had begun to crumble. Powerless to stop it, they could only watch as the reception platform turned to ruins, then fled outwards as fast as they could.

Qin Sang only moved after watching Qing Jun disappear, yet he was one of the first to escape.

After escaping the outer hall, everyone, still shaken, looked back.

They saw only rolling smoke and dust.

The reception platform, the immortal tomb, the stone mountain, and even the outermost golden palace had all turned to dust, leaving no trace behind.

The Ziwei Palace mystic realm thus vanished from the world!

The aftermath of the immortal palace's ascension showed no signs of weakening until a full day and night had passed.

The former location of Ziwei Palace was now a massive vortex of wind and clouds.

The space here, originally very stable, had now become more dangerous than other parts of the ancient immortal battlefield. While the spatial storms gradually dissipated, their lingering power constantly affected the area.

As the wind and cloud vortex dissipated, hurricanes roared, space shattered, and spatial rifts were visible everywhere.

The Nascent Soul cultivators waited for a long time, paying particular attention to the heavens above.

The Heavenly Cavern closed.

Only after finally confirming that no further changes were possible did they decide to depart.

After this battle,

Old Demon Ye, the major threat to the Northern Star Realm, had 'ascended'.

Few died directly by Old Demon Ye or Jade Bone's hands, but several perished within the immortal palace due to their excessive greed, and even more were injured. Among them, King Yu's injuries were the most severe; even in human form, his weakness remained undeniable.

Besides that, the greatest losses were sustained by the Heaven's Path Alliance and Qin Sang.

Daoist True Unity's fate was unknown, leaving the Heaven's Path Alliance leaderless. Only the Twin Generals could potentially succeed Daoist True Unity.

Qin Sang had lost his senior sister and Bai, two excellent mentors and friends. He also lost a Corpse King-level refined corpse. Fortunately, his demonic flame and Nascent Soul Talisman Puppet were still intact, otherwise, his standing would have plummeted drastically.

To Qin Sang's helplessness, the Sword Path Hall and the ancient teleportation array also 'ascended' with the immortal palace, severing the path to the Vast Waves Sea.

All his previous plans concerning the Vast Waves Sea were now rendered useless.