Chapter 1399: Wanling Fruit

"What legend?" Qin Sang pressed.

Valley Master Mu chuckled, "Legend has it that the Fire Jade Centipede, a spirit insect born with treasure-seeking abilities, is uniquely gifted and extraordinarily sensitive to target treasures. Even if a treasure is sealed by spirit formations or restrictions, it cannot block their perception. Daoist friend, you spend day and night with your Fire Jade Centipede; you must have experienced this, right? I wonder if the legend is exaggerated."

Qin Sang recalled his past experiences. The first time the Fire Jade Centipede displayed its ability was when it found the Scarlet Gold Vine and Scarlet Fire Gilt in the ancient cultivator's ruins. The Scarlet Gold Vine had been hidden by ancient cultivators with a restriction, but the Fire Jade Centipede easily saw through it, even though it was only at its First Transformation then! Another instance was at the Empty Spirit Sect, where it sensed the fire jade within the forbidden area. Such displays indeed somewhat aligned with the legend's description.

However, it certainly couldn't be as exaggerated as the legend implied. Its ability to perceive treasures was limited, becoming more acute only as the Fire Jade Centipede's cultivation realm advanced. It was a pity the Fire Jade Centipede was only interested in special fire-element treasures; otherwise, he could take it treasure hunting everywhere.

Seeing Qin Sang nod, Valley Master Mu's delight deepened, and he then explained the full story, "Has Daoist Priest heard of the Empty Spirit Sea? The unique phenomena of the Empty Spirit Sea have always been a subject of much debate. Some experts, having nothing better to do, tried to explore it, but all returned empty-handed. Some time ago, Daoist Qi accidentally discovered some unusual signs, suspecting it to be ancient ruins, and thus invited me here…"

An accidental discovery? What nonsense! Qin Sang grumbled internally but did not expose Valley Master Mu then. If his prediction was correct, those ancient ruins were likely related to the Witch Tribe!

"I almost forgot to introduce them, Daoist Priest! Daoist Qi's ancestors and our patriarchs were close friends, and their descendants have always kept in touch. There's also another Daoist Wang, who was also invited by Daoist Qi. They originally wanted to personally greet you, but I persuaded them to stay in the Empty Spirit Sea to continue observing," Valley Master Mu said, changing his tone.

Qin Sang retorted, "It sounds like your exploration of the ancient ruins hasn't been smooth?"

Valley Master Mu gave a bitter smile, "Not just not smooth! The three of us have been trapped here for a year, and we still haven't even glimpsed the entrance! We've been circling outside the whole time!"

"You haven't even entered yet?" Qin Sang was greatly surprised. He had initially suspected that the Hundred Flowers Valley founder had obtained the Witch Tribe inheritance there, but unexpectedly, Valley Master Mu hadn't even managed to get through the door yet. Had he guessed wrong?

Valley Master Mu nodded, ashamed, "Around the ruins, there's a formation we've never seen before, incredibly profound. We still can't even tell what kind of formation it is, whether it's the handiwork of cultivators or naturally occurring!"

Qin Sang was secretly astonished and puzzled. Three Nascent Soul cultivators had been planning for a year, yet they didn't even know what kind of formation it was. After listening to Valley Master Mu's description of the spirit formation, Qin Sang asked in return, "Could it be some kind of illusion formation?"

Valley Master Mu mused, "Perhaps, we've had that conjecture as well. However, it doesn't seem to have the effect of迷神 (bewildering the spirit). None of us have ever felt our souls being affected. It's precisely because everything seems normal that it's even stranger!"

Qin Sang pondered inwardly; he would know if it affected the soul once he went to try it himself.

"Daoist friend intends to use the Fire Jade Centipede's divine ability to break the formation?" Qin Sang couldn't imagine how that would work. If it were a simple illusion formation, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly would be more effective.

Valley Master Mu nodded, "Precisely! We haven't been idle during this time. After much deliberation, we've managed to come up with a new and unconventional method…"

He paused, then Valley Master Mu's subsequent words finally got to the main point, "Although we haven't entered yet, after extensive investigation and verification, I also found some clues among our patriarch's relics. The ancient ruins within the illusion formation are very likely a sect that once existed in the Empty Spirit Sea—the Net Sea Sect! The Net Sea Sect was a rare Buddhist sect, hidden from the world, extremely mysterious, and little known. The Net Sea Sect possessed a Myriad Spirit Fruit Tree, which holds immense attraction for spirit insects. Moreover, the Myriad Spirit Fruits can also be used to refine a supreme treasure called Soul-Suppressing Incense. When lit before a breakthrough or tribulation, it has the miraculous effect of suppressing inner demons and stabilizing the soul!"

"Suppressing inner demons?" Qin Sang exclaimed, a ripple in his eyes. Of course, most of it was an act; no matter how precious the Soul-Suppressing Incense was, it wasn't as valuable as the Jade Buddha, and it wouldn't cause Qin Sang to lose his composure. However, Qin Sang understood the immense value of such a treasure to cultivators. Those cultivators whose heavenly tribulations were approaching or who were on the verge of breakthrough would willingly exchange any treasure they possessed for a stick of Soul-Suppressing Incense!

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Valley Master Mu's mouth; he had anticipated Qin Sang's reaction. Heavenly tribulation was a life-or-death hurdle that no Nascent Soul cultivator could ignore, and no one could remain unmoved upon hearing of a divine item like Soul-Suppressing Incense. He then "poured cold water" on Qin Sang, "The Myriad Spirit Fruit is just one of the ingredients for refining Soul-Suppressing Incense; other ingredients are certainly difficult to find in this world. Furthermore, it's still unknown whether the Net Sea Sect ruins are completely preserved or if the refining method for Soul-Suppressing Incense even exists. I'd be content if the Myriad Spirit Fruit Tree still exists and I could obtain a few Myriad Spirit Fruits. Our patriarch once left a teaching that spirit insects consuming Myriad Spirit Fruits not only gain many unknown benefits but also increase the success rate of the Spirit Ascension Ritual!"

So that's how it is! Qin Sang glanced at Valley Master Mu, quite tempted by the Myriad Spirit Fruit, and his mind raced, "Daoist friend wants to use the Fire Jade Centipede's treasure-seeking ability to sense the Myriad Spirit Fruits and thus find the entrance to the Net Sea Sect… but it shouldn't be that simple, should it?"

Firstly, when the Fire Jade Centipede found the Scarlet Fire Gilt back then, it was hard to say if it was attracted by the spirit medicine itself, or if the Scarlet Gold Vine, rooted in the fiery meridian and absorbing fiery qi, was itself a fire-element object, thus making it perceptible to the centipede.

Secondly, even if the Myriad Spirit Fruits were attractive to the Fire Jade Centipede, if the formation outside the Net Sea Sect was as mysterious as Valley Master Mu described, the Fire Jade Centipede's cultivation realm was too low; it would likely be difficult for it to sense the Myriad Spirit Fruits through the formation. He might as well hope for the Sky-Eyed Butterfly instead.

Valley Master Mu said, "I once cultivated a similar treasure-seeking insect, the Jade-Bearing Bee, but it was not as good as the Fire Jade Centipede, and after it reached the Second Transformation, I could do nothing more for it. However, from what I understand, this rare fruit is a great temptation to any sensitive spirit insect. Furthermore, I have a method that can temporarily enhance a spirit insect's divine ability, boosting the Fire Jade Centipede's perception to at least near the Fourth Transformation level."

"What method?" Qin Sang eagerly asked, greatly surprised. He hadn't expected such an unexpected bonus. If it could be used on the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, directly raising its Sky-Eye divine ability to the Fifth Transformation in the future, it was hard to imagine what power it would wield! Below the Soul Transformation realm, no one would be able to hide from Qin Sang. Most spirit formations and restrictions would also be unable to block Qin Sang's path. He was becoming increasingly interested in the Hundred Flowers Valley; the Hundred Flowers Valley founder's background was certainly not simple, very likely having obtained a grand inheritance from the Witch Tribe!

"The Three Spirits Coiled King Formation!" Valley Master Mu replied in a deep voice.