Chapter 1419: Slave Path Divine Ability (Additional Update)

A descendant of the Witch Clan.The Witch Clan!

A flash of realization struck Qin Sang.

So that's it! The Ghost Mother is very likely an ancient Witch Clan Grand Power.

A distinguished Grand Power of the Witch Clan, she lived until the present era, but instead of slumbering on the Witch God Continent, she chose to come to a place with no Witch Clan presence. After waking up, she was sealed by Venerable Tianyue and nearly perished.

Qin Sang truly didn't know whether to call the Ghost Mother's luck good or bad.

No wonder the Hundred Flowers Valley possesses a Witch Clan inheritance.

This kind of improvement was something even Qin Sang, who also cultivated his life-bound Gu worm, couldn't achieve. It turns out it came from the hands of a Witch Clan Grand Power!

No wonder the Hundred Flowers Valley's patriarch hailed from the Ethereal Sea.

The Hundred Flowers Valley's patriarch was very likely a disciple the Ghost Mother took in back then.

No, not necessarily a disciple. Perhaps the Ghost Mother had just awakened and was in a weakened state, so she casually guided a few people to do her bidding. Otherwise, she wouldn't have stood by and watched her disciples go astray.

Such a casual act led to the establishment of a renowned sect in the Crescent Realm.

When he searched for the Art of Beast Control, Hundred Flowers Valley was an unavoidable stop. Discovering the Art of Beast Control there and then coming to the Ethereal Sea for investigation was inevitable; it was only a matter of time.

If he had been a step slower, he would have missed Tan Hao.

Conversely, if he had been earlier, he would have met the Ghost Mother.

Qin Sang couldn't help but sigh at the ironies of fate.

There was a Witch Clan descendant, whom the Ghost Mother was looking for, right beside him.

Although he didn't know the Ghost Mother's exact purpose, a Witch Clan descendant was certainly of utmost importance to her. Without Qin Sang needing to say much, the Ghost Mother would surely exert all her effort to awaken Mute Girl.

Yet, he had perfectly missed the Ghost Mother!

"The legacy of the Heavenly Corpse Sect isn't entirely about the Corpse Dao. The Heavenly Corpse Talisman was created by Senior Ghost Mother to quickly enhance the Heavenly Corpse Sect's strength. It combines the human Corpse Dao with a simplified version of a top-tier Witch Clan servitude ability, which is why it has such miraculous effects. If I had found the senior earlier, there might have been a chance to save Tan Jie. Unfortunately, it was too late; he had completely fallen. The senior tried several times, but all failed…"

Tan Hao only regretted his cultivation was too weak back then, causing him to miss a crucial opportunity.

"So it's a servitude ability," Qin Sang nodded. Everything made sense now.

This was characteristic of the Ghost Mother, who had successively improved the life-bound Gu worm and servitude arts to suit human cultivation.

Oh, and there was also the Bone Curse, which was akin to divine patterns!

A living corpse was not a 'corpse' but a corpse slave. No wonder the Heavenly Corpse Talisman was inscribed within the Nascent Soul.

Presumably, the complete servitude ability must have a profound origin. Even in its simplified form, the Heavenly Corpse Talisman could be cast by low-level cultivators to forcibly control others at the same level.

However, the Witch Clan in Canglang Sea didn't seem to understand servitude arts; otherwise, he would have noticed clues.

Perhaps this part of their inheritance was lost.

Servitude arts, life-bound Gu worms, divine patterns—the Witch Clan's inheritance was truly exceptionally bizarre.

Hmm, very barbaric.

No, that's not right... it's primordial, yet also closer to nature.

As his impression of the Witch Clan solidified in his mind, Qin Sang asked, "Did Senior Ghost Mother ever mention the purpose of seeking Witch Clan descendants?"

Tan Hao recalled, "She seemed to mention it briefly, that the Witch Clan bloodline could... help her return."

Return? What does that mean?

Qin Sang suddenly thought of the Reception Platform, and the departed Bai, his Senior Sister, and Old Demon Ye.

The Witch Clan Grand Powers were also striving to cross over.

If Witch Clan bloodline was needed, was it to obtain guidance from beyond this realm? If they really found the Ghost Mother, would it be good or bad for Mute Girl?

Various possibilities flashed through Qin Sang's mind.

With the Ghost Mother long gone, there was no way to verify.

Having missed this opportunity, finding the Ghost Mother again would be difficult.

Central Continent.

It sounded far from simple. It was very likely there were also Witch Clan members there. After the Ghost Mother achieved her goal, would she return to the Northern Sea, or simply return directly?

If he were to go to the Central Continent himself…

Qin Sang was not optimistic.

He was unwilling to stop here. Since he now knew about the Central Continent and that the Northern Sea still held a map leading there, he would definitely go, seeking a way to escape this cage and explore the truth of this world.

But this would undoubtedly be hundreds of years later.

First, he needed to find a way to acquire the map, and then he would need sufficient strength to protect himself in the storm zone.

The Central Continent surely wouldn't be too close.

Qin Sang had to take such a great risk just to travel from the Beichen Realm to the Northern Sea. He would only dare to set off for the Central Continent after reaching the late Nascent Soul stage, at the very least. If it was too distant, and the map didn't show clear shelters, he might even need to reach the Soul Transformation stage.

Soul Transformation.

Qin Sang truly didn't dare to hope for that.

Could Mute Girl even last until then?

He no longer had any Three-Light Jade Nectar. If he couldn't find a substitute spiritual medicine soon, even if Mute Girl's soul could be maintained by the nourishing soul wood, her physical body would lose its vitality and fully transform into a corpse.

"What method did Senior Ghost Mother use when trying to save Tan Jie?" Qin Sang hastily pressed on.

As he spoke, he summoned Mute Girl.

Tan Hao glanced at Mute Girl, then at Qin Sang, not delving into their relationship. He lowered his head and gazed for a moment before saying, "The senior once said that the Heavenly Corpse Talisman she created was imperfect, easy to form but difficult to undo. It required the cautious application of a top-tier Witch Clan servitude secret art to break it. Otherwise, it could easily backfire and lead to an irreversible situation. The senior only dared to act after returning to the Northern Sea and recovering her strength."

Tan Hao's words weighed heavily on Qin Sang.

The more formidable the origin of the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, the smaller the chance of Mute Girl awakening on her own.

"Oh?" Tan Hao observed Mute Girl, an expression of surprise on his face. "How long has she been asleep?"

Qin Sang replied, "More than two hundred and fifty years."

"What?" Tan Hao exclaimed, "That's not much later than Tan Jie! How did you manage to keep her in such good condition?"

Three-Light Jade Nectar, Nourishing Soul Wood, and a spirit insect of unknown origin that willingly recognized him as its master.

Qin Sang silently listed these in his mind, suddenly realizing that compared to Tan Jie, Mute Girl's luck was simply heaven-defying.

With so many treasures used on her, there had to be some difference, right?

Seeing Tan Hao's expression, Qin Sang quickly asked, "Brother Tan, did you notice something?"

Tan Hao recalled painful memories, his voice low. "Back then, after Brother Qin left, I continued to carry Tan Jie. The corpse qi quickly contaminated his physical body, and that crystal coffin could only delay things for a while. Fortunately, Tan Jie's Nascent Soul hadn't perished; although his consciousness was blurry, I could still sense it, which gave me a glimmer of hope. But as time passed, I noticed a strange change in his Nascent Soul. It became… stiff and lifeless, his consciousness growing increasingly vague until it finally fell completely silent. After encountering Senior Ghost Mother, she first tried various methods to nourish his Nascent Soul and retrieve some consciousness, but it was beyond saving. If I had met Brother Qin earlier, the outcome might have been different."

Qin Sang didn't know how to comfort Tan Hao.

He still had a few Nourishing Soul Wood talismans; giving one away wouldn't be an issue.

However, there was no second Fat Silkworm that had willingly recognized him as its master and could act as an anchor to the present world.

Qin Sang had a hunch that Mute Girl's excellent condition was likely not primarily due to the Nourishing Soul Wood, but the Fat Silkworm!

After a moment of silence, Tan Hao suddenly reached into his robes and pulled out a round jade pendant.

"This is a warning item Senior Ghost Mother personally refined for me when she infiltrated the Profound Heaven Palace. It contains a trace of her divine sense. If you ever encounter the senior again, she should be able to sense it."

"If you have the chance, you absolutely must awaken her!"

"Absolutely!"

Tan Hao's gaze shifted from Tan Jie's tombstone to Qin Sang, and he solemnly handed him the jade pendant.