Chapter 1600: The Grand Event Begins

Wearing the Blood Crocodile Bone Hand, it felt like controlling a true ferocious beast. A malevolent aura constantly assailed the wielder. To control the crocodile bone, this was unavoidable; it couldn't be eliminated, and its drawbacks had to be endured. Of course, with Qin Sang's cultivation level, suppressing the Blood Crocodile Bone Hand was not an issue.

“Have you memorized it?” Qin Sang glanced sideways at Shen Chen. Shen Chen, still shaken by the Blood Crocodile Bone Hand's malevolent aura, swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly.

Qin Sang nodded, put away the treasure, and left Feiyun Crossing. To save time, he directly flew through the air with Shen Chen, returning to Pushan.

He brought Shen Chen back to the Xie family and found him a pavilion within the Pure Void Illusion. “From now on, you will cultivate here. Before your cultivation is complete, do not go out unless absolutely necessary! If you need anything, let Xie An arrange it for you.” Shen Chen's face fell upon hearing this, but he dared not disobey Qin Sang's command, nodding repeatedly in assent. He thought to himself, 'If I can't go out, then so be it. This is such a good cultivation dwelling, and with someone to attend to me, it's an environment many would dream of.' He was also quite capable of enduring solitude; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to meticulously study artifact refining and reach the Mid Core Formation stage.

Qin Sang instructed Xie An to take Shen Chen to cultivate, then turned and entered his cave dwelling.

Inside the cave dwelling, the avatar continuously absorbed cold malevolent energy from the mysterious ice disk. Sensing the main body's arrival, the avatar paused its cultivation, and the Second Nascent Soul flew out from the top of its head, returning into the main body for nurturing. Simultaneously, the main body became aware of the avatar's progress.

A moment later, a look of pleasant surprise flashed in the main body's eyes. The avatar's progress was slower than estimated; it had yet to fully master the "Ice Soul Divine Light" technique. However, the reason for this was not due to encountering a bottleneck. In fact, after the avatar began absorbing the cold malevolent energy, coupled with its substantial previous accumulation, the progress of this Dao technique was very smooth. The reason it took so much additional time was that while cultivating the Dao technique, the avatar and the mysterious ice disk were together day and night, leading to a new discovery.

Upon obtaining the mysterious ice disk, Qin Sang had an idea: since this treasure could assist in cultivating the "Ice Soul Divine Light," could it also help the avatar's cultivation method? With this thought, the avatar verified it during cultivation, and unexpectedly, there was indeed progress!

The avatar first absorbed Ice Soul Gangying, then refined two Kanchen Pearls. Over the years the main body was in seclusion, the avatar also cultivated intermittently, reaching the peak of the Mid Nascent Soul stage. The avatar was different from Liu Li. Liu Li's cultivation had reached its peak, but due to being trapped by an evil technique, her mental state was unstable, delaying her breakthrough. After "Ice Soul Sealing Emotions," her own Dao path became closely tied to the Ice Soul Divine Light. At the moment of mastering the divine ability, she suppressed her inner demons and forced a breakthrough. For the avatar, "Ice Soul Divine Light" was merely a Dao technique. Qin Sang knew that the Late Nascent Soul stage was a major hurdle and didn't expect the avatar to break through quickly. He had initially intended to focus on his main body and slowly seek opportunities for the avatar, but unexpectedly, the mysterious ice disk provided an opportunity. As expected of a treasure brought into the tomb by the Lord of Water Aspect, the mysterious ice disk was indeed an extraordinary item!

Of course, what the avatar perceived now was just an opportunity. It still needed to fully master the "Ice Soul Divine Light" and gain a certain level of control over the cold malevolent energy before it could deduce the cultivation method and sort out the details.

For the next few years, Qin Sang's main body also remained in the Pure Void Illusion. He remained in seclusion for a full seven years. The main body and the avatar stayed in the cave dwelling, not moving an inch. Inside the dwelling, two figures sat cross-legged facing each other. The mysterious ice disk floated near the avatar, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly rested beside the main body, and the auras of demonic fire and Near-Dragon Saliva alternately emerged. The three pursued their respective tasks, without distraction. For seven years, this scene remained unchanged, with almost no alterations.

Suddenly, the main body seemed to sense something, and abruptly opened its eyes, a sharp glint bursting forth as it stared intently at the avatar's hands. Only then did the Heavenly Eye Butterfly react, as if waking from a dream. It gave the avatar a bewildered look, then instinctively flapped its wings and rubbed against Qin Sang's main body before refocusing on refining the Near-Dragon Saliva's energy.

At some unknown point, the avatar had placed its hands on its knees, palms upward in a moon-holding posture. The power of the Ice Soul Divine Light gathered in its palms, raising a thick cold mist. If Qin Sang had seen Liu Li during her breakthrough, he would have immediately noticed the difference. Liu Li's breakthrough had created far less commotion, generating only a layer of cold qi. Now, the avatar's entire body was almost enveloped by a thick cold mist, its figure barely visible. Part of the mist was formed by the Ice Soul Divine Light affecting the environment, but more of it was the manifestation of cold malevolent energy! As time passed, the avatar gradually drew in the cold mist, finally bringing it all back into its palms, where it merged with the Ice Soul Divine Light. In his hands, he held a snow-white ice sphere, completely opaque.

Holding the snow-white ice sphere, the avatar silently recited an incantation. The mysterious ice disk trembled slightly, and wisps of cold malevolent energy were drawn from within it, drifting towards the avatar. More precisely, they drifted towards the ice sphere in the avatar's hands and merged into it without any hindrance. Throughout its seclusion until now, the avatar's actions had always been cautious. This was the first time it acted so aggressively, drawing in a large amount of cold malevolent energy. The temperature inside the cave dwelling plummeted, falling into extreme cold.

'Whoosh... whoosh...' The sound of wind howled. The main body didn't feel a strong cold wind; the sound came from the ice sphere in the avatar's hands. At this moment, a small cold qi storm formed inside the ice sphere, filled with incredibly violent power. If it exploded, it would be enough to destroy the cave dwelling! Before long, the surface of the ice sphere began to distort, gradually transforming into a white vortex. The immense cold malevolent energy was contained within the vortex, and its instability was visible to the naked eye. Under these circumstances, the avatar did not stop its actions, focusing intently on the vortex in its palm, continuously integrating more cold malevolent energy. The howling wind became increasingly piercing, echoing within the small cave dwelling. The vortex's arms began to overflow with cold energy, a sign of impending collapse!

Finally, the avatar let out a low cry, its internal aura fluctuating, and the vortex abruptly contracted inwards! A breathtaking scene unfolded: the violent energy on the verge of explosion was forcibly compressed, shrinking from palm-sized to a white speck of light, which was then suddenly absorbed into the avatar's body.

The next moment, the avatar's body trembled, and an unusual cold light burst forth from the depths of its eyes. The main body shifted its gaze to the avatar's face, preparing for anything. The avatar's aura fluctuated, as if turbulent waves raged within its body, and the cold light in its eyes grew increasingly intense until its pupils turned stark white, as if sealed by profound ice.

'Huu...' After a period of silence, the avatar let out a long breath. The cold light in its eyes rapidly receded, returning to their original state, and its aura also stabilized. Seeing this, the main body's expression softened, and a smile appeared. The Ice Soul Divine Light was finally mastered!

After adjusting its breathing, the avatar fully recovered, awoke from its meditative state, and walked out of the cave dwelling with the main body. It silently activated a spell, and a white cold light emerged in its eyes, instantly turning its pupils stark white. Exactly like before. 'Swish!' A white light suddenly appeared in the void, bursting forth instantly and freezing a large section of space. The frozen area was filled with dense cold malevolent energy, so potent that even Shen Chen, cultivating on the other side of the Pure Void Illusion, sensed it. The avatar and the main body exchanged glances. The Ice Soul Divine Light was indeed completely transformed, losing its original subtlety compared to the authentic version, but its burst speed surpassed Liu Li's, and its power was also greater. It was a mix of advantages and disadvantages.

Next, the avatar continued its seclusion in the Pure Void Illusion. Qin Sang had originally planned that once the avatar mastered the Ice Soul Divine Light and its strength greatly increased, he would let it venture out, carrying the Gu God Token, to attempt contact with the Gu God Sect. However, since an opportunity for breakthrough had been perceived, cultivation naturally took precedence. With sufficient strength, there would be fewer concerns, making actions more convenient. Once the main body refined the Near-Dragon Saliva and the Demonic Fire Origin, and both the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and the avatar broke through, the main body and avatar, working together, would be two grand cultivators who had mastered peak divine abilities and possessed spiritual treasures. Below the Soul Transformation stage, they would be nearly unrivaled! Such temptation was irresistible to anyone. Unless there was new progress on a few matters of utmost concern to him, Qin Sang's choice would definitely be to continue his seclusion.

After the "Ice Soul Divine Light" was mastered, the avatar dedicated all its energy to cultivation, meticulously reviewing the "Pure Subtlety Record" from the beginning, searching for points where the cultivation method aligned with the cold malevolent energy, and discovering opportunities for breakthrough.

The main body would occasionally go out to instruct Shen Chen and maintain contact with the Six-Prefecture Hall. After his night talk with Qin Sang, Mu Tongshu secretly mobilized the Six-Prefecture Hall's forces to investigate the origin of the meteorite fragments. However, the Ullambana Assembly was gradually approaching, and as a merchant guild, the Six-Prefecture Hall had to fully prepare for this grand event, unable to spare too many personnel. The investigation thus made little progress. Qin Sang knew it was pointless to rush, so he didn't press the matter and also turned his attention to the Ullambana Assembly.

This Ullambana Assembly would not only stir the hearts of cultivators in the Central Plains but also draw the gaze of the entire cultivation world, from the Northern Wilderness in the north to the Western Desert in the west, all focusing on Jinyu Prefecture. In the cultivation world, stability was never the norm. Without Soul Transformation cultivators to deter, while it might not shake the positions of the Eightfold Scenery Pavilion and the Sweet Dew Zen Temple or alter the Central Plains' power structure, the stirring of hidden elements was inevitable. Who knew how many schemers lurked in the shadows? All sorts of chaos were bound to occur. This was precisely the opportunity Qin Sang had been waiting for. Once the time was ripe, with both the main body and the avatar making their grand appearance, they could strategize and stir up the winds of change!

Spring turned to autumn. The plants and trees within the Pure Void Illusion also changed with the seasons, experiencing cycles of growth and decay. No matter how the cultivation world changed, for now, it did not affect the small Fudu Commandery. The Xie family and the Pavilion View continued to assist each other, flourishing. The strength of Pushan and Pavilion View grew day by day, and new talents among the younger generation formed their Core. Whenever someone was on the verge of a breakthrough, they would be sent to the Pure Void Illusion. Knowing this was the Ancestor's place of quiet cultivation, they were all very curious about the two restricted areas within the Pure Void Illusion, though they approached them cautiously. One was Qin Sang's cave dwelling. The other was the pavilion where Shen Chen cultivated, accessible only to Xie An. Qin Sang did not yet want others to connect his main body with his avatar.

“If only it could always be this peaceful!” Most disciples thought this, but the occasional tragic news from the north reminded them that slaughter still existed; it just hadn't reached Pushan yet.

“I almost forgot about the Ullambana Assembly…” A faint sigh echoed within the cave dwelling. Qin Sang's main body awoke from its meditative state and put away the Fire Lotus and Demonic Banner. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly, losing its source of Near-Dragon Saliva energy, also calmly awoke, transforming into an ordinary butterfly and retreating into Qin Sang's dantian. Calculating the time, the Ullambana Assembly was about to begin. He turned his head to look at the avatar. The avatar was still focused on deducing the cultivation method, wisps of cold malevolent energy swirling around its fingertips. It had made significant progress compared to when it first entered seclusion a dozen years ago, but it still needed more time. The main body was also in a similar state, having only refined nearly half of the Near-Dragon Saliva. Thus, he had not attended any of the recent treasure exchanges or auctions. However, the Ullambana Assembly was not to be missed, so Qin Sang prepared to go there early.

He exited the cave dwelling and summoned Xie An. “Has Mount Bunian sent anyone?” Qin Sang asked. Xie An shook his head, “This disciple recently inquired with other sects in Zhuozhou, but none could contact Mount Bunian.” Qin Sang was somewhat surprised, “What exactly are Situ Yu and Lu Zhang doing? Is Mount Bunian really going to remain in seclusion for a hundred years, completely abandoning its interests at the Ullambana Assembly?” He had originally intended for the avatar to appear, using the identity of the Xie family's ancestor, to participate in the Ullambana Assembly alongside Mount Bunian, making it legitimate. Since Mount Bunian insisted on sealing off its mountain, the avatar going alone would likely be targeted by Mount Bunian's rivals, inviting provocations. He had no choice but to use his main body and go through the Six-Prefecture Hall's channels. To avoid another ambush, Qin Sang also had the avatar pause its cultivation this time, and the Second Nascent Soul retreated into the main body, setting off together.

He didn't rush to Jinyu Prefecture but first made a trip to Feiyun Crossing. Jiang Mu happened to be at Feiyun Crossing as well. As soon as they met, Jiang Mu couldn't stop smiling. “Elder Qin, you've arrived at the perfect time! The hall just happens to have a batch of treasures ready to be transported to Jinyu Prefecture for auction. The three hall masters are all occupied, and I was just worried about a lack of manpower… The north isn't very peaceful right now!” Qin Sang chuckled wryly, “Brother Jiang, you weren't waiting for me all this time, were you?” Jiang Mu sighed, “Indeed, these times are more chaotic than before; I've been feeling uneasy lately! Even during the most stable periods, our merchant guild was robbed several times. The most vicious instance involved not only the theft of goods but also the silencing of over a hundred people on board. The hall master was furious and personally took action, pursuing the bandits into the Western Desert, eliminating all of them and deterring the Central Plains!” The Six-Prefecture Hall was the least willing to see the stability of the Central Plains disrupted. As they spoke, the two flew towards the treasure ship docked on the north bank of Feiyun Crossing.

“Are there any changes to the procedures for this Ullambana Assembly?” Qin Sang glanced to the west, in the direction of the Sweet Dew Zen Temple. Past assemblies had largely similar procedures. If there was a sudden change this time, the Sweet Dew Zen Temple must have other intentions. “There are some differences from before.” Jiang Mu, thinking Qin Sang was interested in trading opportunities, explained in detail. “This assembly will feature two major auctions, held three days before and three days after the main event. Both will be led by the Jinyu Sect, which is known for its wealth and influence. It’s said they will bring out many rare and precious treasures, so they are not to be missed.

“Because of this, there won't be many large-scale treasure exchanges before the first auction, as everyone will be preparing for it.

“Three days after the first auction, the assembly truly begins. The procedures will still follow tradition, with competitions in alchemy, artifact refining, talismans, and spells, as well as debates, and so on. These don't concern us much; we can just enjoy the spectacle.

“During the days the assembly is ongoing, there will be treasure exchanges every evening. Vice Hall Master Jiang You will compile a list by then.

“For the treasure exchanges hosted by our hall, we hope Elder Qin can make an appearance to deter troublemakers.

“This assembly also has a special aspect: rumors of Soul Transformation cultivators disappearing have been circulating for years, and it's possible that reclusive forces might re-emerge. It's expected that not only will people trade treasures at the exchanges, but some will also secretly conspire. Elder Qin, if you wish to avoid being drawn into any turmoil, be careful not to make any hasty commitments…”