Chapter 1651: Heavenly Fire

The medicinal garden could wait. The weird-faced man’s belongings were the most significant gain from this encounter.

After a brief look, Qin Sang immediately discovered many intriguing items.

Qin Sang took out some pills to restore his True Essence and shared them with his avatar. While recovering his True Essence, he also retrieved the weird-faced man’s mustard seed bag and examined it carefully.

There weren't many external items inside, such as magic treasures, spirit pills, or talismans; in fact, there were very few, disproportionate to his cultivation level.

For many years, the weird-faced man had dedicated himself to cultivating the Gu King and mastering his poison arts. He also had to deal with the potent toxins within his body.

Later, after the Gu King reached maturity, and he acquired the Scarlet Profound Ancient Tree, he cultivated the Acquired Wood Golem Stele art and prepared to open the Unseen Immortal Sect’s relic mansion. He couldn't spare any extra energy for other matters.

Whoosh!

Qin Sang’s divine sense activated the mustard seed bag, and several streaks of light flew out.

He reached out and grabbed one of the wooden boxes.

The wooden box opened, revealing a ball of green light. As his divine sense swept over it, the crafting method for the Celestial Exquisite entered Qin Sang’s sea of consciousness. This secret art, never before passed down by the Wood-Phase Hall, was finally his.

The crafting method was extremely complete and included the insights left behind by successive Wood-Phase Hall masters.

Only after seeing it firsthand did he realize that crafting the Celestial Exquisite was not as easy as the weird-faced man had claimed.

The crafter must first possess profound mastery in artifact forging, and their own cultivation must not be below the late Nascent Soul stage.

This treasure was helpful for Soul Transformation; its immense value was self-evident.

However, if someone wished to craft a Celestial Exquisite and trade it, they would still need to weigh the gains and losses. This indicated the immense difficulty of crafting such an item.

Crafting the Celestial Exquisite was not an overnight endeavor, and all the required spirit materials were rare treasures from heaven and earth. Even Qin Sang, who could be considered a master artifact forger, didn't recognize a few of the spirit materials.

The other streaks of light contained jade slips, some of which were artifact forging inheritances from the Wood-Phase Hall.

When the Unseen Immortal Sect flourished, the Wood-Phase Hall was renowned for its artifact forging. These inheritances would undoubtedly be of great help to Qin Sang. Once he could dedicate time to thoroughly study artifact forging, he would surely make rapid progress, making this an unexpected delight.

Unexpectedly, both the pill-refining and artifact-forging inheritances of the Unseen Immortal Sect had fallen into his hands.

Consulting the contents of the jade slips, Qin Sang found records of those unfamiliar spirit materials. Some of them could still be found in the world with patient searching, while others would depend purely on luck.

One spirit item in particular, named Moon Laurel Immortal Dew, was the rarest. It originated from the Immortal Laurel Secret Realm of the Celestial Concord Hall, which could only be entered once every few centuries.

The weird-faced man hadn't been able to find Moon Laurel Immortal Dew within the Wood-Phase Hall.

Now that the Immortal Hall had ascended, the Immortal Laurel Secret Realm was inaccessible—where could he find it?

The crafting method for the Celestial Exquisite did not contain this information, as it had been deliberately erased by the weird-faced man. Otherwise, Crying Spirit Cave Master wouldn't have been so optimistic.

Of course, there was an exception. A Nascent Soul cultivator from the Unseen Immortal Sect, while traveling on the outskirts of the Storm Belt, had accidentally discovered an ancient cultivator's relic mansion and obtained a small bottle of it.

Perhaps more still existed in this world, within some unknown ancient cultivator's relic mansion.

Qin Sang possessed a Five-Element spiritual root, rendering the Celestial Exquisite useless to him. However, seeing these details, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. If he couldn't gather all the spirit materials, the value of this secret art would be greatly reduced. He would need to consider how to maximize its benefits.

The weird-faced man had not only concealed this information from Crying Spirit Cave Master.

Qin Sang shifted his gaze to the last streak of light and gently beckoned.

The streak of light flew into his hand, revealing a crystal-clear jade sphere. The jade sphere was about the size of a baby’s fist, emitting a pure emerald glow that shimmered brightly, like a luminous pearl.

The jade sphere was none other than the Celestial Exquisite!

However, this Celestial Exquisite was an unfinished spiritual embryo.

Qin Sang focused his gaze, and through the emerald light, he discerned a flaw in the jade.

The surface of the jade sphere was not smooth; it contained countless tiny hollows. These hollows were so minute that they wouldn't be noticed without careful perception.

Within each hollow were countless inscribed restrictions. Their intricacy was unlike anything Qin Sang had ever seen. It was likely that few treasures in this world could compare to it. And this was merely the first layer of the jade sphere.

The Celestial Exquisite could be seen as five jade spheres nested one within another.

All five layers of jade spheres were equally intricate.

When the Celestial Exquisite was completed, all five jade spheres had to be fused into a single entity, with their Qi not creating high or low conflicts, but maintaining a certain balance.

Upon closer inspection, he also realized that the Celestial Exquisite was not entirely physical. It existed somewhere between reality and illusion, and could merge with any type of Natal Magic Treasure.

Back then, the Wood-Phase Hall master had crafted this spiritual embryo, placed it in the artifact chamber, and nourished it with the Wood-Phase Hall's unique artifact-forging spiritual array. Later, a great war erupted, the master perished, leaving this treasure alone in the Wood-Phase Hall, where the precious orb gathered dust, unknown to anyone.

The weird-faced man was ecstatic upon seeing this treasure. Although the spiritual embryo was still far from completion, at least he no longer had to worry about the Moon Laurel Immortal Dew.

Not to mention just one; even if he had several more, he would not easily give them to Crying Spirit Cave Master.

Just the Wood-Phase Hall's artifact forging inheritance and the Celestial Exquisite spiritual embryo alone were worth it, even if it meant consuming a single Boiling Snow Pill. Moreover, Qin Sang had paid almost no price.

Qin Sang repeatedly acknowledged his good fortune. He carefully stored each treasure, then activated the mustard seed bag, from which three more spheres of treasure light flew out.

A token, a wooden armor, and a remnant tree.

The token was the Wood-Phase Token.

From the soul-searching of Crying Spirit Cave Master, Qin Sang learned that the Five-Phase Tokens seemed to play a significant role in Imperial Grant Mountain. Unsure of the specifics, Qin Sang could only put it away for now and observe its future effects.

The wooden armor was sealed by the Ice Soul Divine Light. After the weird-faced man’s demise, it fell into Qin Sang’s hands.

This treasure was undoubtedly a powerful defensive artifact. However, it required the removal of the weird-faced man’s aura and meticulous refinement before it could be used. So, he put it aside along with the remnant tree.

The remnant tree was the Scarlet Profound Ancient Tree.

When the weird-faced man self-destructed his spiritual wood body, the spiritual tree disintegrated, but its essence remained, with a portion surviving. However, the spiritual tree had also been refined by the weird-faced man using secret arts for many years, becoming tainted with his aura. From now on, it could only be used for artifact forging.

Qin Sang was actually more interested in the weird-faced man’s divine abilities: the spiritual wood body and the poisonous needles.

He continued his search and finally found a section of withered wood in the mustard seed bag.

The withered wood was less than a foot long and about the thickness of a wrist. It was entirely black, clearly a completely decayed piece of rotten wood. Even his divine sense detected nothing unusual.

If found elsewhere, Qin Sang wouldn't have given it a second glance.

Only when he meticulously searched with his divine sense and touched a faint, almost imperceptible speck of light at the core of the decayed wood, did he realize it contained hidden wonders!

Inside the decayed wood were recorded several inheritances of the Wood-Phase Hall, likely left behind by its descendants.

The inheritances included the weird-faced man’s fundamental cultivation method, the 'Wood Emperor’s Stratagem,' and its corresponding divine abilities, as well as the 'Acquired Wood Golem Stele' that Qin Sang had been thinking about!

To cultivate these divine abilities, one needed to find spiritual wood and refine it into a spiritual wood body. This would grant immense strength, comparable to that of a body cultivator, much like the weird-faced man.

When in a forest rich with wood spiritual energy, one's body would be like a divine stele, rooted in the ground. Their Qi would connect with all the surrounding trees, absorbing wood spiritual energy. This would also bring about comprehensive enhancements, greatly boosting both strength and recovery capabilities.

Qin Sang secretly thought, 'No wonder the weird-faced man was so difficult to deal with after his transformation.'

However, the weird-faced man had only achieved minor mastery of these divine abilities. Upon reaching full mastery, there would be even more incredible divine abilities. However, it was very difficult to achieve full mastery during the Nascent Soul stage.

Additionally, the improvements brought by the Acquired Wood Golem Stele were also related to the quality of the spiritual wood.

After reading, Qin Sang subconsciously glanced at his avatar.

Back then, the Dao-Evolving Tree had caused Bai to lose composure. What other spiritual tree could have a higher rank than the Dao-Evolving Tree?

However, if he were to refine the Dao-Evolving Tree into a spiritual wood body and incorporate it into himself, he would have to restore the Dao-Evolving Tree to its original form and abandon his external avatar. Such a trade-off would be difficult to make.

The 'Acquired Wood Golem Stele' had great potential and would enhance his own body. But his external avatar possessed the ability to substitute for death, and he had already invested immense energy and resources into it.

Refining a spiritual wood body was also not a simple matter.

His external avatar was about to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage. Its potential might not be inferior to a spiritual wood body. And the ability to substitute for death was a powerful divine ability that could not be given up.

Although Qin Sang possessed late Nascent Soul cultivation, he still dared not claim invincibility.

He sighed inwardly, deciding not to dwell on these troublesome matters for now. Qin Sang temporarily put away the decayed wood and took out another jade slip.

The jade slip contained the 'Gu Scripture' from Myriad Poison Mountain, and it was complete.

The latter half of the Gu Scripture did not record the cultivation method for the Gu King. However, from the descriptions, it was clear that the Gu King and the Gu Scripture were from the same lineage.

The Gu King was certainly a core secret of Myriad Poison Mountain. Qin Sang didn't know how the weird-faced man had acquired it, and had even taken a substantial portion of Myriad Poison Mountain's inheritance.

No wonder Myriad Poison Mountain harbored such deep hatred.

The latter part of the 'Gu Scripture' recorded several divine abilities of the poison path. The 'Heavenly Absolute Soul-Shattering Divine Needle' was precisely the most powerful among them.

This name was derived from the idea that once the poisonous needle was unleashed, it would sweep away all living beings and ghosts in heaven and earth. Its grand spirit was immense, and its power was indeed worthy of the name.

Cultivating this divine ability required using a potent poison as a catalyst. However, one had to be careful not to rush during the refinement process, otherwise, the potent poison would invade the internal organs, and one would perish before even mastering the poison art.

The weird-faced man had undoubtedly used the Gu King to cultivate this divine ability.

Qin Sang shifted his gaze from the Gu Scripture, looking at the demonic fire floating in the cave mansion, a pensive expression on his face.

After the Gu King devoured its master, the bloody color on its body gradually faded, and it was quickly returning to its original jade-white hue. However, its ferocious nature hadn't diminished; instead, it showed a tendency to intensify.

He didn't know how to subdue the Gu King. He had continuously transformed the demonic fire into a cage to imprison it. Even after reading the 'Gu Scripture' and examining the weird-faced man’s treasures, he still couldn't find a way to subdue the Gu King.

A thought suddenly occurred to Qin Sang, and he understood.

Myriad Poison Mountain dared to reveal this information to him because they were certain that even if he killed the weird-faced man, he wouldn't be able to subdue the Gu King. He would then have no choice but to obediently make a deal with Myriad Poison Mountain.

The Gu King's poisonous light was extraordinary. Its own rank was also extremely high. Its value was immeasurable.

"What would Myriad Poison Mountain offer in exchange?"

Qin Sang pondered this, but without much expectation.

If possible, he would prefer to subdue the Gu King himself and wield this great weapon. At the very least, he would wait until he had consulted Ghost Mother before considering any trade.

However, he was about to enter Imperial Grant Mountain, and this situation couldn't last forever.

Qin Sang stared at the Gu King for a moment, and a thought flickered in his mind.

The Fat Silkworm’s poison bead could counter the Heavenly Absolute Soul-Shattering Divine Needle. So, could he use the poison bead to suppress the Gu King’s ferocity? For the duration of his stay at the Unseen Immortal Sect, merely making it obedient would suffice.

He decided to act on the thought immediately.

Qin Sang immersed his mind into his Dantian and activated the poison bead.

Seven-colored iridescent light burst forth from his Dantian. The poison bead slowly flew out, drifting towards the Gu King.

Sensing the aura of the poison bead,

the Gu King’s wing beats suddenly stopped. It turned its body, its blood-red eyes fixed on the poison bead, as if facing a formidable enemy. Then it emitted a more rapid and piercing buzzing sound.

"As long as there's a reaction..."

Qin Sang’s eyes lit up. After a brief thought, he directly guided the poison bead through the demonic fire, making it appear in front of the Gu King.

Swish!

Instantly, a beam of poisonous light shot forth.

Qin Sang, after all, dared not be too overconfident. He controlled the poison bead to evade slightly, allowing only the edge of the poisonous light to touch the bead.

Suddenly, the poison bead transformed into a mist. The poisonous light passed directly through it.

Immediately after, the poison bead re-formed, completely unscathed.

Qin Sang checked it over, feeling relieved. He then commanded the poison bead to float towards the Gu King.

The Gu King’s wings vibrated wildly, spewing poisonous light frantically. However, it couldn't hit Qin Sang nor destroy the poison bead. Instead, its range of movement was gradually compressed by the demonic fire, as the poison bead drew nearer.

Soon, the poison bead floated directly above the Gu King’s head.

Whoosh!

The poison bead transformed into a shimmering barrier of anti-poison light, and appeared poised to swallow the Gu King.

The next moment, the Gu King was enveloped within the light mist. From the outline of the mist, a faint, illusory bead shadow could still be seen.

However, after approaching the Gu King for a certain distance, the light mist could not advance any further. The Gu King spread its wings, and a faint bloody aura emanated from its body, forming a protective poisonous light. With a flash, it escaped from the light mist.

Despite the failed attempt, Qin Sang’s face showed no disappointment. Instead, he looked surprised, as if he had discovered something unexpected.

He continued to control the poison bead, repeating the same tactic.

He tried dozens of times in a row, all ending in failure.

Yet, the strange gleam in Qin Sang’s eyes grew more intense. He had made an astonishing discovery.

Each time the poison bead encompassed the Gu King, Qin Sang felt that the poison bead’s power seemed to intensely desire to devour the Gu King!

After so many attempts, Qin Sang was certain this feeling was not an illusion.

He recalled that after the Fat Silkworm’s fourth transformation, it could directly devour Gu insects. He had even cultivated some for it to feast upon. The Gu King’s cultivation method was similar to those Gu insects.

The poison bead, extracted from its body, had also inherited the ability to devour!

"If the poison bead were to devour the Gu King, could it continue to improve?"

As Qin Sang considered this possibility, his eyes immediately blazed with fervor.

While the anti-poison divine ability had a somewhat limited scope, when applied, it could yield remarkable results.

Qin Sang had always adhered to the principle that external objects were inferior to one's own body. The poison bead was closely linked to him, considered a part of his very being. If he allowed the poison bead to continuously devour poisonous creatures, what kind of transformation would it undergo in the future?

The Gu King’s intelligence was low, and in terms of potential, it was clearly inferior to the poison bead.

The problem was that the poison bead couldn't suppress the Gu King. How could he make the Gu King willingly be devoured?

Qin Sang pondered for a long time, recalling various ancient texts. He also thoroughly studied the 'Gu Scripture' once more. But even as his True Essence was almost fully restored and it was time to move, he still hadn't figured it out.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he clapped his hands together.

Since the path of insect control wasn't working, why not start with its master?

Qin Sang didn't know what methods the weird-faced man usually used to suppress the Gu King while cultivating it. However, he knew that the weird-faced man’s fundamental cultivation method was the 'Wood Emperor’s Stratagem,' which aligned with the Grand Dao of Wood Element.

The Gu King had often been by the weird-faced man’s side, so perhaps it feared this aura.

However, before letting his avatar try, Qin Sang withdrew his consciousness into his Purple Mansion, returning to his primordial spirit.

Since the charred wood true spirit of Cloud Wanderer had been integrated, the Cloud Wanderer Sword, which had never been used, made its debut!

His brow flickered.

The azure sword light instantly illuminated the entire cave mansion!

"Old friend, it's up to you now..."

Qin Sang was filled with emotion and a hint of sadness, as he pointed at the Gu King.

The Cloud Wanderer Sword, having merged with the Ten Great Divine Woods, could be considered the ultimate Wood Element treasure.

Qin Sang wasn't using the Cloud Wanderer Sword to slay the Gu King. He didn't need to worry about damaging the true spirit. Instead, he was activating its sword intent, using the purest and most refined Wood Element treasure to fuse with the strongest sword intent, in order to suppress the Gu King.

If successful, he would retract the poison bead, the Gu King, and the Cloud Wanderer Sword into his body. This state could be maintained until the poison bead devoured the Gu King!