Chapter 1810: White Jade Elder

Mortal WorldMortal World

The fierce aura of the White Tiger penetrated the malevolent spirit, coming from the starry sky and returning to the void as its tiger shadow vanished. The sacred White Tiger seemed to have been merely on a patrol, while the malevolent spirit's life force was completely extinguished, and its form disintegrated.

Qin Sang instantly appeared before the malevolent spirit, extending his right palm to pierce through its glabella and pull an object from its skull. It was a transparent, round bead, pure and flawless like crystal, and only the size of a pea. "What is this?" Qin Sang confirmed that the bead was not a demonic core, but the malevolent spirit had been about to detonate it. It was precisely because the White Tiger's fierce aura swiftly annihilated the spirit that the bead was preserved. "It seems to be condensed from pure flower poison..." Qin Sang noticed a clue, his expression slightly hardening as he carefully sealed the bead and stored it in his Qianjun Ring. Now was not the time to investigate.

With the malevolent spirit's death, the flower spirits were not deterred. Instead, the resentment in their eyes intensified, and the blood flowing down their cheeks became even more vivid and dazzling. The resentment drove the flower spirits into a frenzy. They shrieked at Qin Sang, their pearly teeth resembling fangs. Their screams contained a shocking amount of dense resentment, shrill and piercing, echoing throughout the Bone Flower Field.

The void stirred with wind and clouds. The clouds, black as ink, were a combination of resentment and flower poison. The vibrant pollen was gone, all dyed black. Clouds of poisonous resentment permeated the void, representing the deepest resentment in the world. "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" The Bone Flower Field seemed to be swept by a hurricane. The clouds of poisonous resentment violently vibrated, their roars deafening. The overwhelming black clouds continuously twisted, eventually forming giant black dragons that rushed straight towards Qin Sang. Dense poisonous resentment surrounded Qin Sang. Phantoms of flower spirits appeared around him, staring intently and extending their arms to grab him, intending to drag him into the resentment, to be like them, never to find release.

Qin Sang indeed felt a strange pulling force. He let out a cold snort, and suddenly, lightning flashed in his eyes. A point of lightning gleamed, clearly a divine talisman with an extremely complex inscription. The divine talisman shot into the sky, piercing through layers of poisonous resentment clouds. The next moment, a bright cluster of lightning erupted within the black clouds. Those with excellent eyesight could discern a lightning seal at its center. Mysterious runes flashed within the lightning seal; it was precisely the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart True Seal!

The divine talisman, imbued with the third-tier divine decree of the Supreme Divine Firmament Scroll, was now unleashed by Qin Sang for the first time. It transformed into a seal, commanding lightning and executing heavenly punishment! A deafening thunderclap erupted! The lightning seal burst forth with blinding light, with thunder rumbling and lightning flashing, shaking heaven and earth and stunning the soul. The lightning was so bright that Qin Sang, located below the lightning seal, was almost invisible for that instant.

Once the lightning dissipated, Qin Sang's surroundings became completely clear. The phantoms of flower spirits that had been pulling him were struck by lightning and instantly annihilated. From an aerial view, a large hole appeared in the middle of the poisonous resentment clouds, completely cleared of any black cloud by the lightning. The remaining flower spirits seemed stunned and stopped screaming. Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Qin Sang breathed a slight sigh of relief and secretly nodded, very satisfied with the power of the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart True Seal. His meticulous efforts to acquire the Supreme Divine Firmament Scroll had not been in vain. Originally, Qin Sang had thought that if he could obtain a powerful divine ability while pacifying his primal qi, it wouldn't be a wasted effort. It must be said that the Five Thunder Heavenly Heart True Seal Talisman exceeded his expectations, and he had only been consecrated with the decree for ten years, still far from achieving mastery. Truly, lightning magic! No wonder, even though the path of the Supreme Divine Firmament Scroll seemed uncertain and the Lightning Left and Right Prefectures had no intention of changing their divine decrees, countless disciples pressed on, and the Daoist court also seemed very concerned about the Supreme Divine Firmament Scroll.

While contemplating this, Qin Sang's movements were unceasing as he flew away from the flower field. He didn't know what kind of space this was or where it was located. Unable to discern direction, Qin Sang could only randomly choose one to leave this flower field first. If the flower spirits couldn't pursue him out of the flower field, his situation should improve. Flower spirits were born from spirit flowers, and Qin Sang, based on common sense, judged that they should not be able to stray too far from them. As for that malevolent spirit-like flower fairy, it was clear from the bead that it was inextricably linked to the flower spirits. However, there was only one such malevolent spirit, so its origin could not be determined for now.

Qin Sang's destination was a mountain pass. The edge of the flower field was surrounded by mountains, and beyond them lay a vast and distant emptiness. There was a clear gap in front of Qin Sang. This was not a true mountain pass; rather, there was a mountain ridge between two tall mountains, about halfway up, resembling a gateway to the mountains.

"Crackle!" The Lightning Escape shattered the clouds of poisonous resentment, moving with the speed of wind and lightning. First the lightning seal, then the lightning escape—if others saw him, they would surely think Qin Sang was a lightning magic cultivator. Of course, the Grey Oriole Sword, clearing the path for its master ahead, also displayed extraordinary swordsmanship. Sword light opened a path, dancing with lightning. One by one, flower spirits were cut down by the sword, and spirit flowers in the Bone Flower Field withered in vast swaths. Yet, flower spirits continued to rush at Qin Sang, one after another, seemingly endless.

"Boom!" Sword energy, like a rainbow, split a chasm in the clouds of poisonous resentment. The next moment, Qin Sang landed on the mountain ridge and looked beyond the mountains, but the sight before him brought despair, and his expression immediately turned incredibly grim. "Whoosh! Whoosh!" Behind him, clouds of poisonous resentment surged forward, engulfing the mountain ridge. The flower spirits were not restricted to the flower field as Qin Sang had thought; they could leave it.

Ahead, the terrain was vast and open. It was another valley surrounded by mountains, with the same white bones and spirit flowers. It was another, larger flower field! Here, the bones were greyish-white and the spirit flowers sparse, yet they also gave birth to flower spirits. When he appeared on the mountain ridge, he saw the flower spirits already sitting up in their flower cocoons. They uniformly turned their heads, their deep, dark eyes staring at him, resentment accumulating within them. Especially after the clouds of poisonous resentment pursued Qin Sang and swept over the mountain ridge, the resentment intensified to an extreme degree. Blood streamed from their eye sockets as they opened their mouths and shrieked.

Enemies front and back. Qin Sang, having just escaped one flower field, was now in another predicament. "Is this space perhaps a world of evil spirits?" Qin Sang's expression was grave. This type of flower spirit was unheard of, rooted among white bones and nurtured into being. Thinking of the malevolent spirit he had just slain, Qin Sang felt a wave of unease. Field after field of flowers and equally sinister flower spirits made it hard to believe this was naturally formed. This place could not be compared to illusions conjured by divine abilities elsewhere. "Are there more flower fields beyond the mountains? How many such flower fields are there?"

Qin Sang didn't know. By observing the differences between the flower fields, he judged that the quality of the flower field ahead was likely inferior to the one behind. Inferring from this pattern, continuing in this direction, where the quality of the flower fields would progressively decrease, seemed to be a way out. Based on this information alone, Qin Sang could only make this one deduction, which needed to be verified.

Silently calculating the limits of the poison bead and how long he could last, Qin Sang paused on the mountain ridge for a moment, then the Grey Oriole Sword transformed into a sword rainbow. There was no second malevolent spirit blocking his path. Although Qin Sang couldn't capture the malevolent spirit alive as he wished, he didn't encounter much obstruction traversing the second flower field. One man and one sword once again traversed the flower field. Behind him, vast and mighty clouds of poisonous resentment and relentless flower spirits, like a nocturnal parade of a hundred demons, presented a truly magnificent sight. If he couldn't shake off the flower spirits, Qin Sang would either be poisoned to death or exhausted to death.

He coldly glanced behind him, then looked ahead, noticing several towering mountain peaks. His expression subtly changed, and he headed straight for the highest peak, landing on its summit in the blink of an eye. He looked up at the sky. The sky was gloomy and seemingly profound, yet Qin Sang could faintly sense a distorting force in the void. He dared not fly too high, precisely because he feared this force. Gazing at the sky, Qin Sang's face showed deep thought. While escaping, Qin Sang continuously pondered various ways to escape. If he couldn't shake off the flower spirits, the only option was to leave this place. He thought of the floating mist clusters. The fact that they could reflect images of the flower fields made him wonder if they were passages connecting the flower fields to the outside world.

The sky was deep, and no clear signs could be seen for a while. Qin Sang trusted the divine ability of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, ordering it to observe the sky and pay attention to any unusual signs. Qin Sang withdrew his gaze and looked around. He saw countless mountains in the distance, rising and falling in an orderly, not chaotic, arrangement. It was imaginable that between the mountains were very likely patches of Bone Flower Fields. The more he saw, the more he felt the strangeness of this place.

The clouds of poisonous resentment were about to sweep over the mountaintop. Qin Sang swiftly scanned the mountains, noticing that the flower spirits in nearby flower fields were also alarmed, and streaks of black clouds were gathering towards this location. The black clouds were too dense; the light of divine abilities and magic treasures could not be seen. Unable to find any trace of the two True Masters, Qin Sang had no choice but to act according to his own strategy. Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze, his eyes suddenly froze.

"The mountain ranges here seem somewhat familiar..." Qin Sang muttered to himself. Comparing this place with another seemingly unrelated scene, Qin Sang's eyes immediately lit up. He discovered that the layout of the mountain ranges and valleys perfectly matched the palace's structure! He saw the valleys as palaces, and the mountain ranges as training grounds and corridors between the palaces. In the direction he came from, he could see another valley parallel to the flower field he had first entered. Similar in size, it perfectly corresponded to two main halls. The flower field he had just passed through, and several nearby valleys, both in position and size, corresponded to the ninth hall of the palace.

Looking forward, directly ahead was a colossal mountain range composed of countless peaks, and another thick mountain range extended further ahead, leading to a more distant place. Large and small flower fields were scattered throughout. These two mountain ranges reminded Qin Sang of the large training ground in the eighth hall and the passage in the seventh hall of the palace. Although Qin Sang didn't know why there was such a correspondence, this discovery was undoubtedly good news. "If I follow the mountain ranges, corresponding to the palace gates' positions, will that be the exit of this space?" A thought flashed in Qin Sang's mind, and he immediately fled from the mountaintop.

"Rumble!" Thunder echoed mightily among the mountains. Black clouds had already risen from the distant flower fields. It wasn't that Qin Sang didn't want to conceal himself, but concealment was useless. The flower spirits were extremely sensitive to the aura of outsiders, and Qin Sang tried various secret arts, but none could hide him. Soon, Qin Sang arrived at the mountain range corresponding to the training ground. Black clouds already covered the sky and obscured the sun, and flower spirits gathered in hordes, their shrill screams rising and falling, terrifying to hear. He seemed to be flying away with ten thousand ghosts, a sight to astound the world.

Mountain ranges rapidly receded behind him. Qin Sang's consciousness was partly linked to the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, sensing its thoughts. As expected, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly indeed noticed some clues. Qin Sang subconsciously looked up at the sky, a thoughtful expression on his face. Soon, Qin Sang passed through the mountains. Ahead, mountain ridges like dragons lay prostrate on the earth. His speed did not decrease. As he flew, he continuously pondered, his gaze sweeping over the peaks below when he suddenly remembered something. When passing through the seventh hall's passage of the palace, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had once seen a hidden door on the wall. The palace corresponded to the flower fields, so what did the hidden door correspond to? Qin Sang swiftly scanned the entire mountain range, immediately locking onto several peaks. Inferring from the distance, the hidden door's location was nearby!

"Whoosh!" Lightning streaked across the mountains, suddenly plummeting rapidly before a mountain. At the same time, Qin Sang ordered the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to withdraw its gaze from the sky and observe its surroundings. After a moment, it indeed made a discovery. Qin Sang's figure flickered, landing before a stone wall. Behind him was a flower field. The peak where this stone wall was located was at the edge of the mountain range. There was a very hidden secret door on the stone wall!

Qin Sang's face showed a strange expression as he guessed where the secret door led. Then he frowned slightly, looking at the bones beneath his feet. The bones here were also greyish-white, but interspersed among them were several pieces of black bone. Qin Sang drew the black bones into his palm, confirming they were human bones, but wondered why their color was different. The black bones were incomplete and scattered in many places. The clouds of poisonous resentment had already spread. Qin Sang couldn't figure out the reason, so he decided to simply break open the secret door.

The secret door had a poisonous restriction, similar to the archway of the seventh hall, but the power of the restriction was somewhat chaotic and seemed incomplete. There were also several cracks on the secret door. Qin Sang pressed his palm against the secret door, absorbing a small amount of poisonous power to find the key to the formation. With a clang, his sword slashed the stone door! "Boom!" The restriction vibrated, and the stone door opened a crack. At the same time, a thunderclap exploded, echoing through the mountains and rivers. The mountains were illuminated white as the lightning seal reappeared, annihilating the most persistent flower spirits.

Qin Sang's figure flashed as he escaped behind the stone door, closing it with a backhand motion, secretly remaining vigilant. Entering the stone door, the noisy sounds were isolated, and finally, there was peace. At the same time, Qin Sang acutely noticed that the void here was free of poison; all flower poison was blocked outside. He focused his attention on the stone door. After waiting for a while and confirming that the flower spirits were not attacking it, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. A large amount of flower poison had accumulated in his body, and he had finally found a place to recuperate and recover.

But he still didn't know where this was, so Qin Sang's mind remained tense. He glanced around and saw it was a cave, seemingly not very deep. The Grey Oriole Sword transformed into a protective sword light around him. Qin Sang quietly walked deeper, and before long, he reached the end. The sight before him made his pupils contract slightly.

At the end of the cave was a circular stone chamber with smooth walls, clearly carved by human hands. In the middle of the stone chamber was an altar with a divine statue on it. Three prayer mats were scattered before the altar. On one of the prayer mats lay a skeleton in a kneeling position facing the altar, clearly having been worshipping the divine statue on the altar before its death. The skeleton was entirely black as ink, consistent with the broken bones outside the cave dwelling. The divine statue was seven inches tall, carved from white jade with a gentle luster, depicting a benevolent old man. The white jade old man possessed an ethereal, immortal demeanor, truly embodying the aura of an immortal.

Qin Sang stood still, his first attention on the skeleton. As his gaze swept over the white jade old man, the moment his eyes met the statue's, he inexplicably felt a hint of sinister malice, and his heart immediately grew stern. He did not sense any special fluctuations from the white jade old man. After gazing for a while, he suspected that the hint of sinister malice might be due to the sculptor's unique technique. However, after arriving in this realm, Qin Sang had personally seen local deities practicing the divine path, as well as the unique divine decrees of the Daoist sect and mysterious heavenly gods. He dared not take any divine statue lightly. He stood still, gazing at the white jade old man, his expression grave.