Chapter 1812: Poison Source

**Mortal Realm**

The mountain cave must have been the dwelling of a black skeleton. Suddenly, a muffled cracking sound of bones echoed within. Qin Sang's fingers were rubbing black powder, having just crushed a bone from the black skeleton. Potent poison had permeated the bone marrow; the skeleton was utterly decayed, showing no trace of white throughout. Bone powder rustled down from his fingertips.

Qin Sang gazed at the White Jade Elder for a long time, his eyes flickering as verses from the "Poison God Scripture" continuously flashed through his mind. This poison cultivation scripture could be described as truly bizarre; an ordinary person would surely avoid it like a tiger, yet Qin Sang gained some insights from it, even entertaining the idea of trying it himself. Unbeknownst to him, he had sat cross-legged before the altar, his eyes slightly closed, deep in thought. As his understanding of the "Poison God Scripture" deepened, that idea grew even stronger.

The "Poison God Scripture" is a complete lineage, including foundational cultivation methods and corresponding divine abilities, numerous poison control techniques, a catalog of all poisons in the world, some poison recipes, and, most importantly, a secret art for body refining through poison induction. The cultivation method can be practiced up to the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage, breaking through the five-talisman rank, which means entering the Void Refinement stage. This is not a cultivation method that directly points to the Great Dao; there are no terms like "part" or "volume" in the "Poison God Scripture," suggesting that its creator might have stopped there, unable to continue deducing further. It's understandable, after all, this method of cultivation is too extreme, a desperate path to survival. The "Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter" comprehends the Dao through killing, but as one's realm improves, the killing intent can gradually be suppressed. However, the "Poison God Scripture" never deviates from its original intent; its creator seems remarkably stubborn. The creators of such cultivation methods are invariably individuals of astonishing talent, yet they also face unimaginable dangers; one misstep could lead to eternal damnation.

Grand Daoist Masters mostly originate from Daoist sects. Qin Sang had made quite a few Daoist friends in Jushan Prefecture, and from their conversations, he gathered that among the sects in Jushan Prefecture, only the Yin Heaven Palace was confirmed to have a Grand Daoist Master presiding. The person who created the "Poison God Scripture" was able to reach the Void Refinement stage and leave behind such a complete inheritance, which is truly remarkable, earning them the right to be called a Poison God. Qin Sang opened his eyes and looked at the White Jade Elder. Could the old man carved on it be the creator? If the black skeleton was a descendant of the old man, it would be normal for them to devoutly kowtow before the ancestral master's sacred image.

His mind returned to the "Poison God Scripture." He was definitely going to try that secret art of body tempering through poison induction; his promise to Primordial Monarch Qingdan back then also had this secret art as a reason. What Qin Sang was now considering was how to utilize the foundational cultivation method of the "Poison God Scripture." According to the description in the "Poison God Scripture," refining poison into vital essence, as long as sufficient high-grade poisons are provided, can greatly increase cultivation speed. This was the most appealing aspect to Qin Sang. Changing cultivation methods was absolutely impossible. Losing the seven killing talismans from the "Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter" would immediately cut his cultivation speed drastically. If the "Poison God Scripture" were a legitimate cultivation method leading directly to the Great Dao, that would be one thing. But forcefully pursuing the path of poison, even if it yields temporary benefits, has an uncertain future. A simple evaluation would show it's not worth the gains. So, could he learn from the profound intricacies of the "Poison God Scripture" and adapt it for his own use?

The core doctrine of the "Poison God Scripture" is to devour potent poisons, transforming them into poison essence, to rapidly advance one's cultivation. Through studying the cultivation method, Qin Sang discovered that its foundation was created around the concept of refining poison into vital essence, and refining poison into vital essence is essentially cultivation aided by external objects. Qin Sang's idea was to extract only the part concerning refining poison into vital essence, integrate it into his own cultivation method, and use it selectively. Qin Sang had done this sort of thing before. The "Heavenly Demon Refining Form" cultivation method was practiced by forcibly abandoning the parts related to demon bloodlines. Without practicing the complete cultivation method, the corresponding poison-path divine abilities cannot be unleashed, but this isn't important; it's enough if it can aid Qin Sang's cultivation. Furthermore, the "Poison God Scripture" cultivation method was undoubtedly meticulously created for poison essence, being its most suitable match. Without cultivating this method, there would inevitably be disharmony, and the poison essence might not be as easily controlled as an arm, potentially becoming a hidden danger, even causing true essence disorder and destabilizing the foundation. The "Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter" has one special aspect compared to other cultivation methods: it originated from the path of slaughter; its method is formless yet encompasses everything, which is why Qin Sang entertained this idea. Even if his cultivation method couldn't fully restrain the poison essence, he could still suppress it with the power of the poison bead.

The reason Qin Sang dared to entertain this idea, despite the hidden dangers of the "Poison God Scripture," was twofold. Firstly, he genuinely saw a certain possibility, and the prospects were very enticing. Secondly, he was confident he could minimize the hidden dangers. The poison bead could suppress poisons for him, extending the time before the poison took effect. When he devoured the sacred artifact of Myriad Poison Mountain and restored the Bloodthirsty Miasma Spirit, Qin Sang confirmed that the more high-grade poisons he consumed, the more the poison bead would grow alongside them. At least for now, the poison bead hadn't reached its limit. This also showed how unfathomable the fat silkworm's talent was, for a single poison bead separated from it to be so extraordinary. With astral body refining and poison-induced body tempering, his physical body would undergo dual refinement, and it was imaginable how astonishing the speed of improvement would be. Even if his cultivation couldn't advance to the Void Refinement stage in time, merely seeking a breakthrough in his physical body could resolve the crisis. The "Poison God Scripture" explicitly stated that a breakthrough in either the physical body or true essence could turn danger into safety. As long as he accumulated enough merits for the Daoist sect, he could request a Grand Daoist Master to intervene, casting talismans to draw in stellar essence for body infusion. This was not a concern. Furthermore, if the poison-induced body tempering was truly as miraculous as described in the secret art, the requirement for stellar essence might even be lower.

The greatest limitation of the "Poison God Scripture" was the difficulty in finding enough high-grade poisons, yet this was precisely what Qin Sang lacked least. The vast flower field outside, who knew how much flower dew it had accumulated? Not utilizing it properly would be too great a pity. Thinking of this, Qin Sang's heart stirred, and he rose to leave the cave.

"Creak..." The stone door opened, and Qin Sang stepped out. The unfamiliar aura immediately startled the flower spirits, and flower cocoons floated up from the flower pistils. At this moment, Qin Sang formed a strange hand seal with one hand, then pressed his palm against his chest, instantly changing his aura. In an instant, the flower field returned to tranquility; the gently trembling flower cocoons did not continue to open, slowly sinking back into the pistils, and the flower spirits continued to sleep. What he performed was a secret art from the "Poison God Scripture" that changes one's aura, allowing him to deceive the flower spirits' perception, making them see him as one of their own. Cultivating this type of poisonous flower required knowledge of this secret art. Seeing that the secret art was effective, Qin Sang secretly nodded, quietly flew to a mountaintop, and then circled the edge of the space, checking the spiritual array. He did not disturb any flower spirits along the way.

The flower fields varied in grade, with the two innermost sections being supreme-grade flower fields. Qin Sang arrived behind the two supreme-grade flower fields, gazing at the mountain peak that had previously repelled him. According to the "Poison God Scripture," this place could be considered an aperture of the flower field, serving a special purpose. There was a hidden danger in cultivating this type of poisonous flower in large quantities. If the flower dew couldn't be collected in time, it would merge with resentment, giving birth to Flower Fairies among the flower spirits. The Flower Fairy was precisely the malevolent ghost Qin Sang had slain. The secret art of the "Poison God Scripture" could only deceive flower spirits, not Flower Fairies. Flower Fairies were inherently deeply imbued with resentment, which couldn't be dispelled. They were cruel by nature and would ruthlessly kill any living creature they encountered, thus posing a danger to the owner of the flower field. To prevent the flower fields from giving birth to powerful Flower Fairies and taking over, special arrangements had been made: if the flower dew was not collected for a long time, it would flow towards the aperture. The black skeleton had been dead for an unknown period, and the dew had continuously flowed in; it was hard to imagine how much flower dew had accumulated in the aperture. Dense poison emanated from the aperture, covering the mountain peak. Qin Sang felt it was extremely dangerous even from afar and dared not approach. The aperture would not give birth to Flower Fairies and would not affect the flower field for now. Qin Sang decided not to deal with it immediately and would explore it later when he had the capability.

He took out the round bead and toyed with it in his hand. The round bead appeared pure, but in reality, it accumulated astonishing resentment, making it unsuitable for cultivation. Refining the round bead would indeed yield a large amount of poison essence, but at the same time, it would affect one's mind with resentment, leading to a drastic change in temperament. Therefore, there was a particular timing for collecting flower dew; it had to be the purest dew. As long as only pure flower dew was used, one wouldn't be affected by resentment.

"Poison flowers, flower spirits, Flower Fairies..." Qin Sang muttered these words. Would pure flower dew truly not cause a change in temperament? Qin Sang turned to look at the flower field. The vibrant flowers swayed, how dazzling they were. The "Poison God Scripture" recorded that the name of this flower was "flower spirit" (花灵). This "flower spirit" (referring to the plant's name) was not the same as the "flower spirit" creatures; it referred to the spiritual flower's true form, possessing no sentience. But this type of poisonous flower was too eerie; it could even give birth to Flower Fairies, indicating a possibility of sentience. Qin Sang dared not fully trust the records. Was the flower dew nourished by resentment truly pure? Were there other unknown hidden dangers within the cultivation method? For instance, what if the White Jade Elder was not the creator, but rather the idol of an evil god? Cultivating the "Poison God Scripture" might ultimately lead to being entangled by resentment, turning oneself into a follower and sacrifice for an evil god. Qin Sang sneered. Resentment would inevitably affect the nascent soul. If the "Poison God Scripture" was an evil god's trap, it had found the wrong target. Of course, Qin Sang had not yet found any signs related to an evil god; it was merely a speculation. The jade Buddha gave Qin Sang the confidence to try, but he wouldn't act recklessly.

Qin Sang had roughly formed a plan. First, he would try to refine the poison of the Bloodthirsty Miasma Spirit to confirm that he could cultivate poison essence. Then, he would refine this round bead to confirm that the jade Buddha could dispel resentment. This way, he could cultivate with peace of mind. Qin Sang surveyed the entire space. If everything was feasible, this place would be his rising ground. Relying on these flower fields, he could reach unimaginable heights in a very short time. Compared to cultivators of the same rank, he was still young and seemingly didn't need to rush for success. However, to find the path to ascension before the Daoist sects, he had to increase his strength as quickly as possible. Moreover, since he had obtained this opportunity, having weighed the gains, losses, and risks, there was no reason to miss it. One could never have too much time; breaking through one day earlier would mean one more sliver of possibility to achieve the Great Dao in the future. As for the pain that refining poison into vital essence and poison-induced body tempering would bring, Qin Sang didn't care. What pain could compare to becoming a corpse puppet? Thinking of this, Qin Sang eagerly wanted to return to the cave, but he had one thing to do first.

His figure flickered continuously, flying to a mountaintop at the center of the space. He sat cross-legged, his spiritual consciousness spreading out, sensing the entire grand array. A moment later, the mountains trembled, and booming sounds echoed among the peaks. Above the sky, in all directions of the space, the distorting power created by the spiritual array vibrated intensely, forming a storm that swept upwards. To the naked eye, it looked as if someone was painting vigorously in the sky. Qin Sang was extremely busy, his ten fingers continuously flicking, true essence pouring out and transforming into streams of talismans and restrictions flying in all directions. This action was to repair the spiritual array. Years had passed, the spiritual array had deformed, and the flower field was exposed. Qin Sang now intended to reseal the space to prevent others from intruding and claiming the flower field for themselves.

The phenomena outside were more violent than those inside the space. From where the palace originally stood, whistling gales spread outwards. Clusters of mist disintegrated one after another, giving birth to new swirling winds that swept in all directions. This was not merely wind; it had merged with poisonous mist. Large patches of small green flowers emerged within the gales, only to then shatter into fragments. The changes of life and death indicated that the void itself seemed on the verge of breaking apart.

At this moment, outside the poison lake, Primordial Monarch Qingdan and Hermit Bo Xian were one sitting, one standing. Both had just taken pills and were alternately healing their injuries and detoxifying. They keenly noticed the changes within the poison lake. The cross-legged Primordial Monarch Qingdan suddenly rose, exchanged a look with Hermit Bo Xian, and immediately returned to the poison lake. Passing through the outer layer of poisonous water, they immediately saw a colossal mass of mist. The mist was filled with extremely chaotic power, mixed with glows of poison restrictions, rapidly spreading outwards. The expressions of the two True Masters were extremely solemn. Before the anomaly, Qin Sang might have had a slim chance of survival. With the collapse of the poison lake's interior, and Qin Sang at the center of the collapse, he was as good as dead. Unless a miracle occurred. Even if they dared to risk the danger and break into the mist, they probably wouldn't even find his body. After a long silence, Hermit Bo Xian sighed lightly, "Fortunately, fellow Daoist obtained that spiritual tree. It's just a pity about Daoist Qingfeng..." Primordial Monarch Qingdan also let out a long sigh, "Neither alive nor dead, how can this humble Daoist explain to Sword-Wielding True Master?" According to their understanding, Daoist Qingfeng was a solitary individual with no sect or disciples. However, Sword-Wielding True Master held him in very high regard, even establishing a cave dwelling for Daoist Qingfeng in his own Daoist training ground.

Inside the flower field, Qin Sang looked up at the sky. Seeing the two True Masters exit the poison lake through the spiritual array, he cast several restrictions into the array. Withdrawing his gaze, he swept it across the flower field. Qin Sang noticed that some of the flower dew had matured; it was time to collect it. He took out a jade bottle from his Qianjun Ring, descended into a flower field, and hovered above a spiritual flower. The spiritual flower was enormous. The center of its pistil was like a silver basin. The flower spirit was sleeping in the pistil. Qin Sang extended his right hand, and his palm exhaled and inhaled true essence. After a series of transformations, a transparent long needle formed. He gently inserted the needle tip. The spiritual flower seemed to feel pain; its pistil suddenly contracted, and its petals trembled slightly, only slowly expanding again after a moment. Qin Sang withdrew the slender needle and then flew to the next plant. As he collected more and more spiritual flowers, a crystalline drop gradually formed at the tip of the needle. This was pure flower dew, pure flower poison! Once a drop formed, he collected it into the jade bottle. Qin Sang, like a busy bee or butterfly collecting nectar, worked diligently in the flower field, finally arriving at the two supreme-grade flower fields. The quality of flower dew produced by different flower fields didn't vary much, but supreme-grade flower fields required fewer spiritual flowers to condense a single drop of flower dew. His movements became increasingly skilled. He soon finished collecting all the flower dew, and with a wave of his hand, jade bottles floated before him. Qin Sang smiled faintly, collected them all into his sleeve, and returned to his cave.

He extended his divine sense into the White Jade Elder, read the "Poison God Scripture" several times, committed it to memory, and sat motionless. Inside the poison lake, the passage of time was unknown. No one disturbed him there, and Qin Sang didn't know how long he had been in meditation, but finally, he began to act. The poison bead flew out of his dantian. A flash of detoxifying light appeared, bringing forth a wisp of potent poison. Qin Sang took a deep breath, drawing it into his body!