Chapter 1813: Determination

The Mortal Realm

Potent poison infiltrated his body.

Qin Sang voluntarily reined in the power of the poison bead, suppressing his true essence and vital energy. Offering almost no resistance, he immediately felt discomfort. Because it wasn't the original cultivation method, many techniques couldn't be performed, and there was no buffer. Qin Sang almost directly bore the brunt of the potent poison. His physical body was comparable to that of a demon cultivator, so he could still withstand it. After calming himself slightly, he exhaled a breath of turbid air and entered a meditative state. The cultivation method circulated, completing a full cycle in an instant. His true essence enveloped the toxins, and his breathing calmed slightly.

Qin Sang closed his eyes, raised his hands, and quickly formed a hand seal. Special fluctuations immediately surged within his body. These fluctuations were very peculiar; they passed through his true essence, influencing the toxins. Gradually, the toxins also began to vibrate in response. Through these fluctuations, Qin Sang gained initial control over the toxins. As the hand seal changed again, the toxins immediately began to separate, with a small amount of impurities being extracted. The remaining toxins also transformed, becoming the most refined toxic energy. At this moment, the toxic energy and Qin Sang's true essence were still distinct, yet there were signs of integration. As time passed, the toxic energy was gradually refined and integrated into his true essence, proving that this method was viable. The process proceeded smoothly, and before long, all the potent poison taken into his body was refined.

Qin Sang suddenly opened his eyes, a look of pleasant surprise on his face. Perhaps because the amount of toxic energy he had refined was still small, or perhaps the cultivation method was indeed as unusual as he had anticipated, there were no signs of disorder in Qin Sang's true essence. Qin Sang sensed for a moment, then immediately activated the poison bead, separating out more potent poison. He continued to refine it, and in a short time, he achieved as much as he had in several days of arduous cultivation previously. During the refining process, Qin Sang also felt the presence of residual poison accumulating between his blood and bones. If this continued, it would certainly become a hidden danger. Qin Sang activated the residual poison and performed the secret art of poison tempering the body. As he mobilized the residual poison that had infiltrated his blood and bones, an even more intense pain surged through him, as if his entire body, including his bone marrow, was being scoured by virulent poison, and his flesh felt like it was about to melt. However, this level of pain did not faze Qin Sang. He sat motionless on the meditation cushion, his vital energy surging within him, peaking before slowly receding. After completing the cultivation, Qin Sang's face showed contemplation as he recalled the entire process of refining the toxic essence and tempering his body with poison.

When he looked inward again, there was indeed still residual poison. Although the remnants were very minute after being doubly refined, they were undeniably present, like a malignant growth clinging to bone, deeply embedded in the marrow and extremely difficult to remove. Since he had just begun cultivating, he could still eradicate it now by detoxifying through respiration, but this would inevitably consume time, thus defeating the purpose of rapid advancement. It would be better to cultivate normally. Qin Sang looked at the poison bead and activated the anti-poison aura. As expected, it forced out more residual poison, a process far easier than detoxifying through his own respiration. He focused his senses and it seemed the residual poison in his body had been cleared. This showed that the poison bead was very important to him; at least in the initial stages of cultivation, it could resolve the hidden dangers of the poisonous cultivation method.

Through repeated attempts, various issues were verified one by one, gradually developing in the direction Qin Sang had hoped. Next, Qin Sang opened his Qianjun Ring, and a jade bottle flew out. Inside the jade bottle was a drop of flower dew. According to the description in the "Poison God Sutra," flower dew was one of the most suitable poisons for cultivation: firstly, it was easier to refine, and secondly, the amount of residual poison would be less than that of other potent poisons.

"Pop!"

The jade bottle opened, and Qin Sang inhaled, swallowing the flower dew into his abdomen.

"Boom!"

It felt like swallowing a ball of raging fire, which immediately exploded within his body. Qin Sang's expression changed slightly; he hadn't expected the poison to be so fierce, and quickly settled into meditation. Unexpectedly, after the initial burst, the flower dew gradually calmed, and the refining process was very smooth, truly as recorded in the "Poison God Sutra." However, Qin Sang did not detect the malevolent energy, which he was most concerned about, during the refining of the flower dew. "Is it an insidious influence, imperceptible even to me? Or... is the flower dew truly so pure that it cannot be tainted by malevolent energy?" Qin Sang wondered, secretly astonished. After some thought, he took out the spherical bead and opened the seal on it. The spherical bead was like water. Qin Sang tried to draw out the flower poison from within, which immediately triggered a strong reaction. Fortunately, Qin Sang had already prepared, and successfully extracted a wisp of flower poison. Compared to the flower dew, this wisp of flower poison had already merged with the malevolent energy and could not be separated. Qin Sang repeated his technique to refine the flower poison and immediately felt a difference. Silently, the malevolent energy within the flower poison spread through his body, invading his Zifu. As if drawn by something, it eerily surged towards his Nascent Soul. Qin Sang tried every method, but astonishingly, he couldn't stop the malevolent energy's intrusion. However, the malevolent energy eventually encountered a "copper wall and iron barrier" and was blocked. The malevolent energy returned without success, lingered for a long time, and then gradually dissipated. Qin Sang clearly felt every subtle change in the malevolent energy and nodded secretly, realizing he didn't need to worry about it. However, due to the presence of the malevolent energy, the refining process was not as smooth as with the flower dew, and there was more residual poison. Therefore, it was best to choose flower dew for cultivation. At this point, all of Qin Sang's questions had been answered, and he could feel at ease from now on.

A trace of fatigue flashed in Qin Sang's eyes; the entire process was extremely taxing on his mind. He slowly ceased his cultivation, rose, and walked out of the cave dwelling. Standing on the mountaintop, he gazed at the surrounding mountains and the flower field. The vast world truly held countless wonders; it was unimaginable for ordinary people that such peculiar flowers existed, and that a flower field lay hidden deep within the healing altar. "The flower dew doesn't mature simultaneously; it needs to be collected periodically. I'll have to travel frequently between these two locations..." Qin Sang realized a problem: collecting the flower dew couldn't be entrusted to others; he had to do it himself. If he continued to cultivate on Jianxin Island, not to mention the time required for travel. The current situation was unstable; the Ghost Fang Kingdom was vigorously promoting demon gods in the Evil Plains, while the Daoist Court remained silent, poised to ignite war at any moment. The Evil Plains itself was also unsafe. He looked around, and an idea sparked: what if he stayed here to cultivate from now on? If cultivators in this world knew his thoughts, they would surely think Qin Sang had gone mad. Upon entering the Evil Plains, the chaotic nature of heaven and earth exacerbated the erosion of one's Nascent Soul. It was said that in the deepest parts of the Evil Plains, the stabilizing effect of the talismans on true essence would also fail. Of course, most cultivators weren't capable of going that far. The Guishan Zhi healing altar wasn't deep enough for true essence to remain unstable, but even a Cave Profound True Lord would fear mental derangement and wouldn't dare to stay at the Guishan Zhi healing altar for too long. Not only was Qin Sang unafraid, but he even increasingly found this plan brilliant. For him, cultivating here was indeed an excellent choice. Hidden here, no one would disturb him. As long as he didn't leave, no matter how chaotic the external situation became, it wouldn't affect him. The Ghost Fang Kingdom and the Daoist Court might still contend around the healing altar, but cultivators at the Void Refinement stage wouldn't dare to enter it. When he had time, he would open up a path between the poisonous lake and the jungle illusion. With these two locations as his base, Qin Sang was confident he could contend with any powerful enemy.

"Wait, I almost forgot about them..." Qin Sang suddenly thought of the Celestial Eye Butterfly and the Fiery Jade Centipede, which he had almost overlooked. He had the Jade Buddha, but his two spiritual insects needed to rely on the talisman altar and the inner true essence he envisioned for protection. "The Celestial Eye Butterfly can also enjoy the Jade Buddha's protection to some extent, so I shouldn't worry about it. The inner true essence I envision also carries the Jade Buddha's aura, incomparable to other altar guardians. I just don't know how long the Fiery Jade Centipede can last. If it can last three to five years, that would be fine. The path of artifact refinement cannot be abandoned midway. I need to seek advice on swordsmanship from True Lord Zhijian and retrieve Yinghua Pills for the Celestial Eye Butterfly, so I'll definitely return midway and help it recover. Otherwise... should I ask someone else to raise it?" Qin Sang summoned the talisman altar and called out the Fiery Jade Centipede. Over ten years, the Fiery Jade Centipede had consumed the spiritual herbs leftover by the Celestial Eye Butterfly, making significant progress. If it could transform successfully, it might barely keep up with his pace; otherwise, it would eventually become a burden. "Let's see your fortune!" Qin Sang murmured, having already made up his mind: no matter what, his own cultivation would be his priority. Before that, he had to return to Guishan Zhi once, as there were still some matters that needed proper arrangement.

Qin Sang listed out tasks in his mind, repeatedly forming hand seals with his hands, and sparing no spiritual materials to refine array artifacts on the spot, repairing the array to the best of his ability. This place would be his cultivation sanctuary, so naturally, he had to arrange it carefully. After a period of busy work, the spiritual array was completely revitalized. Qin Sang flew high into the sky, looked down at the ground, and showed a satisfied expression. With a slight thought, he activated another transformation of the spiritual array. Outside the space, the poisonous mist and fierce winds intensified. Eventually, the outer layer of poisonous water was also affected, filled with turbulent currents, whirlpools, and flickering with dangerous, poison-prohibiting light, making anyone hesitate to approach. Even powerful Daoist Court Immortals, upon seeing such a sight at the Guishan Zhi healing altar, would retreat far away and prefer to go around, unless there was an unavoidable reason to enter. Next, Qin Sang took out some array flags and arranged them in layers. Even if someone managed to infiltrate the poisonous lake, they would get lost within it and wouldn't be able to find this flower field space. Only after ensuring everything was foolproof did Qin Sang stop, looking at his cultivation sanctuary with a smile. He chose the highest peak here, excavated another cave dwelling, and set up multiple seals around the aperture. Qin Sang suspected that the strange poison which killed the direct disciple of Ant Mound Mountain originated from this aperture. The potency of this poison was such that even Qin Sang dared not underestimate it. The aperture wouldn't erupt without reason, but the conflict between the Daoist Court and the Ghost Fang Kingdom might still trigger that golden light, causing changes in the aperture, so precautions needed to be taken in advance. Apart from this, there were almost no other changes.

Qin Sang meditated briefly, then swiftly teleported out of the space. All the strange phenomena here were generated by the spiritual array and could not harm Qin Sang. His figure flickered continuously, his destination not the exit of the poisonous lake, but further inward. Before long, Qin Sang reached the other side of the poisonous lake, his figure appearing at its edge. "Oh, there's a vast expanse of auspicious clouds here..." Qin Sang emerged from the poisonous lake and found that the lake and the next illusionary scene were separated by auspicious clouds. The moment he stepped into the auspicious clouds, a booming thunderous roar immediately reached his ears. Qin Sang passed through the clouds and saw that ahead lay an expanse of pitch-black darkness. The dark night was boundless, yet it was not peaceful. Suddenly, lightning tore through the darkness, like a rift opening in the void, its might terrifying. The instant the lightning appeared, Qin Sang's heart, though outside the illusion, gave a heavy lurch, and he felt a sense of danger. Having received the Supreme Divine Firmament Talisman and successively cultivated three types of thunder talismans, Qin Sang was extremely sensitive to the power of lightning. He confirmed that it was not real lightning, but something even more dangerous than lightning. The "lightning" was fleeting. He waited a long time before another bolt fell, its power undiminished. For the rest of the time, the dark night remained calm, an eerie stillness. "I'll come back to explore this later," Qin Sang mused. Cultivating in the poison realm, he had ample time. This was also one of Qin Sang's reasons for staying: to independently carve out a path deeper into the healing altar, while awaiting news from Mo Xingdao. His arrangements for returning were also primarily related to Mo Xingdao. Qin Sang lingered in the vicinity for a while, observing, then flew outward.

The two True Lords had already set off on their journey back. Qin Sang returned by the same route. He didn't encounter anyone until he reached the healing altar's entrance. He then traversed the Evil Plains alone, encountering no obstacles along the way, and soon Guishan Zhi was in sight. Upon returning to Guishan Zhi, Qin Sang made slight adjustments and headed straight for Jianxin Island. The island was covered in Jianxin Orchids, brimming with vitality, and several halls were nestled amidst the dense forests. The moment Qin Sang appeared above Jianxin Island, he immediately alerted the sword slave. The sword slave flew rapidly into the sky, and upon seeing Qin Sang, was instantly overjoyed. "True Lord has returned safely!" Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. "Have Perfected Lord Qingdan and Hermit Boxian been here?" The sword slave nodded repeatedly. "Not long ago, the two True Lords visited the island, saying that True Lord had encountered trouble..." As he spoke, the sword slave took out a token and crushed it, joy evident on his face. "Master is not in the cave dwelling; he was about to gather people to go to the Evil Plains to rescue True Lord. Knowing that True Lord is safe and sound, he will surely be very pleased." Qin Sang was startled, not expecting True Lord Zhijian to go to such lengths for him. After a moment of silence, he returned to the island with the sword slave.

After a short wait, the sound of tearing air came from outside the island, and a streak of light sped towards them. Qin Sang rose. Before seeing anyone, he heard hearty laughter. "Brother, indeed, the heavens favor good people!" Before the words even faded, three figures filed in. The speaker was none other than True Lord Zhijian, followed by Hermit Boxian and Perfected Lord Youhuang. Hermit Boxian looked a bit tired. Seeing Qin Sang, he revealed a relieved expression and bowed. "It was us who caused trouble for True Lord. What a blessing! What a blessing!" Perfected Lord Youhuang's beautiful eyes glanced about, and she covered her lips with a light laugh. "How was it? I told you True Lord Qingfeng's abilities are extraordinary, incomparable to ours. It's amusing how eager the two True Lords were..." As she spoke, she looked at Qin Sang. "Upon hearing the bad news, True Lord Zhijian immediately contacted us. We rushed about, sparing no expense to gather anti-poison treasures to rescue True Lord—'alive, we see the person; dead, we see the corpse!' If True Lord had returned any later, Guishan Zhi's anti-poison treasures would have been completely plundered by us." Hermit Boxian also added, "Fellow Daoist Qingdan is currently moving within the Daoist sect and will soon arrive to meet up." Qin Sang assumed a solemn expression, bowed respectfully in a Daoist manner, and gave a deep salute. A thousand words condensed into a single expression of gratitude. As the saying goes, adversity reveals true character. It was clear that True Lord Zhijian was the main orchestrator. Perfected Lord Qingdan and Hermit Boxian had only a superficial acquaintance with him; without True Lord Zhijian's urging, they might not have been so dedicated.

"The path of cultivation is arduous. We cultivators should naturally help each other out. It's nothing worth mentioning," True Lord Zhijian said, patting Qin Sang's shoulder. "It's good that you're back, little brother. This experience might not be a bad thing after all." Everyone took their seats and inquired about Qin Sang's experiences. Qin Sang had, of course, prepared a narrative. When he spoke of the perilous moments, the True Lords' expressions changed. True Lord Zhijian ordered the sword slave to prepare a feast to help Qin Sang recover from his fright. After the banquet, it was deep into the night, and the two True Lords returned, having enjoyed themselves. Qin Sang and True Lord Zhijian shared a small drink under the moonlight. "To be honest, Daoist Brother, although this incident was extremely perilous, it was also a fortuitous opportunity, greatly beneficial to my future cultivation. However, I will no longer be able to continue cultivating on Jianxin Island and must leave for a long time." "Oh?" True Lord Zhijian drained the ambrosia in his cup. In the cultivation world, turning misfortune into a blessing was not uncommon. He wasn't surprised and didn't ask what the opportunity was, merely saying, "Little brother, just say whatever you need." Qin Sang shook his head and smiled. "The promise to discuss swordsmanship with Daoist Brother, I have always kept in mind. I will often return in the future to trouble you, Daoist Brother."