Chapter 1816: Qilin

The Human Realm

At this moment, Qin Sang's entire body, including his face, was covered in blue-green hair. The dense hair was over an inch long and incredibly thick, making him look exactly like a blue-haired monster.

Anyone seeing him would likely suspect they had encountered a blue-haired demon ape.

A closer look, however, would reveal that it wasn't true hair but rather strands resembling grass blades, like fine, dense aquatic plants.

This was one of the consequences of cultivating a poison art, a manifestation of the accumulated Flower Dew Poison within his body.

When he first entered the poisonous lake, Qin Sang had a similar experience, but at that time, the poisonous plants merely adhered to his skin and caused him no harm.

These poisonous plants, however, grew from his flesh and blood, rooted in his meridians. Even a master of alchemy would declare that the poison had reached a critical stage.

Once the poisonous plants flowered, it meant that death was imminent, beyond the help of even immortals.

Even senior cultivators of the *Poison God Canon* would be dumbfounded to witness this, finding it hard to imagine anyone daring to be so reckless.

The *Poison God Canon* was an unconventional path, requiring extreme caution from its practitioners. Even with ample poison, one had to proceed gradually, never daring to absorb too much at once to avoid an uncontrollable accumulation of toxins.

Qin Sang, however, seemed to have no reservations; some of the poisonous plants had even begun to form buds.

He had also undergone repeated trials to find the limits of the poison bead, after which he plunged into frenzied cultivation.

The spherical bead obtained from slaying the Flower Immortal had been completely refined by him, with no waste. At present, the flower dew was being consumed.

At this rate, the vast amounts of flower dew produced by the extensive flower fields in this enormous space might well become insufficient in the future.

The senior who created this poison art surely never imagined such a fanatical successor in later generations.

Cultivating this way naturally yielded astonishing results; Qin Sang's cultivation and strength were rapidly increasing at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people.

He had a premonition that his *Heavenly Demon Refining Form* would break through to the mid-fifth layer within a few years.

If he disregarded bottlenecks and had an abundant supply of poison, within one tribulation cycle, he could not only cultivate *Heavenly Demon Refining Form* to the peak of the fifth layer but even have the chance to touch the threshold of the Void Refinement stage.

In merely three hundred years, most Soul Transformation cultivators dared only hope to break through to the mid-Soul Transformation stage.

Throughout history, how many had been able to reach Void Refinement within one tribulation cycle?

Moreover, Qin Sang cultivated both his spiritual body and physical body!

However, compared to *Heavenly Demon Refining Form*, the progress of *Primordial Spirit Sword Nurturing Chapter* was somewhat inferior.

With such rapid cultivation speed, there was no need to dwell on which art was primary or secondary; Qin Sang prioritized enhancing his overall strength.

After all, *Primordial Spirit Sword Nurturing Chapter* also required an understanding of the path of slaughter, and being in solitary retreat, he rarely interacted with outsiders and lacked opportunities for combat.

Meanwhile, the cultivation of *Heavenly Demon Refining Form* was proceeding quite smoothly, with a breakthrough imminent.

Qin Sang silently activated the poison bead, revealing his face, and looked at one of the divine birds on the Solar Divine Tree.

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit, possessing the divine bird, displayed a look of disdain.

"I thought you would need a few hundred years of slumber to recover," Qin Sang said, surprised to see the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit controlling the divine bird.

As a young spirit, it must have expended enormous energy to wield the True Phoenix Feather to break through realms on its own.

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit snorted angrily, its gaze at Qin Sang full of dissatisfaction. "I could have slept for a long time, but it's too chaotic around you, making it impossible to rest! This Vermilion Bird is still weak; don't even think about asking me to do anything more."

Qin Sang understood; it seemed that even in slumber, the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit could sense the fluctuations of chaotic qi in the world. Despite him covering the Solar Divine Tree with the altar field, it had still been awakened.

"I also need to ask you, where exactly did you bring me?"

Qin Sang briefly described the realm.

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit raised its head, its face arrogant. "Mere chaotic qi! As long as I sleep within the True Natal Feather, it won't affect this Vermilion Bird even after thousands or tens of thousands of years!"

Qin Sang didn't know if it was boasting or if the True Phoenix Feather was truly that miraculous.

Qin Sang didn't argue, instead asking it to recall carefully if there were any clues about this realm.

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit dropped its arrogant demeanor, lowered its head, and pondered for a long while. Its eyes showed confusion. "Niyuan... Niyehai... Nie... Nie..."

Finally, it seemed to recall something, speaking in an uncertain tone: "I... remember, there's a very terrifying place, it also seems to be called Nie... Nie... Nie..."

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit kept muttering "Nie" for a long time but couldn't remember the full name, becoming furious.

Qin Sang's expression grew serious. That unknown place must be extremely dangerous, deeply imprinted in the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit's mind.

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit and the Immortal Palace originated from the same realm, so that place was very likely in the Great Thousand World!

If Niyuan was related to the place the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit mentioned, could this realm be the Great Thousand World, and everyone was trapped in Niyuan, unable to contact the outside world?

Recalling Mo Xingdao's statement that the Imperial Censors of the Nine Heavens Golden Palace had little interest in the path of ascension...

Perhaps, it wasn't impossible for people to contact the outside world!

The True Lords of the Daoist sect certainly wouldn't be content to remain in a corner, retreating here for some unknown reason. Ordinary people couldn't leave Niyuan or Niyehai, so there was no need for them to know the truth.

Thinking this, Qin Sang hesitated again.

If this realm was the Great Thousand World, where did the Storm Realm's waypoint gate lead? Was it another exit from the Great Thousand World?

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit only remembered this much, muttering and cursing incessantly, hating the culprit who had harmed it.

Unable to make sense of it, Qin Sang stopped wasting mental energy. When his cultivation reached a certain level, he would naturally uncover the truth.

"It's good that you're awake; I have something I'd like to ask you," Qin Sang said, changing his tone.

Hearing this, the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit immediately cast its displeasure aside, raising its head even higher, looking down at Qin Sang with an arrogant expression, though its voice was quite calm.

"Speak."

Qin Sang was very curious how a being with the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit's temperament could tolerate lurking by his side for so long.

He shook his head and said, "Not long ago, I encountered a problem when refining the Qilin Source Seed, and I'm unsure how to proceed."

As he spoke, a flash appeared between his eyebrows, and a fire lotus slowly flew out.

The fire light was dazzling, with the Qilin Source Seed at the lotus's core.

Qin Sang's thought stirred, and the Qilin Source Seed slowly floated out from the lotus's core, appearing unchanged from its original state.

He slowly explained the difficulty he had encountered.

Although nearly a hundred years had passed, and it was far from fully refined, during the refining process, Qin Sang vaguely sensed a peculiar fluctuation within the Qilin Source Seed.

He guessed that the fluctuation likely came from the Qilin True Spirit's spiritual essence as the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit had mentioned.

It was at this point that Qin Sang discovered the problem.

As he continuously extracted and refined the source seed's vital energy, the Qilin spiritual essence's fluctuations also weakened, and at a much faster rate than anticipated. Before he could fully refine the source seed, the Qilin spiritual essence would completely vanish.

His biggest concern was that the Qilin might have left some hidden trick within the source seed, directly extinguishing the spiritual essence and forever burying the secrets of the Qilin's origin.

Qin Sang didn't want his efforts to be in vain.

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit understood that Qin Sang's worries were well-founded. The Qilin divine beast must have been a powerful being in life, and it was normal for it to have left behind contingencies.

It stopped pretending, tilted its head, and fell into thought.

After a long time, the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit's eyes suddenly brightened. "Do you want a divine beast mount?"

Qin Sang was startled, looking at the Qilin Source Seed. "You mean it..."

"Yes! Yes!"

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit nodded repeatedly. "Since you're worried about the Qilin spiritual essence vanishing and taking its secrets with it, why not let it hatch? Leave a bit of vital energy for it; it will definitely be very weak upon awakening and unable to cause any trouble. I'll help you leave an imprint on it during hatching. After it hatches, it will surely obey your commands, and you will be its master."

A Qilin! Who wouldn't be tempted?

What prestige it would be to ride a Qilin!

It was common for cultivators to raise spirit beasts, and spirit beasts were a great aid.

Qin Sang lacked spirit beasts and mounts, firstly because the opportunity hadn't arisen (his previous spirit beasts had left for various reasons), and secondly, raising spirit beasts, like spirit insects, required significant energy and resources.

He frowned, hesitating. "What if it's untamable after it awakens..."

An ancient divine beast, how could it be willing to serve a human?

Even if he could temporarily suppress such a powerful being while it was weak, Qin Sang had no confidence in suppressing it for an entire lifetime.

Having a Qilin by his side, constantly needing to guard against a betrayal, gave Qin Sang a headache just thinking about it.

"This type of Qilin Source Seed can only seal a tiny fragment of its true spirit; it's impossible for it to carry all of the Qilin's memories from before its death, especially after being eroded by time for so long. At most, crucial secrets might be imprinted, but the true memories are definitely sealed within the Qilin's origin. When it leads us to the Qilin's origin, we just prevent it from merging with its memories; I have a way! Don't worry, once the Qilin awakens, it will only see you as its closest kin," the Vermilion Bird explained, its tone light.

Qin Sang's heart fluttered, but his eyes showed scrutiny as he said meaningfully, "I didn't expect you to truly help me."

During their previous escape, the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit had desperately activated the True Phoenix Feather because its own life was also threatened.

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit indignantly replied, "This Vermilion Bird was dragged down by you, everything came to nothing, and revenge is nowhere in sight. The Qilin's origin is the only hope; only this way can it be foolproof! Also, I want half of the True Phoenix Feather!"

"Alright!"

Qin Sang nodded in agreement.

Seeing him agree so readily, the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit was somewhat surprised.

Qin Sang smiled faintly. The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit had essentially saved his life, so giving away the True Phoenix Feather was no big deal, let alone just half of it.

Now, they were in the same boat; if the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit recovered, it could help him even more.

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit was silent for a moment, then said, "Be prepared. Hatching and taming the Qilin will require meticulous attention to every step and will take a very long time."

This meant that Qin Sang would be unable to fully utilize his divine sense for an extended period, nor could he refine any spirit fires during this time.

However, it was fine; with the rapid progress of *Heavenly Demon Refining Form*, it wouldn't significantly impact his strength.

Subsequently, the chattering sounds of the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit continuously echoed within the cave dwelling, sometimes accompanied by exasperated sighs, as it seized the opportunity to scold him a bit, simply to satisfy its urge to talk.

Qin Sang didn't bother arguing with it, instead pouring his focus into the Qilin Source Seed at the lotus's core. He changed his previous strategy, making every move very gentle, as if soothing an uneasy soul.

After a long while, the cave dwelling was filled with brilliant firelight, which then quickly faded.

The fire lotus swallowed the Qilin Source Seed, returned to its original state, and flew back to his Violet Mansion.

Qin Sang meditated for a moment, secretly nodding. He then withdrew his focus, looked at the Solar Divine Tree, and cast a hand seal towards the True Phoenix Feather within the divine tree, releasing a restriction.

From then on, the Vermilion Bird Young Spirit could directly absorb the True Phoenix Fire from the True Phoenix Feather without his explicit permission.

The Vermilion Bird Young Spirit yawned and hummed softly, "At least you have some conscience!"

"Remember to recall carefully..."

Mid-sentence, Qin Sang saw the Solar Divine Bird's blank expression, secretly shook his head, and put away the Solar Divine Tree.

After the brief interlude, Qin Sang resumed his meditative cultivation, and the cave dwelling returned to its former tranquility.

As time passed, the blue-green hair on Qin Sang's body gradually shortened, eventually retracting into his body, and his physique returned to normal.

A few more days passed. Qin Sang collected new flower dew, kept one bottle, consumed the rest, and continued his solitary cultivation.

So it went, day after day.

Another three years passed.

Qin Sang made a trip outside. After flying out of the poisonous lake, he didn't leave directly but quickly moved through the illusory landscapes.

"The secret marks are all still there..." Qin Sang murmured.

These secret marks were set up ahead of the last battleground. If the Ghost Fang Kingdom and the Daoist Court returned to this place and destroyed the marks, he would be able to detect it.

Fortunately, the altar had been very peaceful these past years, with few visitors, allowing him to come and go freely.

As before, he first visited the snake demon who had become a demon god, then called upon True Lord Zhijian and Master Qi's residences to purchase spiritual herbs, finally making a hasty return.

Subsequently, after another year of secluded cultivation, Qin Sang suddenly awoke. He woke up the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and gave her a Clear Flower Pill.

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly swallowed the Clear Flower Pill. A rich floral scent emanated from her body, and her wings became crystal clear as if covered in mist, conveying thoughts of excitement and filial devotion.

Qin Sang smiled slightly. After the Heavenly Eye Butterfly digested the pill, he softly said, "It's your turn to guard me now."

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly fluttered around Qin Sang, then flew towards the entrance.

This place was unknown to others.

For over thirty years, no one else had intruded into the poisonous lake, so a guard was largely unnecessary.

What the Heavenly Eye Butterfly needed to do was monitor the vital aperture. Although the aperture had shown no abnormalities for years, Qin Sang was habitually cautious.

The cave dwelling became silent once more.

After an unknown period, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly suddenly trembled its wings, followed by a muffled thunderous sound.

The sound came from within Qin Sang's body.

Qin Sang sat cross-legged, unmoving, yet his vital energy surged like raging waves, suddenly erupting. The powerful vital energy swept through the cave dwelling in an instant; even the protective formation of the dwelling vibrated violently.

The essence qi circulated within his body, forming its own cycle. In a trance, Qin Sang seemed to see the essence qi manifesting various wondrous sights within his body: his internal organs, flesh, and skin seemed to form a world of their own, and with each transformation, his vital energy grew stronger.

As the cultivation art was pushed to its extreme, phoenix wings suddenly unfurled, and a faint phoenix cry seemed to emanate. The Azure Luan Dharma Idol reappeared.

Although still a phantom, it was clearly more substantial than decades ago, possessing some of the majesty of a divine beast.

The Dharma Idol appeared.

Qin Sang let out a muffled groan, forming hand seals. Then his skin swelled, as if countless dragons and serpents were moving within him, his bones crackled loudly, and sounds of dragon roars and tiger growls emanated from his internal organs.

The next moment, his aura surged wildly!

A storm of vital energy suddenly erupted around Qin Sang, swirling outwards. If not for the protection of the spirit array, the cave dwelling would have been razed to the ground instantly.

That vital energy surged upwards, passing through the Azure Luan Dharma Idol, and a portion of it was actually absorbed by the Dharma Idol.

This strange sight went unseen by anyone. The Azure Luan Dharma Idol was tinged with a layer of crimson, which then gradually faded.

The Dharma Idol seemed to have become even more substantial.

After this burst, Qin Sang leaned back and let out a long cry, the sound filled with intense joy and relief.

*Heavenly Demon Refining Form*, mid-fifth transformation.

Breakthrough!