Chapter 1829: Dao

## The Mortal Realm

Compared to these spoils of war, Qin Sang's greatest gain was his comprehension of cultivation techniques and the Way of Killing.

He meticulously sorted and put away the items, then sat in meditation, circulating his cultivation technique and silently reflecting on the insights gained from that battle.

Slaying the Azure Fox Saint King.

Forcing Xia Hou to self-destruct.

All new and old grievances were settled. More importantly, it was the exhilaration of giving his all, overcoming a powerful enemy, and seizing a supreme treasure. Every time he recalled it, Qin Sang felt an urge to let out a long howl to express his feelings.

Qin Sang experienced the state of mind of the senior who created the *Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter* in the Deity Transformation realm. He did not desire to kill, nor did he fear it. The sword resolves karma; then sheathe the sword and depart!

This state of mind revealed the senior's Dao, which was also the Dao of the cultivation technique. Experiencing this state of mind would greatly aid Qin Sang in comprehending the technique.

Reflecting on his past cultivation, before the Nascent Soul stage, he had killed relentlessly, his murderous aura soaring to the heavens. Solidifying killing talismans allowed his cultivation to proceed unhindered, with no bottlenecks between minor realms.

In the Nascent Soul realm, Qin Sang, however, broke through by relying on two external objects: the Corpse Flower Blood Amber and the Buddhist Bone Relic, and did not perceive the cultivation technique's assistance to him. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't that Qin Sang hadn't comprehended the Dao within the technique, but rather that the senior was struggling amidst slaughter, in a state of confusion, hesitating between killing and not killing.

This confusion was also confusion about the Dao itself. The Ghost Mother once said that the Nascent Soul stage is the beginning of entering the Dao. Indeed, her words were true.

Ultimately, the senior established their own Dao, sheathed their sword, and entered the Deity Transformation realm! Experiencing the senior's current state of mind served as guidance for the Dao and was extremely helpful for comprehending the cultivation technique.

So, beyond the Void Refinement realm, what choice would that senior make? Would they continue this Dao, or undergo a new transformation? Also, what was the Dao of the *Heavenly Demon Body Forging* technique?

Qin Sang's heart stirred as he thought of *Heavenly Demon Body Forging*. The greatest characteristic of this technique was the birth of a Dharma Idol phantom during the Nascent Soul stage. Now, Qin Sang knew the power of Dharma Idols, which were great divine abilities that should only be acquired after the Void Refinement stage. That he obtained a Dharma Idol so early might be related to the Azure Luan's essence blood, but ordinary cultivation techniques certainly couldn't achieve this.

Dharma Idols might be the Dao of this technique. Having the guidance of the Dao from the beginning of entering the Dao points the cultivator in the right direction, preventing them from going astray. This might be the difference between top-tier and ordinary cultivation techniques!

Gathering his scattered thoughts, Qin Sang returned to the *Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter*. After carefully experiencing it, he couldn't help but feel joyful. As expected, this battle yielded tremendous gains. Among his opponents, there were not only late-stage Deity Transformation realm experts but also personal enemies, all of whom died by his hand. If it were anyone else at the early Deity Transformation stage, facing a late-stage Deity Transformation expert would mean only fleeing for their life. It was imaginable how much this battle helped Qin Sang in comprehending his cultivation technique.

Although his cultivation had not yet reached that level, Qin Sang vaguely felt that at least before breaking through to the mid-Deity Transformation stage, there wouldn't be many more difficulties.

Qin Sang awoke from his meditation, rose and walked out of the cave dwelling, inspected the flower field, and gathered the newly matured flower dew. Next, what he needed to do was focus on arduous cultivation and break through to the mid-Deity Transformation stage, which he estimated wouldn't be too difficult!

After this small interlude, Qin Sang continued to heal his injuries. This time, his injuries healed very quickly, and he was fully recovered in less than a month. By this point, Qin Sang finally took out the Five Elements Crown. This treasure was Qin Sang's greatest gain from this battle, besides his cultivation technique insights.

Five-colored light shone throughout the cave dwelling, as the five-colored crown quietly floated. Qin Sang focused his gaze and activated his divine sense shrouding the Five Elements Crown. Just as he was about to act, he suddenly stopped. After a moment of thought, he took out some array flags and set them up around him, establishing a protective grand array. He then cast the Great Vajra Wheel Seal and had his Azure Luan Dharma Idol stand ready. Finally, he felt at ease.

His divine sense carefully probed into the Five Elements Crown. The artifact spirit seemed to sense the external intrusion and emitted unusual fluctuations. Qin Sang's heart tensed. He paused for a moment. Fortunately, he had actively accepted the demonic influence, mimicking the artifact spirit's aura, which prevented it from sensing hostility. His movements became even gentler.

In Qin Sang's perception, he seemed to pass through layers of chaotic aura, moving closer to a ball of light filled with chaos and madness. This ball of light was precisely the demonic spirit. To be precise, it was the product of the fusion of the demonic spirit, Zhu Wudao's Nascent Soul, and the demonic soul. At this moment, they were indistinguishable from each other.

"Looking" at this ball of light, Qin Sang hesitated. According to Mo Xingdao, the merging between them was led by the demonic spirit, but Qin Sang couldn't sense the demonic spirit's intelligence. Qin Sang sensed for a long time and gained some understanding. Perhaps after the merging was completely finished and the three became one, a new intelligence would be born. As for whether this intelligence would still be the original demonic spirit, no one could say for sure.

"I should be able to do something..." Qin Sang mused inwardly. Outsiders dared not interfere with the demonic spirit's merging, primarily fearing contamination by demonic thoughts. He, however, had no such fear and could unrestrainedly make contact with his divine sense, attempting to guide the demonic spirit's merging.

The demonic spirit's chaotic intelligence also had its advantages, like a blank sheet of paper on which one could freely draw. In the process of guiding the demonic spirit's merging, he could secretly leave his mark, subtly making the demonic spirit acknowledge him, and even achieve the goal of making the demonic spirit recognize him as its master. If this treasure could transform into a Post-Celestial Spirit Treasure, it would undoubtedly be a significant aid in the future. It was worth a try!

Of course, it sounded easy, but it would certainly be extremely difficult to accomplish. Qin Sang only had preliminary ideas; how to implement them still required careful consideration. Moreover, the process was bound to be very long.

Before the merging was complete, was there any way to wield this treasure? Or could he create a restriction himself? Even if only a portion of its power could be unleashed, it would still be a significant improvement to his strength. The Reverse Five Elements Divine Light had severely wounded Xia Hou with a single blow, showing that this treasure's power was already far beyond what it used to be.

Qin Sang concentrated deeply, pondering all possibilities. Not long after, he began to seriously try.

In the quiet cave dwelling, the five-colored light flickered, bright and dim, reflecting his face, sometimes enlightened, sometimes furrowed in thought. Time flowed quietly.

One year after the battle in the Mirror Space, Qin Sang stepped out of the flower field for the first time, deciding to leave Nieyuan with Mo Xingdao. It was difficult for ordinary people to stay in the Healing Altar for so long. Qin Sang gave Mo Xingdao the Nascent Soul stabilizing pills that True Master Zhijian had given him, asking him to consume them to dispel his doubts.

However, before leaving, he did the opposite, first heading deeper into the Healing Altar. Deliberately avoiding the Mirror Space, Qin Sang penetrated from another location, arriving at a relatively open space. Mo Xingdao transformed into a kingfisher and stood on his left shoulder.

"Go there!"

Mo Xingdao raised his wing, pointing to Qin Sang's right side. Qin Sang acted as instructed, passing through several illusions without much peril, and visually saw a huge mass of Profound Yellow Qi. The Profound Yellow Qi gathered into a ball, its overall shape resembling an egg, with variations in density inside, allowing one to discern the trajectory of the Profound Yellow Qi's flow.

Qin Sang gazed for a long time, then first let Mo Xingdao return to his Talisman Altar, activated the Great Vajra Wheel Seal, his body emitting a brilliant glazed light, and stepped in. The moment he entered the Profound Yellow Qi, Qin Sang felt an immense pressure descend upon him. The force was so great, it far surpassed the suction force in the Mirror Space.

"Crack, crack, crack..."

Even with his formidable physical body, his bones actually emitted bursts of cracking sounds, as if about to be crushed. Qin Sang grunted and unhesitatingly summoned his Azure Luan Dharma Idol. The power of the Dharma Idol entered his body, resisting the immense pressure, and he continued forward. Fortunately, there were no other dangers here. Qin Sang smoothly passed through the Profound Yellow Qi and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

At this position, he already felt strained, unsure how far he was from the Path of Ascension. The path ahead would undoubtedly be arduous every step of the way, requiring long-term planning. This time, he needed Mo Xingdao to point the way.

He summoned Mo Xingdao again. Mo Xingdao only took one look and was immediately drawn to an illusion, exclaiming in surprise, "There! I remember! I saw these crimson-gold spirit needles when I was thrown into this realm!"

Following Mo Xingdao's gaze, Qin Sang looked towards the sky in the upper left front, where a strange phenomenon was reflected. When the Healing Altar was stable, most illusions appeared very calm from the outside, with their dangers only becoming apparent upon entering. That place, however, was different. One could see with the naked eye two types of fine needles, one crimson and one golden, millions of each, whistling as they charged at each other, attacking one another.

Qin Sang approached and observed carefully for a while. He couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment. The phenomenon before him was actually an illusion. This illusion was special, a reflection of a scene from elsewhere; the true crimson-gold spirit needles were not here. However, this was still a huge breakthrough. As long as they could uncover the source of the illusion's reflection, they would be able to pinpoint the location of the crimson-gold spirit needles. The two exchanged glances, both with a glimmer of hope.

Qin Sang saw that the crimson-gold spirit needles were not nearby and were currently out of reach. So, he gave up on going deeper and retreated with Mo Xingdao. The man and the puppet soon arrived at the edge of the Healing Altar, hiding within the auspicious clouds, observing the outside world. Qin Sang had made several round trips, finding no abnormalities. This time was no different, but he still waited for a year. From atop the auspicious clouds, he activated his Heaven's Eye Divine Ability, looking down from above and gazing far into the distance. There were no signs of Void Refinement Heavenly Phenomenon. He was only afraid that Master Hongyuzi would invite a Grand True Master.

After a period of observation, Qin Sang attempted to step out of the auspicious clouds, immediately turning north, taking a long detour, then heading south. The journey was smooth, leading directly to Jushan Zhi.

Presently, the Ghostly Realm's power structure had undergone a major change, and the status of demon gods had risen steadily. Particularly those demon gods who dared to enter Nieyuan to gather believers were highly revered. Due to his connection with the Serpent Demon, the Badger Demon's status in the Demon Realm had risen significantly; he was revered as the National Preceptor and had multiple private residences.

In one of his private residences, there were now two strangers. Qin Sang waved his hand, dismissing the Badger Demon. He surveyed the residence and nodded, saying, "This place is quiet. I apologize for inconveniencing Fellow Daoist Mo, but please take refuge here for now. I will help you gather the materials for forging your altar, and I hope you can recover your strength as soon as possible."

Mo Xingdao had received a Dharma Talisman in the Daoist Court. Although his true body had perished, his split soul still existed, and although his Talisman Altar was destroyed, the Dharma Talisman wouldn't be lost, allowing him to recast his Talisman Altar. He certainly couldn't return to the Daoist Court and could only hide in the Demon Realm.

"Words cannot express my gratitude for this great kindness!" Mo Xingdao bowed deeply and said solemnly.

Qin Sang smiled upon hearing this. In a sense, Mo Xingdao was somewhat similar to him, always maintaining vigilance and finding it difficult to trust others. Presumably, Mo Xingdao wouldn't utter such words lightly. Qin Sang hadn't considered exploiting this favor for future gain, seeing it merely as a transaction. Mo Xingdao had already been left far behind by him, barely able to protect himself, so how could he speak of repaying kindness? With his soul merged with a puppet, how much further could he go? Presumably, Mo Xingdao also understood this point, which was why words of gratitude were difficult to utter.

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to thank me just yet. You must first make a karmic oath."

It wasn't that Qin Sang didn't trust Mo Xingdao, but rather that the matter was of great importance, and this battle involved high-ranking officials from both the Ghostly Realm and the Daoist Court, so he could not be anything but cautious.

Mo Xingdao immediately agreed, "It should be so!"

The two set up an altar and burned incense, making a karmic oath, pledging sincere cooperation from then on to jointly seek the Path of Ascension. With the oath complete, Qin Sang cupped his hands and said, "I, Qin, still have some minor matters to attend to and cannot stay long. We shall meet again!"

"Farewell, Fellow Daoist!"

Mo Xingdao saw Qin Sang off, surveyed the private residence, and stood there for a long time.

Outside the residence, Qin Sang gave the Badger Demon a few instructions, then headed west alone, traveling without stop, arriving at Gourd Island, Master Qi's residence. Upon learning of Qin Sang's visit, Master Qi quickly walked out of his fire chamber, complaining with a hint of grievance, "Fellow Daoist, you've been away for too long this time!"

Qin Sang looked at Master Qi, frowning as if about to say something, but was pulled by the arm by Master Qi and hurriedly led into the fire chamber.

"These past years," Master Qi urged Qin Sang impatiently, "I have pondered deeply and have new ideas. Quickly, take out the Gale Armor!"

Qin Sang sighed and took out the true treasure fragment, saying, "The Gale Armor is destroyed; it was a waste of your painstaking effort, Master."

Master Qi was stunned for a moment, but instead of being alarmed, he was delighted, and clapped his hands vigorously. "Excellent! I had long felt that the Gale Armor and the true treasure fragment were not perfectly compatible in a few places. That last forging attempt was a bit reckless. I was just worried you'd be reluctant to part with this treasure."

He didn't even consider what danger Qin Sang had encountered that led to the destruction of the treasured armor; his mind was entirely focused on the true treasure fragment.

Master Qi reached out to grab the true treasure fragment, but Qin Sang pressed his hand down. He looked up in confusion, seeing Qin Sang's serious expression.

"Master, do you have confidence in overcoming this tribulation?" Qin Sang asked in a low voice. He sensed the aura of Heavenly Tribulation from Master Qi.

Upon hearing this, the fanaticism on Master Qi's face gradually faded, and he finally shook his head with a bitter smile. "During the last Heavenly Tribulation," he said, "I shamelessly begged for a secret technique to overcome tribulations and narrowly escaped death. It was like gaining three hundred years for free."

Qin Sang's brows furrowed deeply. Having known Master Qi for many years, and the Gale Armor he crafted having repeatedly helped Qin Sang escape danger, Qin Sang held Master Qi in high regard. He was not very old and rarely worried about the Four-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, thus he hadn't intentionally collected treasures for overcoming tribulations. The tribulation-transcending array of the Formless Immortal Sect required specific treasures and was meant for the Tribulation of Three Calamities. Unfortunately, Master Qi was still far from the peak of the late Nascent Soul stage, and the remaining time was insufficient.

Master Qi himself stated that he had encountered a bottleneck, and his cultivation had stagnated for many years. This person was engrossed in artifact forging, making it likely difficult for him to calm his mind for cultivation. Otherwise, if he were taught the method for refining the Heavenly Exquisite Jade, there might have been a slim chance for him to reach the Deity Transformation realm.

Master Qi took a deep breath. "Fellow Daoist, do not worry for me. You should know my aspirations. I have no hope of refining a Spirit Treasure in this life, but to forge the true treasure fragment into a treasured armor would be enough to comfort me throughout my life, and I would die without regrets!"

Qin Sang gazed into Master Qi's eyes. "The Daoist Court might have tribulation-transcending treasures passed down," he said, "I have accumulated some merits..."

Before his words had finished, Master Qi suddenly rose, and without a word, bowed deeply. "I beg Fellow Daoist to grant my wish!" More than death, he feared dying with regrets! For the remainder of his time, he would rather spare no effort to forge the most satisfying work of his life and die with a smile.

Qin Sang was silent for a long time, let out a soft sigh, and nodded slightly. Master Qi smiled.

"This item shall remain at your residence, Master," Qin Sang said, personally placing the true treasure fragment into Master Qi's hands. "I await your good news."

"I will certainly not disappoint you, Fellow Daoist," Master Qi said, caressing and examining the true treasure fragment. "When the furnace is opened, I will still need your assistance. If Fellow Daoist can wait, it will tentatively be in thirty years."

"I will follow all of Master's arrangements." Qin Sang replied, his voice heavy.

Following this, Qin Sang stayed at Master Qi's residence, discussing the Way of Artifact Forging with him, telling Master Qi to proceed boldly, and that he would resolve any difficulties.

Over ten days later, Qin Sang left a large quantity of spirit materials, and then went to Sword Heart Island to visit True Master Zhijian.