Chapter 201: Cloud Device

A few spiritual pills entered his stomach, and as expected, his qi sea remained unchanged.

Qin Sang secretly shook his head, casting aside any lingering illusions. He cleared his mind and took out the brocade handkerchief from his mustard seed pouch.

The handkerchief was palm-sized, square, and crudely woven, appearing to be made from some kind of tree bark. It lacked any intricate patterns and looked like a very ordinary magical artifact.

Strangely, a layer of grayish-white aura constantly emanated from it, giving it an eerie appearance.

These unique items, which are neither fully magical artifacts nor non-artifacts, are exclusive to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield and are called 'Cloud Devices'.

As the name suggests, Cloud Devices are refined from corrupted spiritual items found on Cloud Beasts.

The prevailing theory regarding the formation of Cloud Beasts is that countless corpses of ancient immortal grand cultivators lie uncorrupted in the depths of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Even after death, their battle will persisted, gradually transforming over countless years into a form resembling malevolent energy. This malevolent energy then took on physical form, creating these peculiar creatures within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

When this malevolent energy materializes, it gives birth to Cloud Beast essence souls, which then attach themselves to other objects.

These objects could be ordinary stones or common blades of grass, or perhaps spiritual herbs, spirit wood, or minerals. Even wild beasts and demonic beasts originally inhabiting the Ancient Immortal Battlefield could have their entire species corrupted by Cloud Beast essence souls. After countless years of propagation and generational evolution, they become the bizarre Cloud Beasts we see today.

When these items are possessed by Cloud Beast essence souls and transform into Cloud Beasts, cultivators who slay them can obtain the essence-corrupted items, which are then called 'corrupted spiritual items'.

Because the malevolent energy is extremely violent and unstable, there's a high probability that the Cloud Beast essence soul will dissipate after the beast is slain, destroying the corrupted spiritual item along with it. Therefore, not every hunt for a Cloud Beast yields a corrupted spiritual item.

Over countless years, cultivators have devised methods to utilize these corrupted spiritual items. One such method is refining them into Cloud Devices. When cultivators entering the Ancient Immortal Battlefield activate a Cloud Device, it emits the aura of a Cloud Beast essence soul, thereby deceiving Cloud Beasts into mistaking the wielder for one of their own.

This is especially crucial when celestial phenomena occur. If a cultivator cannot find shelter, they must exert their full strength to resist the celestial erosion.

Without a Cloud Device to mask their aura, a cultivator's spiritual energy fluctuations would act like a guiding beacon, continuously drawing in nearby Cloud Beasts. Even if they managed to withstand the celestial phenomenon, they would still face the grim fate of being surrounded and slain by Cloud Beasts.

Of course, Cloud Devices are not infallible.

Firstly, their effect has a range limit; if a cultivator is already too close to a Cloud Beast, they will still be detected.

Secondly, if one unluckily encounters an exceptionally powerful Cloud Beast, the Cloud Device cannot deceive its senses. In such cases, one can only blame their bad luck.

Thirdly, due to the instability of Cloud Beast essence souls, refined Cloud Devices cannot be used indefinitely and are easily destroyed, similar to malevolent artifacts like the Horned Dragon Sword and Falling Cloud Wings.

Qin Sang suspected that Old Devil Yi had drawn inspiration from the refining methods of Cloud Devices, combining it with the formidable power of a Core Formation cultivator to create malevolent artifacts.

This brocade handkerchief was an ordinary Cloud Device.

Qin Sang planned to visit the Ancient Immortal Battlefield personally, so he naturally needed a Cloud Device for self-defense. However, he had to return within a month and wouldn't venture too deep, so any ordinary one would suffice.

A month later, a streak of light, several feet above the ground, pierced through the sky from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. The piercing sound of a sword roar caught the attention of those on the ground, who were surprised that anyone dared to fly in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

The streak of light descended in front of Hanging Skull Pass, revealing Qin Sang's figure.

It was generally best not to fly in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, as corrosive winds at high altitudes could dissolve bones and marrow. Moreover, flying made one too large a target, posing extreme danger if surrounded by Cloud Beasts.

Qin Sang only risked it because he was almost out of time and nearing Hanging Skull Pass.

Dust-covered, he ignored the curious glances of those around him and hurried into Hanging Skull Pass. Tomorrow marked the end of his one-month deadline.

During this past month, Qin Sang had ventured as deep as he dared into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, nearly failing to return on time. His experiences over the month solidified a belief: he could not remain a rogue cultivator!

He was different from others.

Unlike others, who didn't need to stay in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield for continuous cultivation and could return to Hanging Skull Pass once they had satisfactory gains, Qin Sang needed to find a suitable cultivation cave dwelling.

According to Qin Sang's observations, the distribution of Cloud Beasts in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield generally followed a rule: the deeper one ventured into the battlefield, the more common powerful Cloud Beasts became.

Comprehending 'slaughter talismans' also required suitable opponents; if the opponents were too weak, the training effect would be minimal. To gain sufficient experience without delaying cultivation, the outer regions were best. At the very least, a cave dwelling should be established at the border between the frontier and outer regions.

In this location, the safest places were towns or markets built within secret realm ruins. Cave dwellings were indeed available for rent there, but their astonishingly high prices deterred Qin Sang.

Opening a cave dwelling in the wilderness was completely out of the question. Cloud Beasts were also attracted to spiritual energy, and areas with abundant spiritual energy were already overrun by large groups of them.

Even if one could 'pull teeth from a tiger's mouth' and claim a spot, sealing off the spiritual energy with formations, it would still be exposed during a celestial phenomenon. Without powerful protective restrictions as a foundation, it would be impossible to hold.

After a brief rest in his cave dwelling, Qin Sang went to the hall to find Yu Yangzi.

Yu Yangzi quickly emerged, smiling as he asked, "Brother Qin, I haven't seen you for so long, I thought you preferred not to be restrained and planned to explore the Ancient Immortal Battlefield on your own! What are your plans, Brother Qin? Will you join the Hanging Skull Guards or the Shadow Guards?"

Qin Sang returned the cave dwelling jade token to Yu Yangzi and countered, "Brother Yu Yangzi, I heard our sect has secret realm ruins in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield that require disciples to guard them. Are there any vacancies?"

Yu Yangzi paused, slightly surprised, then hesitated. "Is Brother Qin just asking out of curiosity, or are you insistent on taking on this duty?"

Qin Sang said firmly, "If there's an opportunity, I'd like to try."

"This..."

Yu Yangzi glanced around. "Brother Qin, let's talk inside."

As they walked into the hall, Yu Yangzi cautiously transmitted a message: "Brother Qin, since you're new here, you might not fully understand the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. It's unpredictable, and only a few secret realms have been opened and mastered by our sect. Each of these secret realms is a sect secret, and there are strict requirements for disciples guarding them. Furthermore, since they offer benefits from within the secret realm, it's now customary for those guarding them to be designated by our Martial Uncles and Aunts. If Brother Qin also wishes to take on this duty, you'll need to request a decree from your own master, or seek help from a familiar Core Formation Venerable..."

Hearing this, Qin Sang inwardly smiled bitterly. Where would he find a master?

It was just that Yu Yangzi had been stationed at Hanging Skull Pass and didn't know Qin Sang's background.

"Brother, I'm not seeking a share of the secret realm's benefits. I simply want a place to stay, a cave dwelling rich in spiritual energy suitable for cultivation. Is there any way to make an exception?"