Chapter 2027: Sumeru Mustard Seed

Enshrined Elder Pei ultimately decided to join Young Master Xin in hunting for Jade Spirits. However, he left behind an Essence Condensation stage spirit beast and a Xin family cultivator, ostensibly to act as Qin Sang's protectors.

The spirit beast, named Rosewood Leopard, was not a divine or exotic species. While it should have been able to assume human form long ago, perhaps due to some unknown mutation or simply disdaining transformation, it still presented itself in its beast form—a leopard several times larger than normal.

Qin Sang fully understood Enshrined Elder Pei's intention in leaving the Rosewood Leopard behind. He was quite curious where Enshrined Elder Pei found the confidence to believe an Essence Condensation stage spirit beast could effectively monitor him.

After Enshrined Elder Pei and the others departed, Qin Sang immediately ordered the Rosewood Leopard and the Xin family cultivator to guard the two ends of the canyon, one at the front and one at the back.

The Rosewood Leopard leaped to the canyon entrance, patrolling the valley mouth like a beast surveying its territory. From the corner of its eye, it occasionally glanced into the canyon, watching Qin Sang pace by the spring, walk a circuit around the treeline, and carefully inspect the spirit trees.

Then, with a sudden wave of his sleeve, Qin Sang sent several streaks of light flying. These transformed into spirit flags, which he planted around the treeline, forming a flag array. Mist diffused within the array, making its interior increasingly blurry.

The Rosewood Leopard's eyes widened. It quickly leaped to the edge of the woods and asked in a muffled voice, "Elder Qin, what are you doing setting up an array?"

"Hmm?" Qin Sang shifted his sharp, merciless gaze toward it and sternly rebuked, "I was invited by the Xin family. Do I need to report to a beast like you what I intend to do?"

A flicker of anger crossed the Rosewood Leopard's eyes, but it dared not show it. It quickly bowed its head and said, "This humble one would not dare. This humble one bears the responsibility of protecting Elder Qin and feared that Elder Qin might encounter danger before this humble one could act."

"What danger could there be for me forging artifacts in the valley?" Qin Sang narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing. "I need to use a unique secret technique to refine these spirit woods. I must not be disturbed during the forging process. Are you implying you wish to steal my secret technique?"

Upon hearing this, the Rosewood Leopard's fur stood on end, utterly terrified. It repeatedly said it wouldn't dare, then hurriedly retreated to the valley mouth. Looking at the canyon, now sealed by mist, it let out a helpless sigh.

Within the mist, Qin Sang stared at the spirit trees before him, lost in thought.

The spirit trees were indeed withering, though the situation was not as severe as Qin Sang had claimed. He had deliberately exaggerated to create an opportunity for himself to be alone, not expecting to so easily send Young Master Xin and Enshrined Elder Pei away.

Qin Sang could easily deceive the two Essence Condensation cultivators outside and depart quietly. Young Master Xin would certainly not expect that Qin Sang had obtained other guidance here, allowing him to travel through the array without relying on the ferry boat.

"Should I go now?" Qin Sang focused his mind, sensing the Thousand-Jins Ring. The resonance became increasingly clear; the location connected to the ring seemed not too far away.

He mentally calculated if he would have enough time to return to the canyon and refine the ferry boat before Young Master Xin and the others came back.

He didn't plan to simply leave for a few reasons: firstly, he had made a promise to the Xin family; secondly, he was unsure what lay ahead. The Thousand-Jins Ring might only be connected to a fraction of the secrets here, and Young Master Xin undoubtedly possessed information unknown to him. He might still need to rely on the Xin family's power later.

There was a chance! After a careful calculation, Qin Sang deemed it feasible. He would at least have enough time to go and take a look, then react according to the situation.

Having made his decision, Qin Sang cast the Mysterious Heavy Gate secret technique on the spirit trees to slow their withering. Then, he concealed his form and silently swept out beyond the mist, passing by the Xin family cultivator, who remained completely unaware.

After leaving the canyon, Qin Sang raised the Thousand-Jins Ring before him for a closer look. He saw black light shimmering on the surface of the thumb ring. The Thousand-Jins Ring had followed him for over a thousand years, and he had never witnessed such a sight before.

The Thousand-Jins Ring now looked very unfamiliar, like an ancient artifact long buried and sealed by time, finally unearthed and brought back into the light, about to display its inherent dazzling brilliance.

"How many treasures does the Ziwei Palace truly hold..." Qin Sang sighed, regretting once again that he had to abandon the Ziwei Palace for the sake of the Earthfiend Sword.

The Thousand-Jins Ring, now unsealed, guided Qin Sang by vibrating, leading him along a very rugged and winding path between the island-mountains. As Qin Sang was flying rapidly, he suddenly paused, having sensed a familiar aura.

Another Jade Spirit! Since he had encountered it, he might as well collect it. Qin Sang wielded his sword, slashing toward the void from mid-air, forcing the Jade Spirit out with a single strike.

Sword qi surged everywhere, leaving the Jade Spirit no escape. It eventually dissipated, leaving behind a jade slip slightly larger than the previous one.

Qin Sang held the jade slip in his hand, examining it while continuing his journey.

Perhaps because the ferry boat was not yet complete or he possessed too few jade slips, he found no guidance and put it away.

As he neared his destination, still within the array, the surrounding scenery had subtly changed.

The island-mountains became sparse, and the surroundings gradually grew empty. Darkness enveloped the area, making Qin Sang feel as if he were heading towards an 'abyss' in the void. In a daze, it seemed even the concepts of up, down, left, and right ceased to exist.

After passing another island-mountain, an empty void lay ahead. He hadn't flown far when another shadowy mass appeared in front.

Qin Sang's heart stirred. The shadowy mass before him was not an island; it resembled a fissure in the void, stretched horizontally above the sea. This sight felt somewhat familiar, reminding Qin Sang of the fragments of minor realms within the Fengju Jade Gate.

Arriving near the 'fissure', the Thousand-Jins Ring vibrated violently. Qin Sang could now confirm that whatever was connected to the Thousand-Jins Ring was here!

Gray mist permeated the fissure. Qin Sang activated his spiritual eyes and gazed intently, his vision seemingly piercing through a void crack, vaguely revealing the scene inside.

This was also an island, a piece of land floating in mid-air.

Unlike the outside, the island was lush with green trees, abundant with flowers and grass, and clear springs babbled. Aside from the absence of birds, beasts, fish, or insects, it was a vibrant scene of thriving life.

This island was roughly several dozen li in circumference, with several undulating peaks. The mountains were not steep but rather boasted picturesque and spiritual scenery.

At this moment, Qin Sang's pupils slightly contracted. He saw some man-made structures on the highest mountain: a tall altar built on the summit, and several pavilions and palaces nearby, all with tightly closed doors.

The tall altar's design did not seem human-made, nor was it entirely like the Witch Tribe's altars outside; it was ancient and mystical.

There was no one on the mountain, and no traces of living beings' activity on the entire island. It seemed to have been dormant for countless years.

"Is the object attracting the Thousand-Jins Ring inside the tall altar, or one of the palaces?"

Qin Sang pondered for a moment. After confirming there was no danger around, he tentatively entered the gray mist, passed through the fissure, and lightly landed on the island.

The Gray Oriole Sword hovered inverted above Qin Sang's head, its sword aura pulsing, ready to strike at any moment if danger approached.

The surroundings were very quiet. Qin Sang took a deep breath, thinking that if this was also a fragment of a minor realm, its spiritual energy must have been extremely abundant.

He scanned the surroundings with a glance. Just as Qin Sang was about to walk toward the highest peak, the Thousand-Jins Ring suddenly vibrated and broke free from his hand.

What happened next was completely beyond Qin Sang's imagination. Even someone with his firm resolve felt immense shock and disbelief, causing him to widen his eyes.

The Thousand-Jins Ring slowly rose, transforming into a ball of black light, ascending higher than the highest mountain peak. As the black light hovered in the air, Qin Sang immediately felt the spiritual imprint he had left in the Thousand-Jins Ring fluctuate violently, as if it were about to be torn apart.

Immediately after, an image was projected from the black light.

The image showed a small space containing various items – precisely the items Qin Sang had stored in the Thousand-Jins Ring.

The most abundant items here were spirit stones.

A pile of high-grade spirit stones was casually stacked in one corner like ordinary rocks. As for mid-grade and low-grade spirit stones, Qin Sang had long since cleared them out, disliking the space they occupied.

Heavenly materials and earthly treasures, jade slips and ancient texts, treasure chests and pill bottles, magic treasures and spirit treasures...

Item after item, treasures capable of making Essence Condensation cultivators gasp, were neatly categorized and arranged.

The void seemed like a mirror, reflecting these treasures.

No! It wasn't just a reflection!

That space seemed to be materializing from the Thousand-Jins Ring.

Qin Sang's expression changed drastically. Without time to think, he flicked his fingers repeatedly, hastily retrieving the items.

The anomaly occurred extremely quickly. Just as Qin Sang had retrieved the items, this space truly materialized. At the same time, Qin Sang felt the ground beneath his feet and even the entire void tremble along with it.

As the space materialized, black light diffused, and the physical form of the Thousand-Jins Ring became increasingly illusory, appearing and disappearing.

An invisible wave emanated, spreading through the void, which responded with an identical wave. The two seemed to originate from the same source, or perhaps they were originally one entity, now finally reunited and reintegrated.

Vaguely, Qin Sang seemed to understand something, yet he wasn't certain. If his conjecture was true, it would be too shocking, beyond his comprehension.

Qin Sang's heart was filled with apprehension and uncertainty. He felt the surrounding fluctuations becoming more violent, as if the void was about to tear apart. Worried about danger, he took a deep look at the Thousand-Jins Ring and flew back the way he came.

Exiting the fissure, Qin Sang stood outside, his eyes still fixed on the interior. He watched as the black light continuously diffused, obscuring the mountains, the tall altar, and the palaces, eventually sealing the fissure itself.

At this point, the Thousand-Jins Ring was no longer visible.

Just as Qin Sang was hesitating whether to employ some means, he suddenly felt an incredibly violent tremor. His heart startled, and immediately, his vision was filled with black light.

Swoosh! Black light burst forth from the fissure, incredibly dense.

But through the black light, Qin Sang vaguely saw an unusual, highly distorted scene. It was still the void land he had seen before, but now it appeared to have melted into water.

Like water, it adapted to its environment, capable of extreme distortion without being destroyed.

Perhaps the void land was not actually distorted; everything was just an illusion. Due to unknown changes it had undergone, this scene was merely displayed before Qin Sang's eyes. As for anything else, it was beyond his comprehension; his vision was limited, so he "couldn't see" it.

He saw the black light, like water, furiously gushing outward. In an instant, it expanded to its limit. Then, as if encountering a powerful restraining force, the black light abruptly receded. Between the black light's expansion and contraction, the internal void land likewise expanded and contracted.

The changes were too fast and too drastic; even with Qin Sang's eyesight, he could not clearly discern all the details.

Buzzing... The Thousand-Jins Ring reappeared, the thumb ring trembling lightly. The black light finally contracted to its extreme, transforming into a thin stream that merged into the ring's body.

The next moment, the fissure, the land, and the Thousand-Jins Ring's own space all vanished from before Qin Sang. The sea surface was empty, with only a dark iron thumb ring remaining.

The Thousand-Jins Ring's appearance hadn't changed, but it possessed a different, more profound aura. It trembled a few times, then quieted down. Immediately, its precious light retracted, and it began to fall toward the sea surface.

Qin Sang hastily caught it. He sent out a wisp of spiritual consciousness, tentatively enveloping the Thousand-Jins Ring, and found that the spiritual imprint he had left on it was almost completely obliterated. Fortunately, the imprint was still there, and he easily restored it.

Then, his spiritual consciousness entered the Thousand-Jins Ring, where he "saw" a space that was countless times larger than before.

Land, mountains, palaces, high altars, vegetation, flowing springs...

It was precisely that void land from the fissure, which had been "absorbed" by the Thousand-Jins Ring. The ring's original space was nowhere to be found, having merged with this vast void.

At this moment, the interior of the Thousand-Jins Ring seemed like a real world.

No, this *was* a real world!

With a thought, Qin Sang materialized inside the space. Spiritual energy surrounded him, and the fresh scent of plants filled his nostrils. There was not a single trace of falsehood!

A minor realm—or perhaps a fragment of one—had been refined into a spatial artifact. Or perhaps the Dao marker of a minor realm had been refined into an artifact to be carried!

For unknown reasons, this minor realm later split apart, and now it had reunified.

To contain a realm within a spatial artifact! Even if it was just a fragment of a minor realm, it was a profound divine ability that Qin Sang could not fathom.

Qin Sang had thought that the Dao Court, relying on the Divine Court to cleave the Great Chiliocosm and form its own realm, was already astonishing enough. Now, it seemed, could Mahayana cultivators truly treat minor realms as mere playthings, manipulating them at will?

What kind of divine ability was this! Integration stage? Mahayana stage?

Integration stage cultivators control Dharma Domains, but a domain and a realm are likely concepts on two different levels. The gap between him and top-tier powerhouses was far greater than he had imagined, so powerful that he couldn't comprehend it, even though he had only scratched the surface of sword domains!

The Thousand-Jins Ring contained a minor realm, which is why it possessed powers that other spatial artifacts lacked, such as the ability to accommodate the bone flute.

The Thousand-Jins Ring was the Dao marker gate of this minor realm. Carrying it was equivalent to carrying the Dao marker gate, allowing access at any time. Now, as the master of the Thousand-Jins Ring, he was also the master of this minor realm.

Although Qin Sang didn't yet understand what this meant for him, it was certainly a great opportunity!

Qin Sang took a deep breath, calming his mind. Just as he was about to carefully explore this world, he suddenly felt his body tighten as an abnormal vibration occurred in the void.

Rumble! Heaven and Earth were in chaos, a sign of destruction!

"Not good!" Qin Sang was startled. He hastily retreated, his face full of tension, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he found the Thousand-Jins Ring gradually stabilized after he had left it.

"It's probably unstable because it was split for too long and just reunified. Even as the master of the Thousand-Jins Ring, I can't enter and exit at will; others certainly can't. I wonder what the Thousand-Jins Ring's limits are, and if it's related to my cultivation level. It seems utilizing this world won't be easy..."

Qin Sang's attention was entirely drawn to the Thousand-Jins Ring. While he was pondering, his expression slightly changed as he belatedly realized that the vibration had not stopped and was being transmitted to the outside.