Chapter 2035: Sword Hilt

Wuxia and Xianxia

Countless irregular stones, varying in size, floated in the void. The stone clusters stretched as far as the eye could see, likely covering an area of tens of thousands of miles. According to Young Master Xin, this place contained only stones, devoid of divine abilities, illusory scenes, or fragments of minor worlds. It seemed an invisible force held these stones together. These seemingly ordinary stones, having endured countless impacts from malevolent winds and sinister lightning, surprisingly persisted to this day. However, the anomalies inside the Fengju Jade Gate were too numerous; the group had long grown accustomed to such strange sights.

Upon entering the stone expanse, their eyes were met with endless grey stones. The monotonous scenery felt like being inside a colossal maze.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Chilling winds whistled continuously through the stone clusters. While not as dangerous as the malevolent winds, they still posed a considerable nuisance. Qin Sang, Young Master Xin, and others navigated through the jumbled stones. The difficulty of finding a hidden secret realm in such a place was considerable.

During their previous search for the secret realm, Young Master Xin had gathered much information about this place. People had noticed this area long ago, and it had been searched countless times. However, it was said to be very barren, containing no treasures, and gradually fell into obscurity. Young Master Xin, following the dying wishes of the Xin family's old patriarch, had secretly investigated and already located the secret realm. However, to set a trap and eliminate Grand Elder Pei and Rogue Cultivator Zhong Liang, he had kept its discovery concealed.

While the surfaces of the stones varied, their texture was similar. It was evident they originated from the same place. Young Master Xin speculated they might have formed from the shattering of a single colossal boulder. If this were true, how enormous must the original stone have been? Along their journey, they had encountered countless stones taller than mountains.

After some winding paths, the wind brought a moist scent. A flat, land-like boulder appeared ahead. A jade-like ribbon cut through the center of this "land," which was, in fact, a great river. The river surged, its banks lined entirely with desolate stone mountains.

The group ascended the river. The secret realm was located at its source. Young Master Xin led the way. The group soon arrived above a vast marsh. The area was rich in moisture, enveloped in clouds and mist. Although there was no trace of life, the Xin family cultivators still spread out, maintaining cautious vigilance.

"Elder Qin, the secret realm entrance is underwater." Young Master Xin pointed downwards as he spoke.

Qin Sang extended his spiritual sense. He found the surrounding water to be only a few tens of feet deep, its bottom covered with sand and stones. Beneath them was a narrow, elongated gully where water bubbled up from underground, yet there were no unusual signs whatsoever. This was normal; if the secret realm entrance were so easily found, it would have already been claimed.

Young Master Xin, with a flip of his hand, took out a brocade handkerchief and gently tossed it into the water. As it entered, the surface began to boil, and thick steam rose, quickly enveloping the surroundings in a white haze. As it sank, the handkerchief's color gradually faded until it became transparent, completely merging with the water. The next moment, a faint silver glow flickered within the gully.

Qin Sang's expression subtly changed. He looked around; they had remained stationary, and the surrounding mist showed no disturbances. Yet, in Qin Sang's perception, some unknown change was occurring nearby.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a gale swept in. The white mist churned, twisting into indescribable shapes. The others also noticed the abnormality and covertly grew vigilant. After some time, the gale not only didn't subside but intensified. The sound of the wind was deafening, even more piercing than thunder, as if the earth was tearing apart and the heavens were overturning.

Young Master Xin remained composed. He stood beside Qin Sang, awaiting orders. Qin Sang observed for a while, then let the Xin family members go first. He then gently stepped forward. With just one step, it was as if he had entered a new world. The wind grew more turbulent. White mist enveloped the entire space. The shifting wind and mist were dreamlike and illusory; unfortunately, the terrifying sound of the wind disturbed the dreamlike scene. The gale brought an aura of chaos. The group stirred uneasily, all feeling a sense of unease.

"Is this the place?" Qin Sang asked.

Young Master Xin nodded. He gazed around, as if searching for something.

"It looks like this secret realm is on the verge of collapse," Qin Sang said. This kind of fluctuation was familiar; they had just experienced it inside the tomb. It was a sign that the secret realm was heading towards destruction. This place was in an even worse state than the tomb. The secret realm must have been inherently unstable, and their activation of it accelerated its collapse.

"Elder Qin, look," Young Master Xin said, pointing towards the depths of the wind and mist. A slender white shadow was faintly visible. The white shadow was cylindrical, floating in the wind, rising and falling.

Qin Sang reached out and beckoned. The white shadow was drawn before him. He found it to be a jade pillar nearly twenty feet long, requiring three people to encircle it. The jade pillar had several cracks and was not whole; one end had a clear break. The jade pillar's quality was clear, and its interior flowed like water.

Seeing the jade pillar, Young Master Xin sighed in relief. He said, "The jade pillars must be used to support this secret realm. With a jade pillar destroyed, the secret realm loses its support. There must be more than one jade pillar here!"

Qin Sang formed a hand seal and carefully sensed. Indeed, he discovered a special fluctuation, indicating it was artificially refined. This was a very peculiar method of artifact refining, and Qin Sang's interest was piqued. However, with only a single broken jade pillar, he could not discern the full picture.

A moment later, at Qin Sang's command, the group continued deeper into the wind and mist. They soon found another damaged jade pillar, this one even more severely broken. Having been inside for so long without any signs of danger, Qin Sang commanded, "Split up and search, bring all the jade pillars here." Then, he sat cross-legged in the air, placed one hand on a jade pillar, and closed his eyes to sense it. Young Master Xin stood respectfully by his side.

"Yes, sir!" The others took their orders and departed.

Subsequently, people continuously brought back fragments of jade pillars. Unfortunately, not a single one was intact. At this moment, someone suddenly rushed back to report, "Young Master! Elder Qin! There's an intact jade pillar ahead that cannot be moved!"

"Oh?" Qin Sang immediately stood up and followed the person to the jade pillar.

They saw the jade pillar standing erect in the void. Though it touched neither sky nor ground, it was remarkably stable, resembling a divine needle fixing the heavens, and was almost entirely intact. Qin Sang stepped forward, gently stroked the jade pillar, his eyes gleaming. With this jade pillar and the previous fragments, he could deduce a great deal.

"The wind here seems to have grown fiercer..." someone whispered, a look of worry on his face. This meant the secret realm was collapsing faster, and they had little time left; they had to find a solution quickly.

Young Master Xin was about to say something when a loud cry suddenly came from afar. A grey-robed youth, having seemingly discovered something, hastily flew towards them.

"Young Master!"

"Thirteenth Brother, you've already reached the Nascent Soul stage. Why are you still so impetuous? What happened?" Young Master Xin frowned slightly.

Reprimanded directly by the Young Master, the grey-robed youth looked abashed. He glanced at Qin Sang and said, "Reporting to Young Master, we found an unusual place, but we're not sure about it. Grand Elder is guarding it and dares not act rashly. He ordered me to ask Young Master to come."

Young Master Xin hummed in acknowledgment. Her expression was calm, as if she already knew. Not rushing to move, she respectfully asked Qin Sang, "Elder Qin, is there still a possibility of repairing these jade pillars?"

"They can be repaired, and it doesn't even require a master artifact refiner to do so," Qin Sang said. "You inviting me over here was a bit excessive."

"It's of great importance, so I dared not be careless," Young Master Xin said, full of hope. "If these jade pillars are repaired, can it stop the secret realm from collapsing?"

"Yes, but only temporarily," Qin Sang replied. "The number of these jade pillars is clearly incomplete. To completely stabilize the secret realm, new jade pillars must be refined and added."

Qin Sang mused, "You probably can't gather the spirit materials needed to refine new jade pillars right now, can you?"

Young Master Xin sighed, "Only after opening the secret realm did I learn the full picture. I made all sorts of preparations before, but I couldn't account for everything. I wonder if Elder has the time to wait for us to gather the spirit materials outside..."

Qin Sang waved his hand, interrupting Young Master Xin. "As I said, refining jade pillars is not difficult, as long as one understands the method. Once these jade pillars are repaired and propped up, the secret realm will definitely be able to last for a while. I will decipher the complete refining method and give it to you. After you go out, you can have others refine them."

Qin Sang had not yet agreed to Young Master Xin's proposal to have the Xin family become his dependents. Even if he did agree, it would be for the Xin family to work for him, not the other way around, with him personally handling everything.

Young Master Xin acknowledged, "I shall obey your command!"

Qin Sang was not in a hurry to open his furnace and refine artifacts. He was also somewhat curious about the treasures within the secret realm, so he ordered the grey-robed youth to step forward and lead the way.

Before long, they arrived at the location. The Grand Elder, who was guarding the spot, immediately came forward to greet them. He seemed to have discovered something precious; the joy in his voice was evident.

"Young Master, there's very likely Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver here!"

Dense fog still permeated the area ahead, but there was a mass of silvery-white mist, distinctly different from elsewhere. The silver mist was concentrated and did not disperse, and a 'whooshing' sound came from within, as if a spring were gushing.

Qin Sang's eyes flickered with a strange light. He examined the silver mist. This was something he had never seen before; he had never even heard the name "Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver." Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver sounded like some kind of spirit material. Yet, there was no record of it in the Five Elements Alliance's ancient texts.

"Thirteenth Brother," Young Master Xin called the grey-robed youth forward and whispered a few instructions. The grey-robed youth muttered something. He formed a hand seal, and suddenly, light and shadow undulated around him. Then he took a step to the left, leaving an illusory shadow in his place, shaped like a grey wolf. The grey wolf twisted its neck. It suddenly leaped into the silver mist, tilted its head back, and let out a silent howl. Immediately, a layer of silver mist clung to its body. Then, the silver mist continuously seeped into the grey wolf's body. Soon, more than half of it was absorbed, revealing the scene within: a pool of mercury. When the grey wolf re-emerged, it had transformed into a silver wolf. It was full of vigor, its body solidified, and its aura profound. Evidently, some qualitative change had occurred.

Seeing this, all the Xin family members were overjoyed.

"It truly is Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver!" Young Master Xin also showed a pleased expression. Noticing Qin Sang's gaze, she quickly explained. "Reporting to Elder Qin," she began, "Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver is not a naturally occurring spirit silver, but rather something refined by humans. Our Xin family's Shadow Transformation Art, when combined with certain special treasures, can undergo another metamorphosis, greatly increasing its power. However, only Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver and a few other rare items meet the requirements. Among them, Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver is the most compatible. However, the refining method was lost long ago. My late father, by chance, discovered that this place might contain Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver, and that it could regenerate continuously..."

A continuous supply of Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver was indeed a treasure trove for the Xin family. They had to preserve this place at all costs. So it was an artificially refined item. No wonder he had never heard of it before. Qin Sang scooped up a drop of Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver. He carefully sensed it and couldn't help but inwardly exclaim at its ingenuity. He couldn't immediately think of any use for the Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver. As an artifact refiner, Qin Sang collected a box of it for future study. The Xin family naturally dared not complain.

In the entire secret realm, the most important thing was this pool of Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver. The subsequent events were straightforward. Qin Sang found a place and began to repair the jade pillars. Young Master Xin gathered the Xin family cultivators. They queued to refine the Heavenly Frost Talisman Silver and enhance their divine abilities. These were all elite, core members of the Xin family. After this trip, the Xin family's overall strength was bound to ascend to a new level. Excluding Void Refinement cultivators, they might even become stronger than when the previous patriarch was alive. When the first jade pillar was refined and erected, the secret realm's collapse indeed showed signs of slowing.

As Qin Sang and the Xin family were carrying out their tasks, four streaks of escape light zipped through the Fengju Jade Gate, searching for something. The attire of the people within the escape light clearly indicated they were Buddhist disciples. Among them were one monk and three nuns. The monk had nine tonsure scars on his head. He wore a golden kasaya and held a string of prayer beads. Golden escape light encircled him, as if he were bathed in Buddha's light; he was clearly an enlightened master. The three nuns all wore sea-blue robes and monastic caps. One elderly nun was still silently chanting scriptures as she flew; judging by her aura, her cultivation was on par with the monk's. The other two nuns followed behind the elderly nun. One of them was a young nun whose plain monastic robe could not conceal her natural beauty. Although she had entered Buddhism, the strands of hair visible from under her monastic cap indicated she had not undergone tonsure.

Soon, they arrived before a fragment of the Sword Pavilion. It was precisely the Ziwei Palace fragment where Mount Tian was located. Seeing Mount Tian almost entirely destroyed, the young nun suddenly showed an anxious expression. Her figure flickered rapidly, and she landed before the mountain. The ruins before them revealed how terrifying the events that had occurred there must have been. If anyone had been in the mountain at that time, they would likely have been shattered along with Mount Tian, with little chance of survival. At this moment, all her hopes became ephemeral illusions. The young nun's body trembled. She painfully closed her eyes. She had painstakingly searched for a millennium, only to be met with such a cruel outcome. The three exchanged glances. They slowly followed. Seeing the young nun's expression, they knew without asking that this was the place they were looking for. They examined Mount Tian, trying to find any favorable signs. Finally, the monk and the elderly nun exchanged a look and sighed helplessly.

"Amitābha!"

The elderly nun sighed deeply, a look of compassion appearing in her eyes. "Junior sister, please accept our condolences."

"Plop!" A tear dropped and wet the ground.

The elderly nun opened her mouth, intending to offer more comfort, when a violent tremor suddenly erupted from the void. The sudden change was too abrupt. Apart from the young nun, who was lost in grief, the other three were all startled.

"Are the malevolent winds and sinister lightning about to erupt?" another nun asked.

"Something's wrong!" The monk's expression grew solemn. He stared intently into the depths of the Fengju Jade Gate.

The next moment, a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared, as if spanning tens of thousands of miles, tearing open the Fengju Jade Gate. Then, a profound aura emerged, spreading throughout the entire ancient battlefield!