Chapter 220: Legendary Figure

The Jiang Ying they had just mentioned was a disciple of the Grand Unity Elixir Sect. It was said she had been brought into the sect by a Core Formation Venerable of the sect and would be able to formally apprentice under them once she successfully established her foundation. This woman possessed exceptional talent, having reached the peak of the thirteenth layer of Qi Refining before the age of forty. Her presence in the Celestial Crystal Secret Realm was for training and to find an opportunity for breakthrough.

Qin Sang wanted to inquire about Cloud Sojourner from her; he was very curious about this individual. Such a figure surely wouldn't be unknown. His not having heard of Cloud Sojourner before was likely due to his constant focus on cultivation and rarely engaging in casual conversation.

Upon returning to his cave dwelling, Qin Sang had just finished refining a zombie when he detected that the dwelling's protective array had been triggered. A sweep of his spiritual sense revealed Jiang Ying standing outside the door. He dispelled the lingering cold yin energy inside the cave dwelling and opened the array.

"Senior, were you looking for me?" Jiang Ying asked.

Shao Hua Mountain and the other two major sects jointly guarded Hanging Skull Pass, at least maintaining a facade of harmony. Jiang Ying could address Qin Sang as "Senior" or "Martial Uncle."

"Miss Jiang, I presume those two fellows, Zhao Ji, told you..." Qin Sang shook his head helplessly and invited Jiang Ying in. "Indeed, there's a small matter. I had intended to wait until you finished your seclusion, hoping not to disturb your cultivation."

"This junior was only in seclusion to refine a magical artifact..." she replied. "Senior, are you referring to Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner?"

Hearing Qin Sang inquire about Cloud Sojourner, Jiang Ying's expression immediately brightened. "That venerable elder is a legendary figure in our sect! I'm surprised, Senior, that you also know him."

"Oh?" Qin Sang briefly recounted how they met. "I happened to encounter Senior Cloud Sojourner in Changyang Market. I heard Senior Cloud Sojourner only managed to establish his foundation after he was over a hundred years old?"

Jiang Ying nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking rice. When speaking of Cloud Sojourner, her eyes sparkled, clearly showing extreme admiration for him. "It is said that Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner was seventy-eight years old when he was brought into the sect by our Core Formation Grandmaster, True Person Piaoya. At the time, everyone thought True Person Piaoya had merely taken a fancy to him and kept him as a medicine boy. No one expected True Person Piaoya to actually let Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner cultivate alongside the other disciples."

"Given Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner's age, it seemed impossible for him to achieve much. Some cultivators even older than him had already abandoned the path of immortality and returned home to live out their remaining years. Though some ridiculed him, he remained unfazed, simply smiling and saying his ambitions weren't great, and he would be content just reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Initially, everyone regarded Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner as a joke, but he consistently cultivated diligently, just like the younger disciples. He was a true ascetic, living a secluded life, completely focused, and never giving up."

"Not only did his cultivation grow stronger, but Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner also displayed extraordinary talent in alchemy, his mastery deepening significantly. Everyone began to admire him. True Person Piaoya also greatly praised Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner and reportedly even personally refined elixirs to help slow down the aging of his spirit. However, fate is unpredictable. Just as Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner was about to break through to the tenth layer of Qi Refining, True Person Piaoya suddenly ascended and passed away."

"Apart from True Person Piaoya, no other Core Formation Grandmaster was willing to look after Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner. According to our sect's rules, given Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner's age, he wouldn't qualify for a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward. To obtain one, besides refining it himself, he could only participate in a sect trial. Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner lacked the spiritual herbs needed to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill, leaving only the path of participating in a trial."

"However, the sect trial took place in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, which was extremely dangerous. This was especially true for Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner, who had spent his time arduously cultivating within the sect and delving into alchemy during his leisure, knowing nothing about combat. Furthermore, his aged body put him at a significant disadvantage compared to younger cultivators. Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner resolutely decided to participate in the trial and astonishingly succeeded in obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill through it. Afterwards, he even stayed alone in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield for ten years, seeking opportunities. Ten years later, Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner returned to the sect, entered seclusion for a breakthrough, and finally succeeded in establishing his foundation at the age of one hundred and eighteen, instantly becoming a revered legend within the sect!"

Seeing Jiang Ying's look of adoration, she was clearly one of his admirers. Qin Sang hadn't expected to encounter such a "fan" in this world. He secretly nodded; everything Jiang Ying said aligned with what he had heard from Cloud Sojourner himself. The Grand Unity Elixir Sect truly lived up to its reputation as an immortal sect renowned for alchemy; they had enough Foundation Establishment Pills, and disciples could even obtain them through trials. In Shao Hua Mountain, if one couldn't break through to the tenth layer of Qi Refining before forty, they shouldn't even dream of a Foundation Establishment Pill.

He asked curiously, "Senior Cloud Sojourner mentioned that he sustained a hidden injury when he broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, which affects his subsequent cultivation. Do you know what kind of hidden injury it is?"

Jiang Ying shook her head. "This junior has indeed heard that saying. After all, it's normally impossible for Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner to succeed in Foundation Establishment at such an advanced age. If he used some secret art or consumed a spirit pill that forcibly aided foundation establishment, it would certainly leave hidden problems. Perhaps that's why Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner hastily returned to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield after breaking through to Foundation Establishment, seemingly searching for something, appearing and disappearing like a phantom dragon. As for the specific hidden problem, we don't know; Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner wouldn't widely publicize it... Senior, when you met Martial Uncle Cloud Sojourner, what was his condition like?"

Faced with Jiang Ying's expectant gaze, Qin Sang had no choice but to recount the circumstances of their meeting. "Senior Cloud Sojourner's cultivation is higher than mine, and his vital energy is robust. You don't need to worry about him..."

Qin Sang asked Jiang Ying a few more questions. After seeing her off, he pondered for a moment, then took out two more corpses and refined them into corpse puppets. By now, he was intimately familiar with the *Heavenly Yin Corpse Art*. Including these, his Corpse Puppet Bag contained seven zombies and three fiend corpses, all accumulated over many years. He could barely manipulate this number of corpse puppets. If all the fiend corpses were deployed, they could completely ensnare a Foundation Establishment cultivator for a time, allowing him to prepare the Ten Directions Yama Array or a talisman treasure.

However, Qin Sang's greatest anticipation was still to refine a living corpse. The abilities of a living corpse had left a very deep impression on Qin Sang during his time in the crypt; they were undoubtedly extremely powerful helpers. Moreover, the Heavenly Corpse Sect possessed methods to elevate a living corpse to a Flying Yaksha! Within the Heavenly Corpse Sect, Foundation Establishment cultivators controlling Flying Yakshas, due to fear of losing control and being retaliated against by the corpse puppets, wouldn't rashly proceed even if they gathered all the necessary materials to upgrade them. They would only dare to attempt it after breaking through to the late Foundation Establishment stage. Qin Sang's spiritual imprint carried the aura of the Jade Buddha, so he didn't have to worry about this issue. As long as Qin Sang could find the missing latter half of the *Heavenly Yin Corpse Art*, he could possess a puppet comparable to an early Core Formation cultivator while still in the Foundation Establishment stage!

But it was still too early to say. He had never had the opportunity to capture a Foundation Establishment cultivator alive, and refining the Heavenly Corpse Talisman wasn't simple either. Its main ingredient was a spiritual herb called Soul-Guiding Grass. Qin Sang had made numerous inquiries before learning that this Soul-Guiding Grass was extremely valuable, far beyond what five-element yin materials could compare to, and also very rare in the current cultivation world, requiring good fortune to find.