Chapter 427: Bloodwing Ghost Hornet

Qin Sang was taken aback. The orders he and Jie Ying received were completely different. The Seven-Leaf Epiphyllum that Jie Ying mentioned was an important auxiliary ingredient for the Kan-Li Golden Elixir. Qin Sang had only learned this from Qi Yuanshou; Jie Ying and the others likely had no idea of its significance. Given the importance of the Kan-Li Golden Elixir, this order wasn't surprising. It seemed he held some weight in Qi Yuanshou's eyes, and this powerful connection was firmly secured. Qin Sang felt fortunate to have seized the opportunity to align himself with Qi Yuanshou; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to stay outside so comfortably all these years. He might have been thrown somewhere as cannon fodder, just like Jie Ying. Of course, his relationship with Qi Yuanshou was quite fragile. To Qi Yuanshou, he wasn't indispensable, merely convenient, someone to be casually elevated. Qin Sang racked his brain but couldn't think of anything he could do for Qi Yuanshou. The only valuable items he possessed were a few magic treasures, but it was impossible to give them to Qi Yuanshou.

Seeing Jie Ying still complaining bitterly, Qin Sang's expression tightened slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "The sect is not unreasonable. As the situation changes, so do our strategies. When you received your orders, the situation wasn't as tense. What's so strange about that? Uncle-Master Qi is benevolent and prioritizes the lives of his disciples. Would he disregard a disciple's life for a mere spiritual herb? In the future, refrain from such idle talk, lest you bring trouble upon yourself!"

Jie Ying's expression sobered, and he cast aside his aggrieved look, bowing respectfully, "Thank you for the instruction, Senior Brother. I have learned my lesson." Qin Sang nodded slightly, then surveyed his surroundings, looking at the deep lake. He said, "Junior Brother Jie, Uncle-Master Qi's secret order does not need to be disclosed to other disciples for now. From this moment, you will arrange personnel for continuous day and night vigilance. Should anything unexpected occur, we will be ready to adapt."

With Qi Yuanshou's secret order, Jie Ying felt reassured and a sense of relief wash over him. Without Qin Sang's urging, he diligently carried out the commands. Qin Sang, pleased with the ease, occupied Jie Ying's cave dwelling. The spiritual energy in the cave dwelling was acceptable, barely sufficient for his cultivation. After breaking through to the late Foundation Establishment stage, Qin Sang had frequently operated in Tianyou Pass and Qingyang City to investigate the remnants of the Kuaiyin Sect. He had gained much experience, not neglecting his comprehension of killer talismans, but his cultivation time was limited. Being assigned to guard the medicinal garden conveniently allowed him to cultivate in peace.

However, Qin Sang wasn't entirely at ease. Initially, his cultivation was intermittent, often stopping to secretly observe Jie Ying and the others. Only after confirming that everyone was well-behaved and no anomalies were detected did he truly settle into undisturbed cultivation.

Seasons changed, and two years passed in the blink of an eye. Since arriving at the medicinal garden, Qin Sang had left his cave dwelling only a handful of times. One such instance was due to an intense battle that erupted not far from the garden, between cultivators of the Heaven-Striding Alliance and the Little Cold Domain. Jie Ying, greatly worried, quickly roused Qin Sang from his meditation.

Qin Sang had heard of the Heaven-Striding Alliance cultivators before, but this was his first time witnessing them in combat. The strength of both sides was considerable, with several Foundation Establishment cultivators on each, including a number of late-stage experts. It was unclear whether they had been in pursuit or if this was an accidental encounter, but a desperate struggle unfolded near the medicinal garden. Hiding behind the garden's restrictions, Qin Sang watched the entire battle with rapt attention. After all, these individuals could be his greatest future enemies, and knowing one's enemy was key to victory.

After observing the battle, Qin Sang found that the cultivators of the Heaven-Striding Alliance were largely similar to them, employing combat techniques such as spells, magic artifacts, talismans, and forbidden artifacts. However, each individual's cultivation method differed, leading to variations in their demonstrated strength. They were all cultivators, without deep-seated grudges against each other, yet they fought to the death.

The only thing that truly caught Qin Sang's eye was a Spirit-Controlling Sect disciple from the Little Cold Domain who commanded a striped demonic tiger. Though the disciple's cultivation was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, the demonic tiger beneath him was equally powerful, possessing the formidable strength of a mid-Demonic Spirit stage beast. The tiger's fangs were like swords, its claws like blades, moving with the speed of lightning and the swiftness of wind. The unity of man and tiger resulted in a formidable power that greatly astonished Qin Sang; this individual could actually hold his own against a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Heaven-Striding Alliance. Cultivating such a powerful spirit beast was certainly not an overnight accomplishment, requiring immense dedication and effort. Witnessing the spirit beast's immense power, Qin Sang couldn't help but feel envious.

This reminded Qin Sang of the Blood-Winged Ghost Head Bee hive he had obtained in Boundless Valley, which left him feeling quite dejected. After leaving Boundless Valley, in his spare time, Qin Sang had followed the Spirit-Controlling Sect Golden Core master's notes, purchasing medicinal ingredients and concocting spiritual medicines to cultivate the Ghost Head Bees using their specific method. It didn't take much effort; he simply did it casually.

It wasn't until fifteen years later that the Blood-Winged Ghost Head Bee larvae in the hive finally emerged from their cocoons, identical in form to the Blood-Winged Ghost Head Bees he had seen years ago. But when Qin Sang tried to tame these demonic bees, the previous scene replayed: even as larvae, they possessed explosive tempers, and each one self-destructed without hesitation. Absolute defiance! Qin Sang was dumbfounded and cursed inwardly. After repeated failed attempts, Qin Sang knew these Blood-Winged Ghost Head Bees had abnormally chaotic intelligence, making them impossible to tame. Qin Sang completely gave up on the idea of taming them.

The Blood-Winged Ghost Head Bees did have their advantages; their combat power was a notch higher than that of ordinary Ghost Head Bees. Although he hadn't expended much effort, he had, after all, cultivated them for so long. Qin Sang couldn't bear to discard them all, so he kept them in his spirit beast pouch to continue nurturing them slowly. Since he couldn't find a way to tame the Blood-Winged Ghost Head Bees for the time being, there was no value in cultivating them further; otherwise, let alone using them against enemies, they might accidentally backfire. For this reason, Qin Sang didn't waste his Crimson Fire Gilt-gold on them. He had a limited amount of Crimson Fire Gilt-gold and planned to carefully cultivate it once he found a suitable exotic insect.

The fierce battle lasted for a full hour. Although the location was closer to the Little Cold Domain, the Heaven-Striding Alliance had a slight advantage. While the Little Cold Domain side was not in immediate mortal danger, they could only defend themselves and found it difficult even to send someone back to report. Seeing the battle continue relentlessly and gradually move closer to the medicinal garden, Qin Sang realized that if the battlefield shifted directly above the garden, they might be caught in the crossfire, leading to the garden's exposure.

Qin Sang could not continue to stand by. He discussed with Jie Ying, instructing them to quietly prepare the medicinal garden's defensive restrictions, while he subtly left the garden for a distance, pretending to be a passing cultivator, and approached from afar on his sword. The rapidly approaching sword light immediately drew the attention of both warring parties. Qin Sang's late-Foundation Establishment cultivation level was also fully revealed. At this point, everyone had been fighting for a long time and was physically and mentally exhausted. The arrival of any master would disrupt the balance, and considering the direction Qin Sang came from, he was very likely a cultivator from the Little Cold Domain. The Heaven-Striding Alliance cultivators immediately ceased fighting and, with decisive action, turned and fled.