Chapter 460: Comparison

The Mortal World

The Mortal World

As Qin Sang spoke these words, he felt very uneasy. Fortunately, Granny Jing did not get angry.

“For you, this is indeed a problem.”

Granny Jing pondered for a moment, then told Qin Sang, “Follow me.”

Before she finished speaking, Qin Sang felt his body tighten, enveloped by a surge of spiritual energy. Before he could react, his vision blurred violently. After a burst of incredible speed, he soon heard the lapping sound of waves around him.

It was evening, and a faint streak of twilight lingered where the water met the sky in the west. A few stars dotted the sky, but the bright moon was not yet very visible. Beneath his feet was an endless expanse of water.

Qin Sang abruptly turned his head, seeing an unbroken, vast sea of mist behind him. How much time had passed? They had actually left Qin Sang’s cave dwelling and were now outside the True Water Myriad Illusions Formation. Qin Sang’s mind was in a daze. He hadn't seen anything, completely unaware of how Granny Jing had managed to pass through the grand formation with him so silently, without alerting anyone! If everyone in the Heaven-Treading Alliance was as formidable as Granny Jing, the Lesser Cold Region would have been utterly defeated long ago.

Qin Sang was still recovering from the shock.

Granny Jing said indifferently, “Didn’t you want to know if I could evade the perception of a Nascent Soul cultivator? Seeing is believing; mere words are unreliable.”

Qin Sang instinctively swallowed. “Senior, where are you taking this junior?”

“You’ll know when we get there,” Granny Jing said simply, then took out another wooden carving.

The carving was in the shape of an Azure Luan. Like the previous female figure, it was remarkably lifelike, capturing the divine essence of the mythical bird, as if it would spread its wings and soar at any moment.

In fact, when Granny Jing extended a finger and lightly tapped the Azure Luan carving, it truly came to life. After a clear phoenix cry, the Azure Luan’s wings suddenly flapped, scattering specks of light as they moved, creating a beautiful and dazzling spectacle.

The Azure Luan let out a melodious cry, very affectionate towards Granny Jing. It then danced gracefully around her, and as it flew, its body rapidly grew with the wind, quickly transforming into a true divine bird, stretching its form freely. Qin Sang had read descriptions of the ancient divine bird, the Azure Luan, in ancient texts, and this one was identical! At this moment, the Azure Luan bore no resemblance to a wooden carving at all. Was it a puppet art? Or some other spell?

Qin Sang’s eyes widened, astonished by Granny Jing’s secret art, which was comparable to turning stone into gold. Then he felt a lightness beneath him as the Azure Luan actually took them both upon its back. Spreading its wings, it rode the wind and soared directly into the nine heavens.

The entrance to Shaohua Mountain.

Thin mist and thick clouds veiled the peaks. Faintly, he could see the numerous green peaks of his sect, a pleasant sight. A familiar scene appeared before him. The Azure Luan soared, crossing the vast Cloud Cang Marsh, carrying them to the entrance of Shaohua Mountain.

Puzzled, Qin Sang turned to look at Granny Jing.

“I’ll wait for you on Shaohua Mountain.”

Granny Jing looked at the Azure Luan with a doting smile. With a wave of her hand, the Azure Luan let out a reluctant cry, its body rapidly shrinking. When it landed in Granny Jing’s palm, it had transformed back into a wooden carving, exactly in its original posture.

Granny Jing gave Qin Sang a slight nod, then her figure faded and vanished into thin air. A lingering echo remained. Qin Sang hastily used his escape art to steady himself, then fully activated his spiritual sense. He couldn't perceive anything; Granny Jing had completely disappeared.

Just then, an idea struck Qin Sang. He suddenly realized that the Shaohua Mountain Granny Jing spoke of was not the entire sect, but rather the main peak of Shaohua Mountain within the sect. The sect's Nascent Soul Patriarch, Lord Dongyang, had his cave dwelling at the very top of Shaohua Mountain! At this moment, Qin Sang suddenly understood the true meaning of "seeing is believing."

He got cold feet. Qin Sang’s expression flickered, then he steeled himself, summoned his Dark Nether Cloud, and flew towards the mountain gate.

“Who goes there…”

As soon as he approached the main gate formation, his presence was detected by the patrolling disciples. The sect's security had also become much stricter. The mist swirled, and three young Qi Refining disciples—one male and two female—appeared from within the formation. Their gazes swept around, and upon seeing Qin Sang, their wary expressions immediately softened. They all bowed to him, saying happily, “It’s Uncle-Master Qin! Disciples greet Uncle-Master Qin!”

Qin Sang’s reputation, forged in the Cloud Cang Marsh, had also reached the sect. Many inexperienced disciples greatly admired him.

Qin Sang hummed in acknowledgement. “I’ve returned for an urgent matter and will leave shortly. Open the formation.”

The three disciples exchanged glances, then hesitated. “Please forgive us, Uncle-Master Qin. Recently, the Sect Master issued an order that no one can open the grand formation without a waist token or the Sect Master’s direct decree...”

This order must have come from Qi Yuanshou. It seemed the conflict between the Lesser Cold Region and the Heaven-Treading Alliance was far from over; the emergence of the Heaven-Pointing Peak was merely a small interlude. There was no telling when it would end. Qin Sang mused silently, then took out his waist token and threw it into the formation. After inspecting Qin Sang’s waist token, the three disciples opened the grand formation.

Although Qin Sang was eager internally, he maintained a composed demeanor externally. He first circled back to his cave dwelling before proceeding to fly towards Shaohua Mountain. For Foundation Establishment cultivators, Shaohua Mountain was no longer forbidden ground. Golden Core Venerables of the sect sometimes held sermons there, and there were also dojos for disciples to discuss the Dao and practice techniques. This was not Qin Sang’s first visit. However, with the Lesser Cold Region in turmoil and Foundation Establishment cultivators assigned to various locations, the dojos were much quieter now.

How exactly would she prove it? Full of doubt, Qin Sang’s escape light quietly landed on the Heaven Steps.

As Qin Sang reached the white jade archway, his expression suddenly changed slightly. He glanced sideways and saw a woman in flowing white robes standing beside the jade pillar, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere. She seemed to have materialized from thin air; Qin Sang’s gaze hadn't missed any corner, and just a moment before, that spot had been clearly empty.

“Are you Granny Jing? Or…” Qin Sang’s tone held a hint of hesitation. No wonder he hesitated to acknowledge her. This woman bore no resemblance to Granny Jing at all. Instead, she was identical to the wooden carving Granny Jing had given him.

The real person possessed even more divine grace than the carving. Her hands were as white as snow, her black hair like satin cascaded to her waist. Dressed in plain white robes with no adornments, her beauty was absolutely no less than that of Immortal Chenyan. Her eyebrows were as dark as painted ink, and her deep, profound eyes conveyed detachment and cold serenity. She, too, seemed to exist apart from the world, ethereal and transcendent like an immortal.

Previously, Immortal Chenyan was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, incomparable to anyone else. Upon seeing this woman, Qin Sang instinctively compared the two, finding a significant difference in their temperaments. He recalled the impression Immortal Chenyan had left on him: a faint, lingering sadness etched between her brows, and eyes that held an unwavering determination, almost bordering on stubbornness. That night, a hint of confusion, which Qin Sang couldn't comprehend, had also appeared, pulling Immortal Chenyan from the heavens down to the mortal world. This woman, however, was a true Moon Palace Immortal, untouched by the mundane world. Her gaze was cold and indifferent, as if observing everything in the mortal realm would not cause even the slightest ripple of emotion within her.