Chapter 666: Six-petaled Violet

After a moment, the female cultivator returned with the spiritual herbs Qin Sang needed and brought good news.

"South of Pingbo Port, there's a place called Black Gold Mountain. Legends say that deep within its mountain range lies a rift valley where earth fiend qi exists. However, Black Gold Mountain is very chaotic and unsafe, so senior, please do not let your guard down..."

The female cultivator handed Qin Sang the spiritual herbs and a detailed topographical map, kindly reminding him.

Qin Sang took the map and found that Black Gold Mountain was not far from Pingbo Port, lying on the edge of its sphere of influence. Traveling at full speed, he could reach it in seven or eight days. A round trip, plus the time spent refining corpses, would not delay the Qiongyu Chamber of Commerce's departure date. Black Gold Mountain was a vast, unclaimed territory. Although there were some Witch Tribe forces nearby, none were particularly powerful, so with caution, he wouldn't need to worry about being ambushed.

"You've gone to great trouble, fellow Daoist."

Qin Sang carefully put away the map and inspected the spiritual herbs.

A moment later, Qin Sang noticed that while the female cultivator had retrieved a considerable number of spiritual herbs, none of the most valuable ones from his list, including Soul Guiding Grass, were present.

"Are spiritual herbs truly this scarce in the Canglang Sea region? Such a large chamber of commerce, possessing even magical treasures, yet they don't have a single Soul Guiding Grass?" Qin Sang grumbled inwardly, then said, displeased, "Are you worried I can't afford the spirit stones, fellow Daoist? It's understandable if there's no Myriad Ages Camphor, but not even one Soul Guiding Grass?"

Noticing a hint of anger in Qin Sang's tone, the female cultivator was startled and quickly spoke. "Senior, please allow me to explain. In the Canglang Sea, the rarest spiritual herbs are those that aid cultivation. Soul Guiding Grass, in particular, can assist demonic cultivators. Countless years ago, all the Soul Guiding Grass outside was plundered by demonic forces. Not only does our chamber not have it, but even if senior visits some of the top chambers of commerce under the East Pole Alliance, you'd be lucky to acquire even one. Although some auxiliary cultivation elixirs can now be refined using demonic beasts, their medicinal power is ultimately not as potent or free of side effects as spiritual herbs born of heaven and earth. To this day, demonic sects are still vigorously collecting such spiritual herbs, and top chambers of commerce have intricate connections with them. Once a spiritual herb is discovered, it's often bought before news can even spread..."

Qin Sang frowned inwardly upon hearing this, feeling that the situation was becoming difficult. Demonic cores were not as rare in the Canglang Sea region. With sufficient Soul Guiding Grass, he could refine several more Flying Yakshas. Although his spiritual sense limited the number of Flying Yakshas he could control simultaneously in combat, they would still be useful as cannon fodder when facing danger.

Without Soul Guiding Grass, there would be no Heavenly Corpse Talismans, making it impossible to refine living corpses. No living corpses meant no Flying Yakshas. While it didn't affect the refining of Fiend Corpses, at his level of cultivation, even Fiend Corpses refined by cultivators in the False Core realm were inadequate, not even qualifying as cannon fodder. What was worse, he only possessed the first half of the 'Heavenly Yin Corpse Art'.

"Until I find new Soul Guiding Grass, I'll have to conserve these three Heavenly Corpse Talismans, keeping at least one in reserve," Qin Sang thought. The matter with Dumb Nun made Qin Sang realize that Heavenly Corpse Talismans offered at least a glimmer of hope. Should such a situation arise again, he wouldn't be helpless, forced to watch his loved ones perish.

The female cultivator secretly observed Qin Sang. Seeing his expression relax slightly, she breathed a sigh of relief. She secretly wondered if Qin Sang was a demonic cultivator, given his urgent search for Soul Guiding Grass. She had heard that Soul Guiding Grass was most effective for demonic cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage, but she didn't know if this person was collecting it for a junior or if he cultivated a demonic art that required this herb.

Besides Soul Guiding Grass, the most troublesome spiritual herb was one called Six-Petal Butterfly Violet. This herb was used in small quantities in the formula for cultivating Heavenly Eye Butterflies, but it was the most crucial ingredient. Most of the spiritual herbs required for the formula could be purchased at the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. However, without Six-Petal Butterfly Violet, the effect would be greatly diminished, slowing down the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's growth rate. Fortunately, Qin Sang had asked the female cultivator and learned that Six-Petal Butterfly Violet was not a cultivation-aiding spiritual herb like Soul Guiding Grass, so it wasn't sought after by as many forces. With careful searching, it could still be found.

After paying the spirit stones, Qin Sang left the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. Instead of rushing to the Qiongyu Chamber of Commerce, he found an inn and rented a small courtyard. Activating the restrictive formations, Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the ground. With a turn of his hand, he produced a Fiend Demon Pellet.

Fiend Demon Pellets came in five elements and five colors, but because they were refined from demonic beasts, all of them had a faint reddish hue. Opening the jade bottle released a strong, foul odor, far more unpleasant than Foundation Establishment Pills. Enduring the stench, Qin Sang poured one out, observed it briefly, and then swallowed it. This was the lowest grade of Fiend Demon Pellet, rich in demonic fiend qi, which suited Qin Sang's purpose perfectly.

Upon entering his body, the Fiend Demon Pellet transformed into an extremely violent medicinal power, rushing wildly into his dantian. However, Qin Sang's spiritual power had already solidified into true essence, making it incredibly dense. The pellet's medicinal power couldn't shake it, only causing faint ripples. Qin Sang focused on his Zifu. A faint, yet extremely malevolent fiendish aura, fiercely charged towards his nascent soul the moment the Fiend Demon Pellet entered his body. Even with his strength, he couldn't stop it. No wonder so many Canglang Sea cultivators suffered from demonic fiend qi.

As expected, just as it was about to touch his nascent soul, the demonic fiend qi was immediately repelled by the Buddha's light, lingering in his Zifu before reluctantly retreating and accumulating in his physical body. Perhaps mixed with the lingering resentment of the demonic beast before its death, the demonic fiend qi was extremely stubborn, filled with malice and malevolence. Qin Sang tested it and found that as long as it didn't invade his nascent soul, the demonic fiend qi in his physical body was not difficult to remove and wouldn't cause significant harm. Now, Qin Sang also had a faint demonic aura on him, which could be used to mislead opponents.

The Qiongyu Chamber of Commerce's shop was also quite ordinary. After Qin Sang sat idly in the main hall for a while, a female cultivator of similar cultivation, also in the early Core Formation stage, hurried in. Although her cultivation was high, she didn't seem to care for beauty like other female cultivators; her appearance and attire were quite plain. Yet, every gesture exuded a unique aura befitting a high-ranking cultivator, making her impossible to ignore.

"I apologize for the wait, fellow Daoist. My name is Ran Luo. May I ask your esteemed surname?"

Facing someone of equal cultivation and high standing within the chamber, Qin Sang naturally wouldn't be negligent. He rose, cupped his hands, and said, "This humble Daoist is Qingfeng. I apologize for the intrusion, fellow Daoist Ran."

Ran Luo smiled slightly, secretly sizing up Qin Sang. She didn't ask him to remove his cloak and said with a normal expression, "Just a small matter occurred on the ship. It's an honor to have Daoist Qingfeng visit. This place is quite public, so perhaps we can discuss things in detail in a quiet room upstairs."

"I wouldn't dare refuse!"

Ran Luo gave some instructions, then led Qin Sang upstairs.

"Is Fellow Daoist Ran the chief steward of your esteemed chamber?" Qin Sang asked curiously.

Ran Luo shook her head. "How could I possibly be worthy of the chief steward position? The chief steward assigned to Pingbo Port this time is Elder Zou. Elder Zou is currently not in Pingbo Port; he's visiting the Hou Tu Sect. I can make decisions regarding some of the chamber's affairs. If Daoist Qingfeng insists on meeting Elder Zou, you'll likely have to wait half a month."