Chapter 846: Lan Dou Sect

The Mortal Realm

In desperate urgency, they traveled day and night. Deep within the demon territory, they dared not draw attention and had to remain hidden at all times, carefully evading the eyes and ears of the demon beasts. Everyone was tense, and within a few days, they were utterly fatigued, landing to rest.

Along the way, they witnessed shocking sights. Large islands that cultivators once inhabited had all fallen, becoming demon dens, and the cultivators had vanished without a trace. The smaller islands they passed also clearly bore traces of demon beasts having passed through, having been massacred.

During their journey, Qin Sang also seized every available moment to cultivate.

Half a month after their departure, one evening, they happened upon a small island where they descended to recuperate and replenish their true essence. The four took turns on guard, and this time, it was Elder Zhushan's turn.

Qin Sang found an open spot and sat cross-legged, setting up a simple restrictive formation around him. Once the sun's power in the sky diminished, he seized every second to cultivate the "Heavenly Demon Refinement Art." The "Heavenly Demon Refinement Art" drew upon astral essence to temper the physical body. To outsiders, it seemed like a cultivation method that utilized the stars of the cosmos; no one would ever guess that Qin Sang was cultivating a demonic art. With others present, it was difficult to use the bone flute for cultivation, and the rate of drawing in astral essence would be slower, but it still proved to be a top-tier body refinement secret art.

Upon reaching the second stage, the foundation he had built previously became less effective, and his advancement somewhat slowed. Having learned from Elder Zou that the Seven Kill Hall would open again in over forty years, Qin Sang felt a deeper sense of urgency.

With a deeper understanding of this cultivation method, Qin Sang estimated that if his "Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter" cultivation stagnated, reaching the mid-third stage of the "Heavenly Demon Refinement Art" and activating the Heavenly Demon Transformation would grant him the terrifying strength of a peak Core Formation cultivator, sufficient to confront one of the swordsmen on the sword path! Even while still in the second stage of the "Heavenly Demon Refinement Art," Qin Sang had a premonition that physical strength and true essence could complement each other, and the advantages of dual cultivation (body and spirit) would surpass his expectations.

A thought struck Qin Sang: "Could this be the right path?" If he also possessed a top-tier cultivation method to bolster his nascent soul and refine his divine sense, cultivating all three concurrently, his power would be dreadful, easily crushing cultivators of the same realm. Alas, this was but a pipe dream. Aside from such top-tier cultivation methods being long lost to the annals of time, and the two he had fortuitously obtained were both incomplete, even if such a technique truly existed, cultivating three top-tier methods concurrently would be impossible in today's cultivation world, given its scarcity of resources. The result of divided focus would be irreparable regret when his lifespan eventually dwindled. Had it not been for the bottleneck in his "Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter," Qin Sang would not have primarily focused on the "Heavenly Demon Refinement Art" until at least before reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

There was now hope for the Hairy Mountain Vine; only one ingredient, Scorpion Venom Grass, remained. As long as he could achieve a breakthrough in time, there was a strong possibility of cultivating to the mid-third stage before the Seven Kill Hall opened. Qin Sang estimated that the Seven Kill Hall might be opened multiple times before its next spontaneous appearance, but he dared not be the least bit complacent or procrastinate. Things are impermanent, and chaos frequently appeared in the Canglang Sea, so accidents were bound to happen. He had to grasp the present opportunity.

He glanced up at the starry sky, then lowered his eyelids and entered deep meditation. Around him, a clear shimmer permeated, and the surrounding starlight was drawn in, gathering around him. The river of stars flowed, and the bright moon drifted westward.

At dawn, Qin Sang felt the restriction array being activated and awoke from his meditative state. He noted the time; it was not yet time to set off, and saw Elder Zhushan standing outside the formation.

"Is there something, Fellow Daoist Zhushan?"

Qin Sang lifted the restriction and invited him inside. Elder Zhushan nodded, walked in with a smile, and his eyes scanned the surroundings. Faint traces of starlight still lingered around. Elder Zhushan's face showed curiosity as he spoke: "While on guard duty just now, I perceived the island's astral essence converging towards you, Daoist. My curiosity got the better of me, and I apologize for intruding. Are you, Daoist, cultivating a rare Cosmic Stars cultivation method? Might you have any connection to the Landou Sect?"

"Landou Sect?" Qin Sang's expression faltered. He recalled that the Landou Sect was a powerful sect in the Inner Sea. Their sect's headquarters were in a sea region northwest of Tianxing Island, not too distant, and Qin Sang had heard of them several times.

"This humble Daoist does indeed cultivate this type of method, but I have never had any dealings with the Landou Sect. May I ask why Fellow Daoist Zhushan asks?"

"Then this old man must have guessed wrongly." Elder Zhushan pointed to the rapidly dissipating astral essence and explained: "In the cultivation world, practitioners of stellar power are not very common. It is said that there are differences among these types of cultivation methods. If I'm not mistaken, Daoist appears to directly draw astral essence into your body. This method is extremely dangerous, often harming one's foundation, and is exceptionally rare. This reminds me of an old acquaintance of my master. Back then, this old man was merely an unknown beginner in the path of cultivation, and that senior was already a high-level Core Formation cultivator, an elder of the Landou Sect. When he visited my master, I was serving tea nearby and met him once. The phenomenon during his cultivation was also similar to yours, Daoist. Seeing this, I felt a sense of familiarity and thought Daoist might be his descendant."

"It's likely a coincidence. I've never interacted with Landou Sect cultivators, and this cultivation method was obtained by chance. As far as I know, among the three most renowned true inheritances of the Landou Sect, there are seemingly two Five Elements cultivation methods, specifically Wood and Earth, and a Yin-Yang Heavenly Battle Secret Art, said to be extremely difficult to cultivate. There is no such method. Do you remember that senior's name, Fellow Daoist Zhushan?"

Qin Sang had been searching for locations suitable for astral essence infusion and had been gathering information everywhere for this purpose. While gathering information on the true inheritances of prominent sects, he hadn't found any renowned Cosmic Stars cultivation methods. Conversely, out of three spirit herbs, he only needed one more, and prospects were high.

"I only recall that senior's Daoist name was Qiyunzi; there was no news of him afterward." Elder Zhushan shook his head regretfully, "The Landou Sect has stood in the Inner Sea for many years. It's not surprising that besides their three great true inheritances, they also possess other cultivation methods. However, it's exceedingly difficult to achieve great things from other methods if one doesn't cultivate the sect's true inheritances. Senior Qiyunzi probably didn't accomplish much in the end, becoming lost among the masses."

"Perhaps..."

Qin Sang nodded. After a brief casual conversation with Elder Zhushan, Immortal Maiden Yue and Kong Yun also awoke. The group decided to set off early.

During their swift flight, Qin Sang mused over what Elder Zhushan had just said. Both the Daoist name and background were clearly explained, so Elder Zhushan was likely not making it up to curry favor. There was no conflict of interest among the four, so he had no reason to do so. This meant that the Landou Sect might possess a cultivation method of the same lineage as the "Heavenly Demon Refinement Technique"? It definitely wouldn't be the "Heavenly Demon Refinement Technique" itself. He had only acquired this method through sheer fortune, spanning unknown tens of thousands of miles to gather the three bone flutes.

However, given the countless human sages throughout history, it was not surprising for someone to devise a cultivation method that achieved similar results to the "Heavenly Demon Refinement Technique" through a different approach. Elder Zhushan was correct; even among cultivation methods that draw on the power of the cosmic stars, there were significant differences. The "Heavenly Demon Refinement Technique" was the most violent and dangerous. It was even more terrifying when breaking through realms, requiring a forceful infusion of astral essence to break through. If Qiyunzi cultivated such a method to form his Core, would his breakthrough have had similar requirements?