Chapter 995: Big Event

The two continued to decipher the fire curse. Ultimately, they didn't completely remove it. Bai perfected the demonic fire curse mark and left a seal within Qin Sang's body, preparing to refine a fire curse seed.

"Please give me the spiritual herbs first, Fellow Daoist," Bai said, his expression subtly changing as he sensed his internal condition. "Repeated overexertion has significantly affected my own vitality. I need to stabilize my fundamental life force before I have the energy to refine the fire curse seed."

Qin Sang quickly handed Bai the mustard seed pouch containing the spiritual herbs. These spiritual herbs had been collected by Manager Liu of the Qiongyu Chamber of Commerce; they were taken along when the chamber was raided. To prevent Qin Sang from becoming suspicious, Manager Liu had done his best, collecting about thirty percent of the spiritual herbs listed on the prescription.

"There are too few spiritual herbs," Qin Sang promised. "After we leave this place, I will definitely help you acquire the rest." He had become enemies with the Qiongyu Chamber of Commerce, so their previous relationship was useless. He would have to buy the herbs himself. Fortunately, he had killed six Core Formation cultivators, including Deputy Envoy Zuo, and had reaped a considerable harvest, so he had enough spirit stones.

Bai took the spiritual herbs and nodded, saying, "As a temporary measure, it's enough."

After Bai returned to his own cave dwelling, Qin Sang sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, deep in thought.

There were only a few remnants of the fire curse in his body, and with the seal Bai had placed, the hidden danger was considered resolved. However, once bitten, twice shy, Qin Sang felt it was safer to remain in the storm zone. This secret realm seemed very stable, so he decided to wait until Bai had refined the fire curse seed before leaving. Finally, he could get some proper rest. Qin Sang ordered the Skyeye Butterfly to stand guard, then lay down fully clothed and fell into a deep, unconcerned sleep.

Day and night were indistinguishable in the secret realm. He didn't know how long he had slept, but after waking, Qin Sang felt refreshed. He sat cross-legged in meditation, circulating his cultivation technique to purify his true essence and refine the impurities accumulated in his body.

Ten days later, Qin Sang finally recovered completely, though the absence of his avatar and the two-headed beast made him feel quite unaccustomed. Thinking of Old Demon Mou, Qin Sang's expression darkened. He reviewed his experiences over the past few days.

Old Demon Mou had a particular fondness for spiritual flames. He had first subdued the Winter Nether Cold Flame left by Venerable Winter Nether, and then, due to his greed for the Nine Nether Demonic Flame, he had targeted Qin Sang. "Possessing a treasure makes one a target!" Qin Sang lamented. They had no previous enmity, yet he had become a thorn in Old Demon Mou's side. In the end, it was because his skills were inferior, leaving him vulnerable.

After feeding the Skyeye Butterfly and the fat silkworm, Qin Sang left his cave dwelling. Seeing that Bai had made no movement, he estimated that Bai would likely need more time to recover, and refining the fire curse seed would also take considerable effort. Qin Sang flew up and spent a full day carefully repairing the ancient restrictions of the secret realm before returning to his cave dwelling.

The Weighty Ring flashed. A piece of decaying wood flew out; it was the Soul Nurturing Wood, emitting a faint soul light. Unable to leave for the time being, Qin Sang decided to re-refine the Ebony Sword first to quickly improve his cultivation and break through to the late Core Formation stage. This way, if he encountered a powerful enemy again, he wouldn't be in such a desperate situation. The last time he re-refined the Ebony Sword was during his Foundation Establishment stage. A thin slice of Boundless Blood Mulberry had taken him about twenty years. This time, the Soul Nurturing Wood was larger, but his cultivation and artifact refining skills were far superior now, so it certainly wouldn't take as long. Qin Sang was very much looking forward to what kind of transformation the Soul Nurturing Wood would bring to the Ebony Sword. He took out a section of the Soul Nurturing Wood, summoned the Ebony Sword, and recalled the process of melting spiritual wood previously.

"Rise!" Qin Sang pointed at the Ebony Sword. The sword hummed melodiously. The Ebony Sword flashed into place beside the Soul Nurturing Wood, and its sword aura gently enveloped the wood. Qin Sang then closed his eyes tightly, urging the Ebony Sword to melt the Soul Nurturing Wood.

Silence filled the cave dwelling. Time slowly passed.

Qin Sang suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the Ebony Sword. The Soul Nurturing Wood was dissolving, and the Ebony Sword was about to absorb its extremely pure foundational wood spirit into its body. Previously, it was at this very moment that an anomaly had occurred: the spiritual wood's essence had been corrupted by the Boundless Blood Mulberry, causing it to lose all its spirituality.

"Buzz..." The Ebony Sword trembled slightly as the Soul Nurturing Wood merged into it. Just then, an eerie streak of blood-red color suddenly appeared. "It's here!" Qin Sang whispered inwardly. Just as the blood-red streak was about to envelop the Soul Nurturing Wood, the wood suddenly erupted with a dense soul light. The blood-red seemed to hit an impenetrable wall, firmly blocked by the soul light, unable to invade in the slightest. Throughout the process, the blood-red lingered but was powerless against the Soul Nurturing Wood. Finally, the Ebony Sword devoured the Soul Nurturing Wood, transforming into a transparent sword embryo, floating before Qin Sang. Seeing this, Qin Sang's face lit up with joy. He withdrew the Ebony Sword to nurture it with his primordial spirit. From then on, he simultaneously refined the Ebony Sword and comprehended the killing talisman.

A year later, Qin Sang's figure appeared in the storm zone. He conjured the Moon-Gazing Rhino Horn. After discerning his direction, he flew while taking out a dusty gray bead.

"I didn't expect it to take this long..." Qin Sang murmured, twirling the bead between his fingers. After Bai stabilized his life force, he failed more than a dozen times before finally refining this fire curse seed. Unbeknownst to them, they had been stranded in the storm zone for a full year.

After traveling through the storm for a long time, Qin Sang reached the outer edge, near Yuan Zhu's cave dwelling, and activated the restriction on a scale. Earlier, due to the urgent situation, Yuan Zhu's words had been vague. Qin Sang had intended to find Yuan Zhu again to ask for more details, but unexpectedly, after waiting for a long time, there was no response. "Is he not in his cave dwelling?" Qin Sang mused. "It seems I'll have to wait until the appointed time to return..." He rubbed his chin, then no longer lingered, flying directly out of the storm zone.

Returning to the Canglang Sea felt like entering another world. Qin Sang glanced around; seeing no one, he conjured his escape light and flew west.

"Aren't you going to the Heavenly Dao Sect to find someone?" Bai asked.

Qin Sang glanced in the direction of the Heavenly Dao Sect and sighed, "We've already been delayed for so long; there's no need to rush now. Let's go to Tianxing Island first to acquire all the spiritual herbs for you, Fellow Daoist, and stabilize your life force." He pondered what identity he should use. Both his true identity and his two aliases, Mingyue and Qingfeng, had attracted powerful enemies, leaving him sighing with emotion.

At Tianxing Island, Qin Sang disguised his identity to enter the city, heading straight for various shops and auction houses. It only took a few days for most of the spiritual herbs Yuan Zhu needed to be gathered, with only a few very precious and rare ones remaining, which he would have to hope to find later by chance.

While on Tianxing Island, Qin Sang had originally intended to secretly inquire about Old Demon Mou's background, believing that knowing oneself and one's enemy is key to victory. Unexpectedly, without much effort, Qin Sang learned of a major recent event involving Old Demon Mou that left him dumbfounded.

Just a few months prior, Old Demon Mou's Skywind Island had suddenly come under siege. The attackers were none other than the two most powerful human forces of the current era: the Righteous Dao and the Demonic Dao, acting in concert. It was said that Grand Cultivators Ling Zhuzi and the Demonic Lord had personally made a move. From that point on, Skywind Island was completely erased from the Canglang Sea! Old Demon Mou was renowned in the Demonic Dao and even among all of humanity. It was rumored that the Demonic Lord had once personally sought to recruit him. Some had even listed Old Demon Mou among the cultivators most likely to break through to the late Nascent Soul stage. As soon as this news spread, it immediately caused a huge stir, shaking the Four Seas. Several months had passed, yet the excitement surrounding the event had not diminished in the slightest.