Chapter 1274: An Unexpected Gain

The spirit tablet had already shattered. Daoist Master Chongyi had perished in pursuit of the Dao. The group silently sealed Blood Lake.

"My condolences, fellow Daoists." Those familiar with them offered words of comfort to Si Di and Yaojing.

Both were Spiritual Infant cultivators. Though grief weighed heavily on them, they did not lose composure and only nodded in silence.

Everyone had been moved by Daoist Master Chongyi. They promised that when the time came, they would personally visit Taiyi Core Sect to pay their respects and see him off on his final journey.

"Daoist Master Chongyi has departed, while the rest of us must continue struggling in the mortal world." Devil Lord Tongyou sighed and said, "Sin Abyss remains a grave threat. Although we failed to seize the jade skeleton this time, we first destroyed Old Devil Ye’s incarnation and then heavily wounded Old Ghost Tianzheng. Our gains in battle were remarkable, and this is the best possible time to launch a counterattack. I will head to Tianxing Highland at once to discuss the matter with Daoist Zhenyi."

As he spoke, Devil Lord Tongyou looked mainly at Qin Sang and Qingjun.

Qin Sang and Qingjun exchanged a glance, then nodded. "That is precisely our intention as well!"

Chaos had plagued Beichen Realm for far too long. Such a situation was unfavorable for developing sects, and it made peaceful cultivation impossible.

Devil Lord Tongyou was overjoyed and repeatedly praised the idea. "If none of you have urgent matters, make your arrangements as soon as possible and come join us. A great battle is imminent. It would be best if we could finish everything in one stroke and completely crush Sin Abyss!"

Everyone agreed.

After Blood Lake was sealed, it remained stable throughout. The monsters showed no sign of attacking the seal.

"For now, there is no need to worry about the monsters breaking out of Blood Lake, but precautions must still be taken. From now on, let the major sects send disciples into the valley in rotation to stand guard here, just in case. What do you all think?"

Someone proposed it, and no one objected. The matter was quickly settled. The surviving Golden Core cultivators were all true disciples of the major sects, so two were immediately chosen and ordered to remain here on guard.

Devil Lord Tongyou left first and went straight to Tianxing Highland. The others dispersed as well, each returning to their sects to prepare for war. Dongyang Bo departed together with Devil Lord Tongyou.

When Qin Sang saw this, he knew there would be little chance of plotting against Dongyang Bo again in the near future, so he stopped wasting energy on that matter. Still, the necessary precautions would certainly have to be made.

At parting, the other Spiritual Infant cultivators deliberately came to bid farewell to Qin Sang and Qingjun, and Qin Sang responded to each of them in turn.

Bing Han and Xiang Qing were the last to remain.

"Daoist Leng has always been unfathomable, so that did not surprise me. But I never expected Daoist Qin to be this formidable as well! Your disguise was truly exquisite. Back on Divine Gale Peak, Daoist Xiang and I spent several days with you, yet we did not notice the slightest flaw." Bing Han’s beautiful eyes shifted as she spoke, half complaining. "I remember you once said you would visit Xuling Sect. I have been looking forward to it for a long time, yet you never came. Surely that was not an empty promise?"

Qin Sang quickly replied, "How would I dare deceive you with false words? I was previously occupied with refining spiritual flames and could not spare the time. Once the war is over, I will certainly pay a visit."

To temper the charred wood and nourish Wandering Man’s true spirit, as well as to forge an astra capable of collecting Southern Sun Fire, he would need highly advanced artifact refinement techniques.

Working behind closed doors would get him nowhere. Qin Sang had long coveted Xuling Sect’s artifact refinement techniques, and he needed to think carefully about how to make a deal with Bing Han for them.

Bing Han nodded in satisfaction. "Then I shall prepare fine wine and await your arrival."

After that, Xiang Qing came over and exchanged a few polite words before leaving together with Bing Han.

Watching them go, Qin Sang sent a voice transmission to Qingjun. "How much do you know about Bing Han and Xiang Qing, Senior Sister?"

"The benefits Xuling Sect gained from the three-domain war were second only to those of Taiyi Core Sect. Bing Han understands very well that wealth should not be flaunted. She keeps a low profile and is skilled at navigating among different sides, so she does not attract much attention. However, that woman is not simple. She seems to have been scheming something in secret all along, and her words just now carried hidden meaning. Both you and Xiang Qing are skilled in fire-controlling abilities. That may be why she is deliberately trying to befriend you."

Qingjun had watched everything coldly and saw it clearly. Qin Sang was not afraid that Bing Han had ulterior motives. If she wanted something, that only made a deal easier.

Suddenly, Jingyu proposed returning to her former cave dwelling for a look.

Qin Sang persuaded Jingyu to first accompany them to Yuanshen Sect. Yuanshen Sect was very safe, and she could refine the Corpseflower Blood Amber there and seek a breakthrough.

Qingjun said, "I was just thinking of finding a place to recover. You go ahead. I will find a cave dwelling nearby and wait for your return."

Jingyu and her son left on their own. Qin Sang stayed behind to protect Qingjun.

Outside the cave dwelling, Qin Sang paced back and forth, glancing toward the cave from time to time, his brow slightly furrowed.

He did not know whether Qingjun had overexerted herself in the great battle against Old Devil Ye, or whether her injuries were too severe to suppress. Before they had even left Endless Valley, she had already needed to enter seclusion and recuperate.

The situation earlier had been too chaotic, so he had not noticed anything strange about her.

But upon careful reflection, ever since leaving the blood pool, the mysterious aura about Qingjun had seemed to fade slightly.

The feeling was elusive and impossible to describe. Qin Sang himself could not tell whether it was simply an illusion.

"Could it be that the Azure Luan was badly wounded and the backlash affected her as well?" Qin Sang muttered.

Qin Sang had personally witnessed Qingjun’s Azure Luan puppet being destroyed in the past. At that time, Qingjun, disguised as Granny Jing, had effortlessly summoned another one, so he had assumed that injuries to the Azure Luan did not affect her much.

But the Azure Luan puppet now possessed strength comparable to a Transformation Realm demonic beast. Qingjun must have devoted tremendous effort to refining it, and perhaps had even used some secret technique. It could not be treated the same as the puppet from years ago.

As expected of father and daughter. They really were cast from the same mold. Qin Sang thought this to himself, recalling how Senior Qingzhu had also stubbornly endured while gravely injured.

Not long afterward, Jingyu and fat chicken returned. Qin Sang had already removed the barrier from fat chicken. The pair of mother and son seemed to have endless things to say to each other.

Four more hours passed.

Qingjun emerged from seclusion. The moment her gaze met Qin Sang’s, she knew what he was worried about and said, "I am fine. It is only that the Azure Luan has been severely damaged. For the near future, I will not be able to summon it in battle and can only rely on the Fivefold Tower."

***

The two humans and two demons flew straight out of Endless Valley and returned to Yuanshen Sect.

Bai was still in seclusion, and no one knew when it would finish comprehending the bone curse and the Corpse Soul Orb and advance to corpse king.

Qin Sang did not disturb Bai. After choosing a cave dwelling and settling Jingyu and her son, Qin Sang returned to his own cave dwelling.

On the way back, Qin Sang had asked Qingjun for guidance on the Dao of puppets and gained quite a lot. Qingjun passed on several secret techniques for restraining puppets.

She also told Qin Sang everything she knew about Shangyuan Tranquility Palace and the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet, though she warned that the information might not be entirely accurate and that he should judge for himself.

The Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet possessed strength capable of battling a middle-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator, yet generation after generation of Shangyuan Tranquility Palace grandmasters had failed to tame it and could only subjugate it within the sect.

Qingjun advised Qin Sang not to place overly high hopes on the talisman puppet.

Her attainments in the Dao of puppets might not surpass those of the past grandmasters of Shangyuan Tranquility Palace, and she estimated it would be difficult to find a way to subdue the puppet. She could only do her best.

The best possible result would probably be the same as Shangyuan Tranquility Palace’s, keeping it in the sect as a sect-guarding puppet.

However, after discovering a far more unusual use for the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet, Qin Sang’s thoughts had long since moved beyond the puppet itself.

While inspecting the talisman puppet and trying to sense the soul shadow within it, he was delighted to discover that he could actually experience a trace of the original cultivator's remaining states of mind from that soul shadow.

Among the generations of Shangyuan Tranquility Palace grandmasters, there had been no shortage of middle-stage Spiritual Infant experts.

Did the talisman puppet contain the soul shadow of a middle-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator?

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