Chapter 1321: Upheaval in the Forbidden Ground

As soon as they had approached the forbidden ground, the Fire Jade Centipede had begun acting strangely.

Qin Sang had only seen it behave like this twice before.

The first time was when he discovered Crimson Fire Gilded Gold in the ancient cultivator’s residence. The second was in Abyssal Ruin, when it had been drawn toward that mysterious white copper.

Qin Sang raised his head and looked toward the summit. The thing attracting the Fire Jade Centipede was inside the mountain’s hollow core!

What secret was hidden within the forbidden ground of Xuling Sect, aside from the mountain within the mountain?

Suppressing his curiosity, Qin Sang placed a layer of restraints on the Fire Jade Centipede, lest Bing Han notice something when they met and misunderstand.

There might be an exceedingly rare treasure hidden in the mountain, but Qin Sang had no greedy thoughts of making it his own.

His purpose in coming to Xuling Sect was to befriend Bing Han and seek her guidance in artifact refinement. He did not wish to stir up unnecessary complications. No matter how rare the treasure might be, it still could not compare to the Southern Sun Fire.

After returning the Fire Jade Centipede to the Spirit Beast Pouch, Qin Sang gathered his thoughts, took out a devilish banner, activated the fire lotus seed within his body, and began cultivating the Fire Seed Golden Lotus, refining the devilish fire.

Not long after, Fire-Hating Pavilion suddenly trembled.

Qin Sang was jolted awake. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes as he rose to his feet and stared toward the mountain peak. That fluctuation had appeared again.

Here, his perception was even clearer. The entire forbidden ground had violently shaken. Qin Sang was certain. The source of the disturbance lay within the mountain!

A look of surprise crossed his face. Judging by his senses, the force of the fluctuation was extremely powerful. At its source, it had to be far more violent.

With his current cultivation, if he had been inside the mountain at that moment, he would have needed to summon his astra to withstand it.

What exactly is happening in there? Could it be the treasure the Fire Jade Centipede sensed? Qin Sang pondered silently.

One thing was certain. Bing Han was absolutely not in secluded meditation.

He noticed Yun Lan standing guard outside and quietly observed her. Her expression remained perfectly normal, as though she had long since grown accustomed to such disturbances.

Perhaps he had overthought things. Shaking his head, Qin Sang sat cross-legged once more, put away the devilish banner, and summoned the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet.

While subduing the puppet, Qin Sang also began sensing the puppet’s soul shadow. The Dao Manifestation Tree truly was extraordinary.

Qin Sang merged his consciousness into the soul shadow, forgetting himself, as though he had become another person entirely.

Such a method was extremely dangerous. He could suffer backlash from the soul shadow and lose himself completely. Yet Qin Sang showed no hesitation.

What he gained was not fragmented memories left behind by the soul shadow, as he had imagined, but rather a trace of the soul shadow’s profound and indescribable insight into cultivation realms and the Great Dao while it had still lived.

That insight had remained within the soul shadow and could be experienced by others.

Qin Sang’s will was resolute. He would never be swayed by another person’s Dao, but this experience still brought him tremendous benefit. Its value did not lie entirely in accelerating cultivation speed, but in what came when he encountered bottlenecks.

All Great Dao shared common ground. By absorbing the insights of others, his own path became clearer.

Naturally, this still required time to fully integrate, and progress was slow. Fortunately, Qin Sang lacked neither patience nor time. Whenever he had leisure, he summoned the talisman puppet.

Over time, steady accumulation would eventually lead to explosive growth.

Once the Corpseflower Blood Amber finished purifying, his cultivation would surely enter a period of rapid advancement.

In the blink of an eye, five days passed since Qin Sang arrived at Xuling Sect. During those five days, fluctuations appeared every single day.

Qin Sang gradually discerned a pattern. Some disturbances were strong, others weak. Each day, only one fluctuation was truly powerful, while the others were faint. The forbidden ground showed no outward response to the weaker ones, but they could not escape Qin Sang’s perception.

After the strongest fluctuation appeared, everything would fall completely silent. Then the next day, at nearly the exact same time, the disturbance would return.

On the sixth day, within the forbidden ground of Xuling Sect, a streak of light suddenly shot out from the mountain’s hollow core. After pausing briefly, it streaked toward a palace.

Qin Sang, quietly cultivating in Fire-Hating Pavilion, immediately sensed the newcomer. Surprise flashed in his eyes. He swept out of Fire-Hating Pavilion, ignoring Yun Lan, and rose into the air.

"Hmm? Daoist Qin!" A familiar voice came from within the streak of light, which abruptly stopped. It was Xiang Qing.

"What happened to you, Daoist Xiang?" Qin Sang sized him up, inwardly startled.

Xiang Qing looked utterly disheveled. His Daoist robe bore scorch marks, his aura was uneven, and he seemed greatly exhausted.

"It’s a long story." Xiang Qing shook his head. "Not long after the peace talks between the three domains, I returned with Daoist Bing Han to Xuling Sect. We attempted it many times, but failed again and again. This time, I nearly suffered backlash. I was just on my way to invite you, yet unexpectedly, you had already arrived."

"I have been waiting here for quite some time! What exactly is happening inside the mountain? Even with the two of you joining forces, you still failed?" Qin Sang was astonished.

There was a trace of the Ancestral Sacred Flame lingering on Xiang Qing’s body, meaning he had already refined part of it. His strength was far greater than before.

Xiang Qing froze. "Daoist Qin, you still don't know the reason? Then I cannot speak of it. I swore an oath to Daoist Bing Han not to reveal any secret of Xuling Sect to anyone. If you wish to know, you must ask Daoist Bing Han yourself. Daoist Bing Han should be emerging soon as well—"

"I will personally explain it to Daoist Qin. Daoist Xiang, quickly go regulate your breathing. This fire poison is no trivial matter. Even with your Devilish Qingyang Fire, you cannot allow it to accumulate within your body for too long." Before the voice had fully faded, a palace-robed woman flew down from the mountaintop. It was Bing Han.

Xiang Qing gave Qin Sang a fist-and-palm salute and flew into the palace. With a flash, Bing Han appeared before Qin Sang.

Nothing unusual could be seen on the surface, but the weakness in her aura could not be concealed. Just like Xiang Qing, her true essence had been violently depleted.

"I wonder whether I have come at a suitable time. It seems like what lies within concerns a vital secret of your sect." Qin Sang looked up toward the summit.

A smile appeared on Bing Han’s face. "Daoist Qin, you have come at exactly the right time. Your keen eyes miss nothing. The secret within the mountain is indeed of utmost importance to Xuling Sect and cannot be allowed to fail. If you wish to know, then come with me."

With that, Bing Han prepared to fly toward the summit.

Yet Qin Sang remained where he stood, unmoving. "From what Daoist Xiang said, this matter is no small one. Should I first swear an oath as well?"

Bing Han nodded seriously. "If you do not mind, that would naturally be the best."

"And what will I gain in return?" Qin Sang fixed his gaze on her.

"What do you desire?" Bing Han naturally saw that Qin Sang had come seeking something. Since the matter was critical, she had no wish to haggle and said plainly, "The entire Xuling Sect will do everything in its power to satisfy your request."

Qin Sang hesitated, then could not help laughing bitterly inwardly. He had originally come to ask a favor. Yet after unexpectedly encountering Bing Han and Xiang Qing in this situation, it had instead become Bing Han asking him for help.

That was hardly a bad thing. Negotiating terms afterward would become much easier.

What Bing Han sought was not some ancient hidden realm, but judging by the state of the two of them, it was likely just as dangerous.

"That depends on what the matter is. I originally wished to borrow all of your sect’s artifact refinement manuals for study. If you could personally offer some guidance, that would be even better." When Qin Sang spoke the word "all," he deliberately emphasized it.

"So you wish to study artifact refinement." Bing Han was not surprised. After reaching the Spiritual Infant Realm, most cultivators forged their own astras, since those were the most compatible with themselves.

She quietly let out a breath of relief. "Daoist Qin, rest assured. Whether we succeed or fail, I will open our manuals to you. However, you must swear not to pass them on to outsiders, including your disciples. Surely, you can understand that."

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