Chapter 554: Spiritual Infant

It was absolutely impossible for him to plead to be excluded.

Unless he could come up with a way to make Dongyang Bo or Chenyan take the initiative to give up on him.

Suppressing his thoughts, Qin Sang carefully examined the Xuanwu Seal.

The beast soul continued to roar, still unwilling to settle.

He couldn’t tell what spiritual materials had been used to forge this beast seal, and the method used to seal the beast soul was equally ingenious, far beyond Qin Sang’s current understanding of refinement arts.

Withstanding the beast soul’s constant assault, Qin Sang extended his spiritual consciousness into the seal, finally gaining a clear look at the beast soul’s true form.

It was a genuine Xuanwu's soul. It was identical to the carving atop the seal.

Qin Sang was deeply shocked.

Are the beast souls within the other four seals also real? Where has Dongyang Bo managed to find these legendary divine beasts?

But as he scrutinized the soul more closely, he realized something was off. This beast soul hadn’t been extracted from a real divine beast.

Some unknown method had been used to artificially forge a peculiar kind of savage soul. It had no intelligence, only raw ferocity. No wonder it was so violently unhinged.

Qin Sang held the Xuanwu Seal in both hands, activated a hand seal, and began the refinement process.

Though the beast soul was fiercely rebellious, with the Jade Buddha protecting him, Qin Sang estimated that it would take no more than half a month—far less than half a year—to fully refine the seal. It wouldn’t delay his effort to heal the flying yaksha.

Che Yutao was cultivating deep within the residence’s cave dwelling. When it came time to heal the yaksha, Qin Sang would have to proceed cautiously.

As he tamed the beast soul, he also considered whether it might be possible to use the seal to his advantage—perhaps as a way to escape.

He patiently waited until nightfall, when an auction was scheduled to be held.

Che Yutao hadn’t strictly forbidden them from going out, so Qin Sang absorbed the beast seal into his body and prepared to leave, hoping to use this opportunity to meet Wandering Man and ask for his opinion.

But just as he reached the door and was about to step out, his expression suddenly shifted. He quickly turned back and to his astonishment, found another person standing silently in the room.

It was Granny Jing!

Qin Sang secretly let out a breath of relief. His face brightened with joy, and he hurried forward to bow. "Greetings, Senior. Did you just arrive at Xuanlu Stronghold today?"

He had assumed Granny Jing was still at Jiuyong Stronghold, quietly investigating the Yuanshen Sect and Leng Yuntian.

Granny Jing was still leaning on her cane, appearing as an elderly woman, just as she had when they first met at Wenyue Market.

Qin Sang had already seen her true face, so seeing her now in disguise gave him an odd feeling. He couldn’t understand why Granny Jing still refused to show her real appearance.

Granny Jing shook her head. "I’ve been at Xuanlu Stronghold for a while now. Some trivial matters held me back, so I hadn’t met with you until today. But when I saw Dongyang Bo suddenly leaving seclusion, and learned that you were summoned here, I suspected something had changed."

"There has indeed been an unexpected development..."

Now that he saw Granny Jing, Qin Sang immediately felt a weight lift from his heart. He nodded repeatedly and quickly recounted all that had happened today.

Granny Jing asked him to summon the beast seal and handed it to her for examination.

After a short while, Granny Jing looked up and asked, "There are five of these beast seals in total?"

"Yes." Qin Sang pointed toward the neighboring rooms. "The others each have the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and the Gouchen Seals. Together with my Xuanwu Seal, they form the five-elemental beast seals."

"Five-elemental beast seals, five elements, savage souls..."

Granny Jing fell into deep thought.

Then, her eyes suddenly lit up. "So that’s what this is! They’re headed to that place! No wonder they need the seals. Dongyang Bo’s methods are impressive—he actually came up with this approach! It’s a bit of a stretch, but with the two of them working together, they might just be able to open up a new path."

With that, Granny Jing tossed the seal back to Qin Sang. "That Che fellow didn’t lie to you. You only need to hold the seal and break the barrier, so it’s not that dangerous. Besides, with two Spiritual Infant cultivators watching over you, what’s there to be afraid of?"

"Two?" Qin Sang was briefly stunned.

Then realization struck. Granny Jing was referring to Chenyan. He asked in surprise, "Ms. Chenyan has really reached the Spiritual Infant Realm? Why hasn’t any word of it spread?"

Granny Jing replied, "You’d have to ask your grandmaster about that. When that woman underwent her tribulation to reach the Spiritual Infant Realm, she chose a remote, desolate location. Dongyang Bo even spent a vast amount of spiritual materials to set up a grand array to conceal it. If I hadn’t happened to be nearby at the time and noticed something unusual, I doubt anyone would know that Shaohua Mountain now has two Spiritual Infant experts. If news of this got out, every sect in the Small Cold Domain would be in an uproar. But..."

Granny Jing’s tone shifted, a trace of suspicion in her voice. "I investigated quietly afterward, but I couldn’t find anything about that woman’s background. ‘Chenyan’ might just be an alias. After the last time Ziwei Palace closed, she was suddenly brought back to Shaohua Mountain by Dongyang Bo. She shouldn’t have been that old at the time. It’s only been a little over two hundred years since the palace last appeared, so she might not even be three hundred yet. Even with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, reaching the Spiritual Infant Realm at such a young age is extremely rare. Her origins are definitely unusual."

Granny Jing didn’t know about Chenyan’s use of energy extraction to cultivate.

Only Qin Sang understood that her path to the Spiritual Infant Realm hadn’t been easy.

Even so, the speed of her breakthrough left him filled with envy. At three hundred years old, he wasn’t even sure he could reach the late stage of the Golden Core Realm yet Chenyan had already become a genuine Spiritual Infant expert.

But why had she, so young, felt compelled to rely on an evil method to reach the Spiritual Infant Realm?

Hearing all this from Granny Jing helped Qin Sang calm down considerably. He had seen enough scheming and backstabbing in the immortal cultivation world to know that what he feared most was being treated as cannon fodder and discarded.

However, when he asked about the details of their mission, Granny Jing also deflected, claiming ignorance. "All I know is that the place you're going to is considered a vital zone of Ziwei Palace by many Spiritual Infant experts. I’ve never entered it myself. You just need to follow orders when the time comes. Dongyang Bo has a decent reputation in the righteous path; he’s not like those heartless demonic sects. With your meager cultivation, what would be the point in tricking you? Here, take this..."

She tossed Qin Sang a wooden bracelet and taught him how to control it.

"Before you enter the inner palace, just follow along and behave. I’ve already confirmed that Leng Yuntian will be entering the inner palace. When the time comes, we’ll act there! As soon as you enter the inner palace, put on the bracelet. It can temporarily conceal the seal on your wrist. If Dongyang Bo comes looking for you, just say you accidentally wandered into an ancient hall and got trapped by the barriers inside."

So Granny Jing did have a way!

Qin Sang was inwardly delighted as he picked up the wooden bracelet to examine it.

The carving was extremely simple, just like an ordinary wooden ring. Its edges were sharp and unadorned, without the slightest decorative touch.

And yet, for some reason, it exuded a distinct charm. Qin Sang couldn’t help but marvel at Granny Jing’s craftsmanship, which had clearly returned to a state of natural purity, approaching the Dao itself.

"Senior, how long can this bracelet last?"

Qin Sang suddenly thought of something and looked up to ask.

"What are you planning now?"

Granny Jing gave him a curious glance. "You only need to release the Blood Defilement Divine Light. After that, you’re done. It won’t take long."

Qin Sang quickly explained, "I still need to go to the place where Senior Qingzhu fell. I don’t know what the situation is inside but I’m just afraid if it takes too long, the bracelet’s effect will wear off."

If the bracelet could last long enough, Qin Sang had already made up his mind: even if it meant risking punishment, he would rather accompany Wandering Man and finish his own business first, then regroup with Dongyang Bo afterward.