Chapter 556: The Appointed Time Has Come

"Uhh..."

Qin Sang fell into silent contemplation.

He hadn’t expected the Perpetual Camphor to be so rare. If he relied solely on trade to obtain it, he would likely have a hard time finding any.

The Eight-Sword Elder was right, acquiring the jade slip would open up another path.

Qin Sang was already tempted, but his tone remained reluctant, his smile bitter. "Senior, your means are truly formidable. I must admit, I’m nearly swayed. However, you're offering only a piece of Heavenrock and a single jade slip. Even if the contents of the jade slip are genuine, I’ll still have to travel far and wide in search of it, not knowing whether I’ll even find it... You’ll need to add something more."

"Then how about I throw in a stalk of Soul-Guiding Grass?"

The Eight-Sword Elder immediately took out another jade slip and a jade box. Sure enough, nestled inside the box was a complete stalk of Soul-Guiding Grass.

Qin Sang froze for a moment, then chuckled bitterly. "So you have already seen through all of my needs."

The Eight-Sword Elder stroked his beard and said, "You may not know this, Daoist Master, but I’ve been chasing after a Ziwei Secret Talisman for a very long time. I’ve spent no small amount of effort to gather the things you need. This is already my limit."

Qin Sang nodded thoughtfully.

It was rare to encounter someone who could offer everything he needed; such an opportunity could not be found again easily.

Judging by the Eight-Sword Elder’s tone, this offer was likely the best he could manage. If Qin Sang kept pushing for more, he might lose everything for the sake of a minor gain.

With that in mind, Qin Sang pushed the Ziwei Secret Talisman forward and agreed crisply, "Very well! I’ll make the exchange for these three items!"

With the deal made, both sides left satisfied.

Qin Sang took the items and hurried back to his residence.

The piece of Heavenrock wasn’t large, but it was more than enough to refine the Primordial Unity Ring.

He carefully stored the Heavenrock and Soul-Guiding Grass, then infused his spiritual consciousness into the jade slip to examine it in detail.

After some time, Qin Sang withdrew his consciousness and sighed inwardly. This jade slip had definitely been worth the trade.

The Eight-Sword Elder had likely feared he’d grow suspicious and had given him the original jade slip. The contents were intact, with not a word missing.

Within the jade slip were not only various pieces of information on the Perpetual Camphor, but also detailed records of the cultivation environments and unique properties of dozens of other rare spiritual materials.

For someone like Qin Sang, who had resolved to delve deeper into the art of artifact refinement, this jade slip was a true treasure.

According to its contents, the Perpetual Camphor was accompanied by a specific demonic beast known as the Fire-Repelling Finch.

This finch resembled a swallow, its feathers translucent like ice. It possessed an unusual ability for controlling frost and cold, and could summon chilling winds with a flap of its wings. These are winds that could erode the soul and gnaw at the bones. Ordinary flames could not even approach it; they would be extinguished on contact.

However, flames that surpassed its abilities would instead become its nemesis.

At its core, Perpetual Camphor was a type of cold jade. The Fire-Repelling Finch was particularly fond of the cold aura emitted by the jade tree and could sense it from afar.

If it fed on the camphor’s cold qi over many years, it would gradually undergo a metamorphosis, its power increasing dramatically.

It was said that the phoenix would settle only upon the parasol tree, eat only bamboo seeds, and drink only sweet spring water.

The relationship between the Fire-Repelling Finch and the Perpetual Camphor mirrored this kind of bond.

When he learned that the Perpetual Camphor was accompanied by such a creature, Qin Sang felt completely tricked.

Perpetual Camphor was already exceedingly rare but the Fire-Repelling Finch was hardly any more common. Qin Sang had never even heard of it before. It was only after the Eight-Sword Elder revealed that one had been sighted deep within Endless Valley that Qin Sang let the matter drop.

And then came the worry.

He had once ventured into the inner valley of Endless Valley with Wandering Man, and he knew just how perilous it was inside.

More importantly, a mature Perpetual Camphor would easily attract Fire-Repelling Finches at the Demonic Core Realm. The Demonic Flames of the Nine Hells housed within the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions might not even be able to suppress them.

Fortunately, he was not lacking in astras, and didn’t need to worry about having no weapons after forming his core. There was no rush to forge the Primordial Unity Ring.

From then on, Qin Sang no longer left his residence. He immersed himself in studying the art of artifact refinement, combining the jade slip’s knowledge with the Wu Family's insights on crafting.

...

"Junior Brother Qin!"

Bang! Bang!

The door to the room was knocked.

Qin Sang sensed that Qiu Mubai was standing outside, and a gleam flashed across his eyes.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Ziwei Palace was finally about to open!

A month ago, the flying yaksha’s injuries had been fully healed, and its strength had completely returned.

Pushing open the door, Qin Sang saw that Ji Qing and the others had also emerged from seclusion. The group exchanged nods and set off together toward the inner part of the residence.

When they reached the cave dwelling, Che Yutao was nowhere in sight. Instead, an emaciated old man in a grey-white long robe walked out from within.

It was Senior Uncle Fengming!

Qin Sang still remembered that after reaching the Foundation Building Realm, he had been invited once to lend support in battle. Back then, Fengming’s disciple, Li Zai, had perished in the Heavenly Corpse Cave. Because Yu Dayue had been the organizer of that operation, he became the target of Fengming's wrath and was nearly expelled from the sect—a chain of events that eventually led to tragedy.

"Greetings, Senior Uncle Fengming!"

Qin Sang had no desire to suffer misfortune for no reason, so he bowed alongside the others. Seeing that Senior Uncle Fengming ignored him entirely, he relaxed.

"Follow me," Fengming said indifferently.

As soon as he spoke, clouds formed beneath his feet, and his body turned into a streak of evasion light, flying straight toward the gate of Xuanlu Stronghold.

Qin Sang and the others hurried to keep up.

On the way, Qin Sang moved closer to Ji Qing and curiously asked, "Senior Brother Ji, isn't Senior Uncle Che going to Ziwei Palace?"

Ji Qing gave a low grunt of acknowledgment. "Master is staying behind to guard Xuanlu Stronghold."

Qin Sang nodded. For a cultivator like Che Yutao, whose path was clear and filled with promise, there truly was no need to take unnecessary risks.

He couldn’t help but wonder which other senior uncles would be accompanying them—was Qi Yuanshou coming as well?

Senior Uncle Fengming was astonishingly fast. Qin Sang and the others gave their all to keep up, eventually arriving at the front of Xuanlu Stronghold.

There, they found the fortress gate, which had been sealed for over half a year, wide open. The barrier outside the pass bulged outward in a semicircle, and in the distance, they could see more than a dozen figures standing there.

A Core Formation cultivator from the Taiyi Core Sect stood in front of the gate.

Just then, a sword light streaked through the sky from the eastern city wall and arrived at the gate ahead of them. It was the Eight-Sword Elder.

As the sword light dissipated, eight miniature flying swords appeared, neatly orbiting around his dantian. The swords formed a lotus shape before merging together and being absorbed into his body. It was a display as elegant as it was impressive.

"Hm? What brings Daoist Eight-Sword here?" asked the Golden Core cultivator guarding the gate, who clearly recognized him.

The Eight-Sword Elder cupped his hands and presented his Ziwei Secret Talisman. "Daoist Liu, I came here precisely for the Ziwei Secret Talisman. Fortunately, the journey was not in vain."

After inspecting the talisman, the Golden Core cultivator with the surname Liu allowed the Eight-Sword Elder to pass through.

By then, Fengming had arrived as well. Once Qin Sang and the others caught up, he led them toward the gate, only to be blocked by Liu, who extended a hand to stop them.

"Hold on."

There seemed to be some bad blood between Liu and Fengming. Liu sneered and mocked, "What’s this, Brother Fengming? Sending disciples out into the wilderness during the peak of the Spirit Tide, are you trying to get them killed? Surely there's no rush?"

Fengming let out a cold snort. "You’re nothing but a barking dog! They are going to Ziwei Palace."

"So many disciples at the Fake Core Realm, and you're sending them all to Ziwei Palace? Aren’t you afraid of losing everything?"

Liu's eyes swept over Qin Sang and the others in astonishment, but he still refused to let them pass easily. "Show me your Ziwei Secret Talismans."

At that moment, a gentle voice suddenly rang out from beyond the gate.

"They don’t need Ziwei Secret Talismans. I will protect them when the time comes."