Chapter 595: Killing Symbol

"These two killing symbols were created from the entirety of my life's efforts, in the process of repairing the art. They remain incomplete, and I leave with some regret. After enduring the tempering of the path of swords, I gained further insight, but was hunted by powerful enemies and forced to flee. My future is uncertain. If a successor should discover this place, may they inherit my will and press on without rest. One day, may the might of the Dao of Slaughter and sword scripture shine again..."

At the end of the message, the name "Qingzhu" was carved using sword qi.

The handwriting was chaotic, etched with sword qi in great haste.

It was clear that the person who wrote these words was under immense urgency, just as the message said: pursued by enemies, forced to escape through the ancient teleportation array.

Not knowing what dangers awaited on the other side of the array, fearing he might never return, he left behind the killing symbols he had created through a lifetime of effort, lest they be lost forever.

He hoped that someone who had successfully cultivated the

Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment

would one day discover this ancient hall and, using these symbols as a foundation, continue repairing the art and allow this unique method to once again see the light of day.

It was an act of great compassion, a guide left for those who would come after.

Perhaps, too, it was a reluctant farewell, a trace left behind in the Small Cold Domain to prove that he had once been here.

Qin Sang silently read the message, deeply moved.

He felt both gratitude for Senior Qingzhu’s selflessness and awe for his talent.

When the art was incomplete, the path ahead severed, and no one could guide him, Senior Qingzhu had not turned to another method. Instead, he pressed forward alone and, relying solely on his own strength, created two killing symbols, forging a new path.

Each symbol represented a new stage of the art.

This meant that before his departure, Senior Qingzhu’s cultivation had at least reached the late stage of Core Formation Realm.

Yet he was still powerless against his pursuer, forced to activate the ancient teleportation array and flee into the unknown.

Was his enemy a Spiritual Infant grandmaster?

Qin Sang did not know the full story. But from tales he had heard and the few hints offered by Granny Jing, he could speculate a few things.

Senior Qingzhu had left Shaohua Mountain for the sake of a woman, yet the sect had not pursued him afterward.

His only known enemy was Yuanshen Sect. Qin Sang had even suspected that the mastermind behind it all might have been Leng Yuntian.

Back then, Leng Yuntian had been severely wounded in Ziwei Palace and had never fully recovered. He had forced his way into the Spiritual Infant Realm, yet only possessed the power of a fake Spiritual Infant. Could it have been Senior Qingzhu who had struck him?

Had he ambushed Leng Yuntian in the Ziwei Palace, seeking revenge?

If that were true, then the one who later hunted Senior Qingzhu was likely Leng Qian, the sect leader of Yuanshen Sect at the time.

Not long after the last emergence of Ziwei Palace, Leng Qian passed away from old age. He had surely been grooming Leng Yuntian as his successor long beforehand.

His prized disciple, cultivated with immense effort, was nearly slain. How could he not be furious? He must have been eager to tear the attacker limb from limb.

Still, this was only speculation on Qin Sang’s part.

What truly happened back then was known only to those involved.

The two killing symbols had been etched with great precision. Sword resonance flowed through them, their murderous intent hidden yet sharp. They were clearly aligned with the first five stages of the

Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment.

Yet when Qin Sang studied them closely, he realized they were in fact different.

Within the killing symbols were many of Senior Qingzhu’s own insights. As he created them, he had unconsciously imbued them with his personal understanding of the Dao.

The

Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment

was a grand art of ultimate simplicity and boundless potential. It was inclusive, open-ended, allowing every practitioner to comprehend it in their own way and find the path most suited to them.

But the derivative art created by Senior Qingzhu was far more narrow, best suited to himself.

This, too, was a matter of cultivation and perspective. The creator of the

Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment

was undoubtedly a peerless cultivator, while Senior Qingzhu had only reached the Core Formation Realm.

The difference between the two was vast.

For Senior Qingzhu to have come this far was already a rare and remarkable feat. He was without doubt a once-in-a-millennium genius.

Precisely because of this, if someone else were to inherit his method, even after cultivating the same foundation, it would be difficult to follow his path without making any changes.

Adjustments were necessary to fit one’s own nature. Otherwise, it would violate the heart’s intent, and the further one progressed in cultivation, the greater the divergence from their true path. In time, there would be the risk of getting zouhuorumo

But Qin Sang was different. He knew very clearly what he wanted: to advance his cultivation as quickly as possible.

He regarded arts as tools. He cultivated the killing symbols purely as a means to grow stronger. With the Jade Buddha safeguarding his spirit, his heart remained utterly unmoved. Even if he had to walk an entirely different path, it would not affect him, much less when only minor adjustments were needed.

By the time he reached the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm, he could follow the road Senior Qingzhu had paved without needing to alter the killing symbols at all.

Qin Sang stared at the symbols, eyes unblinking, committing them to memory and comprehending the subsequent stages of the art.

Though it was a self-made method, it was still profound. Much of it was beyond Qin Sang’s current understanding. But with his discernment, he could tell that this path was viable.

He committed the first killing symbol to memory with relative ease. But when he turned to the second, his gaze sharpened slightly.

The second killing symbol was incomplete. It seemed to be missing the final stroke.

When he examined the deeper meaning hidden within, he found, as expected, that part of the art was absent.

The regret mentioned in Senior Qingzhu’s message most likely referred to this final missing stroke. It seemed that at the time, his cultivation had already come extremely close to completion of the late stage of the Core Formation Realm—only a single step away from the Spiritual Infant Realm.

After the tempering of the sword path, he had gained new insight and finally grasped the missing piece, but by then it was already too late.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

What a pity!

In the ancient hall, Qin Sang’s sigh echoed softly.

Although only a single stroke was missing, it could not be taken lightly. It must never be carelessly inscribed.

The entire killing symbol had to be seamless, without the slightest discord. If done improperly, it could lead to the collapse of the symbol and a dramatic decline in cultivation. In a worse case, even the ebony sword might shatter under the backlash.

Qin Sang memorized both killing symbols, calmed his emotions, and no longer dwelled on regret.

To receive Senior Qingzhu’s self-created continuation of the art so easily was already a tremendous stroke of fortune. These two killing symbols were enough to support his cultivation all the way to the late stage of the Core Formation Realm. With such a long stretch of time in between, perhaps another opportunity would arise.

At worst, he could shut himself away in seclusion and dedicate himself to deducing the art.

It was only a single stroke. Even if his aptitude was dull, he would surely find a solution eventually.

After committing the killing symbols to memory, Qin Sang bowed to the inscription left by Senior Qingzhu, offering his silent gratitude for the guidance. He then turned toward the ancient teleportation array at the center of the altar, his expression thoughtful.

There were no remains of Senior Qingzhu in either the ancient hall or the path of swords, which suggested that he had successfully used the teleportation array to leave.

This proved that the array had indeed been functional at the time.

Whether it could still be used now, however, was another question entirely.

Qin Sang asked himself honestly—if he were in Senior Qingzhu’s place, pursued by a Spiritual Infant grandmaster with death close at hand, the first thing he would have done after arriving would be to destroy the teleportation array on the other side.

The path of swords, though formidable, might not have been enough to stop a Spiritual Infant grandmaster. Only by destroying the teleportation array could the threat be truly eliminated.

Doing so would also cut off his own way back. If it couldn’t be repaired, there would be no return. But that was a problem for the future.

Right now, there was a high chance this teleportation array could no longer be used.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Sang retrieved eight middle-grade spirit stones from the Thousand-Jin Ring.