Chapter 603: Heavenly Mountain

Qin Sang tried to activate the green copper fragment but ultimately failed.

Gripping the fragment tightly, he exited the stone chamber.

Turning to look back the way he came, he saw that the bird puppet was still struggling within the Southern Sun Fire. Most of its body had already melted away; its form was faint, and its life was nearing its end.

Qin Sang held the green copper fragment in one hand and soared into the air on his sword, retracing his steps.

This time, as he passed through the Southern Sun Fire, he felt something different.

The burning pressure that had previously felt as though he would be reduced to ashes at any moment was now markedly diminished. A faint warmth emanated from the green copper fragment in his hand, as if it was absorbing part of the fire’s intensity on his behalf.

Under the green glow of the copper, the Southern Sun Fire even seemed to dim slightly.

Whoosh!

Qin Sang passed safely through the Southern Sun Fire and landed on the ground.

Within the demon fire, the bird puppet let out a silent, mournful cry. The moment Qin Sang touched down, it was reduced to ashes.

Wandering Man sat slumped on the ground, drenched in sweat and nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Controlling both the spiritual array and the bird puppet had pushed his recently recovered strength back to its limit.

"This green copper fragment really is immune to the Southern Sun Fire..."

Qin Sang looked down at the fragment in his hand, silently astonished as he recalled the earlier moment. But aside from this one ability, it still seemed no different from a piece of scrap metal.

No matter how mighty the celestial cauldron might once have been, it no longer had anything to do with him. It was just a broken shard now.

"Senior, how are you feeling?"

Qin Sang walked over and handed the green copper fragment to Wandering Man while helping him up. "Be careful, it's extremely heavy," he reminded him.

Wandering Man’s eyes lit up with excitement. He took the green copper fragment with both hands and immediately felt its weight drag down his arms, prompting him to place it on the ground. He waved off Qin Sang’s support and rose to his feet on his own. "Brother Qin, thank you for your help! How’s the mark on your wrist? I’ll need to meditate and return to full strength before making my move. For now, let me send you out first."

Qin Sang raised his wrist. The wooden bracelet now bore seven or eight visible cracks, and even one of the dragon scales had shattered.

Clearly, it wouldn’t last much longer.

Without saying more, Qin Sang wished Wandering Man a successful endeavor and turned to leave the passageway.

"Brother Qin, until we meet again!"

Clad in a Daoist robe, Wandering Man stood tall at the entrance to the tunnel, cupping his hands in salute. With a carefree smile, he said, "If I fail, light a stick of incense for me the next time you enter Ziwei Palace. That alone will suffice."

"Until we meet again."

Qin Sang returned the salute with solemn respect.

If Wandering Man failed to be reborn in fire, then this farewell would indeed be final.

The dark passage slowly sealed shut. Qin Sang remained where he stood, watching as Wandering Man turned without hesitation and strode firmly toward the blazing flames.

Crack!

Another fracture appeared on the dragon-shaped wooden bracelet. This time at the dragon’s head. A whisker splintered off and drifted to the ground.

Qin Sang’s body paused slightly, then he picked up speed and raced toward the foot of the mountain.

Along the way, he began organizing the items he had obtained since entering Ziwei Palace.

Despite traversing so many places and experiencing so much, the journey had not taken much time thanks to accurate intelligence. Most of the time had been spent on travel.

Qin Sang feared the wooden bracelet might snap midway and expose his location to Dongyang Bo, so he dared not rest for even a breath.

Amazingly, both of his initial goals in coming to Ziwei Palace—the Purple Cloud Fruit and the follow-up art to

Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment

—had been achieved, and he had even gained unexpected treasures beyond those.

There was no need to speak of the Jade Liquid of Three Radiances, which Qin Sang regarded as his most valuable find, key to refining the Du’e Pill.

The Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions showed potential to become a middle-grade astra, and the refined corpse had a high chance of metamorphosing into a true flying yaksha, capable of contending with early-stage Core Formation cultivators without disadvantage.

With all these gains combined, once he formed his core, his path would be wide open all the way to the threshold of the Spiritual Infant Realm.

The only slight regret was that the cultivation art remained incomplete, missing the final part.

As he descended the mountain, Qin Sang summoned the flying yaksha from his Corpse Puppet Pouch.

It remained immobile. Its primordial spirit was still unstable, and the metamorphosis was proceeding even slower than he had anticipated. It might take a while longer to complete.

By now, Qin Sang had returned to the shore of the small lake. He stored away the flying yaksha, took out the luopan Wandering Man had given him, and stepped into the illusion array.

The illusion array was a remnant from ancient times, and many weak points existed within it.

With the luopan as his guide, Qin Sang quickly located one such weak point and approached it.

He put away the compass, checked himself thoroughly to ensure there were no lingering traces, then crushed the wooden bracelet in his hand and stepped through the vulnerable spot.

Feigning confusion and panic, he rushed about inside the illusion array like a headless fly, pretending to be lost and unable to find a way out.

While darting about, he suddenly felt his entire body constrict. He was startled to find himself engulfed by a shadow.

Qin Sang’s heart jumped. He looked up sharply, only to see a massive hand tearing through the illusion array as easily as ripping paper, reaching down for him like lightning.

He had no power to resist. In an instant, the hand clutched him like a chick, lifting him into the air.

Whoosh...

In the next moment, his senses cleared. He realized he had been pulled straight out of the illusion array and into the open sky.

Staggering slightly as he regained his footing, he saw Dongyang Bo standing before him, his face dark with fury, eyes blazing with rage.

Faced with a Spiritual Infant grandmaster, even a single glance brought immense pressure.

Cold sweat instantly drenched Qin Sang’s back. He quickly bowed and confessed, “Grandmaster, forgive me! I got trapped inside the illusion array and couldn’t find a way out. I thought I was going to die in there. I was fortunate to be rescued... For delaying Grandmaster’s plans, I deserve death a thousand times over!"

He had already anticipated Dongyang Bo would be furious about the delay.

Still, the excuse he chose was a reasonable one.

Some parts of the illusion array could conceal the fluctuations of the tracking mark. Although only a few people who entered the inner palace though the jade wall had fallen directly into the celestial barrier, the possibility was not zero.

By pretending it was an accident, while he still held value, Dongyang Bo, no matter how enraged, wouldn’t explode on the spot.

Once they left Ziwei Palace and he successfully formed his core, his worth would no longer be the same. Dongyang Bo would likely not hold this “accident" against him.

Risking Dongyang Bo’s wrath in exchange for his future was worth it to Qin Sang.

He wore a face of dread and babbled out his defense.

Dongyang Bo’s gaze was cold and brooding. After staring at Qin Sang for a moment, he glanced toward the illusion array on the mountain and gave a cold snort. “This place is riddled with celestial barriers. Surviving it means your luck is good."

With that, Dongyang Bo flicked his sleeve. A surge of true essence swept Qin Sang up like a comet chasing the moon, shooting straight toward the heavenly mountain.

Qin Sang allowed himself to be carried through the air, silently sighing in relief. It seemed he had successfully concealed the truth. Fortunately, Dongyang Bo had more pressing matters and didn’t interrogate further.

As long as he fulfilled Dongyang Bo’s orders flawlessly, this matter would be put to rest.

Dongyang Bo flew with astonishing speed, and the scenery below retreated rapidly in a blur.

The distant heavenly mountain soon loomed large before them.