Chapter 636: Missing the Small Cold Domain

"No, no..."

Cui Xuanzi shook his head repeatedly, a little unsure of Qin Sang’s intentions. Stroking his beard, he chuckled. "I would be overjoyed if the young lady were willing to join Five-Insect Sect. I just fear our humble sect is too crude to catch your eye."

Unexpectedly, Mute Girl stood up, walked over to Cui Xuanzi, and knelt down in a formal bow.

Qin Sang did not stop her. He let out a silent sigh.

Mute Girl was clever. She had already understood his meaning.

To acknowledge Cui Xuanzi as her master in front of Qin Sang was undoubtedly the best choice she could make. Her decisiveness was commendable.

***

After settling Mute Girl, Qin Sang got to the real matter at hand with Cui Xuanzi.

"Following your instructions, Senior, I contacted many friends and did everything I could to help you investigate. Unfortunately, most of them came up empty-handed..."

Cui Xuanzi looked somewhat embarrassed.

"I know a manager of a certain merchant guild. The origins of this guild are mysterious, and their business spans most of Xijiang. Their intelligence network is very extensive. According to him, in the past two centuries, only one Spiritual Infant has emerged from Xijiang, and that person only succeeded after leaving the region, betraying their sect, and joining a major sect outside. As for those in Xijiang who specialize in the Sword Dao, even among our witch race, they’re rare to begin with. Within Xijiang, there’s not a single individual matching your description. As for those beyond Xijiang, I can’t say for certain."

Qin Sang frowned inwardly. Senior Qingzhu had once been known as the Sword Devil in the Small Cold Domain, steeped in the Dao of Slaughter, with an exceptionally distinctive sword art. If he had ended up in Xijiang back then and revealed himself even once, it would have left an impression on someone.

Yet not a single trace had surfaced.

Cultivating the

Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment

required engaging in slaughter to comprehend the Dao of Slaughter. Secrecy would have been impossible.

𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Could Senior Qingzhu have suffered a teleportation mishap and died by accident?

Qin Sang shook his head. The idea felt too far-fetched.

"What about the other matters?"

Cui Xuanzi said, "I also asked him to help source Perpetual Camphor and Soul-Guiding Grass. That manager had at least heard of them. But according to him, both are rare wonders of the world. Their guild has never once recorded acquiring either of these materials. Trying to find them in Xijiang is no different from chasing a fantasy. In fact..."

He paused, casting a cautious glance at Qin Sang before continuing, "According to him, even across the entire Canglang Sea, materials of this caliber are nearly impossible to find. If you truly wish to obtain them, you may have to rely entirely on luck."

Qin Sang’s gaze flickered with astonishment.

Perpetual Camphor being rare was understandable. It was indeed a worldly marvel.

But Soul-Guiding Grass too?

In the Small Cold Domain, though uncommon, Soul-Guiding Grass still showed up now and then in devilish sect auctions. Some devilish cultivators even used it to aid their cultivation.

The Canglang Sea spanned a vast expanse. Just the Witch God Continent alone was several times larger than the Small Cold Domain.

Yet this guild manager claimed that even the Soul-Guiding Grass was scarcely seen throughout the entire Canglang Sea.

Either the man was woefully ignorant and spouting nonsense, or something was wrong.

Qin Sang suddenly had a bad feeling. He asked in a steady voice, "Your friend seems well-informed. He must hold a significant position in the guild, right? Has he any connections to procure pills that assist in Core Formation? I’d like to buy them for the younger disciples of my sect. Price is not an issue."

"Pills for Core Formation?"

Cui Xuanzi gave a bitter smile. "To be honest, I had the same thought before. But when I asked that manager, I learned that any pill that can aid Core Formation, even slightly, is considered a divine herb. Among the human race, their appearance always causes fierce competition. As for our witch race, such things are even rarer. How could they possibly be found in Xijiang?"

Qin Sang finally realized what the real issue was.

It sounded as though the Canglang Sea was far more barren than the Small Cold Domain.

The Small Cold Domain had the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. From time to time, ancient hidden realms would be unearthed. With good fortune, one might even stumble upon an entire herb garden. Rare spiritual treasures would emerge often.

For instance, spiritual items that aided Core Formation. Just within Shaohua Mountain, every Fake Core Realm disciple could be given a Kanli Golden Pill. The other eight righteous sects and the devilish sects were not far behind.

Only natural treasures like the Snow Spirit Lotus or the Iris Flower would reach the level of true scarcity.

Qin Sang had assumed that the storms beyond the Canglang Sea might resemble the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, and that such a vast region would naturally contain richer resources than the Small Cold Domain.

But now he realized that spiritual herbs and materials were astonishingly scarce within the Canglang Sea.

Having suffered deeply during his own Core Formation, Qin Sang knew just how difficult the process could be. Without even the support of auxiliary pills, the chances for human cultivators in this region to form a core must be extremely slim.

The witch race had life-bound insect gu. Could the human race have some other method?

To cultivate in a land this barren, how much of a future could one possibly have? Qin Sang suddenly felt a deep, wistful longing for the Small Cold Domain.

Still, this was only one side of the story, based solely on Cui Xuanzi’s words.

He would have to see it for himself to know the truth.

A wave of emotion stirred within Qin Sang, though his expression remained calm and unreadable. Cui Xuanzi continued, "As for the Fire-Repelling Finch demonic beast you inquired about, there are none in Xijiang either. However, that manager mentioned there have been rumors of sightings in the Stormy Demonic Sea. Perhaps you could search for it there..."

He spoke rapidly, relaying all the information he had gathered in detail to Qin Sang, then handed him a jade slip.

The jade slip contained a simplified geomantic map covering most of Xijiang. Scattered across it were markings indicating some of the ancient perilous realms and hidden realms that had been passed down through local lore. This was exactly what Qin Sang had hoped for.

But these places all lay deep within the heart of Xijiang.

Have I really drifted here from that far away?

Qin Sang silently wondered.

Besides that, the map also indicated several rumored nesting grounds of spiritual insects. Cui Xuanzi had searched according to the entries Qin Sang had given him from the Supernatural Insect Register.

Qin Sang’s eyes lit up. Although resources here were extremely scarce, the variety of supernatural insects was surprisingly rich, many of which did not exist in the Small Cold Domain.

Even now, he had yet to make up his mind on which insect to choose as his life-bound insect gu. Each of the supernatural insects possessed remarkable abilities, and Qin Sang felt that any one of them would be suitable.

However, all of these insects had unusual gifts, making them highly elusive. Their whereabouts were erratic, their appearances shrouded in mystery, and their existence remained unconfirmed. Whether they could actually be captured was entirely uncertain.

"Well done. You truly have put in the effort..."

Qin Sang nodded in approval, but halfway through speaking, his brows suddenly furrowed. He turned toward the hall entrance.

Outside Five-Insect Sect, among the surrounding mountains, dozens of evasion lights in various colors were streaking straight toward the sect, their momentum vast and overwhelming.

It was only then that Cui Xuanzi sensed the disturbance. With a flicker, he vanished from the hall and reappeared outside. The moment he saw the uninvited guests approaching with such force, his face changed dramatically.

"All disciples, hear my command. Activate the protective array!" Cui Xuanzi shouted urgently.

The disciples of Five-Insect Sect had also noticed the anomaly. They flew out from the mountain in succession, flustered and panicked.

Boom!

The peaks all stirred at once. Blinding beams of light lit up and converged in mid-air, transforming into the image of a true lotus blossom.

A voice burst out from outside, wild and arrogant. "Old man Cui Xuan, an honored guest arrives at your gate, and instead of coming out to welcome us, you activate your mountain-protecting array? Is this how you treat your visitors?"

Qin Sang remained seated in the grand hall, unmoving. He took a calm sip of his tea.