Ziwei Palace.

Within the ancient hall of the sword path, the teleportation array that had lain silent for centuries suddenly flared with faint light.

The glow flickered. Moments later, a figure appeared on the teleportation array out of thin air. His footing faltered as he grasped the stone pillar beside the array for support before finally regaining balance.

Qin Sang’s face was pale. He shook his head lightly, and when his gaze fell upon the familiar surroundings, emotion welled in his eyes.

The ancient hall. The sacrificial altar. The spiritual array. After more than a hundred years, he had finally returned.

This time, he had remained conscious throughout the transmission, and the experience felt far more vivid.

Even with his current cultivation, the dizziness was overwhelming, and he could almost feel his body being torn apart. The spatial turbulence and pressure of this teleportation far surpassed what he had endured in the ancient array of Shangyuan Tranquility Palace.

He silently circulated his cultivation art until the dizziness subsided and his aura grew steady again.

Lowering his head, Qin Sang realized that the very pillar he was holding was the same one left behind by Senior Qingzhu.

Upon seeing the two incomplete killing symbols carved into it, he froze. Back then, Senior Qingzhu had still been alive, yet fate had denied them a meeting. When they finally did meet, it had been only to part forever.

Qin Sang gently brushed the Thousand-Jin Ring on his finger. Senior Qingzhu’s body now rested within that ring.

In Nether Valley, Qin Sang had found him sitting peacefully beneath the peach tree, long since passed into death. Following Senior Qingzhu's final wishes, he sealed the body within an ice coffin and brought it back to the place mentioned in the senior’s final poem, his homeland.

That place lay not within any immortal sect, but like Shaohua Mountain, at the edge of Yuncang Marshlands.

After preparing the coffin, Qin Sang carefully set protective barriers throughout Nether Valley to shield the peach tree from the corroding netherworld qi. He only wished that the peach blossoms would never wither!

Also left on the cliff face was the senior’s final poem, yet it was more than a poem. It was a top-tier sword scripture, the manifestation of all his life’s comprehension of the Sword Dao and Dao of Slaughter.

For Qin Sang, who cultivated the same art as Qingzhu, it was like a priceless treasure!

Filled with gratitude, Qin Sang bowed deeply toward Qingzhu, then memorized the sword scripture word for word before engraving it into a jade slip. He took down the fragment of the Killing Sword but left every trace of writing on the cliff untouched.

Those were Senior Qingzhu's final marks upon the world. But Qin Sang would inherit his will and continue walking the path ahead.

Thinking of this, Qin Sang raised his palm, and the fragment of the Killing Sword appeared.

Because a single complete character "Kill" was engraved upon it, he had named it the Killing Sword.

Gazing down at that character, Qin Sang’s eyes grew solemn. Though the sword was damaged, he could still sense an ineffable resonance emanating from the word. It was so fierce that it shook the mind and disturbed the soul.

When the sword had been whole, it must have been a treasure beyond the imagination of any cultivator in the world!

When Qin Sang had first obtained the fragment, the gray qi that had manifested as the sword spirit had shot into the shard with a sharp hiss.

Recalling Senior Qingzhu’s words, Qin Sang had not stopped it. Yet he never forgot Senior Qingzhu's warning: Before the sword spirit awakened, its nature was unknown. He had to be cautious to prevent the sword spirit from devouring its master.

The moment the sword spirit merged with the fragment, Qin Sang regretted allowing it. Back when Qingzhu was only at the Core Formation Realm, he had barely managed to wield this fragment. The fact that he could seriously wound Leng Yuntian under Leng Qian’s watch was due to this very artifact.

But now, after the sword spirit’s fusion, Qin Sang found that when he tried to control the fragment, a layer of resistance seemed to hold it back.

It was clearly related to the slumbering sword spirit. Whether out of subconscious rejection or because the sword’s power was being used to nourish it, Qin Sang could not tell.

To force the sword spirit out now would be difficult. After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to let it be. He was not lacking in trump cards at the moment.

Within the fragment, the sword spirit could recover much faster than if it remained inside his body. The sooner it awakened, the sooner it could help him locate other fragments and cultivation arts.

At present, he kept the Killing Sword fragment within his Qihai to nourish it. Qin Sang was deeply curious about the sword’s origin.

The Killing Sword had shattered, and the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment had been torn apart alongside it. Since both the sword fragments and the incomplete art were found in the same place, and since only cultivators proficient in this art could control the fragments, their connection must have been profound.

Once he mastered the complete art and restored the Killing Sword’s divine might, what kind of power would it reveal?

Ziwei Palace, Seven-Kill Hall... These two hidden realms flashed through Qin Sang’s mind.

He suspected that if Seven-Kill Hall had once belonged to a peerless immortal sect, then the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment was likely that sect’s handed-down art.

The Sky Tower, Yitian Peak, and the lingering sword will within all served as proof. Ziwei Palace, too, was deeply connected with them. He had obtained both the first part of the art and the sword spirit there.

Moreover, Qin Sang believed that these two hidden realms might not be the only ones. Other fragments could have fallen into different immortal worlds. But if all those worlds were encircled by endless storms, finding them one by one would be a near-impossible task.

The teleportation arrays between the two places were linked. Once he formed his Spiritual Infant, he would thoroughly explore them for more clues.

What drew Qin Sang’s interest most, however, was the shadow of the celestial palace hidden within the celestial barrier of Seven-Kill Hall.

Unlike the chaotic and lifeless hall, that celestial palace had appeared whole and radiant with ethereal celestial qi. It was a sight that stirred the soul. Senior Qingzhu had merely followed the jade corridor for a short distance and had already discovered the Minor Teleportation Talisman, a top-tier divine talisman long vanished from the world.

It was unimaginable how many treasures might be concealed within the celestial palace! He alone knew the way into the celestial barrier. Yet the jade corridor did not connect directly to the celestial palace; he would still have to investigate and unravel its secrets.

After sealing Qingzhu’s remains, Qin Sang had retraced his path back through the barrier, locating the route the senior had once concealed along the jade corridor. Using the talismanic seal as keys, he opened the way and found the ancient teleportation array within the celestial barrier.

He had wanted to continue searching for other exits within the barrier, but after enduring the trials of the trial realm and the fierce battles atop Yitian Peak, time had not permitted it.

Fluctuations had appeared in the celestial barrier. In a short while, both Seven-Kill Hall and Ziwei Palace would seal themselves once more.

To leave Ziwei Palace, one did not need the Small Polaris Array powered by star essence. When the palace began its closure, the outer celestial array would momentarily falter, and the surrounding qi would fall into brief stillness. That fleeting pause was the only chance for cultivators to escape.

Before leaving, however, Qin Sang still had several matters to settle.

"How are you all doing?" Qin Sang sent a voice transmission to Bai.

He adjusted his condition, preparing himself. He had no idea what the current situation in the Small Cold Domain was, and he would have to proceed with utmost caution.

If the ancient devil summoned by Sin Abyss possessed power comparable to the Devil Monarch once sealed beneath Yitian Peak, then the Small Cold Domain and the Tianxing Alliance were likely already drenched in blood and ruin.

His only choice would be to take the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid, conceal himself to cultivate, and wait for Ziwei Palace to open again so he could flee back to Canglang Sea.

Yet with the top experts of both the human and witch races having fallen one after another, even Canglang Sea would not remain peaceful.

Qin Sang drew out the command token given to him by the heir of the Four Saints Palace, deep in thought.

Fairy Nangui had once said that among the Four Saints, there had been a cultivator who reached the Divine Transformation Realm.

Since the Four Saints Palace carried the heritage of such a Dao Lineage, forging a connection with them was by no means a bad thing.[1]

If the opportunity arose in the future, he would certainly pay them a visit. Perhaps they could help him unravel many of his lingering doubts.

1. Dao Lineage refers to the theoretical system of Confucian transmission, representing the genealogical succession of Confucianism’s core values. ☜