Chapter 685: Extreme Yin Eastern Pearl, Abnormal Movement of the Demon Race

“If it fell into the hands of someone who knew its true value, this Extreme Yin Eastern Pearl could be sold for a sky-high price.”

Song Qingyun’s eyes widened in astonishment after hearing Song Changsheng’s explanation.

To preserve the life force of a Physical Body for a thousand years without it fading—what did that even mean?

To put it simply, if someone suffered a fatal injury, they could use this item to freeze themselves with its Extreme Yin Power.

While frozen, their injuries would not worsen, and the life force in their Physical Body would not dissipate.

Then, once people found a Spirit Medicine or a method to heal their injuries, they could be awakened.

Similarly, if a Cultivator’s lifespan was about to end, they could also use this item to freeze themselves. They could then be awakened after others found a Longevity Pill to extend their life.

Even if no life-extending treasure was found, they could still be awakened at a critical moment of life and death to contribute their last bit of strength.

This was a common tactic used by the great sects.

If a powerful expert was nearing the end of their lifespan, they would be frozen using special methods, saved to be awakened at a critical time.

This was one of the reasons why those Major Sects and Teachings could remain prosperous and never decline.

You could never know which of the powerful experts born throughout their long histories had truly died, and which had been frozen by a Secret Technique, quietly waiting in the darkness for the final strike of their lives.

Of course, this was not without its costs. First, the longer the duration of the freezing, the greater the damage to the Divine Soul, which would lower the success rate of awakening. The safe period was about half of the frozen person’s total original lifespan.

For example, the upper limit of a Qi Cultivator’s lifespan is around one hundred and twenty years. For the first sixty years of being frozen, the chance of a failed awakening is very low. If they remain frozen for a hundred years, it becomes almost impossible to awaken them.

By the same token, the safe period for a Golden Core Cultivator with a one-thousand-year lifespan was as long as five hundred years!

Second, being frozen for a long time would affect a Cultivator’s Life Origin. After waking, it would be almost impossible for their Cultivation to advance any further. Almost no one would accept such a price unless it was their last resort.

Third, maintaining the frozen state required a massive amount of resources. The higher the Cultivation, the greater the consumption. If there were too many, it would be enough to bankrupt a major sect.

However, the Extreme Yin Eastern Pearl was not subject to this, as it consumed its own stored Cold Yin Qi.

This was the main source of its value.

A common man is innocent, but his treasure makes him a target.

Song Qingyun’s current Cultivation was low. If he flaunted such a treasure in public, his corpse might be found in the wilderness the very next day.

Song Qingyun clearly understood this principle and decisively chose to hand it over to the clan.

“Since you understand this, I won’t need to waste any more words explaining it. Rest assured, the clan will absolutely not treat you unfairly. I will have the Elder Council discuss a suitable compensation plan. As for a suitable Magical Artifact, I happen to have one here. I originally planned to give it to you when your Cultivation was higher, but since you performed well in the trial this time, I’ll make an exception and reward you with it ahead of schedule.”

Song Changsheng swiped his hand over his Spatial Bag, and a black ring appeared in his palm. It was set with a crimson Jade stone, on which was a pattern resembling an eyeball.

“Father, this is…”

For some reason, the moment the ring appeared, Song Qingyun felt a sense of affinity with it.

“This is the Illusionary God Ring. It was a congratulatory gift from… Fellow Daoist Su Ye of the Golden Crow Sect during my Purple Mansion Grand Ceremony. It is highly compatible with your constitution. Although your current Cultivation is not enough to unleash its full power, it can serve as a trump card to achieve a surprise victory at a critical moment.”

“The Illusionary God Ring.” Song Qingyun’s fingers gently brushed the surface of the ring, his face full of joy. He had, of course, heard of the famed Illusionary God Stone. For him, there was no Magical Artifact more suited to his own abilities.

“Thank you, Father, for bestowing this treasure upon me.”

“There is no need for thanks between a father and son. Focus on your cultivation. For a long time to come, Jin Xuan will not be able to protect you. You will have to rely on yourself for everything,” Song Changsheng said, his tone earnest and heavy with meaning.

“I will heed Father’s teachings,” Song Qingyun said, bowing respectfully.

Seeing his son’s serious demeanor, Song Changsheng shook his head slightly. ‘Now that the boy has grown up, he’s not as close to me as he was when he was little.’

After giving him some more pointers on problems in his cultivation, Song Changsheng took the Extreme Yin Eastern Pearl to the Cold Pool located at the mountain’s peak.

Planted beneath this Cold Pool was the Cold Pool Coral that Kongsang Xiruo had gifted him. It naturally possessed Extreme Cold Power and had the effect of slowing the progression of injuries, which was remarkably similar to the ability of the Extreme Yin Eastern Pearl that Jin Xuan had obtained.

But its effect was ultimately much weaker.

Song Changsheng’s plan was to combine the Extreme Yin Eastern Pearl with the Cold Pool Coral to create a “frozen zone” within the Cold Pool. In the future, if a powerful member of the clan was severely injured or nearing the end of their lifespan, they could be moved into it.

He flew into the air above the vast, white expanse of the Cold Pool. With a wave of his sword-fingers, he let out a soft cry, “Open!”

SWISH!

The Sword Qi was like a rainbow, splitting the layer of ice on the Cold Pool’s surface in two. Song Changsheng entered the Cold Pool, placed the Eastern Pearl and the Cold Pool Coral together, and then set up an Array to link the two, activating the Extreme Cold Power within the pearl.

‘Given the size of this Eastern Pearl, it should be enough to sustain the Cold Pool for a thousand years. That’s more than enough for the short term.’ Looking at the now completely transformed Cold Pool, Song Changsheng nodded in satisfaction.

The Song Clan had only existed for five hundred years. A thousand years was more than enough time for the clan to grow and perhaps find another way to replace the Extreme Yin Eastern Pearl.

“Your progress in the art of Arrays is so fast, it truly leaves this old man in the dust.”

Song Xianming arrived, treading on the snow with his hands tucked into his sleeves, praising Song Changsheng who was still in the air.

“Six years in seclusion weren’t wasted, after all. I’ve touched the threshold of Tier Three Middle Grade. But don’t just talk about your grandson—hasn’t Grandfather’s Cultivation also improved?” Song Changsheng replied with a smile as he landed on the ground.

“These years of discussing the Dao with Fellow Daoist Yuann have indeed been quite fruitful. Fellow Daoist Yuann has already touched the threshold of the Mid-stage Purple Mansion.”

“No wonder I didn’t sense Elder Yuann’s aura when I came out of seclusion,” Song Changsheng said in sudden realization.

Yuann Tianshu had been stuck at the Early-stage Purple Mansion for decades. That his foundation was now showing signs of loosening was indeed a joyous occasion.

“What are your plans for Zhangye County?”

“I’ll go over and take a look first. We’ll face whatever comes our way. If it really is a Beast Tide, then we’ll just have to face them head-on.”

After several years of rest and recovery, the Song Clan had gradually restored its Primordial Qi from the last great war. Furthermore, Zhangye County had been managed by Song Lutong for many years and was now fortified like a citadel. Dealing with a small-scale Beast Tide would be no problem.

“Mm, I suppose that’s the only way. How are things with Master Lu? Can the project be completed soon? If we had the Celestial Ship to hold the line, our chances in this battle would be much greater.”

Hearing this, Song Changsheng shook his head slightly. “I just came out of seclusion, so I haven’t been to see him yet. However, Master Lu once said that he would need at least ten years to forge a perfect creation. We’re barely past the halfway point now. Grandfather, it’s best not to get your hopes up too high.”

“Sigh… It would be best if we had it, of course. But if not, this battle must still be fought.”

“Don’t forget, we still have Luoxia City. Zhangye County is in a remote location, so if a Beast Tide does occur, the pressure we face won’t be that great.”

“That’s true. When it comes to experience in dealing with a Beast Tide, Luoxia City is unparalleled in all of Daqi. I’ve heard that Dingyuan City’s defenses are now no weaker than Luoxia City’s, so repelling a Beast Tide shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Then for the time being, I must trouble you to look after the clan. I will depart for Luoxia City today.”

“The Demon Realm is treacherous. Be careful,” Song Xianming warned in a solemn voice.

After bidding farewell to his family and the Elder Council, Song Changsheng took the Space Transmission Array to Luoxia City.

Upon his arrival, he received a piece of good news—Song Qingluo had broken through to Foundation Establishment.