The Land of Inheritance
In truth, Sang Ying had already let go of her fixation on the thousand-year Ice Lotus when she obtained those Frost Condensation Flowers.
But she had never imagined that, having lost the thousand-year Ice Lotus, she would find a ten-thousand-year Ice Lotus waiting for her!
The ten-thousand-year Ice Lotus's presence was so overwhelming that even standing on the bank, Sang Ying found herself coated in a layer of frost. Yet she paid it no mind, her heart burning with excitement.
Though her Ice Spirit Root was pure, it was not perfect. With the ten-thousand-year Ice Lotus, perhaps she could purify her Spirit Root and turn it into a Heavenly Spirit Root!
In the book, Su Fuyun had used Sang Ying's Spirit Root and the heavenly materials and earthly treasures found by her admirers to turn her own Spirit Root into a Heavenly Spirit Root. From then on, she had soared into the heavens, and no one could surpass her.
That showed just how extraordinary the aptitude of a Heavenly Spirit Root was. Even in tens of millions of years, one might scarcely appear.
When Sang Ying's parents had tested their daughter's aptitude, they had deeply regretted that she had fallen just a little short of having a Heavenly Spirit Root. They had never expected that, more than ten years later, the day would come when their wish might actually be fulfilled.
Sang Ying had always understood that what was filled to the brim would spill. There was more than one Ice Lotus in the pool, but after much thought, she picked only one.
She could not possibly use the entire Ice Lotus herself; in fact, half would be enough. She would no longer have to endure such suffering in the future, and she could sell the rest for Spirit Stones. She had gained more than enough today, and she was already thoroughly satisfied.
Only when the Ice Lotus was safely in her pocket did Sang Ying's heart finally settle back in her chest.
Although the beginning of her journey into the secret realm had been difficult, it now seemed she had truly made the right choice in coming!
After picking the Ice Lotus, Sang Ying intended to continue onward. But before she could take a step, she felt something pressing down on her foot.
She looked down to see the Gale Hound pup, like a little black ball, huddled on top of her foot. It was trembling pitifully.
Sang Ying frowned, but in the end, she could not bear to kick it away. Instead, she scooped it into her arms.
She sighed softly. "I'm not asking you to acknowledge me as your master in the future. Just don't help Su Fuyun harm me."
She knew her cultivation was low and that she had little standing in the Flowing Light Sword Sect. Even if she made it back alive and named Su Fuyun as the culprit, the sect master and elders probably would not do anything to Su Fuyun out of consideration for Immortal Venerable Yanchen.
Fortunately, Sang Ying had always been a person who could hold a grudge but also knew when to bide her time. As long as she lived, Su Fuyun would forever remain an ordinary person. One day, she would settle both old and new scores!
After thinking it through, much of the gloom in Sang Ying's heart lifted.
She carried the little black ball onward, tucked inside her robes. The little creature, which had been like a lump of ice, recovered before long. It was a Demon Beast, after all. With its robust bloodline, it was naturally not so fragile.
After wandering around for so long, Sang Ying was quite certain that this was probably some ancient site within the secret realm.
She had heard before that the Qishan Secret Realm had been formed from the abandoned residence of an immortal lord, and that his inheritance was hidden within it.
Quite a few people had previously tried to find that so-called inheritance. Even the Complete Book Sang Ying had obtained mentioned it.
It merely said that many precious Spirit Plants were in the medicine garden at the land of inheritance.
When Sang Ying had read that passage, she had thought the land of inheritance would be too difficult to find and had never planned to set her sights on it. Now it seemed that the underground river had carried her all the way to its back garden.
Before long, the palace that appeared before her confirmed Sang Ying's guess. This was indeed the immortal lord's land of inheritance.
Looking at the back door that stood open before her, Sang Ying walked inside with anticipation.
Beyond the door was a spacious hall, completely empty except for two closed doors.
Sang Ying went closer and saw words written on both doors. One said "Can save lives," while the other said "Can kill."
Apart from the words, there was no difference between the two doors.
Looking at the words on the "Can kill" door, Sang Ying could not shake the feeling that they carried a fierce, baleful air.
She had no need for an inheritance that could kill. She raised the sword in her hand to protect herself and those she cared about, not to hurt people.
So, without having to think twice, Sang Ying pushed open the "Can save lives" door.
Inside, an elderly Daoist with white hair and a white beard sat on a jade bed. He had a kindly face and an air of immortality about him. Had Sang Ying not known that the master of this place had long since returned to the heavens, she would have thought the immortal lord himself had appeared before her.
"My Daoist name is Fusheng," the man before her suddenly said. "Do not be afraid, junior. This is merely a wisp of my remnant soul."
Immortal Lord Fusheng's explanation put Sang Ying somewhat at ease.
"This junior pays her respects to the immortal lord!" Sang Ying hurriedly bowed.
Immortal Lord Fusheng cared little for such formalities and immediately told Sang Ying to rise.
Stroking his beard, he looked Sang Ying up and down. "Good, good. You passed through the many trials I set and made it here unharmed. You are worthy of becoming my inheritor."
This was a misunderstanding. Sang Ying had been wearing magical robes, which would neither stain nor wrinkle even if she rolled in mud. The injuries she had suffered earlier were internal and could not be seen from the outside at all.
As for passing any trials, there was even less to say about that.
Sang Ying did not intend to conceal the truth and immediately explained, "This junior did not pass any trials to get here. I accidentally fell into an underground river, which carried me all the way to the medicine garden in the land of inheritance. I came in through the back door."
Sang Ying blushed a little as she said this.
Immortal Lord Fusheng was taken aback, perhaps because he had never imagined such a mishap could occur.
But he quickly recovered and stroked his beard again, trying to salvage the situation. "No matter! Though you did not pass my trials, being able to enter my land of inheritance this way shows that your fortune is extraordinary. That is enough to make you my inheritor!"
He did not seem particularly picky about his inheritor.
But Sang Ying had some questions about the inheritance she was to receive. "May I ask what Dao the immortal lord wishes to pass down?"
"You do not know who I am?" Immortal Lord Fusheng's eyes immediately widened. Unable to maintain his dignified demeanor any longer, he jumped off the jade bed and paced back and forth before Sang Ying.
"You don't know who I am?! You've never heard the great name of Immortal Lord Fusheng?" Unexpectedly, he cared a great deal about this.
Seeing this, Sang Ying chose her words carefully. "This junior has cultivated on my peak since childhood, with no close elders to guide me. I rarely inquire about matters in the cultivation world, so I am poorly informed and know little. I hope the immortal lord will forgive me."
As soon as she explained, Immortal Lord Fusheng accepted it.
"I see! Then I cannot blame you." He swept up the hem of his robes and sat back down, looking as extraordinary as he had at first. "Then let me tell you. I, Immortal Lord Fusheng, was the greatest Alchemist in the cultivation world. With a single tenth-grade divine pill, I ascended in one leap!"
Every word he said exploded in Sang Ying's ears.