"The Ziwei Palace and the Hall of Seven Kills seem to have come from the hand of the same person!"
Qin Sang paused mid-stride, lost in thought.
"It seems these two places aren't just connected by a teleportation formation; there must be a deep origin connecting them. No wonder the Ziwei Palace concealed the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter, while the Heaven Tower of the Hall of Seven Kills sealed away a sword intent of identical origin. In that case, could the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter also be hidden within the Hall of Seven Kills?"
On second thought, Qin Sang felt that even if it truly were here, finding it would be exceedingly difficult.
Opportunities to enter the Inner Hall of the Hall of Seven Kills only came once every few centuries. Even this time—the shortest interval yet—it had still been over a hundred years.
Supposedly, the Inner Hall was vaster and far more perilous than the Outer Hall, yet the time they had to explore each time was limited.
By his reckoning, Senior Qingzhu had probably entered the Inner Hall twice, but judging from the message he had left behind on the Sword Path, he hadn't managed to find the subsequent cultivation method either.
"At lower realms, when one's cultivation is lacking and there is no backer to provide resources, natural talent determines everything. But once I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I shouldn't be as helpless as before. There are myriad Grand Daos, and the cultivation world holds ten thousand possibilities! Still, without the boost provided by a killing talisman, my path of cultivation will certainly be far more difficult than that of peers with better talent. Fortunately, I already have two peak-grade magic treasures as my foundation, and my strength is inferior to none. With that, I can take my time searching for a solution."
Qin Sang gazed toward the Inner Hall, his eyes flickering with thought. "Provided that nothing unforeseen happens to the Hall of Seven Kills and the Ziwei Palace, once I form my Nascent Soul, I'll be able to travel freely between the two realms and thoroughly search the Inner Hall..."
Just then, a sharp whistle through the air jolted Qin Sang from his reverie.
Qin Sang turned his head to look. Not far away, a streak of light, just like his own, was speeding toward the entrance of the Inner Hall. It carried a formidable aura—it was a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Secretly on guard, Qin Sang subdued his light and flew along unobtrusively.
The Nascent Soul cultivator didn't spare him a glance, overtaking him in the blink of an eye.
By now, more and more streaks of light were flashing across the mountains of the Outer Hall, most of them heading straight for the Inner Hall's entrance. Seeing this, Qin Sang hastened his pace.
Flying past the Heaven Tower, Qin Sang soon arrived at the edge of the immortal restriction and beheld the full view of the palace of the Hall of Seven Kills.
The palace was dilapidated, with one corner collapsed.
The plaque was mottled and weathered, its ink flaking, covered in scuffs and cracks, exuding an ancient aura.
In front of the palace lay a square paved with white jade, more than capable of accommodating several hundred people.
This was not the square's original boundary; the jagged fractures along the edges were abrupt, as though it had been severed by the immortal restriction, leaving behind only this section.
Surprisingly, the white jade of the square itself was pristine and remarkably fresh, smooth as a mirror, clearly reflecting people's figures.
By this time, several dozen people had already gathered on the square.
Qin Sang landed at the edge of the square. After a momentary hesitation, he stepped inside. The moment his foot touched the square, he suddenly felt a peculiar sensation, as if a ripple of some sort had swept across him.
Qin Sang was startled. He hurriedly examined himself inwardly and checked his corpse puppet bag and the Primordial Concentric Rings once over; only after finding nothing amiss did he let it drop.
A few people noticed Qin Sang and glanced over.
Qin Sang did not display his strength outward. Without unleashing the Heavenly Demon Transformation, he appeared to be merely an ordinary late Core Formation stage cultivator. After looking him over with a couple of glances, they lost interest.
This suited Qin Sang just fine.
Unobtrusively, he walked behind the crowd and took up a position in a corner of the square, sweeping his gaze across to take in the entire area.
Even as he entered, more and more people arrived, and the number of cultivators on the square gradually grew.
"What is gathered here must be a portion of the human race's pinnacle power..."
Qin Sang sighed inwardly.
Leaving aside the Nascent Soul Patriarchs, not a single Core Formation cultivator on the square could be underestimated; mid Core Formation cultivators were only a small minority.
Still, considering how vast the Canglang Ocean was and how prosperous the human race was here, it was no surprise that so many experts appeared.
"Lingzhuzi!"
Qin Sang observed closely and immediately spotted a familiar figure.
He noticed that the positioning of these cultivators was very deliberate. One could tell which groups were aligned; they stood together, chatting amiably. There were also those clearly on bad terms, maintaining a noticeable distance between them.
"With Lingzhuzi at their head, those must be righteous path cultivators."
Qin Sang swept his gaze over those Nascent Souls. Some could be identified by sect through their attire, while others wore plain Daoist robes, making their identities impossible to confirm.
The righteous path Core Formation disciples all stood obediently behind the Nascent Souls, conversing in low tones with acquaintances.
Qin Sang did not see Ning Wuhui; he probably hadn't arrived yet.
"On the opposite side of the square, farthest from the righteous path, are definitely the demonic path cultivators." Qin Sang shifted his gaze and noticed a man standing at their forefront with hands clasped behind his back, remaining completely silent.
All the demonic path Nascent Souls stood arrayed behind him, none daring to disturb him.
Even from just his back, one could feel his extraordinary aura.
"To subdue all these demons, barring any surprises, this man must be the Demon Lord." Qin Sang's gaze shifted between Lingzhuzi and the Demon Lord.
"To think that both the Demon Lord and Lingzhuzi, two great cultivators, have come in person. The Hall of Seven Kills truly lives up to its name as a holy land of the human race!"
Qin Sang marveled inwardly.
Between the righteous and demonic factions were waves of other cultivators—a mixed bag whose numbers equaled and perhaps even surpassed the righteous and demonic paths, and whose strength was formidable as well.
It seemed there were plenty of factions that had no wish to become entangled in the disputes between righteous and demonic paths.
As Qin Sang quietly guessed the identities of these people, even more cultivators gathered in the square.
Two cultivators came to stand near Qin Sang.
One of them curiously surveyed their surroundings, looking all around before finally realizing what felt off. "Brother Shen, why are there no Witch Clan cultivators on the square this time? I remember the last time I came to the Hall of Seven Kills, there were quite a few Witch Clan cultivators, and even the Witch Clan's Grand Shaman came."
The other cultivator, surnamed Shen, chuckled. "They'd love to come in—unless they want to forfeit their lives! Brother Lu, there's something you don't know: the Inner Hall only permits human cultivators to enter. If any Witch Clan cultivator or Transformation stage great demon dares set foot inside, they will instantly be detected by the great formation on this square. If they dare force their way in, they'll be struck down on the spot!"
The cultivator surnamed Lu was taken aback, his gaze quickly sweeping across the entire square.
"No need to look, Brother Lu. Even if the great formation here isn't an ancient immortal formation, it must have been left behind by an almighty expert of our human race. It normally keeps a low profile, showing its might only when triggered. That is precisely why the Hall of Seven Kills is our human holy land. I hear that previously, the human race only opened the Outer Hall to the Witch Clan because they wanted to win them over, advance and retreat together in the Demon Sea, and share the burden of the demon race's pressure. The Inner Hall is sealed by the immortal restriction and has only this single entrance. Even if we invited the Witch Clan cultivators in, they wouldn't dare!"
The cultivator surnamed Shen spoke with certainty, his expression filled with pride.
Overhearing this conversation, Qin Sang finally understood what that ripple had been earlier.
The White Crane was controlled by the Primordial Concentric Rings, counting as his spirit beast, while Yagu and Bai bore the Heavenly Corpse Talismans he had refined, meaning they were deemed subordinate to him.
It was precisely because of this that he hadn't triggered the great formation.
Qin Sang couldn't help feeling fortunate.
Chapter 1010