After waiting a while longer, Ning Wuhui finally arrived.
Accompanied by several Tiandao Sect disciples, he stepped onto the white-jade square. Sensing Qin Sang's gaze, he cast an impassive glance in his direction before heading toward where the righteous path cultivators had gathered.
Seeing Ning Wuhui, Qin Sang's expression relaxed.
He pricked up his ears, listening to the discussions among the cultivators around him. The cultivators on the square were all top-tier experts, and Qin Sang truly managed to overhear quite a few well-kept secrets.
Qin Sang noticed that not all cultivators intended to enter the Inner Hall.
There was no lack of people choosing to remain in the Outer Hall to explore its secret realms.
However, lingering in the Outer Hall at this time was hardly a good idea.
When Qin Sang arrived, he had already noticed that due to the turmoil within the immortal formation, the entire Outer Hall had fallen into chaos. Vicious beasts ran wild, and the restrictions and ancient formations were disrupted, making it far more perilous than before.
While Qin Sang was quietly observing the situation, the corpse puppet bag at his waist suddenly vibrated faintly. His expression shifted slightly, and he sent his divine sense inside.
"Be careful, Old Devil Mou is here!" Bai warned.
Qin Sang was secretly shocked. "He's on the square as well?"
"Yes! I just tried probing with the seed of the fire curse. Old Devil Mou is very close—he's definitely among these people," Bai said in a grave voice.
Qin Sang looked up, his gaze sweeping rapidly across all the cultivators on the square, focusing on the Nascent Soul Patriarchs.
To understand his opponent, he had specially looked into Old Devil Mou's background.
Among these people, not one looked even remotely similar to Old Devil Mou.
With Old Devil Mou universally reviled and pursued, he would certainly have disguised his identity. Yet for him to brazenly step onto the square right under the noses of the Demon Lord and Lingzhuzi was shockingly arrogant.
"Can you find which one he is?"
Qin Sang narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.
"It won't be easy," Bai hesitated for a moment before saying. "There are too many Nascent Soul cultivators here, and I dare not act rashly. Besides, the approximate location where I sensed Old Devil Mou was quite intriguing..."
Following Bai's guidance, Qin Sang looked over and found that the spot was precisely where the demonic cultivators were gathered, right near the Demon Lord.
"You mean... the Demon Lord might be shielding Old Devil Mou..."
Bai gave an acknowledging hum and sighed. "During the siege on Tianfeng Island, only the Demon Lord and Lingzhuzi were present as Great Cultivators. The Demon Lord would only have needed to pull a few strings to create an opening for Old Devil Mou to escape. Given Old Devil Mou's strength, it would certainly be worth the Demon Lord taking a risk to win him over. It's just hard to say whether Lingzhuzi noticed anything back then."
Qin Sang gave a cold snort, not the least bit surprised.
Having never heard news of Old Devil Mou's death, Qin Sang had long suspected as much.
Old Devil Mou had subdued the Dongming cold flame, granting him strength far surpassing that of his peers in the same stage. If the Demon Lord could take him on as a right-hand man, he would gladly do so.
Compared to such gains, what were the lives of a mere few Core Formation stage cultivators?
"He may know, or he may not," Qin Sang said coldly. "Lingzhuzi's move was intended to warn the other Nascent Soul cultivators not to run rampant in the Hall of Seven Kills. With Tianfeng Island destroyed and Old Devil Mou forced into hiding under a false name, that objective was already achieved. Unless Lingzhuzi was prepared to clash head-on with the Demon Lord, even if he truly noticed something, he would turn a blind eye, wouldn't he? After all, the primary conflict in the cultivation world today isn't between the righteous and demonic paths, but between races."
Outside lay the demon race of the Demon Sea and the Witch Clan, while the strengths of the righteous and demonic paths were evenly matched. Those mighty figures certainly would not want humanity to fall into internal chaos first.
Back in the Xiaohan Realm, Crimson-Haired Patriarch and Demon Monarch Tongyou had likewise advanced and retreated together.
Bai said with relief, "It's good that you understand. Borrowing someone else's blade to kill him probably won't work, so we mustn't act rashly. If you want revenge, you can only rely on yourself."
"Who knows how long that will take? It seems I have no choice but to swallow this bitterness for now."
Qin Sang shook his head, brushing away stray thoughts.
Right now, the most important matter was finding the ancient teleportation formation, returning to the Xiaohan Realm to mature the Nine Illusion Heavenly Orchid, and breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. He could not lose his reason to hatred.
Just as Qin Sang and Bai were communicating in secret, a sudden waft of floral fragrance reached his nose.
Qin Sang raised his eyes and was taken aback.
At some point, a woman had appeared at the edge of the square. It was as though she had stepped out from a sea of flowers; she possessed a graceful, alluring figure and exquisite beauty, every gesture and movement imbued with startling charm.
The moment she appeared, she drew the gazes of every cultivator present, eliciting waves of marvel.
Even Lingzhuzi and the Demon Lord were stirred, turning their eyes toward her.
"So it is Fellow Daoist Qingyun. Fellow Daoists Ji and Baili should be arriving soon as well, I presume?"
Lingzhuzi asked, eyes flashing.
At these words, an uproar swept through the square.
Qin Sang looked surprised as well.
The leader of the Western Nether Alliance, one of the Three Great Merchant Alliances, went by the title Qingyun. Rumor had it that she was a female cultivator of matchless elegance and beauty, and seeing her today proved the reputation was well-deserved.
And the other two Lingzhuzi mentioned were the leaders of the Beichen Alliance and the Dongji Alliance.
More and more human experts were arriving.
The leaders of the righteous and demonic paths, along with the leaders of the Three Great Merchant Alliances—virtually representing humanity's greatest factions—were actually gathering together at the Hall of Seven Kills.
The leader of the Western Nether Alliance walked forward with graceful steps.
Her destination was neither the righteous path nor the demonic path; instead, she headed toward the neutral faction.
Along the way, the Core Formation stage cultivators parted to make way for her, while the Nascent Soul Patriarchs greeted her with smiles. The Three Great Merchant Alliances were loose federations rather than sects, but they maintained countless ties with every faction.
Qin Sang watched Lingzhuzi and the Demon Lord closely, but their expressions revealed nothing.
"I came alone. When Fellow Daoist Ji and Fellow Daoist Baili will arrive, I cannot say," Qingyun said, looking composed as she walked over and came to a stop before the Hall of Seven Kills.
Lingzhuzi chuckled, clearly not believing her.
The Demon Lord sneered. "Who doesn't know that the Three Great Merchant Alliances are joined at the hip? The three of you never easily leave your cave abodes or venture alone into secret realms. Anyone who didn't know better would think someone was plotting against you."
The Demon Lord's tone carried an edge of hostility.
Qingyun's expression remained unchanged as she replied neither subserviently nor aggressively, "The three of us have meager cultivation, yet carry the heavy responsibilities of our alliances on our shoulders, so we naturally must tread with the utmost caution. We founded the merchant alliances solely to aid our cultivation, yet there are always those who pin baseless suspicions upon us. I cannot help but be on guard; if I were to lose my life, what meaning would anything else hold?"
Suddenly, the whistling of rushing wind echoed from the distance. Sensing it, the crowd looked as far as their eyes could see, only to behold two streaks of escaping light arriving in the blink of an eye, revealing two figures.
One was a red-faced old man of dignified bearing, while the other resembled an elegant scholar.
The two touched down upon the square, sweeping their gazes across the assembly.
The red-faced old man burst into hearty laughter and strode forward, his voice booming like a great bell.
"So all of you fellow daoists have arrived! Fellow Daoist Baili and I have arrived a step late—I hope we haven't missed anything momentous!"
The elegant scholar followed behind, offering polite greetings to Lingzhuzi and the Demon Lord. Yet when he turned to look at Qingyun, he found her expressionless, paying him no heed. He could not help but frown slightly, sighing inwardly.
"Fellow Daoist Ji! Fellow Daoist Baili!"
Lingzhuzi cupped his hands in return. "The trial realm of the Hall of Seven Kills has not yet opened. You two have arrived just in time."
Chapter 1011