Aftermath

"Senior..." Qin Sang flew over with utmost caution. Qingzhu's aura was exceedingly weak. He stepped forward to support Qingzhu, but Qingzhu raised a hand to stop him. Opening his eyes, Qingzhu's gaze gleamed with clear divine light. He glanced at Qin Sang, then shifted his eyes toward the Demon Lord and Lingzhuzi, his lids narrowing slightly. Lingzhuzi and the Demon Lord sized Qingzhu up and down, their eyes flickering, neither speaking a word. The blood coffin had been suppressed. With all three great demon-suppressing supreme treasures manifested together, the seal had fused with the sword qi, plunging into the black hole alongside it. The blood-red crystal walls were dissolving, and the space teetered on the verge of shattering. Just then, Qingzhu's voice sounded by Qin Sang's ear: "Bring them over." Before Fairy Nangui perished, she had pleaded with Qingzhu to shelter her descendants so they would not fall into the hands of Lingzhuzi or the Demon Lord. Seeing that Qingzhu's condition was not as dire as he had imagined, Qin Sang felt a slight wave of relief. Flickering across the ground, he helped the youth and the maiden to their feet, retrieved spirit pills from their mustard seed bags to administer to them, and guided them over to Qingzhu's side. The pair barely managed to suppress their injuries, regaining enough strength to move, and murmured their thanks to Qin Sang. Passing by Su Nü, Qin Sang crouched to inspect her and discovered that she was surprisingly still alive. Perhaps because the ghost markings had been seized and controlled by the Demon Lord, she had instead been shielded by them, surviving the deadly shock of the demonic howl. Seeing ghost markings crawling all over her body, Qin Sang hesitated for a moment and glanced up at the distant Demon Lord. The ghost seal was still in his hand. One half of the Demon Lord's body was relatively normal, while the other half was shriveled and devoid of vitality. He sat cross-legged on the ground, doing everything he could to suppress his wounds. His state appeared little better than Qingzhu's, and whether he could ever recover remained an open question. Sensing Qin Sang's gaze, the Demon Lord swept his eyes over. "Heh heh... Cough! Cough!" The moment laughter escaped the Demon Lord, his aura churned violently in his chest. Calming his breathing, he glanced at Qingzhu with an ambiguous smirk, then addressed Qin Sang: "You've got guts, kid, daring to refine the vessel chosen by the ancient demon into a soul slave!" With that, the Demon Lord grasped the ghost seal, took the initiative to restore it to its original form, and tossed it to Qin Sang, disdaining to use it for extortion. Qin Sang was taken aback for an instant. Catching the ghost seal, he supported Su Nü and bowed. "Thank you, Senior!" The Demon Lord gave an eerie chuckle. "Those cowards were scared out of their wits, yet you dared to throw yourself into the clash against the ancient demon. Truly impressive courage. My seat happens to lack a successor. Kid, are you willing to join Demon Island?" The Demon Lord had actually extended an invitation to recruit Qin Sang. "I am grateful for Senior's favor," Qin Sang replied, neither servile nor arrogant. "Junior will give it serious thought." Now that he had met Qingzhu's true body, Qin Sang would definitely return to the Xiaohan Realm with him. Whether he would ever come back to the Boundless Ocean in the future was still uncertain. Even so, Qin Sang did not wish to offend this hegemon of the demonic path, keeping his tone intentionally noncommittal. Lingzhuzi interjected, "Why force someone against their will, Daoist friend? Judging by young friend's conduct, he does not resemble one of the demonic path. That we could seal the ancient demon this time was entirely thanks to young friend and this Daoist friend here. Might I ask Daoist friend's Daoist name?" "I am Qingzhu. Out of necessity, I placed my avatar in hiding within your esteemed sect. I hope Daoist friend will not take offense." Qingzhu's expression was calm as an ancient well as he spoke blandly. "A trifling matter." Lingzhuzi waved it off entirely, his tone quite warm. "That Daoist friend sent an avatar into our Tiandao Sect means there is already a bond of fellowship between us. If Daoist Friend Qingzhu lacks a place to settle, why not come to the Tiandao Sect and select a prime cave dwelling? If not for Daoist friend turning the tide this time, every one of us would have followed in the footsteps of the Grand Shaman. Please allow this poor Daoist to show a token of gratitude." "If fate allows, I may disturb you in the future." Qingzhu remained noncommittal. The Demon Lord suddenly rose to his feet, said nothing, and slowly retreated to the edge of the space before flashing away. Lingzhuzi's gaze shifted, his face turning solemn and sorrowful as he addressed the youth and maiden. "Fairy Nangui sacrificed herself to feed the demon. Young friends, do not forget to take Fairy's relics with you. As for that tortoise shell, the demon race is no more, so it is an ownerless object. It rightfully belongs to Daoist Friend Qingzhu..." The youth stepped forward to retrieve Fairy Nangui's only remaining relic—that elegant spirit sword—and was overcome with grief once again. The maiden sobbed softly. The youth placed an arm around her, comforting her in a low voice. "Go pick it up." Qingzhu glanced at the tortoise shell, entirely unmoved, casually gifting it to Qin Sang. Qin Sang readily obliged, flashing over to pick up the tortoise shell. There were finger holes left by Demonic Qingzhu on its surface, but they did not diminish its formidable defensive power. This treasure contained pure Black Water energy, meticulously refined over countless years by the Nine-Life Black Tortoise. Its might was extraordinary; with a little refining later on, it would become a top-tier defensive treasure. Qingzhu might not look twice at it, but Qin Sang coveted it dearly. He had noticed the tortoise shell earlier, but with so many luminaries present, he had not dared to claim it on his own. "Thank you, Seniors." Qin Sang gleefully stowed it into his Qianjun Ring. Seeing that Qingzhu remained utterly impervious to flattery or enticement, Lingzhuzi's eyes narrowed slightly. Just then, a ripple spread through the air as the elder rushed back, his face filled with anxiety after repairing the ancient restriction. "Grandmaster!" The youth and maiden threw themselves forward, finally letting out their bottled tears as they recounted everything that had just occurred in full detail. Seeing the spirit sword they offered up with both hands, the elder's frame shuddered violently, and he seemed to age years in an instant. He reverently took the spirit sword, stared at it for a long while, and finally released an imperceptible sigh. Lingzhuzi walked over and said in a heavy voice, "The chiefs of the Three Great Merchant Alliances have all fallen to the ancient demon, leaving the merchant alliances leaderless. Old Devil Mou has perished, the Demon Lord shattered his Lunar Heavenly Ghost Divine Light, and I too have exhausted my origin executing the blood refining art. Once I return, I must enter seclusion to nurse my wounds, leaving my chances for the next tribulation exceedingly slim. The human race needs a pillar of strength to stabilize the situation and deter villainous schemers. I wonder what thoughts you two Daoist friends have?" "I am merely a wandering crane in the wild, unwilling to entangle myself in worldly disputes, so I shall not impose upon you two Daoist friends any longer. Qin Sang, come with me." Qingzhu turned to leave. At that moment, after whispering briefly with the elder, the youth hurried over and handed Qin Sang a medallion, cupping his hands. "Thank you, Senior and Daoist Friend Qin, for your protection. Daoist Friend Qin, I am Bao Zhengnan, and this is my younger sister, Bao Xi. Daoist friend has yet to reach the peak of the Core Formation stage, yet you wield such extraordinary divine abilities; my sister and I admire you deeply. We hope you will visit the Four Sages Palace in the future. If you activate this medallion in the far north of the Rain Desert, I will sense its fluctuation and come out personally to welcome you." Qin Sang glanced at Qingzhu. Seeing no objection, he reached out, accepted the medallion, and voiced his thanks. The Four Sages Palace was shrouded in mystery. As the direct lineage of the Four Sages, they held control over the Inner Hall's ancient restrictions and held knowledge of countless secrets, possessing an untold number of ancient texts and secret arts left behind by the Four Sages. Both the righteous and demonic factions were exceedingly wary of the Four Sages Palace. Holding this medallion could only be an advantage. "Might I ask Daoist friend for a favor...?" Remembering something, Qin Sang handed Su Nü over to Bao Zhengnan. "She also played a part in defeating the ancient demon this time. Her soul has not dispersed, and she should awaken before long. I wonder if it would be convenient for Daoist friend to escort her out?" "What difficulty could there be in that?" Bao Zhengnan immediately had Bao Xi take hold of Su Nü and took out a precious talisman to keep her safe from being harmed by the Spirit-Suppressing Domain's restrictions once outside. "Where should we send her?"