Meigu

After retrieving the Demon Binding Rope, Qin Sang did not linger in the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode. Leaving the secret realm, Qin Sang decided to head east and pass through Yinshan Pass into the interior. Yinshan Pass had formerly been held by Nascent Soul cultivators and served as a buffer zone between the righteous and demonic factions. Going through there would be safer than Xuanlu Pass, provided the Seven Grand Passes had not changed hands. Along his journey eastward, Qin Sang fed the fire jade centipede Scarlet Fire Flowing Gold from time to time. Living together day and night, the fire jade centipede was no longer as averse to him as before. Qin Sang kept a tiny portion of Scarlet Fire Flowing Gold for emergencies and fed the rest to the fire jade centipede. Whether it could undergo metamorphosis was entirely up to fate. The spirit tide was waning by the day. By the time Qin Sang drew near Yinshan Pass, the spirit tide had essentially vanished. He finally encountered other cultivators, which explained to him why there were so few cultivators in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. At the same time, he gained some understanding of the current state of the cultivation world. Unsurprisingly, after Ziwei Palace closed back then, Sin Abyss had invaded the Tianxing Alliance without pause. Fortunately, Sin Abyss's ambush at the immortal formation had not dealt a crippling blow to the Xiaohan Realm and the Tianxing Alliance. Instead, it prompted the two realms to set aside their differences and unite to resist Sin Abyss. What followed was a major war lasting a hundred years, yet no victor had emerged to this day. Sin Abyss was formidable. Even though the Tianxing Alliance and the Xiaohan Realm joined forces, they were initially outmatched. The two realms had retreated steadily, ceding over half of the Tianxing Alliance's territory before finally securing a foothold. Unable to swallow the two realms after all this time, Sin Abyss still refused to sound the retreat, constantly launching harassing attacks. The various factions had directed most of their energy toward resisting Sin Abyss. Only twenty-odd years before the appearance of Ziwei Palace, when the spirit tide began, did the situation ease somewhat. No one had expected this great war would drag on for so long. Cultivators of all three realms had gradually grown accustomed to living under wartime conditions. Sharing hatred for a common enemy, the Xiaohan Realm and the Tianxing Alliance formed a coalition. No longer at each other's throats as in the past, they were even beginning to blend together. The Xiaohan Realm also stopped restricting Tianxing Alliance cultivators from entering the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. The two opposing sides confronted each other across the border. To support the war effort, cultivators stationed at the Seven Grand Passes had been reassigned. For this and various other reasons, most of the grand passes were simply sealed off, forbidding entry and exit barring special circumstances. Because Yinshan Pass was situated between the righteous and demonic territories, it alone remained open. Excluding Ten Thousand Demon City under demonic beast control, Yinshan Pass had become the sole passage for human cultivators into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. This arrangement was the consensus reached among all the major factions. As Qin Sang approached Yinshan Pass, encounters with cultivators grew frequent. They hailed from both the Xiaohan Realm and the Tianxing Alliance, though their overall cultivation was not high; late Foundation Establishment cultivators were rare. It was said that before Ziwei Palace opened, the two realms' alliance had once again deployed heavy forces along the border to guard against Sin Abyss. This situation was far better than Qin Sang had anticipated. He had even prepared himself for the Xiaohan Realm falling to Sin Abyss and being completely wiped out. Qin Sang learned that due to the war, the alliance of the two realms placed great emphasis on cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage within their borders. Everyone had to register their names and remain on standby for conscription. Anyone entering or leaving Yinshan Pass was subjected to questioning and required to present a token issued by the two-realm alliance. Had it been twenty years ago, Qin Sang would have faced considerable trouble trying to pass through under a disguise. Fortunately, with tensions eased, the inspections were no longer as strict. However, late Core Formation stage cultivation was far too conspicuous among these low-level cultivators. With such power, even a rogue cultivator could not remain obscure and would easily attract unwanted attention. Upon learning that Shaohua Mountain and Dongyang Bo were alive and well—and that Dongyang Bo's prestige was even higher than before Qin Sang left—Qin Sang dared not act conspicuously. After some thought, he decided to scatter his cultivation in advance. Scattering the killing talisman created by Senior Qingzhu, Qin Sang's cultivation fell back to the early Core Formation stage. The moment he inscribed even a single stroke of the sixth killing talisman, he could return to the middle stage immediately. Qin Sang held back for now, put on his mask, and sped toward Yinshan Pass. Unexpectedly, signs of a celestial phenomenon appeared midway through his journey. After flying for a while, Qin Sang found a shelter. The shelter was built at the bottom of a canyon between two barren mountains. The ground had been hollowed out to form a circular chamber. Layers of restrictions indicated the shelter had existed for a very long time, having sheltered an untold number of cultivators. Qin Sang walked in to find dozens of cultivators already inside. Concealing his aura, he disguised himself as a Foundation Establishment cultivator and casually mingled with the crowd, asking subtle questions to gather intelligence. As the celestial phenomenon drew closer, wave after wave of cultivators arrived. Just then, three men and a woman entered the shelter. The female cultivator was exceptionally attractive, with a foxy charm about her brow and eyes, clearly adept in seduction arts. Of the other three, two were middle-aged men, while the last appeared to be a young man. All four were surprisingly Foundation Establishment experts! "The Four Demon Rogue Cultivators!" A low cry rose. A stir rippled through the crowd; the four seemed to possess quite a fearsome reputation. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, they walked into the shelter with easy confidence. The somewhat crowded room quickly cleared an open space for them. Hearing nearby cultivators discussing their exploits, Qin Sang glanced over, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. The aura of that young-looking man felt strangely familiar. Right after, Qin Sang slipped off his Qianjun Ring, suddenly stood up, and walked straight toward the Four Demon Rogue Cultivators. His movement drew many eyes. Expressions differed across the room. The Four Demon Rogue Cultivators noticed Qin Sang at the same time. The seductive woman flashed a radiant smile, secretly casting her charm art, while the three men stared fixedly at Qin Sang with fierce glares. Qin Sang looked calm as ever, taking step after step toward the four. At that moment, they sensed something amiss. Beside them, their companion—the young man—was trembling violently, drenched in sweat, his eyes filled with terror as if he had seen a ghost. The three knew their companion's strength well. Seeing this, they were thoroughly appalled. "Sit," Qin Sang said softly upon reaching the young man. The young man slumped to the ground. The terrifying pressure upon him finally vanished. Drained of strength, he panted heavily, not even daring to raise a hand to wipe away his dripping sweat. He wanted to perform a formal kowtow, but Qin Sang stopped him. The other three remained in shock. Though they did not understand what their companion had just endured, they did not dare step out of line in the slightest, obediently sitting cross-legged beside him, silent as cicadas in winter. "Are you Fire Demon? From whom did you learn the Seven Yang Art?" Qin Sang asked after setting up a soundproof restriction. The Seven Yang Art was an orthodox manual left behind for the disciples of the Demon Flame Sect after Daoist Dove Robe, a Golden Core cultivator of the Kuiyin Sect, founded the sect. This technique required the help of earth fire to practice, and anyone cultivating it carried a unique aura. Back then, when Qin Sang met the disciples of the Demon Flame Sect, he had encountered it. The young man replied meekly, "Reporting to Senior, this junior is from the Demon Flame Sect. The Seven Yang Art was taught to me personally by my sect master martial uncle." Seeing Qin Sang identify his cultivation technique with a single word, the young man felt nervous, worried that Qin Sang held some grievance against his sect, yet he dared not conceal the truth. The Demon Flame Sect was still around! Qin Sang recalled that after wiping out the remnants of the Kuiyin Sect, he had handed the Demon Flame Sect over to a disciple named Meigu to act as its caretaker head, and he had never returned since. At that time, Meigu was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, yet she was already the sect's top expert.