*Rumble...*
Raging waves surged into the sky.
The unknown fluctuations disrupted the seal, which in turn rippled across the entire space, giving rise to an astonishing storm whose ferocious momentum rivaled the storm belt on the outer perimeter of the Canglang Ocean.
Shielding himself with true essence, Qin Sang flew to Fat Chick's side and inspected the restrictions at the entrance of the secret realm to ensure that the fluctuations would not leak outside.
"Master, could some great demon or devil be stirring up trouble inside?" Fat Chick asked worriedly.
It had heard Qin Sang say that the altar was connected to a sealed space. Since the seal had been broken, the person inside had most likely broken free, so why had such a terrifying anomaly appeared again?
Qin Sang shook his head gently.
Perched on his shoulder, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly activated its Heavenly Eye and gazed down intently at the seal beneath the water.
A moment later, Qin Sang abruptly opened the exit to the secret realm and flew outside, gazing toward the entrance of the Abyss Ruins.
At this very moment, the spiritual tide generated by the tremors of the Abyss Ruins was crashing along the Heavenly Scar, pummeling everything in its path. Even though Qin Sang was situated some distance away, he could still feel the tail end of the storm.
Gale-force winds whipped against his face, and the foliage of the dense forest rustled furiously in the roaring gusts.
The already unstable remnants of ancient restrictions scattered around the area grew even more agitated.
Seeing this, Qin Sang immediately deduced the cause. *The source is the entrance of the Abyss Ruins! As expected, this was caused by the tremors of the Sin God Palace!*
Before the Ziwei Palace had emerged into the world, spiritual tide anomalies had appeared across the entire Ancient Immortal Battlefield.
In comparison, the Sin God Palace made far less of a commotion.
It was said that tremors occurred only once in a while. Even when the shocks burst out of the Abyss Ruins, they could be held back by grand formations, preventing the waves from erupting and obliterating the other ancient restrictions and secret realms within the Heavenly Scar, which would trigger a catastrophic chain reaction.
*Does the seal here connect directly to the Abyss Ruins? Or does any secret realm in close proximity suffer the collateral impact of the Sin God Palace's tremors, causing this situation to arise?*
Qin Sang returned to the secret realm and watched the storm growing increasingly violent.
Upon discovering that the underwater restriction connected to an unknown sealed space, he had harbored similar suspicions, wondering whether the sealed space might have some connection to the Abyss Ruins.
After all, this place was so close to the entrance of the Abyss Ruins.
The perils of the Abyss Ruins were comparable to the deep reaches of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.
This was precisely why Qin Sang had been so cautious, choosing to wait until the ebony sword was successfully refined before venturing to explore the sealed space.
If he had possessed only a ten or twenty percent confidence before, seeing this anomaly in the secret realm had raised it to fifty percent.
*Whether the other side is truly the Abyss Ruins will only be known once I go inside...* Qin Sang mused.
Several hours later, the storm finally showed signs of waning, though it was still far from subsiding completely; it had merely weakened in intensity compared to before.
Then it continued in this state, with no telling how long it would take to fully calm down.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Abyss Ruins.
The other cultivators felt the pressure bearing down upon them ease slightly.
Sensing the shift, the high-crowned Daoist and the white-haired elder exchanged a glance. Their hand seals changed in unison, causing the barrier of light to transform. It solidified further, resembling an inverted jade bowl.
Knowing that the most violent wave of tremors had passed, everyone's expressions relaxed a fraction.
Able to spare a sliver of their attention, the two Nascent Soul cultivators habitually swept their senses across the surroundings. Confirming that nothing was amiss, they resumed channeling the spirit formation, waiting for the Sin God Palace to return to tranquility.
Just a moment earlier, within a stone fissure not far away, a peculiar fluctuation had surfaced, only to dissipate soundlessly. In an instant, the fissure returned to utter calm, devoid of the slightest trace of activity.
And the two Nascent Soul cultivators at the entrance of the Abyss Ruins noticed nothing whatsoever.
***
Back at the Heavenly Corpse Sect's grand altar.
Qin Sang returned to the grand hall and casually laid down a layer of restrictions to keep the storm at bay.
Even though the fluctuations coming from the sealed space had weakened, he still had no intention of entering just yet.
He knew that, much like the Ziwei Palace, the tremors caused by the Sin God Palace would not subside overnight. Thus, he was in no hurry and intended to continue waiting for the ebony sword.
...
He meditated quietly amid the storm, motionless as a mountain.
Suddenly, a streak of azure light shot forth from between Qin Sang's eyebrows with dazzling brilliance.
The sword's hum surpassed claps of thunder, and a heaven-shattering sword intent soared straight into the clouds!
The storm, which had not ceased for a single moment since the tremors began, froze for a split second. Immediately afterward, it lashed back with even fiercer fury, as if humiliated at being cowed by a tiny flying sword.
Fat Chick had been idling away at the secret realm's exit when it suddenly shuddered, every feather on its body fluffing up in alarm. In that split second, it felt as if ten thousand strands of sword Qi were bearing down upon it. Screeching, it flapped its wings frantically and fled for safety.
*Whoosh!*
Yielding effortlessly to Qin Sang's command, the spirit sword transformed into a swimming dragon. It circled briefly through the empty air before hovering steadily in front of him.
The ebony sword had become ever more translucent, as pure as glazed glass. It looked like an exquisite piece of art that might shatter at the slightest touch, making it difficult to imagine that this was an instrument of slaughter steeped in the blood of countless lives.
*Buzz...*
The ebony sword trembled softly.
A faint smile touched the corners of Qin Sang's lips. He reached out and gently stroked the blade. As his fingertips brushed against his natal spirit sword, he could feel the boundless sword intent surging within it.
Fat Chick fluttered back over. Realizing it was a false alarm, it was still somewhat shaken and grumbled, "Master, you scared me half to death again!"
It peered curiously at the ebony sword. "Is this sword already a top-grade magic treasure? Congratulations, Master, on acquiring another supreme treasure!"
A top-grade magic treasure was considered the pinnacle of power in the present world, and the aura the ebony sword had displayed just now was clearly extraordinary.
"It is indeed a top-grade magic treasure..." Qin Sang nodded slightly.
By all reason, after refining such a massive piece of Soul-Nurturing Wood, it shouldn't have been merely a top-grade magic treasure.
This confirmed the records Qin Sang had previously consulted: advancing a magic treasure to a spirit treasure could not be accomplished merely by piling on precious materials; it also required other serendipitous encounters to nurture that spark of spirituality.
*This is fine as well. Going forward, I can use the ebony sword to house Senior Yunyouzi's true spirit. Trying to forge another top-grade magic treasure wouldn't be easy, and its quality might not even meet the requirements. If that were to negatively affect the nourishment of his true spirit, the regret would be boundless. The ebony sword is my natal spirit sword, far easier to control, which will be of much greater help in nurturing him.*
With a thought, Qin Sang drew the ebony sword back into his glabella.
Because it was his natal magic treasure, he did not need to spend any additional time refining it.
He rose to his feet and thought to himself, *It's time to go in and take a look. There's no telling how long the tremors will last, and I can't keep waiting forever. Besides, if this really allows entry into the Abyss Ruins, the chaos brought on by the tremors will actually work to my advantage.*
Fat Chick vanished into the Primordial Concentric Rings.
Qin Sang first laid down several additional layers of restrictions at the entrance of the secret realm. Then, with a flicker of his silhouette, he dove deep into the water. Calling forth the ebony sword once more, he followed the earlier method to reopen the passage through the seal.
Under the storm's influence, the power of the seal was chaotic, making the task harder than the last time. However, the ebony sword's might far surpassed that of the Jinchen Sword, so Qin Sang actually found the process much easier.
Under the water, the spirit sword slashed through the void, leaving behind one trail of sword Qi after another, while the storm above the water grew even more violent.
Before long, the whirlpool manifested once again atop the altar.
Qin Sang could sense it even more clearly now—the tremors were indeed originating from the other side, which proved that the passage was two-way and that he need not worry about entering and being unable to return. Qin Sang pointed into the void, and the ebony sword shot above the whirlpool, instantly splitting into four sword rays that took up positions in the four cardinal directions to steady the vortex.
Once the passage had stabilized, Qin Sang recalled the ebony sword, summoned the twelve demonic banners, and leapt inside.
His vision went dark. Qin Sang knew he had been teleported elsewhere, yet he soon discovered that he was still submerged in water.
Chapter 1204