Awakening

Qin Sang moved among the dark clouds. He discovered that each cluster of dark clouds was a perilous ancient restriction, likely concealing similar sealing grounds within. However, those seals and restrictions remained fully intact. If Qin Sang tried to force his way in, spending vast amounts of time and energy might not even breach them, and doing so would trigger retaliatory strikes from the seals, risking exposure. Unless the Killing Sword's sword spirit sensed a fragment, Qin Sang would not act rashly. Even so, navigating and pathfinding through the boundless dark clouds proved exceptionally arduous. He lost count of how many wrong turns he took, looping back and forth in circles. A full day passed, and Qin Sang had only finished exploring a nearby area. Though not vast in size, it had consumed an immense amount of time. Had Qin Sang relied entirely on himself, he would have been exhausted long ago. The Killing Sword's sword spirit gave no reaction. After a brief moment to regulate his breathing, Qin Sang set off once more. Gradually, he began to grasp the underlying patterns. The route he chose resembled an arc centered on the Sin God Palace, designed to avoid drawing close while allowing him to explore as much ground as possible. If these outer regions yielded nothing, he would only then consider probing closer to the palace. Several days slipped by. As time passed, Qin Sang and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly grew increasingly adept, and their exploration speed quickened. Qin Sang came to a halt, gazing at the terrifying spectacle ahead, which resembled a sea of chaos. Ancient restrictions swirled through the dark clouds without the slightest gap. Such chaotic seas of clouds were not unique to this spot within the Sin Abyss. It was certain that even Sin Abyss cultivators would find it exceedingly difficult to enter such places. Merely standing here gave him a sense of profound danger, and Qin Sang dared only draw slightly closer to let the sword spirit sense for itself. Reason told Qin Sang that it was best not to enter, or he might not even be able to protect himself, let alone retrieve any treasures. Fortunately, the Killing Sword's sword spirit made no response. Over the past few days, Qin Sang had explored most of the accessible areas without finding a single trace of anyone else. After the tremors shook the Sin God Palace, only Nascent Soul forebears dared linger in the Abyss Ruins, and with the Sin Abyss waging war on all fronts, it was little wonder this place was so deserted. Several days passed with no harvest whatsoever. Qin Sang resolved to persevere and search the remaining areas, though he already had a premonition: *The chances of a Killing Sword fragment hiding in the Abyss Ruins are slim. I'll have to find a way into the Sin God Palace later...* The thought had barely crossed his mind when his expression shifted slightly. He suddenly looked down at his waist, sensing an unusual stir within his spirit beast bag. *The Fire Jade Centipede finished incubating here and woke up...* *Whoosh!* A flash of crimson glow flew out of the spirit beast bag. Inside the glow was a centipede that seemed carved from red jade—the Fire Jade Centipede, freshly emerged from its cocoon. Each of its legs tread upon a cluster of crimson flame, as if it were flying on fire, and the surrounding haze of red light was the radiant manifestation of its fiery power. Following its metamorphosis, the Fire Jade Centipede's body stretched to the length of Qin Sang's arm. Baring fangs and brandishing claws, it had become a ferocious beast. Having slumbered for so long, finally awakening after a successful metamorphosis and advancement, Qin Sang could feel its extraordinary excitement. The Fire Jade Centipede danced around Qin Sang, seeking praise from its master. Having had a soul imprint placed upon it, it had fully accepted Qin Sang, leaving no barrier between them. *Crackle!* Before Qin Sang could show any reaction, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly perched on his shoulder grew displeased. Its wings flashed with light as it cleaved downward with a bolt of lightning, effortlessly tearing through the fiery glow around the Fire Jade Centipede to teach it a lesson—making it understand who was the master's primary spirit insect! Separated by an entire major rank, how could the Fire Jade Centipede possibly match the Heavenly Eye Butterfly? Fortunately, the butterfly showed mercy. Stung by the blow, the Fire Jade Centipede was knocked right back to its original size on the spot. It scurried in panic to Qin Sang's other side and curled into a shivering ball, all its bluster extinguished. Sensing the butterfly's smug satisfaction, Qin Sang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His butterfly hadn't even developed human intelligence yet, but it had already learned how to be haughty and vie for affection. He couldn't bear to scold the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, so the centipede simply had to endure it. Qin Sang sighed inwardly, looking at the Fire Jade Centipede with pity. Only then did he notice that the centipede's excitement was somewhat abnormal. *Hm? Did the Fire Jade Centipede sense something and wake up from the attraction? Still, having slept for so long, it was about to awaken anyway. Since the metamorphosis was successful, waking up a bit early shouldn't have much of an impact...* Qin Sang extended his hand. Only when it landed on Qin Sang's palm did the Fire Jade Centipede gingerly uncurl its body. The emotion it transmitted began with grievance, followed by an urgent prompting to its master. Qin Sang turned his gaze in the direction indicated by the centipede. He still remembered how the Fire Jade Centipede had helped him find the Scarlet Fire Flowing Gold back then, which proved immensely useful later on. Now, the centipede appeared even more excited than it had been then; there truly seemed to be an extraordinary treasure ahead. Qin Sang trusted the Fire Jade Centipede's ability to seek treasures, but the direction gave him pause—it pointed straight toward the Sin God Palace! After a moment's hesitation, Qin Sang decided to go take a look. As wave after wave of tremors rolled toward him, Qin Sang did his utmost to rein in his sword light, pressing closer to the Sin God Palace against the impact. The further he went, the more impatient the Fire Jade Centipede became. Suddenly, Qin Sang's expression changed, and his figure halted abruptly. The Fire Jade Centipede raised the upper half of its body, thoroughly confused as to why its master wasn't rushing forward to claim the treasure. Qin Sang's gaze turned solemn as he stared ahead. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly could only perceive the storm stirred up by the tremors of the Sin God Palace, its vision an expanse of chaos. Yet Qin Sang keenly sensed unusual fluctuations mixed within. *Someone is fighting up ahead?* Qin Sang then spread his divine sense and focused his perception, confirming his conjecture. He glanced down at the Fire Jade Centipede coiled in his hand. The treasure was not hidden inside some secret realm, but had already been uncovered by someone—perhaps this battle had broken out over the treasure itself. Deep within the Abyss Ruins, this was bound to be infighting between Nascent Soul cultivators of the Sin Abyss. Qin Sang frowned slightly, weighing whether the risk was worth taking. Revealing himself to seize the treasure would undoubtedly make him a target for everyone, drawing a siege. But as long as neither side possessed a mid-Nascent Soul expert, Qin Sang was confident he could shake them off and leave the Abyss Ruins unnoticed via the Heavenly Corpse Sect's main altar. Even if the Sin Abyss stationed people to block the entrance, it would be useless. Having found the bone curses and searched most of the Abyss Ruins, he was essentially certain that the spirit sword fragment was not here. His objectives in coming to the Sin Abyss had largely been met, and it was time to depart. Before leaving, given the chance to stir up chaos in the Abyss Ruins and snatch a treasure, Qin Sang decided to go for it. They were enemies to begin with; he had already killed one Sin Abyss Nascent Soul, so offending a few more hardly mattered. Of course, the prerequisite was that the other party's strength remained within what he could handle. Qin Sang grew even more cautious. He summoned the twelve demonic banners, concealing them within his sleeves, and slowly drew closer to the origin of the fluctuations. After flying a short distance, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly finally made out the battlefield ahead. Yet the sight before him took Qin Sang completely by surprise. Qin Sang saw a familiar figure—half-human, half-serpent. It was actually the Snake King! He had known that the Snake King and his companions would come to the Sin Abyss in search of treasure, which was why he had decided to set out early. But he had never expected to run into the Snake King here in the Abyss Ruins. The ancient archdemon's cave dwelling was actually situated inside the Abyss Ruins; Qin Sang truly had no idea how they had managed to sneak in.