Seeking Help

Qin Sang had been entirely focused on fleeing and had not yet had the chance to ponder the matter of the blood lake in detail. Old Demon Ye was not on the front lines, quietly hiding away at the blood lake instead; he undoubtedly harbored some scheme. When clashing with Old Demon Ye and the others, Qin Sang had felt that Jiang Chenzi and the rest seemed desperately eager to keep all of them behind, not letting a single one escape. Once he showed himself, their side boasted three combatants whose strength rivaled mid-Nascent Soul experts. Even the Cold Lizard was only slightly inferior, and together with Cultivator Lu, it was proficient in combined attack secret arts. Though the Sin Abyss side matched them in numbers, apart from the unfathomable Old Demon Ye, their strength was otherwise unremarkable, with only the three treasure banners to rely upon. Even with the evil spirit favoring them, expecting to detain all four of them was unrealistic. Unless they were trying to conceal some secret. Thinking of it this way, the blood lake was definitely anything but simple. It was just that Qin Sang had never expected the blood lake could be connected to Boundless Valley. Qin Sang suddenly recalled the blood miasma around the periphery of Boundless Valley, which blocked the entire entrance to the valley. Perils lurked everywhere within the blood miasma. Back when he and Yunyouzi entered Boundless Valley, both had Foundation Establishment cultivation and still needed to hire a guide to lead the way, making the journey quite harrowing. Could the blood miasma be related to the blood lake? Qin Sang summoned Fat Chicken and gestured for it to continue. "The blood lake is in the deepest depths of Boundless Valley's third layer. After my mother underwent her transformation, she moved her immortal cave to Boundless Valley and grew very familiar with the place. Even so, whenever she went to the blood lake, she was still extremely cautious. I heard Mother say..." Fat Chicken hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously, "That Boundless Blood Mulberry... was born in the blood lake." Qin Sang shot an amused look at Fat Chicken. Back then, it was he who had snatched the bird's treasure, not the other way around. He had no idea what the creature was so afraid of. To think the Boundless Blood Mulberry had actually come from the blood lake. It seemed the blood lake was also a treasure trove, though he did not know whether Old Demon Ye had entered merely to search for treasures or had some other objective. "Do you suspect that the blood lake in Boundless Valley is connected to the one in the Abyss Ruins? Did your mother ever mention what kind of place lies inside the blood lake?" Qin Sang asked in turn. Fat Chicken recalled, "The aura of this blood lake is identical to the one in Boundless Valley; they definitely share a profound connection. But back then, my cultivation was too low, so Mother didn't tell me much about the blood lake." Pausing, Fat Chicken wore a hesitant expression before gritting its teeth. "Master, I... I would like to beg a favor of you..." "Does it have to do with your mother?" Qin Sang smiled faintly. "Master, you knew all along?" Fat Chicken froze. Qin Sang remarked languidly, "Heh, I've been waiting to see how long you could bottle it up." Fat Chicken was the offspring of a Shapeshifting Demon King, a genuine second-generation demon noble. Protected by a Demon King mother, it could have swaggered through the cultivation world without fear, for human cultivators were loath to provoke a beast of such heritage. Its own talent was commendable as well; on the verge of breaking through to the late Demon Core stage, it had promising prospects of shapeshifting. A creature with such background and talent would never have developed a disposition like Fat Chicken's—perpetually subservient, sly and deceitful, and utterly shameless. Fat Chicken acted far more like a beast that had fended for itself out in the wild, suffering its fair share of beatings at the hands of the cultivation world. Qin Sang had long suspected that something might have happened to the Thunder-Devouring Falcon Demon King; otherwise, how could Fat Chicken have fallen to such a state? Unless, of course, the demon king had been heartless enough to kick Fat Chicken out to fend for itself. However, that had nothing to do with him and might involve some deep secrets. If Fat Chicken did not speak of it, Qin Sang was not in a position to pry. Fat Chicken said sheepishly, "Not long after I hatched, Mother vanished. Fortunately, before leaving, she left me several treasures, allowing me to successfully form my core and achieve my current cultivation. I originally planned to follow Master, render some meritorious service, and then shamelessly ask Master for help. I never imagined I would see the blood lake here..." Qin Sang was slightly surprised. "Could your mother have vanished in the blood lake?" "Back then, Mother suddenly told me that the ancient restrictions of the blood lake had loosened and an anomaly had appeared, so she decided to enter the lake to investigate. Later, I waited in the cave dwelling for a long time, but Mother never returned. After I formed my core, I visited the blood lake once, only to discover it was impossible for me to break the ancient restrictions. I wonder how she is now..." Fat Chicken nodded, deep sorrow and longing welling up in its eyes. It was rare to see it so earnest. Qin Sang frowned. "Your mother was capable of battling two Nascent Soul experts back then, yet even she was trapped in the blood lake. I fear I would accomplish little if I went in." Fat Chicken hurriedly said, "This humble one also knows the blood lake is extremely dangerous and would never dare ask Master to risk venturing into the blood lake alone. However, if the blood lake is connected to the Abyss Ruins, will the Two Domains Alliance decide to open the blood lake and enter to thwart the Sin Abyss's plot? With so many people, the danger should be vastly reduced. I know Mother's chances of survival are slim, but I only beg Master to take me along to search for her. Dead or alive, it will at least bring me closure. This humble one is willing to acknowledge Master as my true lord, to serve like a horse or ox for Master..." Desperate to save its mother, Fat Chicken was even willing to become Qin Sang's mount. Its mother had been missing for two hundred years; this was quite possibly its only chance. Qin Sang fell into contemplation upon hearing this. If this news were brought back, the Two Domains Alliance would certainly send people into Boundless Valley to investigate the blood lake. As for whether they would enter the blood lake to contend with the Sin Abyss, that was hard to say; they would first need to ascertain Old Demon Ye's intentions. The demonic sects of the Xiaohan Realm, especially the Qingyang Demonic Sect whose sect was right outside Boundless Valley, ought to know some secrets regarding the blood lake. However, the Two Domains Alliance would certainly demand precise details before drawing conclusions. He would need to consider carefully how to explain everything when the time came, so it would be best to consult Senior Sister Qingjun first upon returning. If the Thunder-Devouring Falcon Demon King were still alive, rescuing her would undoubtedly be advantageous. Whether Fat Chicken pledged servitude was inconsequential; Qin Sang was not lacking in Demon Core stage spirit beasts. What Qin Sang valued most was placing a life-saving favor on its mother; that way, he would gain another Demon King ally, giving him greater assurance in dealing with Dongyang Bo in the future. Perhaps he could even persuade the Thunder-Devouring Falcon Demon King to remain in the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea, leaving him with no worries when traveling abroad. He had to travel far and wide to search for the Killing Sword fragments and was destined not to remain in the Xiaohan Realm indefinitely. Founding a sect and shielding the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea was largely to fulfill Senior Yunyouzi's dying wish, and this was not something he could casually trouble Senior Sister Qingjun with. After some thought, Qin Sang waved a hand and said, "We will discuss this after we return. For now, tell me everything you know in detail..." "Yes!" Fat Chicken was overjoyed to see that Qin Sang had not refused. ... The return journey went exceedingly smoothly. Upon reaching the desert and leaving the territory of the Sin Abyss, Qin Sang sped toward the agreed-upon rendezvous point. Far from the Sin Abyss. Deep within the desert lay a ruined site bristling with megaliths. The shorter megaliths stood several zhang tall, while the tallest reached dozens of zhang. This had once been a mortal walled city, but it was now utterly deserted and deathly quiet. Qin Sang suspected, however, that this was the work of immortal cultivators; mortals could not possibly quarry thousands of megaliths in the desert. Standing atop a distant dune, he gazed out at the ruined city walls. Once he confirmed nothing was amiss, he crushed a bone tooth in his hand, and the fragments dissolved before him into the phantom projection of the Snake King. Seeing that Qin Sang was unharmed, the Snake King breathed a sigh of relief. Back then, he had watched with his own eyes as Old Demon Ye pursued Qin Sang. "I knew you would escape, Mingyue!"