Exposure

"Ghost Mother..." Qin Sang sank into deep thought. Tan Hao had claimed to serve under the Ghost Mother. She was almost certainly the mysterious figure Tan Hao had rescued from the water dungeon—the one who had been imprisoned there, had drawn out her own bones to forge a bone formation, and had survived down to the present day. Even if the Ghost Mother possessed power rivaling that of the old devil Jade Bone, Qin Sang would not be surprised. He always estimated mysterious figures as formidable as possible; it was the very reason he exercised such caution. Among the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Beichen Realm known to him, there was no such person. Over the past century, several monumental events had swept across the Beichen Realm—the great war among the territories, the ascension of Ziwei Palace, and the founding of the Beichen Alliance. Almost no one in the cultivation world had been able to stay out of them. Yet behind none of these affairs had Qin Sang ever noticed the shadow of any mysterious faction. *The title is rather strange. But since she allowed Tan Hao to save those people, she probably isn't someone utterly wicked and depraved...* Qin Sang mused silently. Still, drawing a conclusion based solely on this one matter was too one-sided to be certain. Tan Hao had been missing for so long, vanished without a trace, that his current circumstances were impossible to predict. The good news was that Tan Hao was still alive. Meigu and Li Yufu stood quietly by, not daring to disturb Qin Sang's contemplation. After pondering for a while, Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the ground and released his divine sense. It swept across the entire village in a meticulous search, but he found no lingering traces left behind by any cultivator. The monster calamity had occurred over a century ago. Those who had witnessed it firsthand had all been mortals and were long dead; all that remained were legends passed down by word of mouth. Qin Sang used Meigu's method to question several villagers, and their accounts were largely the same. The contents of the legend were inevitably exaggerated, full of earth-shattering cataclysms and skies turning dark as night. It was impossible to judge how strong Tan Hao had been back then. Qin Sang searched the island thoroughly once more, confirming that no cultivator would ever choose this place for cultivation. "It seems Tan Hao happened to be in the area at the time and drew his sword to help out of righteous indignation. What remains unclear is whether they were cultivating in seclusion nearby or merely passing through. If they were just passing through, where were they headed?" Qin Sang flew into midair. The sea stretched out empty in every direction, unobstructed to the horizon. He first glanced northward, then shifted his gaze toward the Storm Belt. "Could they have already left the Beichen Realm? That would explain why the Ghost Mother never appeared at Ziwei Palace. Otherwise, when the Ascension Platform manifested, she would surely have been as desperate to escape this cage as Bai and the old devil Jade Bone." Li Yufu and Meigu flew up to join him. Qin Sang looked at Meigu. "Where is that senior's immortal cave?" After discovering Tan Hao's carving, Meigu had remained here guarding the spot, putting her own affairs entirely out of mind. Li Yufu blinked in surprise, then cupped his hands with a smile. "Congratulations, Junior Sister!" A joyful look appeared on Meigu's face as well. With Master personally taking the field, success was practically guaranteed. The following day, the three arrived at an open stretch of sea. In Qin Sang's hand rested a piece of profound yellow jade. The jade glinted with a faint luster. Under the cover of night, one could clearly see the profound yellow light being drawn by something beneath the waves, pointing straight down into the depths. It had taken Qin Sang a full day to pinpoint the location of the senior's immortal cave. Had Meigu been on her own, it likely would have taken her months at least. They dove into the sea and descended rapidly. Before long, a submerged peak loomed into view. The mountain was overgrown with water weeds and completely desolate, yet the profound yellow jade pointed directly at it. Qin Sang awakened the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, which quickly locked onto a section of the cliff face covered in algae. Descending before the rock wall, Qin Sang inspected it closely for a moment, then flicked a spark of lightning from his fingertip. The lightning struck the wall, shattering a spray of loose rock. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but after waiting a short while, a subtle ripple suddenly passed over the damaged section, restoring it to its original state! Qin Sang pondered for a brief moment, then abruptly summoned the Jinchen Sword. In an instant, dazzling sword radiance burst forth, and the seawater began to boil. Meigu and Li Yufu squinted in unison. Feeling the sheer might of this strike, reverence and admiration welled in their eyes—but immediately after, they realized something was different. The two exchanged a glance, their expressions shifting to pleasant surprise and awe. "Congratulations, Martial Uncle..." "Congratulations, Master..." Amid their felicitations, the Jinchen Sword struck the cliff wall with ferocious force. The expected scene of the mountain wall collapsing did not occur. After a wave of ripples, a black barrier was revealed. The Jinchen Sword pierced straight through the wall, leaving a fracture in its wake. Black light surged within the crack, seeming to form a vortex. "Go in!" Qin Sang spoke in a low voice and slipped inside. Suppressing their excitement, Li Yufu and Meigu hurried after him. The profound yellow jade was not an entry token, so their only choice was to force their way through the immortal cave's protective spirit formation. *Rumble...* Heavenly thunder, earthly fire, stone blades, and ice arrows erupted in a torrential onslaught. The protective spirit formation's power was extraordinary. Both Meigu and Li Yufu were secretly shaken; had they entered on their own, they likely could have held out for only a few breaths at most, with no hope of breaking through. Yet now, the formation's attacks could not harm them in the slightest. The Jinchen Sword hung inverted above their heads. Qin Sang walked with his hands behind his back, his expression entirely relaxed. Sword qi formed a barrier around the three of them, shielding them firmly. Qin Sang shifted direction repeatedly; no matter how the formation's patterns shifted, nothing could impede his steps. Before long, all the attacks abruptly ceased, and the surroundings plunged into complete stillness. The spiritual energy here was rich and dense—a miniature world of its own. They stood in a courtyard that clearly showed signs of long abandonment, though fortunately the immortal cave itself remained intact, with the doors firmly shut. Qin Sang acted once more to unravel the restrictions. Searching the premises, he uncovered several magic treasures, jade slips, and a medicinal field, though it contained no particularly rare spirit herbs. "The Tide Summoning Art... take it back and place it in the inner sect." Qin Sang examined a jade slip, found it to be a respectable cultivation method, and tossed it to Li Yufu. As for the magic treasures, none caught Qin Sang's eye, so he bestowed them upon his two disciples. "Thank you for the treasures, Master!" Meigu accepted a pair of fire ruyi and a set of needle-shaped magic treasures, bowing with delight. Li Yufu also received a gold sword of remarkable power. After sending the two disciples off, Qin Sang tidied up the immortal cave to serve as a temporary foothold. Over the next few months, Qin Sang concealed his identity and conducted a quiet investigation. He searched the waters around the small island more times than he could count, then widened his perimeter, frequenting various major market towns across the desert, but he came away empty-handed each time. Tan Hao and the Ghost Mother had appeared like fleeting blooms; beyond that single incident, not a trace of them could be found. *** Tianxing Plateau. Today was the day of the Beichen Alliance council meeting. The venue rotated among the various territories, and this time it was Tianxing Plateau's turn. Inside the Ice Crystal Palace, the Yue brothers, Yue Kui and Yue Wu, presided in person. Nascent Soul cultivators from the other territories were also present. From the demon race, both the Snake King and Jingyu attended, while from the human race, Fairy Qiuzhi was the sole middle Nascent Soul cultivator to make an appearance. The topics under discussion were largely the same as always—nothing beyond the Ascension Platform, the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, the Abyss Ruins, and similar matters—along with a small-scale trade fair to exchange what they had for what they needed. In addition, several disciples from prominent sects had come as representatives on behalf of their elders. Bursts of laughter echoed through the Ice Crystal Palace, and the atmosphere was lively and pleasant. Right then, an undisguised streak of light arrived in the blink of an eye, descending abruptly outside the palace entrance. Sensing the arrival, everyone turned their eyes toward the doorway. When they saw that it was Qin Sang, all were taken aback. "Temple Master Qin! What an honored guest..." Yue Wu went forward with a warm smile, only to freeze mid-step, his face seizing with sheer disbelief.