Crescent Moon Island

The fat silkworm did not disappoint Qin Sang. An entire major realm lay between it and the frog-fish. Yet the divine ability painstakingly tempered by an early Transformation stage demon king still could not penetrate the Poison-Warding Armor, firmly held at bay outside. *Whoosh!* The demonic fire surged straight toward it. Sensing the terrifying might of the demonic fire, the scales all over the frog-fish bristled, its eyes wide with terror. Qin Sang did not stop there. He slapped his corpse puppet bag, and the Nascent Soul talisman puppet shot forth, charging toward the frog-fish alongside the demonic fire. Having first crossed the storm belt, then engaged in a fierce clash with the three demons, the talisman puppet had also heavily depleted the power of the puppet seals within its body. While puppets felt no exhaustion, they were not perpetual motion machines. *Boom!* The demonic fire was right upon it, seemingly about to engulf the frog-fish. The frog-fish retreated frantically as the layers of golden and green light around it flared violently, surging out with immense momentum to push back against the demonic fire, colliding with it in an instant. Black demonic fire, the silhouette of the talisman puppet. Golden and green light. An array of anomalous phenomena converged and clashed. The void descended into pure chaos. At the same time, a thunderous sonic boom tore through the distance. A streak of blood-red light shot into the battlefield like lightning—it was the Bifang, rushing to aid its companion upon seeing the danger. Seeing the Bifang closing in at breakneck speed, Qin Sang cursed under his breath. Disregarding whether the frog-fish lived or died, he instantly recalled the demonic fire and the Nascent Soul talisman puppet, flashed out of the green light's reach, and resumed his escape. With just a few more breaths of time, Qin Sang was confident he could slay the frog-fish, but that would do little to help him escape danger. His greatest adversary was the Bifang; under no circumstances could he allow himself to be pinned down by it! Looking inward, another ten percent of his true essence was gone. He swallowed medicinal pills and gripped spirit stones, racing against time to recover, yet it was a drop in the ocean. *Swish!* The Bifang arrived. Wailing shrieks echoed from the battlefield. Furious and disheveled, the frog-fish leaped out. A ghastly claw mark gouged across its chest, having nearly disemboweled it. Its fish scales, harder than armor magic treasures, were now charred black. With a shudder of its body, they crumbled into dust and fell away, exposing raw, crimson flesh that throbbed with agonizing pain. Had it not been for the help of the little fox and the Bifang, it would have been killed on the spot! Though alive, the frog-fish had suffered immense damage to its combat strength and could no longer pursue Qin Sang. The three demons looked at each other in dismay. They had never imagined that the three of them joining forces would not only fail to kill an opponent in a weakened state, but leave one of their own grievously wounded and another heavily drained. "Quick, after him! That man is at the end of his tether—we must not let him escape!" The frog-fish bared its teeth and screeched harshly, wishing nothing more than to swallow Qin Sang alive and strip his skin. It was loath to admit that a thread of fear toward Qin Sang had sprouted in its heart. The might of the demonic fire was simply too terrifying. The little fox's assessment had been right. Had they encountered this opponent at his peak, it was very likely they who would have been fleeing for their lives! The little fox arrived late, having jumped off the Bifang earlier so as not to weigh it down. The Bifang nodded. "Be careful, both of you. Do not let yourselves be spotted by the humans." *Whoosh!* A violent wind roared. The Bifang gave chase once more, leaving the little fox and the frog-fish staring at each other. *Whoosh! Whoosh!* Azure light and crimson radiance sliced through the vast sky without the slightest concealment, the sheer momentum of their escaping lights perceptible even far beyond line of sight. Seeing that only the Bifang had caught up, Qin Sang thought to himself that his strike had not been in vain. The fewer opponents there were, the greater his chances of escape. If only he were not so weakened. Otherwise, Qin Sang would turn right around and wage a fierce battle against the Bifang. *How much further to the human continent?* Qin Sang recalled the sea chart. Aside from a single clear sailing route, the markings on the chart were very crude. His destination was a landmass called Crescent Moon Island. Crescent Moon Island was one of the Three Realms of the North Sea. Calling it an island was a customary convention; its more accurate name was the Crescent Moon Realm. Though termed an island, its territory was actually vaster than the Beichen Realm, making it the largest of the Three Realms of the North Sea in land area. Crescent Moon Island had a peculiar shape—long and meandering, with two pointed tips upturned and a bulging middle, resembling a crescent moon, hence the name Crescent Moon. Qin Sang sped toward the southwest. Where he was currently headed was precisely one of Crescent Moon Island's lunar tips. The shipmaster had once said that demonic beasts dared not stir up trouble near Crescent Moon Island, showing that it had to be a region under human control. As Qin Sang turned these thoughts over in his mind, he suddenly noticed two points of light—one azure and one white—appearing on the distant horizon. The specks of light were clearly the traveling lights of cultivators, drawn over by the commotion of their pursuit. Judging by their speed, they were very likely Nascent Soul cultivators or demon kings! Qin Sang's expression changed slightly. *Could this have lured in more demon kings?* He knitted his brows, inwardly cursing what kind of wretched place this was, where one could so easily run into so many Nascent Soul-level powerhouses, all traveling in pairs and trios. He vaguely deduced a clue. It seemed his timing had been poor; he had most likely stumbled right into some major event. The points of light drew closer and closer. Qin Sang's expression relaxed slightly as he confirmed that the newcomers were human Nascent Soul cultivators, not demon kings. Soon, the two also made out the identities of the pursuer and the pursued. Pausing briefly, they altered course to fly toward the Bifang trailing behind. Upon seeing the points of light, the Bifang had already hesitated. Now confirming that the newcomers were human adversaries, despite its reluctance, it could only abandon the pursuit. Veering its flight path, it turned and flew away. Seeing the Bifang retreat so decisively, the two flew on for a short distance before coming to a halt, turning their heads toward Qin Sang in the other direction. Of these two, one was a scholarly man in white robes of refined bearing, holding a folding fan and radiating graceful poise. The other was an old man in green robes, stern in countenance and unsmiling. Having frightened off the Bifang, they meant to greet Qin Sang. To their surprise, Qin Sang had no intention of stopping at all; without glancing back, he tore through the air and sped away. "Hm?" Displeased, the scholar in white barked coldly, "How insolent of this fellow!" The green-robed old man peered intently at the azure light and, after a moment, said, "So that's how it is! While this person appears formidable and imposing, he is clearly in a weakened state. It seems he is not a familiar fellow Daoist, and thus remains wary of us as well. Still, when did such a master appear in this vicinity?" The scholar in white relaxed his expression somewhat. If he were to encounter unfamiliar cultivators in such a state, his first thought would likewise be to keep his distance until his strength was restored. "That creature must be the Bifang Demon King Fellow Daoist Feng spoke of?" The scholar in white glanced toward the direction in which the Bifang had fled; the crimson radiance had already vanished. The green-robed old man nodded. "Indeed, that was it! The beast arrogantly calls itself a Bifang, but its capabilities are undeniably formidable—even I have no certainty of defeating it. However, it is usually inseparable from a cunning fox. Why is the Bifang alone now, with no sign of the other demon kings?" "Fellow Daoist Liu sent word that the Bifang had summoned a frog-fish as well. Now that neither of those two demons is present, could it be that this man fought his way out from an ambush by three demon kings?" The scholar in white showed astonishment in his eyes as he looked toward the direction of Qin Sang's flight. "His movement arts are extraordinarily rare, so shaking off the other demon kings is only natural. Yet breaking free from a siege by three demons speaks volumes about his power..." A brilliant gleam flashed repeatedly in the green-robed old man's eyes as he exchanged a few whispered words with the scholar in white.