Breaking Away

The two pursued for a while, only to watch the azure light pull farther and farther away until they were left far behind. "Enough! There is no need to give chase, lest it cause a misunderstanding." The green-robed elder brought his light to a halt and called back his companion. If they kept chasing, the stranger might suspect them of harboring ill intentions, which would only make things worse. *** The Bifang had fled. The two Nascent Soul cultivators had stopped. Qin Sang saw all of this clearly, yet he remained vigilant and maintained his escape art. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly brought its divine ability to bear, keeping watch for a long time. Only after confirming that there were no pursuers behind him did Qin Sang finally breathe a sigh of relief. He withdrew his escape light and descended toward the sea surface. After this frantic chase and flight, what little true essence he had managed to recover was practically spent once more. Qin Sang sighed softly in his heart and cast a backward glance. With so many demon kings and Nascent Soul experts gathering here, Qin Sang could not help feeling uneasy. He worried that he might have unwittingly stumbled into the vortex of some major upheaval. In his current condition, any unexpected storm could prove fatal. As a newcomer who had just arrived, Qin Sang had no desire to be dragged into an unwarranted conflict. At the very least, he needed to ascertain the identities and backgrounds of both factions and understand the source of the unrest before making any judgments. *I’d better leave this place first, the farther the better…* Qin Sang muttered to himself as he retrieved a sea chart. After calculating his present location, he noticed scattered islands between himself and Crescent Moon Island. According to the markings on the chart, these islands were controlled by humans, and in fact by human cultivators. There was no shortage of human sects among them. Whether those places were safe right now, however, remained unknown. After taking a moment to regulate his breathing, Qin Sang picked a somewhat secluded island, intending to scout the situation there first. The island was called Xiancui Island. Cultivators resided there, and the sea chart indicated that its strongest island master was only in the late Foundation Establishment stage. Concealing his aura, Qin Sang skimmed nearly flush with the waves at a reduced speed, flying unobtrusively while ordering the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to stay alert at all times. Fortunately, he encountered no other cultivators or demon beasts along the way. By the time he arrived at Xiancui Island, it was already midnight. Qin Sang gazed from afar at the quiet Xiancui Island and approached with caution. Mortals populated several cities across the island, thriving with vibrant activity like a small nation at sea. Without needing to question any mortals, Qin Sang could see a mountain range cloaked in celestial mist at the very center of the island—an anomaly produced by a spirit formation. A cultivator's immortal cave undoubtedly lay there. Quietly entering one of the mortal cities, Qin Sang sensed the aura of cultivators inside the city lord's manor, though they only possessed Qi Refinement cultivation. Inside the manor's grand hall, several cultivators were huddled together, conversing in hushed tones. Some appeared agitated, others bewildered and indecisive, but beneath everyone's eyes lingered a common undercurrent of worry. These cultivators were dressed in splendid, opulent attire, exuding an aristocratic air that made them resemble pampered wealthy squires far more than ascetic daoists. "During this past period, has any of you actually seen the island master?" A stout, middle-aged man clad in a dragon robe, having grown impatient with the others' chatter, waved his hand sharply and demanded in a low growl. The others froze, exchanging glances. "The island master summoned us two months ago…" The man in the dragon robe cut him off with a cold snap. "Save your pointless drivel! Of course I know he summoned us two months ago. I am asking whether any of you has seen the island master or the Wang siblings during these past two months!" "Shh! Lower your voice, Prince Long!" The expressions of the others shifted slightly, and they reflexively glanced toward the direction of the immortal mountain. The man in the dragon robe did not dare act recklessly either. Calming his agitation, he whispered, "Over the past month or so, this prince has found various excuses to visit the immortal mountain, but every single time, that old gatekeeper turned me away. The Wang siblings are young and still lack settled temperaments; they used to come down the mountain once a month to indulge in revelry, yet now they have remained in seclusion for so long. When you piece that together with the rumors drifting in from outside the island lately, how can we not wonder?" "Are you saying…" A younger prince beside him spoke with a panicked expression. "The island master caught wind of trouble beforehand and has already abandoned Xiancui Island? Why wouldn't he tell us?" The man in the dragon robe sneered. "What are we to him? Nothing more than tools for the island master to govern mortals, kept in check with petty favors. We don't even have complete Qi Refinement cultivation manuals! Only the Wang siblings are his true personal disciples!" Another elderly prince, who had remained silent all along while rolling wooden prayer beads between his fingers, spoke in a deep voice, "I heard that the island master possesses a formidable background. A Golden Core Master once paid him a personal visit and treated him with great courtesy…" With that, the old prince sighed heavily. "It seems the skies are about to change!" The man in the dragon robe clenched his fists tight. "If it's merely internal strife in the cultivation world, they won't pay any mind to people like us. At worst, we'll just serve a new master. But rumors say demon beasts have frequently been sighted outside the island. I fear it's a demon invasion, and when that happens…" A shiver ran through everyone present. Demon beasts were brutally cruel; they would much rather die beneath a cultivator's flying sword. If that came to pass, all of Xiancui Island would be plunged into slaughter, with rivers of blood and devastation everywhere. "What should we do?" Panic overtook the gathering. If they had guessed wrong and fled the island without the island master's permission, their fate would be equally horrific. Right at that moment, everyone suddenly stiffened. The voices ceased abruptly, and some were left with their mouths still agape, as though time itself had frozen. The night-luminescent pearl illuminating the room dimmed, and a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Qin Sang. Looking upon the immobilized crowd, Qin Sang reached out a finger and pressed it against one man's forehead. A cup of tea's time later, Qin Sang walked out of the city lord's manor. Not knowing the identities of the two Nascent Soul experts he had encountered earlier, Qin Sang had no wish to reveal any traces of his presence. He had chosen to take the trouble of questioning them one by one before wiping everyone's memories clean. Back in the hall, the restraints binding the crowd lifted. They resumed their heated discussion, completely oblivious to the fact that a brief slice of their lives had just vanished. Qin Sang, meanwhile, made his way toward the immortal mountain. The defensive spirit formation possessed decent power, but in the eyes of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, it was riddled with flaws. Qin Sang slipped into the mountain with ease. The immortal mountain was entirely deserted, save for a single so-called gatekeeper. This man was advanced in years; because the island master had once shown him kindness, he had been charged with watching over the immortal cave. "The island master departed two months ago. Lately, more than one dragon ship has been attacked, and demon beasts have been appearing constantly…" Having gleaned considerable information from his inquiries, Qin Sang thought to himself that there was indeed something unusual afoot. This place was not safe either. *I must leave this turbulent area as soon as possible. Only upon reaching Crescent Moon Island can I safely recover in peace.* Qin Sang took over the island master's cave dwelling. The spirit vein here was far from satisfactory, and Qin Sang did not dare linger too long. After restoring thirty percent of his true essence, he departed in haste. Until the moment Qin Sang vanished into the distance, not a single soul on Xiancui Island ever knew that a Nascent Soul expert had once set foot among them. *** Across an open expanse of the sea, a streak of escape light shot forward at great speed, circling briefly in midair. Ripples stirred across the sea surface. Then, the void twisted, faintly revealing the phantom silhouette of an islet. The streak of light flashed inside the island and vanished from sight. The islet was rather cramped in area. A single palace occupied most of the island's ground. The palace was resplendent and magnificent. Inside the grand hall sat the very green-robed elder who had earlier startled away the Bifang. The white-robed scholar was nowhere to be seen, but two other Nascent Soul cultivators were present instead. These two sat respectfully in the subordinate seats, listening patiently as the green-robed elder spoke. The instant the escape light intruded, they noticed it immediately. The green-robed elder fell silent and lifted his gaze toward the outside of the palace.