Xuantian Palace

"Is Fellow Daoist satisfied?" Seeing Qin Sang withdraw his spiritual sense from the jade slip, the old steward asked with a smile. Qin Sang pondered silently. The contents of the Insect and Flower Classic had given him some inspiration, but unfortunately, it offered little help for his three spirit insects. Furthermore, the material was rather basic, providing nothing he could draw upon when cultivating fourth-metamorphosis spirit insects. If he could obtain the complete Insect and Flower Classic, he might truly gain something. Should the opportunity arise, he would pay a visit to Hundred Flowers Valley and try to converse face-to-face with the high-ranking cultivators there. Hearing the old steward's question, Qin Sang lifted his eyes and glanced over the jade slips scattered across the table. "With Master Feng backing your guild, surely these aren't your only treasures?" The old steward gave a chuckle. "Master Feng possesses peerless divine abilities, and there are many senior brothers of profound magical power on Mount Fengyang, so of course our collection isn't limited to this. However, while the Fengyang Merchant Guild enjoys some renown among low-ranking cultivators, it is hardly valued on Mount Fengyang itself. Certain things are not casually brought out to be sold in the guild. Fellow Daoist should understand." Qin Sang nodded slightly, stowed away the Insect and Flower Classic, gave the old steward a look, and said indifferently, "It seems this poor Daoist will have to pay a personal visit and consult Fellow Daoist Feng face-to-face." Hearing this, the old steward was dumbfounded. The next instant, his vision blurred, and the person sitting across from him vanished into thin air. The old steward's expression changed drastically. As if his rear were on fire, he sprang up from his chair. He threw open the door to the quiet room and was about to rush out when he suddenly remembered something, hurriedly retrieving a voice transmission talisman. Dong! Dong! ... The divine bell tolled, its sound shaking the clouds, heralding the arrival of an honored guest. Rumor had it that the divine bell on Mount Fengyang was an ancient treasure. Within the city, mortals and cultivators alike felt their blood churn and their minds tremble upon hearing the chimes. One after another, they rushed out of shops and immortal caves, gazing up toward the mountain summit. Yet all they saw were drifting immortal clouds. At the mountain gate of Mount Fengyang. A Core Formation stage cultivator received word and hurried down the mountain. Spotting Qin Sang admiring the scenery on the stone steps, he rushed forward to bow. "Junior Chu Huanqiang did not know of Senior's arrival and failed to welcome you! Please forgive me, Senior!" "I heard Fellow Daoist Feng has been looking for me all this time, and since I happened to wish to visit him as well, I came upon his invitation... What, is Fellow Daoist Feng not on the mountain?" Qin Sang scrutinized Chu Huanqiang, asking with a furrowed brow. "So it is Senior!" Chu Huanqiang realized at once, repeatedly apologizing. "Reporting to Senior, Master and the other senior brothers are currently out at the open sea; only I remained behind to guard the mountain. However, Master gave strict instructions long ago to return immediately the moment there was news of Senior. If Senior has no urgent business, I hope you can stay on the mountain for a short while. Junior will send a message to Master right away..." Qin Sang considered this for a moment and nodded. "Very well. Lead the way." "Yes!" Chu Huanqiang was overjoyed. Declining all formal pleasantries, Qin Sang had Chu Huanqiang arrange a quiet room for him, after which he shut the door to all visitors. ... Out at sea. Still on that nameless islet. Inside the palace, all three Nascent Soul cultivators from before, including Master Feng, were present. At this moment, their expressions were somewhat tense as they watched the white-robed figure sitting cross-legged in their center. This person was precisely the white-robed scholar who, together with Master Feng, had frightened off the Bi Fang. The white-robed scholar kept his eyes shut tight. His hands rested folded on his lap, palms facing upward, cradling a fist-sized orb. At first glance it looked like a pearl, but closer inspection revealed it to be a sphere formed of spiritual light. Inside the orb of light, a worm-like crimson entity was squirming. The blood worm seemed alive, its head reared high and swaying erratically. The white-robed scholar remained motionless. The blood worm swayed faster and faster. Seeing this, Master Feng and the others grew even more tense, afraid of disturbing him. Suddenly. Pop! The blood worm burst. Fortunately, the orb of light contained it, and it quickly converged again, though it had turned into a single drop of fresh blood, suspended quietly in the center of the orb. Vivid, striking crimson. A flush of red surfaced on the white-robed scholar's face. His body trembled slightly as he opened his eyes, weariness evident in his gaze. "Daoist Shen, are you unhurt?" Master Feng asked with concern. The white-robed scholar shook his head. "That demon rat has already perished. No matter how bizarre its bloodline divine ability may be, it cannot harm me. However, the consumption was indeed exceedingly fierce, beyond my expectations." "It is good that you are unhurt. Did you discover any trace of that person?" Master Feng nodded and pressed. The white-robed scholar smiled wryly. "Not quite. After all, I can only mimic the demon rat's bloodline divine ability to indirectly sense the mark it placed on that person, so my perception is very vague. I can only confirm that this person has not yet left this sea area and remains hidden somewhere." Master Feng furrowed his brow, his expression otherwise steady as he consoled, "No rush. The demon rat is dead, and the demon race will not find him any faster than us. Achieving even this much is already no small feat! If not for Daoist Shen's wondrous abilities in eavesdropping on the demon race's scheme and hunting down that demon rat, we would still be kept in the dark, believing the demon race truly intended to raise an army and invade our borders, completely fooled by them!" The white-robed scholar did not let praise get to his head. He sighed softly, "Unfortunately, what we can do is still too little! I suspect that the reason that person has stayed hidden in this sea area without moving for so long isn't merely due to severe injuries. I fear he may have already devised a way to erase the mark on himself and is currently carrying it out." Master Feng remarked casually, "We do what man can and leave the rest to fate. Obtaining the treasures on that person would naturally be fine, but even if he gets away, it is no loss to us." At this moment, the phoenix-crowned female cultivator, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. "Could the person the two of you encountered earlier, who was being pursued by the Bi Fang, be..." "It wasn't him," the white-robed scholar shook his head. "It is certain that the Xuantian Palace traitor the demons are searching for is only at the early Nascent Soul stage. His divine abilities are formidable, and he is exceptionally skilled in concealment arts, which is why he managed to hide until now without being captured by the demons. He could not possibly have broken through to the mid Nascent Soul stage in such a short time while on the run. Furthermore, if he were also proficient in the Thunder Escape technique, he would have thrown off his pursuers long ago instead of ending up in such a miserable state." "So that person really was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and ran into the Bi Fang by pure chance?" The phoenix-crowned female cultivator let out a soft laugh, finding that person's luck truly atrocious. The black-robed swordsman cared nothing about Qin Sang. Staring at the demon blood in the white-robed scholar's hand, he pressed, "Is that fellow truly a traitor from Xuantian Palace? Fleeing all the way here from Xuantian Palace is a journey of far more than a million li—and not through the Boundless Sea. To be hunted by that demon rat the whole way, dragging a wounded body and fleeing almost entirely along the borders of the Demon Realm, is simply unfathomable!" "That is precisely what I overheard," the white-robed scholar said. "That person was hunted by Xuantian Palace in the Hidden Sun Realm and, in his desperation, fled into the demon islands, where the demon rat tailed him in secret. Coming from Xuantian Palace, he certainly lacks neither divine abilities nor treasures. Moreover, that demon rat coveted the secrets on him and was unwilling to share with others, pursuing him alone, which gave him room to catch his breath. If he hadn't fled into this sea area and crossed into our human territory, the demon rat wouldn't have been willing to invite other demon kings to lend a hand!"