Gain and Loss

The ice chest rested in his palm. Drawing on his previous experience, Qin Sang attempted to break the seal. Pale white light burst out intermittently within the cave abode as a biting chill seeped out, condensing into a layer of frost upon the walls. The ice chest vibrated again and again, but showed no signs of opening. After a long while, Qin Sang halted his efforts and stared at the ice chest with a deep frown. To his surprise, even after having materialized his divine sense, he remained powerless against the chest's seal. Just now, he had tried every method he could think of. Holding the ice chest, Qin Sang sat motionless, his gaze distant as though lost in thought. His divine sense was now on par with that of a great cultivator. If even that could not open the ice chest and left him without the slightest clue, there were only two possibilities: either his divine sense still was not strong enough, or some specific condition had to be met. If even a great cultivator could not force it open, then for the foreseeable future, Qin Sang would likely have to leave the chest inside the Qianjun Ring and treat it as though it did not exist. His thoughts drifted, turning to the man in white who had stolen the ice chest, and then to the Myriad Demons Assembly. Barring the unexpected, he would attend the assembly in person. *Old Man Hunmo killed so many Xuantian Palace Nascent Souls, creating a blood feud between them. Will Xuantian Palace still attend the Myriad Demons Assembly? As the greatest event in the North Sea and the largest trade gathering among Nascent Souls, if that man in white is alive, he might show up at Hunmo Island. If Xuantian Palace wants to find the traitor and recover the ice chest, they will surely send people to investigate in secret. Who knows if they possess some method to sense the ice chest? Should I leave it in the cave abode before heading to Hunmo Island?* Thinking up to this point, a sudden spark of inspiration struck Qin Sang. He decided to do the exact opposite: take the ice chest to Hunmo Island to test Xuantian Palace! The upcoming Myriad Demons Assembly was the perfect opportunity. With Xuantian Palace and Old Man Hunmo at each other's throats, entering the demonic faction's heartland meant they would never dare act recklessly on Hunmo Island. Furthermore, Ghost Mother had mentioned that something was amiss with the Palace Master of Xuantian Palace, who was likely recuperating from injuries. With the Palace Master unable to make a move, the others would find it extraordinarily difficult to pin Qin Sang down. There were only two possible outcomes. If he went undetected, it would prove that Xuantian Palace had no way of sensing the ice chest's location, or that Qin Sang's demonic fire seal was sufficient to block their detection. Then he would have no lingering worries. Whether to keep the ice chest for further study or put it to other uses, he could take his time to decide. If Xuantian Palace did lock onto him, it would mean the demonic fire seal was ineffective. In that case, he had no better way of concealing the chest anyway. Even if he could hide it for a time, so long as Xuantian Palace pursued it relentlessly, their formidable strength and vast reach would eventually allow them to track him down. Taking it back to the Beichen Realm would not be safe either; once the Palace Master recovered and came knocking across the storm belt, the trouble would be even greater. Making an enemy of the greatest force in the North Sea over an unopenable ice chest was truly unwise. Qin Sang did not even know what lay inside. It was most likely an ice-attributed treasure, which might not be of any use to him. If so, he might as well strike a deal with Xuantian Palace. After all, Qin Sang was not the one who had stolen it. As long as he expressed a willingness to negotiate, Xuantian Palace would have no reason to antagonize another top expert and would surely jump at the opportunity. Taking advantage of the Palace Master's weakened state, Qin Sang could extract even greater benefits. *Tink! Tink!* Qin Sang lightly tapped the ice chest with his finger, giving careful consideration to what he could obtain from Xuantian Palace. First, beyond any doubt, was a sea chart leading to Zhongzhou. Thinking of the sea chart, Qin Sang felt a prick of doubt. A sea chart was not some forbidden treasure meant to be hidden from the world. With Ghost Mother's strength, if she wanted a sea chart, she could simply pay a visit and ask to view it directly; Xuantian Palace had no reason to conceal it. Could Ghost Mother's true objective lie elsewhere? Qin Sang nodded to himself, finding the possibility quite high. Unfortunately, Tan Hao knew very little about Ghost Mother; otherwise, he could have formulated demands along those lines. Second was the cultivation method of the man in white. Qin Sang suspected that the man in white was a rare spirit cultivator and was thoroughly intrigued by such techniques. Third, Xuantian Palace possessed an ancient heritage and held absolute dominion over a realm. Within the sect, there had to be countless precious classics, perhaps even secret arts for breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage or even Deity Transformation. It all depended on how valuable the ice chest was and how much it could fetch him in exchange. At the very least, asking for some spirit pills and magic treasures would be well within Xuantian Palace's means. Rather than risking making countless enemies over an ice chest that might never open, it was far better to trade it for things that could aid his cultivation. For a cultivator, the Great Dao was the foundation of all things! Just as Qin Sang was weighing the pros and cons, he sensed the cave abode's restriction being touched. Tan Hao had returned. Qin Sang stowed the ice chest and, while he was at it, took out the Sun God Tree for a glance. He found that the fiery aura upon the divine tree was gradually deepening into a crimson hue; once it condensed into a Sun God Bird, it would be ready for his use. He attempted to use the Fire Seed Golden Lotus to subdue the Nanming Primordial Fire, but as expected, the result was another failure. Putting the magic treasure away, Qin Sang rose, walked out of the cave abode, and called out to Tan Hao. "Brother Qin, you're finally out of seclusion!" Tan Hao breathed a sigh of relief. With the Myriad Demons Assembly drawing near, he had been worried that Qin Sang would miss it, yet he had not dared disturb his seclusion, leaving him burning with anxiety. "The Myriad Demons Assembly has been the talk of the town lately, and many Daoists have already set out. How have your deliberations gone, Brother Qin?" "No hurry," Qin Sang smiled faintly. "Did you find any news?" Tan Hao nodded. Having already recorded the intelligence he gathered, he handed a jade slip to Qin Sang. Qin Sang sent his divine sense into it, quickly skimming past the less important details and focusing on the emergence of Huang Longshi's temporary palace. Below the Nascent Soul realm, Tan Hao had few equals. While it was impossible for him to uncover all the secrets, he could still gather sixty to seventy percent of the truth. This matter had caused quite a stir. Not only was it because Huang Longshi's temporary palace had appeared, but it also involved the grievances between the greatest sect in the North Sea and the foremost expert of the Boundless Sea. The location where Huang Longshi's temporary palace had appeared was a sea area in the eastern Boundless Sea. Many had suspected its presence there before and had searched the area countless times, only to find nothing. Old Man Hunmo had likely kept that area under close surveillance, which was why he had noticed as soon as the first sign appeared. The ones who discovered Huang Longshi's temporary palace were four Nascent Souls from Xuantian Palace, including an elder. While contending for treasures, they met tragic deaths at the hands of Old Man Hunmo. Adding in Qi and Wang, Old Man Hunmo had slaughtered several Nascent Souls in a short span of time. There were also other rumors claiming several other demonic figures had participated in the slaughter. Old Man Hunmo and the others had not hesitated to offend Xuantian Palace, which meant they had undoubtedly obtained tremendous benefits. The Cold Bone Demonic Hand on the auction list had very likely come from Huang Longshi's temporary palace. It was no secret in the Boundless Sea that Huang Longshi had once discovered a secret realm of the ancient demonic sect Cold Bone Path and obtained the Cold Bone Path's heritage. *Reportedly, there are even more Cold Bone Path treasures at the Myriad Demons Assembly. Why is that old monster so eager to part with them? Is he truly desperate to exchange them for something? Tan Hao couldn't find out about these things, but Daoist Yinquan should know a thing or two. It just so happens I need to see him anyway.* Qin Sang withdrew his divine sense. After a brief contemplation, he led Tan Hao out of the cave abode. Escorting Tan Hao to a safe location near Hunmo Island, Qin Sang agreed on a method of contact with him, then altered his direction and set off alone toward Mingzhu Island.