Seeking Someone

Listening to the chatter of the nearby cultivators, Qin Sang learned that this was already the third area Su Zinan had searched. The previous two had yielded nothing. Cultivators had gathered on several surrounding islands, watching and waiting for the outcome. No one knew what method Su Zinan had employed, but far out across the sea, the water bulged high into the air, constantly discharging outward from within. Flying slightly higher, Qin Sang saw that the bulge formed a ring, leaving a bottomless abyss in its center. Within that oceanic pit, lights of various colors flickered incessantly, and the ripples cast by magic treasures and Daoist arts could be clearly perceived. Several figures hovered inside the pit, a few of whom were unmistakably the core members. Qin Sang focused his gaze, discerning their features. One of them wore a white robe and a jade belt, carrying an air of dashing elegance. It was Su Zinan, the most renowned figure of the moment. In truth, his appearance was a fine match for Lady Yue. *That old demon really wasn't Su Zinan,* Qin Sang thought, recalling Old Wu. He still remembered that the old demon had no Dark Moon Seal between his brows and was not a Dark Moon Guard, leaving it unclear what standing he held in Luye. Sweeping his eyes over the others, Qin Sang noticed the man standing beside Su Zinan. The man uttered not a word, standing there in utter stillness, giving off a detached impression as though he drifted outside the mortal world. *Mo Xingdao, the foremost rogue cultivator of the Northern Barrens... What is his relationship with Luye? Truly worthy of a Deity Transformation lineage—openly and in secret, they possess at least three Great Cultivators! Did that old demon not come? Or is he lurking in the dark, ready to support Su Zinan?* Qin Sang observed Mo Xingdao for a moment, then awakened the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to search in secret. From Su Zinan's side all the way out to the perimeter of spectators, Qin Sang conducted a rough sweep, but found no one resembling Old Wu. The setting sun dipped into the sea. As night fell, the treasure lights within the ocean pit suddenly went out. With a somber expression, Su Zinan flew out of the chasm, followed closely by Mo Xingdao and the others. The displaced seawater receded, returning to its tranquil state. Paying no heed to the onlookers, Su Zinan flew straight back toward the Chinan Island Chain. As expected, this search had ended in failure once again. *** Over the following month or so, Qin Sang tailed Su Zinan through multiple locations. Each time, they set out in high spirits only to return disappointed. Su Zinan's movements followed no discernible pattern, darting erratically in all directions. As this happened more and more, Qin Sang began to wonder: did Su Zinan actually have a way to pinpoint the ruins of Wuwang Hall? Or was he deliberately biding his time? Over these days, noticeably more Nascent Soul cultivators of unknown origin appeared among the crowd. Some harbored suppressed auras and deliberately concealed themselves, but none could elude Qin Sang's spiritual sense. Since staying here did not hinder his cultivation of the *Fire Seed Golden Lotus*, Qin Sang was content to drag things out with Su Zinan. Another half month went by. While Qin Sang was in the middle of cultivating, the innkeeper sent someone with word: Su Zinan had left the island once more. Su Zinan made a huge spectacle of every excursion, which spared Qin Sang the trouble of constantly keeping watch. Qin Sang slowly drew his technique to a close, and the fire lotus seed sank back into the space between his brows. There was no need to ask where Su Zinan had gone. Stepping out of the inn and looking up, Qin Sang saw streaks of escape light shooting across the high sky, all heading in the exact same direction. He fell in behind them at an unhurried pace. He soon noticed that this time was different from the rest. The moment Su Zinan left the islands, he sped southeast at full tilt, moving toward a very clear objective. His interest piqued, Qin Sang picked up his pace, passing most of the cultivators. Before long, the crowd followed Su Zinan into an unfamiliar stretch of sea. Out of habit, Qin Sang touched down on a deserted island, choosing a spot with a clear vantage point to observe. In the distance, Su Zinan and his companions halted above the water's surface, gathering in a circle as if conferring over something. After the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, Mo Xingdao and the other Nascent Soul cultivators each took an odd-looking wooden stake from Su Zinan's hands and dispersed in all directions, leaving only a single Dark Moon Guard by Su Zinan's side. The wooden stakes were as thick as a thigh and only three feet long, their surfaces carved with dense grooves that cast an eerie blood-red sheen in the sunlight. It looked as though veins ran through the wood, with fresh blood flowing through them uninterrupted. Holding the wooden stakes, they cordoned off an area over ten li across. Su Zinan remained at the very center, hovering cross-legged above the water. Su Zinan's eyes were tightly shut. The others began to busy themselves. Because of the great distance, Qin Sang could not immediately tell what they were doing, though it appeared they were setting up an array. Before long, Su Zinan let out an unintelligible low roar. Mo Xingdao and the others immediately cast the stakes from their hands, plunging them straight into the sea. *Thud! Thud! Thud!* Water splashed outward. The wooden stakes pierced the surface, mostly submerging while a small portion remained above water, hovering motionless. At the same time, Su Zinan raised his hands, rapidly finishing an incantation seal before pressing his palm downward, shooting a beam of flowing light into the sea. The light melted silently into the water. Suddenly, an anomaly occurred among the outer wooden stakes. The blood within the grooves surged with great speed, bursting with a rich, bloody radiance. The stakes resonated with one another, their crimson lights pulling toward each other. *Swish, swish, swish...* The bloody light formed lines connecting every stake, weaving an intricate pattern across the surface of the sea. As the primary controller of the array, Su Zinan seemed to bear an immense strain. His face flushed red, and his upper body wobbled slightly. Just as onlookers assumed something had gone wrong, Su Zinan's figure abruptly blurred and vanished. Simultaneously, a duplicate of Su Zinan appeared above every single stake, flashing once before merging into the wood. "Open!" Accompanied by a thunderous shout, the stakes sank together to the seabed. The seawater at the array's center turned entirely into blood-red water, glaring and crimson, as though a blood-colored gem had been set into the sea. *Crash!* The bloody water surged, transforming into a thick beam of bloody light that shot straight into the heavens! Both Su Zinan's actions and this blood-wood array were completely different from the previous attempts. Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that a turn of events would unfold today! Qin Sang followed the bloody beam with his gaze, and an astonishing sight soon met his eyes. When the bloody beam reached an altitude of ten thousand feet, it abruptly vanished. The blood-wood array was still functioning, its pillar of blood-red light pouring forth relentlessly, yet only the lower segment remained visible. It was as though an invisible, colossal maw hovered in the void, swallowing the bloody light whole! Exclamations rang out all around. Qin Sang stared intently at the spot where the light disappeared, prompting the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to push her divine eye technique to its limits. At first, he saw nothing; the imagined invisible barrier did not exist. Yet as the bloody light grew thicker and thicker, a change finally occurred. A faint black dot surfaced within the core of the bloody beam, and it then expanded at a startling pace. In the blink of an eye, the black dot grew to half the width of the beam, and it continued to spread rapidly. Even those without a Heavenly Eye Butterfly noticed the anomaly inside the bloody light. An enigmatic force had torn a massive hole in the void, resembling some kind of passage. "He really found it!" "Are you sure it's Wuwang Hall? Was anyone present during the last opening? Did it happen like this back then?" "Old Shen was there! Wait, where did Old Shen go?" *** The islands fell into chaos. Qin Sang gazed at the black hole with a solemn look. Inside, it was pitch-black, and for some reason, it filled him with a sense of trepidation. As the hole expanded, this premonition only grew stronger. Suddenly, a gust of gray mist billowed out from the black hole. *Rumble!* An earth-shattering roar sounded. Shocked into silence, everyone stared upward in a daze, watching the gray energy surge out from the black hole and plunge downward with brutally violent force. A gray waterfall came into being within the void. Even from such a distance, the crowd could feel an aura capable of ripping everything to shreds, setting their hearts racing with fear. The gray energy thundered downward. Those within the blood-wood array bore the brunt of it. *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...* Streaks of escape light fled the blood-wood array in great disarray. Su Zinan and his companions looked utterly battered; turning back, lingering dread was written across their faces. The gray energy was clearly an intensely violent turbulence. The blood-wood array was torn straight to shreds. Now, even the black hole was hidden from sight as an inexhaustible torrent of gray energy surged forth. The interior was completely chaotic, filled with turbulent crosscurrents that expanded outward with astonishing speed. Qin Sang finally understood how an entire large island could have been leveled. Seeing this, he could not help but recall the scene when the Ziwei Palace ascended all those years ago. The spatial rifts had also harbored terrifying spatial turbulence. Even with the protection of the Ascension Platform, one required a late Nascent Soul cultivation just to ensure self-preservation. Of course, the two kinds of turbulence were not the same. Qin Sang could distinctly feel the chaotic power of restrictions within the gray energy, most likely the result of an array or a secret realm being destroyed. A Deity Transformation cultivator likely could not even lay down such a spirit array. It was at least on the level of an ancient immortal array. The foundation of Wuwang Hall went far beyond imagination. So much time had passed. Wuwang Hall had long become history. Although several ancient records had been unearthed recently, relevant accounts were scarce and not necessarily reliable. According to research, Wuwang Hall in its prime was a superpower spanning both the mainland and the Eastern Sea, and it had very likely been jointly governed by both humans and demons. The coexistence of the two races within a single power was something contemporary cultivators could hardly imagine. Today, the human and demon races were divided, while Wuwang Hall lay in ruins. Fortunately, Zhongzhou was vast enough, and the sea between the mainland and the Eastern Sea was sufficiently broad and desolate. The deafening roars continued without pause. In just fifteen minutes, the turbulence blanketed a vast expanse of the sea before its expansion finally slowed, directly transforming this region into a storm belt that blotted out the sky and sun. The surrounding waters were affected as well, with titanic waves surging to the heavens. Qin Sang deployed his protective true essence to withstand the gale, turning his eyes toward Su Zinan and the others at the edge of the turbulence. Su Zinan looked rather pale. Fortunately, he had fled quickly and avoided taking the direct impact. Channeling his true essence, he raised his voice above the tempest. "Which fellow Daoist is willing to assist me in entering Wuwang Hall? My previous promise still stands!" Silence answered from the distance. After a moment, someone called back loudly, "Fellow Daoist Su, do you intend to pass through this turbulence and enter the deepest depths?" Su Zinan gave a surprising reply. "I do not know much about Wuwang Hall. Whether it lies in the depths of the turbulence can only be known once we go inside." A commotion rippled through the crowd. They had the cautionary tales of Eight Views Abbey and Ganlu Zen Monastery before them. By all logic, since those two sects had both returned empty-handed, anyone with an ounce of self-awareness would never accompany Su Zinan to take such a risk, lest they repeat those mistakes. Yet Su Zinan had pinpointed Wuwang Hall so quickly, and the blood-wood array was clearly extraordinary. He had to know some well-kept secrets. Everyone was weighing the pros and cons, and for the moment, no one stepped forward. Su Zinan shook his head and was about to lead his people into the turbulence when another voice called out, "Fellow Daoist Su, could you tell us what your purpose is in entering Wuwang Hall? Since you claimed to forgo all treasures, surely you are not going in search of them?" Su Zinan remained silent for a moment before speaking: "To find someone!" *To find someone!* At these words, an uproar swept through the crowd. Rumors had long circulated that a Deity Transformation expert was trapped inside Wuwang Hall. First came Eight Views Abbey and Ganlu Zen Monastery, and now Su Zinan had arrived. "Who?" someone pressed immediately. Su Zinan looked around, but failed to spot the speaker. Giving no answer, he said coldly in a deep voice, "I shall wait for ten more breaths!" Nine breaths vanished in an instant. At the very last breath, a streak of light lit up on a distant island. A white-haired, white-bearded elder flew before Su Zinan, nodding. "I shall accompany Fellow Daoist Su on this trip!" Su Zinan was overjoyed. Looking the elder over, he said in surprise, "Could your excellency be Cave Master Qiling?" The elder chuckled. "I did not expect Fellow Daoist Su to know my humble name. It is truly an honor." "Cave Master is too modest. Who in Nanzhou does not know Cave Master Qiling? To finally meet you in person is my honor!" Su Zinan was exceedingly warm. Seeing that no one else responded besides Cave Master Qiling, Su Zinan hesitated no longer and led the team into the turbulence. The moment they entered, streaks of light of every color flashed across the islands. Flying close to the turbulence and sensing its power, the vast majority of cultivators shrank back. If Core Formation cultivators entered such a place, they would likely not make it far before losing their lives, to say nothing of obtaining treasures. Even so, the disturbance Su Zinan had caused was too immense, drawing in quite a few Nascent Soul experts. Some traveled alone, while others moved in small groups of two or three. Qin Sang entered the turbulence alone. He had chosen not to join Su Zinan. Back then, in order to deal with Old Wu, he had used his sword array, demonic fire, and the Sun God Tree. If the other party recognized them, there would be no hiding it once danger struck within. At that point, he would have to face the combined assault of three Great Cultivators, which was not worth the risk. Furthermore, Qin Sang had a faint suspicion that Su Zinan's motives were far from simple. If Old Demon Lu were truly trapped in Wuwang Hall, it contradicted what Lady Yue had said. Going in to take a look was still necessary. Qin Sang flashed into the turbulence. At the outermost perimeter, it was relatively manageable; he could evade the brunt of the turbulent currents by dodging. But the turbulence shifted with remarkable speed. Before he had ventured very far, it became exceedingly dense, forcing him to withstand it head-on. Qin Sang channeled the Ruyi Pearl, conjuring an astral barrier for protection. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly surveyed the surroundings for him. Traces of other cultivators could be detected on both flanks. Their path aligned with Qin Sang's—all intended to shadow Su Zinan. Ignoring the others, Qin Sang directed the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to unleash the full power of her heavenly eyes, locking onto the direction of Su Zinan's advance from afar. After traveling a short distance like this, Qin Sang's figure suddenly paused. There was plainly nothing around, yet at this instant, something felt inexplicably different, as if he had crossed into another space entirely. *Whoosh!* Several turbulent currents struck simultaneously. Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. He was battered by several chaotic forces at once; rumbling sounds echoed incessantly as the astral barrier trembled, flickering erratically. Qin Sang hastily poured in more true essence to steady the barrier. *Hiss... We haven't even reached the interior, yet the turbulence is already this fierce! A cultivator in the early Nascent Soul stage who lacks a sufficiently strong protective divine ability would have no choice but to stop here.* Steeling himself, Qin Sang pushed forward, noticing that the cultivators to his left had indeed failed to keep up. Advancing further became an arduous struggle with every step, and more and more people fell behind. Left with no other choice, they remained in the vicinity to search, hoping to stumble upon something. Qin Sang's expression grew increasingly grave. He had inquired in the Chinan Island Chain about the scene during the ruins' previous opening; while the outermost turbulence had been potent then, it had never reached such a terrifying degree.