After a round of coercion, he lured the strange-faced man's disciple into releasing his Nascent Soul of his own accord, successfully capturing him alive as expected.
The sword array trapped the Nascent Soul.
Flickering into view overhead, Qin Sang calmly cast several restrictions to seal the Nascent Soul, just about to draw it into his hand and flee far away.
To his surprise, the moment the disciple's Nascent Soul was imprisoned, its eyes suddenly stiffened, glazed over with a layer of grayish light.
At the same time, an aura of decay and withering emanated from inside the Nascent Soul out.
Its vitality began draining from within.
In an instant, the strange-faced man's disciple withered to the extreme.
This sight reminded Qin Sang of the Senluo Withering Prison the strange-faced man had used against his avatar.
Sensing something was amiss, Qin Sang rapidly chanted incantations and shot a stream of light from his fingertip into the glabella of the Nascent Soul, attempting to halt its withering. Yet he discovered this deathly aura erupted from within its divine soul, impossible to stop from the outside.
In the blink of an eye, the entire Nascent Soul shriveled like tree bark, its face steeped in death.
On the verge of death, a bizarre glint appeared in those grayish eyes, clearly not controlled by the disciple himself. The eyeballs rolled slightly, attempting to make out the enemy.
Abandoning the attempt to save him, Qin Sang brought his fingers together and thrust forward, blasting the Nascent Soul to flying ash with a strike of heavenly thunder.
"What a master!" Qin Sang scoffed coldly.
When the great tide descended earlier, the strange-faced man had not forgotten to activate the wooden armor to protect his disciple.
Qin Sang had assumed this person was the strange-faced man's personal disciple and highly valued by him, which had prompted his decision to capture him and search his soul to uncover the strange-faced man's origins and strength.
Little did he expect that the strange-faced man had planted a restriction inside his disciple long ago.
It didn't even wait for the disciple's soul to be searched—the moment his Nascent Soul was imprisoned, the restriction erupted immediately, leaving not the slightest opening to exploit.
Helpless, Qin Sang merely collected the disciple's mustard seed bag and let the corpse be swept away by the great tide.
Just then, a warning came from the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. The strange-faced man had likely sensed something and was charging in this direction.
At the same time, a figure was surprisingly approaching from another direction as well.
This person did not look like someone merely passing by. Moving with considerable ease through the great tide, his cultivation was clearly formidable.
Did the strange-faced man have other accomplices?
Surprised, Qin Sang had been considering whether to meet the strange-faced man in person, but now he had no choice but to drop the thought and vanish into the depths of the great tide.
Before long, two figures appeared one after the other at the spot where the disciple had perished.
Compared to when he was in Nanzhou, the scars on the strange-faced man's face had faded somewhat, revealing the facial features of an ordinary man and looking less grotesque.
Scanning his surroundings, his right arm gradually lignified, turning wood-like as his five fingers spread open, radiating a green halo of vitality.
Dense, tender sprouts grew from his skin, rapidly developing into countless blades of grass. Each was as fine as a strand of hair, forming a soft green down that swayed gently as it spread in all directions.
The strange-faced man narrowed his eyes, attempting to use this divine ability to capture the lingering aura of battle.
Unfortunately, the raging tide had wiped out every trace.
Finding nothing, the strange-faced man withdrew his divine ability, his expression grim.
The other person had been hovering at the outer edge, darting over to stand side by side with him only after he finished. Clad in black robes with his face concealed beneath the cowl and veiled by a layer of dark mist, he was shrouded in mystery.
The black-robed man asked indifferently, "Your disciple is dead?"
The strange-faced man snorted coldly in silence.
"I warned you long ago... How much did he actually know? If someone captured him alive and leaked your identity, you know what the consequences would be," the black-robed man said, a touch of displeasure in his voice.
"Since I dared to let him know, I wasn't afraid of exposure!" the strange-faced man responded coldly. "Once matters here are settled, I will still need to enter secluded cultivation for fifty years."
"Didn't you say it would only take ten years before you could emerge? Why so long? In fifty years, the Ullambana Gathering will already be over!"
Displeased, the black-robed man fell silent for a moment before chuckling with sudden realization. "I had wondered how you could teach such a disciple... With your cunning and foresight, you wouldn't rely on just one contingency, would you? The matter is of grave importance. You must emerge before the Ullambana Gathering to search for the other Five Aspects Tokens. I will assist you from the shadows."
The strange-faced man replied testily, "Once the successors of the five branches see the emblem on the Gu God Token, they will naturally come seeking us. Why go through such trouble? If no one comes knocking, it means their lineages have been broken. Where would one even begin looking for the Five Aspects Tokens?"
"The Buddhist and Daoist sects view the successors of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect as thorns in their flesh and eyes. If that lineage has fallen into decline and its successor lacks sufficient cultivation, they certainly wouldn't dare show themselves. Or perhaps someone is deliberately lurking in the dark, harboring schemes of their own? So long as they make a move, they are bound to leave behind clues that cannot escape your sharp eyes."
The black-robed man offered a bit of flattery, then paused before saying solemnly, "Neither of us wants to hide in the shadows forever, never daring to show our true faces. It is time to reclaim what originally belonged to the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. This Ullambana Gathering is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity; we ought to cooperate with all our might."
The corner of the strange-faced man's mouth curled into a sneer. "If we are to cooperate with all our might, why did you make all sorts of excuses when I sent word to you earlier? Mount Bunian has sealed its mountain. When will you help me march into Zhuo Prefecture? Once we seize the spirit treasure, I wouldn't mind giving it to you."
By now, the great tide was nearing its end.
As the black-robed man surveyed their surroundings, he said, "You mean that Xie family ancestor from Mount Pu in Zhuo Prefecture? Unless we capture him alive and interrogate him for the Tongbao Formula, what use would the spirit treasure be to me? They're both in Zhuo Prefecture—just because Mount Bunian sealed its mountain, does that mean they can't reinforce Mount Pu? The Xie family ancestor has deep ties with Lu Zhang, and Situ Yu places great hopes on Lu Zhang. The moment we act, Situ Yu will surely emerge from the mountain. Situ Yu made a name for himself in battle back then. Ever since taking over as sect master of Mount Bunian, Longju Grotto-Heaven's tentacles in Zhuo Prefecture have been severed one after another, suffering several bitter setbacks at his hands. That alone shows his capability. Unless Situ Yu falls, or you are completely confident in breezing through the mountain-protecting grand array, slaying the Xie family ancestor, and erasing every trace, you and I are very likely to be exposed because of it. With the Ullambana Gathering drawing near, do not invite unnecessary trouble. If Eight Views Abbey and Ganlu Zen Monastery set their sights on us, we will lose the greater for the lesser. Once matters succeed, we will take whatever we desire!"
Faced with the black-robed man's earnest urging, the strange-faced man met it only with a cold sneer.
The black-robed man sighed helplessly and made a promise. "Tianhao Tower possesses an ancient red mystery tree. I will do everything in my power to help you obtain it."
"Fine!"
***
Far in the distance, Qin Sang repeated his previous trick, using the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to spy from afar, though he could not hear their exchange.
The grey tide gradually receded.
He had thought the interior of Wuwang Hall might settle down for a while, but unexpectedly, after the grey tide passed, another unforeseen transformation occurred.
Above the sea, the storm raged.
When the grey tide descended, it had driven the storm's fury to its peak. Monstrous waves surged to the heavens, and several nearby islands were caught in the wake, leaving many cultivators inadvertently injured.
The vegetation on the islands was uprooted entirely, a whole layer of soil shaved away from the ground amid crumbling mountains and splitting earth.
Yet after this fiercest wave passed, the cultivators discovered that the storm born of turbulent currents was beginning to shrink—Wuwang Hall was actually closing!
Never had anyone expected the Wuwang Hall ruins to remain open for such a brief time.
To be trapped in Wuwang Hall was to die without a burial place.
All at once, the cultivators inside the ruins who had just survived the grey tide fled outward like madmen.
Su Zinan was no exception.
Qin Sang had still been debating whether to track the strange-faced man or continue tailing Su Zinan. Now there was no need to overthink—escaping was the best policy!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Beams of escape light in various colors surged out of the turbulence. Those who had held on until now were mostly Nascent Soul patriarchs, yet at this moment, they showed none of their usual poise, each utterly disheveled, with no small number injured.
Scanning their surroundings, they unanimously searched for Su Zinan, urgently demanding an explanation.
This opening of the Wuwang Hall ruins had been far too anticlimactic. Not only had they gained nothing, but they had also suffered heavily when the grey tide struck.
The entrance to the ruins was narrowing rapidly.
Qin Sang invoked Thunder Escape to burst out of the ruins, then retracted his phoenix wings and flew out of the turbulence. Instead of departing immediately, he landed quietly on an island not far away.
The cultivators on the island were completely oblivious to the fact that someone had arrived among them.
Qin Sang raised his head, looking toward the sky.
A moment later, the strange-faced man and the gray-robed man flew out of the turbulence together. The pair indeed could not bear the light of day, deliberately employing secret techniques to conceal their movements from onlookers.
Naturally, their tracks could not escape the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's gaze.
Outside, however, it was unwise to brazenly trail Great Cultivators.
Qin Sang glanced in the direction of their departure, remained where he was, and kept his eyes fixed on the entrance of Wuwang Hall, waiting for Su Zinan to emerge.
He always felt Su Zinan's goal could not be so simple.
Before entering, could Su Zinan truly have been ignorant of the volatility within the ruins? To expend such immense effort and open Wuwang Hall with such fanfare merely to stroll around the perimeter?
As time passed, the black hole high in the sky was exposed once again, still continuously spewing out turbulent currents, but as it steadily narrowed, the affected area shrank smaller and smaller.
Most cultivators had already escaped successfully.
The streaks of escape light grew increasingly scarce.
Suddenly, three streaks lit up within the black hole, one of them belonging to Su Zinan.
After they fled outside, several more cultivators flew out in succession until the black hole sealed completely.
Within the ruins of Wuwang Hall, even Nascent Soul cultivators could not guarantee their safety. It was unknown if anyone had failed to escape in time and perished within.
The final surge of turbulent currents plunged into the sea, spent of strength, and was swallowed by the ocean waves.
The various strange phenomena triggered by the ruins settled one after another. In an instant, the sky turned clear and the sun shone brightly; the sky and sea were thoroughly serene, showing no trace of chaos.
The Wuwang Hall ruins had vanished. The nearby unrecognizable islands were the only traces left behind by the ruins.
Su Zinan hovered in midair.
Mo Xingdao, Cave Master Qiling, and the other helpers Su Zinan had invited gathered around him one after another.
Glancing at the people beside him, Su Zinan's face suddenly darkened.
A clamor also arose among the onlookers.
When Su Zinan crossed south in white robes and entered the Central Plains, two Nascent Soul stage Dark Moon Guards had flanked him as bodyguards, yet one was now missing!
For a Dark Moon Guard to actually perish in Wuwang Hall meant Su Zinan's endeavor was truly more loss than gain.
Su Zinan forced out a drop of essence blood, traced a blood talisman in midair, and pressed his palm forward.
The blood talisman flared brilliantly and turned into a beam of bloody light, but it swayed back and forth in midair, entirely unable to sense the location of the other Dark Moon Seal.
This sea region was vast and open; only Wuwang Hall could sever the connection.
Whether the guard had been killed by the grey tide or fallen prey to someone taking advantage of the chaos was impossible to investigate—the disappearance of the Dark Moon Guard would remain an unsolved case.
Smack!
In towering rage, Su Zinan shattered the blood talisman with a strike of his palm.
The others fell silent as cicadas in winter.
Mo Xingdao stood quietly beside Su Zinan, his expression placid as ever, like an unruffled ancient well.
Cave Master Qiling sighed softly. "Fellow Daoist Su, my condolences."
"His fate had run its course; his death warrants no pity."
Suppressing his anger, Su Zinan said flatly, looking up at the empty void, lost in thought.
Cave Master Qiling comforted, "This setback was due to underestimating the volatility of Wuwang Hall, not a failure of skill. May I ask what plans Fellow Daoist Su has next, and when we will explore Wuwang Hall again?"
Before his words had fully faded, the sharp whistling of something breaking through the air suddenly echoed from the horizon.
Drawn by the commotion, everyone looked in that direction, surprised to discover that what had arrived was a snow-white crane.
The Nascent Soul cultivators quickly noticed something unusual.
"It's one of Eight Views Abbey's secret arts, Crane Traversing Nine Heavens!"
"Such speed, such profound mastery—few even in Eight Views Abbey could match this... Could it be Daoist Hegao?"
"It really is him!"
...
In the blink of an eye, the crane streaked through the air and came to an abrupt halt before Su Zinan. Tucking its wings, a plume of white smoke billowed out of nowhere, transforming into a long-bearded Daoist.
"Huh? It's him!"
Qin Sang recalled his encounter before entering Zhongzhou.
Back then, when he was hunted by fierce beasts during his flight, an Eight Views Abbey cultivator had appeared, lured the beast away, and left behind words of warning—using precisely this escape technique.
Qin Sang later confirmed that this person should be Daoist Hegao of Eight Views Abbey.
In Eight Views Abbey, beneath the Deity Transformation stage, his status was second only to the sect master, Daoist Zilei.
"You have arrived late, Daoist," Su Zinan said flatly, an unusual glint flashing across his eyes.
Daoist Hegao had a long, thin face of archaic nobility, with narrow eyes sharp as blades. He first glanced upward, then bowed with clasped hands toward Su Zinan. "Pardon my intrusion. Could Fellow Daoist Su inform this poor Daoist how you located Wuwang Hall?"
Su Zinan tapped his mustard seed bag, and several pieces of broken wood flew out. "As I said, you came a step too late, Daoist. My adoptive father once left a marker in Wuwang Hall, which could be triggered from the outside with an array to lock onto its location. Unfortunately, such a marker can only be used once. I do not possess my adoptive father's vast divine abilities to recreate it."
"What!"
Daoist Hegao's brow knitted tightly. "If it can only be used once, why were you so reckless, Fellow Daoist, rather than discussing it with us first?"
Su Zinan flew into a rage. "It is an object left by my adoptive father—I will use it however I please! What business is it of yours? I have long heard that you bully others with your power, leaving our fellow Daoists in the Central Plains angry but terrified to speak. Others may fear you, but I do not!"
With a furious snort, Su Zinan shouted in accusation, "I personally visited your doorstep earlier to ask whether True Monarch Danyu had ever entered Wuwang Hall and pleaded for his guidance, yet you played coy and shut me out! Now, haughty before and deferential after—what is the reason for this sudden change of tune!"
His voice rolled like thunder.
Across the entire sea region, every cultivator heard it with crystal clarity.
Clearly aware that Su Zinan was spouting nonsense before all these watching eyes, Daoist Hegao was nevertheless unable to refute him, his face turning an alternating green and pale.
Ignoring Daoist Hegao's ugly expression, Su Zinan turned and swept his sleeves, leaving.
Su Zinan and his entourage vanished past the horizon.
The cultivators below did not leave. With mixed expressions, they pondered Su Zinan's words while secretly observing Daoist Hegao.
Daoist Hegao remained silent for a long while before finally setting off, his face still ashen when he departed.
Only when he had flown completely out of everyone's sight did the anger on Daoist Hegao's face abruptly vanish. Glancing in the direction Su Zinan had fled, his expression serene, he flew gracefully away.
Chapter 1586