North Sea.
Qingyang Island.
Li Yufu was meditating in tranquil cultivation atop a jade couch. Sensing something, he parted his eyes slightly. Without making any visible movement, he heard the golden chimes outside the hall ring out, followed by the hurried entrance of a middle-aged Daoist.
From this man's bearing, one could tell he had long occupied a position of high authority.
This was none other than the current temple master of Qingyang Temple, known by the Daoist name Zhizhen.
Upon entering the hall, Zhizhen took on a respectful demeanor, hastened forward, and kowtowed. "Reporting to Martial Grandfather, disciple has just received a flying letter from Palace Master Tong of Xuantian Palace."
Li Yufu let out an "Oh?" He knew the sea had been turbulent recently. "Has there been movement on the demon island? Since that nine-headed demon serpent perished in its tribulation, could another Great Sage have unified the demon island?"
As he pondered, he drew upon his true essence. A beam of spiritual light flew from Zhizhen's hand into his palm. Examining it, he frowned slightly. "Go summon Chilei..."
Before he could finish, Li Yufu's expression suddenly changed, and his figure vanished in a flash.
Zhizhen had been waiting to receive the command; startled, he hurried out of the hall, only to see Li Yufu standing with hands behind his back in the void, gazing up at the sky.
Zhizhen looked up, and shock instantly washed over his face.
***
Zhongzhou.
Moon Shrouding Nunnery.
"Junior Sister, have you made up your mind?"
Standing before the statue of the ancestral founder, Abbess Yunxin looked down at Liuli, who was kneeling on a prayer mat with hands clasped, and asked softly.
Liuli nodded. Her resolve was steadfast; once decided, she would not waver.
A look of gratification flashed in Abbess Yunxin's eyes, and she said with a smile, "Junior Sister never took the monastic vows. Removing your monastic cap is tantamount to returning to secular life."
She thought to herself that she had shown great foresight. Long knowing that Liuli's mortal ties remained unresolved, she had dissuaded her from taking the vows, and today had proven her right.
Raising a pale, graceful hand, she removed the monastic cap from Liuli's head.
Black hair cascaded down like a waterfall!
Abbess Yunxin gently helped Liuli up, and together they bowed in reverence before the founder's statue, murmuring:
"When Ancestral Master founded Moon Shrouding Nunnery and entered the Buddhist path, it was because she had tasted every sorrow and bitter ache of mortal love, and could not bear to see later generations repeat her mistakes. Junior Sister possesses extraordinary aptitude, and True Monarch Qin is deeply loyal and devoted. He will surely protect you through this tribulation. One day, the two of you will soar to ascension side by side and roam the Great Thousand Worlds together! If Ancestral Master's spirit in the underworld knows that her descendants will fulfill her cherished wish, she surely will also..."
Before she could finish, both felt a sudden stirring. Exchanging a glance, they stepped out of the hall together and looked up.
At that moment.
Whether in the North Sea or Demon Sea, Zhongzhou or the Western Lands, anyone outdoors gazing up at the vault of heaven could witness a wondrous spectacle.
Under broad daylight, stars shone down.
Myriad stars were arranged across the void, seemingly beyond the highest heavens, insubstantial as illusions, like starlight cast inward from another world.
Moments later, the starlight converged and cascaded down from the sky.
Some cried out in alarm, believing a divine artifact was descending from beyond the heavens. Yet before the starlight could land, a blood-red rainbow suddenly materialized from an unknown source and surged up to meet it. As if canceling each other out, both vanished into nothingness.
In an instant, the phenomenon dispersed, and the stars faded from sight.
In just a few breaths, heaven and earth returned to normal.
Abbess Yunxin felt rather puzzled. With her cultivation, she could naturally tell that both the starlight and the blood rainbow were beyond the outermost firmament, their bearings impossible to discern. They might not even have originated in Zhongzhou. One could only make out the faintest glimmer of starlight and the blood rainbow before they vanished.
Nothing else could be discerned, and she had no idea where the anomaly had come from or what omen it portended.
She subconsciously looked toward Liuli at her side.
A gentle breeze stirred.
Her long black tresses fluttered faintly.
An inexplicable sense of unease seized Liuli. Her delicate brows knit slightly, and she remained still for a long time.
***
*Hualala...*
Waves crashed against one another.
Though it was not a windy day, the swell was formidable. Cultivators would not fear it, but mortal boats would be at great risk of capsizing.
The sunlight was dim, and the water was nearly inky black, making the sky appear all the gloomier.
This expanse of sea stretched endlessly to the horizon without a single island or rising reef, nor were there any flying birds. Between heaven and earth, only the sound of crashing waves echoed, eternal and unchanging.
Suddenly, a rift tore open in the sky.
A vast deluge of crimson light surged out from the rift, like a scarlet star falling from beyond the heavens, plummeting downward at desperate speed toward an unknown destination.
*Boom!*
Somewhere across the nearby sea, a thunderous crash erupted. Colossal waves surged skyward as an immense crater was blasted into the ocean's surface. With a violent sizzle, plumes of steam billowed up, blanketing several li around in an instant.
Within the oceanic crater.
A ball of fire continued sinking into the deep sea. Vaguely visible inside were two human figures, their auras feeble and exuding a heavy stench of blood.
A moment later, one of them twitched. Divine light flickered in his eyes. Sensing the gruesome state of his internal injuries, his expression darkened.
However, in his perception, this was a vast expanse of sea, with no aura nearby that could threaten him. He could not help but let out a sigh of relief.
"It doesn't seem to have followed me through. Could it have been swept away by the spatial storm?"
This person was none other than Qin Sang. He murmured to himself, but then his expression abruptly changed, and he looked urgently toward the avatar beside him.
By now, the avatar was disfigured beyond recognition. Black fire burned across its body, covered in densely packed black markings like countless twisted, snake-like runes, incomparably eerie.
Inside the avatar's body, the black runes had already overtaken everything and invaded its nascent soul.
Since Qin Sang and his avatar shared one mind, he vaguely sensed that while these black runes possessed no destructive power to kill directly, they were extraordinarily bizarre. The avatar was utterly helpless against them and could find no way to resist.
What alarmed Qin Sang even more was his intuition that the black runes could trace the link from the avatar to his true body!
If the runes targeted the nascent soul, Qin Sang would not fear them, but clearly that was not their aim.
Moreover, he knew no method to dispel them. Though he was ignorant of their purpose, with previous lessons in mind, he could by no means allow them to run unchecked!
Qin Sang's gaze turned dark and resolute. Making his decision, he jabbed a sword-finger between the avatar's brows, and the light in the avatar's eyes instantly faded.
Immediately after, the avatar's form shifted dramatically, shrinking into a palm-sized wooden puppet.
He had actually dispersed his own second nascent soul! This external incarnation that had accompanied him for so many years naturally ceased to exist as well, reverting to its original form as the Dao Manifestation Tree.
The moment the second nascent soul dispersed, the aggressively spreading black runes ground to a sudden halt. Sensing that their host had perished, they withered and dissolved away into nothing.
Confirming that the ominous ripples had completely vanished, Qin Sang still dared not be careless. Without touching it directly, he stored it away into the Qianjun Ring. With a jolt of his body, he leaped out of the water, bursting through the white mist. Sweeping his gaze around, he saw only a boundless ocean, devoid of human presence.
Looking up at the sky, Qin Sang gave his dark sleeve a shake, and the Sun God Tree settled into his palm.
"Vermilion Bird?"
He called out, but received no response.
Qin Sang sighed inwardly, recalling what had just transpired.
He had already activated the Reception Platform, yet at the very instant of breaking through the boundary, he had sensed a mortal threat—some monstrous entity seemed to have pursued him closely.
His instinct had been to summon the Sun God Bird to block the enemy, only to hear the Vermilion Bird shriek: "Ah, I'm dead!"
Then, the true essence meant to wield the Sun God Bird had been redirected to the roots of the Sun God Tree, surging straight toward the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather.
Qin Sang had reacted with extreme speed, instantly guessing the Vermilion Bird's intention. In that dire moment, he could only choose to trust it, pouring his true essence into the feather without reservation like floodwaters breaching a dam. In an instant, his immense reserves of true essence were drained dry, leaving behind scarcely a single drop.
Although the Vermilion Bird had not possessed the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather for long, with the aid of Qin Sang's true essence, it had truly succeeded in activating it, forcibly tearing through the crushing constraints upon him and the spatial storm. Qin Sang had instinctively surged forward along with the power of the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather, having no idea where it would carry him.
Under the looming threat of that monster, he had possessed no leeway to sense the starlight, nor did he know whether he had been conveyed to an upper realm by the guiding starlight.
At the final moment, a ray of bloody light had still torn through the void storm to strike. With his true essence completely depleted, Qin Sang had been forced to deploy his avatar to take the blow in his stead. The avatar had only managed to summon the wooden armor and unleash a blast of Ice Soul Divine Light.
The wooden armor had shattered in an instant, its fragments scattering like stardust until not a single piece remained.
The remaining momentum of the bloody light had still inflicted devastating injuries upon both Qin Sang and his avatar. The avatar had taken the brunt because it shielded him from the front; yet even though Qin Sang's physical body was no weaker than a shapeshifted demon king's, he now felt pain wracking every inch of his being, as if riddled with a thousand holes. His vitality raged in turmoil, his injuries gravely severe.
Grasping the Sun God Tree, he sensed for the Vermilion Bird's true feather. Due to their pact, a faint bond existed between him and the bird. He could tell that the fledgling spirit of the Vermilion Bird was still present; it seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber.
It was likely exhausted from forcibly wielding the Heavenly Phoenix True Feather.
*So long as the fledgling spirit hasn't dissipated, all is well...*
Qin Sang felt a faint relief and did not disturb it.
This was a silver lining amidst catastrophe. Although he had lost his external incarnation, at least he had not been seized by that monster.
"Is this the Great Thousand World?"
Aside from water, nothing could be found here. But Qin Sang was certain of one thing: he could no longer sense the Gate of the Beacon!
Furthermore, the Demonic Voice of the Heavenly Dao had vanished!
He was certain he had left that world behind. As for whether this was the Great Thousand World, that remained to be verified.
Stowing the Sun God Tree, Qin Sang formed an incantation seal with his hand. The violent surge of vitality across his body immediately settled, and the wounds over his flesh began to scab and slough away.
He was using none other than the Inner Lion Seal learned from Master Huaiyin.
This seal was truly extraordinary. Qin Sang felt his injuries mend in an instant, his physical body returning to its peak. Stamping heavily, he chose a direction at random and shot forward like an arrow.
He could not linger here!
That monster might have been swept away by the spatial storm, but his arrival through the world boundary had created quite a disturbance. If any formidable beings were nearby, they might very well have detected it.
Risking the cost of using the Inner Lion Seal, Qin Sang intended to travel as far as possible while its effects lasted.
After Qin Sang departed, this stretch of sea soon returned to normal.
Some time later.
Wild winds suddenly whipped across the sea. Gales howled, turning heaven and earth murky, and ripples of turbulent vitality in the upper sky were visible even to the naked eye.
Dark clouds gathered out of nowhere, congregating above the area. Beneath the dark clouds and amidst the howling gales, an illusory dark shadow could faintly be seen.
The gale did not last long.
In the blink of an eye, the wind subsided, the clouds scattered, and clear skies returned.
***
After leaving that sea, Qin Sang picked a direction and sped forward with all his might. Only now did he have the leeway to reflect upon all that had occurred.
This sudden calamity had thrown everything into disarray.
His physical body had not yet broken through, the Qilin Seed remained unrefined, his promises to Liuli and the various factions were unfulfilled, and many mysteries were left unsolved before he had hastily ascended—and he was not even certain if he had reached the Great Thousand World.
*I wonder if I will ever see them again in the future?*
Qin Sang thought of his old friends and murmured inwardly.
If that monster was indeed the source of the Demonic Voice of the Heavenly Dao and had been drawn away by him, the cultivators of that world might regain their path of advancement, leaving at least a glimmer of hope.
Qin Sang shook his head. It was pointless to dwell on these things now.
The pressing matter was to find a place to settle down. Once the effects of the Inner Lion Seal wore off, his injuries would worsen, so he had to heal and restore his strength as soon as possible.
After flying an unknown distance, Qin Sang felt the blood and qi in his body gradually growing restless, knowing that the effects of the Inner Lion Seal were nearing their end.
Pausing slightly, he gazed as far as his eyes could see, but still no land was in sight. The islands he had passed along the way were sparse, and given his poor condition, he had not dared approach them, leaving him unaware of what cultivation arts the practitioners here practiced.
Qin Sang felt he was still not far enough and that it was unsafe. Looking down at the sea surface, he noticed a massive ocean current running beneath him.
Pondering for a moment, he drew an object from the Qianjun Ring—a sphere of light, none other than the Taiyi Star Carriage.
Since acquiring this treasure, he had spent much time studying it. Although it had not been repaired and could not be used for flight, he could conceal himself inside it.
After a thought, Qin Sang summoned the Fire Jade Centipede.
The Heavenly Eye Butterfly remained perched on his shoulder, keeping watch with its Heavenly Eye divine ability.
After its fourth metamorphosis, the Fire Jade Centipede had also forged a body of golden armor and iron bones.
With these two insects guarding him, they should be able to handle ordinary situations.
As if sensing his thoughts, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly gently brushed Qin Sang's right cheek with its soft wings, as though telling him to focus on healing without worry.
Qin Sang smiled faintly, some of the gloom in his heart dispersing. Stroking its wing, he murmured, "At least I still have you two with me... Once I recover, I will help you break through!"
With that, he brought out several small bottles and swallowed all the pills within. Tapping his finger toward the Taiyi Star Carriage, a beam of azure spiritual light shot out, and he slipped inside.
The light of the Taiyi Star Carriage dimmed, turning it into an inconspicuous jade sphere. Incredibly light and ethereal, it dropped into the ocean current and floated beneath the surface, pulled along by the Fire Jade Centipede as it drifted farther and farther with the current.
***
One year later.
Upon a reef beach.
Having arrived here, the Taiyi Star Carriage came to a halt. As spiritual light welled forth, Qin Sang emerged and looked at the island before him.
After drifting upon the sea for a year, this place was immensely far from where he had fallen.
This was still not mainland, but an island. Yet gazing at it from a distance, Qin Sang found that it was extraordinarily large, with vibrant spiritual vitality—a fine sanctuary to convalesce.
Taking a closer look, Qin Sang knit his brows slightly. The island's vegetation was luxuriant, yet it lacked the feeling of flourishing vitality. The tree trunks and branches were gnarled and twisted into bizarre shapes, imparting a sense of eerie gloom even in broad daylight.
Furthermore...
"Why are there so many spirits on the island?"
Qin Sang was slightly surprised. Flora could attain spirituality and intelligence, but doing so on their own was exceptionally difficult. Yet in just the small patch of forest before him, there were over a hundred such spirits, though their cultivations were not high, with the strongest being equivalent only to the Foundation Establishment stage of human cultivators.
The plant spirits frolicked and played in the woods, utterly oblivious to the uninvited guest who had arrived from beyond the island.
Uncertain whether great demons inhabited the island, Qin Sang concealed his traces and slipped into the forest without disturbing a single spirit. Rather than rushing into the island's center, he found a cave and entered meditation.
"The worldly spiritual energy in this realm is indeed dense. Even if it is not the Great Thousand World, it is vastly stronger than the previous one!"
Qin Sang remained seated in quiet meditation for another month.
He focused entirely on refining healing pills and regulating his blood and qi. His physical body improved, and the injuries to his dantian and meridians gradually recovered. Fearing that absorbing environmental spiritual energy would produce fluctuations and invite unwanted trouble, he had initially relied solely on spirit stones and medicinal pills to recuperate.
Having confirmed there were no great demons on the island, he finally let loose and circulated his cultivation method.
In an instant, an atmospheric change occurred, and surrounding spiritual energy converged toward him.
Suddenly, the spiritual energy abruptly collapsed and shattered.
A muffled groan sounded from within the cave dwelling. Qin Sang clutched his dantian, his expression utterly grave.
Just now, after drawing the spiritual energy into his body, he had soon felt the true essence within him destabilize. In its violent surge, it had nearly reinjured the meridians he had only just recovered.
It was not that the spiritual energy was incompatible with him!
It was as though the worldly spiritual energy of this realm was inverted and chaotic!
Qin Sang suddenly recalled an item—the carcass and demon core of that Thunder Turtle. The power contained within them felt extraordinarily similar to this sensation!
Chapter 1744