The dark-red bodies looked petite, yet they harbored explosive power.
The Fire Jade Centipede trembled in Qin Sang's palm, clearly sensing the terrifying pressure radiating from the flying monkeys.
The flying monkeys here differed not only in color; their strength was also vastly superior to those in the trial ground. The two were simply not on the same level.
Qin Sang suspected that even a Core Formation stage cultivator would fare poorly if they ventured over the lava lake right now.
Fortunately, an inexplicable force seemed to bind them to this place. They remained active above the lava lake and showed no intention of breaking out.
To Qin Sang, the lava lake before him was like a bomb that could detonate at any moment. Were all these flame flying monkeys to surge outside and go on a slaughter, more than half of those who had entered the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode would likely perish.
Qin Sang concealed his aura with all his might, not daring to leak even a trace for fear of alerting the monkeys, and stole glances at the vine at the center of the lake.
He had never seen a vine like this before. Among the ancient records he had browsed on Pagoda Peak, there were descriptions of several similar immortal vines born from fire, but none seemed to match.
The main reason was that the golden fruit borne by this vine was exceedingly strange—gleaming gold like a bodhi bead.
Its skin was speckled with dots like tiny stars and carried a hint of translucence. Inside, one could faintly glimpse what seemed not like fruit flesh, but flowing nectar—yet it did not quite resemble nectar either. It was truly bizarre.
There was no fragrant aroma, nor was there any medicinal potency wafting out that would clear the mind.
Qin Sang could not even be certain whether it was a spiritual fruit at all.
After pondering for a long time, Qin Sang still could not find any comparable record in his memory. However, for it to grow in such a place and be guarded with such painstaking care by the master of the courtyard, it was definitely extraordinary.
Regrettably, with the vine guarded by so many flying monkeys, Qin Sang lacked the strength to harvest the golden fruit right now.
Once his cultivation reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, he might be able to give it a try. If that still proved insufficient, he would have to wait until Core Formation.
Then again, there might be other ways to evade the monkeys' senses and steal the fruit, but that would require meticulous preparation, which was entirely out of the question for now.
Qin Sang sighed inwardly. He had no choice but to give up for now and depart first.
He decided not to take any unnecessary actions, such as attempting to conceal the courtyard or anything of the sort.
The ancient immortal's abandoned abode was already under the control of Xuanlu Pass, and wave after wave of cultivators would enter to explore and hunt for treasures in the future. Any meddling would be superfluous, drawing suspicion and exposing the courtyard's secrets instead. It was far better to leave the ruined courtyard out in the open for anyone to see.
As for whether to seek helpers?
Qin Sang considered it and shook his head inwardly. Casting a deep, lingering look at the fruit to etch its appearance into his memory, he resolved to consult various ancient texts upon his return to uncover its origins and uses before making any decisions.
Since no one had discovered the ancient well for so long, there was likely no need to worry about anyone unravelling the courtyard's secrets in the short term.
The Fire Jade Centipede's ability to directly sense spiritual objects was what had allowed it to bypass the illusion formation's obfuscation and stumble upon a passage through the array by pure coincidence.
Such rare exotic insects were exceedingly scarce in the world; a second one would not easily turn up.
With these thoughts in mind, Qin Sang ducked his head and slowly backed away onto the stone steps.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, a heavy sense of foreboding welled up from the depths of his heart for reasons unknown. Frowning, he looked back at the lava lake, but the flying monkeys were behaving as usual, completely undisturbed...
The next instant, Qin Sang's expression changed drastically. He whipped around and stared intently at a spot on the stone steps behind him.
Someone was there!
And their strength was terrifying, having completely bypassed his perception!
He did not know how long this person had been tailing him. Qin Sang had not detected the slightest anomaly; that he noticed their presence now was likely because the other party had allowed it deliberately.
His hand darted toward his mustard seed bag, but just as he brought out the Profound Yin Thunder, he suddenly found himself unable to move.
Then, starting from his hand, his arms, torso, legs...
Before the other party had even shown themselves, Qin Sang's entire body was immobilized, frozen like a statue with only his head able to move. His physical body was bound, but his origin soul was unharmed and his ebony sword remained unrestricted; however, Qin Sang chose not to expose the ebony sword.
Qin Sang's heart sank to rock bottom.
The air was stiflingly hot, yet he was chilled to the bone!
At that moment, a figure slowly emerged where Qin Sang was looking. The sight of the man's missing leg left Qin Sang with an overwhelmingly bitter taste in his mouth.
No wonder this person could effortlessly fool his senses.
No wonder he had been left utterly powerless to resist.
It was actually him!
This man was one of the five Core Formation stage cultivators who had entered the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode—Old Man Dique!
"Qin Sang greets Senior..."
Qin Sang's lips twitched as he said hoarsely, "Junior's body is restrained and unable to salute properly. I beg Senior not to take offense..."
Never in his wildest dreams did Qin Sang expect that Old Man Dique had not gone to explore the four Heavenly Peaks, but had appeared here instead.
If there was any silver lining in this misfortune, it was that Old Man Dique was still preferable to some unknown entity within the abandoned abode.
Yet what unsettled Qin Sang was that he had no idea why Old Man Dique was following him, nor when the senior had latched onto his trail.
Qin Sang had only seen Old Man Dique for the first time outside the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode. Over the past twenty years, aside from a few excursions for missions, Qin Sang had rarely left the Tianjing Secret Realm, making it impossible for him to have offended this person.
Nor had he killed any disciple or descendant of the man.
Qin Sang racked his brains, but could find no answer.
To his surprise, Old Man Dique ignored Qin Sang entirely. Shifting his gaze to Qin Sang's other hand, he gave a gentle beckoning wave. The Fire Jade Centipede broke free of Qin Sang's hold and flew directly into Old Man Dique's palm.
In Old Man Dique's hand was another centipede. Its body was equally crimson, yet along its spine ran a thin, dark-golden stripe, and it was a size larger than Qin Sang's Fire Jade Centipede, appearing far more imposing.
The moment the two centipedes met, they entangled at once, and the gold-backed one easily subdued the Fire Jade Centipede.
Qin Sang's eyes widened. He suddenly understood why Old Man Dique had come after him.
He had discovered earlier in his research that Fire Jade Centipedes were divided into males and females with significant differences in form. The most distinct marker was along the back: a female Fire Jade Centipede bore a thin, dark-golden stripe, distinguishing it from the male.
Qin Sang's was a male, whereas the one in Old Man Dique's hand was a female.
Just as Fire Jade Centipedes could sense spiritual objects, a male and a female could sense each other when in proximity. Yet Qin Sang had not noticed any unusual behavior from his own centipede, which meant Old Man Dique had likely severed their connection.
How could there be such a coincidence?
Could both centipedes belong to him?
While thoughts raced through Qin Sang's mind as he desperately searched for a way out, Old Man Dique stroked the two centipedes affectionately. Looking up, he smiled benignly at Qin Sang and said, "Many thanks for your help, little brother. This old man has finally retrieved this little fellow. Before this, I thought the little fellow had already been killed by some blind cloud beast. Every time I thought about it, my heart ached with grief."
"Senior, forgive me," Qin Sang's voice was exceedingly dry. "Junior also picked up this centipede purely by chance, unaware that Senior had left it behind in the mine..."
Chapter 243