Shi Hong

"You met the Kuiyin Sect's requirements and broke through to the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement stage, and the rewards promised by the sect were distributed to you. From Yue Wu, we learned that you, Brother Qin, were sent out to serve as an outer sect steward, while Senior Sister Shi Hong was taken as a disciple by Yue Wu—both of you seemingly put in important roles. "Tan Jie thought he might have been overthinking things, so he focused on cultivating with peace of mind. But as his cultivation grew higher, he felt more and more uneasy. At the same time, we noticed more and more abnormalities. "You never came back, Brother Qin, and the same was true for everyone who went out with you—not a single word was ever heard from them again! "Senior Sister Shi Hong was guarded even more strictly by Yue Wu, completely stripped of her freedom! "And those senior brothers and sisters vanished without a trace the moment they broke through to the tenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage! "The entire Yin Baleful Abyss was like a colossal cage, and we were the livestock reared inside it. People died every day; corpse after corpse was hurled into the Yin Baleful Abyss in an endless stream! "Everything in the Kuiyin Sect was deeply wrong. "By then, Tan Jie and I had already conceived the idea of escaping. We tried contacting Senior Sister Shi Hong, but she was watched so closely that we never had an opportunity. "This only made us more unsettled, yet despite wanting to flee countless times, we never found a chance. "It wasn't until an unexpected disaster struck later on. The sect master failed in his assault on the Yuanzhao Sect, and the experts of the Kuiyin Sect were nearly wiped out in that single battle, leaving almost none behind. "When the tree fell, the monkeys scattered. Those guarding the Yin Baleful Abyss fled or dispersed, and Yue Wu died as well. Tan Jie and I seized the chaos to flee. But when we went looking for Senior Sister Shi Hong, we ran straight into Liang Yan. "Not only had he taken control of Senior Sister Shi Hong, but he also wanted to control us. "Naturally, we wouldn't let him have his way. After a fierce battle, Tan Jie and I were severely injured, but we managed to escape. Senior Sister Shi Hong, however, failed to slip from his clutches. "We fled south all the way back to our homeland near the Youshan Cultivation Market. "Not knowing how to reach you, we had no choice but to leave a letter for you with the gatekeeper of the Youshan Cultivation Market, using coded words to warn you that something was foul with the Yanluo Banner. "That man has a photographic memory; if you had ever returned to the Youshan Cultivation Market, you should have been able to get the letter..." Tan Hao looked at Qin Sang with an inquiring gaze. "A letter?" Qin Sang started, then slowly shook his head. Back then, he had secretly kept the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid for himself and fled in panic the whole way. Even when passing by the Youshan Cultivation Market, he hadn't dared enter, thereby missing the chance to reunite with the Tan brothers. Later, he joined Shaohua Mountain and threw himself into cultivation without the slightest slacking off. Never mind the Youshan Cultivation Market, he hadn't even returned to take a single look at the Great Sui. "I was afraid remnants of the Kuiyin Sect were active around the Youshan Cultivation Market, so I never dared return... But since you two escaped, did Tan Jie discard his Yanluo Banner and disperse his cultivation to start anew?" Tan Hao lowered his eyes, a glint of sorrow flashing across them, his tone turning exceptionally heavy. "He never had the chance to disperse his cultivation... When we fled the Kuiyin Sect, we first encountered Liang Yan and were then pursued. Tan Jie had the higher cultivation, so we had to rely on him, which resulted in him being terribly wounded. He couldn't suppress the evil ghost in the Yanluo Banner and suffered a backlash from it. Fortunately, he had long known something was fishy about the Yanluo Banner and took precautions, so the evil ghost didn't have its way. Even so, both his soul and physical body were gravely injured. No one in the Youshan Cultivation Market could heal him. To find spirit medicines for his injuries, I had no choice but to come to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield..." "The Spirit-Calming Pill you bought at the secret market was for Tan Jie, wasn't it?" Qin Sang realized. No wonder Tan Hao looked hale and hearty, not at all like someone injured. "Is Brother Tan Jie convalescing in your cave dwelling? Let me accompany you to see him, Brother Tan. If there's any way to heal Brother Tan Jie's injuries, I will certainly lend a hand." "Thank you, Brother Qin." Tan Hao cupped his hands in gratitude, yet there was little joy on his face. Qin Sang pondered in silence. Tan Hao had been unable to heal Tan Jie for all these years, so the injury was likely exceedingly thorny. However, Tan Hao was only at the Qi Refinement stage and was a rogue cultivator of limited capability; buying a single Spirit-Calming Pill took all the effort he could muster. Although Qin Sang didn't have many spirit stones left on him, he was at the Foundation Establishment stage after all, backed by Shaohua Mountain, and on good terms with Yunyouzi of the Taiyi Dan Sect. He had far more avenues available than Tan Hao. If there was a way to heal Tan Jie, Qin Sang certainly wouldn't begrudge extending a helping hand. "By the way, Senior Sister Shi Hong was taken away by Liang Yan? Have you seen her since then?" Qin Sang thought of Shi Hong. Among those who entered the Kuiyin Sect together back then, only the four of them had survived. Now that he had met the Tan brothers, there was still no news of Shi Hong. Tan Hao hesitated for a moment before saying in a low voice, "After parting from the Kuiyin Sect, Senior Sister Shi Hong remained completely out of contact. It wasn't until a few years ago that we crossed paths by chance in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield." Hearing this, Qin Sang was delighted. "Did Senior Sister Shi Hong break free from Liang Yan? How is she doing now?" Unexpectedly, Tan Hao let out a long sigh. "Senior Sister Shi Hong is still under Liang Yan's control. Fortunately, with Tan Jie's warning, she knew something was wrong with the Yanluo Banner. Her cultivation has remained stuck at the bottleneck of the ninth layer of the Qi Refinement stage, feigning being trapped by the bottleneck, not daring to break through even to this day." "Liang Yan isn't dead?" Qin Sang's heart sank. With the destruction of the Kuiyin Sect, its cultivators had been almost entirely hunted down and exterminated by the Yuanzhao Sect. He hadn't expected Liang Yan's life to be so tenacious that he was still alive and well. Tan Hao nodded, saying with venom, "Not only is he not dead, he actually turned misfortune into a blessing. "According to Senior Sister Shi Hong, back when Liang Yan was in the Kuiyin Sect, he already considered himself Yue Wu's personal disciple. When the upheaval occurred, he seized Yue Wu's inheritance. "While fleeing, he encountered a heavily wounded Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Kuiyin Sect. Liang Yan was always adept at deceit; after gaining the cultivator's trust, he launched a sneak attack and killed him. "Having obtained the legacies of two Foundation Establishment cultivators in a row, coupled with his decent innate talent, it wasn't long before he successfully broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage. "A few years ago, Senior Sister Shi Hong told me he was already close to breaking through to the middle Foundation Establishment stage. I don't know if he has succeeded by now." "The Foundation Establishment stage, is it?" Qin Sang sighed inwardly—for Liang Yan, and for the fellow disciples among them. Although Liang Yan's talent was decent, had he cultivated step-by-step within the Kuiyin Sect, it would have been impossible for him to advance so quickly. One could only say that everyone had their own fortunes. That great war was a calamity of annihilation for the Kuiyin Sect, yet it proved to be a grand opportunity for Liang Yan. Losing his sect's shelter, he had gained the legacies of two Foundation Establishment cultivators, leaving him with even richer cultivation resources. Qin Sang was no different. Had it not been for that war, if he had stayed in the Kuiyin Sect and successfully broken through to the tenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage without being devoured by the Yanwang, his anomaly would certainly have been discovered. Not only would he have lost his life, but the jade Buddha would also have fallen into someone else's hands, making him a stepping stone for another. It would have been impossible for him to survive to this day. For Shi Hong, however, such an ordeal was exceptionally cruel, severing her immortal path. She possessed metal-wood dual spiritual roots, a chosen child of heaven whose innate talent was second only to a heavenly spiritual root. Looking across the entire cultivation world, it was no exaggeration to call her a genius. Even without joining a cultivation sect, Shi Hong had had no small chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment on her own. Yet because she strayed into a demonic sect, she had nearly ended up as the soul of a demonic tool; and although she escaped that disaster, she was now trapped at the eighth layer of the Qi Refinement stage, not daring to break through to this day. How lamentable.