Three Years

The Core Formation master surnamed Di immediately agreed. "Rest assured, Island Master. Di will send word back to my sect at once." Snake Granny grunted in acknowledgment. In her palm appeared an ancient medallion inscribed with the character "Han," and she said in a solemn voice, "In the name of the Island Master of Stargazing Island, this old woman issues a command to the Lesser Cold Domain! This is a moment of critical survival..." Every Core Formation cultivator on the island—whether from the righteous or demonic factions, or rogue cultivators from Yinshan Pass, even the serpent-bodied man who had revealed his true form—bore a solemn expression as they patiently waited for Snake Granny to deliver her commands word by word. Together, they cupped their hands to Snake Granny and accepted the order! ... The Heaven-Traversing Alliance had retreated, but that did not mean they were truly safe. Qin Sang and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators were not qualified to participate in the council. While regulating their breathing to recover, they stole glances at the small island in the center. The Core Formation masters gathered on the island to confer, and none knew what kind of plan they would settle upon. Their own fates were not theirs to decide; they were held in the hands of others. Once all the Core Formation cultivators had bowed to Snake Granny, Che Yutao swept his gaze over and looked in their direction. Next, Zhan Yi, who had been sitting cross-legged beside Qin Sang, was summoned before Che Yutao. Handed a medallion-shaped object, he flew northward out of the sea of mist, nodding to Qin Sang before departing. Leaving alongside him were quite a few others, as well as several Core Formation masters. After a while longer, Qin Sang and the rest finally received explicit orders. Everyone was organized into squads based on their cultivation levels, after which each squad selected an islet and cultivated within the formation. Without orders, no one was permitted to leave. ... Over the past three years, earth-shaking changes had taken place in the Luandao Waters. Sparing no expense, the Lesser Cold Domain had reinforced the spirit formation several times. The present True Water Thousand Illusions Formation was not only far more powerful than before, but its range had also expanded severalfold. Now, the entire Luandao Waters were shrouded by the True Water Thousand Illusions Formation, carving out an east-to-west rectangular expanse within the sea of mist, of truly considerable size. It was by relying on the islets and the True Water Thousand Illusions Formation that the cultivators of the Lesser Cold Domain stood in confrontation against the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. The Heaven-Traversing Alliance had a similar stronghold directly south of the Luandao Waters, in a place known as Taiqing Lake. Between the two sides lay an exceptionally vast expanse of water, which served as the battlefield. Early in the morning. The thin mist gradually dispersed, leaving the water surface smooth as a mirror and abnormally tranquil. Not a single bird took to the air. This was hardly surprising; over these three years, birds rarely appeared in the surrounding area. Clang! In the distance, the clash of metal shattered the silence. Immediately following, dozens of escaping streaks of light in various colors flew toward this area in pursuit of one another. Mingled among the streaks of light were sword qi, saber glows, and other manifestations from magic tools. Clearly, these cultivators were locked in fierce combat. None of their cultivation levels was low; the weakest was at the early Foundation Establishment stage, and there were even late Foundation Establishment experts among them. One side gave chase while the other fled. The fleeing side fought as they retreated; though at a disadvantage, their battle formation remained unbroken, showing no signs of an imminent collapse. Whoosh, whoosh... Streaks of light flew overhead one after another. Right at that moment, without anyone noticing, a shadow soundlessly appeared upon the water's surface, lurking stealthily beneath the depths to secretly watch the battlefield. And concealed within that shadow was a person—who else could it be but Qin Sang? Qin Sang widened his eyes as he watched. The fleeing party consisted of Lesser Cold Domain cultivators, among whom was a fellow sect brother—Senior Brother Mu Yifeng. As for their pursuers, there was no need to guess; they were undoubtedly cultivators of the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. Over the past three years, this scene had played out countless times in these waters, only sometimes it was the Lesser Cold Domain cultivators being hunted, and other times it was the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. The battle in midair was extraordinarily fierce, with magic tools clashing repeatedly and incantations cast in rapid succession. Qin Sang pondered for a brief moment. With a flash between his brows, the ebony sword flew out on its own, then quietly concealed its blade as it flew toward the battlefield. Soon, the ebony sword drew near the battlefield. Qin Sang's gaze darted across the combatants, finally locking onto a middle-aged man in a brocade robe. This man was not the highest-cultivated on the Heaven-Traversing Alliance's side, but he was still a late Foundation Establishment expert of extraordinary strength. In his clash against Mu Yifeng, he held his own without falling behind, and even seemed faintly able to suppress Mu Yifeng. Qin Sang watched the middle-aged man in the brocade robe and the Heaven-Traversing Alliance's battle formation closely. At last, he spotted an opening. His eyes brightened, and his lips parted slightly: "Go!" A crack of thunder suddenly tore through the clear sky. The ebony sword revealed itself, shifting from stillness to motion, instantly displaying extreme speed. The sword light flashed like a bolt of lightning, rushing behind the middle-aged man in the brocade robe in the blink of an eye. "I already knew you treacherous dogs would try something..." The middle-aged man sneered. He had actually prepared for this; over his seemingly defenseless back, a mysterious spirit diagram abruptly manifested. The spirit diagram shone with profound light, clearly no ordinary object. If it had been an ordinary flying sword, it would surely have been easily blocked by the spirit diagram. Unfortunately, he was facing Qin Sang and the ebony sword! Qin Sang did not use the Blood Filth Divine Light. The Blood Filth Divine Light was one of his greatest trump cards; unless he was certain of slaying his opponent and there were no bystanders around, he would not employ it. Over the past three years, he had used it only once. However, with the divine ability Sword Qi Thunderclap and the ebony sword's intrinsic sharpness, it was more than enough for Qin Sang to handle most perilous situations, and he had even earned quite a reputation. Boom! How fast was Sword Qi Thunderclap? Before the profound light could fully coalesce, the ebony sword had arrived, shattering the profound light. The spirit diagram could not escape unscathed either, though it was not completely destroyed. Qin Sang did not get greedy; he immediately recalled the ebony sword. It was precisely because of his prudence in wielding the ebony sword that no one had ever discovered it was a magic treasure. This was enough. The middle-aged man had not expected the sneak attack to be so powerful. His body stiffened, and Mu Yifeng, who was locked in combat with him, seized the opportunity, his divine blade flashing like an illusion and lightning. "Sword Qi Thunderclap..." The sneer on the brocade-robed middle-aged man's face froze solid, his eyes filled with horror. Unable to dodge in time, he was run through the chest by the Nine Fire Divine Blade and died. "Not good, it's the Shadowless Sword!" "Run!" The other Heaven-Traversing Alliance cultivators cried out in terror. Without the slightest hesitation, and without even bothering about their companion's corpse, they turned and fled. Qin Sang smiled wryly to himself. Over these three years, having weathered countless fierce battles, he had gained quite a reputation, earning himself the title of "Shadowless Sword"—which happened to usurp the name of a famous technique belonging to the Wuji Sect. This had left the disciples of the Wuji Sect thoroughly displeased with him. Seeing that the enemy retreated decisively without breaking formation, Qin Sang and the others decided not to pursue. After dividing the spoils, Qin Sang returned alone toward the Luandao Waters. After flying for a while, an immense wall of mist appeared to the north, completely blocking Qin Sang's view. The mist rose straight into the clouds, lingering all year round, with no end in sight to the east or west. Upon sighting the sea of mist, Qin Sang finally felt at ease enough to speed ahead on the Nether Silk Cloud. Flying directly to the wall of mist, he raised the medallion he had long prepared in his hand. Qin Sang felt his body tighten as the medallion shone with a faint, milky-white glow. Upon touching the mist, a beam of light shot out from deep within the sea of mist, transforming into a narrow passage before him. From the look of it, Qin Sang was already thoroughly familiar with the procedure. Still riding the cloud, he traveled through the passage. After flying through the sea of mist for some distance, the view ahead suddenly opened up. A fine, drizzling rain fell through the gloom, yet it did not impair his vision.