These were not even the most dangerous aspects.
What put Qin Sang on highest alert was that, under the onslaught of the spirit tide, the spiritual energy here was exceedingly violent, throwing the natural order of worldly spiritual energy into utter chaos.
Just then, a sudden thud sounded behind him, followed by a flurry of gasps.
Qin Sang turned his head to look, only to see an early Foundation Establishment cultivator inexplicably tumbling to the ground, his face flushed red with embarrassment. He was not the only one experiencing trouble; quite a few others had abruptly dropped out of the air, barely managing to steady themselves on their feet.
Almost all of them were rogue cultivators.
Only now did Chen Kuiqing offer a smirking reminder: "Fellow Daoists, take note. Under the influence of the spirit tide, the spiritual energy here isn't as stable as inside the pass. You must not absorb too much spiritual energy directly into your bodies. Otherwise, failing to refine it in time will throw your internal spiritual power into disarray and temporarily leave you powerless to fight. If you end up clashing with someone in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, you'd best prepare plenty of spirit stones."
Why hadn't this bastard mentioned that sooner!
The unwitting rogue cultivators glared daggers at him. Having enjoyed the spectacle, Chen Kuiqing instructed a junior brother to lead the way, then handed Qin Sang a jade slip. "Senior Brother Qin, here is the route map. The Xuanlu Guards should be arriving soon, so you ought to run into them along the way."
"Many thanks, Senior Brother Chen."
Qin Sang projected the contents of the jade slip for everyone to see. Looking around at the crowd, he suggested, "Fellow Daoists, unless you are bound for somewhere else, why don't we form a battle formation and travel together? If we run into cloud beasts, we can support one another."
The cultivators exchanged glances and agreed one after another.
Qin Sang possessed the highest cultivation among them and had prior experience fighting the Heaven-Traversing Alliance. Methodically organizing the group, he led them toward Xuanlu Pass.
With the spirit tide churning directly above their heads, they had no choice but to fly at low altitude.
Though it was in decline, the spirit tide in the sky still carried the terrifying might to engulf heaven and earth. From time to time, a stream of spiritual energy would peel off and plummet from above, easily gouging a massive crater into the earth.
Its fearsome power was hair-raising.
Protected in the center of the formation, Qin Sang's duty was to constantly monitor the spirit tide overhead and the activity in the surroundings, adjusting their course at any moment to evade danger. The journey went fairly smoothly.
Most fortunately, they did not encounter any pack of cloud beasts.
Speeding toward Xuanlu Pass without pause, before long, the person in the lead suddenly shouted, "Daoist Qin, there's a dark cloud ahead, flying right toward us!"
Qin Sang had already spotted it. After squinting to identify it, his expression relaxed. "No need to panic. It's the Xuanlu Guard."
A cheer went up through the crowd. The appearance of the Xuanlu Guard meant that the cloud beasts ahead had already been cleared out.
Though they were out in the wilds, there was no need to worry about the Xuanlu Guard harboring ill intent; having crossed via Shangyuan Qingjing Palace's teleportation formation, they were protected under the Palace's guarantee.
Qin Sang signaled for everyone not to stop and to press forward. As they drew close, a voice carried out from within the dark cloud: "The cloud beasts ahead have been cleared away. Fellow Daoists, please proceed as you wish."
Before the words had fully faded, someone within the cloud suddenly called out in pleasant surprise, "Could that be Junior Brother Qin?"
The voice was exceedingly familiar. Qin Sang recognized it at once. Stepping out from the crowd, he asked in surprise, "Senior Brother Mu, when did you return from the Luandao Waters?"
The man was none other than Mu Yifeng.
A rift parted in the dark cloud, and two figures flew out. One was Mu Yifeng, while the other was a graceful, striking young man of extraordinary bearing.
"Junior Brother Qin, after you left, I took over your post as captain. Who would have thought that while tangling with those Heaven-Traversing Alliance scoundrels, a moment of carelessness left me heavily injured yet again, and I was sent back to the sect to recover. Once my wounds healed, seeing that both sides had called a truce in the Luandao Waters and there wasn't much going on, and remembering that the spirit tide would soon end, I came straight to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield."
Mu Yifeng scratched his head, explaining with a sheepish tone.
Qin Sang had led the squad for so many years without any major mishap, yet only a few days after handing it over to him, Mu Yifeng had been ambushed by the Heaven-Traversing Alliance and nearly got all his subordinates killed.
Had he not risked his life to bring everyone back alive, he truly would have had no face to see Qin Sang, his savior.
After hearing the whole story, Qin Sang knew that Mu Yifeng was not to blame.
That he had been willing to throw away his own life to bring his men back alive was exceptionally rare, worthy of being called toweringly loyal and righteous.
What surprised Qin Sang even more was Mu Yifeng's cultivation—he had actually reached the False Core stage!
How many years had it been?
Last time, Mu Yifeng had been critically injured near death and turned misfortune into a blessing with a major jump in cultivation; this time, another severe injury had directly propelled him into the False Core stage.
"Senior Brother Mu, I've heard of seeking breakthroughs through slaughter, or through intense combat, but I've never heard of seeking a breakthrough through grievous injury! Could it be you're walking the Dao of Injuries?"
Qin Sang teased.
Mu Yifeng burst out laughing. "Who knows why, but every time I'm laid out on a sickbed, inspiration strikes like lightning! I was just contemplating whether to find life in death to achieve Core Formation, so don't you go egging me on, Junior Brother Qin! Oh, right..."
Mu Yifeng's demeanor turned serious as he pointed to the young man beside him. "Junior Brother Qin, this is Senior Brother Qiu, Qiu Mubai. You two probably haven't met."
"Though we have not met in person, Junior Brother Qin's name has long thundered in my ears," Qiu Mubai said with an affable tone, cupping his hands. "Meeting you today, you truly live up to your reputation!"
It was him!
A spark flashed in Qin Sang's mind as he recalled this man's identity.
He was precisely the kind of core disciple who rarely showed his face in public and had little fame in the outside world, yet was the subject of countless legends within the sect.
Qiu Mubai was not the disciple of any Core Formation cultivator, yet his status was even higher—he had been granted special permission by the Nascent Soul Patriarch, Dongyang Bo, to cultivate on the main peak of Shaohua Mountain!
Qiu Mubai had entered the sect more than a decade before Qin Sang, having caught Dongyang Bo's eye while still in swaddling clothes.
It was said that Qiu Mubai could have formed his core long ago, but for some unknown reason, he remained at the False Core stage to temper and refine his cultivation, delaying Core Formation.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Qiu!"
Dongyang Bo had not formally taken Qiu Mubai as an apprentice, so following the sect's conventions, they still addressed each other as peers of the same generation.
As the disciple of a Nascent Soul Patriarch, even Core Formation cultivators had to treat him with utmost courtesy; Qin Sang, naturally, would not be remiss in etiquette.
At this first meeting, observing Qiu Mubai's mannerisms, he seemed like a modest, cultured gentleman, making one feel as though bathed in a spring breeze. Still unsure of the man's true character, Qin Sang observed him discreetly.
Only after conversing for a bit did Qin Sang learn that after ending his secluded cultivation, Qiu Mubai had come to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield to serve in the Xuanlu Guard, and on this occasion, he was leading the squad to clear out cloud beasts.
"We still have duties to attend to and cannot linger for too long. Brother Qin, you may as well proceed ahead, and we can catch up once we return to Xuanlu Pass," Qiu Mubai said.
Qin Sang's thoughts turned, and he took out his own Xuanlu Guard token. "Senior Brother Qiu, I came here specifically to report for duty with the Xuanlu Guard. Since I've crossed paths with the Xuanlu Guard clearing out cloud beasts, it's my bounden duty. I would be glad to accompany both senior brothers on this sweep."
"If Junior Brother Qin is willing to lend a hand, we could ask for nothing better!"
Qiu Mubai and Mu Yifeng were delighted and readily agreed.
Qin Sang had his own considerations.
Qiu Mubai was valued most highly by Dongyang Bo and was bound to understand Dongyang Bo very well.
After returning from Ziwei Palace, Qin Sang would have to report to Dongyang Bo in private audience.
Getting closer to Qiu Mubai and inquiring about Dongyang Bo's temperament would allow him to be properly prepared.
This was not only his future master, but also a Nascent Soul powerhouse who held the power of life and death.
Qin Sang did not presume to dream of being cherished by Dongyang Bo, but he certainly wanted to avoid blundering blindly, crossing some taboo, and angering this ancient patriarch.
Chapter 548