"Many thanks to Fellow Daoist for lending a helping hand!"
Their panic barely subsided, the three cupped their hands in gratitude toward the Flying Yaksha.
The Flying Yaksha had merely cooperated with them to exterminate the Blood-Winged Ghosthead Bees and retrieve the hive, without revealing too much of its true strength. With their discernment, they could not see through its true background. However, having just fought alongside it, they could tell its strength exceeded the young man's, so their tone was quite respectful.
Holding the hive, the Flying Yaksha stood there in utter silence.
The three exchanged glances, looking at one another in confusion.
Only then did Qin Sang emerge from the shadows. Like the Flying Yaksha, he wore a cloak that concealed most of his body.
"It was merely a slight effort, not worth mentioning."
Stepping forward under the trio's wary gazes, Qin Sang said, "This is my puppet. I am out traveling for experience and lost my way. Passing by and seeing fellow Daoists under attack by those strange bees, I commanded my puppet to intervene."
The trio visibly relaxed.
The young man took a step forward. "I am Yuan Hu of the Five Insects Sect. These two are the High Priest and Young Priest of Tianyue Stockade. May I ask how to address Fellow Daoist?"
"You may call me Mingyue."
Qin Sang dared not even use the Daoist moniker Qingfeng. He commanded the Flying Yaksha to come over and examined the hive.
Inside were larvae of the Blood-Winged Ghosthead Bees.
Those mature Blood-Winged Ghosthead Bees had slaughtered so many creatures and reverted to their ferocious nature, making them impossible to tame again, so Qin Sang had killed them all and kept only the larvae.
"Mingyue..."
The three exchanged glances; none had heard of this name before. They wished to invite Qin Sang to Tianyue Stockade for a conversation.
Qin Sang declined the invitation, saying, "I have cultivated bitterly since childhood and only recently achieved some modest success, so I intended to wander about. Unexpectedly, I lost my way here. I was just hoping to ask someone for directions when I encountered you three. Might Fellow Daoist point me in the right direction?"
"What difficulty is there in that!"
Yuan Hu produced a jade slip and guided it with a wave of his hand, sending it floating toward Qin Sang. "Fellow Daoist Mingyue, this is a topographical map issued by my sect. The nearby paths and hazards are all marked upon it. You need only follow the map's guidance."
Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. Taking the topographical map, he sent his faint spiritual sense inside to examine it, only to find disappointingly that the jade slip marked merely a broad swath of the surrounding region.
On the map, the most prominent features were a towering peak called Bear Mountain and the Five Insects Sect itself.
Apart from that were markings for several large stockades, including Tianyue Stockade.
Among them, Tianyue Stockade ranked around the middle tier, while Qianhu Stockade did not even qualify to be marked. The Five Insects Sect appeared to be the strongest power in the vicinity.
Seeing the map's contents, Qin Sang gained a rough understanding of the factions near Bear Mountain, but none of this was what he urgently needed to know.
"Fellow Daoist Yuan, does your esteemed sect's map only cover this area? I have not been out traveling for long and am unfamiliar with the outside. Might I ask how much your sect knows about other places?"
"Maps of other regions are not something I can use yet due to my limited cultivation, but my martial uncles in the sect possess them. If Fellow Daoist is willing, you may accompany me back to my sect to borrow one from an uncle,"
Yuan Hu explained, "The maps preserved in my sect mark not only the rest of our Western Frontier, but even some of the major powers and perilous locations across the entire Witch God Continent. However, as for the sea beyond the Witch God Continent, we know nothing of it either; Fellow Daoist would have to ask those great factions out there."
The Witch God Continent!
Hearing this unfamiliar name, Qin Sang inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Anything dared to be named a "continent" was bound to be a vast domain; he truly had left the Lesser Cold Domain behind.
Hearing Yuan Hu mention the sea beyond the continent, Qin Sang's curiosity was piqued again.
"It is said that our Witch God Continent is merely the largest island in the entire sea. In the past, not only the Witch God Continent, but all those islands large and small across the open sea were the territory of our Witch Clan cultivators. Later, the humans proved despicable and shameless, seizing our Witch Clan's cultivation resources and driving us from our ancestral homeland. Now, driven into a corner by the humans, we Witch Clan cultivators can only cultivate on the Witch God Continent and a few surrounding islands..."
Speaking of human cultivators, Yuan Hu was filled with indignation.
His cultivation was low and his experience limited; much of what he said was hearsay and vague, yet it was still enough to provide Qin Sang with valuable information.
Qin Sang was secretly astonished. He had thought he was teleported to an unfamiliar continent, never expecting this to be a boundless ocean.
The cultivators here were divided into humans and the Witch Clan, and they were not on friendly terms, having fought great wars.
The humans had flourished, while the Witch Clan retreated and holed up on the Witch God Continent.
According to Yuan Hu, the Witch God Continent was immense, though he had no concept of just how large it was.
Though Qin Sang urgently wanted to learn about the outside world, he ultimately declined Yuan Hu's invitation. Knowing this was not the Lesser Cold Domain was enough to put his mind at ease.
He knew nothing of the Five Insects Sect's power or character, and seeing that Yuan Hu also dabbled in corpse refining arts, Qin Sang surmised they were likely no benevolent sort. His urgent priority was still to find a place to heal and form his core.
Once he restored his strength, it would not be too late to pay a visit.
Faced with rejection, Yuan Hu was not annoyed. He said enthusiastically, "If Fellow Daoist is in no hurry to leave, you might wait a little while longer. Every year before the Witch God Festival, the bimos and priests from all the stockades, large and small, in our Bear Mountain region hold a gathering on Bear Mountain to trade what they have for what they need. Whether for gathering information or bartering for treasures, Fellow Daoist shouldn't miss it."
Qin Sang's heart stirred. This was indeed a fine opportunity to gather intelligence.
There were many things he needed to investigate—such as news of Senior Qingzhu, or whether there were secret realms or ancient restrictions near the ruins that might help him locate the ancient teleportation array.
He was only taking refuge here temporarily and could not simply settle down contentedly; the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid was still in the Lesser Cold Domain, and he had to return before attempting Nascent Soul formation.
Yuan Hu's cultivation was too low, and what he knew was limited.
Qin Sang promptly asked for the exact time of the gathering. Calculating it, there was plenty of time beforehand for him to heal and form his core.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Qin Sang decided to take his leave at once. Having looked over the topographical map, he already knew where to search for spirit veins.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"
Seeing Qin Sang about to depart, Yuan Hu hastily called out to him, saying with embarrassment, "I have a presumptuous request. Could Fellow Daoist spare me one of the strange bees' larvae?"
They had been in dire peril until the Flying Yaksha appeared, slaughtered the Blood-Winged Ghosthead Bees, and saved them. By all rights, the hive was Qin Sang's spoils of war, and they had no claim to a share.
Qin Sang pointed toward the spirit insects of the two Tianyue Stockade priests and said in surprise, "With Fellow Daoist's cultivation, could it be you still do not have..."
"No, no..."
Yuan Hu shook his head repeatedly. "I already possess a natal insect gu. Earlier, I was focused on manipulating the white bone skeletons, so I didn't release it. I simply felt these strange bees possessed impressive combat strength and had never seen them before. They aren't even recorded on the Witch Insect Registry, so I was rather curious."
So they were called natal insect gu.
The Witch Insect Registry.
Qin Sang silently committed these two names to memory, guessing that the Witch Insect Registry was similar to the Yuling Sect's Exotic Insect Registry.
It appeared that the Witch Clan cultivators' understanding of spirit insects was even more comprehensive and profound than that of the Yuling Sect, even refining spirit insects into natal insect gu. The Witch Insect Registry was surely more systematic than the Exotic Insect Registry.
Chapter 618