From what little he had seen, the Western Frontier was simply too barren. The spiritual energy was thin and sparse, making it unsuitable for long-term cultivation—even the local Core Formation cultivators chose to travel far from home.
Qin Sang did not want to remain trapped in such a place, as it would hinder his future cultivation.
Beyond the Western Frontier lay a vast, boundless world.
If he could never find the ancient teleportation array, Qin Sang would have no choice but to set the matter aside for the time being. He would leave the Western Frontier first, seek a suitable place for cultivation, and return to find a way only after advancing his cultivation.
Lately, Qin Sang had been wondering: had Senior Qingzhu suffered the same misfortune all those years ago?
During the teleportation, Qin Sang had nearly been torn to shreds by the ancient teleportation array, barely surviving at the cost of a severed arm and an overdrawn spiritual sense. Of course, had his spiritual power not been sealed by the forbidding talisman, the outcome would surely have been far better.
Senior Qingzhu had been at least a late Core Formation expert back then, so he likely had not perished during the teleportation. Yet with his great vengeance still unavenged, he had never returned to the Lesser Cold Domain.
Had something gone wrong?
Or was Senior Qingzhu unable to find the ancient teleportation array as well?
Qin Sang suddenly had an ominous premonition.
"Has an expert named Qingzhu ever appeared in the Western Frontier?" Qin Sang asked abruptly.
Cui Xuanzi lowered his head in thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Though the Western Frontier is barren and mostly untamed wilderness, remarkable figures are not entirely unheard of. Still, Junior has never heard of anyone named Qingzhu."
Qin Sang said, "Think carefully again. Qingzhu is merely his true name; he might have gone by an alias such as the Sword Demon. This person was obsessed with the sword Dao and excelled in sword-controlling arts. He was at least a late Core Formation expert, and might have even broken through to the Nascent Soul stage. Not just in recent years, but going back two hundred years or more—has there ever been anyone resembling him?"
Hearing this, Cui Xuanzi smiled. "Senior, if such a figure had truly appeared in the Western Frontier, he surely would have shaken the entire region! Most native cultivators of the Western Frontier choose to leave once they reach Core Formation, so why would such an almighty being come here? Even those who venture in to search for insects never stay for long. If Senior wishes to find someone, Junior will look into it while gathering information. Perhaps we might turn up something."
Cui Xuanzi was deeply curious about Qin Sang's objective.
Could this person he was seeking be like his own martial uncle—a senior from his sect who had vanished without a trace after departing?
*I was right after all. His sect actually has a Nascent Soul powerhouse; his background is anything but ordinary.*
"Very well," Qin Sang nodded. "Aside from that, spread word that I am offering generous rewards to purchase soul-attracting grass and Everlasting Camphor. Also keep an eye out for any sightings of fire-repelling sparrows."
Everlasting Camphor was usually buried deep underground and hard to find.
If its symbiotic demon beast, the fire-repelling sparrow, could be found, one could track it down to locate the Everlasting Camphor.
The Primordial Concentric Rings lacked only this single spiritual material, the Everlasting Camphor. Finding it would grant him an additional magic treasure, making it the fastest way for Qin Sang to boost his strength right now.
Moreover, the Primordial Concentric Rings possessed a unique effect that would prove useful when venturing deep into the wilderness to search for the ancient teleportation array.
As for soul-attracting grass, the more the better. If he could refine a few more Flying Yakshas, he would be able to walk unchallenged throughout the early Core Formation stage.
"Fire-repelling sparrows, Everlasting Camphor, soul-attracting grass..."
Cui Xuanzi's expression turned bitter as he inwardly grumbled about Qin Sang's endless demands, treating their sect like draft beasts. Fortunately, these were all trivial matters of gathering intelligence rather than risking their lives.
"Junior has never heard of any of these. May I ask Senior to explain in more detail?"
All three were quite rare, so it was only natural that Cui Xuanzi had never encountered them. Qin Sang took out a jade slip and inscribed their likenesses onto it.
"Do your work diligently, and I will not treat you unfairly."
Qin Sang produced two top-grade magic tools and several bottles of spirit pills, letting Cui Xuanzi catch a glimpse before putting them away and tossing the jade slip to him.
...
Inside the dark-winged eagle's cave dwelling.
Qin Sang had laid down a spirit formation and repurposed the place as a temporary abode, which was tolerable for now. He would definitely have to move eventually, but with spiritual energy so sparse in the Western Frontier, finding a satisfactory cave dwelling would be no easy feat.
Qin Sang sat on a prayer mat, holding three jade slips in his hand and perusing them one by one.
The contents of these three jade slips consisted of the Five Insects Sect's authentic insect-controlling arts, a topographical map, and the Witch Insect Registry, on which the habitats of various spirit insects were marked.
All of this information had been accumulated by the Five Insects Sect over many years.
Cui Xuanzi had already been sent back by Qin Sang to continue gathering intelligence.
Qin Sang was eager to understand where exactly he had landed, so he first examined the topographical map.
On the Five Insects Sect's topographical map, the Bear Mountain region and its surroundings were marked in the greatest detail, along with brief overviews of the major powers within the Western Frontier. Outside the Western Frontier, however, details were extremely sparse.
Beyond the Witch God Continent in particular, it was entirely blank.
According to the notes on the map, the Witch God Continent could be broadly divided into three regions: the Western Frontier, the Southern Frontier, and Witch God Mountain.
Both the Western and Southern Frontiers were referred to as wilderness. The Western Frontier was the most barren, a place where experts were reluctant to tread. The Southern Frontier was somewhat better, boasting more and stronger factions than the west, but it was also the most chaotic, wracked by endless war.
The Western Frontier was plagued by treacherous mountains and hostile waters, offering few places suitable for the Witch Clan to survive. Most inhabited areas were like the Bear Mountain region, where mortals and immortal cultivators formed fortified settlements within relatively safe pockets of land.
These inhabited regions were separated from one another by untamed wilderness, some situated vast distances apart.
The wilderness teemed with countless perils; mortals entering it faced certain death, and even cultivators as strong as the Foundation Establishment stage had to remain constantly vigilant.
Only upon studying this topographical map did Qin Sang gain a clear concept of the Witch God Continent's scale, leaving him marveling at the sheer vastness of this sea realm.
The sea realm where the Witch God Continent was situated had once been called the Witch God Sea by the Witch Clan. After the rise of humanity, it had been renamed the Canglang Sea—a change that infuriated the Witch Clan, though there was nothing they could do about it.
The Western Frontier alone was nearly comparable in size to the Lesser Cold Domain.
Excluding the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, the Lesser Cold Domain was a long, narrow strip stretching from east to west, whereas the Western Frontier, located on the western side of the Witch God Continent, was roughly semicircular.
The Southern Frontier was similar in shape to the Lesser Cold Domain, but even larger than the Western Frontier.
Witch God Mountain was the name of a mountain that served as the ancestral home and holy ground of the Witch Clan, and its name was also used to represent the most fertile region of the Witch God Continent. Compared to Witch God Mountain, the Western and Southern Frontiers were mere remote backwaters.
The most powerful factions within the Witch Clan were all concentrated there.
Legend held that the Witch Clan possessed a late Nascent Soul grand cultivator, but being ill-informed, the Five Insects Sect did not know which faction that grand cultivator belonged to.
The Witch God Continent was merely an island within the wider Canglang Sea realm, albeit the largest one. The Witch Clan controlled the Witch God Continent and a swath of surrounding waters, located in the southeastern corner of the Canglang Sea.
The Storm Demon Sea, meanwhile, lay outside the boundaries of the Canglang Sea.
It was said that the Canglang Sea was not boundless. At its edges, it was encircled by terrifying storms that were held back by a bizarre barrier formed from ancient restrictions; where the storms raged at their fiercest, even Nascent Soul cultivators dared not venture.
Even now, no one knew how this barrier had come to be, or who had left it behind.
Constantly battered by the tempestuous storms, the barrier remained exceptionally stable.
Reading this far, Qin Sang's gaze narrowed. He suddenly recalled the spirit tides within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, as well as the mysterious barrier separating the battlefield from the Lesser Cold Domain.
They sounded so similar—could there be some connection between them?
Chapter 624