Setting Out

Qin Sang filled all the Shaoyin Magnetic Bottles with earth fiend qi for potential emergencies, then took out the Black Water Mirror. From the soul searching earlier, Qin Sang had already learned about this magic treasure and could not help feeling fortunate. Fortunately, he had not given Du Han the chance to unleash its power; otherwise, capturing him alive would never have been so easy. The Black Water Mirror could serve in both offense and defense, making it exceptionally versatile. Especially when used for defense, the peculiar spiritual water sealed within could transform into shields or barriers to fend off an opponent's attacks. With its myriad variations, it wonderfully exemplified the art of overcoming hardness with softness. Moreover, its power increased by ten percent when fighting over bodies of water, allowing it to truly shine in the Storm Demon Sea. It was indeed a rare and precious treasure. Delight showed on Qin Sang's face. Seeing that he still had plenty of time, he decided to subdue and bind the Black Water Mirror right here. The journey to the Storm Demon Sea was a long trek fraught with unknown perils, so naturally, it was best to enhance his strength as much as possible. 'By now, Li Witch Palace must have realized Du Han is dead, haven't they? By the time they send someone into the Western Frontier to investigate the truth, I will have long since left the Witch God Continent.' Qin Sang sneered inwardly. He wiped away Du Han's lingering aura from the magic treasure and focused on refining it. Three more days passed. A figure appeared above the canyon, blurred for an instant, and sped through the air toward the north. By then, the Black Water Mirror rested in Qin Sang's dantian. While familiarizing himself with the treasure, he used his golden core to nurture it, repairing the spirituality lost after it was tainted by the Blood Filth Divine Light. Without Du Han weighing him down, Qin Sang traveled much faster, taking only seven days to return to Pingbo Port. In the city, he visited several merchant guilds and gathered a wealth of information regarding the Canglang Sea and the Storm Demon Sea. When the appointed day arrived, Qin Sang made his way to the eastern gate of Pingbo Port, the agreed rendezvous point. Just as Qin Sang stepped past the city gate, he heard Ran Luo's relieved voice. "Daoist Qingfeng, you have finally arrived! The caravan is about to depart. I had not seen you, Daoist, and was terribly worried that you might have been held up by urgent matters and missed the departure hour." A figure then darted out not far ahead. It was Ran Luo, looking at him with a hint of gentle reproach. Evidently, Qin Sang's displayed proficiency in artifact crafting had earned him great esteem from the Qiongyu Guild; otherwise, Ran Luo would not have been so warm and welcoming. "Pardon me for keeping you waiting, Fellow Daoist Ran. Pindao returned to the city some time ago, but fearing I might disturb your guild, I waited until now to come forward." Qin Sang cupped his hands in greeting, then looked past Ran Luo. Even he was startled by the sheer size of the procession. He had assumed that no matter how large a merchant guild was, its scale would remain modest, but it seemed he had vastly underestimated it. Row upon row of large wagons stood lined up, drawn by domesticated low-rank demon beasts. Yet that was of secondary importance. Within the caravan, Qin Sang sensed more than a hundred auras—some overbearing, others elusive. Not a single person among them had cultivation weaker than his own, and there were even individuals concealing their strength whom he could not clearly perceive. 'A single merchant guild possesses this many Core Formation masters?' Qin Sang was secretly shocked. 'Perhaps there truly is a Nascent Soul Patriarch presiding here.' Noticing Qin Sang sizing up the caravan, Ran Luo understood his thoughts and smiled. "Daoist has misunderstood. Our Qiongyu Guild does not possess such profound foundations. Thanks to the trust of other guilds and fellow cultivators, as soon as we spread word a month ago, many contacted us to depart together. Add to that numerous solitary cultivators, and only then did we assemble so many people. A scale this grand has been exceedingly rare even in the past." Qin Sang realized what was going on. With such a diverse mixture of people, there was no need to fear the Qiongyu Guild harboring ulterior motives. However, crossing the Witch Clan's lands with so many people in such an overt fashion brought other hidden concerns. "Fellow Daoist Ran, I wonder if you have noticed that the major sects of the Witch Clan have been behaving rather strangely lately, seemingly involving the Nascent Soul level. Pindao worries that something might happen. With such great fanfare, could we be drawing too much attention...?" Qin Sang weighed his words and inquired via voice transmission. He believed that with the Eastern Pole Alliance's strength, they had surely detected some signs. Sure enough, Ran Luo's expression stiffened. She looked Qin Sang up and down, then glanced around before gesturing for him to move to a corner toward the rear of the caravan. She said meaningfully, "I did not expect Daoist to be so well-informed as to know even the secrets of the Witch Clan. You should know, I only learned a few inside details from Elder Zou not long ago." "The wind rises from the tip of the green duckweed. With such massive movements by the Witch Clan, some signs were bound to show. Pindao was merely being observant," Qin Sang replied vaguely, refusing to disclose his source. Ran Luo scrutinized Qin Sang, holding him in even higher regard. After a moment of contemplation, she sent a voice transmission. "There is something Daoist does not know. Our Qiongyu Guild had originally planned to set out for the Storm Demon Sea half a year from now. It was precisely because we noticed the Witch Clan acting unusually that we resolved to depart now. "If chaos erupts and we are stranded in Pingbo Port isolated and helpless, our own kin will surely abandon us. Several other large merchant guilds noticed something as well, which is why we conferred in secret and agreed to act together. "To leave as quickly as possible, we have only brought a portion of lightweight cargo, and the personnel we employ are all at least Foundation Establishment cultivators. Traveling light and unencumbered is the only way to make good speed. "Elder Zou's previous visits to places like the Houtu Sect were actually to probe their true situation. At present, the Witch Clan sects remain very quiet. There is no need to worry; as long as we make no delays along the way, we will certainly be able to get away. Furthermore, if anything amiss arises, we have a plan to slip away unnoticed. Daoist need only stay close to me." The major guilds were actually this pessimistic, already preparing to withdraw from the Witch God Continent? Qin Sang's heart sank. The situation appeared even grimmer than he had imagined. Seeing that the Qiongyu Guild had made proper arrangements, Qin Sang had no choice but to travel with them. After all, if great chaos broke out, trying to escape Pingbo Port by ship would still leave them trapped within the Witch Clan's sphere of control, throwing them directly onto the front lines of the battlefield. Heading straight for Witch God Mountain was actually faster. Having dispelled Qin Sang's misgivings, Ran Luo led him toward a carriage. Qin Sang was to share the vehicle with Ran Luo. Besides them, there were two other passengers inside, who also turned out to be Core Formation cultivators. With four people sharing one carriage, it was somewhat cramped and conditions were sparse, but they could only bear with it. "Elder Zou is in the carriage ahead. Would Daoist like to go pay him a visit?" Ran Luo asked. Qin Sang thought for a moment and shook his head. "No need. Elder Zou is directing the guild and occupied with important matters, so I will not disturb him for now. It will not be too late to pay my respects once we reach the Storm Sea Area." Ran Luo did not press the matter. After settling Qin Sang in, she flew off toward the front to attend to her duties, as the vanguard of the caravan had already set out. Qin Sang stepped onto the carriage shaft and looked back one last time at Pingbo Port. Most of the human cultivators on the Witch God Continent were gathered in this city. The Qiongyu Guild was taking only certain important figures with them, leaving behind everyone whose cultivation was insufficient. Once chaos erupted, who knew what fate awaited these people. Qin Sang shook his head. He could barely look after himself and could do nothing for them. He could only hope that those Witch Clan Nascent Souls would keep the peace and allow this hard-won tranquility to endure.