The domesticated demon beasts possessed immense strength and could even perform simple spells. Traveling day and night without rest, the caravan moved far faster than anticipated.
By the second day, Qin Sang had become acquainted with the two people sharing his carriage.
Although Ran Luo was assigned to this carriage as well, she had duties to attend to—assisting Elder Zou in coordinating the caravan—so she rarely showed her face.
The other two passengers were a man and a woman, both at early Core Formation. Accustomed to all sorts of oddities, they were not surprised by Qin Sang's attire and asked no probing questions.
The man was named Ning Kun, and like Ran Luo, he was a steward of the Qiongyu Guild.
However, upon boarding, Qin Sang had noticed that despite his high cultivation, Ning Kun's vital energy and blood were noticeably depleted, as if he was carrying injuries. He later learned that Ning Kun had been escorting a Qiongyu Guild merchant vessel and had only arrived at Pingbo Port a few days prior.
During the voyage, the vessel had unfortunately run into rampaging demon beasts that attacked the ship. After a fierce battle to escort the ship out of danger, he had ended up gravely injured.
He had originally planned to recuperate in Pingbo Port, but now had no choice but to set off while still injured.
The other cultivator was a Daoist nun whose Daoist name was Huiwen. She was not a member of the Qiongyu Guild, but came from a family with close ties to Ran Luo's and had a good relationship with her, so Ran Luo had invited her along.
"It's truly fortunate that Elder Zou returned and noticed something amiss with the Witch Clan. Otherwise, by the time fools like us realized what was happening, it would have been far too late. Only now do I understand why the top human factions departed Pingbo Port one after another over the past few months. I thought it was just a coincidence, but it turns out they got wind of things long ago."
Patting her chest with lingering fear, Huiwen wore an expression of naive innocence.
Qin Sang understood that anyone with her level of cultivation was no ordinary character. Naturally unfooled by her appearance, he looked at Ning Kun and asked, "Your guild originates from the Eastern Pole Alliance, so how is it that you never received word?"
The more factions Qin Sang encountered in Pingbo Port, the deeper his understanding of the Eastern Pole Alliance grew. Among the human race, the standing of this massive merchant alliance was not the least bit inferior to that of top sects.
He found it hard to believe that the Eastern Pole Alliance had remained entirely unaware of the Witch Clan's unusual movements.
Ning Kun's face was still tinged with an unmistakable paleness, and his tone was somewhat feeble as he said, "Our guild's main focus has always been in our human race's Eastern Sea; our branch in Pingbo Port has shallow roots. Some time ago, Elder Zou befriended the island master of Douyan Island in the Storm Demon Sea. Since Douyan Island is closer to the Witch Clan's Tianwu Island, he decided to open this route, never expecting something like this to happen. As for the Eastern Pole Alliance, it is hardly a monolith..."
With that, Ning Kun shook his head, wearing an expression that indicated it was an internal matter not meant for outside ears.
Qin Sang had inquired long ago and knew that the strongholds of the human race and the Witch Clan in the Demon Sea were not in the same place.
The island held by the Witch Clan was called Tianwu Island, whereas humans were teleported to an island called Dahuang Island. The two places were immensely far apart, and the humans and Witch Clan had gone through untold hardships before finally opening a path between them.
Between Tianwu Island and Dahuang Island, experts from both the human race and the Witch Clan jointly garrisoned several islands to form a sea route, relying on these locations to confront the demon race.
Cultivators who entered the Demon Sea to hunt demons also relied on these islands as bases.
The territories held by the humans and Witch Clan were merely an insignificant sliver of the vast, boundless Demon Sea.
Apart from Tianwu Island and Dahuang Island, none of these islands could guarantee absolute safety. Tragedies where islands were besieged by beast tides, breached, and all inhabitants wiped out were far from uncommon.
However, Tianwu Island and Dahuang Island had been opened for a long time, and the demon beasts in their vicinities had mostly been cleared out. If one wanted significant gains, one had no choice but to take risks and travel to the other islands.
Judging by Ning Kun's tone, Douyan Island was likely one of the major islands along that route. Such large islands possessed formidable power, and their island masters were mostly Nascent Soul Patriarchs. For Elder Zou to befriend Douyan Island's master, he was certainly no ordinary figure.
Qin Sang's thoughts stirred. Viewed in this light, joining the Qiongyu Guild was indeed a solid option.
"I see!"
Qin Sang nodded, then shifted the topic. "I wonder what you two make of the Witch Clan's recent movements? Could it be related to what happened at the Hall of Seven Killings some time ago? I caught wind of a few rumors in Pingbo Port—supposedly, quite a few major factions backed by Nascent Soul Patriarchs were drawn into it."
What he cared about most was naturally the Hall of Seven Killings, but after inquiring around Pingbo Port, he had gained very little. Hearing that Ning Kun had not long ago arrived from human territory, he steered the conversation in that direction.
Suspecting nothing, Ning Kun shook his head. "It shouldn't have anything to do with it. The ancient corpse falling from the heavens at the Hall of Seven Killings is no longer a secret. Rumors were rampant a while back, and the general outline of events is clear. Witch Clan experts cannot enter the Hall of Seven Killings—it is a human secret realm, completely unrelated to them. Furthermore, the signs of the Witch Clan's unusual movements are said to have appeared right when the Hall of Seven Killings opened; they simply failed to draw attention earlier. Besides, if it were truly connected, now that the storm in our human territory has subsided, why haven't the Witch Clan's Nascent Soul figures shown themselves?"
"The storm has subsided?"
Qin Sang was taken aback. "The fallen ancient corpse has been found?"
"Probably," Ning Kun said uncertainly. "Some say the ancient corpse carried supreme treasures from the Hall of Seven Killings, enough to make even those Nascent Soul Patriarchs drool with envy. If they hadn't found it, they wouldn't readily let the matter drop, would they? Oh, that reminds me! I heard that in their search for the corpse, the righteous and demonic factions clashed multiple times, nearly triggering a major war that threatened numerous sects and factions. It's likely the higher-ups on both sides suppressed the upheaval to prevent internal chaos among humanity, shifting their search to the shadows instead."
"That makes sense."
Qin Sang nodded, finding some merit in Ning Kun's speculation.
In the Canglang Sea, although the human factions held the upper hand, hemming the Witch Clan into the Witch God Continent, the Witch Clan was not to be underestimated. They possessed no small number of Nascent Soul Patriarchs and were constantly watching like hungry tigers.
If turmoil erupted among humanity, the Witch Clan could very well seize the opportunity to strike, something the human upper echelons would never allow.
Qin Sang was currently alive and well; no one had found him.
The Heaven Tower was surrounded by layers of restrictions, shrouded in immortal clouds.
As shown by the scene in the crystal, the ancient corpse had appeared for only a fleeting moment. By the time the Nascent Soul Patriarchs closest to the Heaven Tower rushed over, the corpse had already vanished; it was impossible for them to have seen through his true identity.
Huiwen, having grown thoroughly bored listening to their conversation, chimed in, "Fellow Daoist Qingfeng, this humble maiden does not recall seeing you before. For Sister Ran Luo to invite you into our carriage, just what is your relationship? Could she have some secret I know nothing about?"
Teasing laughter in her eyes, Huiwen winked at Qin Sang.
Qin Sang felt this Daoist nun was rather improper—not even referring to herself as a humble nun, but instead using the demure term 'this humble maiden'.
Ning Kun seemed privy to the details. "Steward Ran speaks very highly of Fellow Daoist Qingfeng's artifact-crafting skills. Ning, too, looks forward to Fellow Daoist becoming an outer sea guest elder of our Qiongyu Guild."
"Artifact crafting?"
Huiwen let out an exclamation of pleasant surprise. "Fellow Daoist, you can forge magic treasures?"
Qin Sang smiled wryly. "Fellow Daoists think too highly of this poor Daoist. I do not even know whether my artifact-crafting skills will find favor in Elder Zou's eyes. I merely have some slight insights into forging magic tools and am confident I might be slightly better than the average crafter. Due to my limited cultivation, I have yet to forge a magic treasure."
Chapter 670