A Minor Trouble

Sensing inward, Qin Sang found that the thunder cocoon was extremely stable; taking it into his sea of qi would carry no risk of an explosion. However, the outcome of any mutation remained unknown—it could be good or bad. It might grant a new divine ability, or it might damage the creature's innate bloodline abilities, rendering it useless. Fortunately, this kind of mutation generally would not affect the final metamorphosis. Since the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had actively devoured it, and given that it was rare lightning power, the ultimate result was unlikely to be poor. *Will it gain lightning divine abilities and become a thunder butterfly?* Qin Sang was full of anticipation. The thunderclouds above the cavern still hung heavy, but the white mist that contained their greatest essence had already been devoured by the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Qin Sang looked all around, confirmed nothing had been missed, recalled the Flying Yaksha, and returned the way he had come. Once he left Red Leaf Island, the journey became much easier. Qin Sang returned to Green Oriole Island, waited for a merchant vessel, boarded it, and headed straight for the post he had chosen—the Five Elements Islands. The Five Elements Islands were actually five small islands situated fairly close to one another. Cultivators simply named them after the five elements—such as Metal Element, Wood Element, and so forth—collectively referring to them as the Five Elements Islands. The cultivators across the five islets watched over and assisted one another, which allowed them to maintain a precarious foothold in that stretch of sea. The reason the cultivators were separated across five small islands was that beast tides frequently occurred here. Following the principle of a cunning hare having three burrows, if one island came under attack from a beast tide, cultivators from the other islands could rush over to assist. Once the beast tide dispersed, they could watch for an opportunity to reclaim it. It sounded quite dangerous, but according to what the guild knew, the cultivators of the Five Elements Islands were already exceptionally skilled at dealing with beast tides. The casualties in each beast tide were never as terrible as one might imagine, and quite a few cultivators were willing to stay there. The ship voyaged far. While cultivating along the way, Qin Sang observed the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's changes every day. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly was his natal insect gu; despite the obstruction of the thunder cocoon, he could still vaguely sense its condition. Upon its wings, the power of thunder and lightning grew richer and more concentrated. If this trend continued, it truly might mutate into a thunder butterfly. However, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly showed no sign of waking anytime soon. It seemed the mutation process would likely take a very long time. …… Metal Element Island. Qin Sang stepped off the sea vessel and surveyed the peculiar scenery, a look of surprise crossing his face. Metal Element Island covered a sizable area, but it consisted entirely of barren hills and wilderness. Near the island's shore was an area bordered with stones; calling it a city was far less fitting than calling it a village. The town was filled with crude houses cobbled together from stones and timber slats, and two wide, intersecting thoroughfares gave the place an exceptionally rugged feel. What drew the eye most were over a dozen stone pillars standing outside the settlement. Each rose six to seven zhang high and was thick enough that two men could barely embrace it, their surfaces densely carved with runes. *Are these stone pillars the island-protecting grand formation?* Qin Sang was rather speechless. For an island-protecting formation to be this crude—and to stand so blatantly exposed here. The pillars were not made of any wondrous spiritual material, but plain stone, only slightly harder than ordinary rock. Once the grand formation was activated, it certainly would not hold out for long. The stone pillars would probably crumble on their own before demon beasts even breached the formation. Clearly, the cultivators on the island were always prepared to flee. There were quite a few people on the streets within the settlement. It appeared the turmoil between the two races had not caused much of an impact here. Qin Sang tightened his cloak and strode into the settlement. He soon found the shop belonging to the Qiongyu Guild, produced his token, and walked inside. There was only an elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator in the shop. He stepped forward warmly to greet him. "Senior, what kind of beast hides are you looking to sell? Our humble shop guarantees the best purchase prices..." Hearing this, Qin Sang furrowed his brows and produced his token with a flick of his wrist. The old man paused briefly, then was overjoyed and hastily bowed. "So it is Senior Qingfeng! Please forgive this old man's poor eyes. This old man pays his respects to Senior!" "Rise." Qin Sang casually raised a hand and glanced around the shop, discovering that the shelves were monotonously lined with all sorts of beast hides, while other items like magic tools and pills were entirely absent. Just as he was about to inquire, the angry voices of the Wang sisters drifted in from outside. Of the Wang sisters, the elder was named Wang Shi, and the younger was Wang Xiang. The younger sister's voice was shriller, and it was she who was speaking. "Sister, that lecher was utterly insolent! How dare he humiliate you to your face? Once Daoist Priest arrives, we must make him pay..." Wang Xiang cursed while stomping her feet forcefully as she walked. The elder sister, Wang Shi, rebuked her sternly, "Watch your tongue! That man is an expert of the mid Core Formation stage. Do not speak recklessly. If someone ill-intentioned overhears and brings trouble upon Daoist Priest, what will we do?" Wang Xiang looked thoroughly aggrieved. "Not only did that man humiliate us in public, he even tried to lay his hands on us! Are we just supposed to let it go?" "Someone with such high cultivation certainly isn't blinded by mere lust. His humiliating us was ultimately for the sake of the Five Elements Islands' interests. Let us endure for now and discuss it after Daoist Priest returns. Do not ruin great matters over a moment of impulse..." Wang Shi tried to persuade her with gentle words. Amid their conversation, the two women entered the shop. Upon spotting Qin Sang, both broke into looks of pleasant surprise. As the two were about to bow, Qin Sang stopped them and said indifferently, "Fellow Daoist Wang, who was it that humiliated you just now?" Wang Shi glanced at her younger sister, suppressing her with a glare, and said, "Daoist Priest, do not listen to Wang Xiang's nonsense. I merely went to discuss business with several major guilds of the Eastern Pole Alliance and had a small dispute with Fellow Daoist Cui Ji over some minor matters." "It isn't that simple, is it? Since it concerns our guild's business, there is no need for you to swallow your anger." Qin Sang looked toward the younger sister, Wang Xiang. "You speak. Who is Cui Ji, and what happened?" Wang Shi looked completely helpless. Having been called upon by Qin Sang, Wang Xiang, who had been holding in a bellyful of grievances, finally had the chance to pour her heart out. She chattered endlessly, and Qin Sang quickly grasped the full story. It turned out that Cui Ji was a steward dispatched by the Nine Stars Guild to oversee affairs on the Five Elements Islands. Qin Sang was no stranger to the Nine Stars Guild; when he first arrived at the Demon Sea, he had traveled on one of their tower ships. The Nine Stars Guild wielded immense power and held a pivotal position within the Eastern Pole Alliance. After arriving on the Five Elements Islands, this Cui Ji had not behaved himself. He had actually gathered the Eastern Pole Alliance's guilds on the island and decreed that what other factions bought and sold had to comply with his demands. Guilds like the Qiongyu Guild, which originally only had a few Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed here, lacked the strength to push back and suffered heavy suppression. It was precisely because of this that Qin Sang saw nothing but beast hides in the shop. Instead of growing angry, Qin Sang laughed. "A mere mid Core Formation cultivator can throw his weight around like this?" The old man said helplessly, "Senior may not know, but there are a few seniors on the Five Elements Islands whose cultivation is higher than Cui Ji's. Yet that man borrows the prestige of others like an ass in a lion's skin; wary of the Eastern Pole Alliance, they are unwilling to make an enemy of him. Moreover, Cui Ji bullies the weak while fawning on the strong, never actively offending them, which allows them to coexist peacefully. The West Seclusion Alliance and the North Star Alliance possess strength comparable to our Eastern Pole Alliance, and the three great merchant alliances have divided the Five Elements Islands into their own spheres of influence without interfering in one another's affairs. The Five Elements Islands hold less importance than those major islands, and the stewards sent by the various guilds of our alliance are all inferior to Cui Ji in strength, so they can only swallow their fury in silence..." "Cui Ji must have caught wind of something and wanted to give us a show of force right off the bat. I knew Elder Zou and Steward Ran wouldn't be so kind as to let me cultivate in peace. Fortunately, they didn't send me to deal with a late-stage expert..." Qin Sang shook his head and sat down. "Tell me about this Cui Ji in detail."