After slaying the giant turtle, Qin Sang and Master Yuansan met up with the reinforcements and rescued a number of cultivators from the beast tide. Yet facing an ever-growing horde, the enemy proved overwhelmingly strong, leaving them no choice but to withdraw.
Returning to Tuyuan Island, they learned that the cultivators on the other islands had also noticed the anomaly and had already pulled out. By now, nearly all the cultivators of the Wuyuan Islands were gathered on Tuyuan Island.
Having witnessed the horrific scenes on Muyuan Island, however, the cultivators had lost all confidence in holding back the beast tide. After some discussion, they reluctantly resolved to evacuate.
Looking back at the place where he had stayed for more than twenty years, Qin Sang was filled with emotion.
In the Demon Sea, it was commonplace for small islands like this to be discovered and claimed by cultivators, only to be reclaimed by demon beasts.
Though such islands lacked a Nascent Soul Patriarch presiding over them, they offered far more opportunities. Some fell, but many also found fortuitous encounters and soared to prominence.
Abandoning the Wuyuan Islands filled many cultivators with deep sorrow and lingering reluctance.
"Daoist, we just heard Master Yuansan and the others discussing their plans. After leaving this sea region, they want to find another place to rebuild Wuyuan Island. What do you think, Daoist? Shall we go with them?"
During the evacuation, the Wang sisters settled their subordinates and came over to inquire about Qin Sang's intentions.
Rebuilding Wuyuan Island was easier said than done. Not only did they have to find an island blessed with a spirit vein capable of supporting so many cultivators, but the demon beasts in the surrounding waters could not be too formidable, or tragedy would simply repeat itself.
Even so, the cultivators of the Wuyuan Islands were all battle-hardened veterans, and Master Yuansan and the others possessed considerable influence, having already rallied many people to their cause.
Not long ago, Master Yuansan had already asked Qin Sang for his opinion, which Qin Sang had tactfully declined.
Qin Sang shook his head. "I only recently broke through and haven't had time to consolidate my cultivation yet. Besides, the Hall of Seven Kills will open in five years. During this period, I intend to travel and see the world, so I fear I won't have the energy to help rebuild Wuyuan Island. If you two sisters wish to stay, that is fine as well. Both of you have broken through to the Core Formation stage and have long been capable of standing on your own. Keeping you by my side all this time has been doing you a disservice. I can write a letter to Elder Zou to help secure the guild's backing for you."
This was a decision he had made long ago.
In a mere five years, seeking to improve his strength through bitter cultivation alone was unlikely to yield notable results. It was far better to travel widely. On one hand, it would broaden his horizons; on the other, Qin Sang had many pressing issues of his own to resolve and needed to gather information.
Ever since teleporting to the Canglang Sea region—from the Western Frontier of the Witch God Continent to Witch God Mountain, and then to Douyan Island, Huntian Island, and the Wuyuan Islands—Qin Sang had done nothing but hurry on his way or cultivate in seclusion. He had never truly seen this world.
Several matters troubled him as well.
First was his failure to awaken Yagu.
While hunting demons and cultivating in seclusion out at sea, Qin Sang had never neglected using the channels of the Qiongyu Guild to collect corpse and ghost secret arts from both the human and witch races. He had spared no expense, purchasing any relevant cultivation method or technique in hopes of drawing parallels, unraveling the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, and waking Yagu.
Unfortunately, the corpse and ghost secret arts circulating outside were either shallow and unremarkable, fragmented remnants of little value, or recklessly wild theories clearly born of mere imagination and entirely unfeasible.
To this day, he had found no solution.
The good news was that Yagu's primordial spirit remained remarkably stable. Though several decades had passed, it had not sunk into the darkness.
Whether it was the effect of the warm jade, the fat silkworm strengthening her primordial spirit and helping maintain her sole connection to the waking world, or a combination of both, he could not say.
As the fat silkworm grew, that connection would only become firmer. As long as Yagu could hold fast to that bond with immense willpower and avoid losing herself, she could buy more time.
Gathering these secret arts also benefited Qin Sang himself.
As his cultivation grew stronger, the corpse core and the Flying Yaksha would become less and less useful because they could not advance, eventually turning into mere white elephants.
Both were products of the corpse dao secret art, the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art. Qin Sang placed his hopes on other corpse dao arts to enhance the Flying Yaksha's strength and nourish the corpse core.
Then there was his natal magic treasure, the ebony sword.
After breaking through to the mid Core Formation stage, upgrading the ebony sword had become an urgent priority that could brook no further delay; otherwise, once he reached the late Core Formation stage, his cultivation would grind to a halt.
The ebony sword was his bottleneck, and only spiritual wood of the Ten Great Divine Woods tier could upgrade it. Searching for such a divine object in the Canglang Sea was like looking for a needle in an ocean, but Qin Sang had no choice.
Qin Sang chose to travel at this time precisely to ask around for information, hoping to encounter an opportunity to resolve these troubles.
Hearing Qin Sang's words, the Wang sisters looked somewhat dejected.
The two exchanged a glance, and the elder sister, Wang Shi, spoke up: "Thank you, Daoist. But we were just discussing this earlier—if you don't intend to stay, we also plan to return to the Inner Sea. Over the years, under your protection, Daoist, we not only broke through to the Core Formation stage together, but also accumulated substantial savings, enough for us to cultivate in peace for a long while. Besides, our master is advanced in years; it's time we returned to attend to him."
Wang Xiang lacked her usual playfulness and pouted slightly. "Daoist, our master's cave abode is on Lingchun Island, a beautiful place where spring reigns all year round. This is a nautical chart of the Inner Sea. You mustn't forget us! When you visit the Inner Sea in the future, be sure to come as a guest to Lingchun Island."
Qin Sang took the chart handed over by the sisters and nodded in response.
"In that case, when you bid farewell to Elder Zou, please explain things to him on my behalf; I won't make a special trip over. Also, the Qiongyu Guild is quite good and carries considerable influence in the Inner Sea. If your master's sect has no objections, there is no need to sever ties with the guild. Keeping that connection will leave you another path open in the future."
The Wang sisters nodded repeatedly.
Wang Xiang looked at Qin Sang's cloak, visibly eager to say something more, but Wang Shi gently tugged her back. The two sisters turned and walked away, their figures receding into the distance.
Qin Sang stood in place, seeing the sisters off. He glanced down at the chart in his hands, shook his head almost imperceptibly, and put it away.
After leaving the waters near the Wuyuan Islands and putting distance between themselves and the beast tide, the cultivators temporarily found a place to rest. After bidding farewell to his acquaintances, Qin Sang departed quietly.
A few days later.
Qin Sang appeared on a small island riding the two-headed hou. After circling the island once, he landed on a stretch of gravel beach.
The ebony sword expanded into a giant blade and carved out a deep cavern in the rocky ground. Stepping inside, Qin Sang sensed the spiritual energy of the cave abode, nodded in satisfaction, then sealed the entrance and laid down a spirit formation.
Having encountered a fierce battle right after breaking through, he had not yet consolidated his cultivation, and his true essence was restless. Had it not been for that, slaying those two great demons would have been far easier.
Thinking of the great demons, Qin Sang turned his hand, and a jade box appeared in his palm. Inside rested a demon core.
This was the demon core of the giant turtle.
After slaying the giant turtle, the spoils of battle had been divided evenly among the group. Grateful for Qin Sang's aid, Master Yuansan had insisted on relinquishing his own share to Qin Sang and added a sum of spirit stones to help him secure the demon core.
Chapter 738