After their departure, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled around the ancient divine platform.
The lightning chains vented their fury without restraint as heavenly thunder danced wildly. Vicious beasts wailed across the expanse, their corpses blasted into dust by the lightning.
Only when the lightning chains calmed down did silence return around the ancient divine platform.
Moments later, a figure emerged near the platform—it was Qin Sang.
From the moment Xiang Yi and the others began breaking the ancient restriction to the onslaught of the vicious beasts, Qin Sang had remained nearby, but he had found no opening to strike. He could only watch helplessly as they completed their task and left.
Qin Sang chose not to pursue them further, as there would be even less opportunity to strike ahead, and he decided to give up for now.
From their earlier exchange, Xiang Yi had agreed to help Cui Ji and the fat cultivator retrieve their treasures, so the three would not separate for the time being. Tailing them alone once out of the purple mist carried too great a risk of exposure.
Moreover, Qin Sang had his own affairs to attend to and could not keep dogging their steps indefinitely.
Yet this did not mean he had given up on revenge. The days ahead were long; with his enemies in the open and himself in the dark, an opportunity would eventually present itself.
Standing beneath the ancient divine platform, Qin Sang dared not draw too close.
Having just witnessed the slaughter of the vicious beasts by the lightning chains, lingering fear still stirred within him.
He had not clearly seen what Xiang Yi had done. Observing that the restriction on the ancient divine platform remained intact, he felt rather surprised. Even after circling it once, he failed to glean any secret.
Even if there had been any treasures, Xiang Yi had already taken them.
Aware of the lightning chains' terrifying might, Qin Sang did not dare touch the ancient restriction on the platform lightly. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to retreat.
*Set other matters aside for now and head straight for the Heaven Tower. There is still plenty of time. At the very least, I must uncover a clue regarding the ancient teleportation array this time—though finding it directly would be even better...*
As Qin Sang pondered this and was about to summon the two-headed hou to depart the Purple Mist Deathland as quickly as possible, he suddenly sensed something and whirled around.
"Who goes there!"
He stared intently into the purple mist, chilled to the bone, his expression drastically changing.
Amidst the purple mist, a figure loomed indistinctly, walking slowly toward him. Qin Sang felt two gazes lock onto him. It was a stranger!
Someone had actually been following behind him, completely undetected until now.
Qin Sang had revealed himself only after confirming Xiang Yi and the others had left. Could there have been a ninth person entering the Purple Mist Deathland alongside them all along?
Who was this man?
Had he been drawn by the commotion of the lightning chains, or had he been tailing them from the start?
Had he simply stumbled upon this place, or did he harbor some objective?
Thoughts raced through Qin Sang's mind, his nerves taut. He discovered an elusive aura locked onto him. The other party seemed brimming with confidence, strolling forward rather than launching a sneak attack.
Of course, inside the purple mist, launching a sneak attack without the opponent noticing at all was exceedingly difficult—unless, like Cui Ji, one waited until the target was besieged by vicious beasts.
Qin Sang swiftly summoned the two-headed hou and his magic treasures, standing ready for battle.
The figure grew increasingly distinct before finally stopping in front of Qin Sang. It was a youth with an aquiline nose and eyes as sharp as an eagle's, his gaze piercing like lightning as he scrutinized Qin Sang.
At the sight of him, Qin Sang's heart sank sharply.
This man's aura was even stronger than Xiang Yi's. He was highly likely a peak Core Formation stage expert—the strongest opponent Qin Sang had encountered since achieving Core Formation!
"Who is Your Excellency? What is your purpose in tailing this Daoist?"
Taking the initiative, Qin Sang demanded in a heavy voice.
The poisonous mist of the Purple Mist Deathland was no trifling matter; it was known as one of the three great venomous lands in the Hall of Seven Kills, and very few cultivators dared intrude here. To cross paths in the vast expanse of the Purple Mist Deathland could never be a mere coincidence!
The youth glanced at Qin Sang and the two-headed hou, a trace of disdain in his expression. In truth, he was only a hair's breadth from Nascent Soul formation, giving him more than enough cultivation to look down on Qin Sang.
"Are you from the Beichen Alliance, the Righteous and Demonic Factions, or a spy bought off by the Witch Clan? A third-transformation spirit insect is quite rare among us humans."
The youth spoke, posing a question that completely baffled Qin Sang.
Noticing the youth eyeing his cuff, Qin Sang instantly realized the man already knew of the fat silkworm's presence. His heart tightened, and he hastily signaled the fat silkworm to hide.
The fat silkworm was his sole reliance for moving freely within the purple mist. Were it killed, he might as well surrender on the spot.
The Beichen Alliance, the Righteous and Demonic Factions, the Witch Clan...
Whether through carelessness or deliberate intent, the youth had named almost every major open faction in the Canglang Sea, yet he had omitted only the Xiyou Alliance.
Though perplexed, Qin Sang kept his expression steady and countered, "Does that mean Your Excellency hails from the Xiyou Alliance?"
The youth neither confirmed nor denied it, saying coldly, "To infiltrate Xiang Yi's party and slip away amidst the chaos of the vicious beasts shows considerable cunning. I am quite curious to know which faction has set its eyes on the Eastern Pole Alliance, and how many secrets you know. If you confess truthfully, I can promise to leave your corpse intact. Your evasion technique is decent enough, but thinking you can shake me off is wishful thinking."
Qin Sang's eyes flickered, gleaning clues from the youth's words.
The youth seemed to have trailed them the entire way without any of the eight noticing the slightest irregularity, demonstrating his astounding strength.
He also appeared to have been caught up in the beast upheaval, unaware that Cui Ji had ambushed Qin Sang and driven him from the group; instead, he assumed Qin Sang had harbored an ulterior motive and used the opportunity to slip away.
"I have heard that the Three Great Merchant Alliances are bound by mutual interests and share common cause. With Your Excellency's strength, your standing in the Xiyou Alliance must be extraordinary. Cui Ji carries out the orders of his alliance master, yet Your Excellency trails in secret. If the master of the Eastern Pole Alliance were to learn of this..."
Qin Sang gave a cold sneer, attempting to stall for time and draw out more information.
While the youth acted assured of victory, Qin Sang was not flustered either, continuing to size the youth up in secret.
The youth held a spirit sword in hand and had no treasure like a bone lotus, yet he moved through the poisonous mist with ease. Qin Sang noticed an elusive layer of azure light enveloping his body, which seemed to be what repelled the poison mist.
At first, Qin Sang had thought the azure light originated from the spirit robe the youth wore.
Only upon closer inspection did he realize it emanated from the jade bracelet on the youth's left wrist.
The jade bracelet was a poison-repelling treasure!
If he directly used the fire bead, there was indeed a strong chance of slaying this man outright. But here in the Purple Mist Deathland, dealing with him might not require immediately unleashing his ultimate trump card.
Unlike Cui Ji, this man had never witnessed the power of the Blood Filth Divine Light and would lack vigilance against it, making the chance of success very high.
If he ruined the jade bracelet and the youth lacked a second poison-repelling treasure, how much of his strength could the youth actually muster?
Qin Sang glanced toward the ancient divine platform and said in a deep voice, "The treasures on the divine platform have already been taken by Xiang Yi. You didn't dare show yourself earlier, nor are you rushing to pursue him now. What use is there in killing me?"
"Treasures? You mean to say you don't know the secret of the divine platform?"
The youth frowned, looking over Qin Sang with some surprise.
Qin Sang started. He truly had not seen clearly what Xiang Yi had done on the platform, and did not know whether Xiang Yi had retrieved any treasure.
Seeing this, a mocking sneer appeared on the youth's face as he laughed coldly. "So you're just an ignorant piece of trash. What use is there in keeping you alive!"
Chapter 761