Cui Ji’s wealth was meager, far from matching his status and strength.
Picking up the flying knife magic treasure, Qin Sang showed a satisfied look. No wonder it had been so fierce; like the Jinyao Lock, it was a medium-grade magic treasure. Cui Ji must have paid a steep price to get his hands on it.
Having obtained fortunate opportunities and made great strides in swordsmanship, Qin Sang intended to continue along the path of the sword. He erased Cui Ji's spiritual imprint from the magic treasure and put it away for the time being.
"Thank you for lending a hand, Daoist, and helping me kill one of my enemies."
Having vented her grief and rage, Madam Liu had regained her composure. Extending a fair finger, she wiped away the bloodstains on her face, smoothed her hair, and thanked Qin Sang. Her eyes were unnervingly calm, like a pool of stagnant water.
At this moment, not the slightest trace of frailty remained in her; she had been reborn through catastrophe.
"There is no need for thanks, Madam Liu. Pindao also acted for my own sake."
Qin Sang turned to face her. "From what Madam said, it seems there is more than one enemy. Did Cui Ji conspire with others to harm Fellow Daoist Liu?"
Madam Liu nodded, speaking one word at a time, "There are also Xiang Yi and the man surnamed An. Though An is already dead."
*It really was them.*
Qin Sang nodded. After asking a few questions, he learned that when they were leaving the deathland, they had been attacked by a terrifyingly powerful ferocious beast. The couple had initially had a chance to escape, but Xiang Yi and the others had ambushed them.
As it turned out, that fat man surnamed An had suffered bad luck and died in the beast's jaws.
Cultivator Liu had risked his life to help his wife escape, but failed to make it out himself. As for the sword-holding youth, his whereabouts were unknown.
Hearing this, Qin Sang was greatly astonished. That such a terrible beast lurked even on the periphery of the Purple Mist Deathland! Judging by Madam Liu's description, its strength was not inferior to the leader beast guarding the purple crystals. Fortunately, he had been delayed by the youth and the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, or else he might have run into that beast as well.
*The next time I enter the Purple Mist Deathland to harvest the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, I must be exceedingly cautious...*
Having inquired about where the beast roamed, Qin Sang cupped his hands to Madam Liu. "Madam Liu, the Hall of Seven Kills will soon close. Pindao will take his leave first. Until we meet again."
With that, he turned to leave, but was abruptly called back by Madam Liu.
"Daoist, please wait!"
Stopping Qin Sang, Madam Liu said, "Daoist, both of us were plotted against by these scoundrels. Why not join hands for revenge? Xiang Yi's cultivation is extremely high. I heard him mention that as long as this trip goes smoothly, upon leaving the Hall of Seven Kills he will be able to step into the peak of the late stage, only one step away from the Nascent Soul stage. His strength is far beyond Cui Ji's. Fighting alone, neither of us may ever have a chance. Only by joining hands will vengeance be possible."
Qin Sang paused slightly in his tracks, replying indifferently, "Pindao's enemy is already dead. Why take superfluous action?"
Madam Liu grew anxious and said in rapid succession:
"I do not know what Daoist encountered back then, but if Daoist believes Cui Ji was the only one who harbored killing intent toward you, you are sorely mistaken.
"When Daoist vanished, my husband urged everyone to go back and search, but failing to find you, they had no choice but to give up. Even then, my husband grew suspicious and remained constantly on guard against Cui Ji.
"Little did we expect the three of them had long colluded in secret. The plot to harm Daoist certainly was not Cui Ji's doing alone. If Daoist appears outside while Cui Ji goes missing, Xiang Yi will certainly guess something. With his vicious nature, how could he let the matter rest?
"If Daoist does not wish to conceal your identity and hide away in fear in the future, striking first to eliminate Xiang Yi is the wisest course of action.
"If Daoist agrees, humble as I am, I will take responsibility for tracking their movements without troubling Daoist in the least. When the time comes, you need only step forward to kill, just like today. Furthermore, I have already obtained the spirit medicine; once I return and consume it, my chronic ailment will be cured and my cultivation will advance greatly, so I will not be a burden to Daoist.
"As long as Daoist agrees, all spoils of war will belong to you once our revenge is accomplished. I want only their lives!"
Madam Liu spoke with resolute conviction.
Qin Sang turned around, seemingly hesitating.
In reality, he had long harbored a resolute intent to kill Xiang Yi and his accomplice; this hesitation was merely to test how determined Madam Liu truly was.
The peak of the late stage and having just broken through to the late stage were two completely different concepts.
The primary reason Qin Sang had been able to kill the youth was the advantage of terrain.
Outside the poisonous grounds, even though his swordsmanship had advanced greatly, facing Xiang Yi without using the fire pearl would leave him feeling somewhat strained; careful planning was necessary.
Xiang Yi possessed a formidable background and was extremely vigilant; finding an opportunity where he was alone to stage an ambush would not be easy. If Madam Liu was steadfastly bent on revenge, she would indeed make an excellent partner.
Qin Sang had cultivated the identity of Daoist Qingfeng for decades and maintained close ties with the Qiongyu Guild. This identity was very useful.
Xiang Yi had the Eastern Pole Alliance's Alliance Lord backing him and wielded considerable influence. Qin Sang had no desire to be targeted by him. Indeed, as Madam Liu had pointed out, only by eliminating Xiang Yi could he continue using this identity.
Seeing Qin Sang waver, Madam Liu assumed she had persuaded him. Delighted, she handed an oddly shaped bronze bell to Qin Sang. "Daoist, if you agree, go to Tianxing Island and hand this bronze bell to..."
Madam Liu explained how to establish contact.
Accepting the bell, Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoist Liu, Pindao will offer you one piece of advice: do not let hatred cloud your judgment. If your eagerness for revenge alerts Xiang Yi and causes him to lay a trap instead, Pindao can still rely on evasion techniques to escape, but you will likely never have another chance at revenge."
Madam Liu's expression turned solemn, and she nodded in agreement.
After a brief discussion, the two swore an oath and went their separate ways.
Qin Sang retreated to the shadows, removed his cloak, and restored his original appearance.
With Cui Ji disrupting things, Flower Immortal Lake was no longer an option. Even the seemingly safe periphery of the Purple Mist Deathland concealed terrifying ferocious beasts; Flower Immortal Lake surely held countless dangers as well.
After some thought, Qin Sang decided against going to Flower Immortal Lake and opted to head straight for the wasteland to keep watch. If he could not wait them out, he would make a round of the three islands outside the storm. Whether he could find the bone flute was something he had no confidence in either.
Discerning his direction, he flew off toward the wasteland.
Along the way, Qin Sang took inventory of his gains from this expedition.
The several magic treasures went without saying. The most important was the jade slip, which not only completed the killing talismans but also contained an external incarnation divine ability.
The earlier the external incarnation was refined, the better, so that he could strive to raise its cultivation before entering the Hall of Seven Kills next time.
The corpse of a low-stage cultivator would not be difficult to find; in the cultivation world, slaughter was the most common thing.
Those spirit fruits were of unknown origin, but he could seek out a master alchemist on Tianxing Island to examine them.
However, what Qin Sang cared about most was still the Nine Nether Demonic Fire. Since it concerned a top-grade magic treasure, he was bound to go all out.
Refining the dark iron pillar into a banner pole required many preparations.
To gather all these materials, going to Tianxing Island was the best choice. Moreover, Tianxing Island housed the largest city of the human race, making it the easiest place to gather information. For the sake of Spirit Turtle Island and Senior Qingzhu, a trip was necessary in any case.
Pondering these matters, Qin Sang unknowingly arrived at the edge of the wasteland.
He hid himself within a mountain, gazing down at the wasteland below.
All the way back to the wasteland, Qin Sang had seen no further traces of the Nascent Soul cultivators of the two races. He suspected that after obtaining what they desired, they had already departed the Hall of Seven Kills.
Chapter 793