Flood Dragon Clan

The crystal exploded. The feather shot out, trembling in midair, and then, as if weathered by time, rapidly dissolved starting from its tip until it completely dissipated into nothingness. The sound of rushing air broke the silence. A streak of azure light flew swiftly into the cavern. It was a demon bird. Had any immortal cultivator witnessed this, they would have recognized it as a demon beast known as a biju. Carrying deadly venom, it was a beast that demanded extreme caution. This biju was far smaller than others of its kind, yet it displayed exceptionally high intellect. Its cultivation was still far from the Transformation stage, having clearly been enlightened by Emperor Flowing Dew. Seeing the feather dissolve, panic flared in the biju's eyes. It let out a shriek, flapped its wings, and flew out, nearly colliding with the stone wall while crying incessantly, "Disaster... A great disaster has struck..." The cavern within the mountain was vast, extending deep underground. The biju flew straight down without pausing until it finally reached a stone door enveloped in azure light, panting heavily. Before it could speak, a deep, resonant voice came from behind the stone door. "What happened outside to cause such panic?" The biju spread its wings, prostrated itself on the ground, and said in a trembling voice, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the soul feather left behind by the Saint Child... has shattered. He has likely perished..." The voice behind the stone door remained placid. "Which Saint Child?" The biju propped itself up on its wings and pointed toward the cavern above. "The little Saint Child chosen by Your Majesty, the one dispatched to the human sacred land, the Hall of Seven Kills, after you aided his transformation. Before departing, the Saint Child left behind a soul feather..." The voice behind the stone door gave an "Oh," then added, "It's him. I see." The tone remained calm, devoid of any anger, and then fell silent. The biju was inwardly puzzled and caught by surprise. After a moment of waiting, the king behind the stone door asked again, "Is there anything else?" The biju hurriedly said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this subordinate was wondering whether to dispatch a new Saint Child. Please issue your command, Your Majesty." "No need," the king said decisively. "By sending out one Saint Child, our agreement with the Flood Dragon Clan has been fulfilled. An accident is only natural when infiltrating the human sacred land." "Then..." The biju hesitated for a moment. "Should we notify the Flood Dragon Clan of the Saint Child's demise?" The king remained silent for a while before answering. "No! The Flood Dragon King is overbearing and tyrannical. If he learns of this, he will certainly force our clan to dispatch another Saint Child. "To successfully infiltrate the human Canglang Sea, it requires a Saint Child below the Transformation stage to avoid detection by humans. Using that ancient secret art called the True Art of Blood Burning, we aid the Saint Child in undergoing transformation ahead of time. Although demon qi remains difficult to purge after the transformation, most human cultivators who use our demon race as medicine to form their cores also carry demon qi. Only we can distinguish between the two types of demon qi. Only in this way could he pull the wool over their eyes and slip into Dahuang Island. "The cost of this secret art is immense. Not only does it place extremely high demands on the Saint Child's innate talent, but once he takes human form, his cultivation can never progress further, forever forfeiting the opportunity to break through to the Transformation stage, and his lifespan is drastically shortened. "Moreover, this king must personally cast the secret art, which severely depletes my vitality each time, requiring years of seclusion to recover. "I know not where the Flood Dragon Clan obtained such a useless secret art. "The Flood Dragon Clan claims that a supreme treasure lies within the human sacred land, the Hall of Seven Kills, and even an opportunity for Deity Transformation, yet they refuse to disclose the source of this intelligence, wanting only to boss our clans around to do their bidding! Putting aside how much truth there is to this matter, even if it truly exists, it is hardly the first time the Hall of Seven Kills has opened. Human experts are legion; how could they have missed it? "This king agreed to them previously only because there was no choice. There is no need to make a superfluous move now. Be sure not to leak word of this. Go fetch another sea soul crystal and azure feather, and put them back where they belong." The biju obeyed submissively. Hearing these secret revelations of the forbidden art filled it with utter dread. After receiving the king's order, it said, "By your command," and flew back the way it had come. Silence returned to the cavern. *** Qin Sang was entirely oblivious to everything transpiring in the Canglang Sea. He was fleeing for his life, glancing back from time to time, inwardly shaken. When the cold flame erupted, it happened to be in the center of the storm. The surrounding gale was caught in the wake of the Dongming Cold Flame's power, throwing the spiritual aura of heaven and earth into chaos and forming a small vortex. Fortunately, Qin Sang had moved quickly enough to successfully escape. *If not for the fire bead, I might have truly met a grim fate this time...* A wry smile appeared on Qin Sang's face. Although he was eager to learn the function of the bone flute, this was no place to linger. He retrieved a jade talisman, oriented himself, and flew out of the storm. After that bout of pursuit and escape, he had strayed far from his route. Only after an arduous journey did he finally reach the edge of the storm. Remaining cautious and vigilant, he waited until he saw that it was completely calm outside the storm before stepping out from within. Before long, Qin Sang arrived near Dongmen Island and was surprised to find that the island was in shambles and entirely deserted. The city on the island was severely damaged, and part of the island had even collapsed and sunk into the sea, having clearly been caught in the wake of a terrifying force. This gateway to the Hall of Seven Kills had now been reduced to ruins. He saw no corpses, which showed that the people on the island had fled in advance. *The battle of the Nascent Souls spilled over to this place!* Qin Sang was secretly alarmed and on high alert. Seeing no anomalies around him, he dared not linger. After a moment's thought, he flew toward the northwest. The closest large island to Dongmen Island was Leichen Island. It housed a city of cultivators and served as the core region of the nearby sea. He was heading to Leichen Island to gather news regarding the aftermath of the Nascent Soul battle. The journey went smoothly. With Leichen Island in sight, Qin Sang saw that nothing was amiss. He dropped down onto the island, entered the city, and sought someone to inquire for news. "Fellow Daoist is asking about the Nascent Soul Patriarchs?" The shopkeeper scrutinized Qin Sang and said, "You've arrived late, Fellow Daoist. The Nascent Soul battle has already ended. It is said that they fought all the way from the Hall of Seven Kills to the outer reaches of the storm. It was tremendously shocking and fierce, nearly destroying Dongmen Island. The people here on Leichen Island were also gripped by panic, and at one point, the entire island was on the verge of migrating. Later, for some unknown reason, the Nascent Souls of both races suddenly ceased fighting and went their separate ways." Qin Sang was somewhat surprised, secretly guessing that the Demon Lord and the Grand Shaman might have reached some kind of agreement. "Did those Nascent Soul Patriarchs leave any word before departing? Something regarding the Hall of Seven Kills..." The shopkeeper pondered for a moment and said, "There seem to be rumors that the next opening of the Hall of Seven Kills will still be spearheaded by the Witch Clan. They say it won't be long, though no specific time was mentioned. However, this old man has remained on the island all this time, so I cannot say whether this rumor is true or false..." Qin Sang left behind a sum of spirit stones. The shopkeeper showed a satisfied expression and personally escorted Qin Sang out. At this moment, Qin Sang was walking about with his original appearance. The Qiongyu Guild had a branch on Leichen Island, and business was booming, making it one of the guild's most valued locations. But before eliminating Xiang Yi, Qin Sang definitely would not contact the Qiongyu Guild, lest he expose his identity. *So the Witch Clan hasn't achieved its goal yet. The next time might provoke an even fiercer conflict, but that has nothing to do with me. The more frequently the Hall of Seven Kills opens, the greater the hope of finding the teleportation formation. I should take care of my own business first and just head straight to Tianxing Island...* Qin Sang made his decision.