During this period, Qin Sang had racked his brain trying to lure Luo Daotong off the island.
However, this was the heart of the sea territory controlled by the Righteous and Demonic factions. Qin Sang could not act recklessly. Causing too much of a disturbance might very well draw in other experts from neighboring islands.
He had devised many plans for this, yet had abandoned them all.
If he could use the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to see through the flaws in the island's defensive spirit array, he would no longer have to wait aimlessly.
Qin Sang flew out of Nandu Island on his sword and headed straight for Liangqiu Island. When he was halfway there, he lowered his escape light and circulated the Spirit Concealment Art to conceal his aura.
Before long, Liangqiu Island appeared in his field of view.
The island was not large, but it held exceptional natural spiritual beauty, concealing a top-grade spirit vein.
It was precisely because of this that Luo Daotong had brought almost the entire island under the protection of his defensive spirit array. From the outside, one could only vaguely see the shadow of a mountain.
Dawn had not yet broken; it was the darkest hour before the first light of day.
The spirit array on the island flickered with wondrous light, shining brilliantly as though echoing the stars in the night sky.
Qin Sang watched from a distance for a while, then crept further forward. Still, he was not brazen enough to land directly on the island, stopping instead on the sea's surface nearby.
Holding his breath, he floated motionless atop the water, rising and falling with the waves. Then, he released the Heavenly Eye Butterfly.
The butterfly settled on his shoulder and spread its wings, turning its heavenly eyes toward Liangqiu Island.
With his mind linked to the creature, the scenery in Qin Sang's vision gradually shifted.
His sight penetrated layers of wondrous light until he finally saw the outline of the mountain.
A solitary peak stood tall, exceptionally steep and treacherous.
A white line cascaded down through the mountainside, which had to be a waterfall.
Because of the distance, things were not entirely clear, and he could not immediately locate Luo Daotong's cave dwelling. Qin Sang was in no hurry. He withdrew his gaze and focused on the wondrous lights.
These lights were the manifestation of the defensive spirit array. Not only did they serve as an obscuring illusion, but they also possessed formidable power in their own right.
Within every beam of wondrous light lay countless runes.
Two hours later, as dawn approached, Qin Sang rubbed his brow with a thoughtful expression.
*It's a spirit array I've never seen before, and its power is immense. I seem to have spotted a few weaknesses, but they still need to be verified. However, to ambush and kill Luo Daotong, simply finding a flaw and breaching the array won't be enough. I have to be fast enough that he has no time to react, ending the battle swiftly. The difficulty is enormous. Completely unraveling this defensive spirit array isn't something that can be achieved overnight.*
Qin Sang memorized the runes he had observed, intending to return and decipher them slowly, and quietly withdrew.
Back in his cave dwelling, Qin Sang went into seclusion to comprehend the runes.
Luo Daotong was indeed no simple figure. The defensive spirit array was extraordinarily complex. Qin Sang knew he could never set up such an array himself; there had to be an expert guiding Luo Daotong from behind the scenes.
Furthermore, Qin Sang discovered that there was more than one defensive spirit array on the island. Several spirit arrays were intertwined, layer upon layer, making it an impregnable fortress.
Fortunately, he possessed the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to decipher the connections between these spirit arrays, and stepping onto the island would have triggered them immediately.
"Too complicated," Qin Sang sighed.
He could only patiently decipher the functions of the runes and search for underlying patterns. Every few days, he made another trip to observe the spirit array and cross-reference it with his prior insights.
If he could come into physical contact with the spirit array to experience it firsthand, his progress would be swift. But because he dared not land on the island, he could not see the array in its entirety, which made progress painfully slow. Moreover, his own standards were high.
It took him nearly a month just to grasp a few patterns.
Yet just as he was rejoicing over his progress, an unexpected event occurred—and without the slightest warning.
That night, Qin Sang felt exhausted from days of continuously analyzing the spirit array. He temporarily halted his study and went outside to temper his body, when a pillar of light suddenly surged into the heavens from the sea.
Startled by the disturbance, Qin Sang opened his eyes and was astonished to find that the pillar of light had erupted from the direction of Liangqiu Island.
His figure flickered as he rushed to the mountain summit and gazed in that direction.
By then, the pillar of light had vanished, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.
Immediately after, strange light flared again from that direction.
It was clearly visible in the dark of night. Countless wondrous lights erupted in an instant, illuminating nearly half the sky like flames of various hues dancing wildly against the night.
These lights fluctuated erratically, flaring one moment and fading the next.
At the same time, waves rolled toward him from that direction in surging swells.
Completely baffled, Qin Sang did not hesitate to fly out of the island on his sword, heading straight toward the source of the brilliance.
Soon, he spotted where the strange lights originated.
*That's Liangqiu Island! Someone is attacking the island! How can this be? Aside from me, someone else had their eye on Liangqiu Island at the very same time? Why wasn't there any sign of it? I've been going out of my way to befriend the cultivators nearby, yet I didn't notice the slightest abnormality!*
Qin Sang was somewhat dazed, completely unable to fathom what had happened.
He was on the verge of mastering the patterns of the island's spirit array, and after waiting just a bit longer, he would have been able to make his move. Yet out of nowhere, a mysterious figure had beaten him to the punch.
This was a development Qin Sang had never anticipated.
The identity of the mysterious person was an enigma, striking without any warning.
To dare assault the island directly, shake its spirit array, and cause such a massive disturbance without any fear...
The wondrous light was the manifestation of the defensive spirit array. At first, it had been a soaring pillar of light, and afterward, it had still lit up half the sky, yet its momentum was growing weaker and weaker. Clearly, the attacker was either exceptionally powerful or possessed profound mastery over arrays.
Qin Sang knitted his brows slightly, quickly realizing that regardless of whatever grudge existed between them, it might not be a bad thing if this mysterious person tested Luo Daotong's mettle.
Still, he was unwilling to leave just like that. There might be a chance to fish in troubled waters.
However, he had to keep track of time.
The mysterious person likely did not know that Luo Daotong had a Nascent Soul Patriarch behind him. The commotion caused by attacking the island was far too great; it would inevitably alert others, and reinforcements would arrive shortly.
Before that happened, if he could seize the chaos to capture Luo Daotong, he could pin the blame entirely on this person. Even if he found no opportunity to strike, he could take this chance to discover which island master backed Luo Daotong.
Qin Sang's eyes brightened. He immediately concealed his aura and hurried over to spy on the battle.
Along the way, Qin Sang kept his attention fixed on the battlefield. He noticed that although the wondrous light had weakened, it remained remarkably stubborn, refusing to be extinguished. This meant Luo Daotong had managed to withstand his opponent's sneak attack.
Qin Sang could not help but criticize internally. *Trying to assault the island before even breaching the defensive spirit array—isn't that just wasting an opportunity? The attacker must be a reckless brute!*
Before long, Liangqiu Island came into view.
From a distance, one could see bursts of wondrous light erupting across Liangqiu Island, shrouding the entire place. Both sides were locked in fierce combat, with enraged roars echoing out from within. The shockwaves of their clashes whipped up towering waves around the island, creating a scene of utter chaos.
With the naked eye alone, it was impossible to discern the actual state of affairs.
Qin Sang had never interacted with Luo Daotong and could not be sure whether the roars came from him.
*It seems they're locked in a fierce fight. It won't be easy for this person to kill Luo Daotong. How reckless! If I had discovered this person earlier, I wouldn't have had to waste so much time.*
With an inward sigh, Qin Sang moved closer, released the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, and secretly observed the battle.
The butterfly's vision penetrated the wondrous light, but the scene it revealed was entirely unexpected.
Three people were actually standing on the island, yet only one was attacking the array!
Chapter 817