By virtue of his sword path attainments, even though Qin Sang's cultivation was slightly weaker, it was enough for him to stand on equal footing with them.
Sword light differentiation was a realm that sword cultivators spent their entire lives pursuing. Among late Core Formation stage cultivators, those who could comprehend sword light differentiation were exceptionally rare, and each was an illustrious grand sword cultivator.
No one dared look down upon such a sword cultivator.
The two seated beside leaned forward slightly, cupping their hands in greeting to Qin Sang.
Immortal Aunt Yue sat upright and said seriously, "Daoist Qingfeng's mastery of the sword path is truly admirable. Fellow Daoist Zou spoke the truth—Daoist is indeed capable of battling a late Core Formation expert! However..."
Pausing briefly, Immortal Aunt Yue continued, "Forgive this old woman's bluntness, but my objective is to save someone and bring them back alive to Dahuang Island. Relying on Daoist's swordsmanship alone does not seem quite enough."
Qin Sang's brows knitted slightly as he looked toward Elder Zou.
Elder Zou's expression was also somewhat helpless.
Sword cultivators were indeed formidable in combat and inspired awe. However, the gap caused by an inferior cultivation realm was all-encompassing. If she were merely looking for an enforcer, Qin Sang would undoubtedly be the prime choice, but Immortal Aunt Yue's objective was to find and rescue someone, so her words were not unreasonable.
Elder Zou spread his hands at Qin Sang, indicating that he had no solution either.
Not only could he obtain the Hairy Mountain Vine, but he could also return to the Canglang Sea; this was a rare opportunity, and Qin Sang was unwilling to let it slip. He lowered his head slightly and pondered for a moment before saying, "This poor daoist also has some grasp of evasion techniques. I trust that in times of peril, I will not hold any fellow Daoist back..."
As he spoke, a crimson glow surged around Qin Sang's body, accompanied by the faint manifestation of a flood dragon silhouette vying with a sharp sword. Then, turning into a startling rainbow accompanied by a crack of thunder, Qin Sang darted out of the hall, circled briefly outside the entrance, and returned.
The crimson glow dispersed, the dragon silhouette vanished, and the thunder faded away as Qin Sang reappeared where he had stood. The evasion technique displayed in that instant caused solemn expressions to settle on the four in the hall, leaving them secretly shocked.
Qin Sang had thought it through before deciding to reveal his evasion technique to sway Immortal Aunt Yue.
When rescuing someone, a top-tier evasion technique would surely be of immense utility; he did not believe Immortal Aunt Yue would still refuse him.
Of the several supreme treasures in his possession, casually displaying any one of them would likely win their approval, but those were trump cards meant for victory and could easily stir up greed in others.
The Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman remained concealed within his sea of qi, masked by the Sword Qi Thunderclap. As long as he did not expose it for too long, he believed they would not see through the secret talisman's true form.
Unable to fathom his true depths, they naturally would not dare harbor wicked intentions.
Sure enough, upon seeing the evasion technique Qin Sang demonstrated, Immortal Aunt Yue's face filled with pleasant surprise. Without hesitation, she agreed to let Qin Sang join and entrusted him with a heavy responsibility: "Daoist's evasion technique is so brilliant that this old woman pales in comparison! With Daoist joining us, I can finally set my mind at ease! Once we find that person, I hope Daoist will spare no effort to protect her closely. If we are surrounded by demon beasts, take her and escape first if necessary!"
Hearing Immortal Aunt Yue's words, Qin Sang was secretly astonished.
He wondered what kind of person they were setting out to rescue, for Immortal Aunt Yue valued the person's life more than her own, willing to hold the rear with the others during danger.
Though curious, Qin Sang did not pry. He agreed to Immortal Aunt Yue's request, then shifted his tone and added, "Fellow Daoist Yue, this poor daoist is braving great dangers to venture deep into the Demon Sea with you to rescue someone, all for the Hairy Mountain Vine and the teleportation talisman. If that person has already met with mishap and our objective cannot be found..."
"The remuneration will still be paid!"
Immortal Aunt Yue said resolutely, "This old woman will deposit the treasures at the Xiang'an Auction House and make an oath with all of you. Even if we cannot find the objective, the remuneration will still be paid!"
Elder Zou stroked his beard and smiled. "Then my efforts were not in vain! You all must have many matters to discuss, so I will not disturb you any longer and will take my leave first!"
After Elder Zou left, Qin Sang remained in Immortal Aunt Yue's cave abode.
Immortal Aunt Yue had intended to find three late Core Formation helpers, and with Qin Sang joining, the count was complete. Once everyone had acquainted themselves with one another, they established an oath and discussed their departure time.
Presently, Dahuang Island was besieged by demon beasts, with traces of Transformation stage great demons everywhere. Leaving the island was the first perilous obstacle they had to face.
"The demon race is arrogant, stirring up winds and waves. Not long after arriving from the Inner Sea, this old woman learned that a senior was provoked by the demons and decided to take the initiative to attack and teach them a lesson. The time is set for three days from now, and we can slip away amidst the chaos. Return and await my word, and as soon as the opportunity arises, we depart at once!"
Immortal Aunt Yue had obtained confidential intelligence and already formulated her plan.
'Departing in three days—the timeline is quite tight... The upper echelons of the cultivators are actually going to take the initiative to attack without a single rumor leaking out. Taking this chance to leave and avoid this great battle is a good thing as well...'
Turning these thoughts over in his mind, Qin Sang returned to his cave abode and resumed his patrols.
Three days later.
The four gathered on a small islet north of Dahuang Island, carving out a cave abode underground to await their chance.
The human experts were to strike at the midnight hour, focusing their assault on the south. That would draw most of the demon beasts away, and Qin Sang and his companions would wait for the chaos to erupt before breaking out toward the north.
The cave abode was dim and murky; the four people sat without uttering a word.
Besides Qin Sang and Immortal Aunt Yue, the other two were both men. One looked middle-aged, while the other was an old man whose appearance seemed not much younger than Immortal Aunt Yue's.
The middle-aged man was named Kong Yun, also a member of an Eastern Pole Alliance commercial guild.
The old man called himself Old Man Zhushan, but his true identity was an elder of a sect in the Inner Sea, recruited as a guest elder by a commercial guild while traveling the Demon Sea.
Like Qin Sang, they had been swayed by Immortal Aunt Yue's treasures.
Both possessed profound true essence and formidable strength that could not be taken lightly. Of course, the abilities Qin Sang had displayed also ensured they did not dare treat him with neglect, so an atmosphere of cordiality prevailed among them.
"The midnight hour has arrived!"
Immortal Aunt Yue whispered. Everyone flashed to the entrance of the underground cave and gazed toward the south as far as their eyes could see. There, the southern sky was suddenly illuminated by several dazzling auroral streaks, bright as day.
The stars were drowned out by the auroras, and even the bright moon seemed to lose its luster.
The distance was too great; they could only witness this strange phenomenon, looks of shock appearing on their faces.
Following the emergence of the auroral lights, they immediately sensed several terrifying auras in their surroundings rushing toward the south. The beast packs on the perimeter were also growing restless, converging southward.
The auroras lasted for a full cup-of-tea's time. Then, streaks of wandering light clashed and pursued one another across the skies in all directions; the chaos had already spread to their vicinity.
At Immortal Aunt Yue's command, the four set off at once, sweeping silently toward the north.
Upon reaching the outer perimeter, battle cries met their ears. Demon beasts were storming the subsidiary islands, clashing in melee combat with the cultivators. The four exchanged glances, reined in their auras, and slipped through the fray.
All four were individuals of formidable prowess. To avoid drawing the attention of great demons, they exercised restraint when striking, yet under their combined efforts, they encountered little danger and successfully broke through the encirclement.
Once out of danger, everyone looked toward Immortal Aunt Yue.
Unexpectedly, Immortal Aunt Yue showed no intention of stopping, leading them straight toward the north.
Compared to the other three directions, even before the demon uprising occurred, the presence of cultivators north of Dahuang Island had been very sparse, having explored not very far in that direction.
It was said that a powerful demon faction resided to the north, and the upper echelons of humanity were reluctant to provoke them. Who would have thought that the person Immortal Aunt Yue sought was located there? No wonder she had gathered so many experts to rescue them.
Chapter 845