"Fellow Daoist Yue, heading straight north, aren't we almost at Senior Wu's sanctuary? That place is the large island situated at the northernmost edge of the cultivators' sphere of influence. Only someone of Senior Wu's formidable cultivation could hold it down. Now even Senior Wu has retreated to Dahuang Island, and any farther north is a desolate, savage expanse rarely tread by cultivators. It's said that powerful demon tribes hold sway there. Could your old friend be trapped in such a place?"
The party sped across the ocean surface.
Kong Yun gazed out toward the vast northern sea, looking solemn as he questioned Immortal Aunt Yue.
Ever since setting out, they had traveled at top speed day and night.
Immortal Aunt Yue had led them relentlessly northward. To their surprise, they were on the verge of leaving the human race's former sphere of influence, yet she showed no intention of stopping, looking for all the world as if she intended to plunge straight into demon territory.
"That is correct."
Immortal Aunt Yue nodded, speaking candidly. "Because of her peculiar cultivation technique, my friend requires a specific environment; otherwise, her progress is exceedingly slow. After searching for a long time, she was fortunate enough to find a spot in the Demon Sea, where she carved out an abode and remained to cultivate. We agreed that once her technique reached great success, this old woman would come retrieve her. Who could have foreseen the sudden upheaval in the Demon Sea? With the area grown so dangerous, I feared I could not protect her alone. If not for that, why would this old woman have parted with so many treasures to invite you all to step forward?"
Hearing Immortal Aunt Yue put it this way, Qin Sang and the others could hardly say anything more. After all, the compensation she provided was of high value and well worth making the trip.
*Immortal Aunt Yue brought out so many treasures merely to recruit powerful protectors for that person. She must be exceptionally important to her...*
Qin Sang glanced at the silver-white hair at Immortal Aunt Yue's temples, silently wondering whether the person was her junior or a cherished successor on whom she pinned great hopes.
Nothing further was spoken on the road.
Three days later, they passed Senior Wu's sanctuary. Like the other large islands, it had been overrun by demon beasts and reduced to ruins.
They moved with caution to avoid alarming the demon beasts.
All four possessed formidable strength, and with no one dragging their feet, their teamwork was seamless. When they encountered demon beasts, they either struck with thunderous force to slaughter them clean or covered for one another to confound their senses, not letting a single slipup occur.
Continuing north from Senior Wu's sanctuary, they entered demon territory. Demon beasts roamed frequently here, forcing everyone to slow their pace, and it took over a month before they finally arrived.
"My friend's cave abode is on an island several dozen li ahead. That island covers a vast area, and originally several great demons made their dens there. I do not know if they were summoned to Dahuang Island, so my friend's safety rests entirely on your protection, Fellow Daoists."
Immortal Aunt Yue's expression was solemn as she cupped her hands to the other three, her gaze lingering on Qin Sang.
Qin Sang indicated that he would give it his all.
The four found a nearby reef to rest and adjust their condition.
Fortune favored them; the night had neither moon nor stars, and it was pitch-black. Displaying their respective methods to conceal their auras, the four stealthily crept forward without a sound.
Qin Sang awakened the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and activated the Heavenly Eye, allowing him to clearly survey his surroundings even in the ink-black night. Before long, an immense dark silhouette loomed before them.
Its edges were still nowhere in sight; the island's area was likely no smaller than Dahuang Island's, making it a rare, gargantuan landmass.
Even before setting foot on the island, bird cries and beast roars echoed from ahead. The four paused for a split second, then glided onto the island and quickly concealed themselves within a dense forest.
Immortal Aunt Yue produced a map and pointed to a spot on it. "The destination is here."
Qin Sang looked closely and saw that the location she indicated was not in the island's center; they could reach it by dawn. With their bearings confirmed, the group wasted no time and set out at once.
As they dashed through the forest, the aura of a demon beast could be sensed every so often, and deep within the woods lingered a powerful surge of demon qi.
With so many demon beasts on the outer perimeter, great demon lairs certainly lay within.
Since their goal was a rescue, they decided to spare these demon beasts.
Crossing mountains and ridges, the terrain grew increasingly rugged.
The island was covered in rolling peaks and endless ranges, but none posed a challenge to them.
As the eastern sky grew faintly light, they arrived before a deep gorge, within which Immortal Aunt Yue's friend's cave abode lay hidden.
Thick mist permeated the bottom of the gorge, slowly rising upward. Enclosed by towering mountains on both sides, the mist had nowhere to disperse, collecting into dense clumps. Strangely, it was not white mist; faint wisps of dark energy were mixed within, giving it an ashen hue, and it was exceptionally cold and sinister.
Even with their high cultivation, they were forced to circulate their spiritual power to repel the chill.
Seeing this, the smile that had briefly surfaced on Immortal Aunt Yue's face upon their smooth arrival vanished abruptly. She said anxiously, "Could we be a step too late? The valley's restrictions have actually... Fellow Daoists, please keep watch at the valley's rim. This old woman will go down to see if my friend is still here."
With that, Immortal Aunt Yue pushed off with her toes, her plain robe swirling as her figure vanished before their very eyes.
A ripple stirred in the mist, quickly settling back to calm.
Qin Sang and the other two exchanged a glance and spread out a short distance, each guarding a different direction.
Standing at the entrance of the gorge, the chill of the mist felt even more piercing, capable of seeping straight into bone marrow.
Qin Sang cupped a handful of the mist in his hand and channeled his spiritual power to purify it, leaving behind a wisp of dark smoke as thin as a strand of hair.
He let out a soft exclamation. Just as he was about to examine the dark smoke closely, he heard Old Man Zhushan's voice.
"Daoist noticed it too? The energy mixed into this mist seems to be demonic qi!"
"Truly demonic qi?"
Qin Sang looked up, sounding doubtful. "I've dealt with demonic cultivators before, but this seems somewhat different."
Old Man Zhushan nodded. "It is indeed different, because this might be true demonic qi from ancient times!"
"Indeed," Kong Yun chimed in. "I have several old acquaintances in the demonic path and have read demonic scriptures. This dark smoke closely resembles the recorded ancient true demonic qi. In today's cultivation world, places where true demonic qi exists are exceedingly rare, formed only under extraordinary circumstances. The demonic qi cultivated by demonic cultivators naturally falls far short of ancient true demonic qi. The valley floor is clearly a demonic ground steeped in true demonic qi. For Immortal Aunt Yue's friend to actually cultivate using true demonic qi—she is certainly no ordinary person."
Old Man Zhushan remarked in puzzlement, "I don't recall ever hearing of Immortal Aunt Yue having any connection to the demonic path."
Kong Yun chuckled. "I know nothing of it either. You might as well ask Immortal Aunt Yue yourself, Fellow Daoist."
Old Man Zhushan smiled without replying.
After that brief exchange, silence returned to the ridge above the valley.
Qin Sang lowered his head to gaze at the dark smoke, unable to keep his thoughts from drifting back to an earlier matter.
After meeting Madam Liu, he had questioned her in detail about how Xiang Yi had activated the ancient divine platform back in the Hall of Seven Kills, hoping to probe into the secrets of the Eastern Pole Alliance and the Western Nether Alliance.
After slaying that young man from the Western Nether Alliance, he had obtained a strange spirit talisman that he had still been unable to decipher, leaving its purpose unknown.
According to Madam Liu, once the ancient divine platform was activated, Xiang Yi had produced a secret talisman to suppress the thunder cables, and the black dragon sealed within that secret talisman had seemingly been formed from exceptionally pure ancient true demonic qi.
The Three Great Merchant Alliances operated outside the orthodox and demonic paths, yet two late Core Formation stage experts from the Eastern Pole Alliance had both become entangled with true demonic qi.
Chapter 847