The youth surnamed Fang had invited five people in total. When the time came to hunt the beast, Qin Sang and the others would take charge of the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array.
"A slight mishap occurred with the final cold stele, so it won't be finished until tomorrow. Fellow Daoist Qin, please observe Fellow Daoist Qiu and the others as they practice the array formations. Once I finish refining the cold stele, we will set out immediately."
After leaving this instruction, the youth surnamed Fang leaped into the air above the cold pool, produced a damaged crystal stele, and began drawing in the cold qi to refine it.
Qin Sang exchanged greetings with everyone and found a spot beside the cold pool to sit quietly.
The burly man surnamed Qiu went by the name of Qiu Ji. Calling the others together to run through the array, they deliberately slowed their pace so Qin Sang could clearly observe every transformation and keep up with their progress.
The other rogue cultivator Qin Sang had encountered before was named Chu Heng.
The remaining two were Luo Kun and Ma Debao.
Both had once been rogue cultivators as well, but had since been recruited as guest elders by sects near Tianxing Island. To keep their constraints to a minimum, neither had joined any prominent faction.
Chu Heng was most adept at arrays and restrictions, so he was assigned to control the formation core of the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array, and he was currently guiding the others through the drills.
Luo Kun was a man of few words, greeting Qin Sang with merely a slight nod.
The cultivator named Ma Debao, however, possessed a rather unpleasant appearance. A pair of tiny, beady eyes was set into a broad, flat face, darting about incessantly. When he looked at Qin Sang, it was as if he were brazenly prying into his secrets.
All five of them, including Qin Sang, were mid Core Formation stage cultivators.
As Qin Sang observed the shifting formations of the array, his gaze inadvertently drifted to the youth surnamed Fang.
Earlier, when following the youth into the cavern, Qin Sang had cautiously awakened the Heavenly Eye Butterfly just in case the man harbored ill intentions and had laid restrictions inside the cave.
To his surprise, he had found no ambushes, but had instead discovered something unusual about the youth.
Under normal circumstances, Qin Sang would not rashly use the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine ability to peer at others. Core Formation cultivators possessed keen spiritual senses, and being detected could easily breed enmity.
The Heavenly Eye Butterfly had not directly pried into the youth's secrets, so it went unnoticed. Yet the youth seemed shrouded in a layer of mist that even the Heavenly Eye Butterfly could not see through.
This took Qin Sang somewhat by surprise.
The Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine ability had been proven time and again; not only could it see through illusions, but it could also easily penetrate disguises.
During the breakout from Yuheng Island, when a late Demon Core fish demon that had ingested Emperor Flowing Dew attempted to ambush him, the butterfly had easily seen through its movements.
And not long ago, the cultivators from the Western Nether Alliance had likewise fallen into his hands because of its abilities.
The youth surnamed Fang had to possess some kind of secret treasure or divine ability that shielded him from prying eyes, rendering the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's efforts fruitless.
Qiu Ji and the others picked up the pace of their drills.
After observing a full cycle, Qin Sang's expression grew solemn, and he no longer had the luxury to dwell on other matters. The Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array was far more intricate than he had anticipated, and because the cold steles were not yet complete, they could only demonstrate a portion of its variations.
If the five of them wanted to master the spiritual array thoroughly enough to contend with a late Demon Core greater demon, they would likely have to practice relentlessly without pause on their way to its lair.
Not daring to slack off, Qin Sang meticulously committed every transformation to memory, and before he knew it, a day had slipped by.
By noon the following day, the youth surnamed Fang finally finished refining the cold stele. After a brief discussion, the group decided to depart at once.
To save time, they chose not to take a ship. The youth surnamed Fang produced a flying magic treasure, and everyone took turns steering it while the rest drilled the array in coordination.
After leaving the island, the youth steered the treasure straight north, its radiance streaking across the sea like a shooting star.
"Fellow Daoist Fang, you've kept everything so tightly under wraps, refusing to reveal even a whisper of information up until now. That beast's lair couldn't possibly be in the Rain Desert of the North Sea, could it?"
Ma Debao stroked his mustache and asked in a shrill voice.
The youth surnamed Fang lifted his eyelids and offered a faint smile. "Fellow Daoist Ma worries too much. The distance from Tianxing Island to the North Sea's Rain Desert is far too great to cover in a year or two; you would all grow impatient long before reaching the halfway mark. Our destination lies on the fringes of the North Sea, merely a journey of two-odd months from here. Once we reach the brute's lair, you will know what kind of beast it is."
Qin Sang nodded inwardly. If the journey took too long, he would indeed have had to reconsider.
The Rain Desert they spoke of was a peculiar region deep within the North Sea, bordering the storm belt.
Some had attempted to divide the Inner Sea into four quadrants, but in truth, its shape was irregular—roughly a narrow strip stretching from north to south.
Previously, while searching for Senior Qingzhu, Qin Sang had traveled to the Liefeng Archipelago in the southwest waters. If he had not turned back and had continued westward, he would have reached the storm belt on the western edge of the Inner Sea before long.
Heading north, however, took far longer, and the first region one encountered was a stretch of ocean plagued by torrential downpours, known as the Rain Desert.
Rumor had it that the North Sea was the region most heavily affected by the storm belt. In the Rain Desert in particular, violent rain fell relentlessly year-round, and the sun was never seen. Mortals could not possibly survive in such a place.
Consequently, aside from islands with spirit veins where cultivators might occasionally be found, all other islands were barren wastes. While it was not as chaotic as the Liefeng Archipelago, it was undeniably the most desolate and lonely expanse of the Inner Sea.
Qiu Ji let out a soft exclamation of surprise. "Within the Inner Sea, and not in the Rain Desert—how has this greater demon not been hunted down by mighty figures?"
"The brute is thriving and exceedingly rampant,"
the youth surnamed Fang replied with a nod. "The reason I discovered it was because a merchant caravan led by a friend of mine came under its attack. Not only was the cargo thoroughly destroyed, but my friend nearly lost his life in its jaws. He was fortunate enough to escape, but he suffered grievous injuries that destroyed his foundation, wiping out his cultivation entirely and leaving him an invalid. My hunting of this beast is also to avenge him."
"Fellow Daoist Fang is truly righteous..."
As the light of their flight surged onward, silence returned inside the magic treasure. Qin Sang and the others concentrated on drilling the array, while the youth surnamed Fang steered the treasure, his eyes flickering with an unreadable light as he stared out at the unchanging expanse of the sea.
***
Not long after their departure, several indistinct figures appeared along the edge of the island.
These people were dressed bizarrely, all clad in black robes as though they had something to hide. Only one person was an exception: the shopkeeper from Tianxing City.
Facing these figures, the shopkeeper wore a cautious, fawning expression.
"Eldest Martial Brother has taken them away, so it is time for us to depart as well. Junior Brother, once we leave, you will be in charge of contacting those late-stage old ghosts. You must keep them firmly in line, lest we find ourselves short on hands when the time comes. We have no use for them at the moment, but Eldest Martial Brother did say that the information he obtained might not be entirely accurate, and complications could arise."
One of the black-robed figures turned to fix his gaze on the shopkeeper. Judging by his voice, he was precisely the man who had conducted business with Qin Sang back in Tianxing City.
The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly. "Rest assured, Senior Brother. I will spare no effort."
Chapter 859