Three days later.
Two streaks of light flew out from Poison Island. After speeding away for a time, they touched down on a deserted island in the distance. They were none other than Bai Zhongqiu and his wife.
The two looked back toward Poison Island, their eyes filled with reluctance and worry.
"Senior Brother, Ying'er, she..."
Thinking that her daughter might end up feeding a demon with her very flesh, Bai Hong could not help but weep.
"Junior Sister, do not worry. From what I can tell, the cultivation method Senior gave Ying'er is an orthodox Daoist water-attribute art, perfectly suited for her to practice. It isn't one of those cauldron arts from the demonic sects. Though Senior acts with a ruthless hand, he does not seem like a demon who harms the innocent. Otherwise, having occupied Poison Island for so long, how could he have no notoriety whatsoever? The nearby cultivators did not even know of his existence. He is likely an ascetic cultivator. Ying'er might even turn this misfortune into a blessing..."
Bai Zhongqiu could only comfort his wife and himself with these words. In the end, he could not help but sigh. "What a pity. When I asked Senior to take Ying'er as a disciple, he flatly refused."
"Your judgment has always been sharp, Senior Brother. Since you say he is an ascetic cultivator, how could he take on a disciple so easily? That cultivation manual was probably just our compensation. As for the fiend demon pill Senior promised, I would never dare hold extravagant hopes for it," Bai Hong said softly, wiping away her tears.
Having cultivated the Dao for many years and frequently encountered formidable enemies, Qin Sang had seized quite a few cultivation manuals over time, mostly belonging to the five elements. Any one picked at random would be countless times better than what the Bai couple had managed to gather for their daughter.
Bai Zhongqiu nodded and turned his hand over, producing a few items. "Even without a fiend demon pill, Senior has not mistreated us. He not only helped us re-refine our flying shuttle, but also gave us these Essence-Devouring Awls. As long as we do not provoke powerful enemies at or above the mid-Core Formation stage, we will have some ability to protect ourselves."
In Bai Zhongqiu's palm lay more than a dozen Essence-Devouring Awls—the very ones Qin Sang had originally crafted for his external incarnation.
Besides these, there was also a flying shuttle, their original magic tool.
This item had originally only been middling among top-grade magic tools.
Qin Sang had asked for the flying shuttle and spent two days using the artifact-crafting techniques he had comprehended from the dark iron pillar, carefully re-refining it with the addition of several spiritual materials.
Under the couple's combined driving, the newly refined flying shuttle possessed a flight speed rivaling that of an ordinary early Core Formation cultivator. Had the Bai couple not been mere Foundation Establishment cultivators, upgrading the flying shuttle into a magic treasure would not have been difficult either.
Bai Hong also nodded gently. "I never expected Senior to be skilled in artifact refining as well. With this, we will be much safer—after all, the Liefeng Archipelago is no tranquil place. Moreover, Senior is not asking us to risk our lives, only to gather useful spiritual items and intelligence, which drastically reduces the danger..."
"Indeed," Bai Zhongqiu agreed, handing half of the Essence-Devouring Awls to Bai Hong. "The spiritual materials are straightforward enough; we can simply purchase them from various merchant associations and shops. But Senior actually asked us to find out where jade pendants granting entry into the Hall of Seven Kills might be auctioned. According to legend, the Hall of Seven Kills is perilous beyond measure, and countless mighty cultivators have fallen within. Could Senior be planning to go there as well?"
Evidently, Bai Zhongqiu had also heard of the notorious reputation of the Hall of Seven Kills.
To enter the Hall of Seven Kills, one needed a jade pendant capable of resisting the immortal formation.
After his previous experience, Qin Sang had no desire to mingle with the people from the East Pole Alliance again.
He had long heard that many cultivators with vast divine abilities and mysterious origins dwelt in the Liefeng Archipelago. Before the Hall of Seven Kills opened last time, jade pendants had surfaced and been auctioned here.
Qin Sang was not certain when such auctions would take place, so he had instructed the couple to keep watch and report back promptly.
"Also, Senior even asked us to find out which demonic cultivators in the Liefeng Archipelago are most skilled in corpse refinement. This..."
Bai Hong's dark brows knitted tightly.
More than half of their worry stemmed from this.
"Forget it, dwelling on it accomplishes nothing. Let us not presumptuously guess Senior's intentions. Senior told us to report back periodically, which will give us a chance to see Ying'er as well. As long as Ying'er remains safe and sound, whatever his purpose may be has nothing to do with us. We just need to do our best."
Bai Zhongqiu took his wife's delicate hand and raised a streak of light. Before long, they vanished into the boundless sea.
Back on Poison Island.
Bai Ying'er watched her parents depart, returning to the cave dwelling with an uneasy heart. Seeing that no one paid any attention to her, she gradually grew less frightened. Recalling her past days of wandering displaced with her parents, living in constant dread, she even felt that being able to cultivate in peace without disturbances like this was quite nice.
Poison Island was far from a scenic haven of green hills and clear waters; it was a perilous place shrouded in toxic miasma, teeming with terrifying demonic beasts, and reeking of foul stenches. She could only move about within the cave dwelling and the broad valley floor before it.
Bai Ying'er did not dare disturb Qin Sang, but she saw the two-headed hou appear frequently.
At first, she was terrified of the two-headed hou. Later, she discovered it was not that scary, and its intelligence was far higher than any demonic beast she had ever seen before, so she tentatively tried greeting it.
The two-headed hou was bent entirely on breaking through and regaining its freedom.
Yet the more anxious it grew, the more clueless it became, roaring at the sun and moon day after day.
Only now did it realize how rare an opportunity truly was.
It was thoroughly irritable over this. At first, it completely ignored the young girl, but later, perhaps out of sheer boredom, it gradually grew familiar with her. After all, the girl would groom its fur, whereas that fellow only used it to take hits.
All of this came later.
Qin Sang sat cross-legged in his cave dwelling. After taking inventory of the spoils from Simo Cave, he took out a pouch—the spirit beast bag belonging to the Cave Master of Simo Cave.
This man had been proficient in the art of insect control, and inside the spirit beast bag were seven or eight types of spiritual insects.
"The messenger insect the old demon released is called the night shadow insect. The other spiritual insects are just like it, only useful for auxiliary purposes. None of them are rare spiritual insects, nor is there a single exotic insect among them. They have virtually no combat power and merely possess special abilities—no wonder he didn't command any spiritual insects during our battle. It seems the old demon understood well that raising exotic insects consumes an enormous amount of resources and energy. If not for the Scarlet Fire Flowing Gold, I certainly wouldn't have dared take the Heavenly Eye Butterfly as my natal insect gu..."
Qin Sang withdrew his divine sense from the spirit beast bag.
These spiritual insects had been meticulously selected and nurtured by the Cave Master of Simo Cave over who knew how many years. In certain specific scenarios, they might prove miraculously effective.
Naturally, they could not compare to the sheer dominance of the fat silkworm, which could counter any potent venom.
'There is no harm in keeping these spiritual insects. The old demon's insect-raising strategy is quite sound, and keeping them won't cost many spirit stones. Who knows, they might really come in handy. His insect control art also differs somewhat from that of the Spirit Beast Sect, capable of leaving a certain imprint within the insects' bodies to forcibly drive them. However, with my cultivation, I can only command spiritual insects of the second transformation...'
Qin Sang mused inwardly. Noticing that this spirit beast bag was of higher quality than his insect basket, he transferred the fat silkworm over.
Over the next few days, he kept an eye on the area outside Poison Island. Seeing that the incident with Simo Cave had not stirred up any larger waves, he sealed the cave dwelling once more to concentrate on his bitter cultivation.
From then on, every few months or once a year, Bai Zhongqiu and his wife would return to the island, bringing either news or the spiritual items Qin Sang needed.
Seeing that their daughter remained safe and sound, her cultivation steadily progressing, and that she had even become friends with the island master's spirit beast, they finally put their worries completely to rest.
And so, over a decade slipped by in a flash.
Chapter 918