Shift in the Immortal Restrictions

"A sword cultivator, was he...?" Bai let out an almost imperceptible sigh. "From what you say, Fellow Daoist, that man truly possessed an extraordinary demeanor. Quite a figure... Let us hope your instincts are right! So, do you believe his words and intend to head straight for the Chunyang Sect to seek out that sword cultivator surnamed Ning he mentioned?" "I don't know. I still need to think it over carefully." Qin Sang was quiet for a moment, looking somewhat lost. "For now, I can't think of any reason Senior Qingzhu would scheme against me. Do you know what kind of place the Chunyang Sect is?" "Is it some kind of perilous ground?" Bai asked curiously. Qin Sang shook his head. "Not a perilous place, but a sect! However, the Chunyang Sect Senior Qingzhu referred to isn't an order in the Canglang Ocean. It is the head of the Eight Righteous Sects in the Xiaohan Realm's cultivation world." Bai was already broadly familiar with the situation in the Canglang Ocean, and at these words, realization struck him. "You mean..." "Exactly. Senior Qingzhu was likely using the Chunyang Sect to refer to the Tiandao Sect, the leader of the righteous path here in the Canglang Ocean. The sect master of the Tiandao Sect, Lingzhuzi, is right here in the Hall of Seven Kills. Yet Senior Qingzhu didn't ask Lingzhuzi for help, and even deliberately concealed the Tiandao Sect from the demonic soul. I have no idea why," Qin Sang said with a frown. "Perhaps it wasn't that he was unwilling, but that he was truly unable. Just now, his attempt to condense that crystal bead was likely meant to pass a message, yet he couldn't even manage that. The demonic soul would surely do everything it could to stop him from calling for aid. Besides, didn't he say external help was useless?" Bai speculated, "That sword cultivator surnamed Ning might be Qingzhu's true inheritor. Qingzhu may have left some hidden arrangement with him that could help restore him to normal. Fearing an accident, he didn't dare expose the man's identity, sheltering him under the banner of the Tiandao Sect instead. When the time comes, if you recount Qingzhu's situation truthfully, that cultivator Ning will surely weigh things for himself." "Perhaps..." Qin Sang fell silent. After stepping out of the Sword Path's exit, he looked around warily, dismissed his concealing ward, and immediately swept down the mountain. On the way, Qin Sang glanced back at the valley. He saw that the few Core Formation cultivators who had been peeping outside the valley now dared only stand far off on another shattered peak fragment, not daring to draw near the valley in the slightest. Meanwhile, the fluctuations surging from within the valley were countless times more violent than before. Black light erupted outward, grinding countless boulders to dust with terrifying might, sending a pang of dread through even Qin Sang's heart. 'Could the Grand Shaman truly break the ancient restriction inside the valley?' Qin Sang paused slightly, a look of surprise crossing his face. 'What lies beyond the valley? Surely it isn't the sheer precipice leading to the eighth floor...' The thought startled Qin Sang. Could it be that the demonic soul of Qingzhu guarding the eighth floor had some earth-shattering conspiracy? The Witch Clan's Grand Shaman, Lingzhuzi, Old Devil Fang of unknown cultivation, and on the previous occasion, even the Demon Lord. All of them were the foremost figures in the Canglang Ocean. No matter how powerful Qingzhu's demonic soul was, his cultivation was still a notch below theirs. Moreover, he had not yet devoured Qingzhu's origin soul, leaving his strength severely hampered. What made those figures most terrifying were the forces backing them. To dare plot against them was tantamount to making enemies of the entire world. Qin Sang dared not dwell on it any longer. Without looking back, he flew downward, resolved to get out of the Heaven Tower first. He shook his head to dispel these distracting thoughts, reflecting on his brief encounter with Senior Qingzhu and trying to sort through any useful information. 'Senior Qingzhu said my current predicament is not unrelated to him. When I fell from the Heaven Tower, vanished into thin air, and landed in the Western Frontier, was that Senior Qingzhu's doing?' The more Qin Sang thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. 'But why did he do it? And how did he pull it off? Moreover, for Senior Qingzhu to see me means he must have already found the ancient teleportation formation. His feelings for his wife and daughter ran so deep, so why didn't he return to the Xiaohan Realm, avenge his bitter enmity, and reunite with the family he longed for day and night? Why did he return to Spirit Turtle Island instead? And did the backlash from his external incarnation occur before the Hall of Seven Kills emerged, or when Spirit Turtle Island was destroyed?' The more Qin Sang pondered, the more his head ached, unable to make sense of it all. Clues intertwined in a tangled mess, impossible to unravel. To understand the truth, one would likely need to know everything Senior Qingzhu had experienced in the past. Unfortunately, every time Qin Sang had tried to ask, Qingzhu had stopped him. The two things he wanted to know most—the location of the ancient teleportation formation and the relationship between the Hall of Seven Kills and the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter—remained unanswered. He wondered how much that sword cultivator surnamed Ning knew, and whether the man could resolve his doubts. As for whether he should leave the Hall of Seven Kills and immediately seek out that cultivator Ning, Qin Sang had yet to make up his mind. After all, those words were merely Qingzhu's unverified claims, spoken with the demonic soul lurking right beside him. What caught Qin Sang's attention most was Senior Qingzhu's parting warning: the immortal restrictions were shifting, and the intervals between the Hall of Seven Kills' appearances might grow increasingly shorter, so he should prepare early. Ziwei Palace and the Hall of Seven Kills emerged at the same time. In the past, although the interval was uncertain, the fluctuations were never too extreme, usually around three hundred years. Yet the last time Ziwei Palace emerged had been remarkably early—only a little over two hundred years had passed. This time would be even shorter. 'The immortal restrictions are shifting... Just how short will the interval be? Two hundred years, or even less?' Lost in thought, Qin Sang reflected, 'Originally, a low-tide period in the immortal restrictions of the Hall of Seven Kills only occurred every seventy-plus years. After the last opening, the major powers of the Canglang Ocean acted contrary to routine, breaking through the immortal restrictions after only fifty-some years. Could that shift in the immortal restrictions be why the low tide arrived early? It has already been over a century since I was teleported to the Canglang Ocean. Perhaps next time there won't even be a need to set up formations to force the restrictions open—it might be time for the Hall of Seven Kills to emerge on its own. But if so, I won't have any leeway left. I'll have no choice but to go see that sword cultivator Ning first...' 'No! When Senior Qingzhu told me to prepare early, was it just a casual remark, or did it carry a deeper meaning? My current strength shouldn't be much worse than Senior Qingzhu's when he first teleported here, right? Rumors say the dangers of the Inner Hall far surpass those of the Outer Hall, with no shortage of Nascent Soul cultivators having fallen there. Could the location of the ancient teleportation formation be some perilous ground that cannot be entered easily?' Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. Mulling over these thoughts, Qin Sang passed through several teleportation formations in succession and soon reached the first floor of the Heaven Tower. Pausing briefly at the exit, he stepped out without hesitation. Outside the Heaven Tower, not a soul was in sight, though streaks of light occasionally flashed amid the distant silhouettes of the mountains. Qin Sang narrowed his eyes and glanced back at the Heaven Tower, tilting his head to stare up at its summit. Knowing an anomaly might break out at the Heaven Tower, he did not dare linger. With a flash of light, his figure shot straight toward the mountain range behind the tower. That was where the path to the Inner Hall of the Hall of Seven Kills lay. The Heaven Tower's location was not far from the entrance to the Inner Hall. Before long, Qin Sang appeared atop a mountain peak. Before him lay a chaotic vista where the misty haze formed by the immortal restrictions drifted, blotting out the sky and sun, everywhere to be seen. The naked eye could not glimpse the scenery of the Inner Hall, nor could the divine ability of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly penetrate the immortal restrictions in the slightest. He turned back toward the Heaven Tower, looking back and forth several times, muttering inwardly, 'Teleported to the Inner Hall, yet plummeted to the Heaven Tower...' The next moment, a flash of light flared, and Qin Sang vanished from the mountain peak.