Exotic Beast

"Do you want to look around elsewhere, Fellow Daoist?" Qin Sang asked, turning his head. Bai nodded. "I haven't recovered yet, and this heavy corpse qi makes me far too conspicuous, so moving about freely isn't wise. You excel at escape techniques, Fellow Daoist; so long as we don't provoke a Nascent Soul expert, that should be enough to keep us safe. If you have no urgent business, you might as well accompany me on a walk around in the meantime. Perhaps something will jog my memory and help resolve our current predicament." After a moment's contemplation, Qin Sang nodded in agreement. "Fair enough. As long as we keep an eye on developments around the Heaven Tower, we should be able to rush back in time. It just so happens that I have something to take care of as well." "Oh?" Bai was somewhat surprised. "What else do you need to do, Fellow Daoist? In that case, we'll prioritize your business." "It's nothing major," Qin Sang said, patting the spirit beast bag at his waist. "I promised this little fellow I'd help it find spiritual herbs. Originally, in the Purple Mist Deathland, there was a kind of purple crystal that could aid its growth, but unexpected trouble arose one after another. Only now do I know that top-tier vicious beasts guard the area near the purple crystal, so I don't dare go gather it. I can only try my luck at another venomous place—Flower Immortal Lake." The fat silkworm had no other special talents, but its sensitivity to delicacies was remarkably sharp. Once inside Flower Immortal Lake, Qin Sang would only need to make a rough circuit and let the fat silkworm search on its own. It wouldn't take much time and wouldn't delay important matters. Hunting for treasure with Old Zou, on the other hand, was different; cracking ancient restrictions in a secret realm could not be done in a short span. "Oh? Is that the spirit silkworm that helped us fend off the potent venom back in the toxic mist?" Bai glanced at the spirit beast bag. Movement came from within the spirit beast bag; the fat silkworm was wriggling about, clearly having heard Qin Sang's words and growing quite excited. "I didn't look closely back then. That spirit silkworm is also a third-transformation spirit insect, isn't it? Raising two spirit insects simultaneously and nurturing them both to the third transformation—you are truly wealthy, Fellow Daoist. Were it not that you had no reason to deceive me, I could hardly believe you were actually an itinerant cultivator," Bai remarked with sigh after sigh. Qin Sang smiled slightly. "It was also a stroke of luck—I obtained a rare medicine before, which allowed me to nurture them. This fat silkworm actually didn't cost me much effort; it found that purple crystal on its own. On the contrary, its abilities have been a great help to me. Without its Poison-Warding Armor, I wouldn't have dared venture deep into the Purple Mist Deathland, nor would I have met you, Fellow Daoist... The Hall of Seven Kills covers a vast area, with countless ancient ruins. Some places are scarcely inferior to the Heaven Tower and might jog your memories. Without further ado, let us set off at once." "Alright!" Bai entered the corpse puppet bag. Qin Sang quietly slipped out of the jungle, took out a topographical map to study it for a moment, and charted a route, heading toward the nearest ruin, known as Mount Xiantai. Along the way, Qin Sang summoned the two-headed hou and mounted its back. He had Bai stay on alert and keep watch toward the Heaven Tower, then brought out his demonic banners to try and refine the magic treasures. He was already very familiar with the demonic banners; controlling three at the same time was effortless for him, but attempting to command even more left him feeling inadequate to the task. Another portion of the pressure stemmed from the Nine Nether Demonic Fire. It would take time to gradually grow accustomed to it before he could control it proficiently. With danger looming ahead, little time remained for him; every bit his strength increased would offer a bit more hope. Qin Sang brought out six demonic banners all at once and attempted to manipulate them, feeling a pronounced stiffness and resistance. Arranged into a formation, six demonic banners possessed power comparable to a high-grade magic treasure. His cultivation was merely at the mid Core Formation stage. Though he had practiced a few minor secret arts, his divine sense was only slightly superior to that of cultivators at the same level. Manipulating a high-grade magic treasure was already a heavy burden, let alone an array formed by multiple magic treasures, which placed far greater demands on one's divine sense. Only after expending tremendous effort did Qin Sang stabilize the demonic banners so that the grand array would not collapse. The demonic banners trembled. Wisps of Nine Nether Demonic Fire flew out from the banners and converged into a cluster at the center of the formation, but just as it began to take shape, it abruptly dispersed with a boom. Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. He hurriedly formed an incantation gesture, and the banners vibrated, drawing the scattered demonic fire back inside. "It really isn't easy. Not only do I have to stabilize the banners, but I also have to drive the demonic fire. My divine sense is still too weak! Still, once I become familiar enough with the array, I should be able to wield these six demonic banners against enemies. After breaking through to the late Core Formation stage, I can try controlling nine. Even if I can only unleash a few strikes, the power will be extraordinary..." Qin Sang muttered to himself. He was not discouraged, settling his mind to continue refining the magic treasures. The two-headed hou galloped through the mountains. Whenever there was any sign of danger, Bai warned him in good time. Before long, they arrived at the foot of Mount Xiantai. "Mount Xiantai and the Heaven Tower are the two most prominent landmarks in the Outer Hall, and this is also a secret realm of long-standing fame! It is said that a top-tier treasure once appeared at Mount Xiantai, triggering a battle among Nascent Soul experts that even spilled over into the Canglang Ocean," Qin Sang whispered, gazing up at Mount Xiantai. Mount Xiantai—Immortal Terrace Mountain—true to its name, had an Immortal Terrace atop its peak. The Immortal Terrace was completely bare, and neither side had ancient palaces or other buildings, but the mountain summit was densely covered in immortal restrictions, adrift with the same glowing mist found in the Inner Hall, making it exceptionally perilous. Some suspected that the Immortal Terrace had once been an arena for ancient cultivators. Qin Sang glanced around and found no sign of anyone else. It was said that after that great battle, no other treasures ever surfaced at Mount Xiantai, and the interior had likely been swept clean, which was why few people came here. Finding a secluded path, Qin Sang darted up to the summit. Standing outside the immortal restrictions, he could clearly see the Immortal Terrace. Bai manifested in person, surveyed it for a while, and shook his head. "I don't remember this mountain." Qin Sang let out an "mm." "No rush." Qin Sang turned and went down the mountain. A while later, they arrived at a second secret realm of considerable repute. Bai still had no memory of it. "We aren't far from Flower Immortal Lake now; let's head there first." Qin Sang was not discouraged either, speaking with anticipation. "Both the Purple Mist Deathland and Flower Immortal Lake are venomous places. Perhaps there might be something familiar to you within." "Let us hope so..." The two-headed hou turned around and bounded toward Flower Immortal Lake. Qin Sang continued striving to familiarize himself with the demonic banner array. When they were halfway there, just as they were about to cross a mountain range, Bai suddenly gave a low shout: "Stop! There's a development ahead!" The two-headed hou also sensed something. Its body shuddered violently, and it immediately came to a halt, touching down lightly on the ground without making a sound. Snapped out of his focus, Qin Sang hastily put away the demonic banners, leapt off the back of the two-headed hou, and quietly darted to the mountain crest. Concealing himself behind a massive boulder, he gazed into the distance. Before his eyes was an endless expanse of layered mountains, while from the corner of his eye he could glimpse the cloud-piercing Heaven Tower. Ahead of them came ear-piercing whistles of air being torn apart. Before long, Qin Sang spotted an escape light shooting out from the distant mountain woods. It created tremendous commotion, easily noticeable even from such a great distance. In the Hall of Seven Kills, unless under extraordinary circumstances, no cultivator dared use escape techniques with such brazen abandon. Once they disturbed a top-tier vicious beast or drew the attention of other cultivators, their situation would turn perilous. The master of that light appeared utterly panicked, fleeing from something. Sure enough, in the very next moment, a thunderous beast roar erupted from behind the light. "Roar!" The sound shook the clouds.