Qin Sang had little interest in the demon race's schemes; those were matters for the Nascent Soul cultivators of both races to worry about.
Although he was not a native cultivator of the Canglang Sea and longed only to return to the Xiaohan Realm, being human meant he was not averse to doing what he could within his power.
If he had the ability to slay these demon spies, he would show no mercy whatsoever.
Unfortunately, all these demons hailed from the prominent royal clans of the Demon Sea. Possessing extraordinary bloodlines, every single one of them was remarkably powerful.
Fairy Caiyi and Gu Heng—one a descendant of the Black Phoenix, the other from the Flood Dragon royal clan—both carried premier demon bloodlines, and their strength defied ordinary logic.
The swiftness of their escape arts made Qin Sang's heart clench.
Once Qin Sang broke through in both cultivation and physical body, his escape arts would likely surpass theirs. Right now, however, he had little confidence in giving them the slip.
If he slipped up or acted rashly, he would face the coordinated siege of seven top-tier experts at once.
The escape arts he had always taken pride in were useless against these great demons.
Combining his true body, his external incarnation, Bai—who had yet to fully recover from overtaxing himself—and the two-headed hou, Qin Sang could take on three of them at most, and victory was far from guaranteed.
These great demons were no less intelligent than humans and would hardly stand still waiting to be struck by lightning. Against their united front, the destructive power of his Thunder Command Art would be limited.
Even with good luck, catching them off guard would at best heavily wound one or two.
The remaining great demons would swarm him in the opening between his Daoist arts. Two fists could hardly fend off four hands; even if he consumed Three Light Jade Liquid, he would find no chance to strike again, leaving him in dire straits.
For now, the only thing he could consider was how to maintain a flawless disguise, make sure no flaw was exposed, and then find an opportunity to slip away.
Qin Sang's thoughts raced, quickly figuring out how to bluff his way through.
Just then, Fairy Caiyi spoke up, her voice indifferent. "The place in Flower Immortal Lake was found by me. Last time, I searched Flower Immortal Lake for a long time before finally locating it. You needn't worry; it isn't at the bottom of Flower Immortal Lake, so the poison isn't as severe. If any of you lack poison-warding arts, take one of these pills refined from the venom gland of a thousand-year viper. It can keep virulent poison at bay for an hour."
As Fairy Caiyi spoke, she produced a jade vial containing several strangely patterned, multicolored pills.
Neither Gu Heng nor Fairy Caiyi took any pills, and another sullen man with the Guiche bloodline also refused.
Though Yuan Zhu belonged to the same flood dragon race as Gu Heng, he unceremoniously asked for a pill and swallowed it.
Fairy Caiyi held the jade vial out to Qin Sang.
Having just weathered a crisis, Qin Sang felt a wave of relief and waved his hand repeatedly in refusal.
He rejoiced inwardly. Fortunately, he had the fat silkworm; otherwise, posing as a descendant of the biju clan while unable to withstand mere poisonous mist would have given him away on the spot.
Seeing them rely on pills to ward off poison, Qin Sang sighed inwardly.
If they had used magic treasures to fend off poison, he could have easily crippled someone the moment a fight broke out. Alas, his Foul Blood Divine Light would be of no use here.
Once the demons who needed pills had taken them, Gu Heng gave the command. Activating their escape arts, they flew silently toward Flower Immortal Lake.
Qin Sang deliberately lagged behind, but the demons moved in orderly fashion, keeping close to one another. With no chance to break away, he had no choice but to wait until they entered Flower Immortal Lake to search for an opportunity.
Yuan Zhu was quite talkative, flying side by side with Qin Sang and chattering endlessly, daydreaming about the rewards they would receive upon returning after accomplishing their great deed, and how carefree life would be once he passed his Transformation Tribulation.
Terrified of slipping up, Qin Sang dared not engage in conversation, merely nodding and offering meek agreements.
Fortunately, they were not far from Flower Immortal Lake, soon arriving at one of its entrances.
It was an ancient wooden bridge identical to the one at the other entrance. Innumerable flower petals fluttered through the air, creating an ethereal, dreamlike scenery that concealed lethal poison beneath.
Spotting the wooden bridge, Gu Heng made a forceful sweeping motion with his hand.
The demons halted.
Gu Heng's figure flickered and vanished into thin air. Concealing himself in the shadows, he scouted the area near Flower Immortal Lake before reappearing and beckoning the group over.
This was not Qin Sang's first visit to Flower Immortal Lake, but the matter with Cui Ji had cost him time on his previous visit, preventing him from going inside to look.
Flower Immortal Lake was one of the three terrifying poison lands, yet it was also widely acknowledged as the most beautiful sight in the Hall of Seven Kills.
As though bathed in brilliant sunshine, the interior of Flower Immortal Lake was bright and kaleidoscopic.
Thick, poisonous algae stood at least as tall as a man at their lowest, while the tallest resembled an ancient jungle. Clustering tightly together in vast swaths, they gave off flecks of green luminescence like shimmering seas of light.
Some of the toxic algae were still budding, while most had already bloomed.
Bud-like seeds drifted lightly on a breeze from nowhere, rustling softly as they formed an ocean of flowers, swirling and surging…
Outside the bridge, what met the eye was plainly green luminescence.
Stepping onto the bridge, however, revealed a canopy of sky-blue light, transparently azure.
For a dazed moment, they felt as though they were deep beneath the ocean, and those fluttering petals were beautiful jellyfish drifting through the water.
A dense, strange fragrance wafted into their nostrils.
Qin Sang immediately ordered the fat silkworm to unleash its poison-warding armor. The fragrance came from the toxic algae's pollen, the source of the virulent poison, capable of corroding even spiritual power and spiritual sense.
Some of the other demons reacted a beat too late and began coughing violently. Hurriedly stimulating the pill power in their bodies, their symptoms eased, though lingering fear remained on their faces.
"It is difficult to conceal our tracks in Flower Immortal Lake. Stay alert. If you encounter any human cultivators, silence them immediately," Gu Heng said coldly.
The demons chorused in agreement, snapping out of their reverie over the beautiful view to scan their surroundings.
The wooden bridge was flanked by countless toxic algae. Looking as far as the eye could see, the dense vegetation stretched endlessly into the depths of Flower Immortal Lake.
Flower Immortal Lake was not flat; mountain ridges rose within it. The area was extraordinarily bright, yet strangely, vision did not carry very far, with the depths appearing as a shrouded expanse of darkness.
Poisonous marshes lay everywhere, but danger lurked not only beneath the bogs.
Between the blossoms drifting in the air, ripples barely discernible to the naked eye occasionally flashed past—the telltale sign of ancient restrictions. No one wanted to test their might.
Fairy Caiyi knew the route well and took the lead.
The wooden bridge was exceedingly long, reaching deep into Flower Immortal Lake.
They soon arrived at the end of the bridge.
Fairy Caiyi offered a few words of warning, then pushed off the ground and flew. She kept very low, choosing to weave between the toxic algae, and the other demons followed her lead, skimming low above the ground.
Mingling among them, Qin Sang kept his eyes restlessly darting around, searching for an escape route.
A vicious plan to drive the tiger to swallow the wolf crossed his mind.
Perhaps he could blend in with the demons all the way and lead them to the Nascent Soul cultivator on the barren plains. Once they started tearing at each other's throats, he could seize the chance to slip away.
After a brief thought, Qin Sang dismissed the idea.
He could be exposed at any moment. The longer he stayed in contact with these beasts, the greater the risk. It was too reckless; before he even left the Hall of Seven Kills, he might end up besieged.
As Qin Sang's thoughts wandered, the group passed through the jungle-like toxic algae, venturing deeper into Flower Immortal Lake.
Chapter 962