Demise

Darting out a hundred zhang, he landed amid a patch of toxic algae and fixed his gaze on a stalk not far ahead. This stalk differed from the others. Its base was startlingly red, and the seed bud at its crown was noticeably larger than those of ordinary toxic algae, looking more like a fruit. Qin Sang had not expected that what stirred the fat silkworm's desire would be toxic algae. Yet the moment he tried to draw near the crimson algae, the fat silkworm suddenly issued a warning, repeatedly spewing strands of seven-colored light. Only then did Qin Sang realize how terrifying this red stalk truly was. Its toxicity far surpassed that of the ordinary algae around it. Wrapping his palm in seven-colored threads, he finally dared reach toward the stalk and gently take hold of the fruit. A sharp sizzling sound arose as the toxic vapors began corroding the seven-colored threads. The fat silkworm hurriedly spat out several more bursts before Qin Sang finally managed to pluck the fruit. The fruit appeared utterly ordinary and bore no poison at all. Fortunately, the fat silkworm's cultivation was a tier higher than on its previous visit, sparing it too much strain. Stowing the fruit away, Qin Sang glanced around. *Even the fat silkworm could barely fend off the virulent poison of these red stalks. If I lure those demon beasts over and seize the chance...* He cast a subtle glance at the other demons, but quickly discarded the thought. In this hidden space, the crimson algae were scarce and sparsely scattered. It would be difficult to bait them, not to mention that the Nine Phoenix King was present. By now, the Nine Phoenix King had penetrated deep into the space. She appeared to have breached yet another restriction, for a chorus of wolf howls suddenly erupted from within. In the next instant, silhouettes of ferocious wolves surged out from the depths, lunging toward her. A look of tension crossed the demons' faces, but they soon saw that the Nine Phoenix King was executing a one-sided slaughter. A heavy stench of blood instantly pervaded the space. Keeping an eye on the battle, Qin Sang darted toward another stalk of crimson algae. Having advanced some distance into the space, Fairy Caiyi and the others felt the toxicity growing increasingly fierce and moved with great caution. In contrast, Qin Sang's movements were quite conspicuous. After harvesting a second fruit, he parted the weeds and hurried forward several steps toward a third red stalk, only for his figure to suddenly freeze. A corpse lay sprawled on the ground. The back of the corpse struck Qin Sang with an unsettling familiarity. His expression shifted, seized by a sudden, ominous foreboding. "Old Zou!" Turning the body over and seeing that aged yet familiar face, Qin Sang fell silent. He had never imagined that this secluded space would be the very place he and Old Zou had agreed to enter. He did not know how Old Zou had discovered this place. The old man had successfully breached it, only to perish here. Evidently, Old Zou had been unaware of how deadly the red algae were. His poison-warding preparations were modest, making it an uphill struggle just to endure this environment, and running headlong into the crimson algae had claimed his life almost instantly. The expression frozen on Old Zou's face still bore the lingering delight of discovering a treasure, yet his unclosed eyes conveyed only bitter reluctance. *It seems the cultivator who died at the Nine Phoenix King's hands was a helper Old Zou invited...* Qin Sang mused, sighing inwardly with a heavy heart. His friendship with Old Zou was like that of true gentlemen, pure and untangled as clear water. Unlike with Yunyouzi, they had not forged bonds through shared life-or-death perils, but they had traded what each needed for mutual benefit. After he joined the merchant guild, Old Zou had never forced him to do anything and had instead helped him on numerous occasions. In truth, Qin Sang was the one who had constantly disappeared or gone into seclusion; during his time on Five Elements Island, it was the Wang sisters who handled the guild's affairs. He knew little of Old Zou's past. It was said that Old Zou had once been a prodigy, only to be trapped at a bottleneck for many years without ever seeing hope of a breakthrough. Disheartened, he abandoned his pursuit of the immortal path and ventured into the Demon Sea, pouring all his energy into the merchant guild. Who could have foreseen that storms gather without warning? Just as the guild began gaining traction in the Demon Sea, the great upheaval erupted, reducing the foundation he had built to ruins overnight. That shock jolted Old Zou awake: all worldly pursuits were merely fleeting bubbles, and only one's personal cultivation was the true foundation. Yet it was already too late. With his lifespan running out, he could only stake everything on a final gamble by entering the Hall of Seven Kills. In the end... he had failed. Just as hope appeared, lethal peril lurked beside it. Dawn was about to break, yet Old Zou fell at this very moment—what bitter, unresigned sorrow! Reflecting upon Old Zou's final years, Qin Sang felt a pang of sorrow. Yet there was no denying that this was the true portrait of countless cultivators. "Fellow Daoist Mingyue truly lives up to your biju heritage, moving about so freely in a place like this. What are you looking for, Daoist? Do these weeds possess something peculiar compared to those outside?" Yuan Zhu's voice drifted from behind. "Fellow Daoist Yuan, come see for yourself and you will know," Qin Sang replied indifferently, his expression entirely composed. He passed a hand over Old Zou's eyes, closing them. Qin Sang wished to give Old Zou a proper burial, and it would not have been out of the question to send his remains back home. But such an act would inevitably arouse suspicion. He could only remove Old Zou's mustard seed bag and the jade pendant on his chest, intending to return them to the guild if an opportunity arose. The mustard seed bag was virtually empty. Clearly, Old Zou had harbored a resolve to die, leaving his entire wealth to his descendants before entering the Hall of Seven Kills all on his own. The pendant was merely ordinary mortal stone, but to Old Zou, it surely carried extraordinary meaning. Walking over, Yuan Zhu let out a soft exclamation. "Another one died here?" Qin Sang nodded. Flames flared from his palm, instantly reducing the corpse to ashes to spare Old Zou's remains from humiliation. "Eh? What is with this weed..." Noticing the peculiarity of the crimson algae, Yuan Zhu looked startled and hurriedly stepped aside, not daring to draw close. Concealing the fat silkworm's aura, Qin Sang let the seven-colored threads stream from his sleeve and collected the fruit. Yuan Zhu clicked his tongue in wonder. "What fine methods, Daoist! What use does this fruit have? Do you know the origin of these red weeds?" "No idea," Qin Sang said with a shake of his head, his tone flat. "This is my first time seeing such weeds as well. Gathering a few might prove useful later." Yuan Zhu tagged along behind Qin Sang, chattering incessantly as he watched him gather fruits. Qin Sang found it grating, but fearing exposure, he could only offer vague, perfunctory replies. "I wonder what treasures Lord Nine Phoenix King will find in there?" Yuan Zhu stole a glance toward the depths of the space, leaning in with a secretive air as he whispered, "Fellow Daoist, what are your thoughts on Lord Nine Phoenix King suddenly appearing in the Hall of Seven Kills?" Qin Sang's eyes flickered, and he gave Yuan Zhu a penetrating look. "What does Fellow Daoist Yuan mean by that? With cultivation as modest as ours, how would we dare harbor any thoughts? We need only obey orders." "Is that so?" Yuan Zhu gave a light chuckle and pressed no further. In the end, Qin Sang harvested more than a dozen fruits in succession, with Yuan Zhu brazenly wheedling one out of him. The remaining ones were collected by Fairy Caiyi and Gu Heng. Once the crimson algae along the perimeter were picked clean, Qin Sang looked toward the depths of the space with hesitation. Ultimately, he chose to give up; he did not wish to stand out too much and draw the Nine Phoenix King's attention. He felt deeply apprehensive, uncertain how much longer he could keep up his disguise. The only reason he had not been exposed was that the Nine Phoenix King never imagined a human would slip in among them and had paid him no heed. If subjected to the slightest probing, Qin Sang would have nowhere to hide. Right at that moment, the restrictions deep within the space shifted, and the Nine Phoenix King returned, reeking of blood.