At that moment, wondrous light flashed rapidly in front of Heaven Tower, and one figure after another darted out in succession.
It was none other than the Sect Master of the Tiandao Sect, the Grand Shaman, and the Nascent Soul cultivators of both races.
The two sides gathered behind their respective great cultivators. While it was not like last time, when the Demon Lord and the Grand Shaman had traded blows outright, the atmosphere was fraught with tension, far from relaxed.
"I did not expect Fellow Daoist would possess the ability to open the ancient restriction. Surely you obtained the treasure you desired?"
Lingzhuzi smiled without mirth.
The Grand Shaman gave a charming smile. "Fellow Daoist moved so quickly, and every move I made was right beneath your eyes. If I truly had obtained any treasure, how could it have escaped your sight?"
"Fellow Daoist's methods are unfathomable; this poor Daoist truly lacks confidence in that regard."
Lingzhuzi gave a hollow chuckle. His gaze flickered as he glanced over the Grand Shaman and Old Devil Fang in his withered leaf cicada form, a trace of hesitation surfacing in the depths of his eyes.
The Grand Shaman smiled without a word. With a flash of evasive light, she shot straight toward the exit of the Hall of Seven Kills.
Lingzhuzi hesitated briefly, ultimately choosing not to make a move, and flew toward the Wilderness as well. Some of the other Nascent Soul cultivators followed them out, while others remained in the Hall of Seven Kills to attend to their own affairs.
The Wilderness.
It was not yet time for the Hall of Seven Kills to close, and the vortex-shaped passage was still vast in expanse.
Lurking in the void was an ethereal silhouette—none other than Old Devil Mou.
His complexion was not as gloomy as before. In his hand, he clutched someone's mustard seed bag, looking thoughtful, his expression slightly odd and tinged with hesitation, as if he could not quite make up his mind.
At the edge of the Wilderness.
Amidst the tangled grass, a beam of sword light suddenly flashed, darting toward the passage.
The same scene played out once more. The instant the newcomer was about to enter the passage, Old Devil Mou launched a surprise attack. This person was quite skilled as well; at the critical juncture, their sword ray swerved sharply, slashing down fiercely toward the incoming enemy!
Yet the difference in strength between the two was far too vast. This person was merely a mid Core Formation stage cultivator, weaker even than Qin Sang.
A large hand engulfed in blue flames easily tore through the sword ray, seizing the cultivator's flying sword right before his terrified eyes.
The flying sword wailed, yet could not break free of the restraint.
The cultivator watched helplessly as a blue flame expanded rapidly before his eyes.
Just then, Old Devil Mou seemed to sense something. His face shifted slightly as he snapped his head toward the depths of the Hall of Seven Kills, his gaze turning grave, and then the hand seal he formed shifted abruptly.
The blue flame's speed surged. Powerless to resist, the cultivator watched the cold flame easily pierce his protective spiritual light and sink between his brows, followed immediately by a layer of frost spreading across his entire body.
Crack!
The ice shattered.
The cultivator disintegrated into flying ash, burned to nothing by the cold flame. Old Devil Mou snatched the man's mustard seed bag, and after a brief hesitation, his figure flashed and vanished.
Not long after, the Grand Shaman and Lingzhuzi arrived one after the other.
Having traveled in peace along the way, both sides' expressions had softened somewhat.
"Until we meet again!"
Courteous and proper, the Grand Shaman cupped her hands toward Lingzhuzi. She activated her jade talisman, about to enter the passage, when her beautiful eyes suddenly flicked aside as if noticing something. Parting her vermilion lips, she sent a voice transmission:
"Fellow Daoist, there seems to be a lingering scent of blood here that should not be present. It was concealed very well, but unfortunately, it could not escape my eyes... It seems someone wishes to challenge the rules established by your human seniors."
The Grand Shaman spoke with a hint of gloating.
Lingzhuzi's expression darkened, a flash of anger crossing his eyes.
...
The storm belt.
Qin Sang agreed to Yuan Zhu's terms, settling the conditions, and together they swore an inner demon oath.
Guided by Yuan Zhu's split soul, he flew toward the cave dwelling. Yuan Zhu's split soul strained with all his might to sense the location of his true body, but thus far there was no response. They could only hope that after escaping danger, his true body still had enough strength left not to be swept away by the hurricanes.
"Since Fellow Daoist had long discovered treachery afoot, you could have fled far and wide. Why come to the Hall of Seven Kills and plunge yourself into such peril?"
Qin Sang flew through the gale.
Curious about Yuan Zhu's ordeal, he inquired.
Yuan Zhu sighed. "Previously, I only felt something was amiss with the secret technique. I had my suspicions, but held out hope, thinking the clan could not possibly be so cruel to us. I wanted to confirm it face-to-face with Nine Phoenix King before giving up all hope. Gu Heng and Caifeng would believe it even less, so I only dared to drop a hint or two. To my surprise, I was still too naive. They were far more ruthless than I imagined!"
"With Fellow Daoist's exceptional wit, you must have harbored doubts when you first performed this secret technique. Why did you agree to be sent to the Canglang Sea?"
Qin Sang pressed further.
Yuan Zhu gave a cold laugh.
"Doubt... doubt whom?
"The Flood Dragon King?
"To dispel our suspicions, and to ensure those dispatched had sufficient ability to carry out the mission, the Flood Dragon King and the other demon kings chose mostly holy sons of various tribes, trusted confidants of demon kings, and even scions of the demon kings themselves—existences who would have become the pillars of their respective clans once grown.
"Who could have thought we would be cast aside?
"Do you know Gu Heng's identity? He is the Flood Dragon King's own son, long held in high regard by the Flood Dragon King, with a chance of becoming the next Flood Dragon King!"
Qin Sang was taken aback.
Even a vicious tiger would not eat its cubs.
He had known Gu Heng and the others were no ordinary demons, but he had never expected their background to be so exalted. His appreciation of those Transformation stage great demons' ruthlessness deepened further.
He wondered how many had been sent in.
What on earth were the demons plotting?
"Does Fellow Daoist mean this plot was initiated by the current Flood Dragon King? What is his purpose—merely to send Nine Phoenix King into the Hall of Seven Kills?"
Qin Sang narrowed his eyes slightly, speaking in an enticing tone, "Having been victimized so terribly, does Fellow Daoist not wish to expose their conspiracy and avenge yourself?"
Yuan Zhu remained unmoved.
"Exposing their conspiracy—what good would that do me?
"It is fortunate enough that I survived. From here, all I care about is finding a way to break the restriction and continue cultivating. Even if I seek vengeance, I will only consider it after achieving success in my cultivation.
"Besides, what do I even know?
"Nine Phoenix King kept her mouth tightly shut. She only drove a long plume into the immortal formation and disclosed nothing else. If I were to approach human sects, not only would I gain nothing, but I would throw my life away in the process.
"You, on the other hand, Fellow Daoist—if you report what you have seen and heard back to your sect, you might just claim great merit."
Yuan Zhu turned around to entice Qin Sang in kind.
Qin Sang chuckled softly. "I am accustomed to wandering alone; I have little interest in such matters either."
Yuan Zhu was unwilling to come forward, and Qin Sang held only a single Xuanjia Talisman, with no other evidence besides.
The only faction he had any contact with was the Eastern Pole Alliance, with which he maintained a loose connection.
If he rashly sought out the high-level figures of other factions, setting aside whether anyone would believe something so preposterous, explaining the whole sequence of events clearly would inevitably expose the Heavenly Demon Form Refining, or even more.
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.
Qin Sang naturally understood this truth.
If this truly concerned the life and death of the human race, he would certainly find a way to convey the news back to humanity as soon as possible.
Yet Nine Phoenix King had struggled so mightily just to smuggle herself into the Canglang Sea, barely escaping with her life; a few lesser demons could hardly stir up much trouble in the Inner Sea for the time being. Only when the right opportunity arose would he consider taking action.
As for whether the human higher-ups would believe it, that was beyond his control.
Chapter 974