Chapter 1023: Ancient Demon

"Let her demonstrate the changes in the devil wings," Bai transmitted his voice.

Qin Sang complied.

Susu secretly wondered, unable to fathom why Qin Sang was so fixated on the devil wings, and seemed quite knowledgeable about them. She dared not defy Qin Sang's order. She steadied her breath and activated the devil wings, sometimes transforming into a streak of light to soar, and at other times having the wings wrap around her body like bone armor.

"I remember now. The enemies who sealed me had many similar devil wings. They were called 'Demons'. Not demonic cultivators, but true Demons. For them, True Demonic Qi is equivalent to spiritual energy for immortal cultivators. The Demonic Seal and Demonic Flames were left by these Demons. Demons are our great enemies. To fight them, our human cultivators tried to analyze the demonic arts we captured. We found that some human cultivators with special constitutions could directly cultivate demonic arts. However, I don't recall any 'True Demonic Art'. My memory might be incomplete, or the knowledge could have been corrupted over time."

Bai's voice was low. He paused, then continued, "However, ancient demons have long vanished from this world, so the specific cultivation method is no longer important. This girl likely possesses a special spiritual physique that allows her to cultivate demonic arts directly with True Demonic Qi. My mind is quite muddled right now; I need to sort things out. Please excuse me, fellow Daoist." After saying this, Bai fell silent.

After breaking the Demonic Seal, Bai had recovered more and more memories. Now, he finally recalled the identity of the great enemy who had sealed them all those years ago.

"Ancient Demons..."

Qin Sang fell into contemplation. After many years of traveling in the cultivation world, rumors of ancient demons seemed extremely rare.

After a moment of thought, Qin Sang suddenly remembered something. "Sin Abyss! When I entered the Ziwei Palace back then, the Sin Abyss launched a sneak attack, and a terrifying six-armed demonic shadow appeared. Its stature was unimaginably huge, and its power was astonishing. Could that have been an ancient demon?"

Qin Sang felt a secret dread, and a sudden wave of worry washed over him. Returning to the Minor Cold Domain this time, he wondered if it would be for better or for worse. One must understand that the ancient cultivation world was far beyond comparison to the present era. There were many legends of Mahayana stage cultivators transcending tribulation and becoming immortals, and the cultivation and power of cultivators back then were unimaginable now. Ancient demons existed in Bai's era and could become great enemies of cultivators. A single Demonic Seal was enough to seal Bai and his subordinates, preventing them from reincarnating for eternity, showing just how terrifying their power was.

If the Sin Abyss truly had the assistance of ancient demons, could the combined might of the Minor Cold Domain and the Sky-Roaming Alliance withstand it? He hoped that upon his return, he wouldn't be met with news of the two domains' destruction. Under a toppled nest, no egg remains whole. If the Minor Cold Domain were to suffer a calamity, his friends and old acquaintances would likely face grim fates.

Regardless, he had to return to retrieve the Nine Illusory Sky Orchid. With his current strength, as long as he remained low-key and focused on self-preservation, he shouldn't have much to worry about. After observing the situation, he would then decide whether to stay in the Minor Cold Domain or return to the Canglang Sea.

Qin Sang sighed inwardly, collecting his thoughts. He noticed Susu watching him with a reserved expression.

"You..." Qin Sang opened his mouth, about to say something, but then his brows furrowed slightly, and he turned his head to look into the distance.

The next moment, two streaks of light appeared at the edge of the ice plain. Two people were flying rapidly towards them. Judging by their speed, both were cultivators in the late Core Formation stage.

"My senior brothers are here!" Susu exclaimed with delight. Catching sight of Qin Sang's frowning silence, her heart tightened, and she quickly suppressed her joy. "Please don't worry, fellow Daoist. They are my senior brothers and have always been very protective of me."

Members of the Eastern Extremity Alliance.

Qin Sang gave Susu a deep look. The other party's objective was clear; they were heading directly in this direction. It seemed Susu must possess something that could guide them.

Since Bai had already recovered some memories, there was no point in staying here. To inquire about the origin of this demonic art, he would likely need to find the leader of the Eastern Extremity Alliance. Qin Sang didn't want to encounter the Eastern Extremity Alliance members. Without saying anything more, his Phoenix Wings gave a slight flutter, and his figure transformed into a streak of light, departing in the opposite direction.

In the blink of an eye, Qin Sang became a blue speck of light and vanished into the vast ice plain. Susu hadn't expected Qin Sang to fly away so decisively without a word. She stared blankly in the direction he left, blinking her eyes with an unusual look.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Two figures arrived swiftly, landing on either side of Susu. One was a tall, burly man, while the other appeared somewhat aged, looking like an elder around fifty years old, with a long beard under his chin.

"Phew!" The burly man let out a long breath, his aura somewhat unstable. He grumbled, "Junior Sister, you really made my senior brother and me search for a long time. Didn't we tell you to find a safe place to wait for us to rendezvous, and not to wander off alone? Why did you run so far?"

The long-bearded elder's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked in the direction Qin Sang had vanished. He spoke in a solemn voice, "Junior Sister, who was that person just now? Did they cause you any trouble?"

"Senior Brother, you've misunderstood. It was entirely thanks to that fellow Daoist's timely assistance that I managed to save my life..." Susu clearly explained the whole situation. The two senior brothers suddenly understood.

The burly man felt a lingering fear. "That was close! So close! I wonder which sect that brother belongs to. When we return, we must petition Master and the Merchant Alliance to thank him properly!"

Susu shook her head, regretting, "That person wasn't willing to reveal his identity, so I don't know his background."

"In the trial realm, we are all rivals, so it's normal to be cautious. If fate wills it, we will meet again someday, Junior Sister; just keep that in mind," the long-bearded elder consoled her. Then he remembered something else. "By the way, hasn't Third Junior Brother arrived yet?"

The Third Junior Brother was precisely the handsome young man who had died at Susu's hands. Susu's expression remained calm as she indifferently said, "I was chased by a fierce beast and ran all the way here in one breath. I haven't seen Third Senior Brother at all, so perhaps something delayed him."

The two senior brothers didn't suspect anything else. They looked around for a while but saw no one. The long-bearded elder spoke, "The three of us should now be able to move freely on the Mysterious Ice Plain. There's no need to wait idly here. Let's walk while we wait for Junior Brother to rendezvous with us. Junior Sister, you focus on healing your injuries; we'll keep watch."

"Understood." Susu dutifully replied, glanced in the direction Qin Sang had vanished, and then flashed to follow them.

Regardless of what Susu and the others might say about him, after flying a certain distance, Qin Sang summoned his Ebony Sword to clear the path and released the White Crane.

The deeper one went into the Mysterious Ice Plain, the harder it became to travel. However, Qin Sang successfully traversed the ice plain, completing the second trial.

Straight ahead, a faint, ethereal light barrier blocked the path. Qin Sang's figure paused. He recalled the White Crane, dispelled his Heavenly Demon Transformation, and stepped forward.

Passing through the light barrier, the intense cold vanished. Qin Sang found himself in a square courtyard filled with stone stools and chairs. Several cultivators were currently meditating there.

Sensing Qin Sang's arrival, some opened their eyes, observed him for a moment, then looked away, concentrating on their recovery.

"These people must be the first echelon..." Qin Sang secretly observed that indeed, everyone's aura was very strong; they were the elites among the cultivators.

"I don't see any Nascent Soul Grandmasters. It seems the trials for the two groups of cultivators must be separate. That makes sense; otherwise, who would dare to compete with a Nascent Soul cultivator?"