Chapter 1102: Reunion

Rain on Bluestone

The ancient cultivator's abode was closest to Hanging Skull Pass.

After a long journey, Qin Sang arrived near the ancient cultivator's abode and found its entrance.

A cracked stone tablet stood amidst a ring of shattered rocks.

Despite enduring successive spiritual tides and celestial phenomena, the entrance to the ancient cultivator's abode had not been destroyed and remained intact to this day.

Qin Sang discovered that various sects had left restrictive spells here to protect the entrance. However, after a thorough investigation, he confirmed that no cultivators were stationed within the mystic realm and the surrounding area was deserted.

When cultivators from Hanging Skull Pass first discovered the ancient cultivator's abode years ago, they found that it had already been visited by demonic sects.

The remaining treasures were first plundered by Che Yutao and others. Subsequently, unforeseen events occurred, and it fell under the control of various major sects for an unknown number of years, leaving very little behind.

Furthermore, unlike other mystic realms, the ancient cultivator's abode was not peaceful. It contained many dangerous fire spirits, and after the incident, it had almost become a ruin. Its extremely unstable space made it unsuitable as a stronghold.

It was not surprising that the place had been abandoned.

Qin Sang stealthily entered the ancient cultivator's abode.

His cultivation was far superior to what it once was, and the restrictions he encountered were different from before, likely due to the changes that occurred years ago. Qin Sang entered the ancient cultivator's abode without any effort.

A wave of intense heat washed over him.

Molten lava surged, and everything he saw was a fiery red.

Apart from a few isolated, island-like peaks, the entire mystic realm had astonishingly transformed into a sea of lava.

He gazed into the depths of the mystic realm.

Qin Sang saw the shadow of the Heavenly Peak, completely enveloped by lava.

Most terrifyingly, the space there was extremely unstable, with countless spatial fissures densely surrounding the Heavenly Peak. There were far more fissures than when they had escaped years ago.

Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, then flew directly west, soaring towards the Heavenly Peak.

Below, lava churned, with occasional geysers of lava erupting from the ground. Fire spirits were often seen leaping and playing in the lava, and upon spotting Qin Sang, they would bare their fangs and claws and lunge at him.

He wondered if the area had been cleared, as the number of fire spirits was not as great as he had anticipated. Otherwise, Qin Sang would have had to expend considerable effort to traverse this place.

Not long after, he reached the vicinity of the Heavenly Peak, the area once sealed by flame runes.

By now, the ancient restrictions no longer existed. The scattered peaks that were once there, were mostly submerged in lava, and those that remained exposed had turned into lava islands, no longer possessing their original spiritual beauty.

Even if there were treasures, they would have long been destroyed by the repeated baptism of lava.

However, these were not the greatest dangers, but rather the countless spatial fissures, interspersed with ancient restrictions.

Compared to years ago, the area was not as chaotic as when the changes first began. Qin Sang observed for a while and did not see any new spatial fissures forming.

Nevertheless, this did not mean he could rest easy.

Gazing at the dense network of spatial fissures ahead, Qin Sang felt a shiver of dread.

The lava itself was also unsafe. The main body of the mystic realm's ancient restrictions lay within the lava and was now extremely sensitive. If he accidentally triggered a restriction, merely facing a counterattack would be fortunate. Should it cause a spatial tremor, he would be unable to escape the crushing grip of the fissures, even if he had wings.

The distance between him and the Heavenly Peak was not far, yet it felt like an insurmountable chasm!

"After forming my Nascent Soul, with the Celestial Eye Butterfly, it shouldn't be difficult to enter. But what would be the point of seeking the Inner Scenery Primordial Talisman then? I can only try now. If I truly can't get in, I mustn't force it..."

Qin Sang shook his head, summoned the Celestial Eye Butterfly, ordered her to land on his shoulder, and fully activated her Celestial Eye ability.

He circled the area countless times, going back and forth.

After much deliberation, he finally chose a direction and cautiously entered.

However, he hadn't gone far when he encountered ancient restrictions blocking his path, forcing him to retreat.

He did not give up, choosing another direction to continue probing.

Each attempt ended in failure.

Each time, he had to be extremely vigilant. Even with the assistance of the Celestial Eye Butterfly, Qin Sang felt a wave of exhaustion. Knowing he couldn't rush, he found an isolated lava island and prepared to stay there for a few days.

Two days passed in a flash.

No other cultivators appeared throughout this time.

Qin Sang felt relieved and gradually explored, finally making progress. He could now cover about half the distance.

On the third day, as Qin Sang entered the spatial fissure zone and was searching for a path to get closer to the Heavenly Peak, he suddenly sensed something. He abruptly lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the lava ahead.

The lava surged and flowed, showing no apparent anomalies.

Yet, just moments before, the Celestial Eye Butterfly had detected an inconspicuous phantom appearing in the lava, which vanished into its depths in a flash.

The phantom was extremely faint; had it not been for the Celestial Eye Butterfly's warning, Qin Sang would certainly have overlooked it.

"Are there other creatures here besides fire spirits? To be able to move freely in such a place!"

Qin Sang was surprised and then suddenly recalled something.

"No way? Could it be them?"

Qin Sang's gaze narrowed slightly. After a moment of thought, he quietly withdrew from the spatial fissure zone, landed on the island, and took out a jade bottle from his Thousand-Jun Ring.

The jade bottle contained only a thin layer of spiritual liquid, which was the remaining Scarlet Fire Gilded Gold used to feed the Fat Silkworm and the Celestial Eye Butterfly.

Neither of the spirit insects had reached the point of breaking through to the Fourth Transformation, and he had no other spirit insects worth cultivating with Scarlet Fire Gilded Gold, so he had kept it until now.

The Scarlet Fire Gilded Gold was running low and was no longer very effective for the Celestial Eye Butterfly or the Fat Silkworm.

Earlier, Qin Sang had taken out a bit, intending to lure the Fat Silkworm into waking up quickly, but it had failed.

The Fat Silkworm had remained dormant inside Dumb Maiden.

Several months had passed since then, with no signs of awakening.

He wondered when the two of them, human and insect, would finally awaken.

Qin Sang cleared away the surrounding fire spirits, then took out a jade plate, placed it on the island, and dipped a trace of Scarlet Fire Gilded Gold onto it. Immediately, his figure flickered, and he concealed himself in the shadows.

Initially, there was nothing unusual.

Lava waves crashed onto the island, quickly cooling and solidifying into layers of black rock.

Not long after, a tiny figure suddenly emerged from the lava.

It swam freely within, showing no fear of the lava.

Clearly, it had sensed the Scarlet Fire Gilded Gold and was drawn to it, but it was very alert. Instead of coming ashore directly, it remained hidden in the lava, circling the small island several times to observe its surroundings.

"It really is a Fire Jade Centipede!"

Qin Sang's eyes lit up as he hid in the shadows.

He finally got a clear look at its full form: it was indeed a Fire Jade Centipede.

Moreover, it was a Fire Jade Centipede at the peak of its Second Transformation!

The male and female Fire Jade Centipedes differed significantly and were easy to distinguish.

"It's a male! Could it be the one that Old Man Dique took from me?"

Qin Sang's mind was filled with questions.

When he first obtained the Fire Jade Centipede years ago, it was only at the peak of its First Transformation, and even after raising it for more than twenty years, he couldn't get it to transform. The Fire Jade Centipede had not acknowledged him as its master, so Qin Sang wasn't sure if it was the same one from back then or a descendant of that pair of centipedes.

"The spirit insects were all in Old Man Dique's spirit beast bag and were destroyed by Daoist Xuan Yu. I never imagined the Fire Jade Centipede would survive. Had I known, I would have come back earlier to retrieve them... Why isn't the female centipede here?"

Using his Celestial Eye ability, Qin Sang carefully investigated.

He ultimately confirmed that there was only one such creature in the vicinity.