Chapter 1160: Unexpected

Seeing that Qin Sang had not come for a vendetta, the Yuanzhao Sect Master breathed a sigh of relief.

He dared not conceal anything from Qin Sang and honestly replied, "Senior, when the Kuiyin Sect attacked us, we suffered heavy losses. The reason we were able to counterattack them was because disciples from the Wuji Sect intervened. After we broke through the Kuiyin Sect's protective formation, most of their treasures fell into the hands of the Wuji Sect disciples."

"So, were all the Ten Directions Yama Banners, the famous magical artifacts of the Kuiyin Ancestor during his lifetime, taken by the Wuji Sect?" Qin Sang pressed.

He had come for the Ten Directions Yama Banners… The Yuanzhao Sect Master had not expected anyone to still be concerned about this after so long. He remained calm, a thoughtful expression on his face, and mused, "After we jointly killed Yi Tiannie, the Kuiyin Sect Master, we found one Ten Directions Yama Banner among his belongings, which was taken by Ying Jiansheng of the Wuji Sect. Another Golden Core cultivator died by Ying Jiansheng's sword; we don't know if he possessed any Ten Directions Yama Banners. One more Golden Core cultivator used a trick to escape their spirit during our assault on their formation and has not been heard from since… It's said that Ying Jiansheng later found some damaged Ten Directions Yama Banners, all of which he also took back to the Wuji Sect."

As Qin Sang had expected, since the Wuji Sect had intervened, they certainly wouldn't have left anything good for the Yuanzhao Sect. This complicated matters. The Wuji Sect had been destroyed over a hundred years ago; its disciples either died or scattered, and its historical treasures were divided among various major powers. It was unknown who now possessed the banner poles. Even if he found them, attempting to exchange them would surely lead to an exorbitant demand.

Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then continued, "When the Wuji Sect was destroyed, was Ying Jiansheng also implicated?"

The Yuanzhao Sect Master nodded, "Legend has it that on the night the Wuji Sect was destroyed, all of the Sect Master's most important direct disciples were killed; none escaped. Ying Jiansheng was among them."

"So, your Yuanzhao Sect didn't get a single Yama Banner?" Qin Sang's gaze narrowed slightly, and his tone suddenly became colder. He remembered clearly that at the foot of Yuanzhao Peak, Zhao Yan had used a demonic banner to trap the cultivators guarding the Nine Illusory Heavenly Orchids. After Qin Sang killed Zhao Yan, he hadn't dared to touch the demonic banner and had left it there. The demonic banner must have fallen into the Yuanzhao Sect's hands, yet the Sect Master had not mentioned it earlier. If he dared to deceive him, Qin Sang wouldn't mind resorting to some measures.

The Yuanzhao Sect Master's heart skipped a beat; he was startled and uncertain, quickly saying, "This junior hasn't finished. Yi Tiannie sent someone to infiltrate the Yuanzhao Sect with a demonic banner, which one of my disciples acquired but did not hand over to the Wuji Sect. However, this demonic banner is no longer in this junior's possession; it was later claimed by a senior."

"Who was it?" Qin Sang's eyes lit up.

The Yuanzhao Sect Master looked troubled and shook his head, "This junior does not know the background of that senior. After the Wuji Sect was destroyed, she came seeking the demonic banner and promised to protect the Yuanzhao Sect from being implicated by the Wuji Sect's downfall. This junior's cultivation is low, and I have never seen that senior since, so I still do not know her identity."

This surprised Qin Sang. "Was this person not from a righteous sect? Do you remember their appearance?"

"That senior was a female cultivator, dressed in a red skirt…" the Yuanzhao Sect Master described.

The more Qin Sang listened, the more surprised he became; the person the Yuanzhao Sect Master described was none other than Senior Sister Qing Jun! It was no wonder the Yuanzhao Sect Master hadn't heard of Qing Jun; very few people knew her true identity, as she had been disguised as Leng Yuntian for years. "So, the other demonic banners are also in Senior Sister Qing Jun's hands? Why is she collecting them? Could it be that she heard rumors about the Kuiyin Ancestor and was interested in the power of this set of demonic banners?" Qin Sang wondered privately. If it was Senior Sister Qing Jun, things would be much simpler.

Qin Sang glanced at the Yuanzhao Sect Master, then asked a few more questions, which the Sect Master answered one by one. Seeing that the man was very honest and had not concealed anything from him, Qin Sang no longer made things difficult for him. After clarifying everything, he flew off in a flash of light.

The Yuanzhao Sect Master's expression was exceptionally respectful. Only after Qin Sang disappeared from sight did he wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, as if he had just survived a major ordeal. His expression shifted uncertainly as he murmured, "A Nascent Soul Grandmaster came to ask in person; how could I dare to hide anything? Fortunately, that senior didn't strictly forbid us from mentioning this. I hope this doesn't stir up any trouble…"

Regardless of what the Yuanzhao Sect Master was thinking, Qin Sang left Yuanzhao Sect and flew eastward through the air, heading towards his next destination, the Demonic Flame Sect.

He didn't dwell too long on Senior Sister Qing Jun's motives; he would simply ask her directly the next time they met. What interested him was Senior Sister Qing Jun's cultivation level. The timing of the Wuji Sect's destruction was clear. After the Ziwei Palace closed, the experts of the Minor Cold Domain immediately rushed to the Wuji Sect. It was at that time that Senior Sister Qing Jun approached the Yuanzhao Sect. Before entering Ziwei Palace, Senior Sister Qing Jun had even asked him to assist her with the Blood-Filth Divine Light before she dared to confront Leng Yuntian, yet upon emerging, she was immediately a Nascent Soul Grandmaster. Her breakthrough speed was astonishingly fast. Could she have undergone her Heavenly Tribulation within Ziwei Palace? Qin Sang had always felt that something was off with Senior Sister Qing Jun; her cultivation realm and actual strength seemed contradictory. Her being a peerless beauty yet disguised as Old Woman Jing was even stranger. Now, it seemed his feeling was correct. Qin Sang suspected that Senior Sister Qing Jun had already formed her Nascent Soul before entering Ziwei Palace, but for some unknown reason, her cultivation was restricted, preventing her from exerting her full power. After eliminating Leng Yuntian, she found a way to resolve this issue within Ziwei Palace, recovered her cultivation, and instantly became a top expert, so much so that even the Red-Haired Ancestor was quite wary of her and tacitly allowed her to forcefully occupy the Primordial Mirage Sect.

"Considering this, Senior Sister Qing Jun's cultivation speed is truly astonishing; her talent is probably no less than Chenyan's. One must remember, her parents—one disappeared, one died young—and she herself carried a deep blood feud, never joining any sect, putting her in a situation not much better than a rogue cultivator. Chenyan, despite having the support of Earl Dongyang and Shaohua Mountain, ultimately formed her Nascent Soul forcefully using unorthodox demonic arts."

Qin Sang's thoughts increasingly convinced him that Senior Sister Qing Jun was far from simple. Unlike him, they didn't have the convenience of cultivation methods that eliminated bottlenecks within minor realms. Qin Sang flew swiftly, with hardly any pauses, entering the range of the Heaven's End Mountains. Upon arriving there, he was already within the sphere of influence of the demonic path.

Qin Sang intended to discreetly inquire about the Qingyang Demonic Sect, so he kept a very low profile. With his cultivation, ordinary people couldn't see through his disguise. With the great war about to begin, cultivators were being deployed to the front lines, and these market towns were noticeably more desolate, with sparse crowds. Qin Sang first visited Tianyou Pass, a large demonic cultivator city, to gather some information, then traveled south. Stopping and going, he eventually arrived near the Demonic Flame Sect. On a deserted mountain peak, Qin Sang quietly materialized, twisting the Thousand Jin Ring on his finger as he gazed in the direction of the Demonic Flame Sect. The Demonic Flame Sect's main gate was still in its original location; it had not moved. "Although the Demonic Flame Sect is located in demonic territory, their sect's inherited cultivation method actually involves absorbing earth fire, not demonic arts. If the sect's general atmosphere is acceptable, then taking them in would be no harm…"