Chapter 1207: Awakening

## The Human World

He wandered among the dark clouds.

He discovered that all the masses of dark clouds were dangerous ancient restrictions, which might also contain similar sealed areas.

However, those seals and restrictions were perfectly intact. If Qin Sang were to force his way in, it would consume a vast amount of time and effort without necessarily breaking through. Moreover, it would trigger a counter-attack from the seals, risking exposure.

Unless the Killing Sword spirit sensed a fragment, Qin Sang would not act rashly.

Even so, navigating and finding a path through the boundless dark clouds was incredibly difficult. He didn't know how many detours he had taken, moving back and forth, circling around.

A full day passed, and Qin Sang had only explored a nearby area.

The area wasn't large, but it consumed a significant amount of time. If it had been Qin Sang alone, he would have been utterly exhausted long ago.

The Killing Sword spirit showed no reaction.

Qin Sang rested briefly to recover, then continued his journey.

Gradually, Qin Sang began to grasp some patterns.

The route he chose was roughly an arc, centered around the Sin God Palace, avoiding direct proximity to it while trying to explore as many other areas as possible. If he found nothing in these outer regions, he would then consider tentatively approaching the Sin God Palace.

Several days passed consecutively. As time went on, Qin Sang and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly became increasingly proficient, and their exploration speed accelerated.

Qin Sang stopped, gazing at the terrifying scene ahead, like a chaotic sea.

Ancient restrictions swirled with dark clouds, leaving no gap whatsoever.

This kind of chaotic cloud sea was not unique to the Sin Abyss; there were multiple such places.

It was certain that even Sin Abyss cultivators would find it extremely difficult to enter such a place. Standing there, he felt an extreme sense of danger. Qin Sang only dared to approach slightly, allowing the sword spirit to sense on its own.

Reason told Qin Sang that it was best not to enter; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to protect himself, let alone retrieve any treasures. Fortunately, the Killing Sword spirit did not respond.

In recent days, Qin Sang had explored most of the accessible areas but found no trace of other people. After the tremors at the Sin God Palace, only Nascent Soul Grandmasters dared to linger in the Abyss Ruins, and with the Sin Abyss engaged in widespread warfare, it was no wonder this place was deserted.

Several days passed, with no findings whatsoever.

Qin Sang decided to persist and search through all the remaining areas, but he already had a premonition: "It's unlikely that the Abyss Ruins contain any fragments of the Killing Sword. Later, I'll still have to find a way to enter the Sin God Palace..."

As that thought flashed through his mind, his expression subtly changed. He suddenly looked down at his waist, sensing something unusual within his spirit beast pouch.

"The Fire Jade Centipede has hatched here; it's awakened..."

'Whoosh!'

A streak of crimson fire-mist flew out of the spirit beast pouch. Within the red mist was a centipede, seemingly carved from red jade, which was precisely the Fire Jade Centipede, having emerged from its cocoon.

Each of its legs was stepping on a ball of crimson flame, as if it were flying by controlling fire. The surrounding fire-mist was formed by the dispersion of its fiery power.

After its metamorphosis, the Fire Jade Centipede's body length was comparable to Qin Sang's arm. It gnashed its fangs and brandished its claws, becoming a ferocious beast.

After a long slumber, it finally awoke, having transformed and advanced. Qin Sang could feel the Fire Jade Centipede's unusual excitement.

The Fire Jade Centipede flew around Qin Sang, seeking praise from its master. After its soul imprint had been planted, it had fully recognized Qin Sang, and there was no barrier between them.

'Zzzzt!'

Before Qin Sang could react, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, perched on his shoulder, became displeased. Its wings flashed, and it directly unleashed a bolt of lightning, effortlessly piercing through the fire-mist around the Fire Jade Centipede, teaching it a lesson.

To make it understand who was the master's top spirit insect!

With an entire major cultivation stage difference, how could the Fire Jade Centipede be a match for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly?

Fortunately, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly held back. In pain, the Fire Jade Centipede was instantly reverted to its original form, shrinking back to its former size. It frantically scurried to Qin Sang's other side, curling into a ball, trembling, its arrogance completely gone.

Sensing the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's triumphant mood, Qin Sang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His own butterfly had learned to be proud and vie for affection even before its spiritual intellect had fully opened.

He couldn't bear to scold the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, so he could only make the Fire Jade Centipede endure it.

Qin Sang sighed inwardly, looking at the Fire Jade Centipede with pity in his eyes.

It was then that he noticed the Fire Jade Centipede's abnormal excitement. "Huh? Did the Fire Jade Centipede sense something and awaken due to its allure? Still, the Fire Jade Centipede had been dormant for so long, it was already close to waking up. Since its metamorphosis was successful, waking up early shouldn't cause too much of an impact..."

Qin Sang extended his hand, and the Fire Jade Centipede landed in his palm. Only then did it cautiously unfurl its body. The emotions it conveyed were first a sense of grievance, then an urgent prompting to its master.

He shifted his gaze, looking in the direction indicated by the Fire Jade Centipede.

He still remembered how the Fire Jade Centipede had helped him find the Crimson Fire Aurum back then, which proved immensely helpful later on. Now, the Fire Jade Centipede was even more excited than it had been at that time, suggesting there truly was some extraordinary treasure.

Qin Sang greatly trusted the Fire Jade Centipede's treasure-hunting ability, but that direction made him hesitate: it was pointing towards the Sin God Palace!

After a moment of hesitation, Qin Sang still decided to go and take a look.

Waves of vibrating tremors assailed him. Qin Sang could only do his best to contain his sword light, approaching the Sin God Palace against the impact.

The further he went, the more impatient the Fire Jade Centipede became. Suddenly, Qin Sang's expression changed, and his figure abruptly stopped. The Fire Jade Centipede arched its upper body, very puzzled as to why its master wasn't hurrying to retrieve the treasure.

Qin Sang's gaze was solemn as he stared ahead.

Even the Heavenly Eye Butterfly could only see the storm caused by the Sin God Palace's tremors, with utter chaos within its sight. But Qin Sang acutely sensed unusual fluctuations mixed within.

"Is someone fighting up ahead?"

Then, Qin Sang spread out his spiritual sense, focusing intently to confirm his suspicion.

He glanced at the Fire Jade Centipede coiled in his hand. This treasure wasn't hidden in some secret realm; it had already been discovered by someone. It might even be the cause of the ongoing struggle.

This was within the Abyss Ruins, so it was definitely an internal conflict among Nascent Soul cultivators of the Sin Abyss.

Qin Sang secretly frowned, evaluating whether the risk was worth it.

If he revealed himself to seize the treasure, he would undoubtedly become a target, subjected to a joint attack. However, as long as both parties weren't mid-stage Nascent Soul experts, Qin Sang was confident he could shake them off, then leave the Abyss Ruins unnoticed via the Heavenly Corpse Sect's main altar.

Having found the Bone Curse and searched most of the Abyss Ruins, he could basically confirm that the spiritual sword fragment wasn't here. His purpose for coming to the Sin Abyss was almost achieved; it was time to leave.

Before leaving, if he had the chance to cause a stir in the Abyss Ruins and snatch a treasure, Qin Sang decided he would do it.

They were already adversaries; he had already killed one Nascent Soul cultivator from the Sin Abyss, so he wasn't afraid to offend a few more.

Of course, the premise was that the opponents' strength was within his manageable limits.

Qin Sang became even more cautious.

He summoned the Twelve Demon Banners, concealing them in his sleeve, and slowly approached the direction from which the fluctuations emanated.

After flying for some distance, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly finally made out the battlefield in the distance.

But the scene before him greatly surprised Qin Sang.

Qin Sang saw a familiar figure: half-human, half-snake – it was none other than the Snake King!

He knew that the Snake King and his group would also come to the Sin Abyss to seek treasures, which was why he had decided to set out earlier. However, he hadn't expected to encounter the Snake King in the Abyss Ruins. An ancient great demon's dwelling was actually inside the Abyss Ruins; he truly had no idea how they had managed to get in.