Chapter 1338: Thousands of Ghosts Rampage

He took out a talisman sword, a treasure used for communication. Having stayed so long on Sword Mark Mountain, the talisman sword had remained unresponsive, indicating they hadn't yet found Old Devil Ye. Most Nascent Soul cultivators likely no longer focused on him.

The Ancient Medicine Garden had numerous spirit herbs, Mount Tian countless ancient treasures, and there were those unexplored secret realms. Each held an appeal no less than Old Devil Ye. The only reasons they still maintained a consensus to deal with Old Devil Ye were, first, that those he had manipulated and fooled sought revenge. Second, Old Devil Ye acted without scruple and was exceedingly vicious; as long as he lived, others would never rest easy. Additionally, the demonic entities he had released were plotting unknown schemes.

Qin Sang's face showed contemplation. His objective had been successfully achieved, so it didn't matter where he went next. After leaving Sword Mark Mountain, he planned to first contact his senior sister and Bai. If they didn't need his help, he would try his luck at the Ancient Medicine Garden. What he anticipated most was Xuanpu Palace. When observing the anomalies from afar just now, Qin Sang noticed a glimmer of treasure light beneath the divine tree in Xuanpu Palace. Having received direct instruction from Yun Youzi, his understanding of Xuanpu Palace far surpassed others. With good fortune, he might even acquire one or two immortal herbs. It would be even better if he could obtain an immortal plant of the Ten Great Divine Woods caliber.

As he moved through the illusion, Qin Sang gradually sensed something amiss. He collected his thoughts, looked around, and after observing for a while, finally discerned the difference. The power of the ancient illusion array hadn't changed, but the illusions themselves were becoming increasingly chaotic.

"Something's wrong!" Qin Sang's gaze grew solemn, and he quickened his pace.

Soon after, Qin Sang burst out of the illusion array, immediately feeling a tremendous force strike him. Qin Sang had been alert, preemptively summoning his Ebony Sword. Realizing something was wrong, he quickly activated a sword art, and sword energy protected his body, resisting the impact of the immense force. His body, like willow catkins, floated far away. After dispelling the impact of the great force, Qin Sang realized this power was merely a gust of wind.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Gusts of strong wind blew.

Qin Sang maneuvered his sword amidst the strong winds, clearly seeing the world around him. In the time he had been inside, earth-shattering changes had occurred again. Throughout the heavens and earth, strong winds howled, creating a kaleidoscopic scene. This was because the strong winds had merged with multicolored auspicious clouds, transforming into five-colored immortal winds. Ziwei Palace had become even more chaotic than before. The five-colored immortal winds swept in all directions, creating rumbling sounds, and distant scenes were obscured.

At this moment, Qin Sang felt the talisman sword in his palm vibrate. Releasing his grip, he saw the talisman sword spin and hover before him. Its tip pointed towards the Outer Palace! Qin Sang's expression subtly changed. It seemed his senior sister and the others had been trying to contact him for a while.

Qin Sang looked towards Sword Mark Mountain. In the past, the illusion array couldn't block internal and external perceptions, but now that its true power had manifested, the talisman sword's connection was severed! "I wonder when they sent the message. Bai didn't come looking for me, so either the situation isn't urgent, or the circumstances are too dangerous for him to spare any effort."

Qin Sang looked in the direction the sword tip pointed, but could only see the sky-obscuring five-colored divine winds, unsure of what was happening there. Unexpectedly, the anomaly seemed to be occurring in the Outer Palace. When they entered through the demonic cave, everyone's attention had been drawn by the anomalies in the Inner Palace, naturally assuming Old Devil Ye's target was also the secret realm within the Inner Palace. Few paid attention to the Outer Palace. Qin Sang had only given it a cursory glance.

He remembered the Outer Palace didn't have frequent anomalies like the Inner Palace. The most prominent place was the Immortal Tomb, which was filled with overwhelming ghostly energy, but this was likely influenced by the Inner Palace. Besides that, there seemed to be nothing else noteworthy. The Outer and Inner Palaces of Ziwei Palace didn't seem to be a single entity. The Inner Palace was like an immortal realm, while the Outer Palace contained either an immortal tomb or a blood-colored altar. Furthermore, there was originally an immortal array separating the two areas, which had only been destroyed in recent years. The Outer Palace held little appeal for Nascent Soul grandmasters. What could Old Devil Ye be doing there?

Qin Sang's thoughts raced as he glanced towards Xuanpu Palace again. The celestial anomalies in the Inner Palace were escalating. First, the dormant immortal restrictions were activated, then the five-colored immortal winds appeared, and who knew what would emerge next. Qin Sang felt an inexplicable sense of unease. If the anomalies continued, remaining in the Inner Palace could be dangerous. At this moment, rashly entering the Ancient Medicine Garden to challenge Xuanpu Palace's ancient restrictions was not a wise choice. Even if the talisman sword hadn't reacted, Qin Sang was prepared to leave the Inner Palace first, observe the situation, and then decide. Thinking this, Qin Sang no longer hesitated. He activated his spirit sword for protection and returned to the Outer Palace the way he came.

The five-colored immortal winds grew thicker, and the void seemed like a canvas wantonly smeared with paint. Visibility was restricted. Qin Sang couldn't clearly see the situation of the distant secret realms. He didn't know how many people had rushed to the Outer Palace, or how many ignored the talisman sword and continued their treasure hunt.

Soon, Qin Sang arrived near the Sword Path Main Hall. The scene here was no longer what Qin Sang remembered; it was utterly transformed and even more astonishing! Divine peaks rose from the ground. Hundreds of colossal peaks, reaching the sky, were distributed around the Sword Path Main Hall. Each was incredibly treacherous, forming a massive sword array composed of mountains, grand and imposing. Between the peaks, white light shone, and ancient restrictions formed luminous platforms, appearing to be training stages for disciples to practice sword arts. The Sword Path Main Hall was at the very core.

Most of the colossal peaks were not intact; some were severed midway, others were reduced to mere foundations, and some were even collapsing, with broken peaks crashing heavily to the ground. Above the mountains, ancient restrictions shimmered, and ancient halls appeared faintly amidst the five-colored divine winds, including the mountain where the Sword Path Main Hall was located. These ancient halls exuded an ancient and vast aura. The vast majority, however, were collapsed and dilapidated, signaling the decline of the ancient immortal palace.

Qin Sang gazed intently in the direction of the Sword Path Main Hall. The Divine Peak stood alone. That broken cliff face, directly facing east, seemed unchanged. But Qin Sang felt a new worry: he wasn't sure if he could still traverse the dense ancient restrictions and climb to the mountain peak. However, now was clearly not a good time to test it. Qin Sang lowered his head, withdrawing his gaze.

Passing through the peaks, he arrived near the Ancient Medicine Garden again. The treasure light emanating from the peerless immortal herbs grew even more dazzling. Qin Sang also saw occasional flashes of magic weapon light inside the Ancient Medicine Garden, confirming that some people were indeed unwilling to leave now, risking it all to search for immortal herbs. He shook his head, disregarding others, and continued without stopping. During his journey, he could feel the power of the five-colored immortal winds gradually strengthening. If this continued, or if new anomalies appeared, it might become difficult to leave at all.

Finally, Qin Sang reached the edge of the Inner Palace. The scene here was incredibly chaotic. Land fragments torn from the Inner Palace were still being destroyed from the outermost layer. The area where the Outer and Inner Palaces met was also crisscrossed with ravines, filled with collapsing landscapes, severely damaged. What was even more surprising was that the ghostly mist was no longer confined to the Immortal Tomb but had completely erupted, almost enveloping the entire Outer Palace. Evil spirits howled, and ten thousand ghosts ran rampant!