Chapter 1374: Departure

The two cultivators chased for a while, watching the green light recede into the distance, leaving them behind.

"Enough!" the old man in green robes called out, stopping his escape light and addressing his companion. "No need to pursue further; we don't want to cause a misunderstanding."

Continuing the chase might make the other party suspect ill intentions, which would be undesirable. Bi Fang had escaped. The two Nascent Soul cultivators stopped.

Qin Sang witnessed all of this but remained cautious, maintaining his escape technique. The Skyeye Butterfly used its divine ability to maintain a long period of vigilance. Only after confirming there were no pursuers behind him did Qin Sang finally relax, retract his escape light, and descend to the sea surface. This chase and escape had depleted his already meagerly recovered true essence, leaving him with very little.

Qin Sang sighed inwardly and glanced back. With so many demon kings and Nascent Soul cultivators gathered in one place, he felt uneasy, worried that he might have inadvertently stumbled into the heart of some major disturbance. In his current state, any trouble could be fatal. He was new to this place and had no desire to get involved in a conflict without reason. At the very least, he needed to understand the identities and backgrounds of the parties involved, as well as the cause of the disturbance, before making any judgments.

"It's best to leave this place first, the farther the better..." Qin Sang murmured, taking out a sea chart. He estimated his current location and noticed that between his position and Crescent Moon Island, there were scattered islands. According to the markings on the chart, these islands were controlled by humans, or even human cultivators, many of them human sects. However, whether those places were safe at the moment remained unknown.

After a brief period of meditation, Qin Sang chose a more secluded island, intending to check out the situation there first. This island was called Immortal Verdant Island (Xiancui Island). There were cultivators on the island, and the chart indicated that its strongest island master was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

Qin Sang restrained his aura, flying close to the sea surface at a slower speed and in a low-key manner, while ordering the Skyeye Butterfly to remain constantly vigilant. Fortunately, he encountered no other cultivators or demonic beasts along the way. By the time he reached Immortal Verdant Island, it was already midnight. Qin Sang observed the silent Immortal Verdant Island from a distance, approaching cautiously.

The island had mortal cities, bustling with life, appearing like a small kingdom within the island. Without needing to ask the mortals, Qin Sang could tell that in the very center of Immortal Verdant Island, there was a mountain range shrouded in spiritual clouds, an illusion formed by a spirit array. That was certainly a cultivator's cave dwelling.

Silently entering one of the mortal cities, Qin Sang sensed a cultivator's aura in the city lord's mansion, but it was only at the Qi Condensation stage.

Inside the City Lord's Mansion, several cultivators were gathered in the main hall, whispering. Some looked agitated, while others appeared bewildered or indecisive. What they shared was a hidden worry in everyone's eyes. These cultivators were dressed in luxurious clothes, exuding an air of nobility, more like pampered wealthy gentlemen.

"During this time, has anyone seen the Island Master?" a corpulent middle-aged man in dragon robes asked, impatient with the others' chatter. He waved his hand abruptly and questioned in a low voice.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, exchanging glances.

"The Island Master summoned us two months ago..."

The man in dragon robes coldly interrupted, "Don't state the obvious! Of course, I know the Island Master summoned us two months ago. I'm asking if anyone has seen the Island Master, or the Wang siblings, *since* then?"

"Hush! Prince Long, lower your voice!"

The others' expressions shifted slightly, and they instinctively glanced in the direction of the immortal mountain. The man in dragon robes also dared not act recklessly. Calming his agitation, he whispered, "For over a month, I've tried several times to find excuses to visit the immortal mountain, but each time I was turned away by that old gatekeeper. The Wang siblings, being young and restless, would descend the mountain about once a month, lingering for a long time. Yet now they've been in seclusion for so long. Considering the rumors from outside the island during this period, how can we not overthink things?"

"Are you saying..." a younger prince beside him asked anxiously, "That the Island Master received advance warning and has already left Immortal Verdant Island? Why didn't he tell us?"

The man in dragon robes sneered, "What are we to him? Just tools for the Island Master to control mortals, given a few small favors. We don't even have complete Qi Condensation cultivation methods. Only the Wang siblings are the Island Master's direct disciples!"

Another older prince, who had remained silent, twirled his prayer beads and spoke in a deep voice, "It is said that the Island Master has a very powerful background. Even a Golden Core Venerable once came to visit and was very polite..." With that, the old prince sighed deeply, "It seems a change is coming!"

The man in dragon robes clenched his fist. "If it's an internal conflict among cultivators, they might not pay attention to us; at worst, we'll just get a new master later. But I hear that demonic beasts are frequently appearing outside the island. I fear it might be a demonic invasion. If that happens..."

Everyone shivered. Demonic beasts were brutal; they would rather die by a cultivator's sword. If that happened, the entire Immortal Verdant Island would be plunged into misery, with rivers of blood.

"What should we do?" Everyone fell into a panic. If they guessed wrong and left the island without the Island Master's command, their fate would also be miserable.

Just then, everyone suddenly froze, their voices cut off mid-sentence. Some even had their mouths open, as if time had been suspended. The luminous pearl used for illumination dimmed, and a figure emerged—it was Qin Sang.

Qin Sang looked at the immobilized crowd, then extended a finger to touch the center of one person's forehead. About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Qin Sang emerged from the City Lord's Mansion. He wasn't sure of the identities of the two Nascent Soul cultivators he had encountered earlier. Qin Sang didn't want to reveal his presence. He preferred to take the trouble of questioning them one by one and then erasing everyone's memories. Inside the room, the restraints on everyone were lifted, and they resumed their fervent discussion, completely unaware that a small segment of their lives had been lost.

Meanwhile, Qin Sang entered the immortal mountain. The protective spirit array was powerful, but to the Skyeye Butterfly, it was full of flaws. Qin Sang easily infiltrated the mountain. The immortal mountain was empty of people, save for a single "gatekeeper." This man was elderly; the Island Master had once shown him kindness and tasked him with guarding the cave dwelling.

"The Island Master left two months ago. Recently, more than one dragon boat has been attacked, and demonic beasts are frequently appearing..."

Qin Sang gleaned much information, confirming his suspicion that something was indeed amiss. This place was also unsafe. "I must also leave this troubled area as quickly as possible and reach Crescent Moon Island before I can safely recover."

Qin Sang occupied the Island Master's cave dwelling. The spiritual veins here were not ideal, so Qin Sang dared not linger. After recovering 30% of his true essence, he hurriedly departed. Until Qin Sang left, no one on Immortal Verdant Island knew that it had been visited by a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Over the open sea, a streak of escape light sped over, hovering briefly in mid-air. Ripples spread across the sea surface, and then the void twisted, vaguely revealing the phantom of a small island. The escape light flashed, entering the island and vanishing from sight.

The island was small and cramped. On the island was a palace, occupying nearly half of its area. The palace was magnificent and resplendent. The old man in green robes, who had previously startled away Bi Fang, sat enthroned in the main hall. The white-robed scholar was not present, but two other Nascent Soul cultivators were there instead. These two sat willingly in the seats of honor below, patiently listening to whatever the old man in green robes was saying. The moment the escape light intruded, they immediately sensed it. The old man in green robes stopped speaking and looked up towards the outside of the palace.