Chapter 1378: Xuantian Palace

Wuxia Xianxia

“Are you satisfied, fellow Daoist?”

The old steward asked with a smile, seeing Qin Sang withdraw his spiritual sense from the jade slip.

Qin Sang mused to himself.

The content of the *Insect Flower Scripture* offered him some inspiration, but unfortunately, it wasn't of much help to his three spirit insects, and the information was rather superficial. It offered little guidance for cultivating Fourth Transformation spirit insects.

If he could obtain the complete *Insect Flower Scripture*, he might truly gain something.

He would have to find an opportunity to visit Hundred Flowers Valley and try to communicate face-to-face with the high-level cultivators there.

Hearing the old steward’s question, Qin Sang lifted his eyelids, glancing at the scattered jade slips on the table. “Your esteemed merchant association is backed by Senior Master Feng; surely your collection isn't limited to just these?”

The old steward chuckled. “Senior Master Feng possesses immense divine powers, and there are many formidable senior brothers on Fengyang Mountain. Of course, we have more than these. However, while Fengyang Merchant Association has some reputation among low-level cultivators, it’s not highly regarded on Fengyang Mountain itself. Some items are not easily brought out for sale at the association. I trust you understand, fellow Daoist.”

Qin Sang nodded slightly, put away the *Insect Flower Scripture*, and looked at the old steward. He said calmly, “It seems this humble Daoist needs to pay a visit and personally consult with Fellow Daoist Feng.”

Upon hearing this, the old steward was stunned.

The next moment, the old steward felt a blur before his eyes; the person opposite him had vanished into thin air.

The old steward’s expression changed drastically. Like his rear was on fire, he suddenly sprang up from his chair.

He shoved open the door to the quiet room, about to rush out, when he suddenly remembered something and hastily took out a sound-transmitting talisman.

‘Dong!’

‘Dong!’

The divine bell chimed, its sound shaking the clouds, signaling the arrival of an honored guest.

It was said that the divine bell on Fengyang Mountain was an ancient treasure.

Within the city, both mortals and cultivators felt their blood surge and their minds tremble upon hearing the bell. They rushed out of their shops and洞府(dongfu - cultivation caves/dwellings), looking up at the mountaintop.

Yet, they only saw wisps of immortal clouds.

At the entrance to Fengyang Mountain.

A Golden Core cultivator, having received the news, hurriedly descended the mountain. Seeing Qin Sang gazing at the scenery on the stone steps, he quickly stepped forward to bow. “Junior Chu Huanqiang greets you, Senior. I wasn’t aware of your arrival and failed to meet you properly. Please forgive my oversight!”

“I heard Fellow Daoist Feng has been looking for this humble Daoist, and I also wished to visit Fellow Daoist Feng, so I accepted the invitation and came over… What, is Fellow Daoist Feng not in the mountain?”

Qin Sang scrutinized Chu Huanqiang and asked with a frown.

“So it was you, Senior!”

Chu Huanqiang suddenly understood and repeatedly apologized. “Reporting to Senior, my Master and other senior brothers are currently in the Outer Sea. Only this junior remains here. However, my Master already gave instructions: if there was any news of Senior, I was to immediately inform him to return to the mountain. If Senior has no urgent matters, please consider staying in the mountain for a while. I will now transmit a message to my Master…”

Qin Sang thought for a moment, then nodded. “Very well. Lead the way.”

“Yes!”

Chu Huanqiang was overjoyed.

Qin Sang declined the usual formalities and instructed Chu Huanqiang to find him a quiet room, then closed his door to all visitors.

Overseas.

Still on that nameless small island.

Inside the palace, including Senior Master Feng, the three Nascent Soul cultivators from before were all present.

At this moment, their expressions were somewhat tense, their eyes fixed on the white-robed figure meditating in the center.

This person was the white-robed scholar who, along with Senior Master Feng, had startled away the Bifang.

The white-robed scholar’s eyes were tightly closed, his hands folded on his lap, palms facing upwards, supporting a fist-sized spherical object. At first glance, it appeared to be a bead, but upon closer inspection, it was a ball of light composed of spiritual energy.

Inside the light ball, a worm-like blood-colored creature was wriggling.

The bloodworm looked alive, its head raised high, swaying uncertainly.

The white-robed scholar remained motionless.

The bloodworm’s swaying grew faster and faster.

Seeing this, Senior Master Feng and the others’ expressions grew even more tense, fearing they might disturb the white-robed scholar.

Suddenly.

‘Pop!’

The bloodworm exploded.

Fortunately, the light ball contained it, and it quickly reformed, but into a single drop of fresh blood, suspended silently in the center of the light ball.

It was dazzlingly crimson.

A flush of crimson appeared on the white-robed scholar’s face, his body trembled slightly, and he opened his eyes, a look of exhaustion in his gaze.

“Fellow Daoist Shen, are you uninjured?”

Senior Master Feng asked with concern.

The white-robed scholar shook his head. “That demonic rat has already perished. No matter how bizarre its bloodline ability, it couldn’t harm me. However, the consumption was indeed too intense, exceeding my expectations.”

“It’s good that you’re uninjured. Did you find any trace of that person?”

Senior Master Feng nodded and pressed.

The white-robed scholar gave a wry smile. “It’s not good. After all, I can only imitate the demonic rat’s bloodline ability and indirectly sense the mark it planted on that person. The perception is very模糊 (hú – blurry, vague). I can only confirm that this person has not left this sea area and is still hidden somewhere.”

Senior Master Feng frowned, his expression unchanged. He comforted, “No rush. The demonic rat has already perished, and the demon race won’t find him faster than us. Achieving this much is already extremely difficult! If not for Fellow Daoist Shen’s exquisite divine ability, eavesdropping on the demon race’s plan, and hunting down that demonic rat, we would still be in the dark, thinking the demon race truly intended to invade and being completely deceived by them!”

The white-robed scholar did not become arrogant from the praise, merely sighing. “It’s a pity we could still do so little! I suspect that the person hidden in this sea area, remaining motionless for so long, isn’t just because of serious injuries. He’s likely already figured out a way to remove the mark on his body and is in the process of doing so.”

Senior Master Feng dismissed the concern. “We do what we can and leave the rest to fate. Obtaining the treasure on that person is certainly good, but even if he escapes, we lose nothing.”

At this moment, the phoenix-crowned female cultivator, who had been listening in, spoke up. “The person you two fellow Daoists encountered earlier, who was being chased by the Bifang, could it be…”

“Not him.”

The white-robed scholar shook his head. “It’s confirmed that the Xuantian Palace traitor the demon race is looking for is only at the early Nascent Soul stage. His divine abilities are not weak, and he is extremely skilled in concealment, which is why he has been able to hide until now without being caught by the demon race. It’s impossible for him to break through to the middle Nascent Soul stage in such a short time while being chased, and if he also mastered lightning evasion, he would have already shaken off his pursuers and wouldn’t be in such a miserable state.”

“So, that person truly just happened to be there and accidentally ran into the Bifang?”

The phoenix-crowned female cultivator let out a light laugh, finding that person’s luck quite bad.

The black-clad swordsman didn't care about Qin Sang. He stared at the demon blood in the white-robed scholar’s hand and pressed, “Is that fellow really a Xuantian Palace traitor? Escaping from Xuantian Palace to here, it’s more than a million miles, and not from the boundless sea. He was chased by the demonic rat all the way, dragging his injured body, almost fleeing along the edge of the demon realm. Isn’t that too unbelievable?”

“That is exactly what I overheard.”

The white-robed scholar said, “This person was being chased by Xuantian Palace in the Hidden Sun Realm, and in his panic, fled into the demon island, where he was secretly followed by the demonic rat. Coming from Xuantian Palace, he surely isn’t lacking in divine abilities or treasures. Furthermore, that demonic rat coveted the secrets on this person and was unwilling to share them with others, so it pursued him alone, giving him a chance to breathe. If this person hadn't fled to this sea area, entering our human territory, the demonic rat wouldn’t have been willing to invite other demon kings to assist it!”

It’s late again. The next chapter will be later. I’ll make up for the missed updates later.