Chapter 1393: Black Swamp

Upon seeing the silk threads, Qin Sang's movements paused, and his expression grew more serious.

Next, he tried to prod one of the threads. At first, nothing seemed unusual. Inside the cave dwelling, the ice casket glowed, illuminating Qin Sang's stern face.

A moment later, a sudden change occurred! Without warning, the ice casket suddenly vibrated, erupting in a dazzling white light. An extremely violent surge of energy emanated from it, striking back along Qin Sang's force. Qin Sang's hair stood on end; he felt a sudden trepidation. His expression shifted slightly, and he quickly withdrew his hand. The ice casket gradually returned to normal.

Qin Sang stared intently at the ice casket, recalling the mysterious power he had just felt. He then discovered that the seal on the casket had changed. The new sealing power was completely different from before. All his efforts had been in vain. "Is this... a double contingency left by Xuantiangong to prevent others from stealing the treasure and breaking the seal?" Qin Sang had a vague suspicion. He remained silent for a moment, then tried again, but the result was the same. The sealing power on the ice casket was extremely strong, unlike anything Qin Sang had encountered before. This new change made breaking the seal even more difficult. Even if he managed to break the seal after immense effort, there was no guarantee that the power wouldn't undergo further changes. Xuantiangong had truly gone to great lengths. It would be futile to hope to open the ice casket in a short time.

"If Bai were here, it would be great. He might have a way to deal with these strange things." Qin Sang's brow furrowed tightly.

Feeling helpless, Qin Sang was about to put away the ice casket when he suddenly remembered something. "Xuantiangong values this treasure so much; is this truly their only contingency?" After a brief hesitation, Qin Sang's thoughts stirred. The Fire Lotus Seed flew out from between his brows, releasing a wisp of demonic fire that formed a fine net of flames, adhering to the surface of the ice casket. The ice casket transformed into a fire casket. Qin Sang added a layer of demonic fire seal to the ice casket's surface, using the demonic fire's aura to isolate the casket. This was all he could do.

"Before opening the ice casket, it's best not to go to the Hidden Sun Realm," Qin Sang thought to himself. He put away the ice casket and then took out the Phoenix Jade and the Golden Submergence Sword. In Qin Sang's estimation, refining the Golden Submergence Sword still required two types of spiritual materials with specific properties. The Phoenix Jade met the requirements and was even of higher quality than the spiritual material Qin Sang had initially envisioned. If he couldn't wait, he could try refining it now. However, this refinement, aimed at elevating the Golden Submergence Sword to peak-grade quality, would be a test for both the magic treasure and the refiner. Should the attempt fail, it might even damage the magic treasure's body. Out of caution, he decided to wait a little longer.

After this, Qin Sang remained stationed on Hunting Star Island. Outside, a fierce war erupted between the human and demonic races. The flames of war blazed, even spreading to the Star Sand Archipelago. Both races suffered heavy casualties. Blood stained the sea, and countless corpses and severed limbs drifted everywhere with the ocean currents, especially those of the demonic race. Victory and defeat were determined in just a few months. Even when the demonic race finally crumbled, Bifang had barely shown itself on the battlefield, confirming Qin Sang's suspicions. Although Sly Fox and other demons had invited more helpers, they couldn't withstand the human offensive. They suffered heavy losses and fled back to the demonic realm with their remaining forces. The demonic beasts entrenched between the Star Sand Archipelago and Crescent Moon Realm were largely cleared out. Shipping routes resumed and became increasingly prosperous. Qin Sang also befriended several fellow cultivators from the Star Sand Archipelago.

After the great war ended, Qin Sang attended the celebratory banquet hosted by Master Feng in Fengyang Mountain. He had personally experienced several battles. Those demon kings, seeing the tide turn against them, fled quickly. He hadn't managed to kill any demon kings, but he had plundered many treasures from their cave dwellings, adding them to his Thousand Jun Ring. When the opportunity arose, he could attend more trade fairs and auctions to acquire the necessary spiritual materials to upgrade the Golden Submergence Sword.

A month later, two streaks of light flew out of Fengyang Mountain, heading south. It was Qin Sang and Master Feng. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Feng, for accompanying me on this trip," Qin Sang said, expressing his gratitude. Master Feng smiled and said, "I should be the one apologizing for making you wait. Thanks to your righteous intervention, we were able to drive away Sly Fox and other demons so quickly. Otherwise, if it had dragged on, they might have invited a Great Demonic Saint, and things could have become unpredictable. Besides, I happen to be going to the Southern Realm to visit an old friend, and it's on the way to Hundred Flowers Valley."

"I heard that Hundred Flowers Valley is very low-key, and outsiders can't even find its mountain gate?" Qin Sang had not placed all his hopes solely on Master Feng. During this period, whenever he had time, he inquired about Hundred Flowers Valley. Hundred Flowers Valley was very famous, and cultivators in the Star Sand Archipelago all knew about it. In truth, being known as the "foremost in insect control" wasn't particularly impressive, but their unique talent made them widely known. Cultivators specializing in insect control were rare in the cultivation world. Spiritual insects improved slowly, and most cultivators were unwilling to devote their energy to nurturing them. Most who raised spiritual insects only did so because they accidentally encountered a spiritual insect with unique abilities and kept it as a tool. Qin Sang had secretly learned the Witch Tribe's vital worm-gu secret technique, using his essence blood to cultivate the Sky-Eyed Butterfly. Its cultivation speed was faster than other spiritual insects, but still slow compared to cultivators. As for how to achieve breakthroughs in the future, he had no clue. Of course, the Witch Tribe's legacy surely encompassed more than this, but Qin Sang's cultivation at the time was insufficient to access it. Unfortunately, he couldn't go back.

Master Feng nodded. "According to Fellow Daoist Mu," he said, "it seems to be an ancestral teaching of Hundred Flowers Valley: never actively participate in cultivation world disputes unless provoked by others. They prefer to close their doors and tend to flowers and insects. Many people have heard that Hundred Flowers Valley is near Blackwater Bay, but they can't find its mountain gate." The "Fellow Daoist Mu" he referred to was the current Valley Master of Hundred Flowers Valley. Blackwater Bay was located near the eastern coast of the central part of Crescent Moon Island. On the land bordering Blackwater Bay, there was a black swamp that almost spanned the entire Crescent Moon Island, dividing it into two halves, commonly known as the Southern and Northern Realms, with the black swamp as the boundary. The Black Swamp emitted a foul stench and was extremely perilous inside; most areas were unsuitable for cultivation. Cultivation sects were rare here. Hundred Flowers Valley establishing its mountain gate here meant it faced little pressure.

"Such sects are truly rare," Qin Sang remarked, sighing with emotion. To escape the world and live without contention was merely a beautiful aspiration in the cultivation world.

Master Feng recalled for a moment and said, "When I was chatting with Fellow Daoist Mu, I occasionally heard a few things. The patriarch of Hundred Flowers Valley seems to have come from the Boundless Sea, establishing the sect in Crescent Moon Realm alone, isolated and without aid. This is probably why they didn't want to get involved in local cultivators' disputes. Fortunately, Hundred Flowers Valley has always remained strong, and with the Black Swamp acting as a buffer, they've been able to maintain their detached status." Pausing, Master Feng continued, "The reason Hundred Flowers Valley is so renowned is because they consider insect control their fundamental legacy. In truth, there are other forces skilled in insect control as a secondary pursuit, such as Star Mountain, Thousand Saliva Alliance, and so on. However, I don't have much connection with them, so I can't introduce you to them."

Qin Sang thanked him. He had already inquired about the forces Master Feng mentioned. "Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist," Qin Sang said, "I intended to do just that; after leaving Hundred Flowers Valley, I will visit them one by one." Master Feng nodded and then spoke of other things related to Hundred Flowers Valley, mostly anecdotes and rumors, not involving any true secrets.