Chapter 1397: Mixed Demon Island and Ethereal Sea

Rain on Bluestone

It was exactly as Qin Sang had expected.

He looked at Lan Jingsi, then at the jade slip, and fell silent in thought.

Lan Jingsi continued, "My senior brother will make arrangements in a well-known large city within the Boundless Sea. Fellow Daoist should first contact the informant. Once my senior brother receives word, he will come to meet you as soon as possible."

Valley Master Mu arranged the meeting in the city rather than elsewhere to allay Qin Sang's suspicions as much as possible.

Other matters could be discussed in detail after the meeting.

Qin Sang secretly weighed his options.

He had already planned a trip to the Boundless Sea to investigate Tranquil Lake, so meeting Valley Master Mu wouldn't be an issue.

The other party's urgent request for him to travel to the Boundless Sea likely indicated they had encountered some trouble and needed his assistance.

Otherwise, Qin Sang didn't believe Master Feng had enough influence to make Valley Master Mu, a busy person, concern himself with such a trivial matter.

Since the other party had something they needed, it was an opportune moment to set conditions.

Valley Master Mu was unaware that Qin Sang possessed the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and was determined to obtain the Spirit Ascension Ritual, meaning the initiative remained in his hands.

After weighing everything, Qin Sang reached out, picked up the jade slip, and swept his divine sense through it.

Seeing this, Lan Jingsi smiled, her tone slightly eager as she said, "The journey is long, so without further delay, please depart as soon as possible, Fellow Daoist. If there have been any shortcomings during your stay, I hope you will be forgiving..."

It seemed Lan Jingsi wouldn't reveal any more information.

Qin Sang put away the jade slip, nodded to her, and immediately stood up to take his leave.

He did not disturb the disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley.

Qin Sang discreetly left Hundred Flowers Valley. After emerging from the miasma, he activated his escape light and vanished into the sky.

Not long after, Qin Sang saw the vast blue sea in the distance.

However, he was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he made a detour to a nearby market and purchased another sea map.

The sea map Lan Jingsi had given him was very simple, primarily marking a single route. Qin Sang naturally wouldn't blindly follow it; he intended to plan his own.

The agreed meeting place was Nine Precepts City, a peculiar name, sharing its name with the island.

Qin Sang bought several sea maps in the market, all claiming to be the most comprehensive, but none provided detailed information about Nine Precepts Island.

Comparing the different maps, he first planned a section of his route, intending to refine it further once he entered the Boundless Sea. That very night, he left Crescent Moon Realm.

The sea area near Crescent Moon Realm was still under the control of land-based forces.

Further on lay the true Boundless Sea!

He sped across the sea.

The endless expanse of the sea was dotted with scattered islands of various sizes.

The familiar scenery stirred Qin Sang's memories of his time in the Azure Wave Sea, giving him a strange sense of familiarity.

He had cultivated in the Azure Wave Sea for over a century and had grown accustomed to drifting on the sea.

The various rumors about the Boundless Sea were intimidating, but it might not be much more dangerous than some of the perilous locations in the Azure Wave Sea. Back then, he was only at the Core Formation stage, and his self-preservation abilities were far inferior to what they were now.

Along the way, Qin Sang occasionally encountered cultivators. Whenever he had the chance, he would stop to inquire about information and purchase more detailed sea maps.

Gradually, Qin Sang formed a clearer impression of the Boundless Sea.

Amidst the chaos, there was another set of rules.

The current so-called core of the Boundless Sea was an island known to its cultivators as Chaos Devil Island, along with its surrounding waters.

The reason it became the core was simple: Chaos Devil Island's master was a Grand Cultivator — the Chaos Devil Old Man!

Although the Chaos Devil Old Man occupied Chaos Devil Island, he did not restrict other forces from entering. On the contrary, he maintained a laissez-faire attitude and treated righteous, evil, demonic, and monstrous cultivators equally.

Chaos Devil Island gathered countless forces, resulting in a complex situation, yet it operated under its own set of rules.

As long as one did not violate the Chaos Devil Old Man's taboos, Chaos Devil Island was actually safer than other places.

However, the Chaos Devil Old Man had no ambition to unify the Boundless Sea and completely ignored matters occurring outside Chaos Devil Island.

Within the Boundless Sea, there were also several places similar to Chaos Devil Island, though none were as renowned.

Nine Precepts Island was one of them.

Nine Precepts Island was located in the southern part of the Boundless Sea. After leaving Crescent Moon Realm, Qin Sang headed directly southeast.

However, halfway there, he deliberately took a large detour and arrived at a place called the Nine Stars Sea Area.

The Nine Stars Sea Area was the headquarters of the Nine Stars Alliance, a force within the Boundless Sea.

The Nine Stars Alliance was composed of nine trading guilds active in the Boundless Sea, functioning as an alliance-type force that was quite well-known.

Trading guilds had always been the most informed, and Qin Sang came here intending to gather some information.

Nine Stars City.

Qin Sang altered his appearance, disguised himself as an ordinary cultivator, and entered the headquarters of one of the trading guilds.

He only displayed his Core Formation stage cultivation, yet he still received VIP treatment, with the guild steward personally greeting him.

"My surname is Luo, and my given name is Chen," Steward Luo said. "May I ask for the honored guest's name?"

Steward Luo enthusiastically led Qin Sang into a quiet room.

Qin Sang had no intention of introducing himself. He got straight to the point: "I wish to inquire about a few matters."

Seeing that Qin Sang wasn't there to purchase treasures, a hint of disappointment flickered in Steward Luo's eyes, but his enthusiasm didn't wane. "Fellow Daoist, you've certainly come to the right place! Nothing concerning the Boundless Sea escapes the eyes and ears of our Nine Stars Alliance!"

"Don't speak too boastfully!" Qin Sang retorted coldly. "Tell me, has anything significant happened recently near Nine Precepts Island?"

Steward Luo was taken aback. He frowned and asked, "That's too general, Fellow Daoist. Are you referring to..."

"Anything that would catch the attention of a Nascent Soul cultivator," Qin Sang emphasized, "Anything!"

"Nascent Soul?"

Steward Luo felt a chill in his heart. He discreetly glanced at Qin Sang and cautiously said, "These matters are beyond my purview. I will immediately send word to the guild elders, but..."

Qin Sang understood. He directly tossed a bag of spirit stones onto the table. "Is this enough?"

It was merely an inquiry for information, not a probing for secrets, so spirit stones would suffice.

Steward Luo's face was wreathed in smiles. "More than enough, more than enough! Please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist..."

"Wait!"

Qin Sang called out to Steward Luo and threw him another bag. "While you're at it, please also check if there's a place called Tranquil Lake."

Steward Luo looked puzzled. "Is 'Tranquil Lake' the name of an island, or...?"

Qin Sang shook his head. "Just the two characters 'Tranquil Lake.' It might also be a name from thousands of years ago, and it could have changed now."

Steward Luo left, still looking puzzled.

Qin Sang sat in the quiet room, closing his eyes to meditate.

After a good half-day, Steward Luo finally returned. "Fellow Daoist, thank you for waiting! 'Tranquil Lake' is a very broad term; it required careful searching through various ancient texts, which is why it took some time."

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. "You found something?"

Steward Luo nodded. "Indeed, we did not fail our mission! Recently, everything around Nine Precepts Island has been normal, with no major incidents reported. Of course, it's possible that something was deliberately hidden and hasn't circulated. As for Tranquil Lake, I had someone consult ancient records, and we did indeed find a place called Tranquil Lake. Over vast stretches of time, many places become unrecognizable, and Tranquil Lake is no exception. The name 'Tranquil Lake' no longer exists, but after careful comparison, we can confirm that Tranquil Lake should be in the area known today as the Ethereal Sea."

I discovered a bug in the outline, and I've been scratching my head all night, feeling like I'm going bald. I've finally tasted the frustration of writer's block.

I managed to squeeze out one chapter in the middle of the night, but the other one will have to wait. I'll make it up once I sort things out.