Chapter 1401: Ten Thousand Demons Conference

In the Northern Star Realm, Nascent Soul cultivators sometimes used alliance gatherings as opportunities for interaction, which could be considered small trade fairs. However, Qin Sang had never heard of a Myriad Devil Assembly that gathered so many Nascent Soul experts, especially one personally overseen by a late-stage Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator. He was very interested.

"The list is just a small part, meant to attract attention," Valley Master Mu advised kindly. "Even if you don't see any treasures you want, it's best not to miss it. There's no harm in attending; at the very least, it's an opportunity to exchange ideas with fellow cultivators."

As they spoke, the four continued to fly through the seawater for some distance. Suddenly, Valley Master Mu and the other two stopped, turned their heads, and looked at Qin Sang with amused expressions, clearly expecting something interesting to happen. "Does Daoist Qin not feel anything unusual?" Valley Master Mu asked with a smile.

Qin Sang felt puzzled and looked around. It was dim underwater. The cold current flowing past his protective spiritual energy barrier felt real. Everything seemed normal. Then, Qin Sang suddenly realized something, spun around to look behind him, and asked in surprise, "Is the entrance to the Pure Sea Sect here?"

Valley Master Mu finally revealed the mystery, pointing to the path they had taken earlier. "Does Daoist Qin remember what I said before? We've just passed through the formation outside the Pure Sea Sect; we are now on the other side of it."

"What?" Upon hearing this, Qin Sang's pupils contracted sharply as he stared intently behind him. Although he had been conversing with Valley Master Mu and the others, he had remained constantly vigilant, having long ago awakened his Heavenly Eye Butterfly and secretly activated his Heavenly Eye ability. Yet, neither he nor his Heavenly Eye Butterfly had sensed anything when they passed through the formation. The water behind them looked exactly like any other part of the ocean! Valley Master Mu had briefly mentioned his experiences recently, but Qin Sang had not expected the Pure Sea Sect's formation to be so strange. No wonder they still couldn't figure out its intricacies.

Seeing Qin Sang's skeptical expression, the cultivator named Qi chuckled and said, "Daoist Qin needn't find it strange. If you go back and forth a few times, observing carefully, you'll notice what's off. To us, it appears to be an ordinary body of water, and even when we pass through the formation, everything seems completely normal. In reality, it's all an illusion; our actual path doesn't align with what we perceive. It's as if space itself has been shifted or folded here. If I hadn't discovered an anomaly beforehand and known this place was unusual, I wouldn't have noticed anything even after passing through the formation."

Could it be a dimensional space? However, even Nascent Soul cultivators only have a superficial understanding of space. In the current cultivation world, crafting a Sumeru Pouch is already the limit. How large would a dimensional space need to be to serve as the location for an entire sect? Qin Sang was greatly surprised. "What kind of anomaly did Daoist Qi see back then?"

The cultivator named Qi pointed upwards towards the sea surface. "At that time, a streak of crimson light shot towards the sky. There was no earth-shattering commotion, and it only lasted for a very short time, less than the burning of an incense stick, before it vanished."

Nothing could be deduced from the anomaly. At this point, Valley Master Mu suggested they try a few more times.

Qin Sang turned around and walked back and forth seven or eight times, first along the path they had taken to arrive, and then trying a few different directions. Just as the cultivator named Qi had said, the result was the same no matter which direction he passed through. He felt no fluctuations here, and the formation did not attack intruders. Had he not been warned, Qin Sang would certainly have overlooked this place if he had passed by. Qin Sang secretly ordered his Heavenly Eye Butterfly to fully employ its abilities, but it found no trace of an illusion formation.

Valley Master Mu personally went over, asking Qin Sang to observe from outside. Finally, he discovered that shortly after Valley Master Mu entered, the space seemed to twist, and she suddenly reappeared ahead. The 'teleportation' process had no abnormalities whatsoever, and those inside the formation couldn't perceive it. After entering the formation, the teleportation occurred without any warning, leaving them with no way to counter it.

The formation had a defined boundary. From above, it appeared to be a large circular area, deeply hidden beneath the sea. Compared to the entire Ethereal Sea, it was insignificant. Unless someone intentionally passed through this area and had a companion constantly observing from outside, it would be almost impossible to detect. It was certain that the formation's purpose was to protect the secrets within, which was the entrance to the Pure Sea Sect, as mentioned by Valley Master Mu.

"Daoist Qin, perhaps you could summon your Fiery Jade Centipede and see if it can sense the Myriad Spirit Fruit?" Valley Master Mu asked expectantly. Qin Sang nodded and opened his Sumeru Pouch. The Fiery Jade Centipede flew onto Qin Sang's palm and lazily lay there. It had just consumed a Fire Melt Pill and was in the process of digesting its medicinal effects. Qin Sang tried a few times with it, and as expected, the Fiery Jade Centipede showed no reaction. Valley Master Mu followed closely behind Qin Sang, and both were simultaneously teleported out. Seeing this, disappointment appeared on her face.

Qin Sang, meanwhile, paid attention to Valley Master Mu's reaction. Like him, Valley Master Mu's eyes were clear, showing no signs of disorientation or illusion. It seemed the formation's power did not affect one's spiritual consciousness. This made Qin Sang feel that the situation was very tricky. His two biggest trump cards, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and the Jade Buddha, were proving to be unhelpful in breaking the formation.

However, it was too early to draw conclusions. If the formation's power could be fully activated and its complete structure revealed, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly would certainly have a chance to prove its worth.

"What do you mean, Daoist Qin?" Valley Master Mu looked at Qin Sang. Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Give me three more days. If I still can't figure out a way to break the formation, then we'll set up the Three Spirits Plate King Formation."

"Alright!" Valley Master Mu nodded.

The three of them stepped aside, giving Qin Sang some space.

Three days later, Qin Sang, also at a loss, found Valley Master Mu and agreed to set up the insect formation. Valley Master Mu and the others were overjoyed and immediately began preparing the altar.

As agreed, Valley Master Mu first transmitted the Spirit Ascension Ritual and the secret art of the Three Spirits Plate King Formation to Qin Sang.

"Hiss! So many things to prepare!" Qin Sang first looked at the Spirit Ascension Ritual, which he had been eager to learn about, and was immediately taken aback by the spiritual materials required for the ascension. The list was densely packed with dozens of spiritual materials! The Spirit Ascension Ritual could elevate a spiritual insect's cultivation level out of thin air; how could it be ordinary? During the ascension process, the power that stimulated the spiritual insect's potential came partly from the master and partly from external objects. Fortunately, most of them were not rare treasures. However, some would require considerable effort for even Nascent Soul cultivators to gather, and might not even be found. Elevating the Heavenly Eye Butterfly through the Spirit Ascension Ritual was not as easy as he had imagined!

Qin Sang glanced at Valley Master Mu. He knew that these spiritual materials were certainly reserved for the future generations of Hundred Flowers Valley. Asking Valley Master Mu to give them to him would likely be harder than transmitting the Spirit Ascension Ritual itself. He calmly dismissed this thought. He decided to try collecting them himself first, and if he absolutely couldn't find some, he would then seek to trade with Hundred Flowers Valley.

Continuing to read, Qin Sang vaguely understood why Lan Jingsi had said that outsiders had a lower success rate when performing the Spirit Ascension Ritual on spiritual insects compared to disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley. This was because it was closely related to the secret art of Lifebound Gu Insects!