Chapter 1403: Waiting

"What are you looking for?"

The Elder Mixed Demon withdrew his gaze, letting it rest on Discipline Master.

Discipline Master was momentarily stunned before realizing the Elder Mixed Demon was referring to the treasures within the Pure Ocean Sect. The Elder Mixed Demon's eyes were cloudy yet serene.

But for some reason, a chill ran down Discipline Master's spine. He clenched his fist, feeling the warm coolness emanating from the Nine Precepts Ring, and deliberated before saying, "My greatest wish, junior, is to fulfill my master's dying wish: to obtain the complete legacy of the Pure Ocean Sect and revive Buddhism. Additionally, due to my cultivation method, I've never had a truly satisfactory magic artifact. I hope to find one or two protective Buddhist artifacts..."

His implication was clear: apart from these two requirements, everything else could be offered to the Elder Mixed Demon.

After speaking, Discipline Master slightly lowered his head. He had already made this decision when he chose to use the Mixed Demon Token. Inviting other fellow cultivators, though less demanding, would likely not be a match for Valley Master Mu and his associates, and success wouldn't be guaranteed. It was better to directly ask the Elder Mixed Demon for help to ensure everything went smoothly. Even if he obtained fewer treasures himself, it was better than drawing water with a bamboo basket – ending up with nothing. As long as he remained honest and upright, and with his master's spiritual legacy still present, the Elder Mixed Demon wouldn't turn hostile over such minor gains.

A moment later, feeling the Elder Mixed Demon's gaze shift away from him, Discipline Master relaxed slightly. He then heard the Elder Mixed Demon ask, "How many opponents are there, and what are their origins?"

Discipline Master's spirits lifted upon hearing this, knowing the Elder Mixed Demon had agreed. He quickly replied, "One is Qi Huanyu, who cultivates on Gui Ling Island in the southern Empty Spirit Sea. I've had a feud with him before. The other, a female cultivator named Wang, is his concubine; she only recently broke through to the Nascent Soul stage and is not a concern. There's also a helper they invited from outside, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with unique abilities, skilled in controlling spirit insects. According to the information junior has gathered, this person might be the current Valley Master of Hundred Flowers Valley from the Crescent Moon Realm."

"Only three people?" The Elder Mixed Demon dismissed the information. "Two early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators and one mid-stage. The enemy is in the open, while you are hidden. It shouldn't be difficult to find a random helper and use your knowledge of the Pure Ocean Sect to secretly make some moves, right?"

Discipline Master affirmed respectfully, "If it were just the three of them, this junior wouldn't dare disturb your serene cultivation, senior. However, these individuals struggled to break the formation and were unwilling to give up, so they found another mid-stage Nascent Soul helper from somewhere unknown. This person's origins are mysterious, and they possess considerable skill. It seems they've already made progress shortly after arriving."

"Oh? Two mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators..." The Elder Mixed Demon's interest was piqued. After thoroughly inquiring about Qin Sang's appearance, the Elder Mixed Demon pondered for a moment. "It's not those troublesome old coots! Take this old man there to have a look."

Mixed Demon Island was renowned throughout the Boundless Sea, yet the Elder Mixed Demon had always been a solitary figure, more akin to a reclusive rogue cultivator, with no affiliated Nascent Soul cultivators under his command. Nevertheless, given Mixed Demon Island's standing, all forces in the Boundless Sea would grant him face. If the Elder Mixed Demon wished to find helpers, it would be no difficult task.

Seeing that he seemed prepared to go alone, Discipline Master hesitated slightly but didn't ask further, assuming the Elder Mixed Demon had enough confidence to deal with two mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

Before long, the two entered the Empty Spirit Sea. They suppressed their flight aura, flying low over the sea surface, quietly moving towards Discipline Master's previous hiding place. Discipline Master took out a yellow spherical bead to observe. He saw that at the edge of the formation, a sacrificial platform suspended in the sea was already seventy to eighty percent complete, nearing its final form.

"What remarkable speed!" Discipline Master exclaimed softly. These people were likely about to make their move; calling for help now would probably be too late.

The platform was square-shaped, narrower at the top and wider at the bottom. The entire platform was covered in countless intricate, almost indecipherable patterns. Upon closer inspection, one could discern that they depicted various spirit insects, some of which even Discipline Master and the Elder Mixed Demon had never heard of.

The view through the bead was blurry. The Elder Mixed Demon glanced at it, then lost interest, flashing forward to approach the formation. Not far into his movement, the Elder Mixed Demon suddenly let out a soft exclamation of surprise, stopping abruptly. A sharp glint flashed in his cloudy eyes.

The Elder Mixed Demon instructed Discipline Master to hand over the bead. His gaze swept over Qin Sang and the other three, and he nodded with a half-smile. "Quite interesting," he murmured.

After a pause, the Elder Mixed Demon lightly tapped his black bamboo staff. "The opponents must possess a highly sophisticated detection secret art. If this old man wasn't always vigilant, with divine sense far surpassing yours, we might have already been exposed just now."

Discipline Master was startled upon hearing this, feeling fortunate he had been cautious enough. "What do we do now?" he asked.

"Wait!" the Elder Mixed Demon said calmly. "Do you truly believe the Pure Ocean Sect is so easily trespassed? Why not let them open the formation for us? We can also observe their capabilities in the meantime."

Discipline Master was secretly astonished. Although he and his master cultivated the Pure Ocean Sect's techniques, their knowledge of the sect was very limited. The Elder Mixed Demon, however, seemed to possess a deep understanding of the Pure Ocean Sect.

***

Meanwhile, Qin Sang and Valley Master Mu were refining the final section of the sacrificial platform. Amidst their busy work, Qin Sang sensed the Heavenly Eye Butterfly in his spiritual sea subtly flutter its wings before settling down again. Qin Sang diverted some attention to sense it, found nothing amiss, and gently reassured it. Before uncovering the secrets behind Hundred Flowers Valley, he couldn't expose the Heavenly Eye Butterfly.

Early on the third day, dawn had not yet broken over the eastern Empty Spirit Sea. The bright moon still hung high, casting its cold, clear light upon the sea surface.

The sacrificial platform was finally complete! As the last rune was inscribed, the platform glowed with a faint green light. The light quickly spread across its entire surface, and the platform's aura completely transformed, becoming a seamless, integral whole, resembling a bronze altar. On the platform's surface, the patterns of spirit insects became even more lifelike, giving the impression that they could revive and crawl out of the platform at any moment.

Qin Sang and Valley Master Mu exchanged a smile, then sat cross-legged to regulate their breathing. An hour later, both woke up one after another. After a discussion, they decided to immediately set up the insect formation to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Qin Sang summoned his Fire Jade Centipede. Over the past few days, Qin Sang had fed it a Firemelt Pill. Valley Master Mu was also not stingy, providing several bottles of spiritual medicine beneficial for spirit insect cultivation, all to enhance the Fire Jade Centipede as much as possible.

Valley Master Mu also summoned his spirit insects. One was his innate spirit insect, a four-transformation early-stage Tide-Drawing Horseshoe Crab. The other was a three-transformation late-stage Black Demon Ant.

The Tide-Drawing Horseshoe Crab was crab-like in shape, about the size of Valley Master Mu's palm. Its entire body was a seawater-like blue, so transparent that one could even see the blue blood flowing within its body. A long, sword-like tail extended from its rear, constantly vibrating subtly with a peculiar rhythm. Qin Sang knew little about the Tide-Drawing Horseshoe Crab, but every four-transformation spirit insect was extraordinary.

As for the Black Demon Ant, its appearance was merely that of an ordinary black ant, but it possessed a pair of tiny, bat-like wings. It was said that its innate divine ability had a certain restraining effect on demonic cultivators.

With all three spirit insects present, Qin Sang looked down at the Fire Jade Centipede, gently stroked its back with a finger, and carefully placed it on the sacrificial platform. Valley Master Mu also placed his spirit insects onto the platform, then flashed to the center of the three insects, sat cross-legged, nodded to Qin Sang, and closed his eyes tightly.