Chapter 1417: Heaven's Will Is Hard to Defy

The sudden appearance of the tombstone, and the inscription upon it, made Qin Sang freeze, completely catching him off guard.

"Tan Hao?"

One of Qin Sang's objectives in coming to the Northern Sea was to find Tan Hao and the mysterious Ghost Mother. He had followed Master Feng through half of the Crescent Realm but found nothing. He had originally planned to thoroughly investigate the Boundless Sea after the Pure Sea Sect matter was resolved. The Boundless Sea was the most complex and chaotic region among the Northern Sea's various domains, making it much easier to act without fear of incurring the hostility of the entire continent. Mysterious beings like the Ghost Mother were most likely to appear here. Unexpectedly, he had found traces of Tan Hao in this situation.

"Tan Hao and the Ghost Mother picked those spiritual herbs. This means the unusual phenomenon that attracted Fellow Daoist Qi was likely caused by their entry. Is the Ghost Mother a powerful Buddhist practitioner?"

Qin Sang observed his surroundings, walked towards the small hill, and stopped in front of the tombstone. The inscription on the tombstone conveyed profound sadness.

"Since parting ways at Yin Mountain Pass, Tan Hao has been tirelessly working to revive Tan Jie, for a hundred years, day in and day out. Given the bond between the brothers, Tan Hao would never give up as long as there was a glimmer of hope. He successfully found and rescued the mysterious figure behind the Heavenly Corpse Sect, yet he erected a tombstone for Tan Jie here. Even the Ghost Mother couldn't revive Tan Jie..."

Qin Sang looked at the tombstone, his heart heavy. He had traced their path from Canglang Sea to Lesser Cold Domain, then to Sinful Abyss, and finally to the Northern Sea. Mute Girl's condition was gradually improving. Qin Sang had initially believed that finding the Ghost Mother would be the key to Mute Girl's awakening. However, seeing Tan Jie's tomb, Qin Sang realized things might not be so simple.

He let out a soft sigh. With Tan Jie's tomb here, Tan Hao shouldn't be far away.

"Could they be using the Pure Sea Sect as their cultivation cave?" Qin Sang muttered to himself, putting away his Demonic Flame and Golden Sinking Sword. Still, he remained somewhat wary of the Ghost Mother, keeping his Demonic Banner hidden in his sleeve, ready to strike at any moment.

His gaze shifted past the small hill to the stone wall. After staring for a moment, he noticed something unusual. The seemingly ordinary stone wall contained hidden restrictions within, revealing a world of its own.

Just then, a ripple suddenly emerged from within the stone wall, accompanied by a 'crackling' sound. Qin Sang's heart stirred, and he stopped. The scene on the stone wall suddenly changed, revealing a clearly man-made cave. A stone door was pushed open from within, and a figure emerged. It was Tan Hao!

"Late Core Formation... No! Peak Core Formation, just one step away from Nascent Soul." Qin Sang discerned Tan Hao's current cultivation realm. Given his age, he had a good chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. Tan Hao's True Essence showed clear signs of instability, seemingly caused by forcibly interrupting a secret cultivation technique. Fortunately, it wasn't severe.

The stone door opened. Tan Hao pushed open the door and stepped out, without summoning any magic treasures. He expertly cast a mental incantation, divine light flickering in his eyes, about to look into the depths of the purple mist to observe the situation. Suddenly, he saw the unfamiliar figure in front of Tan Jie's tombstone and was instantly startled. Qin Sang had intentionally concealed his aura, so Tan Hao had no idea there was another person there.

In an instant, Tan Hao's hair stood on end, his face filled with horror, and he immediately summoned his innate magic treasure. But upon seeing the person's face, a sense of familiarity washed over him, and Tan Hao froze on the spot.

"You are... Qin..." Tan Hao's voice trembled slightly, his face filled with disbelief. They had been separated for too long. Had it not been for his enduring gratitude for Qin Sang's kindness to him and his brother, Tan Hao would not have recognized him instantly. Tan Hao still couldn't believe Qin Sang would appear here. After their parting at Yin Mountain Pass, he had traveled, participated in the Three Domain War, and received no further news of Qin Sang. Even though it was hard to accept, he understood that Qin Sang had most likely perished. A past acquaintance, whom he thought was separated by life and death, suddenly appeared before him, and they met in the most improbable of places. It felt like a dream.

"Brother Tan, I trust you've been well." Qin Sang's expression was complex. Indeed, too much time had passed—almost three hundred years.

For a moment, neither spoke, just looking at each other. Qin Sang covertly observed Tan Hao's cave dwelling, finding it very simple, seemingly occupied only by Tan Hao himself. He wondered where the Ghost Mother was cultivating.

Tan Hao took a deep breath, suppressing his turbulent emotions. He gave Qin Sang a profound look and chuckled, "Brother Qin, you must be a step ahead of me again, aren't you?" He had scanned his surroundings when he was awakened in his cave, but hadn't detected Qin Sang's aura at all. Had Qin Sang not revealed himself, he would likely still be unaware. To Tan Hao, Qin Sang was unusually mysterious; he couldn't discern his cultivation realm. There was only one explanation: Qin Sang's cultivation was far superior to his own. Tan Hao recalled their initial encounter at Yin Mountain Pass, which was a similar scenario. He had been fortunate enough to establish his Foundation thanks to the Foundation Establishment Pills Qin Sang had given him. Over the years, he had encountered many fortuitous opportunities to reach his current cultivation. Barring unforeseen circumstances, he should be able to break through to the Nascent Soul stage before turning four hundred. Yet, he still couldn't compare to Qin Sang. He remembered that Junior Brother Qin seemed to have a four-element or five-element spiritual root...

"Just good fortune," Qin Sang replied. He nodded slightly, saying little about himself. He lowered his gaze to the tombstone, his voice low, "Brother Tan Jie, he..."

"Heaven's will is hard to defy!" Tan Hao shook his head bitterly, his voice imbued with a profound sense of helplessness.

Qin Sang could understand Tan Hao's feeling of having pursued something relentlessly for centuries, only for the outcome to be an illusion. The cultivation world was indeed this cruel. Given Tan Hao's disposition, he didn't need comforting from outsiders.

Qin Sang was silent for a moment, then spoke, "A hundred years ago, I went to Yin Mountain Pass, intending to find you. I met Yi En, and he told me about your situation."

"Yi En? How is he doing now?" Tan Hao's eyes lit up, and he asked eagerly.

"Don't worry, Yi En is doing very well. He has already formed his Core. I established a sect, and he handles mundane affairs for me," Qin Sang briefly explained Tan Yi En's situation.

Tan Hao seemed to let out a sigh of relief, mumbling, "That's good, that's good..." He had sacrificed too much for his brother, including his own bloodline, and felt guilty towards Tan Yi En.

Qin Sang deliberated before saying, "Yi En has been looking for you. We found some of your friends and learned that you had investigated the Heavenly Corpse Sect and infiltrated the Sinful Abyss. I then followed your trail to investigate, eventually finding the Heavenly Corpse Sect's main altar and the Water Prison in the Abyss Ruins." He paused, then looked at Tan Hao.

Tan Hao sighed, "You've gone to a lot of trouble for me." Then, without any hesitation, he recounted his experiences in the Sinful Abyss, which perfectly matched the clues Qin Sang had uncovered. At a branch of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, Tan Hao heard a mysterious person's call, which led him to the main altar. In exchange for Tan Jie's revival, he released the mysterious person trapped in the Water Prison. Afterwards, this mysterious person brought him to the Northern Sea. This person was none other than the Ghost Mother!

"Senior Ghost Mother was severely injured and extremely weak while trapped in the Water Prison. She barely managed to suppress her injuries and recovered some of her strength. She taught me a combined attack secret art, and together we activated a protective magic treasure to pass through the storm zone. Senior Ghost Mother only fully healed her injuries and regained her complete strength after acquiring treasures she had left behind in the Northern Sea," Tan Hao explained.

"Treasures left behind previously?" Qin Sang noticed something was amiss. "Did that Senior accidentally stumble into the Water Prison and get trapped there?"