Chapter 1468: Journey to the Demon Realm (4k)

The external avatar stood before Qin Sang. Qin Sang had not deliberately altered its appearance; it was simply an enlarged version of the Dao Tree, with well-proportioned features. There was no resemblance whatsoever to his main body.

Previously, because the Nascent Soul talisman puppet contained a divine soul imprint, Qin Sang felt a blood connection to it. Now, the connection was even more intimate, as if it were an inseparable part of his own body.

He closed his eyes and meditated for a moment.

Qin Sang opened his eyes and scrutinized the external avatar.

The avatar, being newly formed, could not yet be used in combat. It required further refinement until it fully absorbed the power of the Ice Soul Divine Gang, thereby establishing a complete and perfect foundation. Only then would it truly be complete.

This process could take several years, or even decades, depending on the origin and inherent strength of the external avatar's physical body. However, as the Dao Tree was no ordinary spirit body, it might not take too long.

However, due to the presence of the soul shadow, Qin Sang also needed to help his second Nascent Soul absorb it. Until this was complete, the avatar could not be relied upon.

Qin Sang waited patiently for a month, but as expected, there was no significant progress.

One day, Qin Sang retrieved the external avatar into his corpse puppet bag and decided to leave. Counting on his fingers, he realized he had unconsciously spent nearly a year in the underground Yin Vein.

During this time, he had not returned to the Listening Snow Tower once.

Shi Xue had also not sent any further messages.

He wondered how they had ultimately dealt with the situation after Liu Li's breakthrough failed.

Looking around, Qin Sang carefully erased all traces of his avatar's creation. With a series of flashes, he flew out of the cave and saw the long-unseen daylight.

It was midday, and the sky was clear.

The sunlight brought a touch of warmth.

Qin Sang controlled his escape light, slowly moving forward, and returned to his cave dwelling at the Listening Snow Tower.

Only Shi Xue and Liu Li at the Listening Snow Tower were aware of his presence, so he was generally undisturbed.

Qin Sang meditated quietly in his cave dwelling for a period. The fatigue and damage from refining the external avatar were completely swept away.

He awakened from his meditative state, a thoughtful expression on his face.

His objectives for coming to the Listening Snow Tower had mostly been achieved: he had obtained the status of guest elder and successfully refined his external avatar. The Holy Land was still nine years away from opening.

When the time came, he would certainly need to return early to cooperate with Tong Lingyu and the Listening Snow Tower to secure an opportunity to observe the Holy Land ceremony.

In the intervening years, he didn't need to remain at the Listening Snow Tower.

Having just broken through to the Mid Nascent Soul stage, he had eagerly crossed the storm zone to travel in the Northern Sea. His true purpose was to search for the fragments of the Slaughter Sword and its subsequent cultivation method.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving in the Northern Sea, he was pursued by a demon king. Afterward, he experienced a series of unforeseen events, inadvertently traveling from the Crescent Realm to the Hidden Sun Realm, where he became a guest elder of the Listening Snow Tower.

Although it seemed he had traversed the entire Northern Sea, his journey had been hasty, leaving no opportunity for a thorough search.

Now that most of his miscellaneous affairs were resolved, he could focus on his travels.

Qin Sang's initial plan was to depart from the Listening Snow Tower, head north into the Demon Realm, pass through the Demon Realm and the Star Sand Archipelago, make a wide detour back to the Crescent Realm, and on the way, visit Valley Master Mu of Hundred Flowers Valley.

Then, he would traverse the Crescent Realm, enter the Boundless Sea via its southern tip, and finally loop back to the Hidden Sun Realm, essentially touring all regions of the Northern Sea.

During this time, his primary focus would be on finding the fragments of the Slaughter Sword, while trying to avoid getting involved in other conflicts. There should be enough time.

With this in mind, Qin Sang rested briefly, activated the mark on his elder token, contacted Shi Xue, and decided to bid her farewell.

A short while later.

A beam of ice-cold escape light landed before the cave dwelling. Seeing that the grand array had already been closed, Shi Xue stepped inside.

Upon seeing Qin Sang again, her gaze was somewhat peculiar. She wasn't sure how to appraise her junior sister and this man.

After that day's events, her junior sister had remained in seclusion at the Drifting Snow Tower and had not emerged since. This man had also been unseen, not showing his face for a long time.

Both of them acted as if nothing had happened, displaying extraordinary composure. It seemed she was the only one worried.

“Is Immortal Liu Li still in seclusion?”

Qin Sang bowed and asked.

Shi Xue nodded. “Without my junior sister's permission, I dare not enter and disturb her.”

Qin Sang knew that Liu Li was likely resisting the imprint of the evil cultivation art, but he didn't know what method she was using or how effective it was.

After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Please convey to Immortal Liu Li on my behalf that if she needs any assistance, I can offer some humble help within my capabilities.”

He had sold himself into servitude to establish his foundation, but that didn't stop him from admiring those who held onto their principles.

This path was bound to be more difficult and fraught with thorns.

Yet Liu Li was resolute.

Furthermore, he needed to use his status as a guest elder of the Listening Snow Tower to gain eligibility for the Holy Land ceremony. Helping Liu Li, strengthening the Listening Snow Tower's power, and elevating its standing within the Xuan Tian Palace would also benefit himself.

Liu Li's imprint was connected to him, but Qin Sang had no clear idea how to resolve it. He figured that with countless divine abilities and wondrous methods in the cultivation world, dual cultivation wasn't necessarily the only way to eliminate the hidden danger.

Shi Xue glanced at Qin Sang, her gaze softening slightly, and thanked him.

Next, Qin Sang changed his tone and inquired about the friction between the Xuan Tian Palace and the demon race.

Listening to Shi Xue's account, Qin Sang learned the detailed situation: the battlefield between the two races was in the sea area between the Demon Realm and the Hidden Sun Realm, and the conflict had not yet spread to the mainland of either realm.

However, the war was intensifying. Grand Sage Heavenly Peng was ambitious and seemed to have detected the Xuan Tian Palace Master's unusual state, pressing relentlessly.

Another Grand Sage of the demon race, Grand Sage Nine-Heads, had not appeared, but was certainly supporting them from the shadows.

Grand Elder Tong Lingyu was restrained by Grand Sage Heavenly Peng, and all factions of the Xuan Tian Palace had dispatched Nascent Soul cultivators to the battlefield.

Of the four factions of Xuan Tian Palace, the Palace Master hailed from Xuan Tian and the Grand Elder from Purple Cloud Pavilion. However, the strongest overall was the Heavenly Mountain faction. Its cultivators were exceptionally warlike, constantly agitating for a decisive battle with the demon race, a fight to the death.

This was something the Listening Snow Tower did not wish to see.

If the war were to spread to the Hidden Sun Realm's mainland, the Listening Snow Tower, located in its northern region, would be the first to bear the brunt.

The Listening Snow Tower was the weakest of the four factions, with the least influence. Its disciples were often marginalized by the Heavenly Mountain faction and frequently sent on the most dangerous missions. Shi Xue was exasperated by this and planned to personally go to the battlefield to stabilize the situation.

Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then asked, “Does the Xuan Tian Palace have spies embedded within the demon race?”

Shi Xue glanced at him warily, believing it impossible for Qin Sang to be colluding with the demon race. “Yes, but not many. They can't access critical intelligence. Because this is a struggle between two races, it's very difficult to bribe transformation-stage demon kings. We can only send spirit beasts raised in Xuan Tian Palace since childhood to infiltrate the Demon Realm.”

This was largely consistent with Qin Sang's suspicions.

He immediately said, “I plan to travel into the Demon Realm. If I uncover any intelligence, I can send it back through your spies to earn some battle merits.”

Shi Xue understood Qin Sang's thoughts. “If you are willing to join the battlefield and help the Xuan Tian Palace repel the demon race, perhaps you could directly enter the Holy Land.”

“From Grand Elder Tong Lingyu's tone, the stronger my demonstrated power, the more wary the Xuan Tian Palace would become of me. The demon race also has another Grand Sage observing; my intervention would only incite greater ferocity from the demon race and wouldn't change anything. The conflict between the two races won't be resolved in just a few years. By the time the demon race retreats, the Holy Land would have long since closed.”

Qin Sang saw the situation clearly and did not wish to rashly get involved in conflicts in other regions.

He planned to suppress his cultivation to the early stage. This way, when encountering other demon kings, he could easily explain his origins by claiming that his intelligence had not yet awakened, that he had been in a state of confusion, and had only just transformed.

A mid-transformation stage demon king, however, would be too conspicuous to appear out of nowhere, making it difficult to fabricate a plausible explanation.

Qin Sang's spiritual sense had reached the transformation stage, far surpassing what it was when he first arrived in the Northern Sea. As long as he didn't directly confront the two Grand Sages or demons with extremely peculiar innate abilities, even a mid-transformation stage demon king wouldn't be able to discern his true cultivation.

“The demon race is currently on high alert, and they will undoubtedly attack any human they encounter. How will you operate in the Demon Realm?” Shi Xue grew increasingly curious about Qin Sang.

Qin Sang smiled but said nothing. He suddenly remembered something: “How much do you know about the Demon Realm? Has the demon race already mastered the legendary route to the North Star Realm?”

Shi Xue was clearly aware of the North Star Realm's existence. “Are you worried they'll invite helpers from the North Star Realm? Even if the demon race doesn't know the route, the two demon Grand Sages certainly have the ability to cross the storm zone.”

Little did she know, Qin Sang's concern was not the Xuan Tian Palace, but the North Star Realm.

Previously, he hadn't realized the Demon Realm's strength, to have two Grand Sages.

Qin Sang suspected that Feather King of Celestial Demon Mound already had ties with the two Grand Sages. Perhaps one of them had even disguised themselves and followed him during a previous visit to the Purple Tenuity Palace. Otherwise, when the North Star Realm established the North Star Alliance and humans set aside their grudges to form an alliance, Celestial Demon Mound would have already been in a state of panic.

Fortunately, the Demon Realm was restrained by major powers like the Xuan Tian Palace, and humanity held a dominant advantage in the North Star Realm. Feather King might also be wary of the two Grand Sages; otherwise, the Northern Region would already be under demon control.

Ten days later.

Qin Sang left the Listening Snow Tower and traveled north alone.

Not long after leaving the Hidden Sun Realm, Qin Sang activated the Heavenly Demon Transformation, manifesting his phoenix wings.

At this time, both human and demon forces were stationed on the sea, with Grand Sage Heavenly Peng personally overseeing. To avoid the Grand Sage, Qin Sang decided to first head east, bypassing that area.

He bypassed the battlefield and continued flying swiftly north.

After flying several hundred miles, human cultivators were scarcely seen. The further north he went, the more it became the domain of the demon race.

Many islands clearly bore traces of human presence: some were cities built by mortals, others were cave dwellings of human cultivators, but now they had all become havens for demonic beasts.

These traces were not ancient.

It was understood that before the emergence of the two Grand Sages in the demon race, their situation had been difficult. They were forced to retreat into the Demon Realm or hide in the deep sea, rarely daring to roam the sea areas outside the Demon Realm. Even within the Demon Realm, they had to be wary of human cultivators secretly infiltrating to hunt them.

The deep-seated animosity between humans and demons in the Northern Sea had accumulated in this manner.

At that time, apart from the Demon Realm, traces of humanity were everywhere.

It wasn't until the two Grand Sages became pillars of strength and the demon race united wholeheartedly that the situation finally reversed. Grand Sage Nine-Heads was reclusive and rarely appeared, but the demon race, long simmering with resentment, gathered under Grand Sage Heavenly Peng and first attacked the Star Sand Archipelago.

Currently, the human population of the Star Sand Archipelago had been almost decimated, and Grand Sage Heavenly Peng had turned his attention to the Hidden Sun Realm.

Fortunately, the Xuan Tian Palace had anticipated Grand Sage Heavenly Peng's ambitions and had preemptively withdrawn human populations from overseas to the mainland. The losses were not severe, but oversights were inevitable, and tragedies still occasionally occurred.

As Qin Sang passed island after island, human remains were common in the ruined cities. There were almost no survivors; those who couldn't retreat in time had all been devoured by demonic beasts.

The scene here differed from that in the Demon Sea.

Humans entering the Demon Sea were cultivators or their descendants who had the ability to escape a beast tide, whereas here, most of the deceased were mortals.

Qin Sang's speed increased. The traces of human presence became increasingly sparse, which somewhat alleviated his persistently heavy mood.

Upon reaching the northeast of the Demon Realm, Qin Sang finally altered his escape light, turning west and approaching the Demon Realm. He proceeded discreetly, taking a detour to the northern part of the Demon Realm.

The sea in this area was vast and open, with scattered islands, all densely jungled and teeming with life.

Previously, demonic beasts frequently roamed this vicinity, clashing with each other, their vitality and demonic aura soaring into the sky. Lately, however, it had grown much quieter.

At this moment, a black shark surged through the waves, exuding a strong demonic aura. Any minor demons it encountered along the way trembled in fear, scurrying away with their heads bowed.

Remarkably, a person was straddling the black shark's back.

This person had a large face and wide mouth, an ugly appearance, but stood nine feet tall and was extremely robust. Surprisingly, two antlers larger than his head grew from his scalp, making him appear top-heavy.

This individual was clearly a transformation-stage deer demon.

The black shark beneath him was also a great demon of the demon core stage, but it was remarkably docile in front of the Deer Demon King.

The Deer Demon King's eyes were tightly shut, as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Just then, the Deer Demon King abruptly awoke, his eyes flashing with sharp light. He pressed one hand on the black shark's head and glared furiously at the distant sea surface. “Who's there! Come out!”

The black shark was forcibly held down, whimpering and with blood brimming in its eyes, daring not to speak despite its anger.

Under the Deer Demon King's intense gaze, a mist of water vapor rose from that part of the sea, revealing a blurry figure. This individual had phoenix wings on their back, and their demonic aura was pure; they were also a demon king.

The Deer Demon King's expression softened slightly, then he frowned again. “May I ask which fellow Daoist stands before me? What is the meaning of lurking in the shadows so furtively?”

“My name is Yuan Zhu. I was just passing by and didn't expect to be discovered by you.”

The figure in the mist remained motionless at a distance, seemingly very wary of the Deer Demon King and ready to flee at any moment.

“Yuan Zhu?”

The Deer Demon King recalled carefully, not remembering a demon king by that name under Grand Sage Heavenly Peng. “Why haven't I heard of you? Which clan are you from? Are you a follower of Grand Sage Nine-Heads?”

The other party hesitated for a long time before replying, “I follow no one. I've always cultivated on my own. And who are you?”

This demon was precisely Qin Sang in disguise.

Humans were largely unfamiliar with the Demon Realm; even the Xuan Tian Palace couldn't provide Qin Sang with precise information.

Qin Sang was searching for fragments of the Slaughter Sword, and demon secret realms, as well as the cave dwellings of demon kings, including the two Grand Sages, were certainly not to be missed. Fortunately, the sword spirit's detection range was vast, so he didn't need to risk sneaking in.

Additionally, Qin Sang planned to visit a few 'old friends' before leaving the Demon Realm.

Tong Lingyu had been led by rumors spread by Master Feng to find Bi Fang's cave dwelling.

Unexpectedly, Bi Fang was exceptionally alert and had recovered seventy to eighty percent of his strength. Seeing the unfavorable situation, he escaped through a secret passage. Although Tong Lingyu discovered this in time, Bi Fang ultimately got away. She only managed to capture the cunning fox, from whom she interrogated the truth, confirming that the sacred object was indeed not in their possession.

As for the Frogfish, its cave dwelling was extremely well-hidden. Tong Lingyu didn't even catch a glimpse of this demon.

To accomplish these tasks, Qin Sang would need a detailed topographical map of the Demon Realm.

Acquiring one directly from a demon king would be the fastest method.

Most of the demon race's forces had been subdued by Grand Sage Heavenly Peng. He wasn't sure if the Deer Demon was a subordinate of Grand Sage Heavenly Peng. The inexplicable disappearance of a demon king under his command would certainly alarm Grand Sage Heavenly Peng.

Without having accomplished anything yet, directly capturing and killing a demon king could easily invite trouble. Therefore, Qin Sang chose to reveal himself and engage the Deer Demon King.