Chapter 1519: 避难所

The Celestial Corner

The Celestial Corner is where Revered Skyfarer erected his sword.

Qin Sang stood before the sword, gazing at the storm belt. Turning to Tan Hao, who stood beside him, he said, "The demon race has lost many powerful figures, so they likely won't dare to cause trouble outside the demon realm anytime soon. Find an island nearby to consolidate your cultivation. I'll go ahead and search for a shelter."

After successfully breaking through, Tan Hao had briefly recuperated and then eagerly followed Qin Sang here.

They had detoured north of the Crescent Realm, following the Star Sand Archipelago to reach the Celestial Corner. Along the way, they hadn't encountered a single demon soldier, a stark contrast to the situation when Qin Sang last visited.

During their journey, Qin Sang, using his true identity, visited several daoist friends he had known previously and received a warm reception. The cultivators of the Star Sand Archipelago, who had been heavily oppressed by the demon race, were especially grateful to Qin Sang.

"I still find it hard to believe that in just a few short years, Brother Qin has accomplished such a significant feat..." Tan Hao shook his head with a bitter smile. When he learned the truth, the shock to his mind was immense. He was stunned for a long time, and the excitement and pride of his successful breakthrough completely vanished.

Qin Sang smiled, then summoned the Ten Directions Earth-Splitting Divine Shuttle. It transformed into a streak of green light and entered the storm belt. This treasure was indeed extraordinary; Qin Sang's true essence was consumed much slower than the last time. Sitting cross-legged inside the divine shuttle, his body remained as stable as a rock, no matter how violent the storm raged outside. If he had possessed the divine shuttle last time, he wouldn't have found himself in the predicament of being chased for thousands of miles by the Bi Fang.

Guided by the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn, Qin Sang navigated the divine shuttle through the storms, observing their surroundings alternately with the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Logically, the first shelter after leaving the Celestial Corner shouldn't be difficult to find. However, despite the support of so many treasures and having reviewed the ancient texts preserved by the Xuantian Palace, Qin Sang searched for a long time without any success.

Qin Sang suspected that this shelter might have been intentionally destroyed or sealed by Revered Skyfarer. However, Revered Skyfarer's purpose was to protect the Northern Star Realm, preventing the cultivators of the Northern Sea from becoming too powerful and launching a large-scale invasion. He shouldn't have cut off the path to his homeland.

Thus, he brought Tan Hao back to the Northern Star Realm. Instead of rushing back to the Green Sheep Temple, he visited Lu Boyuan to gather information, cross-referencing ancient texts from both realms. He then embarked on a deeper search, making countless round trips. Relying on the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn and the divine shuttle, he finally made a discovery!

Qin Sang only found one shelter, though he didn't know how many had originally existed on the ancient path. It was a stone hall floating on the sea. The hall was constructed from massive stones, rough and heavy, yet it floated as lightly as a feather, rising and falling with the waves. It wasn't fixed in one place but moved randomly within a hundred-mile radius. Bound by some unknown force, the stone hall would not exceed this range. Upon reaching the edge, it would bounce back as if encountering an invisible wall.

With the stone hall as a resting place, Tan Hao could travel between the two locations in the future, though bringing disciples would be quite difficult. Even bringing late-stage Core Formation disciples would not guarantee safety.

Inside the stone hall, it was empty except for four supporting pillars at each corner. The hall had no walls, offering an unobstructed view of the outside. Towering waves crashed against the stone hall continuously from all directions. The might of the hurricane and giant waves was terrifying, as if they could tear apart everything in the world. Yet, the stone hall, though swaying precariously, remained remarkably sturdy. An invisible barrier isolated the impacts and the roar, making it exceptionally quiet inside.

The monotonous storm truly offered little to see. Qin Sang and Tan Hao rested in the stone hall. After discussion, they decided to continue their search for a while longer. For Qin Sang, it wasn't a waste of time. As he became more proficient in searching for shelters, he tried to multitask, cultivating the Fire Seed Golden Lotus and refining demonic fire while navigating the divine shuttle. This was also something he planned to do on his journey to the Central Plains.

The spiritual energy in the storm belt was chaotic, making cultivation difficult during travel. Fortunately, refining demonic fire was unaffected by external factors. If he could refine all the demonic fire in the demonic banner, he would not only forge a powerful divine ability entirely his own but also significantly enhance his spiritual sense.

Having adjusted their states, Qin Sang and Tan Hao once again flew out of the stone hall and began their lengthy search. In the dim storm belt, above the turbulent sea, a speck of green light, like a swimming fish, darted and weaved, appearing and disappearing.

Suddenly, the green light stopped. Three figures emerged from it: Qin Sang, Tan Hao, and Qin Sang's avatar. It was the avatar that had been controlling the divine shuttle. Qin Sang lowered his head, his gaze sweeping downwards, locking onto a spot on the sea.

*Whoosh!*

A gray hurricane had just swept through, leaving an unfathomably deep gully in the sea. The water walls on both sides converged inward, creating towering waves with astonishing pressure. Just then, Qin Sang suddenly dove down, plunging into the middle of the water walls. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly, at some point, had landed on his shoulder. It spread its wings, aiming its Heavenly Eye at the depths of the gully, discovering an anomaly invisible to others.

*Boom!*

A streak of sword light, like lightning, shot out. The sword light, which should have pierced through the gully, was suddenly obstructed midway. A flash of crimson light burst forth, rising from the sea like a volcanic eruption, engulfing the sword light. Tan Hao's face showed deep surprise; only when the crimson light erupted did he realize there was a shelter here.

“What a well-hidden ancient restriction!” Qin Sang dodged another hurricane, exhaled softly, and remarked with emotion. If not for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, he would certainly have overlooked this place.

Two days later, Qin Sang and Tan Hao opened the ancient restriction and entered. They found it to be an underwater dark island, its edges almost completely eroded, leaving only the core area protected by the ancient restriction. Qin Sang looked around and nodded to himself, secretly pleased. With this stone hall and the dark island, Tan Hao could, with some effort, lead Core Formation disciples back and forth, preventing the two Green Sheep Temples from becoming too isolated.

By this point, four years had passed since he first entered the storm belt. There were less than three years left until Liu Li's tribulation. There was no time to search for a third shelter, and everything else needed to be expedited. Qin Sang drew a sea chart, handed it to Tan Hao, and the two then left the storm belt, passed through the desert and the Heavenly Travel Alliance, heading straight for the Lesser Cold Realm.

Despite the numerous events in the Northern Sea, Qin Sang had only been away for about twenty years. For cultivators, this was considered a short period. However, many significant events had occurred in the Northern Star Realm recently. The most shocking news was undoubtedly the demise of True Monarch Cang Hong in the Abyss Ruin. As time passed, the Abyss Ruin, deprived of the Sin God Palace, became increasingly unstable and dangerous. True Monarch Cang Hong had frequently entered the Abyss Ruin; though he had escaped danger several times, he ultimately could not avoid this catastrophe.

The Infernal Demonic Lord had also been in seclusion for many years, with no news of him. There were rumors that he might be in a death seclusion, determined to succeed or die trying. The influential figures of the Northern Star Realm's previous generation had either ascended or withered away, becoming history.

At the Green Sheep Temple, in front of the Sword Qi Cliff, the newly admitted disciples, with their innocent faces, looked with reverence at the characters carved by Qin Sang's sword qi. Tan Yien, setting aside her dignity, personally explained them to them.

I’m on my way back from a two-day annual leave, writing a chapter in the car. I’ve realized that as you get older, vacations can be the most exhausting. I haven’t been home since Chinese New Year. My parents haven't been in good health, and I didn't have time to get them checked during the Mid-Autumn Festival when they visited. This trip home, everything is piled up. Plus, there are so many chores and social obligations waiting at home. These few days just aren't enough; it's too rushed. Updates have been inconsistent, and several times I've had to get up in the early hours to catch up. I’m not even middle-aged or married yet, so I can barely imagine what life will be like at its most difficult. Last night, I finally couldn't resist sleep and ended up sleeping all the way until I got into the car today. I'll get back on track tomorrow and try my best to make up for it. Thank you for your understanding, dear readers.