Chapter 1526: Fierce Beast (4k)

The black mist, like a living entity, rolled forward within the storm.

Unlike the serene shadows around the moon boat, the black mist, though seemingly erratic, exuded a malevolent aura. It was incredibly violent, crashing through the storm, battling against it.

*Whoosh!*

Two massive waves rose from the seabed, creating a deep trench.

Only after the black mist swept past did the trench refill with seawater, churned up by the hurricane, presenting a magnificent spectacle.

Within the black mist, there was clearly a colossal monster. The occasional glimpse of a scale or claw was enough to conjure a terrifying image in one's mind.

*Roar!*

The monster let out another furious roar.

The black mist surged wildly.

The roar drowned out the storm, unobstructed in the open ocean. It was similar to a whale song but lacked its ethereal quality, instead bringing an astonishing sense of oppression that sent shivers down the spine.

Inside the wind wall, Qin Sang and Liu Li heard the sound again, and their hearts stirred.

At this moment, they were painstakingly navigating through the wind wall.

This was Qin Sang and Liu Li's first encounter with such a situation. The instant they heard the sound, they realized the monster in the storm was approaching them, understanding that their immediate predicament would be extremely perilous.

There was no secure refuge within the storm belt.

The Ten Directions Earth-Splitting Shuttle was as conspicuous as a beacon in the dead of night. Turning back would only draw the monster's attention more easily, bringing trouble upon themselves.

A monster capable of surviving in the storm belt was, without a doubt, incredibly powerful.

The only option was to hide in the refuge, using the wind wall and the refuge for concealment, hoping the monster was merely passing by.

Qin Sang had explored the area multiple times before and found no unusual traces, suggesting this was likely not the monster's lair.

If the monster had sensed an intrusion into its lair, its roars should have been filled with anger. However, what Qin Sang perceived was pure madness!

The second roar confirmed their judgment.

Although the monster was indeed approaching in their direction, it wasn't heading straight for them or the refuge. It seemed more like it was just passing through, and they had unfortunately stumbled upon it.

Both Qin Sang and Liu Li secretly felt fortunate that their decision had been correct.

This roar was much clearer than the first, indicating the monster's incredibly fast speed. It also seemed undeterred by the storm's impact, moving in a perfectly straight line.

Faced with such speed, had they not decisively entered the wind wall, but instead fled blindly, they would likely have been targeted by the monster, and their fate would probably not have been good.

Hearing the roar again, a thought struck Qin Sang; this kind of madness felt somewhat familiar.

He couldn't help but recall the fierce beasts he had encountered in the inner sanctum of the Seven Kills Hall.

The current situation didn't allow Qin Sang to ponder.

He and Liu Li had hastily entered the wind wall without any opportune moment. The surroundings were extremely chaotic, and Qin Sang had to do everything in his power to find a path to survival.

Liu Li handed control of the divine shuttle to Qin Sang.

With the shuttle activated to its utmost, Qin Sang dared not pause for a moment. He flickered rapidly through the ever-changing hurricanes, doing his best to rush towards the central refuge.

*Whoosh!*

The surroundings were shrouded in a hazy gray.

The shuttle was enveloped by hurricanes.

As soon as it passed through a gap, the hurricanes immediately converged, and the aftershocks from the collisions nearly chased the shuttle's fleeting blue light. A slight misstep would mean being swept in and swallowed by the wind wall.

"Danger at every turn" scarcely described the peril of the moment.

Fortunately, Qin Sang had scouted the path beforehand and was familiar with the patterns inside the wind wall. Though he seemed to be blindly rushing, he consistently made the most correct choices, advancing towards the central refuge with perilous but ultimately safe progress.

The third roar echoed.

The distance was closing!

The monster's speed was even faster than they had anticipated!

If they couldn't reach the refuge before the monster drew closer, the shuttle's fluctuations might also be detected by it.

Liu Li summoned the Four-Mounted Teng Snake Seal, a faint blue light appearing in her eyes, as she stood ready for battle.

His external incarnation was also prepared to act.

If it truly came to the last resort, they would have no choice but to test the monster's strength. The only thing to be thankful for was encountering the monster near the refuge; meeting it halfway through their journey would have been a far greater problem.

*Swoosh!*

Qin Sang's face was grim, his mind focused. He steered the shuttle through layers of wind walls, and finally, his Heavenly Eye Butterfly saw the scene at the core of the wind wall.

Inside was actually a small island.

The island was only about a hundred *zhang* in circumference, its landscape entirely visible. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a reef.

As expected, the area was utterly silent and devoid of life.

This at least confirmed that it was not the monster's lair.

However, the island was not entirely bare. A section of forest had been preserved, though the plants had all withered and turned into fossils.

This fossilized forest, formed untold ages ago, remained perfectly intact within the storm belt, its branches and leaves fully preserved.

Qin Sang had always had a question.

Were these peculiar refuges discovered by cultivators like Senior Xiao Xiangzi during their travels in the storm belt, or were they created by them?

It now appeared that this island, at least, was an ancient relic.

*Roar!*

Just then, the fourth roar reached them.

It was deafening, as if right beside their ears.

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. He spotted a gap in the final wind wall and darted through it.

However, the moment he passed through the wind wall, a sudden alarm blared in Qin Sang's mind. His spine tensed as he sensed an inexplicable danger rapidly approaching him!

Outside the wind wall, the black mist swirled, its target indeed not the refuge.

But just as it was about to pass by, an anomaly suddenly occurred!

Perhaps it was enraged by the nearby hurricanes, which were far denser than elsewhere, or perhaps the unusual phenomena of the wind wall around the refuge alerted the monster.

Amidst the furious roar, the black mist suddenly expanded.

Immediately afterwards, a long tail ripped through the black mist and burst through the ocean trench.

The long tail moved as fast as black lightning, vanishing in an instant and leaving a long afterimage in the void. With a *whoosh*, it swept away the hurricanes in the nearby space, and the residual image violently slammed into the wind wall.

*Screech!*

The afterimage pierced into the wind wall with astonishing force, as if intending to rip it completely open.

However, this was a convergence point for hurricanes, accumulating immense energy, so it wasn't so fragile.

The two forces collided here. The delicate balance barely maintained within the wind wall was disrupted by the afterimage, but it wasn't torn apart.

It was only unfortunate for those inside.

Inside the wind wall, Qin Sang reacted swiftly. Upon noticing the anomaly in the wind wall, he exerted all his effort to rush towards the island.

Unfortunately, his movements were still half a beat too slow.

Behind them, the energy fluctuations from the collision transformed into gray wind surges. They didn't appear more violent than before, yet they sent a chill down Qin Sang's spine.

Just then, Qin Sang made a surprising move: he suddenly withdrew his true essence, relinquishing control of the Ten Directions Earth-Splitting Shuttle and handing it over to Liu Li.

The next moment, two figures were exposed: Qin Sang and his incarnation.

The wind surges were imminent, threatening to engulf them in mere moments.

The Ten Directions Earth-Splitting Shuttle was their reliance for navigating the storm belt; it absolutely could not be destroyed here.

Furthermore, unlike the earlier moon boat, there was a restrictive barrier around the island, and an entrance had to be found first.

For this reason, Qin Sang didn't hesitate to reveal himself, personally blocking the wind surges.

Simultaneously, his external incarnation pushed out its palm, and the Python Banner flew from its grasp.

On the banner's surface, the Snow Python's expression was fierce, roaring frantically.

After Qin Sang subdued the Snow Python, he hadn't had time to cultivate a bond with it, relying solely on his power to force its submission.

At this critical moment, the Snow Python naturally wouldn't willingly risk its life for him. However, the disparity in cultivation levels was too vast; the Snow Python's struggles were futile. It was impossible for it to break free from control, and even its cries couldn't escape.

*Crackle!*

The Python Banner silently expanded, forming a wall before the giant wave.

But this wall was too fragile. The icy mist was swiftly swept away by the giant wave, and both the Snow Python and the Python Banner vanished into the wind surges without a sound. Qin Sang didn't even have time to retrieve it.

Having tested the power of the wind surges, Qin Sang's heart sank, but he did not retreat.

Following immediately after the Python Banner was an ice mirror.

His external incarnation unleashed a defensive divine ability, constructing a second barrier.

*Boom!*

*Crack, crack, crack...*

The ice mirror was instantly covered in cracks, then shattered.

Before the wind surges struck, his external incarnation raced against time to unleash another divine ability. A chilling mist permeated in front of him, condensing into full-body ice armor, just before he felt a heavy impact.

*Thud!*

A series of explosive sounds erupted from the external incarnation's body. The ice armor shattered, and it was sent flying on the spot.

However, this was all part of Qin Sang's plan.

He swiftly caught his external incarnation.

The second Nascent Soul retreated back into his main body, appearing somewhat dissipated.

Qin Sang retrieved the incarnation's physical body. A flash of light emanated from him, revealing the protective aura of the Ruyi Pearl. Yet, from beginning to end, he had not used the Sun Divine Tree, demonic flames, or sword arrays.

He hadn't seen what happened outside, but he knew for certain it was caused by the monster.

All his actions just now were purely for defense.

The monster was nearby. If he had unleashed his full power, creating too much of a commotion, it would have been detected, leading to even greater danger.

For this reason, Qin Sang didn't hesitate to sacrifice the Python Banner and risk severe injury to his incarnation, all to buy time.

At worst, he would recuperate in the refuge for a few years, arriving in Central State a bit later, which wouldn't have a significant impact.

*Snap!*

This was the sound Qin Sang heard immediately afterward.

As he caught his external incarnation, the giant wave crashed against the protective aura.

The Ruyi Pearl was, after all, a rare Buddhist treasure. Its protective aura lasted a little longer than the ice mirror, but ultimately, it could not escape its fate of shattering.

Although Qin Sang was protected by the aura, he inevitably felt the impact. Fortunately, he also cultivated body refinement; his body merely trembled before quickly stabilizing. Simultaneously, his Thunder Wings flapped rapidly as he rushed towards the island without looking back.

Using the time Qin Sang bought, Liu Li successfully found the entrance to the island's restrictive barrier, guided by the sea map. Without hesitation, she turned and unleashed her Ice Soul Divine Light to assist Qin Sang.

*Crack, crack, crack...*

The forefront of the giant wave was silently frozen.

Although the time was brief, it was enough for Qin Sang to escape.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Qin Sang and Liu Li entered the island almost side by side.

The instant they slipped inside, the giant wave slammed violently against the restrictive barrier. The terrifying energy colliding with it created a breathtaking, suffocating spectacle.

Yet, the small island remained unshaken.

Qin Sang and Liu Li stood on the ground, their faces tense. Seeing this, they exchanged glances, both feeling a sense of surviving a catastrophe.

*Rumble!*

The hurricane roared furiously.

The afterimage cast by the monster was eventually swallowed by the wind wall.

As the aftershocks subsided, a temporary gap was battered open in one section of the wind wall. Through this opening, they vaguely saw a mass of black mist sweeping past within the storm.

Within the black mist, a long, massive tail submerged into the ocean trench. It resembled both a dragon-snake and an alligator's tail, covered entirely in black scales. A row of triangular bone plates, like sharp swords, ran along its spine.

The largest bone plate was comparable to a wall.

It was hard to imagine the true size of the monster's body!

The next moment, the massive tail and black mist swiftly swept past, and the wind wall closed.

This fleeting glimpse left a profound impression on Qin Sang and Liu Li, leaving them silent for a long time.

They had anticipated that unknown creatures might exist within the storm belt.

The world was vast, full of wonders and peculiarities.

If cultivators could practice in areas with stable Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi, then there must be creatures capable of adapting to the storm belt, freely roaming this vast expanse.

As it turned out, they were correct.

However, they never expected that a mere first encounter would give them such a stark and unforgettable warning.

The wind wall closed.

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly could no longer see the black mist or the monster outside.

Yet, Qin Sang continued to gaze in that direction, motionless.

"A fierce beast?" Qin Sang murmured to himself, recalling his experience in the Seven Kills Hall.

Back then, after entering the inner sanctum, he had primarily relied on Senior Qing Zhu's incarnation, Ning Wuhui.

He hadn't had the chance to enter the deepest parts of the Seven Kills Hall, and the fierce beasts he encountered there were far less oppressive than this mysterious, unseen monster. Yet, that particular madness was still vivid in Qin Sang's memory.

This monster seemed somewhat similar.

Unfortunately, they dared not approach the monster to observe it closely.

What was the origin of this monster? What did its full form look like? They had been in the storm belt for ten years, and this was their first encounter. How many more similar monsters were there in the storm belt?

Within the storm belt, various cultivation worlds were even more conspicuous than the refuges. Did these monsters not attack the cultivation worlds? Why were there no records of such encounters?

One question after another surfaced in Qin Sang's mind.

These unsolved mysteries sparked contemplation.

The wind wall gradually returned to calm. Qin Sang believed it wouldn't be long before a new balance was established. The monster hadn't attacked again and had likely already departed.

That earlier strike felt as if the monster had acted on a whim, a casual blow.

Seeing that they were safe, Qin Sang slowly exhaled, sat cross-legged, and summoned his second Nascent Soul. After observing it for a moment, he said with a wry smile, "We might have to stay here for a few years."

Liu Li glanced at Qin Sang's severely injured second Nascent Soul, then after a moment of silence, asked, "Could its lair be nearby?"

"That's precisely my biggest concern," Qin Sang mused. "If this monster is constantly roaming nearby, neither path will be safe. I plan to use this time to heal and thoroughly investigate."

As he spoke, he took out the sea map. If such a powerful monster resided nearby, Xiao Xiangzi would not have failed to mark it.

Either the monster migrated here later, or it was simply passing through.

Qin Sang's gaze traced the refuges on the sea map one by one. Their previous ten years of travel had been slow but remarkably smooth, perhaps making them a bit overly optimistic.

They wondered how many more trials awaited them on the journey ahead.

Subsequently, Qin Sang and Liu Li stayed on the island to heal and cultivate, not venturing out.

For an entire year, the monster did not return.

A year later, Qin Sang cautiously left the island and scouted the nearby area. He found no trace of the monster's lair but did not rush to depart, instead returning to the island to remain hidden.

In this manner, they stayed on the island for a full five years.

His external incarnation's injuries had fully recovered, and they had thoroughly investigated the surroundings of the refuge.

The monster was indeed no longer in the vicinity.

On that day, the divine shuttle flew out from the island, embarking on the next leg of their journey.