Chapter 1527: Civilization

Nine years later.

The Divine Shuttle sped lonely through the storm, tireless yet with no end in sight.

After surviving the ordeal of the fierce beast, Qin Sang and Liu Li became even more cautious and exhausted than before, and their rest periods grew longer.

Furthermore, an idea began to form in Qin Sang's mind. If living beings could survive within the storm zone, then were there other unknown entities?

With this thought in mind, whenever he had leisure, Qin Sang would circle around each refuge. His actions meant that even if he did make a discovery, the likely outcome wouldn't be a fortuitous encounter, but rather danger.

Given Qin Sang's nature, every adventurous move was carefully considered, with gains and losses weighed beforehand; he wouldn't undertake something with virtually no benefit. Yet, he remained tirelessly engrossed. It wasn't a pursuit of serendipitous encounters; it stemmed from a thirst for knowledge, a craving for the unknown in the mysterious world!

Within the vast and boundless storm zone, the extent Qin Sang could explore was minuscule, akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. In fact, he truly didn't make any new discoveries, nor did he even encounter a second fierce beast.

Inside the Divine Shuttle, Qin Sang awoke from his meditation and put away the demonic banner in his palm. More than twenty years of arduous effort had not been in vain; Qin Sang's energy was almost entirely devoted to the "Golden Lotus of Fiery Seed." Within his Violet Mansion, the fire lotus had noticeably grown larger, appearing even more profound. Originally shaped like a fire lotus seed, it was now gradually outlining the silhouette of a black lotus.

"How much longer?" Qin Sang blurted out, asking Liu Li, who was controlling the Divine Shuttle.

In truth, the sea chart was right there in front, visible at a glance. Liu Li hadn't woken him, indicating that everything had gone smoothly during the journey. Based on the duration of his cultivation, he could largely determine the Divine Shuttle's current position. Nevertheless, Qin Sang habitually asked Liu Li, simply to make conversation. If he didn't initiate conversation, he believed Liu Li could easily maintain silence for a hundred years. He wondered if her temperament was innate or formed after experiencing profound changes.

"One hour." Liu Li parted her vermilion lips slightly, still sparing with her words as if they were gold.

Progress! Qin Sang secretly nodded. In the past, Liu Li would only answer questions she deemed meaningful, likely just pointing on the sea chart at most. Now, she could verbally respond.

An hour later, they didn't arrive at Middle State, but at the next refuge. Qin Sang didn't re-enter meditation. He took over the Divine Shuttle, allowing Liu Li to rest. The scenery was monotonous, and they had long grown weary of it. Qin Sang, bored, piloted the Divine Shuttle, his mind wandering to what the next refuge might look like and what surprises it might hold. Throughout their journey, the various refuges had truly broadened his horizons.

In the blink of an eye, an hour passed, and the refuge was in sight. Qin Sang reined in his scattered thoughts and gazed ahead. Liu Li, feeling something, also opened her eyes. The Divine Shuttle sped on, and the storm ahead gradually thinned. Immediately after, their vision suddenly broadened, and the sight of the refuge was unveiled directly before them, without any obstruction.

Qin Sang and Liu Li froze instantly!

Azure sea and blue sky. Boundless!

A peculiar barrier separated the inside and outside into two utterly distinct worlds. One chaotic, the other serene. Within the barrier, although still affected by the storm zone with continuous gales and downpours, neither the intensity nor the degree of chaos was comparable to the storm zone; it could truly be called a pure land!

They were all too familiar with this sight. Any cultivator who had visited the borderlands between the cultivation world and the storm zone would not find it unfamiliar. Qin Sang and Liu Li exchanged glances, both showing surprise and confusion in their eyes, and concurrently looked at the sea chart.

So vast! So serene!

Could it be a cultivation world ahead? Why was there no special marking on the sea chart? Throughout their journey, the sea chart had been flawless.

'Swish!'

The Divine Shuttle effortlessly flew out of the storm zone and entered this blue-sky-covered realm. It was as if all chaos had been stripped away from them, and the long-lost feeling brought a strange sense of relaxation to both.

"Is this really a cultivation world?"

Filled with doubts, Qin Sang gazed as far as he could, discovering that this realm was far vaster than he had imagined; the largest refuge they had previously encountered was merely a mountain range. Something unusual implies something ominous.

Qin Sang cautiously stopped the Divine Shuttle and mused, "Let's travel on foot first and figure out exactly what kind of place this is. There might be cultivators here." Traveling on foot would make it easier to conceal their tracks.

The two immediately left the Divine Shuttle, activated their movement techniques, and glided across the sea surface, moving steadily and unhurriedly forward. Qin Sang extended his spiritual sense beneath the sea surface and indeed discovered traces of fish and shrimp, enough to prove the presence of life. This place was distinctly different from those lifeless refuges.

After flying for a while, a dark silhouette appeared on the horizon; without surprise, it seemed to be an island. From afar, they could see the island's greenery and birds flitting through the trees. The two slowed their pace, concealed their presence, and approached the island.

Qin Sang didn't sense any special auras. He landed on the island, surveyed it, and found no cultivators, but he did discover some unusual traces in a jungle.

"This was once a human settlement." Liu Li landed between two large trees and stated with certainty. She swept away weeds and withered vines with a flick of her sleeve, revealing a section of a damaged stone wall. She also unearthed pottery and other artifacts from beneath the soil, clearly signs of intelligent beings. However, judging by the desolate scenery, these ruins were from who knew how many years ago.

"There were indeed people here! At least intelligent beings!" Qin Sang said in a deep voice. This single discovery alone distinguished this place from those other refuges.

The two paused briefly, then continued their journey, finding several more islands. After careful searching, they discovered more suspected human settlement ruins, but without exception, they were all buried beneath lush jungles, eroded by time, and almost integrated with nature. They found birds, beasts, fish, and insects here—a vibrant natural balance—yet no humans were to be seen!

These islands were some distance from the storm zone, little affected by it. For mortals, the island's resources were abundant, so why were they completely abandoned? Their doubts deepened, and they accelerated their pace.

"We've reached land!" Qin Sang said softly.

Another shadow appeared on the horizon, but unlike before, its ends were invisible, far beyond the scale of the previous islands. However, their feelings grew even stranger. Even if the people here were extremely fastidious, they couldn't have abandoned such a vast continent, could they? Yet, the islands at the continent's edge were just like the previous ones, seeming to have been abandoned for thousands or tens of thousands of years, utterly uninhabited—it was simply illogical.

Inferring from various signs, Qin Sang and Liu Li considered a possibility, and their expressions grew increasingly solemn.

'Whoosh! Whoosh!'

They darted across the sea surface and landed on the continent. From their elevated position, their vision encompassed an endless green carpet.

On the land, mountains undulated, and peaks rose majestically. Rivers surged, and a hundred streams flowed into the sea. Birds sang and flowers bloomed, while wild beasts roamed freely.

Beneath the breathtaking scenery, another kind of desolation lay hidden. Near the coast and along the rivers, in these incredibly fertile places, they couldn't find a single city, village, or human figure!

"The spiritual energy here is very sparse," Liu Li surveyed her surroundings and mentioned her discovery.

Qin Sang nodded, adding, "No cultivators, no demonic beasts—these are understandable. But where did the humans who originally lived here go?"

As he spoke, Qin Sang's figure suddenly plunged, landing at the confluence of mountains and rivers, a fertile plain. As expected, there were indeed ruins nearby! Qin Sang circled the ruins and was surprised to discover that this place was originally a city, an impressive one by mortal standards. Even the capital of the Great Sui Empire was no more impressive! The wooden buildings within the city had long since decayed, but many traces remained, including some stone-built city walls and stone structures. Naturally, this ruin was no exception; most of it was buried in soil, and the exposed parts were overgrown with wild grass and tangled vines, severely weathered.

Qin Sang attempted to find traces of war but found none, so he expanded his search area. Soon after, they found ruins of other cities. The ease with which they found them indicated how densely populated these cities once were, allowing one to imagine their former prosperity. But all had become history.

They no longer limited themselves to investigating mortal ruins; they began searching for traces of cultivators, observing geomancy, following spiritual energy fluctuations, and investigating spiritual veins. Gradually, they delved deeper into the continent. The two weren't actively searching, but later found many more city ruins. As they ventured deeper, they finally sensed a place in this barren land that was still decent for low-level cultivators. This was already deep within the continent. All nearby spiritual veins converged in one direction; the chance of this being naturally formed was minuscule. It was highly likely that spiritual veins had been artificially relocated to create this!

Their spirits lifted, and they quickened their pace, tracing back to the source. Soon, a mountain range came into view, like a coiled dragon, gathering wind and qi—truly a place of spiritual beauty. Qin Sang and Liu Li paused slightly, staring intently at the mountain range's highest peak. This peak was towering and perilous, the highest they had seen. Most peculiar was that a tall stone tablet stood atop the mountain, the most striking object in the area.

'Swish!'

Qin Sang and Liu Li landed before the stone tablet. The stone tablet bore inscriptions, with powerful, elegant strokes. Qin Sang waved his hand, tearing away the vines covering the stone tablet. Upon seeing its full appearance, his figure instantly froze like a statue.

"Here, once was a civilization."

Simple characters, a plain tone. What Qin Sang felt, however, was extreme sorrow. His mind felt as if struck by a heavy hammer, and fleeting images of those ruins flashed through his mind, almost freezing his breath.

Here once was a civilization, incredibly prosperous. Now, that civilization... has become extinct!

Within the jungles, beneath the yellow soil, lay buried the only remaining traces of this civilization. The wind on the mountaintop was fierce, cutting across their faces like knives. Qin Sang stood still, unable to speak for a long time.

The stone tablet. He wondered if it was the last testament of this civilization, or a tombstone erected for this civilization by passersby like themselves.

When he learned that the entire world was an endless storm zone, and that their cultivation world was only protected from destruction by an outer barrier, a thought involuntarily arose in Qin Sang's mind: How utterly despairing it would be on the day the barrier broke! The barrier here hadn't been destroyed, yet the civilization had perished for some unknown reason. Cultivators like them, who had reached the Nascent Soul stage, seemingly stood at the pinnacle of the world. In reality, they still lacked the ability to escape their cage. How much different were they from the civilization trapped and destroyed here? No imagination could compare to the shock of witnessing the reality firsthand.

"Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles." Indeed, it is true.

"Hoo..."

After a long while, Qin Sang exhaled the pent-up breath in his chest and looked at Liu Li. Liu Li gazed at the stone tablet, her lips tightly pressed together. Having spent many years together, Qin Sang understood Liu Li's temperament. This expression only appeared when she was making a crucial decision or when her emotions were deeply stirred.

Qin Sang bowed respectfully to the stone tablet and said softly, "I'll go look elsewhere."

There were indeed suspected traces of cultivators nearby. Presumably, the cultivators here wouldn't have been too powerful; any restrictions they left behind couldn't have lasted this long. Moreover, there must have been other travelers who arrived earlier than them, and anything of value would have been taken. Qin Sang circled around, but regrettably found no other records. Why the civilization perished remained a mystery.

Qin Sang returned to the stone tablet. Liu Li's expression had already returned to normal, and she also bowed deeply to the tablet. The two silently set off. Their dynamic had always been like this, but this time, the atmosphere was even heavier than before. Even with their temperament, it would take some time to process.

This was the smallest and most barren cultivation world Qin Sang had ever seen. They explored every corner, but ultimately found no one. They found nothing. Neither of them wanted to stay here any longer.

On a deserted island, the two stopped to rest. They hadn't engaged in combat, yet they were more exhausted than ever. Qin Sang briefly adjusted his breathing, opened his corpse puppet bag, summoned Dumb Aunt, habitually checked her condition, and helped her activate the bone curse and regulate her qi and blood.

After finishing these tasks, Qin Sang noticed Liu Li had woken up at some point and was watching him. Liu Li hesitated for a moment, then softly asked, "Is she... your Dao companion?"

Having spent over twenty years together day and night, Liu Li had seen Dumb Aunt long ago, yet this was the first time she had asked about her. Qin Sang smiled, placed Dumb Aunt back into the corpse puppet bag, shielding her five senses, and then said, "Her name is Jin Liuying. She showed me kindness, and I originally intended to sever our karmic ties, but unexpectedly, she was implicated by me and suffered a calamity..."

Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the ground, recalling his initial experiences in the Canglang Sea, and recounted in detail his story with Dumb Aunt to Liu Li. Liu Li sat upright, listening attentively.

"Initially, out of righteousness and guilt, I vowed to do everything to save her. But later, I discovered the Heavenly Corpse Talisman was not so simple. I collected all sorts of corpse cultivation methods, tried every possible way, yet was helpless, leading to this long delay. To be honest, I never expected her to persevere until now; it defies common sense. I can feel her painful struggles in the darkness, on the verge of being lost, desperately clinging to every fragile straw of hope. It's hard to imagine what kind of conviction, what immense strength, allowed a young girl, who was only at the Qi Refining stage back then, to persevere until now—and even save me once during that time..."

Qin Sang sighed, gently caressing the corpse puppet bag, and said with determination, "If she is still fighting for her life, how can I give up? As long as she persists, I will spare no effort to find a way to revive her! I hope this journey to Middle State brings a turning point. After we enter Middle State, I hope you, Immortal Master, will help me keep an eye out for traces of the Ghost Mother."

While listening to the story, Liu Li had remained very quiet, seemingly engrossed. Her eyelashes trembled slightly as Liu Li gently raised her eyes, letting her gaze linger on Qin Sang's face.

She nodded heavily.

"Okay!"