Chapter 1528: East Sea Ruins

To Qin Sang's surprise, after hearing his story, Liu Li reciprocated by sharing the tale of her and her master.

Perhaps suppressed for too long and deeply affected by the monument to the lost civilization, Liu Li felt an urge to confide for the first time. Qin Sang was the only one present, and perhaps the most suitable confidant. After all, too many unexpected entanglements had occurred between them. From another perspective, Qin Sang understood her best, even more so than her own master, Bing Yao.

After Bing Yao became trapped in Ziwei Palace, almost every significant turning point in Liu Li's life involved Qin Sang, who was always deeply involved.

Qin Sang listened quietly. When speaking of her master, Liu Li's gaze softened, a rare sight. She clasped her arms around her knees, and a hint of girlish innocence appeared on her face. Her story was a familiar one.

It was the story of a homeless beggar girl, whose family had fallen on hard times. Her natural beauty, ironically, became a burden, leading her to smear mud on her face from a young age to conceal it. At her most desperate, she finally met her savior: Bing Yao, who descended like a deity, took her small hand, pulled her out of the mire, and introduced her to a wondrous, fantastical world. This person showed her what happiness truly felt like for the first time.

She learned that even a winter night could be warm.

From then on, Bing Yao became the most important person in her life, like a master and a mother. However, good times never lasted long. She was destined for a difficult life.

When Bing Yao became trapped, Liu Li, who was only in the Qi Condensation stage at the time, shouldered the mission to rescue her master. Relying on others was a bitter experience. Even though the Earl of Dongyang had not yet shown his true colors back then, Liu Li, having already experienced the harshness of human nature, knew he had ulterior motives, but she had no other choice.

Qin Sang was already familiar with the subsequent events.

Qin Sang listened quietly until the end. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed Liu Li had straightened her back, and the gentleness in her expression had vanished, as if it had been an illusion. Qin Sang understood: she didn't need comfort.

After leaving, Qin Sang often sighed whenever he recalled this cultivation world, where an entire civilization lay buried.

Although the turmoil in their hearts gradually subsided with time, the feelings they experienced the moment they learned of the civilization's demise remained deeply etched in their minds. They couldn't help but wonder how many similar civilizations had silently vanished within the boundless storm belt, and how many more were still struggling on the brink of extinction.

Fortunately, this was the only anomaly on the entire sea chart; all other locations were normal shelters.

After another thirteen years of travel, they were finally about to reach Central State!

They successfully located the last shelter: a reef hidden deep underwater, riddled with holes that the turbulent currents couldn't penetrate, making it a suitable refuge.

The Divine Shuttle entered the largest opening. Qin Sang appeared, his expression filled with joy.

By their reckoning, they had been in the storm belt for thirty-seven years. Even subtracting the five years his avatar spent healing, it still amounted to thirty-two years. When they first set out, neither of them had imagined the journey itself would take so long.

"Let's gather our strength, then head straight to Central State!" Qin Sang patted the sea chart in his hand, full of vigor.

The mysterious Central State was finally about to reveal itself!

A flicker of anticipation appeared in Liu Li's eyes. She nodded gently, then suddenly remembered something. She produced the Four-Riding Tengshe Seal and said, "I've comprehended the latter half of the 'Tongbao Art.' I should return the spirit seal to you."

While cultivating in the storm belt was difficult, Qin Sang focused on practicing the 'Golden Lotus of Fire Seed,' while Liu Li concentrated on comprehending the new Ice Soul Divine Light and refining her spirit treasures. The Four-Riding Tengshe Seal had always been close to Liu Li, and she quickly gained its recognition, becoming its master.

After years of continuous refinement, the complete 'Tongbao Art' appeared in her mind once she truly mastered the spirit seal.

"No need to rush," Qin Sang said, shaking his head to stop Liu Li. "We'll be in Central State soon. We don't know what complications might arise when we search for the Buddha relic. Cultivating the 'Tongbao Art' isn't something that can be achieved overnight. It's better for the spirit seal to remain with you, Fairy, so it can exert its full power and help us handle any unexpected situations."

Liu Li considered this, then put away the spirit seal. "Alright," she agreed. "I'll return the spirit seal to you once we find the Buddha relic." She showed no hint of covetousness.

This esteemed spirit treasure seemed like a hot potato to her; she didn't want to hold onto it for a moment longer than necessary.

Central State was just ahead. Both of them were eager to proceed. After recovering their true essence and ensuring their vitality was at its peak, they decided to depart immediately.

*Whoosh!* The Divine Shuttle broke through the ocean surface.

Liu Li and the avatar continued to take turns controlling it.

Initially, everything proceeded smoothly.

However, after they had flown halfway, Qin Sang began to feel something was amiss. The storms here showed a tendency to intensify, and faint rumbling thunder could be heard in the distance, carried by the winds.

Wind and thunder had always accompanied each other. Thunderstorms were common in the storm belt. They had even encountered a lightning swamp once, its might comparable to a heavenly tribulation. Lightning continuously struck the same area, transforming a vast expanse of sea into a silvery-white lightning swamp. Even hurricanes couldn't penetrate this lightning swamp, which was marked as 'extremely dangerous' by Xiaoxiangzi. Since there were no nearby shelters, they didn't dare approach, stopping the Divine Shuttle to observe from afar for a while before leaving.

But the thunder here was strange. Even from such a distance, they felt a sense of oppression.

It sounded less like actual thunderclaps and more like the roars of some kind of creature, one after another.

"Could it be..." Qin Sang's face darkened.

They had traveled through the storm belt for years and encountered fierce beasts only once, so they had assumed such creatures were rare. It was unexpected for one to appear so close to Central State. How could there be fierce beasts near Central State?

There was no prior record of fierce beasts attacking the Northern Sea, leading Qin Sang to deduce that the barrier might not only repel storms but also drive away fierce beasts. Had his assumption just been proven wrong so quickly?

Qin Sang and Liu Li exchanged a look, filled with apprehension and uncertainty.

Just as they hesitated, the thunder became clearer. That familiar sense of frenzy, after so many years, had reappeared!

"Fierce beast!" Qin Sang gnashed out the words, no longer in doubt.

At that moment, the thunder grew more rapid, clearer with each boom, and closer! "It's spotted us!" Liu Li's expression turned grim.

At a time like this, they couldn't afford to be complacent and assume it was just a passing fierce beast, as had happened before.

Qin Sang quickly composed himself, his thoughts racing. "According to our plan, we split up!" he said swiftly. "If we get separated too far, we'll meet at Mount Jiujia once we reach Central State! Our secondary meeting point is the White Lotus Pure Land." As he spoke, he grabbed the Moon-Gazing Rhino Horn, retracted his external avatar, and escaped the Ten Directions Earth-Splitting Divine Shuttle.

Their knowledge of Central State was limited to fragments of information from Xiaoxiangzi. They weren't sure where they would eventually land. Since the location of the Buddha relic was not easy to find, Qin Sang could only select two well-known place names from the jade slip.

Mount Jiujia was not a sect or a power.

In Xiaoxiangzi's records, it was one of the holy sites of Central State's Buddhist sect, and a few words were enough to convey its grandeur. Such a sacred place, even if unexpectedly destroyed, would surely be steeped in legends. With patient inquiry, its location could certainly be ascertained.

If Mount Jiujia had indeed vanished, the White Lotus Pure Land would serve as a backup. As a top Buddhist power of its time, legends about the White Lotus Pure Land were certainly still circulated.

*Boom...* A hurricane surged towards him.

Qin Sang nimbly dodged, glanced back at the Divine Shuttle, nodded in farewell, and then activated his Thunder Wings to soar away, heading in the opposite direction from the fierce beast.

Liu Li watched Qin Sang leave without trying to stop him or showing any hesitation. This was the best method they had discussed previously for encountering a fierce beast. She wasn't skilled in evasion techniques; following Qin Sang would only be a hindrance. It was better for Qin Sang to lure and escape the beast while she seized the opportunity to get away and wait for him ahead.

After watching Qin Sang's figure disappear into the depths of the darkness, Liu Li suppressed the Divine Shuttle's fluctuations and departed from the troubled area. Soon, she determined from the 'thunder' that the fierce beast was moving further away, evidently having been drawn away by Qin Sang.

Meanwhile, Qin Sang deliberately created a commotion, fully employing his lightning escape technique to ensure the fierce beast's attention was drawn to him, allowing it to overlook Liu Li. He then began to observe the surrounding storm changes, looking for a place that could help him escape, similar to the wind walls or lightning swamps he had encountered before. The power didn't need to rival those; Qin Sang only needed the hurricane to be fierce enough to conceal his presence. All signs indicated that while the fierce beast was powerful, its mad nature and reliance on instinct made it exploitable.

The storm belt was ever-changing. Such places were not common, but with patient searching, they could certainly be found. Qin Sang was very familiar with the storm belt and could discern things from various signs.

As a last resort, there was one more option: use this opportunity to verify if the cultivation world's barrier could repel fierce beasts.

Furthermore, if fierce beasts were roaming near the cultivation world, shouldn't Central State's powers have noticed and prepared? Of course, Qin Sang didn't want to resort to this unless he had no other choice; if the barrier proved ineffective against fierce beasts, introducing one into the cultivation world would cause a terrible disaster.

The roar was like thunder. As the hurricane carried the sound to his ears, Qin Sang felt a chilling sensation, as if his blood and qi were congealing. This was due to the difference in their cultivation ranks!

"Is it a God Transformation stage beast?" Qin Sang was inwardly horrified.

Their last fleeting glimpse, obstructed by a wind wall, hadn't given them a chance to directly gauge the fierce beast's strength. He didn't know which of these two beasts was stronger or weaker.

"Roar! Roar!" The fierce beast sensed the tempting blood-prey, and its roars became more urgent.

Qin Sang dared not pause for a moment, pushing his evasion technique to its limit. Judging by its cries, the beast's speed, though fast, wasn't yet despair-inducing. For Qin Sang, this was undoubtedly good news.

He remained calm and composed, his gaze darting around. The seemingly chaotic storm, in his eyes, held a discernible pattern.

Gradually, Qin Sang detected something unusual in the fierce beast's roars. Amidst its frenzied cries, there seemed to be a hint of hesitation.

Qin Sang realized something. His current flight direction was still inadvertently bringing him closer to Central State.

Could it be true, as he had suspected, that the cultivation world's barrier could repel fierce beasts, making them fearful or averse to it? The fierce beast's speed wasn't as fast as anticipated because it was unwilling to approach the cultivation world.

With a sudden thought, Qin Sang immediately changed direction, heading directly towards Central State!

In an unknown part of the storm belt, there was a small island.

The island hung in isolation, surrounded on all sides by hurricanes. Above the island, runes flickered intermittently, forming a solid and highly mysterious barrier.

The island was brightly lit, and several figures sat cross-legged, all clad in Taoist robes, exuding an air of immortality. They were all seated around a square cauldron.

Inside the square cauldron was a dark, fist-sized object that occasionally flickered with red sparks. A strange aroma diffused outwards with wisps of smoke.

The smoke dissipated as it entered the storm belt, rendering the aroma almost imperceptible, yet it spread deeper into the belt. Any being with extremely keen senses would be drawn to the scent.

"With the addition of the Buddhist Vajra Demon Subduing Formation this time, we shouldn't suffer such a crushing defeat as before, right?" a Taoist priest wearing a carefree headscarf and a beard that reached his knees mused aloud, staring at the square cauldron and toying with an ancient bronze coin with a square hole.

His words triggered unpleasant memories in the others, whose expressions varied, faintly showing fear. One person nearby sighed, "Not to mention the precious time we've wasted waiting here for a fierce beast to take the bait, the beast is so ferocious that it's impossible for a few of us, by any means, to subdue it. We'll only vary in how quickly we're defeated. I truly don't understand why the Grand Elder would make us do such a thankless task."

"Indeed!" another chimed in. "Only if the Grand Elder acts personally, or if we announce it to the Taoist sects and unite various factions, would there be a glimmer of hope. But the Grand Elder..."

When mentioning the Grand Elder, their tone was extremely respectful, yet subtly resentful. "Watch your words!" The only purple-robed elder among them opened his eyes, purple lightning faintly flickering in his pupils, exuding an aura of authority without needing to rage.

The person looked startled and immediately fell silent, like a cicada in cold weather.

The long-bearded Taoist, unafraid of the purple-robed elder, let his lips curl slightly and smiled at the others. "It is said that the fierce beast originally resided in the legendary East Sea's Guixu, but now it has left its lair and roams freely. This has never happened before." He paused, then said gravely, "To its east, untold billions of miles away, lies a great chasm, truly a bottomless valley known as Guixu. The waters of the eight cardinal directions and nine wildlands, and the currents of the Milky Way, all flow into it without increasing or decreasing. It never overflows, nor does it ever run dry... Are none of you fellow disciples curious about what drastic changes have occurred in the East Sea's Guixu?"

"Who among us has ever been to Guixu?" a female Taoist priestess remarked with a sigh, her expression hinting at worry. "There are many conflicting accounts about the East Sea's Guixu, the lair of fierce beasts. My only wish is that these drastic changes don't affect Central State. First fierce beasts, then what other dreadful creatures will appear? It's perilous! Truly perilous!"

"At least the barrier remains strong, capable of repelling fierce beasts and keeping them from approaching," the long-bearded Taoist said optimistically. "If the day truly comes when the barrier collapses and Central State is destroyed, we would likely have already ascended. Capturing a fierce beast might turn legends into reality—couldn't this be an opportunity? The Grand Elder must have a deeper meaning in instructing us to hunt this beast. When the time is right, he will surely take action."

Just then, a rapid ringing sound suddenly echoed from the purple-robed elder's waist. *Dong dong dong...* The bell rang like a drum, interrupting everyone's debate.

Everyone's gaze was instantly drawn to him, and their expressions became extremely serious. The purple-robed elder took off his bell.

The bell was entirely black, inscribed with cloud and thunder patterns. With each vibration, faint wisps of cloud energy pulsed from its surface, then merged back into the bell in an endless cycle. This treasure served as an alarm.

"The fierce beast is approaching!" The purple-robed elder rose to his feet and commanded in a low voice, "Form ranks!"