Chapter 1585: Farewell Old Friend

He listened to the cultivators nearby discussing. This was the third area Su Zinan had searched. The previous two had yielded no results. Cultivators had gathered on several nearby islands, awaiting the outcome. No one knew what methods Su Zinan was employing.

The distant sea surface swelled high, with seawater continuously draining outwards. Qin Sang flew slightly higher and saw that the raised area was circular, forming a bottomless pit in the center. Inside the pit, multi-colored lights flashed incessantly, and the fluctuations emanating from magic treasures and Daoist techniques were clearly discernible. Several figures floated within the sea pit, a few of whom were clearly central figures. Qin Sang focused his gaze, clearly discerning the appearances of these individuals.

One of them, clad in white robes and a jade belt, appeared dashing and elegant. It was Su Zinan, currently the most prominent figure, whose looks were quite a match for Lunar Concubine.

"That old demon is indeed not Su Zinan," Qin Sang mused, recalling Old Wu. He remembered that the old demon did not have the Underworld Moon Seal on his brow, meaning he wasn't an Underworld Moon Guard. His status within Luye remained unknown.

As his gaze swept over the other individuals, Qin Sang noticed the man standing beside Su Zinan. This man stood silently, emanating an aura of detachment from the world.

"Mo Xingdao, the foremost rogue cultivator of the Northern Wilderness... what is his connection to Luye? As expected of a Deity Transformation lineage, they have at least three Grand Cultivators, both overtly and covertly. Did the old demon not arrive? Or is he concealed, ready to assist Su Zinan?"

Qin Sang observed Mo Xingdao for a moment, then roused his Sky-Eye Butterfly to conduct a covert search, scanning from Su Zinan's immediate vicinity to the outermost crowd of spectators. Qin Sang performed a rough scan but found no one resembling Old Wu.

The setting sun dipped into the sea. As night fell, the radiant light within the sea pit suddenly extinguished. Su Zinan emerged from the pit with a grim expression, followed closely by Mo Xingdao and the others. The seawater receded, returning to its original state. Immediately after, Su Zinan ignored the onlookers and flew directly back to the Chishang Island Chain. As expected, this search also ended in failure.

For over a month afterward, Qin Sang followed Su Zinan as he moved from one location to another. Each time, they embarked with high hopes but returned disheartened. Su Zinan's movements were erratic; he traveled in all directions. After numerous such attempts, Qin Sang couldn't help but wonder if Su Zinan truly had a way to pinpoint the Unrestrained Palace ruins, or if he was deliberately stalling for time.

In recent days, the onlookers had noticeably increased with many Nascent Soul cultivators of unknown origin. Some concealed their auras deliberately, but none could evade Qin Sang's spiritual sense. Since being there didn't impede his cultivation of the 'Fiery Seed Golden Lotus,' Qin Sang decided to continue waiting things out with Su Zinan.

Another half month went by. Qin Sang was in the midst of cultivation when a messenger from the inn reported that Su Zinan had once again left the island. Su Zinan's actions were always ostentatious, saving Qin Sang the trouble of constant vigilance. Qin Sang slowly concluded his cultivation, and the Fiery Lotus Seed receded into his glabella.

Without needing to ask where Su Zinan had gone, Qin Sang stepped out of the inn, looked up, and saw streaks of escape light soaring high in the sky, all heading in the same direction. He followed at a steady pace. He soon realized this time was different from before: Su Zinan had flown southeast at his fastest speed immediately upon leaving the island, his destination exceptionally clear. A thought stirred within Qin Sang, and he accelerated, outpacing most of the other cultivators.

Before long, the cultivators followed Su Zinan to a new sea region. As was his habit, Qin Sang landed on a deserted island and found a vantage point with a clear view. From a distance, he saw Su Zinan and his companions halted on the sea surface, forming a circle as if discussing something.

After a moment, Mo Xingdao and the other Nascent Soul cultivators each received an oddly shaped wooden stake from Su Zinan. They then dispersed in all directions, leaving only one Underworld Moon Guard by Su Zinan's side. The wooden stakes were thigh-thick and only three feet long, with densely carved grooves on their surfaces. Under the sunlight, they reflected an eerie crimson light, as if blood was constantly flowing through the stakes' own veins. Everyone holding a wooden stake formed a circle encompassing an area over ten li wide. Su Zinan was at the exact center, suspended above the sea surface, meditating in mid-air.

Su Zinan's eyes were tightly shut. The others then began to busy themselves. From his distant vantage point, Qin Sang couldn't discern their exact purpose, but it appeared they were setting up a formation. A short while later, Su Zinan let out a low roar, its meaning unclear. Mo Xingdao and the others immediately cast their wooden stakes directly into the sea.

'Thud! Thud! Thud!' Water splashed all around. The stakes pierced the sea surface, mostly submerging, with a portion remaining above the water, hovering motionless.

Concurrently, Su Zinan raised his hands, rapidly forming a hand seal. With a downward press of his palm, a streak of flowing light shot into the sea. The flowing light silently merged with the seawater. Suddenly, the outer wooden stakes underwent a strange transformation. The blood within their grooves began to flow rapidly, emitting a rich crimson glow. The stakes resonated with each other, their crimson lights drawing closer.

'Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!' Crimson light formed lines, connecting all the stakes and creating a complex pattern on the sea surface. As the primary controller of the formation, Su Zinan appeared to be under immense strain. His face flushed, and his upper body swayed slightly. Just as outsiders suspected something had happened to Su Zinan, he suddenly faded and vanished. Simultaneously, a Su Zinan appeared above each of the wooden stakes, flashing before merging into them.

"Activate!"

Accompanied by a loud shout, the wooden stakes all submerged into the seabed. The seawater at the center of the formation turned entirely into dazzling, scarlet blood, as if a crimson gem had been embedded in the ocean.

'Whoosh!' The blood churned and surged, transforming into a thick column of crimson light that shot skyward!

Both Su Zinan's actions and this Bloodwood Formation were vastly different from previous attempts. Any discerning observer could tell that today would bring a significant change! Qin Sang's gaze followed the crimson light, and he immediately witnessed an astonishing sight. The crimson light ascended to a height of a thousand zhang, then abruptly vanished. The Bloodwood Formation continued to operate, the pillar of crimson light flowing continuously, yet only its lower section remained visible. It was as if an invisible, colossal mouth in the void was devouring the crimson light!

Exclamations erupted from all around. Qin Sang stared intently at the point where the crimson light vanished, urging his Sky-Eye Butterfly to fully activate its Sky-Eye divine ability. Initially, he saw nothing; there was no invisible barrier as he had imagined. As the crimson light grew increasingly intense, a change finally occurred: a faint black dot appeared within the light, which then expanded at an astonishing speed. In a flash, the black dot grew to half the size of the crimson light and continued to expand rapidly. Even those without a Sky-Eye Butterfly detected the anomaly within the crimson light. An inexplicable force had torn a large hole in the void, strongly resembling a passage.

"They really found it!""Is it definitely the Unrestrained Palace? When the ruins opened last time, was it like this? Who was present then?""Elder Shen was there at the time! Huh? Where did Elder Shen go?" A clamor arose on the island.

Qin Sang stared at the black hole, his expression grim. The hole was pitch black, and for some inexplicable reason, it filled him with a sense of dread. This feeling intensified as the black hole expanded. Suddenly, a grey aura surged forth from the black hole.

'Boom!' With a deafening, earth-shattering roar, everyone gasped in shock, staring dumbfounded upwards as the grey aura burst from the black hole, displaying incredibly violent power, and fiercely plunged downwards. A grey waterfall appeared in the void. Even from such a distance, everyone could feel the heart-stopping, all-shredding momentum, their hearts pounding in their chests. The grey aura surged downwards. Those within the Bloodwood Formation bore the brunt.

'Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!' Streaks of escape light fled the Bloodwood Formation. Su Zinan and his companions were in disarray, and when they looked back, their faces were etched with lingering fear. The grey aura was clearly an extremely violent turbulence. The Bloodwood Formation was instantly torn to shreds. Now, even the black hole was no longer visible; an endless, chaotic grey aura surged out, filled with immense turbulence, spreading outwards at an astonishing speed. Qin Sang understood why it could flatten a large island.

Witnessing this scene, Qin Sang was reminded of the ascension of the Ziwei Palace in ancient times. Spatial cracks also contained terrifying spatial turbulence. Even with the protection of an Ascension Platform, cultivators needed to be at the late Nascent Soul stage to ensure their safety. Of course, the two types of turbulence were not identical. Qin Sang could clearly sense chaotic restrictive power within the grey aura, most likely caused by the destruction of a spiritual formation or a secret realm. Even Deity Transformation cultivators probably couldn't establish such a spiritual formation; it was at least an ancient immortal formation. The Unrestrained Palace's profound heritage was beyond imagination.

A long time had passed. The Unrestrained Palace had long become a relic of history. Although some ancient texts had recently been unearthed, records concerning it were scarce and not necessarily credible. According to research, during its prime, the Unrestrained Palace was a super-force spanning both the continent and the Eastern Sea, and it was quite possibly jointly governed by both human and demon races. The coexistence of two races within a single power was unimaginable to present-day cultivators. Currently, humans and demons are separated, and the Unrestrained Palace lies in ruins. Fortunately, the Central Continent was vast enough, and the sea between the continent and the Eastern Sea was sufficiently wide and desolate.

A continuous, deafening roar filled the air. In just fifteen minutes, these turbulent currents had covered a vast sea region, and only then did their expansion begin to slow, effectively transforming the area into a storm belt that blotted out the sky. The surrounding sea regions were all affected, with massive waves surging skyward.

Qin Sang activated his protective true essence to withstand the fierce winds, then shifted his gaze toward Su Zinan and his group at the edge of the turbulence. Su Zinan's face was somewhat pale; fortunately, he had escaped quickly and hadn't been directly impacted. He channeled his true essence, his voice cutting through the storm, "Which fellow Daoist is willing to help me enter the Unrestrained Palace? My previous promises remain valid!"

Silence fell over the distant observers. A moment later, someone loudly retorted, "Fellow Daoist Su intends to pass through these turbulent currents and enter the deepest reaches?"

Su Zinan's reply was unexpected: "I do not know much about the Unrestrained Palace. Whether it lies deep within these turbulent currents can only be determined once we enter." A stir went through the crowd upon hearing his words. Given the precedents of the Eight Sceneries Temple and the Ganlu Zen Monastery, common sense dictated that, since both sects had returned defeated, no one with self-preservation instincts would accompany Su Zinan on such a perilous venture, lest they repeat the same mistakes. However, Su Zinan's ability to quickly locate the Unrestrained Palace, coupled with the distinctly unusual Bloodwood Formation, suggested he possessed some unknown secrets. Everyone was weighing the potential gains and losses, and for a moment, no one responded.

Su Zinan shook his head. Just as he was about to lead his group into the turbulent currents, someone else loudly inquired, "Fellow Daoist Su, could you tell us your purpose in entering the Unrestrained Palace? Since you claim to forgo all treasures, you aren't going there for treasure hunting, are you?"

Su Zinan remained silent for a moment before finally stating, "To find someone!"

To find someone! This declaration caused an uproar among the crowd. Rumors of Deity Transformation cultivators being trapped within the Unrestrained Palace had long circulated, first involving the Eight Sceneries Temple and the Ganlu Zen Monastery, and now Su Zinan had arrived.

"Who is it?" Someone immediately pressed for details.

Su Zinan scanned his surroundings, but failed to locate the speaker. He remained cold and silent for a moment, then stated gravely, "I will wait for ten more breaths!"

Nine breaths passed in a flash. Just as the last breath was about to expire, a streak of escape light illuminated a distant island. An elder with white hair and beard flew before Su Zinan, nodding as he declared, "I shall accompany Fellow Daoist Su!"

Su Zinan was overjoyed. He scrutinized the elder and exclaimed in surprise, "Is Your Excellency the Master of the Weeping Spirit Cave?"

The elder chuckled, "I hadn't expected Fellow Daoist Su to be familiar with my humble name. I am honored."

"Cave Master is too modest," Su Zinan replied. "Who in the Southern Continent does not know of the Weeping Spirit Cave Master? It is truly my honor to finally meet you in person!"

Seeing that no one else responded apart from the Weeping Spirit Cave Master, Su Zinan no longer hesitated and led his team into the turbulent currents. No sooner had they entered than various streaks of escape light flashed across the islands. These cultivators flew closer to the turbulent currents, assessed their power, and the vast majority halted, deterred. In such a place, Golden Core cultivators would likely not get far; they wouldn't acquire treasures and would instead forfeit their lives. However, the commotion caused by Su Zinan was immense, attracting a considerable number of Nascent Soul cultivators. Some arrived alone, while others came in small groups.

Qin Sang entered the turbulent currents alone. He chose not to accompany Su Zinan. To deal with Old Wu back then, he had employed his sword formation, demonic fire, and the Solar Divine Tree. Since these were known to the opponent, it would be impossible to conceal them if he encountered danger inside. At that point, he would face a pincer attack from three Grand Cultivators, making the effort futile. Furthermore, Qin Sang had a faint suspicion that Su Zinan's true objective wasn't simple. If Old Demon Lu were indeed trapped in the Unrestrained Palace, it would contradict Lunar Concubine's account. It was still necessary to investigate further.

Qin Sang flashed and entered the turbulent currents. At the outermost periphery, it was relatively easy to evade the impact of the turbulent currents by dodging. However, the currents changed very quickly; not far within, they became extremely dense, requiring one to withstand them head-on. Qin Sang activated the Ruyi Orb, projecting an aura shield to protect himself. His Sky-Eye Butterfly observed the surroundings for him. Traces of other cultivators were visible on both sides. Their direction mirrored Qin Sang's; all sought to follow Su Zinan. Qin Sang disregarded the others, instructing his Sky-Eye Butterfly to fully activate its Sky-Eye ability, remotely locking onto Su Zinan's direction of travel.

He had not traveled far like this when Qin Sang's figure suddenly halted. Though seemingly nothing was around him, at that instant, he inexplicably felt a change, as if he had entered a different space.

'Whoosh!' Suddenly, several turbulent currents assailed him simultaneously. Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly as he was simultaneously struck by several chaotic forces. Continuous resonating sounds erupted, and his aura shield vibrated, flickering unsteadily. Qin Sang quickly increased his true essence to stabilize the aura shield.

"Hiss... I haven't even entered properly, and the power of the turbulent currents is already this strong! Early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, without sufficiently powerful protective divine abilities, would be forced to stop here."

Qin Sang prepared himself and continued forward, noticing that the cultivator to his left had indeed failed to keep up. Pressing further, progress became incredibly difficult with every step, and more and more individuals began to fall behind. They could only remain in the vicinity, hoping to make a discovery. Qin Sang's expression grew increasingly solemn. He had previously inquired about the scene when the ruins last opened near the Chishang Island Chain. While the power of the outermost turbulent currents then was also considerable, it had not been to this extent.