Chapter 1596: 引魄镜

The thousand-zhang colossal alligator disintegrated, finally transforming into a scorching white light that flew back into its bone.

Qin Sang activated his True Essence and reached out to grasp the alligator bone. The bone vibrated continuously in his hand. The immense force gave Qin Sang the illusion that he was holding a fierce beast struggling against him.

Qin Sang sent a wisp of his spiritual sense into the alligator bone, perceiving an extremely chaotic power within it, but no independent consciousness. He was at a loss as to how to manipulate it. This surprised Qin Sang; he wondered how the alligator demon had managed to activate the bone.

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Sang unleashed several strands of Nine Nether Demonic Fire, forming a net of flames over the alligator bone to barely suppress its power. He then rolled up the remaining corpse and fled into the deep mountains.

He hadn't flown far when a shadow suddenly appeared in the forest, trailing behind Qin Sang. The thin silhouette moved among the treetops, as light as nothing, carefully maintaining a distance from Qin Sang.

Within the shadow was a person—the mysterious individual who had just cut off the alligator demon's escape route, and also the one who had exposed the identity of the puppet crystal and the puppet at the exchange fair.

Without looking back, Qin Sang continued to fly, asking in a calm voice, "Is Su Zinan looking for me?"

The center of the shadow subtly rippled, vaguely revealing a human outline. "Does fellow Daoist not know? I once heard that Su Zinan is searching for a mysterious individual who can control strange spiritual flames, claiming that his senior was harmed by this person, incurring a blood feud of life and death, an irreconcilable enmity! I initially thought it was nonsense, just Su Zinan spouting baseless claims. But seeing fellow Daoist today, I now realize there truly are such low-profile masters in this world..."

Suddenly, a silver flash flickered within the shadow, followed by a Humph. "Fellow Daoist's divine abilities are indeed extraordinary. However, I just witnessed the alligator demon's tragic end with my own eyes, so please don't use the same methods on me!"

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. He commanded his Heavenly Eye Butterfly to retract its divine ability and cease spying on the other party. The Heavenly Eye's divine ability was blocked by the opponent's silver cloak, preventing Qin Sang from seeing their true face.

Exposed outright, Qin Sang showed no shame. He said with a hint of sarcasm, "With the Soul Transformation cultivators gone, what do you still fear from Luye?"

He felt puzzled. In the Battle of the Snowfield, only Consort Yue 'died'. If Su Zinan claimed to be avenging his beloved consort, it would be understandable. But Elder Wu was merely forced back by him and is now alive and well. How could Su Zinan's senior have been harmed by him?

There was only one explanation: Su Zinan highly valued the Water Element Lord's relics and was using this as an excuse to hunt him down.

"Are they truly gone?" The person in the shadow did not dwell on the previous unpleasantness. After a moment of silence, they asked back with an inexplicable tone.

Qin Sang couldn't answer. All signs in the cultivation world, as well as the hints Consort Yue gave him, indicated that the Soul Transformation cultivators had most likely disappeared. However, there had never been conclusive evidence: why did they disappear, and where did they go? Were they truly trapped in the Hall of No Return? What kind of restriction could imprison those Soul Transformation cultivators for hundreds of years, leaving them with no way out?

Qin Sang felt a gaze fall upon the demon core in his hand.

"It's highly unusual for transformed great demons to enter the Central Plains together. Let's ask them what they're looking for. If I'm not mistaken, the demon race also has a Saint King!"

Qin Sang nodded, saying, "Alright!"

The two silently flew for a while, distancing themselves from Tianzhong Prefecture, until they landed on an uninhabited barren mountain. Qin Sang took out the demon core, using both threats and inducements. Unexpectedly, the alligator demon was extremely tenacious, even almost finding an opportunity to self-destruct.

Ultimately, unwilling to waste time, the two decided to perform soul-searching together. The higher a cultivator's cultivation level, the harder it is to perform soul-searching, and the same applies to demons. Although both Qin Sang and the person in the shadow had higher cultivation levels than the alligator demon, and Qin Sang's spiritual sense was exceptional, the soul-searching process was still extremely difficult. They could only glimpse fragmented memories.

The alligator demon's spirit essence dissipated. Fortunately, they obtained what they sought.

It wasn't just these three demons who entered the Central Plains; other great demons had also dispersed into the human cultivation world. They even intended to jointly dismantle this exchange fair. The Saint King's Palace had now split. They were once subordinates of the demon race's Saint King, and their purpose in coming here was to find the Saint King's whereabouts!

The demon race's Saint King had also disappeared! Before the demon race's Saint King disappeared, human cultivators had visited the Saint King's Palace. The demon race suspected the Saint King had been murdered by humans!

Unfortunately, the green-furred rat demon was the true confidant of the Saint King. The alligator demon's knowledge was limited, and the person in the shadow somewhat regretted not helping Qin Sang capture the green-furred rat demon.

Additionally, Qin Sang discovered the origin of the alligator bone. The two alligator demons were originally brothers. During their cultivation, they awakened different bloodline divine abilities of alligator demons, causing their appearances to change drastically and become vastly different. They had accidentally discovered the alligator bone, suspecting it to be the remnant bone of an ancient variant species, containing the malevolent aura of some ancient fierce alligator. Its close affinity with their bloodline allowed them to activate it with their bloodline power.

Although Qin Sang cultivated the 'Heavenly Demon Refinement', he lacked the alligator demon bloodline, and thus naturally couldn't gain the alligator bone's recognition.

For a moment, both fell silent. In the current era, very few existences could threaten Soul Transformation cultivators, only a handful of ancient secret realms. Now, fierce beasts from the storm belt were added to the list. What earth-shattering event had truly occurred to alarm the Soul Transformation cultivators of both races? Yet, they, grand cultivators ranking above thousands, had no inkling. All conjectures paled in comparison to the shocking, even terrifying, truth!

"Thump!"

Qin Sang tossed the second alligator corpse and demon core between them. "Fellow Daoist contributed to slaying this demon."

The person in the shadow understood, chuckling, "I merely seized the opportunity to deliver an insignificant blow. It was entirely thanks to fellow Daoist's great divine abilities. I have no face to claim a share; consider it a gift to fellow Daoist."

Qin Sang frowned. "I cannot accept benefits without merit... Fellow Daoist, if you have a purpose, please state it directly. This humble Daoist has important matters to attend to and cannot stay long."

"At the exchange fair, I made it very clear that I wished to make a trade with fellow Daoist for the Yin-Yang Puppet Crystal in your possession," the person in the shadow said with a solemn tone.

After Qin Sang had taken out the puppet crystal, this person had shown the most interest, following him all the way here.

"Why must we trade outside?" Qin Sang was puzzled. The puppet crystal was useless to him, and there hadn't been much competition at the exchange fair. As long as the price was high enough, he would certainly have agreed.

"Fellow Daoist, first take a look at this treasure..." As they spoke, a slit opened in the center of the shadow, and a silvery-white orb of light flew out. Inside the orb was a net coiled into a ball.

"Whoosh!" The orb instantly unfurled, transforming into a shimmering silver net that appeared and disappeared, sometimes solid, sometimes illusory like threads of light, able to merge into the void. It was truly remarkable.

Qin Sang gazed at the silver net for a moment, his expression shifting slightly as he let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

"Fellow Daoist sees it?" The person in the shadow said, "This treasure is called the Thousand Knot Divine Net. It is a rare spiritual cultivator's treasure. When activated, it merges with one's spiritual sense, not only solidifying it and greatly increasing the power of spiritual sense abilities, but also providing a certain degree of amplification. Naturally, even non-spiritual cultivators can unleash its powerful effects, provided their spiritual sense is strong enough."

As the person in the shadow stated, pure spiritual cultivator treasures were extremely rare. It was unclear if the jade Buddha counted. In all his years of cultivation, Qin Sang had seen very few such items.

"Although this treasure cannot increase fellow Daoist's cultivation, it is absolutely one of the most suitable treasures for spiritual cultivators. Such treasures are hard to come by. Trading the Thousand Knot Divine Net for fellow Daoist's puppet crystal, fellow Daoist will certainly not be at a disadvantage," the person in the shadow said with confidence. Though he was extremely reluctant to part with this treasure, the puppet crystal was more important to him. Since Qin Sang was adamant about not wanting any other treasures, the person in the shadow had no other choice.

Hearing the Thousand Knot Divine Net's function, Qin Sang's heart stirred! He had not yet tried the Near Dragon Saliva, unsure of its effects or how long it would take to refine. The Thousand Knot Divine Net's ability to condense and amplify spiritual sense could provide immediate results. 'Fire Seed Golden Lotus' might instantly improve, and in future battles, it could magnify the benefits of powerful spiritual sense.

Qin Sang was already leaning towards the trade, but he calmly asked, "This treasure's origin isn't simple, is it?"

The spirit array at the exchange fair could block sound transmission secret arts, preventing illicit communication and disorder. This person had seized the moment when Jiang You relaxed the spirit array, allowing everyone to inspect the treasures, to transmit a message to him. In front of numerous top-tier experts, he hadn't been exposed.

The person in the shadow gave a dry laugh. "The Thousand Knot Divine Net originally belonged to an elder of the Qiongying Sect... Just now, at the exchange fair, the Grand Elder of the Qiongying Sect was seated below. Fellow Daoist now understands why I requested to trade outside, correct?"

"The Grand Elder of the Qiongying Sect!" Qin Sang immediately recalled someone. "The female cultivator who bought the 'Spirit Confinement Art'?"

"It was her." The person in the shadow seemed unwilling to say much more. Seeing Qin Sang lost in thought, they provoked, "Fellow Daoist isn't afraid of the Qiongying Sect, are you? Afraid to take the Thousand Knot Divine Net?"

Qin Sang scoffed, "This treasure's strength lies in its rarity; its true value might not even match the Yin-Yang Puppet Crystal, which originates from an ancient secret realm. However, since fellow Daoist assisted me in slaying the demon just now, it wouldn't be right for me to haggle. The puppet crystal is yours!"

Two streaks of light flew out from his Thousand Jin Ring: a puppet and a puppet crystal. At the same time, Qin Sang reached out to grasp the Thousand Knot Divine Net. The shadow writhed, shooting out a tentacle that coiled around the two treasures, then instantly receded into the darkness like a tide, leaving behind a hearty laugh: "Until we meet again!"

The night was deep. The night breeze rustled. The mountain forest swayed, as if countless ghostly figures hid in the darkness. The shadow vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Qin Sang remained in place for a moment, then also flashed into the darkness.

***

This exchange fair had been marred by an unexpected farce: demon cultivators had infiltrated it, and openly ambushed human cultivators outside. Although the demon cultivators hadn't succeeded, and two great demons were killed in retaliation, resulting in a complete loss, it still caused the Six Prefecture Hall to lose immense face and become greatly enraged. They had stated beforehand that due to the host's strict requirements, safety could only be guaranteed within the exchange fair itself. Everyone attending the fair was well aware of this. If human cultivators had killed each other, the Six Prefecture Hall could not be blamed. However, demon cultivators had gotten involved, and the Six Prefecture Hall had failed to identify them, almost becoming a laughingstock. How could they not be furious? Yet, they didn't know whom to hold accountable for their lost prestige.

After the green-furred rat demon escaped, some people secretly followed it, calling upon friends and allies to try and hunt the demon in the Central Plains. However, the demon's divine abilities were mysterious, and it vanished from the encirclement as if it had evaporated. For a period thereafter, demon shadows frequently appeared in the Central Plains. News that the demon race was searching everywhere for their Saint King, originating from an unknown source, spread like wildfire.

***

The Eight Views Temple.

As the leading Taoist sect in Zhongzhou, it was a True Monarch's Daoist sanctum. In the public imagination, the Eight Views Temple should have occupied countless mountains and valleys, with endless palaces, innumerable disciples, and the grandeur of the foremost Taoist sect. In reality, the true Eight Views Temple was merely an ordinary Taoist temple, located in Jiang Prefecture, one of the Six Prefectures of Jiangzuo.

Jiang Prefecture's terrain was seven parts mountains, three parts water. But unlike the treacherous mountains and foul waters of the Southern Barbarian Two Prefectures, here every mountain was a spiritual peak, and every place was picturesque. The Eight Views Temple was situated deep within the mountains, on an ordinary peak less than a thousand zhang tall, about the same size as a mortal Taoist temple. Nestled among the forests, it was a supremely tranquil place. In fact, the Eight Views Temple's mountain-protecting grand array only covered the area of this single mountain.

As the foremost Taoist sect in Zhongzhou, the Eight Views Temple had countless disciples. It was impossible for them to be confined to one mountain. Once they achieved a certain level of cultivation, they could freely choose a cave abode outside to cultivate, living a carefree life. Throughout the mountains, there were Eight Views Temple Daoist training grounds everywhere!

In the early morning, the night mist was thick, and dewdrops hung heavy on the grass blades, reflecting the morning sun's light in sparkling droplets.

A figure slowly flew closer. As they approached the Eight Views Temple, they suppressed their flight aura and descended onto the stone steps in front of the temple, as a sign of respect. The newcomer was a young Taoist. He swept a hand across his face, and instantly his appearance changed drastically. It was none other than True Monarch Hegao!

Figures within the temple were sparse. Apart from a few disciples serving the True Monarch and the temple master, others would not easily come here to disturb their peaceful cultivation. As the morning sun first rose, purple qi came from the east. Disciples gathered in twos and threes on the mountain peak, inhaling purple qi and cultivating diligently.

Unaccompanied, True Monarch Hegao, familiar with the way, entered the temple alone, making his way to the back, to a simple wooden palace. A slender Taoist priest stood guard before the palace. Seeing True Monarch Hegao, he respectfully bowed and said, "Greetings, Martial Uncle."

True Monarch Hegao opened his mouth, just about to speak, when a gentle voice echoed from within the grand hall, "Junior Brother has returned. Come in."

The slender Taoist priest stepped aside. True Monarch Hegao pushed the door open and entered, seeing the current Sect Master of the Eight Views Temple — True Monarch Zilei.

"Sect Master Senior Brother, have your injuries healed?" True Monarch Hegao asked with concern.

True Monarch Zilei had his back to him, focused on something on the table, and subtly nodded.

True Monarch Hegao was overjoyed. He immediately began recounting the events at the exchange fair, "...Senior Brother's discerning eyes were indeed sharp. That person truly was problematic; he must be a remnant of the Formless Immortal Sect! He was aggressively acquiring Five Elements Restriction-breaking treasures at the exchange fair, clearly plotting something significant..."

As he spoke, True Monarch Hegao noticed his Sect Master Senior Brother acting strangely. He couldn't help but take a step forward and saw an ancient, cyan treasure mirror placed on the table. He was not unfamiliar with this type of treasure mirror. This was a Soul Guiding Mirror, whose function was similar to a Life Soul Lamp. It could observe the fortune or misfortune of the person whose soul it guided. Due to the extremely high difficulty of its refinement, only a handful of individuals in the Eight Views Temple were qualified to possess a Soul Guiding Mirror; others could only use ordinary Life Soul Lamps.

This Soul Guiding Mirror was covered in cracks—it was shattered!

True Monarch Hegao was startled, his face changing drastically. "Which Junior Brother met with trouble?"

True Monarch Zilei said silently, "Martial Uncle Danyu."

"Martial Uncle..." True Monarch Hegao's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. He staggered back two steps. "Impossible! When? Back then, during the Northern Sea Demon Hunt, Senior Brother, didn't you produce Martial Uncle's decree..."

"I forged it." True Monarch Zilei let out an almost imperceptible sigh, a hint of relief in it. He had been bearing this burden alone, and now someone finally shared it.

The hall was so quiet that a dropped needle could be heard. The subtle sigh, to True Monarch Hegao's ears, was nothing short of a thunderclap!