Chapter 2023: Grave

Wuxia and Xianxia

As Qin Sang moved forward, a powerful suction force tugged at him, pulling him towards the 'void'.

Approaching the edge of the black disk, Qin Sang didn't stop but entered it. Immediately, the suction force dramatically increased, accompanied by a swirling power. He stimulated the vitality within his body, and relying on his formidable physical strength, he forcibly remained rooted to the spot. He felt as if he had fallen into the heart of a giant millstone, constantly being ground down.

After experiencing it for a while, Qin Sang retreated. He took out some spiritual materials from his Thousand Jin Ring and casually crafted two puppets, which he then threw towards the black disk.

As the puppets entered the black disk, they were immediately caught by the suction force. They spun rapidly along the disk, gaining speed until they were almost instantly pulled into the void.

Since the puppets weren't strong, they offered no resistance to the suction force. Consequently, they weren't crushed by the black disk; their bodies remained intact and almost undamaged until they were swallowed by the void.

This scene unfolded before Qin Sang's eyes, but it didn't allow him to determine if the void was safe. He observed that the puppets vanished into thin air the moment they touched the void. Qin Sang immediately lost contact with them and had no way of knowing what happened to them after they entered.

Nevertheless, through this probing, Qin Sang noticed some clues. He secretly wondered if there was anything he could exploit and what method he could use to explore the interior of the void.

Sending anyone or anything into the void meant preparing for a one-way trip. Furthermore, one would need to break through the void's blockade to transmit information, otherwise, it would all be for naught.

After much deliberation, Qin Sang concluded that, other than risking a closer approach to the void and awakening his Celestial Eye Butterfly to probe it with its divine ability, there seemed to be no other viable method.

Without rushing to awaken the Celestial Eye Butterfly, Qin Sang decided to try other methods first. He manifested his dharma body and repeatedly entered the black disk, gauging the strength of the suction force, constantly pushing his limits, and employing various secret techniques to test it.

As Qin Sang continued his efforts, he suddenly felt a wisp of clear breeze brush against his face.

The wind was very gentle, like a warm spring breeze, something ordinary people wouldn't notice. However, its presence here felt sudden and strange.

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly, and he abruptly looked towards the depths of the Fengju Jade Gate.

The Vermilion Bird and the other demons, realizing belatedly that something was amiss, recalled the legends of the Fengju Jade Gate and exclaimed, "It's the Evil Wind!"

This was the first time Qin Sang had encountered the two great natural disasters, the Evil Wind and the Strange Lightning, despite being in the Fengju Jade Gate for so long.

These two natural disasters sometimes appeared alone, sometimes wreaked havoc together, with no discernible pattern. As the cries of alarm rang out, the force of the Evil Wind intensified at an astonishing rate.

The surroundings were tightly enveloped by illusory scenes created by divine abilities, yet the Evil Wind seemed to penetrate everywhere, constantly blowing and whistling past their ears.

It was said that the Evil Wind's power fluctuated; when weak, its destructive power was limited. However, their current location was too peculiar, situated amidst these illusory scenes. If the Evil Wind ignited the dormant power within these scenes, anyone would be terrified, especially with an even more terrifying, bizarre black hole nearby.

Qin Sang's gaze sharpened slightly. Without a word, he stretched out his hand, directly seizing the Vermilion Bird and the other demons, pulling them in front of him. Then, his true body flew away from the area, but he left his dharma body behind.

This was an extremely risky move, but it offered a rare opportunity to observe the void using the Evil Wind.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

By the time Qin Sang's true body rushed out of the area of illusory scenes, the force of the Evil Wind had escalated to a terrifying degree.

Invisible wind streamed continuously from the depths of the Fengju Jade Gate. As it passed through the void, it left behind visible traces, like bone-etching steel blades—only it was the very fabric of space being cut.

Looking around, the Evil Wind was everywhere, in all directions; even the illusory scenes created by divine abilities couldn't prevent its encroachment. When the Evil Wind brushed past Qin Sang's body, even with his powerful physique, he felt shivers of cold.

The Vermilion Bird, riding the fiery jade centipede, had flames rising from its body and was in good condition. Marquis Gui and Marquis Luo, however, huddled together, joining forces to resist the Evil Wind.

His teeth chattered...

The captive, whose cultivation was sealed, immediately shivered uncontrollably from the cold. His face turned pale, and a layer of frost quickly spread across his entire body. It was only after the Vermilion Bird intervened to protect him that he began to recover.

At this very moment, cultivators elsewhere were also being assailed by the Evil Wind. Chaos reigned inside the Fengju Jade Gate, and some people unknowingly lost their lives.

Qin Sang observed the void through his dharma body. As the Evil Wind grew stronger, the black disk also became unstable. Ripples appeared on its surface, occasionally erupting in black jets of energy.

Sensing the power of the jets, Qin Sang's dharma body looked grim, retreating again and again. Finally, the expression on Qin Sang's dharma body completely changed. It transformed into a bolt of lightning and rapidly retreated backward.

At the same time, Qin Sang witnessed a shocking scene: a monstrous black tide surged forth, covering everything. The illusory scene closest to the black disk bore the brunt, instantly swallowed by the black tide.

Qin Sang watched as this illusory scene seemed to be squeezed by an external force. It was first compressed and deformed; then its front end protruded, stretched by the suction force into a long, thin band of light. It spun as it flew towards the void, until it was completely swallowed.

These illusory scenes were formed from the divine abilities of ancient mighty beings, almost indistinguishable from reality. Qin Sang had seen scenes of illusions being destroyed before, but he had never witnessed anything that could swallow a divine illusion whole, especially without any resistance from the illusion itself.

As the black tide erupted, the area became extremely dangerous. Qin Sang's dharma body, seemingly oblivious, kept its gaze fixed on the void.

When the illusory scene was swallowed by the void, the conflict and explosion Qin Sang had anticipated did not occur. The illusory scene simply disappeared silently. These illusory scenes also contained immense power; if they were to be crushed by the void, it shouldn't have been so calm.

"Could the void really lead to another place?"

Qin Sang's dharma body lingered no longer. It flew away, and upon reaching the edge of the region where illusory scenes converged, he discovered a ball of light slowly drifting from the void—it was an isolated illusory scene floating in space.

"Was it pulled in by the void?"

Qin Sang vaguely understood: when the black disk erupted, the void would devour the surrounding illusory scenes, but at the same time, nearby illusions would be drawn in to replenish what was consumed. This explained why the void was constantly enveloped by illusory scenes.

"What a gluttonous fellow!"

Qin Sang sighed inwardly, noting that both the Fengju Jade Gate and the Jushan Zhizhi Altar contained too many existences that defied common sense.

After his dharma body merged with his true form, Qin Sang waited for some time until the Evil Wind showed signs of weakening and eventually subsided. He returned to the location and found that the black disk had reverted to its original appearance.

Since even the illusory scenes couldn't uncover the void's secrets, he decided not to exhaust his mind any further. He committed the location to memory and left with the Vermilion Bird and the other demons.

This time, the Evil Wind didn't cause significant damage. Afterward, Qin Sang continued to travel around as usual.

Unbeknownst to them, it was already their seventh year since entering the Fengju Jade Gate.

Venerable Tianyue had not yet appeared.

Qin Sang diligently sought escape routes for himself, identifying several locations and attempting to establish withdrawal paths. Including the mysterious void, he now had three preliminary options. However, he still felt it wasn't enough; these might suffice to evade Void Refinement cultivators, but against mighty beings of the Integration or even Mahayana stages, their effectiveness was unknown.

He never stopped. After Gu Ya fully recovered, she also emerged to assist the Vermilion Bird. Su Nü had been in seclusion healing, while the Xin family still hadn't located their objective.

It's worth noting that he had asked the Xin family to search for the Earth Splendor Jade Rose Vine, and they actually found a few plausible clues. However, Qin Sang's primary focus wasn't on that, so he hadn't gone to verify them.

One day, it was time for their scheduled meeting again.

Qin Sang hurried to meet the Xin family. As expected, none of the teams had found anything. It was unclear what the Xin family was truly searching for, as it remained so deeply concealed.

Just as everyone was discussing whether to change their strategy, a streak of light suddenly streaked towards them. Judging by its direction, it appeared to be coming from outside the Fengju Jade Gate.

The light stopped before the sedan, revealing a cultivator in the God Transformation stage, who appeared to be a young man.

"Xin Ming, why are you here? Has something major happened outside?" Steward Luo stepped forward and asked.

The Xin family hadn't brought all their people into the Fengju Jade Gate; some had been left outside.

Xin Ming hastily bowed towards the sedan, isolated their voices, and urgently said, "Young Master, Uncle Luo, something has happened at Jade Gate Pass!"

At these words, Steward Luo's heart seized. Xin Ming's spell couldn't block Qin Sang and Grandmaster Pei, who immediately turned their gazes towards him.

Jade Gate Pass had stood for many years; what could possibly happen? Would anyone dare to attack this city?

"Not long ago, mighty beings fought a fierce battle near Jade Gate Pass. The entire city was alarmed. Their divine abilities clashed, and the aftershocks permeated the whole land, instantly plunging it into darkness and filling the air with flying sand and stones..."

Xin Ming, recalling the scene from that day, had a look of horror in his eyes and swallowed hard. "Jade Gate Pass activated its defensive formation, but under the impact of the aftershocks, the ground still shook violently, as if the city could be destroyed at any moment. With a sudden clap of thunder from a clear sky, a massive crack appeared on the western city wall, almost causing it to collapse..."

Hearing Xin Ming's description, Qin Sang and Grandmaster Pei's expressions changed immediately.

Jade Gate Pass had stood before Fengju Jade Gate for many years, serving as the western gate of Dui Province. There was no doubt about the strength of its defensive formation. The formation Qin Sang saw upon entering the city had only displayed a fraction of its power, yet it was enough to deter him from any thought of forcing his way in.

Merely the aftershocks of a battle, even with the grand formation active, almost destroyed the city wall. Were the combatants at the Integration or Mahayana stage? What did the sudden appearance of two mighty beings near the Fengju Jade Gate signify?

Was it a coincidence, or had some unknown change occurred?

Qin Sang frowned, feeling uneasy. Could one of them be Venerable Tianyue, who had become entangled with an adversary?

"Who were the combatants?" Grandmaster Pei asked the question Qin Sang also wanted to ask.

"I don't know," Xin Ming shook his head. "From beginning to end, neither of the mighty beings revealed themselves. People in the city could only see storms raging and radiant light shimmering in the sky. Finally, the two mighty beings departed, and no one knows who won or lost."

They left, but did they come towards the Fengju Jade Gate?

Qin Sang and Grandmaster Pei exchanged glances.

"What's the situation at Jade Gate Pass now?" Qin Sang pressed on.

"After that battle, rumors spread rapidly, hinting at a major war here. The immortal city was gripped by panic, fearing they would be caught in the crossfire. Many people left the city, fleeing to the heartland of Dui Province. It is said that a similar situation occurred when the Sword Pavilion fragments were first discovered, but the impact was nowhere near as great as this battle between mighty beings. It affected almost the entire city; outsiders, rogue cultivators, prominent families, sects, and major trading associations were all evacuating, creating widespread chaos..."

Xin Ming's words made everyone's expressions more solemn. They were, after all, inside the Fengju Jade Gate, closer to the eye of the storm than Jade Gate Pass.

"Have the Five Elements Alliance people also left?" Qin Sang frowned.

"Well..."

Xin Ming hesitated. He knew Qin Sang was an elder of the Five Elements Alliance and a helper invited by the Young Master.

"Why are you hedging? Speak plainly!" Young Master Xin reprimanded. It was his first time speaking, and his tone revealed little emotion.

"This junior passed by the Five Elements Alliance's entrance and found them closed for business, but I'm not sure if everyone has withdrawn. Jade Gate Pass is almost deserted, with many sects that have been established there for years also sealing their mountain gates and leaving the city to seek refuge. The city is currently very chaotic," Xin Ming quickly replied.

Qin Sang thought to himself, it seems the Five Elements Alliance had indeed evacuated. As merchants, self-preservation was their instinct, and given the Alliance's scale, there was no need for them to take risks.

The Five Elements Alliance was secondary. The crucial question was why those two mysterious mighty beings had come and where they were now.

Even before Venerable Tianyue's arrival, unrest was already brewing.

The news brought by Xin Ming was earth-shattering. Steward Luo was deeply worried. "Young Master, I fear the Fengju Jade Gate might also become unstable. Should we leave for now and weather the storm...?"

Young Master Xin was silent for a moment, then simply said, "Once the arrow is shot, there's no turning back!"

Steward Luo sighed deeply.

"We'll continue to observe for a while," Young Master Xin said. "But we can no longer scatter our forces as before. We'll merge into three teams..."

As the young master and his steward discussed, Grandmaster Pei's expression fluctuated, clearly weighing something.

"This news is too alarming. I'll take my leave first," Qin Sang said, cupping his hands in salute before turning to go.

Noticing Young Master Xin's gaze, Qin Sang added, "Young Master Xin, please rest assured. Your Xin family has helped this old man search for so long; even if there's no credit, there's certainly hard work. Unless absolutely necessary, I will not break my word."

"Thank you, Elder Qin."

Young Master Xin stood up and bowed respectfully.

Grandmaster Pei's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Qin Sang's retreating figure, remaining silent.

After bidding farewell to the Xin family, Qin Sang pondered his next steps. It seemed he needed to call the Vermilion Bird and the others back to his side to prevent any unforeseen accidents.

And Su Nü, he wondered about her injuries. This was not a good place for seclusion.

Qin Sang quickly found the Vermilion Bird and the others. Considering he didn't want Gu Ya and Su Nü to meet just yet, he went alone to Su Nü's cave dwelling.

Upon seeing Su Nü again, her complexion was much rosier, though still faintly tinged with paleness, indicating she hadn't fully recovered.

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Qin. It seems I must leave first and consider my next actions after my strength has recovered. Will Brother Qin not join me in seeking refuge outside?"

Qin Sang shook his head. "I still have unfinished business. Should I sense anything amiss, I will immediately leave to meet you."

Hearing this, Su Nü didn't press further, only urging, "Brother Qin, please be extremely careful!"

The two agreed on a meeting place, and Qin Sang took his leave.

As Qin Sang's streak of light vanished into the distance, a man suddenly emerged from behind Su Nü.

The man's figure was ethereal, enveloped in an elusive aura that made him seem profound and unfathomable. He gazed in the direction Qin Sang had departed, as if he could see his back across the void. After a moment of silence, he said, "From now on, stay by his side."

"Understood."

Su Nü bowed in response.