Chapter 2054: The Net Closing In

Once the Siyou Clan's divine abilities were understood, the arrangements of these other-races became largely clear.

Because Siyou clan members are telepathically connected with their companion beasts and can make them vanish at any moment, attempting to capture a companion beast beforehand is unfeasible; it would only alert them. Action can only be taken once the Siyou clan member voluntarily performs the Mutual Transformation Art.

This meant they had to split their forces: one group would remain here, while the other would pressure the two Siyou clan members. Naturally, if the Siyou clan members refused to perform the Mutual Transformation Art and chose to prolong the standoff, the attackers would be equally pleased.

Qin Sang and Su Nü exchanged glances. The division of these other-races' experts was undoubtedly very favorable for them.

However, due to the suddenness of the situation, many of Su Nü's preparations couldn't be leveraged. They needed to carefully consider both the starting point and the timing of their move.

Qin Sang subtly moved his lips, transmitting his thoughts.

Su Nü's eyes flickered. "Brother Qin, do you mean we should just wait here for the two Siyou clan members to perform the Mutual Transformation Art and then directly seize them? But what if the Siyou clan members are wary and choose not to use it, instead attempting to break out from another point, or what if they're defeated before they even get a chance to perform the art?"

Qin Sang replied, "This is our only option. With just the two of us, our strength is limited. If we split up, we might fail on both fronts. It's better to focus on one. The Dog-Sealing Clan is acting so cautiously, which suggests the two Siyou clan members are quite strong and won't be easily defeated. If they manage to escape again, we can simply continue monitoring the Dog-Sealing Clan's actions; there will be other opportunities."

There was another consideration: by acting together, they could assist each other in a crisis. Rescuing the Siyou clan members was only to secure a guide; risking their own lives for it would be counterproductive.

Su Nü also grasped the key details and nodded, saying, "We'll proceed as Brother Qin suggested."

With that, she cast several more spells on Ji Zhou, then vanished with Qin Sang.

Shortly after they left, Ji Zhou awakened as if from a dream. His vacant gaze gradually cleared, freed from the spell's influence.

However, he had no recollection of his recent experiences; it was as if that period had been erased from his memory. He only remembered bidding farewell to two clan members and then arriving here without any trouble.

His true purpose was not to refine some protective artifact, but to acquire a specific type of crystal.

Soon after arriving, he discovered the presence of these crystals. They were highly beneficial for the Dog-Sealing Clan's cultivation. Fearing that other clan members would covet them and demand a share, he stayed put. Fortunately, these crystals were well hidden beneath the reefs, with their spiritual aura concealed by the spirit veins, making them exceptionally discreet. He could find an opportunity to mine them later.

As he learned more over time, Ji Zhou realized that a major battle was likely, and he worried it might destroy the area. Thus, he found an excuse to extricate himself.

He bent down, his ears twitching slightly. In an instant, he burrowed into the seabed, descending continuously along the reefs until he found a natural cave. As he submerged, he indeed saw tiny points of light: luminous, dragon-eye sized crystals, resembling glowing pearls, embedded in the cave walls and easily accessible.

Ji Zhou dared not be careless; mining the crystals would disturb the earth's ley lines, and even a faint wisp of leaked aura could be detected by outsiders. His ears twitched again, and as his auricles vibrated, concentric gray ripples spread out towards a crystal. Moments later, the crystal flashed, detached, and dropped silently into Ji Zhou's hand.

He repeated the process, collecting each crystal with immense satisfaction. He continued until all visible crystals were gathered, then used a spell to confirm there were no more deeper within the earth's veins, only in this location, before finally stopping.

However, he didn't return immediately. Since he had used the excuse of refining a treasure, he still needed to maintain the pretense.

He did possess such a treasure, which could be wielded by three people, though its power was only passable. It should be sufficient to fool them.

After waiting for some time, estimating the appropriate moment, Ji Zhou left the reef and returned to his original submerged position.

Upon his return, the two Dog-Sealing clan members visibly relaxed. "Is the treasure refined?" they asked.

Ji Zhou replied, his expression unchanged, and presented a black disk. "I'll watch here," he said. "You two brothers can take turns refining this treasure."

The two were overjoyed and eagerly reached out to accept it.

Ji Zhou remained completely unaware that two pairs of eyes were tracking his every move, and that even the crystals he had found were part of someone else's scheme.

As the consciousness seed was activated, Ji Zhou returned to his original state. He felt no personal abnormalities, and even if a Dog-Sealing Clan expert were to inspect him directly, they would detect nothing unusual.

Finding nothing amiss, Qin Sang and Su Nü shifted their focus from Ji Zhou and attempted to sense the location of the Dog-Sealing Clan's experts. After patiently waiting for a long time on the periphery, they still detected no Refinement Void level aura, which was clearly abnormal.

With no other choice, Qin Sang awakened the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, which finally revealed the intricate network of the grand formation established by the Dog-Sealing Clan.

After discussing this, they confirmed it was likely not an extremely powerful containment array. Such a complex spirit array would be difficult to conceal all fluctuations, making it prone to alerting the two Siyou clan members.

The grand formation they deployed was likely intended solely to conceal the spiritual energy in the area and deceive Begonia Academy's detection methods.

As long as they weren't immediately detected during the battle, they could quickly deal with their opponents and retreat calmly. By the time Begonia Academy noticed, it would be too late to intervene.

Having confirmed the nature of the formation, Qin Sang and Su Nü attempted to infiltrate it. They succeeded without exposure, but still couldn't locate the primary array master.

The primary array master was likely sealed within a treasure, using it to hide; otherwise, they would be unable to evade the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Even with this concealment, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly still detected one anomaly. Since they couldn't risk probing, Qin Sang and Su Nü could only keep a close watch on that spot.

"No rush," Qin Sang transmitted. "The moment the grand formation is complete, no matter how well hidden the primary array master is, a trace of their aura will inevitably leak..."

Qin Sang transmitted, and patiently waited with Su Nü.

Several days later, Qin Sang suddenly felt a faint tremor in the void, accompanied by two fleeting, indistinct auras that vanished as quickly as they appeared, just as he was about to locate them.

Had they not been constantly vigilant, they wouldn't have detected anything.

The auras had indeed leaked from the location the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had identified, accompanied by a flash of dim light.

Qin Sang looked at Su Nü, who had clearly also noticed, and stated gravely, "Two Void Realm Second Stage experts."

Qin Sang nodded. "Both are likely in the early stage."

If only these two were guarding the area, Qin Sang and Su Nü working together should have no trouble abducting the target. Yet, Qin Sang still dared not lower his guard.

His gaze swept across the islands and landmasses below, where countless mortal cultivators, various other species, and demonic beasts resided. It was impossible to tell which one was the Siyou clan member's companion beast, but they only needed to keep a close watch on the two Void Realm Second Stage experts.

Qin Sang and Su Nü steeled themselves. The grand formation was complete; it was time to close the net.

A towering mountain peak rose into the clouds, occupying nearly half of the island.

The mountain was covered with pines, cypresses, and green bamboo, with an ever-present mist, making it appear to be an excellent cultivation spot. Unfortunately, the spiritual energy was somewhat sparse, so aside from a few minor sects, most cultivators here were rogue practitioners.

On the eastern side of the mountain, facing the sea, the terrain was steep and difficult for mortals to climb, yet there were clusters of spiritual light.

Each cluster of spiritual light marked a rogue cultivator's dwelling, some of which included luxurious courtyards, having been home to several generations.

Within one of the smaller blue lights, a solitary, rather simple cave dwelling was carved into the mountain wall. A woman paced inside, occasionally gazing out from the mountain with an anxious expression.

Finally, she saw a streak of blue light approaching from a distance. The woman's brows relaxed, and she quickly opened the array barrier.

The blue light flew directly into the dwelling, revealing a man in green robes.

The woman scrutinized him, then asked worriedly, "Husband, your breathing is so quick. Are you injured? Quickly take this bottle of Blood Soothing Powder!"

She took out a jade bottle and held it with both hands to her forehead.

"Thank you, my dear."

The man in green robes took the jade bottle, bowed in thanks, and then consumed the spiritual medicine.

Begonia Academy greatly valued etiquette, and even between spouses or dao companions, mutual respect was customary. While the academy did not interfere in personal affairs, this conduct was a well-established tradition.

After consuming the spiritual medicine, the green-robed man's breathing calmed. He bowed again and then produced a wooden box. "Thanks to the bottles of Blood Soothing Powder you refined earlier, my journey was quite smooth. I managed to acquire that Brocade Sage Flower," he said.

"Then Tan'er has hope of mastering the Shadow Transformation Spell!"

The woman was overjoyed.

Just then, footsteps sounded from within. A frail young man, disturbed, awoke from his meditation and also bowed meticulously.

"Tan'er greets Father! Greets Mother."

The woman quickly handed the wooden box to the young man. "Your father risked his life for this Brocade Sage Flower. Tan'er, hurry and refine it!"

The young man glanced at the man in green, thanked his parents, picked up the jade box, and returned to the quiet room.

Watching the young man's retreating back, tears welled in the woman's eyes. "Although Tan'er failed the literary examination, if he can master the Shadow Transformation Spell, he can still contend for the martial examination. You and I have no hope of reaching the foundational path in this life, but if Tan'er can enter the academy, I will die without regrets."

The man in green robes put his arm around the woman's shoulder, a look of emotion on his face. He was about to offer comfort when his expression suddenly hardened, his eyes turning as sharp as knives, and he abruptly looked up towards the sky.

Simultaneously, the young man, who had one foot in the quiet room, stiffened his back, slowly turned, his expression now icy and vastly different from before, as if he were a completely different person.

"You..."

The woman, filled with shock, suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed.

The father and son, however, paid her no mind.

"They've finally arrived! I can't believe they won't let us be, even after we hid ourselves here!"

The green-robed man's expression twisted, his voice filled with hatred, and his voice itself dramatically changed, becoming old and sharp.

The young man remained silent, stepping towards the cave entrance. With a single stride, a grayish-white aura surged from within him, his figure blurred, and then, as if shedding a layer of skin, another person emerged from his shell.

The husk retained the young man's appearance and aura, but it was empty inside, slumping to the ground as its life force dissipated, utterly dead.

The father and son were, in fact, two Siyou clan members in disguise. Having detected the arrival of powerful enemies and knowing they were exposed, there was no longer any need to hide.

The person who emerged from the young man's body was also a youth, with a jade-like face, phoenix eyes, vermilion lips, and fair skin, exceptionally handsome and almost impossible to distinguish as male or female.

As this person appeared, the grayish-white aura coiling around the young man's husk retracted and merged into the new arrival's glabella. There, a clear, round pearl was visible, seemingly embedded, with what looked like flowing energy within. It was quite mystical and further enhanced the person's extraordinary aura.

The other Siyou clan member also revealed his true form. This individual had an aged face with a faint pallor between his brows, but no hint of effeminacy.

The two stood before the cave, gazing up at the sky.

They watched as winds and clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, swiftly transforming into dense, dark clouds that seemed to unfurl like a celestial curtain, enveloping the entire surrounding sea.

The elder gazed for a moment, then sighed deeply. "Young Master, the enemy is certainly well-prepared this time. I fear we must brace for the worst!"

The youth's expression changed slightly. "Attendant Xia, why such words? We still have a companion beast outside. The enemy was deceived by our clan's secret technique last time and surely believes all our companion beasts are dead, so they won't be wary. If the timing isn't right, we can still escape."

"Even if we escape this time, we will have no more companion beasts available in the future, and the enemy will continue to pursue us. Capture is only a matter of time," Attendant Xia said dismally.

The youth's expression grew anxious. "They are causing trouble here; we can still lure Begonia Academy's experts over..."

"Begonia Academy won't intervene. They will only expel us all, and that still won't resolve the crisis."

Attendant Xia had already made his decision. He waved his hand to stop the youth and stated with resolve, "This old servant knows Young Master is kind-hearted, but this is the only way for Young Master to escape! Young Master must remember that no matter what, only by staying alive is there a glimmer of hope. You must cherish your life!"

With that, Attendant Xia bowed deeply to the young man. "This old servant has failed my lord's trust and can no longer serve by Young Master's side. From now on, Young Master will be alone; please take great care!"

The youth remained silent, biting his lip so tightly that threads of blood slowly seeped from the corners of his mouth.

Attendant Xia sighed, a look of grim determination on his face. With a sweep of his sleeve, he said, "Young Master, please come with this old servant to confront the enemy!"

With that, he transformed into a streak of light, a dazzling rainbow, and actively charged towards the sky.

High above the firmament, at the peak of the cloud sea, two figures stood among the clouds, looking down upon the lower realm.

One of them, like Ji Zhou, possessed wolf-like ears. However, his auricles bore concentric fine lines, resembling spirals, as if they were passages to another dimension. This was an expert from the Dog-Sealing Clan.

The person beside him wore a white robe that covered their head and face, making their race indiscernible.

The Dog-Sealing Clan expert, named Ji Liang, fixed his electric gaze through the dark clouds onto the cave dwelling within the barrier and let out a cold laugh. "Is it confirmed that the younger one is the Siyou Clan's Young Master?"

"Elder Quan stated this himself. Brother Ji, do you doubt his judgment?"

The white-robed figure stated confidently, "Within the Siyou Clan, there's a strict hierarchy, and the most advanced secret techniques are held by the imperial family. Since that elder is a top-tier attendant, the person he is so desperately protecting must be of imperial blood!"

Ji Liang remarked playfully, "It's a pity no one has arrived from the Misty Sea recently. I wonder what unforeseen events led to the dignified Young Master of the Siyou Clan ending up in Azure Sand Continent. However, this presents an opportunity for us. As long as we capture him alive and present him to the higher clan, there will surely be generous rewards. Brother, how are your preparations? This time, victory is non-negotiable; Elder Quan is watching."