Chapter 2164: Warning

True Monarch Qin probably doesn't know someone is plotting against him. Since he hasn't gone too far, we might find something if we search in the direction he left.

Yuan Jian offered his advice, a look of regret on his face. "True Monarch Qin's Thunder Escape technique is truly extraordinary, unlike anything I've ever seen. Once he meets up with King Yan and becomes alert, it will be difficult to kill him. It's a pity we arrived too late. Otherwise, if the Immortal Child had pressured Emperor Si in the Ancestor's name to help us surround and kill True Monarch Qin, he would never have escaped!"

He had no personal grudge against Qin Sang. When he set up the scheme years ago, he never took Qin Sang seriously, merely viewing Qin Sang and the Storm Realm as pawns.

He just never expected to have the chessboard overturned by a pawn!

One wrong move. Yuan Jian only blamed himself for misjudging, treating someone capable of playing the game as a mere pawn. Even now, he harbored no resentment towards Qin Sang; his latest move against Qin Sang was solely to persuade the Immortal Child.

Seeing Yuan Jian genuinely wanted to help him get revenge, the Immortal Child's expression softened slightly. Finding Yuan Jian a bit more agreeable, he nodded and said, "Tell them to follow!"

After bidding farewell to Emperor Si, Qin Sang rushed to meet with Si Lu. Naturally, he wouldn't openly reveal his whereabouts, changing direction multiple times along the way, leaving the Immortal Child and his group to search in vain.

The next day, at midnight.

Qin Sang arrived at the agreed location. On the topographic map, it was named "Crimson Lake," but it was actually a dense forest. The leaves of the trees within the forest were crimson, like fire, appearing like flames from a distance, hence its name.

The trees in Crimson Lake possessed remarkably tenacious vitality. It was said that the area had been affected by cultivators' battles multiple times. During the most severe instance, the entire forest was obliterated, and the land was almost plowed over by immense power. Yet, when cultivators from other races next entered, they were astonished to find that the vegetation had regrown, and Crimson Lake had returned to its original state.

This miraculous resilience sparked curiosity, leading many to speculate that some secret must be hidden beneath Crimson Lake.

The vegetation in this forest consisted only of ordinary spirit trees, with no unusual features beyond the color of their leaves. This was illogical, as other areas nearby were normal; only Crimson Lake stood out as extraordinary.

Consequently, many cultivators from other races came to Crimson Lake, employing various methods to investigate. The area above and below ground was searched countless times, and even the spirit trees were cut down for careful study, yet nothing was found.

Everyone knew Crimson Lake held hidden mysteries, but no one could uncover the reason. In the Sacred Land, similar places were actually quite numerous. Only when a certain opportunity arose, or by someone with profound destiny, might these secrets be unlocked.

Gradually, everyone returned empty-handed, and fewer people even came to Crimson Lake hoping for luck, as there were still so many other secret realms and ancient ruins attracting them.

In the darkness of night, Qin Sang saw a fiery red expanse amidst the mountains from afar, very eye-catching. Knowing he had arrived at Crimson Lake, he retracted his escape technique and flew unhurriedly towards it.

He had agreed to meet Si Lu at the edge of Crimson Lake and had expected to wait for a while. Unexpectedly, upon entering Crimson Lake, he detected something unusual.

Qin Sang landed in the forest. His gaze flickered towards the base of a spirit tree, where a common insect, a katydid, was hidden among its gnarled, dragon-like roots.

The katydid was entirely green and lay still on the ground, faintly enveloped by a familiar wisp of divine sense.

Qin Sang recognized this wisp of divine sense as belonging to Si Lu. The Siyou Clan could not only command companion beasts but also possessed unique expertise in beast taming. This katydid was clearly controlled by Si Lu.

However, the katydid appeared lifeless and showed no reaction to his arrival, causing Qin Sang to subtly frown with an ominous premonition.

He sent out a wisp of his spiritual consciousness, touching the divine sense within the katydid's body. "Fellow Daoist Si Lu?"

A moment later, Si Lu's voice emanated from the katydid, somewhat indistinct and tinged with weakness.

Qin Sang's tone grew grave. "Are you injured?"

Si Lu's voice became urgent. "Brother Qin, be careful! There might be an ambush nearby!"

"Were you attacked?"

Given Qin Sang's cautious nature, he had naturally already awakened his Heaven-Eyed Butterfly to thoroughly investigate, finding no anomalies whatsoever.

Nevertheless, Si Lu's demeanor made Qin Sang feel an invisible crisis. His brows furrowed slightly, and he wrapped the katydid in True Essence, flew out of Crimson Lake, and landed in a mountain valley, pressing for answers: "Who did you encounter? Where is the Grand Marshal now?"

Si Lu said, "It's the Lu family's Grand Enshriner's junior brother! The Grand Enshriner actually came from the Sacred Land, and his junior brother is here seeking revenge..."

Si Lu's voice was intermittent, but he eventually explained the whole situation.

It turned out that after Si Lu and the Grand Marshal entered the Sacred Land, they discovered they weren't far from their objective, and encountered no danger along the way, proceeding smoothly.

Their goal was a cave dwelling discovered by an ancestor of the Si Family of Yanshan. Initially, the Si Family believed it to be the ancient dwelling of a powerful senior expert, but as they delved deeper, they realized it might not be a cultivation cave, but rather a trial ground deliberately constructed by that senior expert.

Unlike the secret realm discovered by the Siyou Royal Family, this trial ground had numerous stages, and passing each stage yielded valuable rewards.

Over the years, the Si Family of Yanshan had acquired rich rewards from the trial ground, prospering increasingly. Had it not been for the changes that befell the Si Family of Yanshan, they would have continued to flourish until the final stage was deciphered.

In fact, the Si Family of Yanshan wasn't the only one aware of this trial ground. However, through generations of accumulation, the Si Family of Yanshan had an absolute advantage over others, which was very likely the reason the Grand Enshriner coveted their family.

The Mirage Jade recorded all information about the trial ground, as well as the experiences and expertise of past Si Family of Yanshan masters within it.

During their last attempt, Si Lu's father tried to decipher the next stage but failed. After returning, he pondered deeply and finally deduced the patterns of that stage, recording them in the Mirage Jade. Si Lu had made thorough preparations before setting out; although his cultivation was weaker, he still had a good chance of success.

Upon entering the trial ground, they immediately began their operations. Initially, everything went smoothly, and they felt very hopeful about their current endeavor. However, unforeseen complications arose, and they were suddenly attacked by uninvited guests.

"We weren't careless. The trial ground has ancient formations and restrictions left by our ancestors and father, which have integrated into the land and are under our control. Even if top experts intruded, we would detect them in advance and retreat calmly. Unexpectedly, they seemed to be very familiar with the trial ground as well, or perhaps had a way to block our senses. By the time we realized something was wrong, it was too late. When we discovered the enemies, we were deciphering an ancient formation. I used the power of that formation to escape, but the Grand Marshal, for my sake, decided to personally cover our retreat..."

Si Lu's voice trembled, filled with deep anguish.

Years ago, Steward Xia had self-destructed to ensure Si Lu's escape, a sacrifice Si Lu had never forgotten. Killing the Grand Enshriner and destroying the Lu family had brought Si Lu some comfort, but now, tragedy was repeating itself.

Watching these people die for him, he felt utterly helpless.

Qin Sang understood Si Lu's feelings, but some questions needed to be clarified. He asked in a deep voice, "Is it possible the Grand Marshal escaped?"

Si Lu was silent for a moment before sorrowfully replying, "The one who attacked us was a young boy. He claimed to be the Grand Enshriner's junior brother, serving an Ancestor in the Sacred Land. He must have had accomplices; there were definitely more than one or two top experts who entered the trial ground, otherwise, we wouldn't have been caught completely unaware! However, from his tone, he doesn't seem to know that Brother Qin is also in the Sacred Land..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Sang's gaze sharpened slightly. This meant the Grand Marshal was almost certainly doomed. The only difference was whether he died in battle or was captured alive.

Qin Sang and Si Lu hadn't revealed too many secrets to the Grand Marshal, but Si Lu relied heavily on him, so some matters couldn't be hidden from him. If the enemy captured the Grand Marshal, they could extract Qin Sang's whereabouts from him.

While Si Lu contributed to killing the Grand Enshriner, Qin Sang had constructed the Thunder Altar and was the true mastermind. If the enemy sought revenge, how could they let him go?

However, his presence as an outsider in the Sacred Land was no secret among the Siyou Clan. Once the Grand Enshriner's junior brother made contact with other Siyou Clan experts, he would eventually learn of it.

Qin Sang had never anticipated that the Lu family's Grand Enshriner would have such a significant background. This person's origin from the Sacred Land implied an Ancestor at the Sacred Realm and above stood behind him, meaning Qin Sang had inadvertently gotten himself into big trouble.

He wasn't afraid of the Ancestor behind the Grand Enshriner personally intervening. If these Ancestors could freely attack younger cultivators in the Sacred Land, the so-called Sacred Land trials wouldn't have continued to this day, because no one would dare to harm others casually. Even the declining minor clans might have living Ancestors. Over the years, many chiefs of prominent clans had died with regret in the Sacred Land, and there was no shortage of descendants of various clan Ancestors among them.

If that Ancestor wanted to use Qingyang Zhi as an outlet for their anger, they would still have to consider the ancient alliance and the Zhu Yan Clan's prestige. Moreover, Qin Sang could bring up True Monarch Ning.

However, being targeted by an expert above the Sacred Realm was definitely not good. The Grand Enshriner's junior brother alone was difficult to deal with, let alone the fact that he had accomplices.

Who exactly tipped off the Grand Enshriner's junior brother? It was said that communication within and outside the Sacred Land was difficult, so how did they establish contact?

If it were a Siyou Clan cultivator, the Grand Enshriner's junior brother would have known about Qin Sang's entry into the Sacred Land and that he had accepted Emperor Si's invitation. Putting himself in their shoes, with the enemy exposed and himself hidden, to avoid alerting him, they would certainly prioritize ambushing the mastermind.

If not a Siyou Clan cultivator, then who could it be?

A thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind, bringing to mind one person: the mysterious expert behind Min Zhuo. It was this person who had secretly collaborated with the Lu family back then, surely working with the Grand Enshriner.

"Could it be him?"

Yuan Jian's figure flashed in Qin Sang's mind, his eyes gleaming with cold light.

Last time, Clan Leader Yuan Xiang claimed the opponent's true objective was the Zhu Yan Clan, and the Storm Realm was merely caught in the crossfire.

This time was different. The opponent had brought the Grand Enshriner's junior brother, and there was a deep-seated blood feud between them, making it a life-or-death situation!

"Brother Qin, you must be extremely careful from now on; they definitely won't let you go," Si Lu said.

Si Lu seemed dejected, not mentioning revenge at all, nor daring to ask Qin Sang to rescue the Grand Marshal. This situation filled him with even greater despair; the enemy not only had an Ancestor behind them but also many powerful allies.

However, Si Lu didn't know that Qin Sang had already decided to kill.

The Grand Enshriner was dead, and the hatred could not be resolved. Qin Sang would never simply await his fate; enduring humiliation would only make his enemies more brazen. Given the chance, he would certainly strike first.

Especially the one hiding behind the scenes, repeatedly employing schemes against them, must be eliminated as soon as possible!

At least on the surface, the ancient alliance still held sway over the various clans of other races. As long as Qin Sang remained in the right, that Ancestor would have no reason to act. And even if that Ancestor disregarded propriety and personally intervened, Qin Sang wasn't without his own backing.

However, Qin Sang had no idea how to counterattack. Suppressing his killing intent, he asked with concern, "Fellow Daoist Si Lu, how are your injuries now?"

"I've taken a few spirit pills and can barely stabilize my injuries, but I still need time to heal slowly. Brother Qin, don't worry, my current hiding place is very safe. As long as I don't leave here, I should be able to remain hidden; they won't find me. It's just a pity that I won't be able to help you until my injuries improve," Si Lu apologized, feeling that this whole ordeal was essentially his fault.

Since things had come to this, Qin Sang wouldn't blame others. He said, "Fellow Daoist, you should prioritize healing your injuries, but don't be careless. Nowadays, no place in the Sacred Land is absolutely safe..."

Then, Qin Sang informed Si Lu of his previous encounter, explaining that the iridescent light might erupt at any moment.

"Such a thing happened!"

Si Lu was startled. "Thank you for the warning, Brother Qin. I'll be careful."

The two discussed a method of contact. Si Lu then dispersed the divine sense within the katydid's body. The katydid's vitality rapidly drained away, and it died on the spot.

Qin Sang casually waved his hand, erasing the traces. He looked towards Crimson Lake, his brows deeply furrowed.

The situation had completely exceeded his expectations. Not only had he acquired a powerful enemy out of nowhere, but he had also lost two allies.

His thoughts raced, but Qin Sang was not in a hurry to leave.

He didn't know the Grand Marshal's temperament. If he was captured alive, he might reveal their agreed meeting place under duress. Even if the Grand Marshal remained silent, the enemy could use soul-searching techniques to extract this information and set up an ambush.

Interrogating the Grand Marshal would take time. Perhaps Qin Sang had arrived too early, and the enemy was still on their way.

It wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer. Even if there was no opportunity to strike, he could at least gauge the enemy's strength.

There was still plenty of time before his appointed meeting with Liu Li, so Qin Sang could certainly wait for them.

Thinking this, Qin Sang immediately acted. He scouted the area around Crimson Lake, finally choosing some hidden spots where he secretly set up a formation. He then lay in wait outside Crimson Lake, silently biding his time.

Inside an underground cave, the space was cramped and devoid of light. Qin Sang sat cross-legged in meditation.

The spiritual energy within the Sacred Land was exceptionally pure and abundant. The cave Qin Sang was currently in had spiritual energy more concentrated than most cave dwellings established on spirit veins outside, and such places were ubiquitous throughout the Sacred Land.

When cultivators from other races entered the Sacred Land, even if they didn't vie for fortuitous encounters or treasures, simply finding an excellent cave dwelling to focus on cultivation would yield considerable benefits.

However, Qin Sang was still far from the late Void Refinement stage, and a short period wouldn't bring about a qualitative change for him. After a brief adjustment of his breathing, he took out the Huxian Pearl.

The spiritual light from the precious pearl illuminated the cave. After casting the Thunder Seal, the Huxian Pearl returned to its original state.

Next, Qin Sang took out everything Emperor Si had given him. He had faintly sensed something during his initial quick glance and decided to seize this opportunity to thoroughly examine them.