Chapter 2250: Open Fire

**The Mortal Realm**

A newborn calf fears no tiger.

The youth, already bold enough to gather herbs on sheer cliffs, was greatly invigorated by Qin Sang's words. He scrambled up the almost vertical cliff face using both his hands and feet. When hungry, he gnawed on the dried provisions he brought, and when tired, he clung to a tree branch to rest. His only fear was that Qin Sang might suddenly leave, so he frequently looked up to check.

Qin Sang waited patiently for him.

The youth's body proved to be robust; he truly managed to climb to a position near the mountaintop using only his hands and feet. Near the summit was a smooth rock face, with only a few thin vines hanging down.

After resting for a while, the youth grabbed a thin vine, vigorously pushed off the rock face with his feet, and swung himself a few times in the air, aiming to launch himself toward the summit.

Such courage and willpower were truly rare, Qin Sang praised silently, secretly giving him a helping hand.

*Thud!*

The youth tumbled onto the ground in front of Qin Sang, barely an inch from the edge of the cliff. He had no idea what it meant to be scared afterward, his face beaming with joy and excitement.

"Your disciple, Che Feilong, greets his master!"

The youth immediately prepared to kneel and kowtow, but his head was held up by an unseen force, preventing him from lowering it.

"I will not take disciples, and you should not call me master. 'Senior' will suffice!" Qin Sang stated unequivocally. "I can teach you spells, but in exchange, you must guard this place for me and wait for someone."

From that day on, the villagers in the town noticed that white mist suddenly enveloped the western hillside.

The dense mist covered nearly half of the mountain, and the old Ning family residence was precisely enveloped within it.

Initially, people thought it was just morning fog, but to their surprise, it persisted for over ten days with no sign of dissipating. Someone, emboldened, ventured up the mountain. Entering the mist felt like being trapped in a ghostly maze; they only managed to stumble out, dizzy from hunger.

After the incident spread, the tragic massacre of the Ning family was brought up again. Everyone claimed it was vengeful spirits seeking retribution, causing widespread panic. From then on, no one dared to approach the area.

In reality, Qin Sang had established a cave mansion within the old Ning family residence. Che Feilong received the cultivation techniques and normally cultivated there, guarding the stone pavilion.

Not long after Liu Chengping left, the Sect Master of the Dongliang Sect personally visited.

Qin Sang was not afraid of the secret here being exposed, so he chose to receive the Dongliang Sect Master on Yuji Mountain's summit. In fact, the grand array on Yuji Mountain was extremely discreet; otherwise, it would not have remained undiscovered for so many years.

He personally brewed spirit tea and gestured for Sect Master Qi to sample it. "Fellow Daoist Qi, it is not my intention to encroach upon your esteemed sect's territory. Back then, Mr. Ning and I shared a friendship between gentlemen; Mr. Ning was also unaware of my true identity. Though he was a mortal, we conversed joyfully and became lifelong confidants. Upon emerging from seclusion this time, I recalled the past and calculated that my old friend's lifespan had ended. My original intention was merely to pay respects to his memory, but I was shocked to discover that the Ning family had been massacred. Morally and logically, I must avenge this blood feud for my old friend. What do you think, Sect Master Qi?"

Sect Master Qi had no mind for tea. His purpose in coming was to gauge Qin Sang's intentions: was he genuinely avenging a friend, or merely using this as a pretext for other schemes?

Seeing Qin Sang speak so earnestly, not seeming to feign, Sect Master Qi felt slightly relieved. "Senior Qingfeng's righteousness is towering; I, Qi, am truly impressed! My entire Dongliang Sect will spare no effort to apprehend the culprits and show no leniency!"

"Much appreciated!" Qin Sang clasped his hands and said to the side, "Feilong, come here."

"Feilong greets both Seniors," Che Feilong respectfully bowed. Having received personal tutelage from Qin Sang, he had entered the path of cultivation in just a few days.

Noticing Sect Master Qi's curious gaze, Qin Sang explained, "The Ning family line had ended, severing their ancestral rites. As Feilong happens to have a connection with me, I taught him a few Daoist techniques to guard the Ning family's tombs here. Furthermore, if any descendants of the Ning family are still alive and come to pay respects, he can guide them back to the mountain on my behalf. I hope Sect Master Qi can facilitate this."

This was the Dongliang Sect's territory, and Qin Sang did not want to clash with the local powers. This arrangement would allow him to legitimately occupy Yuji Mountain.

A mere town and a few mountain peaks were insignificant to the Dongliang Sect. Moreover, this area was not considered the Dongliang Sect's heartland and was of minor importance. Sect Master Qi hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

After personally meeting Qin Sang and confirming that he was not targeting the Dongliang Sect, Sect Master Qi put his mind at ease. He returned to his sect and ordered his disciples to thoroughly investigate the matter.

Not long after, Liu Chengping and other Dongliang Sect cultivators came to Yuji Mountain to pay their respects to Qin Sang. Behind them followed an airship, its spiritual aura chaotic, indicating many people aboard.

"Wait here," Liu Chengping instructed the airship, then flew towards the summit with an elder.

"Greetings, Senior Qingfeng!"

The two bowed. "The full story of the Ning family massacre has largely been uncovered. All evidence and clues are here; please examine them, Senior!"

With that, the two waved their hands, and more Dongliang Sect cultivators flew up, carrying wooden boxes.

Opening the wooden boxes, there were gold, silver, and jewels, as well as scrolls and secret letters. All items were neatly categorized and meticulously organized according to their timeline.

Qin Sang activated his spiritual sense to examine the contents while listening to Liu Chengping slowly recount the truth they had uncovered.

"Mr. Ning was transferred to the capital to serve as an official back then, but three years later, he suddenly resigned and moved his entire family to Dangyang Prefecture. In the following years, Mr. Ning lived in seclusion here, never leaving Dangyang Prefecture, until he suddenly encountered misfortune and his entire family was killed. In the second year, Dangyang Prefecture welcomed a new prefect, Fu Qiyuan. Upon taking office, this individual drilled the local militia and launched a major campaign to eradicate mountain bandits…"

"Currently, Fu Qiyuan has grown old and died of old age, but some clues still remained indelible. It has been proven that his purpose in being sent to Dangyang Prefecture was not simple; he was instructed by Grand Tutor Lu Jiang at the time!"

"According to our investigation, during his time as an official in the capital, Mr. Ning disagreed with Grand Tutor Lu Jiang's political views and felt unable to exert his influence, so he chose to resign in despair. However, during his period of seclusion, Mr. Ning remained concerned about the world and repeatedly wrote memorials, many of which contained criticisms of government policies. Little did he know that the emperor at the time was weak, and Grand Tutor Lu Jiang held sway over the imperial court, so all his memorials ended up in his hands. These memorials were all burned, and we did not find them, but Lu Jiang's descendants testified that this was indeed true..."

"Too much time has passed, and all those directly involved have died, making it difficult to fully reconstruct the entire truth. However, it can be deduced that Mr. Ning must have angered Grand Tutor Lu Jiang, bringing about his demise. Lu Jiang instructed his subordinates to bribe a group of mountain bandits, and after the bandits succeeded, he then dispatched Fu Qiyuan to eradicate these bandits, silencing them!"

Liu Chengping finished recounting the full story in one breath. Every single point was corroborated, and wherever there were ambiguities, they found witnesses as much as possible, connecting everything logically and reasonably.

After clarifying the truth, everyone in the Dongliang Sect breathed a sigh of relief. It proved that this was purely a mortal political struggle, with no cultivators hidden behind the scenes.

At least there was no need to worry about implicating the Dongliang Sect.

"Bring everyone up!" Liu Chengping turned and shouted to the airship.

"No need!" Qin Sang flicked his sleeve, and a gust of wind swept the wooden boxes down the mountain. He said coldly, "Since the true culprits have been identified, you may prosecute those involved with them according to their crimes!"

"This junior obeys!" Liu Chengping, understanding the hint, bowed and prepared to withdraw. Before leaving, he said, "Since the bandits who committed the crime had all been eradicated, and the witnesses from back then had all grown old, and the Ning family's remains were later cremated, it was impossible to reconstruct the full events of that night. It is unknown if anyone else was present, or if any Ning family survivors were taken away. Senior, rest assured, we will continue to search. As long as there's a clue, we will find the Ning family's descendants, even if we have to dig three feet into the ground!"

With that, Liu Chengping withdrew beyond the mountain and returned to the airship.

The airship gently vibrated, then turned and departed.

Qin Sang gazed out beyond the mountain, his eyes deep and distant. Yet, this was precisely the outcome he least wished to see.

The massacre was purely due to mortal grievances, with no trace of cultivators, meaning that after Liuli entered the illusion, she merely encountered a 'normal' accident.

And such accidents were very common, difficult to guard against.

If he hadn't met Venerable Tongshe back then, before he had the power to protect himself, his parents might have inadvertently offended city magnates, or had an argument with a hostile villager, any of which could have led to their deaths.

If...

Would Liuli continue to reincarnate?

Qin Sang sighed inwardly. The clue he had so painstakingly found was broken again.

Next, Qin Sang cultivated on the stone bridge of Yuji Mountain while waiting for news from the Dongliang Sect and considering his options.

One evening.

Qin Sang, as usual, came to the mountain peak, activated the formation flags to conceal the celestial phenomena, and began circulating the Heavenly Demon Refining Form.

Over the years, year after year, every few days, he would activate his cultivation method, sense the starry sky, and wait for that calling sound to reappear.

Qin Sang sat cross-legged, circulating his vital energy. Because the Heavenly Demon Refining Form had reached a bottleneck, one more step would allow him to cultivate a true Dharma Idol. Qin Sang dared not rashly attempt a breakthrough, so he only circulated it for a few cycles each time.

Today's starry sky was as brilliant as ever.

The starlight above Qin Sang's head trembled slightly, as if drawn by something, pouring down.

The next moment, Qin Sang's expression suddenly changed. After many years, he finally 'heard' the sound from deep space again!

The sound had become fainter, but Qin Sang's cultivation was far superior now, allowing him to discern some words. It was the same calling sound, indicating it was still the same entity as before!

However, Qin Sang's primary concern at the moment was himself. During the calling sound, the illusory Dharma Idol showed no unusual changes, which slightly put his mind at ease.

Qin Sang then prepared to open his Mustard Seed Artifact, take out the pre-refined formation artifacts, and set up a protective grand array, to guard against an attack while communicating with the entity.

At this moment, Qin Sang paused.

He realized that the entity's identity might be a powerful being of the Qingluan Tribe who had reached the Star-Dwelling Demon Soul realm. When communicating with the entity, it would be best for him to disguise himself as a Qingluan Tribe cultivator, and he was currently within human territory.

The entity was in the sky; he didn't know if it could see the scene below. If questioned, he would find it difficult to explain.

"It would be best to make another trip to the front lines..." Qin Sang thought, then flashed and appeared at the old Ning family residence.

Che Feilong was cultivating. Sensing Qin Sang's arrival, he quickly pushed open the door and came out, bowing. "Greetings, Senior."

Qin Sang said, "I will be leaving for a while. You guard this place alone. If you encounter trouble, crush that jade talisman, and the Dongliang Sect will send someone to help you."

"This junior will certainly fulfill his duty!" Che Feilong solemnly vowed.

Qin Sang nodded, took a deep look at the stone pavilion, then vanished through the void.

Before leaving, Qin Sang specifically informed the Dongliang Sect. Unexpectedly, upon receiving their reply, he learned an unexpected piece of news.

"War has started?" Qin Sang looked surprised as he read the intelligence from the Dongliang Sect.

When he returned from the Golden Eagle Tribe, the situation hadn't changed much. He hadn't expected war to break out so quickly.

There had been battles before, but they were limited to small-scale battlefields, and both sides maintained restraint, unwilling to proactively escalate conflicts.

This time, however, was different. War broke out simultaneously on multiple battlefields. Yongtu Immortal City issued orders to all parties, mobilizing all sects and factions, all human cultivators and descendants of deities, to jointly resist foreign races and defend the Immortal City!

This was a matter of great righteousness; no human sect or force could shirk their responsibility. The Dongliang Sect was fully preparing for war.

Although Yongtu Immortal City and the Phoenix Tribe had not yet officially declared war, it was clear to any discerning eye that war was imminent!

"It's finally here!" Qin Sang muttered, clenching the talisman message.

He had been waiting for this day. In his view, if he wanted to break free from the illusion, he either had to find an unusual place within the illusion to receive guidance, like the calling sound from deep space, or the illusion had to undergo a drastic change, leading to some kind of opportunity.

A war between humans and demons was precisely the best opportunity!

This illusion was so perfect, so real. Qin Sang had lived here for decades, almost believing he was in a real world.

It surely wouldn't have evolved this era for no reason. The curtain was finally about to rise!

Now, two opportunities to break free had appeared simultaneously. He had to seize them firmly.

Thinking this, Qin Sang accelerated his escape speed and headed straight for Yongtu Immortal City.

He held a position there and was assigned a temporary cave dwelling in Yongtu Immortal City. As soon as he returned to his dwelling, he saw a talisman message from Yuanyuan Mountain.

The letter was from his senior sister, Qinghong. It turned out that Senior Zhou and his senior brother Qingyan had also received orders and had already gone to the front lines.

With the war starting, the Tianjing Sect had no time to target Yuanyuan Mountain anymore. Qinghong reassured Qin Sang that the sect had returned to normal.

With Qin Sang and Qingyan representing Yuanyuan Mountain in the war, it was sufficient, and Venerable Tongshe could remain at the sect gate and focus on his breakthrough.

Qin Sang rested briefly, then immediately rejoined his unit. As his cultivation level became known, the Immortal City actually dispatched an Immortal Guard Commander to him. This was because Qin Sang's cultivation speed was extraordinary, and he had long entered the view of the city's high-ranking officials. This time, it even prompted the city's high-ranking officials to send someone specifically to summon him, intending to cultivate him as an elite.

The Immortal Guard Commander spoke frankly, stating that if a genius like Qin Sang were to perish on the battlefield, it would be a loss to Yongtu Immortal City and even the entire human race!

Qin Sang had anticipated this, yet he stubbornly insisted on going to the front lines, stating that his rapid cultivation speed was inseparable from practical experience; otherwise, he would just become ordinary.

The Immortal Guard Commander had no choice but to agree to Qin Sang's request, but rejected Qin Sang's request to serve as a spy in the demon territories. He specifically made arrangements to send him to a less intense battle area, assigning him to guard a stronghold, and promised that he could apply to the Immortal City for anything he needed for cultivation.

War brings disaster, but often opportunities accompany it.

Subsequently, Qin Sang boarded the airship and departed for the front lines.

The two sides were still in a standoff at the front lines, so the rear was temporarily stable. He encountered no dangers along the way and successfully reached his destination.

That night, Qin Sang found an excuse to leave the city and entered the territory controlled by the demon race.