Chapter 2280: Black Sky Sea

The Mortal Realm

The Mortal Realm

In front of the Divine Mountain.

Qin Sang made no effort to conceal his soaring ascent, heading directly for the summit of the Divine Mountain. There, shifting light and shadow coalesced into three figures.

These were all familiar faces: the Feathered Human Prince, the Merfolk Queen, and an Ancestor's disciple.

The three stood in a triangular formation, blocking Qin Sang’s path. The Feathered Human Prince sternly bellowed, “Fellow Daoist Qin, please hear me out!”

Qin Sang met his words with a cold sneer, ignoring him completely. His forward momentum intensified, and powerful auras erupted around him. Six Bone Luan appeared simultaneously, their hollow eye sockets flickering with eerie flames.

Staring at the six Bone Luan, the three felt a chill run down their spines, their expressions changing dramatically.

They knew this wasn't Qin Sang's full strength; a Lightning Beast Battle Guard remained hidden, and given his profound concealment, he likely had other trump cards.

Just the exposed power was terrifying enough to make them tremble.

"Qin, you should know when to hold back and when enough is enough, or you'll bring about your own destruction!" the Merfolk Queen shrieked.

Such threats could not shake Qin Sang's resolve.

Meanwhile, streaks of light appeared on the horizon, with three more swiftly approaching from different directions.

Qin Sang’s gaze shifted to one of the streaks. It was Xi Rui, whose performance among the Ancestor's disciples was the most remarkable, indicating his deep background and formidable strength. He was one of Qin Sang's most formidable opponents.

“Fellow Daoist Qin!”

Seeing the scene in front of the Divine Mountain, Xi Rui’s expression turned anxious.

He was too late; he couldn't make it in time.

The Feathered Human Prince and his two companions would struggle against even the Bone Luan battle formation, let alone stopping Qin Sang from destroying the Dream Seed.

"Why must Fellow Daoist Qin act so extremely? Your strength is unrivaled among us, and we are humbled. Since ancient times, the strong have been revered, and it is only natural for you to claim the largest share of benefits. However, Fellow Daoist Qin must also understand that no one can monopolize all advantages! I propose that we concede a portion for Fellow Daoist Qin to take first, and then we can distribute the rest… There are few qualified to share the treasures now, so we won't fear insufficient distribution. What do you all think?"

Worried that his message wouldn't reach quickly enough, Xi Rui activated a divine ability, broadcasting his proposal to the public, attempting to persuade Qin Sang.

Upon hearing this, the Feathered Human Prince and others immediately nodded in agreement.

Qin Sang sighed inwardly. It was remarkably rare for Xi Rui to make such a concession, primarily because his own displayed power was too terrifying for them to handle.

As Xi Rui said, no one could monopolize all the treasures, especially an outsider like him. Alas, Qin Sang had other plans!

*Boom!*

The six Bone Luan vibrated their bony wings.

Their very flesh was composed of azure lightning. With a deafening rumble of thunder, six bolts of lightning shot toward the mountain peak, preceding Qin Sang.

Amidst the lightning, a slender bolt of azure lightning, Little Azure Luan, was concealed.

Little Azure Luan's presence was overshadowed by the Bone Luan, yet they had witnessed its self-detonation killing the devil shadow before.

*Boom!*

Thunder roared, deafening the heavens.

Eight glowing treasures materialized in the void: a luminous pearl, coral, a jade vase, and more.

These treasures formed a defensive line, but upon impact with the Bone Luan battle formation, they immediately began to shatter.

*Buzzing…*

The eight glowing treasures trembled. With a crack, the luminous pearl and coral shattered into dust.

Two of the eight treasures were lost, their power completely dissipated. The remaining treasures were swept away by the aftermath, and the defensive line instantly collapsed!

Seeing this, the Feathered Human Prince and his two companions' eyelids twitched. Daring not to obstruct Qin Sang further, they simultaneously retreated.

Qin Sang followed closely behind the Bone Luan battle formation, breaking through the obstacles and ascending the Divine Mountain’s peak.

Unless the Feathered Human Prince and others could summon external powers, stopping him was impossible. He didn’t even need to use the Daiyu Immortal Mountain. Now it seemed that seeking external aid was also very difficult for them, which was good—the mysterious Azure Luan could remain hidden longer.

Xi Rui remained unconvinced and continued to shout, “Fellow Daoist Qin…”

But Qin Sang gave him no chance to speak, striking the supreme treasure with a palm. The freshly sprouted tender shoots faced their destined destruction once more.

Time stood still, and heaven and earth collapsed.

Inside the cave mansion.

Qin Sang awakened once again, sensing the power he gained after killing the devil shadow while adjusting his breath.

"Excellent, this power, combined with the Azure Luan clan's sacred object, will effortlessly push me to the peak of the middle stage of Void Refinement! However, breaking through to the late stage of Void Refinement might not be so smooth..."

Qin Sang’s thoughts flickered. Once his state was at its peak, he summoned the mysterious Azure Luan.

"They... didn't act..."

The mysterious Azure Luan said.

Qin Sang knew it was referring to the external mighty figures. He replied, "It seems they can't easily intervene either. The last time might have cost them a great deal. This is good for us."

"Indeed!"

The mysterious Azure Luan then asked, "Will you cultivate first... or seek someone? With... your cultivation speed... you should... be able to break through again this time..."

"I'm afraid not," Qin Sang shook his head.

"Let's find someone first!"

Qin Sang asked the mysterious Azure Luan to use its divine ability. The mysterious Azure Luan had no objection and immediately transmitted the ability.

In various locations, stone pavilions stood silently, and among them, Qin Sang saw a new one.

Then, Qin Sang’s expression changed slightly, because he not only saw the stone pavilion but also a face he was all too familiar with: Liu Li!

No, it couldn’t be Liu Li; it must be the Liu Li devil shadow!

In fact, while searching for the stone pavilion, Qin Sang had also been searching for the Liu Li devil shadow.

Capturing the Liu Li devil shadow might yield a clue, and Qin Sang wouldn't miss any hope.

Initially, because Qin Sang’s cultivation was low, he could not withstand the impact of the mysterious Azure Luan’s divine ability. He could only choose to visualize the most prominent feature: the stone pavilions. As his cultivation increased and his tolerance grew stronger, he began to search for both simultaneously.

However, the Liu Li devil shadow had never appeared.

Not just the Liu Li devil shadow, but other people's devil shadows also remained elusive.

At the beginning of the war, Qin Sang had seen Yuan Xiang’s devil shadow. Later, when Qin Sang captured the Azure Luan clan expert, he asked about it and learned that Yuan Xiang’s devil shadow had gone missing after the war began.

These devil shadows seemed to have made an agreement, hiding in unknown places.

Most of the cultivators on the Divine Mountain had their true bodies possessed by devil shadows. For those like Liu Li, who were immersed in illusion, their devil shadows remained unaccounted for.

No one knew what they were waiting for, or what their conspiracy was.

This time, the Liu Li devil shadow actually appeared, and openly so, in the middle of the battlefield!

Through the mysterious Azure Luan’s divine ability, Qin Sang could only see a momentary flash, making it difficult to determine which faction the Liu Li devil shadow had joined. However, Liu Li was not the only one in that image; there were two other familiar faces.

"This person seems to be a powerful Feathered Human from the Imperial Clan, and the other appears to be an Ancestor's disciple..."

Qin Sang recalled.

Back then, before the dark descent and the abnormal changes in the illusionary realm, the conflict between Xi Rui and the foreign race prince had not yet concluded. Sensing the impending danger, they quickly reached an agreement, but some of their subordinates didn't make it to the Divine Mountain in time and were swallowed by the darkness.

These two were among them!

Their true bodies, like Liu Li’s, were immersed in the illusion. What was the reason for their sudden appearance in the same place?

Qin Sang fell into contemplation, but his understanding of the illusion and devil shadows was too limited to find an answer.

These devil shadows had been hiding for hundreds of years, and their choice to appear now must involve some unknown scheme, perhaps sensing a change in the illusionary realm or some unexpected development with their true bodies!

Since the Liu Li devil shadow had appeared, Qin Sang resolved to capture it no matter what.

Qin Sang left the cave mansion, flying out of the mountain gate. Before leaving, he glanced down at Mount Yuji.

Ever since he realized there was something strange behind Liu Li and received help from the mysterious Azure Luan, Origin Pure Mountain had not been of much use to him, serving merely as a secluded cultivation retreat.

Coupled with the increasing pressure, Qin Sang had to seize every moment. Each time he awoke, there was too much to do, and he was always in a hurry. He hadn't paid much attention to his sect for a long time.

It seemed Origin Pure Mountain was developing quite well. The Void Refinement stage spirit beast Qin Sang had given his senior sister had laid a solid foundation for the sect.

“Senior Sister Qing Hong’s cave mansion’s protective formation is active, so she must be cultivating in the mountain. Senior Sister Shuangluo should be on the battlefield…”

Among his sect members, only his two senior sisters truly caught his attention. But this karmic bond was also destined to be fleeting; Qin Sang wouldn't invest too much emotion into it.

Withdrawing his gaze, Qin Sang vanished into the horizon. He first circled the stone pavilion, as expected finding nothing, then hurried to the battlefield.

This was a centuries-long, unprecedented war, consuming countless lives. Not only had both sides learned no lessons, their hatred had only deepened.

Entering the battlefield, Qin Sang easily found clues about this group of devil shadows.

This group of devil shadows acted with extreme high-profile, like a mysterious force appearing out of nowhere, causing significant commotion on the battlefield.

This faction boasted many powerful individuals, possessing not only formidable strength but also elusive movements. They did not intentionally conceal their identities, often appearing in human form, but human form did not necessarily mean human race; some revealed characteristics suggesting they were descendants of deities.

However, they had not allied with the Immortal City. Sometimes they offended the Immortal City, and sometimes they attacked the Phoenix clan, with many pure-blood Phoenixes falling victim to their cruel hands. No one could fathom their intentions, naturally drawing the attention of both the Phoenix clan and the Immortal City.

Currently, both sides had dispatched several Void Refinement level experts to preside over the battlefield, closely monitoring the movements of this force.

Qin Sang easily obtained portraits of some individuals, and Liu Li was prominently among them!

All the people in the portraits shared a common trait: they had failed to ascend the Divine Mountain before the darkness descended!

"What exactly do these united devil shadows want to do?"

Qin Sang was puzzled.

The actions of this mysterious force had sparked many conjectures. Some observers believed their movements indicated they were searching for something.

"Searching for what?"

Qin Sang mused. It seemed he would have to capture them to get answers. With Qin Sang's strength in the illusionary realm, it shouldn't be difficult, but he couldn't be too overconfident.

Firstly, this group of devil shadows was elusive. Secondly, their strength was not weak; both the Phoenix clan and the Immortal City had acted against them, all ending in failure, reportedly suffering considerable losses.

Those who publicly appeared might not even represent their full strength.

Qin Sang remembered that before the darkness descended, a considerable number of cultivators failed to ascend the Divine Mountain. If all their devil shadows gathered, they would indeed be a formidable force!

"The last time the Liu Li devil shadow appeared was in... the Black Sky Sea..."

The Black Sky Sea, despite its name, was actually a vast lake.

The Immortal City and the Phoenix clan had been engaged in a protracted struggle over the Black Sky Sea, which frequently changed hands, with neither side able to control it for more than ten years. The armies near the Black Sky Sea had even formed a tacit understanding, but recently, this understanding was broken by a third force. Both sides reportedly suffered attacks and significant losses.

What in the Black Sky Sea was worth such a major offensive?

Qin Sang perused information on the Black Sky Sea and found that its most valuable produce was several types of spiritual materials.

The battle had occurred recently, and the Immortal City and the Phoenix clan were currently mobilizing forces, preparing to counterattack the Black Sky Sea. Those devil shadows might not have left yet.

Qin Sang decided to go there personally.

Although his cultivation progressed rapidly, unless he could break through to the late stage of Void Refinement, his strength wouldn't undergo a qualitative change. With his current strength, he could handle most situations, and if worst came to worst, he could seek help from the mysterious Azure Luan.

With this in mind, Qin Sang immediately set off, while continuing to gather information on this group of devil shadows.

They had been very active recently, with the Liu Li devil shadow appearing frequently, seemingly playing the role of a vanguard.

This was normal, as the Liu Li devil shadow’s strength should be the weakest. When it first encountered the devil shadows, Liu Li was only at the Nascent Soul stage. However, intelligence indicated that the Liu Li devil shadow now possessed Void Refinement stage strength.

"Unless the Liu Li devil shadow encountered its true body, the Liu Li devil shadow must have broken through on its own in the illusionary realm!"

Qin Sang had already noticed this situation. Devil shadows were capable of cultivating and improving their strength independently within the illusionary realm.

His own devil shadow was also like this, having made great progress compared to before, but the true body's strength was even more terrifying; no matter how diligently the devil shadow cultivated, it could not change its fate.

There were other differences compared to before, but they were not crucial, as the Liu Li devil shadow’s cultivation was only at the early stage of Void Refinement.

Before long, Qin Sang arrived near the Black Sky Sea.

“Senior…”

Just in case, Qin Sang called out to the mysterious Azure Luan in advance.

It was precisely because he had such a powerful backing that Qin Sang didn't have to worry too much before making decisions.

Black Sky Sea.

The lake water was icy cold, and the lakebed was silent. On a giant lake stone, several figures sat cross-legged.

“Fellow Daoist Qin should have received the message by now… He has already killed devil shadows twice. The next time, his devil shadow might perish, and we will be exposed. Therefore, we only have this one chance. Should we make the commotion even bigger?”

A woman spoke. Her appearance and attire were identical to Liu Li’s, but she was actually the Merfolk Queen in disguise. Xi Rui and others were also disguised as different identities, gathered around the ‘Liu Li devil shadow.’

Their earlier deliberate display of weakness in front of Qin Sang was to dispel his guard and pave the way for this ambush.

"Let's wait and see."

Xi Rui said solemnly, "From what I've observed, Fellow Daoist Qin is exceptionally strong but not arrogant or reckless. Even if he receives the message, he'll likely choose to observe first. We'll wait a few more days, then move to another location. Unless he's completely isolated, we'll eventually draw him out!"