Chapter 2290: Return

Qin Sang flew above the clouds and stopped to look back.

Back then, Junyang was the first to escape the dream realm, followed by True Master Ning appearing and taking away Liuli, which caused quite a stir. Afterwards, the mighty figures of the Extraordinary Races didn't trouble him further, and the matter of the dream realm was left unresolved.

Although there was an alliance among the Extraordinary Races forbidding them from bringing grievances out of the Sacred Land, Qin Sang's actions within the dream realm inevitably caused some displeasure. Fortunately, he had just inquired with Yuan Miao, and no one had specifically sought revenge against Qingyang Manor. The races Qin Sang feared most were undoubtedly the Feathered Humans and the Merfolk. During the Dream Seed War, Qin Sang had proactively suggested splitting the dream seeds, which was a gesture of goodwill, and it seemed to have paid off.

"Swoosh!"A stream of purple-gold light burst from the clouds. Yuan Ren wasted no words, raising his purple-gold staff and bringing it down towards Qin Sang's head, shouting, "True Master Qin, take this!"

A powerful gust of wind rushed towards him.

Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly. Compared to his performance resisting the beast tide in the Heart Lake back then, Yuan Ren had clearly made further progress.

The purple-gold staff seemed like a colossal pillar piercing the sky, its purple-gold mystical light dazzling. Qin Sang recalled how the demonic beasts during the beast tide had been unable to move against this attack, all instantly knocked over by Yuan Ren's single strike.

Qin Sang experienced the feeling of those demonic beasts; locked onto by the purple-gold staff, he felt a sense of suffocation even before the attack landed.

However, he was no longer the same as before. His expression remained calm as his body suddenly erupted with green lightning, his phoenix wings unfurled, and the manifestation of an Azure Luan appeared behind him, his aura surging dramatically.

In an instant, the sky was divided by two colors of light: purple-gold mystical light and green light intertwined, clashing intensely.

Yuan Miao, watching from a distance, widened his eyes, afraid to miss any detail of what was to come. A flash of surprise then appeared in his eyes.

This was because Qin Sang's transformation continued. The Azure Luan manifestation let out a clear phoenix cry, then suddenly merged into his body. At the same time, Qin Sang activated another incantation, instantly radiating emerald light and transforming into pure glazed jade, clearly manifesting the Great Vajra Wheel Seal!

"It seems he's using all body cultivation techniques. Is True Master Qin going to engage in hand-to-hand combat with Yuan Ren?"Yuan Miao knew Qin Sang had gained immensely in the Sacred Land, but he hadn't expected him to dare to fight Yuan Ren solely with strength-based techniques. He became even more excited and curious.

"Excellent!"Yuan Ren also noticed this and roared with excitement. Qin Sang's intention to engage in close combat suited him perfectly; only then could they have a truly satisfying battle.

Qin Sang smiled slightly. Countless threads of lightning erupted from between the feathers of his phoenix wings, coursing over his entire body and forming a set of Azure Thunder Phoenix Armor.

The Azure Thunder Phoenix Armor was forged from lightning, exquisite and beautiful, every line appearing perfect. It was not only aesthetically pleasing but also possessed powerful defensive capabilities. This was a divine ability of the Azure Luan race, cast using their demonic thunder, which Qin Sang had learned from Junyang.

After leaving the dream realm, the true Azure Luan thunder and Azure Luan race treasures he had obtained in the dream were gone, but the divine abilities and secret arts Qin Sang had learned would not disappear from his mind.

Qin Sang had already tried it; the insights from the dream realm remained, and he could still use them in reality!

Back then, Junyang had meticulously taught him, and Qin Sang had learned several divine abilities like the Azure Thunder Phoenix Armor.

Furthermore, there were also grand divine abilities of the Integration stage, such as the Heaven's Awakening Thunder Robe. Junyang had personally guided Qin Sang in comprehending them so that he could wield more powerful divine abilities. Qin Sang could now also use the Heaven's Awakening Thunder Robe, though its power could not compare to Junyang's.

It could be said that what he learned in the dream realm largely compensated for his deficiencies in strength-based combat.

Moreover, he could not only cast demonic arts but also Buddhist seals!

With the manifestation merging into his body, the Great Vajra Wheel Seal, and the Azure Thunder Armor, Qin Sang's physical body instantly grew to an unimaginable degree, and these were merely his strength-based techniques.

"Whoosh!"The purple-gold staff cleaved through the air.

Qin Sang didn't dodge. A weapon appeared in his hand; it wasn't Mount Daiyu but still the spirit tablet he had used before.

At the same time, dozens of streaks of green lightning surged up Qin Sang's arm onto the spirit tablet. The lightning and the tablet's radiant light merged, striking upward.

"Boom!"The two figures on the battlefield vanished as a soaring pillar of light erupted, a mixture of green and purple-gold, its terrifying aftermath transforming into a hurricane that swept in all directions.

Yuan Miao's expression subtly changed, and he retreated again, setting up a restrictive array around the battlefield to prevent the aftershocks from spreading and destroying the wildlife below.

Immediately after, thunderous crashing sounds echoed from the center of the hurricane.

As soon as the battle erupted, it instantly escalated to its most intense level. Yuan Ren had indeed grown stronger as rumored, but what shocked Yuan Miao most was Qin Sang.

Facing the relentless, overwhelming onslaught, Qin Sang actually managed to withstand it using only strength-based techniques, and he fought remarkably well!

"Boom!""Boom!""Boom!"Thunder rolled, and the wind and clouds changed color.

The two fought in a blur, their attacks like a tide. Even with Yuan Miao's eyesight, he could only discern indistinct silhouettes.

Suddenly, Yuan Ren's shout echoed across the battlefield: "True Master Qin, if these are all your techniques, I'm afraid I won't be fully satisfied today!"

Yuan Miao focused his gaze and saw Qin Sang retreating repeatedly under Yuan Ren's heavy staff. For some reason, he felt a sense of relief.

"Still a bit lacking..."Qin Sang sighed inwardly as he found himself at a disadvantage.

He hadn't used Mount Daiyu or the true Azure Luan thunder, nor had he deployed divine abilities like the Heaven's Awakening Thunder Robe or Sun Wheel Seal. He intended to use Yuan Ren to hone his own skills.

Although he had learned Azure Luan demonic arts, Qin Sang had previously relied on the grand divine abilities passed down by Junyang when fighting others, without the chance to truly apply them in actual combat. He needed to master these demonic arts and integrate the Nine Great Luminous Seals to ultimately form his own combat style.

Furthermore, the spirit tablet in his hand was far inferior to Yuan Ren's purple-gold staff.

"Why the rush, fellow Daoist?"Qin Sang laughed aloud. His hand suddenly felt empty, and then a cloud of mist appeared in his palm.

Yuan Ren noticed the anomaly, but being straightforward by nature, he didn't bother to probe and directly swung his staff at it.

"Bang!"The void trembled violently.

On the battlefield, Qin Sang held a miniature, exquisite mountain in his hand, and Yuan Ren's purple-gold staff was firmly resisted by the small mountain.

For the first time since the battle began, Qin Sang did not retreat.

Yuan Ren's gaze narrowed slightly as he scrutinized the small mountain, then he swung his purple-gold staff again.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"Collision after collision, enough to make Yuan Miao's heart pound, occurred before him.

The breathtaking struggle resumed, but unlike before, Qin Sang, relying on the small mountain, reversed his disadvantage. Yuan Ren continuously changed his moves, repeatedly unleashing divine abilities and secret arts unique to the Zhuyan race, but he couldn't break through the small mountain's blockade or threaten Qin Sang.

Among these were several divine abilities and secret arts that only a few members of the entire Zhuyan race had mastered, and Yuan Miao hadn't even learned them yet, but they still couldn't overcome Qin Sang.

Yuan Miao couldn't help but recall his own battle with Qin Sang, where Qin Sang had gained the upper hand by relying on his unparalleled lightning evasion technique. Yet, Qin Sang still hadn't used lightning evasion now!

"Hmph!"Yuan Ren, having failed to break through for a long time, grew impatient. He roared furiously, raising his staff and pointing it skyward.

On the battlefield, purple-gold light flared dramatically, instantly overwhelming the green lightning. Tens of thousands of staff shadows appeared, each accompanied by a phantom image of Yuan Ren, completely surrounding Qin Sang.

At the same time, a heavy pressure enveloped the battlefield, and a purple-gold cloud canopy appeared in the sky, as if a corner of the firmament had collapsed and was crashing down onto the battlefield.

Any other person facing such an onslaught would be crushed to a pulp by the purple-gold cloud canopy, even if they weren't struck dead by the staff shadows.

Seeing this, Qin Sang's eyes gleamed sharply. He fully channeled his divine ability, and the Mount Daiyu in his hand, its mist swirling, suddenly grew into a thousand-zhang-tall mountain.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"The staff shadows struck the immortal mountain, bouncing off and shattering on impact.

Qin Sang ignored the surrounding staff shadows, raising Mount Daiyu and smashing it fiercely towards the purple-gold cloud canopy!

"Rumble..."Yuan Miao watched the strange phenomena on the battlefield, his mouth agape in shock.

The purple-gold cloud canopy shattered into countless streams of cloud, which shot out wildly. Each stream contained terrifying power; it was hard to imagine the might of the purple-gold cloud canopy when they were combined.

However, even this attack didn't seem to defeat Qin Sang!

The purple-gold cloud streams dispersed in the void, and the fierce battle on the battlefield seemed to vanish. Yuan Ren burst out from one of the purple-gold cloud streams, doing a somersault, his purple-gold staff gripped tightly in his hand, staring intently ahead.

At the other end of the purple-gold cloud streams, Qin Sang also appeared, holding the tall mountain aloft, looking majestic.

Yuan Ren did not attack again. He frowned, examining Mount Daiyu. "What kind of weapon is that?"

"Just a mountain," Qin Sang replied with a slight smile.

Yuan Ren snorted coldly, "You win this battle!"

There was no other way. If he only used ordinary means, he couldn't do anything to Mount Daiyu. Swinging his staff strike after strike, he not only couldn't break the immortal mountain but also made his own arms numb.

He certainly had trump cards, but those were meant for life-or-death situations. He and Qin Sang had no mortal enmity, so it was impossible to use them on Qin Sang. Furthermore, Qin Sang had only used strength-based divine abilities so far, and his magic cultivation techniques remained unused. Continuing the fight would only bring him further humiliation.

A loss was a loss. Yuan Ren was open-minded and had nothing he dared not admit. He put away his purple-gold staff, uttered a remark, and turned to leave.

"You conceded well!"Qin Sang put Mount Daiyu back into his miniature grotto-heaven and cupped his hands in farewell.

After Yuan Ren left, Qin Sang's gaze swept around, pausing briefly in a few spots. His battle with Yuan Ren had been grand in scale, attracting many strong cultivators from both races to watch.

These strong cultivators realized they had been discovered.Phantom figures emerged from those locations, bowing to Qin Sang from afar and then respectfully taking their leave.

Yuan Miao flew forward, still unable to calm his emotions. He sighed, "Even Yuan Ren was no match for True Master Qin. In my Zhuyan race, perhaps only the Chief can contend with True Master Qin! I wonder who is stronger, the Chief or True Master Qin..."

"Has fellow Daoist forgotten the Sacred Land?" Qin Sang smiled.

"No, no, no! The Sacred Land is far above and too distant from the mortal world," Yuan Miao shook his head repeatedly.

Qin Sang also found himself pondering this question.

Yuan Ren conceded because Mount Daiyu was immensely powerful and happened to counter Yuan Ren's unparalleled fierce combat style. Chief Yuan Xiang's fighting style was entirely different from Yuan Ren's, so he might not lack methods to counter it.

Who was stronger or weaker, only a fight would tell.

Regardless, being able to compare with chief-level strong cultivators right after entering the late Void Refinement stage, Qin Sang was already very satisfied with his strength-based capabilities.

Yuan Miao escorted Qin Sang all the way out of the Zhuyan race's territory, bidding him a reluctant farewell.

Qin Sang traveled by wind, looking eastward.

After two hundred years, Qingyang Manor must have taken on a completely new appearance.

He had just heard from Yuan Miao that during the two hundred years of Qin Sang's absence, Qingyang Manor had developed rapidly. Under the leadership of Su Nü, it had opened two trade routes to the human territories of Kanzhou and Xunzhou, following Qin Sang's plans.

Chief Yuan Xiang, with his foresight, recognized the enormous benefits involved. He not only participated but also helped Qingyang Manor secure many allies, including the Youyan race.

Initially, Yuan Jian, as the Youyan race's Grand Elder, harbored malicious intentions, leading to a delicate relationship between the Youyan and Zhuyan races. After Yuan Jian died in the Sacred Land and his faction was suppressed, the Youyan race began to draw closer to the Zhuyan race again. This was understandable, as the Zhuyan race was, after all, the undisputed overlord of the region, their status unshakable.

In addition, Qingyang Manor had numerous other allies.

Si Lu encountered the Immortal Child in the Sacred Land and narrowly escaped with his life. He remained hidden until the passage appeared, emerging alive from the Sacred Land. He was not only one of the Four Kings of the Siyou race but also had the backing of Emperor Si, meaning the entire Siyou race was an ally of Qingyang Manor.

Ji Xia of the Jiaojiao race reportedly left the Sacred Land with Chief Yuan Xiang back then and personally went to Qingyang Manor to capture Ji Hong for breeding within their tribe. He, however, ended up building a temporary palace in Qingyang Manor himself, often residing there. He might even be in Qingyang Manor at this very moment.

And there was the Jieguo race. Back then, Jieguo masters, including Chief Fu, were captured by Qin Sang. Qin Sang later released them, and they formed an alliance with him using the Grand Void Golden Tome.

Upon returning to the Misty Sea, Chief Fu honored the alliance and proactively sought out Qingyang Manor. Su Nü humbled herself and treated them with respect, resolving their last bit of dissatisfaction. They were now one of Qingyang Manor's closest allies.

Aside from within the Misty Sea, there were also allies among the human race. In Xunzhou, there was Yu Chang'en of the Yu family, whom Qin Sang had met at Yuanjiao Sea Market. In Kanzhou, it was naturally Purple Cloud Mountain.

Although Purple Cloud Mountain was a reclusive force, it wasn't completely cut off from the world and maintained ties with many Supreme Daoist lineages.

Qin Sang only truly understood that Kanzhou and Xunzhou were considered within the sphere of influence of the Supreme Daoist lineages after coming into actual contact with them. The sects he interacted with in Kanzhou back then were merely surface-level forces; the branches of the Supreme Daoist lineages were the true overlords of Kanzhou.

During its peak, the Supreme Daoist Sect held sway over the East Sea. Kanzhou, along with the northern Xunzhou and southern Zhenzhou, were all under the sect's dominion, forcing the Extraordinary Races to retreat into the Misty Sea and the East Sea aquatic races to lie low, with no one daring to cause trouble in the East Sea.

The Great Zhou had always had legends of overseas immortal realms, referring to the Supreme Daoist Sect. Even though the sect was now fragmented, the Daoist forces remained deeply entrenched.

Leveraging Purple Cloud Mountain's reputation, Qingyang Manor's business would undoubtedly be smoothly conducted in Kanzhou in the future.

Of course, even with the best conditions, difficulties were inevitable, requiring a capable leader. Under Su Nü's guidance, everything was well-organized, and Qingyang Manor's development exceeded expectations.

"It seems I can safely entrust Qingyang Manor to Su Nü after I leave," Qin Sang mused inwardly.

He had long known Su Nü's talent; with her abilities, handling these matters was more than enough. Without any worries, he could confidently head to the Witch Race to search for the Ghost Mother and Liuying.

While he was contemplating, Qingyang Manor came into view.

Qin Sang's figure flickered repeatedly as he flew above Qingyang Temple, revealing himself and releasing his aura.

The next moment, a towering pillar of flame shot out from a restricted area within the mountain gate below, accompanied by the familiar roar of the Vermilion Bird."You Qin fellow, you actually decided to come back! I thought you had died outside..."