Chapter 2336: Lost

The Celestial Eye Butterfly had an intense craving for the treasure within the blue light, so strong that it surprised Qin Sang. Yet, when Qin Sang encountered danger, she returned without hesitation, even before he could call for help.

Qin Sang felt deeply comforted, but at the same time, his expression subtly darkened. The crisis erupted abruptly, and he instinctively wanted to take refuge in his small grotto-heaven. With no one else nearby, he wasn't worried about exposing it and inviting trouble. Yet, at that very moment, he had a premonition: if the entire stream of light were to truly rampage, hiding in the small grotto-heaven might not be safe either!

Since acquiring the small grotto-heaven, Qin Sang had considered it his most reliable retreat, to be used only as a last resort. The Ziwei Boy had even mentioned that the Gate of the Guiding Beacon might be able to evade the senses of Integration Stage cultivators. At this moment, however, this retreat seemed less secure. After all, if the stream of light truly rampaged, no place within the entire river of light would be safe.

Qin Sang was greatly shocked. Could the stream of light really destroy the Gate of the Guiding Beacon? This wasn't impossible; the Ziwei Boy's tone had suggested that the small grotto-heaven was primarily for hiding before an enemy could detect you. If one were to hide directly under an enemy's gaze, the foe could attack the Gate of the Guiding Beacon directly. Thus, it was always best to choose a secure location. If the Gate of the Guiding Beacon faced a direct impact, even minor damage could have immeasurable repercussions for the small grotto-heaven.

Qin Sang was unsure about the consequences if the Gate of the Guiding Beacon were destroyed. Being directly ejected would be one thing, but the worst outcome could be banishment into the void along with the small grotto-heaven, or even being trapped inside it forever. The small grotto-heaven was an incomplete minor realm, its size nowhere near comparable to a true one. He certainly didn't want to be imprisoned in such a confined space.

Therefore, Qin Sang dared not take that risk now. Hiding in the small grotto-heaven would be akin to gambling. Outside, he could at least actively respond; he would only hide there and leave his fate to chance in a truly desperate moment.

*Swish!*

Sword light flashed forth. The Phoenix Wings suddenly unfurled, the Gray Oriole Sword was held horizontally before him, the Sky-Trapping Golden Lock and Earth-Imprisoning Divine Ring floated above his head, and simultaneously, Qin Sang's right hand lowered as he summoned the Daiyu Immortal Mountain... In that instant, almost all his divine abilities and treasures related to Qi cultivation and brute force were unleashed!

Of course, this was not Qin Sang's full power; potent tools like the Azure Luan True Thunder, Wandering Cloud Sword, and Thunder Offering Oath Scroll remained unused. Employing these trump cards, even if they resolved the immediate crisis, would incur a terrifying backlash. Qin Sang's priority now was to react dynamically.

Starlight-like sword light fiercely slashed towards the swarming light clusters. The Sky-Trapping Golden Lock and Earth-Imprisoning Divine Ring shimmered with dazzling spiritual light, their combined radiance about to unleash the power of their void domain. Qin Sang, meanwhile, held the immortal mountain high, preparing to hurl the Daiyu Immortal Mountain to clear a path.

Unexpectedly, just as Qin Sang was desperately seeking an escape and the Celestial Eye Butterfly had turned back to save him, a scene that stunned him unfolded. After a momentary rampage, the light clusters, for some unknown reason, abruptly ceased their turmoil, and the chaos quickly subsided. In Qin Sang's perception, the crisis had arrived as suddenly as it receded, leaving him baffled and wondering if the recent rampage had been an illusion.

Qin Sang vaguely understood: it was likely that the fluctuations caused by their attack on the blue light had disturbed the normally steady stream, stimulating it to rampage. Perhaps due to the stream's inherent stability, the initial signs of turbulence were quickly quelled by its own power. Qin Sang, unaware of this, had overreacted; in truth, he didn't need to resist, as the stream would have restored itself. Regardless, this was certainly good news for Qin Sang; he had averted a crisis. The cost, however, was the Celestial Eye Butterfly missing an opportunity!

Qin Sang turned his gaze downstream. Although anomalies had occurred one after another, the entire process was extremely brief. These changes unfolded in an instant, but the blue light's flow was so rapid that a brief hesitation had already widened the distance between it and the Celestial Eye Butterfly.

At this very moment, Qin Sang had just launched his counter-attack and was on the verge of activating his divine abilities. The power of treasures like the Sky-Trapping Golden Lock and Earth-Imprisoning Divine Ring was poised, ready to unleash. The backlash from Heaven and Earth had already descended, though if he were to stop now, the retribution wouldn't be as severe. However, he chose not to.

"Go!"

Qin Sang ignored the backlash from Heaven and Earth and silently activated his sword art. The sword roared like thunder! The sword light swept horizontally, pointing directly at the blue light, splitting the stream and carving a clear path for the Celestial Eye Butterfly amidst countless light clusters.

*Clang!*

The Sky-Trapping Golden Lock and Earth-Imprisoning Divine Ring clanged crisply, and the power of their void domain rapidly spread, helping the Celestial Eye Butterfly resist the surrounding pressure.

*Boom!*

The Daiyu Immortal Mountain flew from his hand, slamming violently downstream. Its terrifying force created visible ripples in the stream of light.

With Qin Sang now safe, heartfelt joy bloomed in the Celestial Eye Butterfly's celestial eyes, swiftly followed by a flicker of disappointment. With her intelligence, she naturally understood that opportunities were fleeting. At this moment, with Qin Sang's full assistance, a gleam of hope erupted in her celestial eyes. The Celestial Eye Butterfly gracefully turned, and propelled by the force ripples and bolstered by the various divine abilities and treasures, her speed surged. She actually managed to close the distance to the blue light once more. Behind her, winds howled and thunder roared.

Qin Sang's actions had utterly enraged Heaven and Earth, drawing the strongest backlash. Lightning fell like a forest and rain, accompanied by endless raging fires, towering tidal waves, and terrifying, world-destroying hurricanes... All sorts of phenomena converged, accompanied by vast heavenly might, instantly engulfing Qin Sang. And all of this was solely to secure an opportunity for the Celestial Eye Butterfly!

After the rampage, the stream of light quickly returned to calm, flowing steadily on its own. Among countless light clusters, a blue light sped ahead, seemingly out of reach. Yet, behind it, a delicate butterfly carved through the waves, pursuing relentlessly, with the terrifying celestial phenomena serving as her backdrop.

As the saying goes, initial resolve brings strength, a second attempt brings weakness, and a third leads to exhaustion. Qin Sang's forceful assistance couldn't last indefinitely, and the distance between the Celestial Eye Butterfly and the blue light would inevitably widen. Yet, her celestial eyes remained incredibly resolute. As she was about to close in on the blue light and the assisting force was nearing exhaustion, the Celestial Eye Butterfly seized the fleeting opportunity and decisively struck.

*Swish!*

Her butterfly wings flapped violently. This was her only chance, and the Celestial Eye Butterfly held nothing back. Streaks of Yimu Divine Thunder erupted from her celestial eyes, forming incredibly thick azure thunder columns. At this point, the blue light's turbulence had not yet subsided, and it was hit hard again. The Yimu Divine Thunder was quickly consumed within the blue light, becoming thinner and thinner, yet it stubbornly pierced through the blue light, shooting towards the mirror shard.

After delivering this strike, the Celestial Eye Butterfly was too exhausted to pursue further. She watched as the distance between her and the blue light rapidly widened again, yet her connection to that divine thunder remained! The divine thunder plunged in, causing the already chaotic scene within the mirror to become even more disordered. The next moment, the divine thunder actually leaped out of the mirror again, springing up violently like a spiritual serpent. It burst out of the blue light and shot back. This back-and-forth movement seemed to have brought something out.

*Swish!*

The divine thunder returned before the Celestial Eye Butterfly, and indeed, something was coiled within the lightning: three spirit flowers. With the spirit flowers in hand, the Celestial Eye Butterfly gazed at the now distant blue light, a hint of disappointment flickering in her celestial eyes. Then she abruptly withdrew her gaze, rushing back to save Qin Sang.

The celestial phenomena gradually dissipated. The backlash from Heaven and Earth finally subsided. Qin Sang's dishevelled figure emerged; a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his aura was remarkably chaotic. He was clearly injured, a consequence he had, in a way, brought upon himself. The more he retaliated, the greater the backlash he invited. To appease the wrath of Heaven and Earth, sometimes one could only endure it. Fortunately, the Celestial Eye Butterfly returned to assist him in time.

"Phew…"

Gazing at the stream of light that had returned to calm around him, Qin Sang let out a long sigh. As streaks of light flowed past his eyes, the Celestial Eye Butterfly landed on his shoulder. The Celestial Eye Butterfly spat out a ball of lightning, which landed in front of Qin Sang. Encased within the lightning were three flowers, precisely what she had snatched from the blue light. The spirit flowers were small and pure white, with a faint fragrance. Each flower had four petals arranged in a cross shape, every petal identical in color and size, looking almost indistinguishable from ordinary small white flowers found outside.

Qin Sang searched his memories; he had never before seen any record of this type of flower and didn't know what kind of spirit flower it was. However, Qin Sang could sense extremely pure spiritual energy emanating from the flowers, indicating they were certainly a rare treasure of heaven and earth.

The lightning ball trembled slightly, and a petal detached, floating towards the Celestial Eye Butterfly, who swallowed it. The Celestial Eye Butterfly trembled slightly, immediately closing her wings around herself to refine the flower's medicinal power. Her aura showed slight fluctuations, which quickly subsided. When she spread her wings again, she appeared vibrant and full of spirit. Not only was her expended strength fully restored, but her aura also seemed to have changed, becoming more stable.

"This spirit flower is indeed very beneficial for spirit insects," Qin Sang thought to himself. Noticing the lingering disappointment in the Celestial Eye Butterfly's eyes, he sighed softly. It turned out that the true treasure that had attracted the Celestial Eye Butterfly was not these spirit flowers. She had failed to find that particular treasure and had to settle for less, seizing these three spirit flowers at the last moment. Now the blue light was gone. He had risked injury to secure an opportunity for the Celestial Eye Butterfly, but ultimately, she had missed the greater opportunity.

"It was I who held you back," Qin Sang said, gently stroking the Celestial Eye Butterfly. The Celestial Eye Butterfly gently rubbed Qin Sang's finger with her wings, seeming to comfort him instead.

"Don't worry, we'll have another chance!" Qin Sang said gravely. "I will definitely help you get it in the future!"

The Celestial Eye Butterfly had boundless faith in Qin Sang, as if whatever he said, he could accomplish. Her disappointment instantly turned to joy; she perked up again, fluttering gracefully around Qin Sang. Qin Sang smiled as he watched her. Though his words were grand, he knew in his heart it wouldn't be easy to achieve.

Firstly, they might not encounter the blue light again. Secondly, the longer they waited, the more difficult their situation would become. The venomous insect had already perished, leaving only the Celestial Eye Butterfly. What he needed to do now was to investigate the mirror shards thoroughly, ideally discovering some pattern; only then could he hope to find the blue light. Alternatively, he could do nothing and simply drift with the stream of light to its end. Perhaps all these mirror shards flowed to that destination... He speculated on various possibilities in his mind, but for now, he could only drift with the stream of light, waiting for the next shard.

Time slowly passed. Qin Sang silently kept track of time in his mind. Suddenly, his expression brightened. "Here it comes again!" This time, the interval was only half of the previous one, indicating that the shards appeared randomly. Fluctuations appeared ahead, but the Celestial Eye Butterfly showed no unusual reaction this time; there was no treasure of interest to her there.

His celestial eye gazed upstream in the river of light. Soon, a red glow appeared in his sight. "It's red again," he mused. "Do the different colors of the shards signify some pattern?" Qin Sang pondered silently, while simultaneously moving closer to the path of the red light.

Suddenly, Qin Sang let out a soft exclamation, realizing the red light seemed familiar. A thought struck him, reminding him of the Gonggong Platform outside. This red glow was like a bloody radiance; the blood clouds, blood spirit veins, and the boundless crimson earth all shared this very color! The red glow drew closer, and indeed, an irregular shard was encased within it. The scene within the mirror shard was equally blurry, entirely blood-red, as if enveloped in a mist of blood.

After gazing for a moment, a flash of surprise suddenly appeared in Qin Sang's eyes. He quickly instructed the Celestial Eye Butterfly to fix her gaze on the shard. He then saw that within the chaotic mass, occasional glimpses of scenes flashed by: patches of uneven ground, crimson clouds... These scenes were too familiar; he had seen these very sights every moment while traversing the Gonggong Platform.

"No way?" A conjecture formed in Qin Sang's mind, leaving him startled. Could this shard lead outside the Insect Tomb? Just a moment ago, he had been worried about his prospects; he never imagined a turning point would appear so quickly.

*Whoosh!*

As the red light approached, it was immediately struck by lightning. Having learned from the previous lesson, Qin Sang was prepared this time, standing ready. The red light was struck by the Yimu Divine Thunder, causing immediate ripples. Qin Sang closely monitored the changes in the light stream. Strangely, the anticipated rampage did not occur, and the red light's counter-attack force seemed much weaker than the blue light's.

"Is it related to where the shard connects?" he wondered. "The more treasures there are, the greater the resistance. And because there's that ultimate treasure on the other side of the blue light, the resistance is strong enough to shake the stream itself..."

The thought flashed by, but Qin Sang had no time to investigate the truth. He no longer hesitated, leaping towards the red light. The resistance was indeed much weaker than he had imagined. The next moment, Qin Sang and the Celestial Eye Butterfly rushed into the red light, appearing above the shard. Then, without hesitation, they jumped in. Qin Sang felt an invisible, strange power flow through his entire body. The stream of light rapidly moved away from him, and the feeling of being targeted by Heaven and Earth vanished without a trace.

*Thud!*

Qin Sang's feet landed on solid ground. His figure swayed, then stood firm, and he looked around, an unusual expression on his face. Beneath his feet was crimson earth, with blood clouds floating above, stretching endlessly to the horizon. Familiar scenery, familiar scent of blood; he had clearly escaped the Insect Tomb!

Even Qin Sang felt a sense of unreality. He had thought he was in serious trouble this time, never expecting such a dramatic outcome. He glanced up, but the mirror shard was nowhere to be seen. Qin Sang pondered silently. While it seemed he had escaped easily this time, it might simply have been good fortune, having happened upon a shard that led outside the Insect Tomb. If escape were truly this simple, cultivators of the Witch Clan wouldn't speak of the Insect Tomb with such dread.

Nevertheless, he now at least knew a way to leave the Insect Tomb. Qin Sang turned his head and told the Celestial Eye Butterfly, "We'll come back again!" He didn't plan to go back now. This trip was originally just for reconnaissance, and his preparations were insufficient, making it difficult for him to fully utilize his abilities within the Insect Tomb. Next time he came, he would be fully prepared, and he was determined to help the Celestial Eye Butterfly obtain that treasure!