Chapter 2393: Finishing Touch

The Great Sage Guizang appeared. The wind across the land abruptly ceased, all snowflakes hung suspended in mid-air, and time seemed to stand still.

His gaze swept across the snowfield below, finally resting on an ice mountain.

The ice mountain was towering and treacherous, with bare ice cliffs on all sides, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.

After gazing at the ice mountain for a moment, a look of surprise flashed in the Great Sage Guizang's eyes, and he flew directly towards it.

Upon reaching the ice cliff, the Great Sage Guizang did not hesitate, his figure silently merging into the ice.

After the Great Sage Guizang entered the ice mountain, the surface of the ice cliff showed no opening, remaining perfectly flawless. The wind picked up, snowflakes gently drifted down, and everything returned to its original state.

A moment later, the Great Sage Guizang appeared inside the ice mountain. Beneath his feet was real earth, not ice, but he was surrounded by cold ice.

This was a small ice cave. On the ground, there was a well, and its water was surprisingly black.

Upon closer inspection, one would find it was not water after all, but a black mist so dense it was almost liquid, and exceptionally still.

The 'well water' emitted a special aura—it was true demonic energy!

The Great Sage Guizang stood by the well, his gaze deepening as he looked at the water. He flicked his finger, and an invisible force entered the well.

*Whoosh!*

The well water rippled slightly, then immediately returned to stillness.

The Great Sage Guizang stood still. After waiting for a moment, the well water rippled again, and a wisp of black mist floated out of the wellhead, transforming into a human face. Its hollow eye sockets stared fixedly at the Great Sage Guizang, like a terrifying demonic face.

"I thought the remnants of the demon realm could only hide deep within the ice plains, barely clinging to life. I didn't expect you to dare to appear here so openly," a hint of mockery flashed across the Great Sage Guizang's face.

Suddenly, he paused, a look of shock appearing on his face. "No! You're not..."

"Who I am is not important," the demonic face interrupted the Great Sage Guizang, its voice somewhat hollow, emotionless, and as cold as the ice mountain itself.

"You and I are kindred spirits. That is enough."

The Great Sage Guizang clearly disagreed with the demonic face's statement. He took a step back, asking cautiously, "When did you get in here? If you are here, why did those demon lords meet such a miserable end?"

"You misunderstand," the demonic face replied. "My true self cannot enter yet..."

As the demonic face spoke, its features began to distort, transforming into a majestic moose, and then returning to its original form.

The Great Sage Guizang's expression softened slightly, but then the demonic face's tone shifted. "However, the seal has loosened. I will eventually enter..."

"What seal?"

The Great Sage Guizang's expression subtly changed.

"Exactly what you're thinking..."

The demonic face chuckled. "Nothing in this world is eternal. Even the strongest barrier can last for thousands, tens of thousands of years, but what about hundreds of thousands of years, or even longer? Time can erode everything."

The Great Sage Guizang's expression fluctuated, as if he was hesitating about something.

"I know what you desire," the demonic face's voice became more alluring. "I can give it all to you."

The Great Sage Guizang snorted. "You know what I desire?"

The demonic face's mouth moved, but no sound came out; the voice was transmitted directly into the Great Sage Guizang's mind.

After speaking, the demonic face quietly watched the Great Sage Guizang, its expression very confident.

The Great Sage Guizang's expression changed. He scoffed, "You think these alone are enough to make me risk my life for you?"

"It's not risking your life; it's joining us, becoming a great general under my command. As I just said, we are kindred spirits. Whatever else you desire, I can give you," the demonic face said.

The Great Sage Guizang hesitated.

The demonic face continued to entice him. "Your finding me now is destiny, it is your fate, and it is my fate. The forces that were once close to us have been almost completely wiped out. Now, only you are suitable for this task. I will spare no effort to win you over. Once this is accomplished, no one will be able to steal your credit."

These words were very straightforward, essentially telling the Great Sage Guizang that any conditions he proposed would be accepted.

"If I agree to you, I will be an enemy to the world!" the Great Sage Guizang said solemnly, his tone deepening.

"Since you are willing to pay such a great price to contact us, you must have already understood the implications. The moment you accepted that... well, what you call the Demonic Seed, they could no longer tolerate you." The demonic face was stating a fact, not a threat.

The Great Sage Guizang fell silent.

"Back then, when my master gave me that Demonic Seed, I didn't know what it meant."

"But you accepted it, didn't you?"

The demonic face's gaze shifted slightly, staring intently into the Great Sage Guizang's eyes. "There's no need to bargain further. Any condition, I will agree to."

As it spoke, the demonic face twitched its nose and took a deep breath. "I smell the aura of that traitor on you. Since you have inherited his legacy, you should understand that the Demonic Seed is not a means to control you; it offers unparalleled benefits. As long as you wholeheartedly embrace it and truly become one of us, the Demonic Seed will pose no harm to you. Instead, it will be a rare and precious opportunity."

"Are you referring to the Great Sage Chanxin?"

The Great Sage Guizang raised an eyebrow. The sound of rushing water echoed behind him as a stream of water emerged, encircling his back.

A phantom of a spirit turtle was seen prostrating in the water, with half its shell floating above the surface.

"Chanxin, is that the last name he gave himself?" The demonic face revealed a sarcastic expression, also hinting at a trace of anger, which finally turned into a long sigh. "I have seen countless geniuses, but none could compare to him. If he had not betrayed us in the end, this place would already be under my control!"

The Great Sage Guizang was surprised that the demonic face held such a high opinion of the Great Sage Chanxin. "What exactly did the Great Sage Chanxin do? Why would he betray us even if it meant death? No... it should be 'had a sudden awakening.' My master spent his entire life searching for the whereabouts of the Great Sage Chanxin, yet what I ultimately found was only a tomb."

"He might have unraveled the secret of the seal..."

The demonic face said with a heavy tone, "Before the seal loosened, the demon race of the Spirit Realm possessed a reception platform, and their influence here was deeper than ours. But even when they allowed Heavenly Demons to control the reception platform, they still failed to achieve it!"

Hearing this, the Great Sage Guizang was greatly surprised. "But there was nothing in the inheritance."

"He must have known his death was imminent and destroyed the clues at the last moment, fearing they would fall into my hands later," the demonic face said, gnashing its teeth at the thought of the Great Sage Chanxin.

The Great Sage Guizang suddenly looked thoughtful and said, "Not necessarily."

The demonic face showed a pleased expression and eagerly asked, "What have you thought of?"

"Back then, due to the Demonic Seed's activation, my body was consumed by demonic energy, and I had to fully set up the Demonic Blood Great Array, thus I couldn't be there in person. Although I obtained the Great Sage Chanxin's inheritance, one item was lost. I am also very curious about what it was that the Great Sage Chanxin specifically hid."

The Great Sage Guizang asked, "However, this item might have fallen into the hands of another Great Sage. Will it have a significant impact on us?"

Seeing him refer to 'us,' the demonic face was greatly pleased. It pondered, "When the seal was stable, that traitor at most only obtained some clues. Now that the seal has loosened, these clues are not as important. However, if it can be retrieved, it should make things easier for you."

"Then, where should I go now?" the Great Sage Guizang asked.

"Although that traitor concealed the truth, his whereabouts have always been under my control..."

The demonic face paused, then said gravely, "Lotus Crossing Great Marsh!"

Lotus Crossing Great Marsh.

The Abyss.

Qin Sang and Mo Yan moved against the ink tide, continuously descending, repeatedly encountering attacks from ink traces.

The ink traces here were countless. Presumably, a complete set of ink traces would form a monumental work. Yet among so many, there wasn't a single complete character, not even half a character; they were completely scattered.

*Thump!*

An ink dot flew directly towards them.

Locked onto by the ink dot, Qin Sang and Mo Yan felt as if they were carrying a mountain, incredibly heavy.

Here, seemingly identical ink traces could possess different powers, constantly changing and unpredictable.

The previous ink dot that attacked them was like an arrow, as fast as lightning. Even with Qin Sang and Mo Yan's escape speed, dodging it was incredibly perilous.

*Swish!*

A blue glow suddenly appeared.

A lightning blade was seen striking out from behind Qin Sang, arcing through the air above his and Mo Yan's heads, slicing through the immense pressure.

At the same time, Mo Yan inverted the inkstone in his hand, and the ink previously collected poured out, forming an ink trail beneath their feet, creating a black path.

Qin Sang and Mo Yan stepped onto the ink trail, and the ink dot ignored them, passing by without touching them.

During this time, Qin Sang and Mo Yan's coordination had become extremely tacit. Sometimes it appeared perilous, but they were actually moving with ease.

Qin Sang couldn't help but glance at the inkstone in Mo Yan's hand. Since entering the ink tide, this treasure had repeatedly performed wonders, helping them overcome dangers.

Ink traces and an inkstone, it certainly wasn't a coincidence.

Qin Sang developed a strong interest in Mo Yan and the inkstone. But Mo Yan did not offer an explanation, and Qin Sang felt it improper to pry into others' secrets. Moreover, they had not yet escaped danger, and Mo Yan was fully focused on the path ahead, not daring to be distracted.

*Swish! Swish!*

Two more ink traces launched a pincer attack.

This situation was not new to them. Qin Sang and Mo Yan, without needing to communicate, each unleashed their divine abilities and rushed through the gap between the two ink traces.

With their seamless cooperation, they overcame one dangerous situation after another. They continued to fall during this time, yet still hadn't reached the bottom. It was hard to imagine how deep this abyss truly was.

After avoiding a few more ink traces, Mo Yan, who was ahead, suddenly let out a long breath. "We're here!"

Qin Sang activated his Celestial Eye divine ability. His vision penetrated the ink tide, and he saw that it was still pitch black below, but the darkness was different from that of the ink tide.

"It looks like there's a river flowing with ink..."

A thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind. He closely followed Mo Yan and soon rushed out of the ink tide.

Finally free from the dangerous ink traces, Qin Sang glanced upwards, then looked around.

As seen before, below was indeed an ink river, its dark water winding towards the horizon.

On both sides of the ink river, there were mountains, vegetation, and houses hidden among the trees. There were even birds, beasts, fish, and insects in the forest, but without exception, they were all ink-colored, only varying in shade.

This was not the colorful world outside. There was no green grass, emerald bamboo, or brightly colored insects and beasts. They were as if they had entered a monochromatic ink wash painting, yet it was just as vibrant and full of life.

Moreover, the world before them, like an ink wash painting, had boundaries. Only the areas on both sides of the ink river extended less than five *li*. The mountains at the borders, and the pines and cypresses within them, could only be partially seen; they extended beyond the boundaries of the 'paper', as if the painter could not continue to draw.

*Caw!*

Qin Sang suddenly heard a phoenix's cry. He shifted his gaze and saw an ink phoenix flying out from a patch of jungle.

The Phoenix race in the Spirit Realm did have an Ink Phoenix lineage, but an Ink Phoenix as purely black as this one was rare.

The Ink Phoenix spread its wings and soared high. Like a true phoenix, its color could not conceal the Phoenix race's noble elegance. The Ink Phoenix flew towards them, but its cry sounded unfriendly.

At this moment, Qin Sang noticed the Ink Phoenix's eyes. They were surprisingly white, not merely the whites of its eyes. No emotion could be seen from its eyes, and they were devoid of spirit; they were a pure blank, as if the painter had forgotten to dot them with ink.

*Whoosh!*

The Ink Phoenix flew swiftly.

Sensing this momentum, Qin Sang's gaze sharpened. The Ink Phoenix harbored strong hostility towards them.

This Ink Phoenix was different from the ink traces; it didn't seem like a lifeless object, and it probably wouldn't be easy to shake off. He didn't know what kind of place this was. If they were to kill the Ink Phoenix here, they feared it would leave traces, alerting later arrivals and exposing their presence.

Then Qin Sang was surprised to see Mo Yan, without dodging, go straight towards the Ink Phoenix. At some point, he had taken out a paintbrush.

The Ink Phoenix repeatedly let out several short cries, warning Mo Yan.

Seeing Mo Yan remain so arrogant, the Ink Phoenix became furious. Its wings suddenly spread wide, and a furious gust of wind made the trees on the ground sway wildly.

Visible wind blades, all ink-colored, appeared in the void.

Facing the furious Ink Phoenix, Mo Yan showed no fear. His gaze suddenly flickered, and his figure abruptly vanished. The next moment, he appeared right in front of the Ink Phoenix.

The two were now very close. The Ink Phoenix was enraged. It opened its mouth, and a ball of black mist began to brew within. Just as the black mist was about to erupt, the paintbrush in Mo Yan's hand darted out twice, striking the Ink Phoenix directly in both eyes.

Two ink dots appeared in the blank eye sockets. Then the dots rotated, surprisingly transforming into real phoenix eyes.

"This is... bringing a painted phoenix to life by dotting its eyes!"

Qin Sang looked at Mo Yan's back, wondering how many more surprises this fellow would spring on him.

Mo Yan put down the paintbrush and admired his masterpiece. Though it was just two simple strokes, they had imbued the Ink Phoenix with new vitality.

The Ink Phoenix's eyes gleamed with a brand new spirit. It tilted its head, staring at Mo Yan, the 'painter' who had given it eyes, with a gaze that held both curiosity and closeness.

The previous hostility had completely vanished.

It let out a soft cry, lowering its noble head before Mo Yan, and rubbed against the hand holding the paintbrush.

Qin Sang was about to step forward when he suddenly became alert, looked up, and said in a deep voice.

"They're coming down!"

This was not good news. It meant that the Five Immortals' Sanctuary and the side of the Plague Lord had not engaged in a decisive battle.

This ink wash world was narrow, offering no place to hide. When ten top powerhouses entered shortly, it would be easy for them to be discovered.

Mo Yan nodded, patted the Ink Phoenix's head, and calmly said, "Let's hide in its belly."

The Ink Phoenix obediently opened its mouth. Mo Yan motioned to Qin Sang, and they entered the Ink Phoenix's mouth. The Ink Phoenix let out a soft cry, circled briefly in mid-air, and then plunged into the ink river.