Chapter 335: Past Experiences

Novel:

"Qin..."Tan Hao opened his mouth and, after some hesitation, finally said, "Tan Hao greets Senior Uncle Qin..."

Qin Sang was momentarily startled, suddenly remembering the rules Yue Wu had set for them when they first joined the Kuiyin Sect: seniority among disciples was determined by the order of entry, but anyone who first achieved Foundation Establishment would, like him, be promoted to Senior Uncle.

Thinking about it now, it seemed so ridiculous.

Anyone who chose to cultivate with the Yama Banner could never achieve Foundation Establishment. Yue Wu's words were nothing but lies!

Qin Sang said helplessly, "Brother Tan, do we still need to be so formal between us? The Kuiyin Sect has been destroyed, and the past is like a fleeting dream. Both you and I are free, so why should we care about those so-called sect rules? You can just call me Brother Qin."

Actually, when they were in the Kuiyin Sect, Qin Sang was the junior disciple, and the Tan brothers, having joined earlier, were his seniors.

Given the current disparity in their cultivation levels, Tan Hao certainly wouldn't dare to call him junior disciple.

"Brother Qin..."Seeing Qin Sang's words, Tan Hao's expression relaxed considerably. The old camaraderie also brought a touch of familiarity to his tone as he gratefully said, "Thanks to meeting you, Brother Qin, otherwise I would already be another soul claimed by that villain."

Qin Sang shook his head dismissively. "Brother Tan, you misunderstand. Actually, it wasn't a chance encounter; I followed you here. Your mask is quite impressive; I couldn't see through your identity. At the auction, you seemed somewhat familiar, and then hearing your voice in the secret market made you seem even more so. When I noticed someone tracking you, I followed to see who it was, and I never expected it would be you."

"So, Brother Qin was also at the auction and the secret market. You must have seen my embarrassing state back then."

Tan Hao smiled sheepishly, summoning his mask and presenting it to Qin Sang. "I acquired this by chance. It's said to be refined from the skull of a late-stage demon spirit beast and can disguise one's aura to appear as if they've reached Foundation Establishment.

As long as I don't engage in combat, it won't be exposed.

Over the years, this mask has been crucial for me to establish myself in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

However, each time I use the mask, I have to activate my full spiritual sense to maintain it. My physique is unusual, and I can't use other magic artifacts to conceal my form, which is quite frustrating..."

Compared to their first meeting in You Mountain Market, Tan Hao had undergone a tremendous transformation.

Back then, he would speak out against injustice without fear of offending anyone.

When Qin Sang wanted to host a banquet to thank him, he flatly refused, stating he acted on his conscience and sought no reward. Tan Jie had to smooth things over, clearly showing Tan Hao's youthful pride.

Now, although Tan Hao still had a rugged appearance, his words and actions were extremely cautious, with no impropriety whatsoever. His thoughts had become much more refined and astute.

He must have endured many hardships over the years.

Qin Sang sighed inwardly and asked curiously, "Brother Tan, the Kuiyin Sect suffered a sudden catastrophe, and I narrowly escaped. I thought I'd never see you again, but unexpectedly, we've met again today. How have you been these past years? Have you joined another sect? Also... why isn't Tan Jie with you? Have you brothers been separated?"

Hearing Qin Sang's questions, Tan Hao's eyes dimmed. He glanced around and said, "This isn't the place to talk. I have a cave dwelling outside Yin Mountain Pass. If you don't mind, Brother Qin, please come back to my dwelling with me. We can talk as we go."

Qin Sang had no objections.

The two activated their escape lights and flew towards Yin Mountain Pass.

"Back then, Brother Qin, you and Senior Sister Shi Hong both broke through the sixth stage. Senior Sister Shi Hong was taken as a disciple by Yue Wu, but you disappeared. Yue Wu said you went to work as an overseer in the outer sect, and we never saw you again until the Kuiyin Sect was destroyed..."

Qin Sang nodded, stating frankly, "That's right. That year, Senior Sister Shi Hong and I went to see Senior Uncle Yue Wu together. Senior Sister Shi Hong was favored by him because of her talent. The rest of us, whose talents were inferior, were sent out of the sect.

Actually, Yue Wu was lying. We weren't sent to be overseers; we were threatened and dispatched by the sect master to undertake dangerous missions.

It was fortunate, though. I was outside the mountain gate at the time and wasn't affected by Yuanzhao Sect's counterattack. When I realized something was wrong, I chose to flee, thus narrowly escaping the clutches of the Kuiyin Sect.

I heard that the Yuanzhao Sect launched a major counterattack and has now occupied the Kuiyin Sect's mountain gate. What was the situation like back then, and how did you all escape danger?"

Tan Hao glanced at Qin Sang, a hesitant expression appearing on his face. Instead of answering Qin Sang's question, he asked somewhat hesitantly, "Brother Qin, since you've left the Kuiyin Sect and become a Foundation Establishment expert... did you later disperse your cultivation and re-cultivate, or did you never use the Yama Banner to begin with?"

"It seems, Brother Tan, that you also sensed something was wrong with the Yama Banner."

Qin Sang had been waiting for Tan Hao to ask this, and immediately countered with a question of his own.

Although Tan Hao hadn't reached Foundation Establishment, he had surpassed the tenth level of Qi Refining and hadn't been refined into an artifact spirit, so he must have discovered the secret of the Yama Banner.

Now, Qin Sang knew that after leaving the Kuiyin Sect, Tan Hao had not joined any other sect. Instead, he had remained a rogue cultivator, venturing alone to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield to make a living.

If Tan Hao had dispersed his cultivation and re-cultivated, his ability to return to the thirteenth level of Qi Refining was truly admirable.

Qin Sang also admired his perseverance.

However, to Qin Sang's surprise, Tan Hao let out a bitter laugh and spoke words that astonished him.

"It wasn't me who discovered the secret of the Yama Banner; it was my second brother, Tan Jie.

When we first entered the Kuiyin Sect, Tan Jie already had some suspicions about the Yama Banner.

But later, he realized that the entire sect was cultivating with the Yama Banner. Tan Jie thought he might be overthinking it; while cultivating with the Yama Banner was certainly dangerous, it couldn't be that all those Foundation Establishment cultivators in Kuiyin Sect were fake.

Moreover, the Yama Banner's allure was too great. As the saying goes, 'wealth comes from taking risks,' and we couldn't bear to give it up.

After discussing it, my brother and I made a decision: since he had always been clever, meticulous, and quick to notice anomalies and adapt, he would use the Yama Banner as an aid.

I, on the other hand, continued to cultivate on my own, as before.

This way, if something truly went wrong, there would still be room to maneuver. And as long as Tan Jie could reach Foundation Establishment, I wouldn't have to worry about my cultivation resources.

From then on, fearing that the Kuiyin Sect would discover our secret, I rarely left my cave dwelling. Tan Jie handled everything.

If only I had known, I would rather have switched places with Tan Jie!"

Tan Hao recounted this with a mournful voice, filled with profound sorrow and regret, which was truly moving.

A flash of realization struck Qin Sang's mind, and he recalled various past events in the Kuiyin Sect.

No wonder he had rarely seen Tan Hao during his several years in the Kuiyin Sect. Yue Wu lectured monthly, yet Tan Hao hadn't attended even once. Qin Sang had assumed it was due to Tan Hao's diligent cultivation, but there was actually such a hidden reason.

Qin Sang looked at Tan Hao's expression and quietly asked, "Brother Tan Jie... I wonder how he is now?"

Since Tan Jie had chosen to cultivate with the Yama Banner, and he wasn't here now, with only Tan Hao traveling alone.

Could it be that he already...

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