Chapter 443: Three Years

The Golden Core cultivator, surnamed Di, immediately agreed. "Island Master, please rest assured," he said, "I will send a message back to my sect right away."

Snake Granny hummed in affirmation, a 'cold' ancient token appearing in her palm. "As the Island Master of Stargazing Island," she declared gravely, "I hereby issue an order to the Lesser Cold Domain! This is a time of grave crisis, a matter of life and death..."

All Core Formation cultivators on the island stood ready. Regardless of their affiliations—whether from the righteous or demonic sects, or even the rogue cultivators from Yinshan Pass—all, including the man with the snake body who now revealed his true form, wore solemn expressions. They patiently awaited Snake Granny's every word as she relayed her commands. In unison, they cupped their hands towards Snake Granny, accepting the orders.

Although the Heavenly Walk Alliance had retreated, it didn't guarantee absolute safety. Qin Sang and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators weren't privy to the council's discussions. While they recuperated and recovered their energy, they occasionally glanced towards the small island in the center. On the island, the Golden Core cultivators congregated to deliberate, their exact plans and policies remaining unknown. Their destinies were not their own to decide; they were controlled by others.

After all the Golden Core cultivators had saluted Snake Granny, Che Yutao's gaze swept across the area, landing on them. Next, Zhan Yi, who had been sitting cross-legged beside Qin Sang, was called to Che Yutao. He received a token-like object, then flew north, disappearing into the misty sea. Before leaving, he nodded to Qin Sang. Many others departed with him, including several Golden Core cultivators.

A short while later, Qin Sang and his companions finally received explicit orders. Everyone was organized into small teams based on their cultivation levels. Each team then selected a small island within the formation to cultivate, with strict instructions not to leave without explicit orders.

Over the past three years, the Chaotic Islands waters had undergone tremendous changes. The Lesser Cold Domain had spared no expense, reinforcing the spiritual formation multiple times. The True Water Thousand Illusions Array, as it stood now, was not only far more potent than before but had also expanded its coverage several times over. Presently, the entire Chaotic Islands waters were enveloped by the True Water Thousand Illusions Array. Within the misty sea, a vast rectangular space, stretching from east to west, had been carved out. The cultivators of the Lesser Cold Domain were confronting the Heavenly Walk Alliance, relying on the myriad islands and the True Water Thousand Illusions Array for defense.

The Heavenly Walk Alliance also had a similar stronghold, located directly south of the Chaotic Islands waters in a place known as Taiqing Lake. A vast expanse of water lay between the two factions, serving as the main battlefield.

Early morning. The thin mist slowly dissipated, leaving the water's surface as still and calm as a mirror. Not a single bird could be seen. This was unsurprising, as birds had rarely been sighted in the vicinity over the past three years.

*Bang!*

A distant clang of metal shattered the silence. Immediately afterward, dozens of escape lights of various colors were seen, chasing and flying towards them. Amidst these lights, flashes of sword qi, saber gleams, and other luminous manifestations of magical artifacts could be discerned. Evidently, these cultivators were engaged in a fierce battle. Their cultivation levels were considerable; the weakest among them were at the Foundation Establishment stage, and there were even experts at the late Foundation Establishment stage. One side pursued while the other fled. The retreating party fought as they fell back, maintaining their formation despite being at a disadvantage, showing no signs of an imminent rout.

*Whoosh whoosh...*

Streams of escape light streaked across the sky, one after another. At that very moment, unnoticed by anyone, a shadow silently emerged on the water's surface, cunningly lurking beneath to secretly observe the battle. Within that shadow, a person was concealed. Who else could it be but Qin Sang?

Qin Sang watched, his eyes wide. The fleeing side was comprised of cultivators from the Lesser Cold Domain, among whom was a fellow sect member, Senior Brother Mu Yifeng. As for their pursuers, there was no doubt: they were cultivators from the Heavenly Walk Alliance. For three years, this exact scenario had unfolded countless times in this region. Sometimes it was the Lesser Cold Domain cultivators being hunted, and other times it was the Heavenly Walk Alliance.

The aerial battle was extremely intense, with magical artifacts clashing repeatedly and spells being cast in rapid succession. Qin Sang pondered for a moment. With a flash between his brows, the Ebony Sword flew out autonomously, its blade then silently disappearing from view as it soared towards the battlefield.

The Ebony Sword quickly neared the battlefield. Qin Sang's gaze darted around, finally settling on a middle-aged man in a brocade robe. This man wasn't the most highly cultivated among the Heavenly Walk Alliance, but he was a formidable late-stage Foundation Establishment expert. His strength was considerable; he could hold his own against Mu Yifeng, and even subtly suppress him.

Qin Sang fixed his gaze on the brocade-robed man and the Heavenly Walk Alliance's formation. When he finally spotted an opening, his eyes lit up. He parted his lips slightly and commanded, "Go!"

A sudden peal of thunder reverberated across the clear sky. The Ebony Sword materialized, bursting from stillness into motion with incredible speed. Its sword light, like a streak of lightning, reached the brocade-robed man's back in the blink of an eye.

"I knew you were cunning..." The brocade-robed man sneered. He had apparently been prepared all along, as a mysterious spiritual diagram suddenly shimmered into existence on his seemingly unguarded back. The diagram manifested an arcane light, indicating considerable power. An ordinary flying sword would undoubtedly have been easily repelled by this spiritual diagram.

Unfortunately for him, he had encountered Qin Sang and the Ebony Sword. Qin Sang did not employ his Blood-Fiend Divine Light. The Blood-Fiend Divine Light was one of his most potent trump cards, reserved only for situations where he could guarantee an opponent's demise without any onlookers. Over the past three years, he had only unleashed it once. However, the Sword Qi Thunder Sound divine ability, combined with the inherent sharpness of the Ebony Sword, was usually sufficient for Qin Sang to navigate most perilous situations and had even earned him a considerable reputation.

*Boom!*

Such was the speed of the Sword Qi Thunder Sound that before the arcane light could fully materialize, the Ebony Sword arrived, shattering it. The spiritual diagram itself was not spared either, though it wasn't utterly destroyed. Qin Sang didn't press his advantage, immediately recalling the Ebony Sword. His discreet use of the weapon was precisely why no one had ever discovered it was a true magical artifact.

That was sufficient. The middle-aged man, unprepared for such a potent sneak attack, froze. Mu Yifeng, who had been engaging him, seized this momentary advantage, his divine blade flashing like an illusion or lightning.

"Sword Qi Thunder Sound..."

The sneer on the brocade-robed man's face abruptly froze, his eyes wide with horror. Unable to evade, he was impaled through the chest by the Nine-Fire Divine Blade and perished.

"No, it's the Shadowless Sword!"

"Run!"

The other Heavenly Walk Alliance cultivators shrieked in terror, turning and fleeing without the slightest hesitation.

Qin Sang gave a wry, silent chuckle. Over three years of countless battles, he had indeed made quite a name for himself, earning the moniker 'Shadowless Sword'—a title that ironically usurped the name of the Wuji Sect's renowned cultivation method. Consequently, the disciples of the Wuji Sect held a considerable grudge against him.

With the enemy's decisive retreat and their formation still intact, Qin Sang and his group opted to abandon the pursuit. After dividing the spoils, Qin Sang returned to the Chaotic Islands waters alone.

After flying for some time, an enormous wall of mist appeared to the north, completely obstructing Qin Sang's vision. The mist soared directly into the clouds, remaining perpetually, its eastern and western extents stretching beyond sight.

Upon spotting the misty sea, Qin Sang confidently maneuvered his Nethercloud to accelerate, flying directly to the mist wall and raising the token he had already prepared. Qin Sang felt a subtle tension. The token emitted a milky-white glow, and as it touched the mist, a bright light shot forth from deep within the misty sea, transforming into a narrow, elongated passage directly before him.

Evidently, Qin Sang was already quite familiar with this route. He continued his journey on the cloud, passing through the illuminated channel. After flying a certain distance through the misty sea, the view ahead suddenly opened up. A fine drizzle was falling, creating a somewhat dim atmosphere, but it didn't impede visibility.