Chapter 455: White Flame • Ji Wu

An hour later, Qin Sang was startled awake from his meditation; his token was glowing again! Star-Gazing Island was summoning!

"So soon? What happened now?" Qin Sang was surprised, his mind racing, but he didn't hesitate. He quickly gathered his belongings and pushed the door open, noticing this time was different from last night.

Mu Yifeng and the others hadn't appeared, and everything on the other islands seemed normal. This indicated that Star-Gazing Island had only summoned him.

He looked left and right, observing for a moment. As it remained quiet, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Qin Sang dared not delay, so he summoned his Nether Cloud and flew alone towards Star-Gazing Island.

As he neared Star-Gazing Island, he spotted a familiar rainbow light streaking through the sky. Judging by its direction, it was also heading to Star-Gazing Island.

Qin Sang's heart lifted, and he quickly slowed his flight, waiting for the rainbow light to catch up.

The rainbow light evidently noticed Qin Sang as well, curving to fly over and land beside him. It was Senior Brother Rong.

"Senior Brother Rong..." Qin Sang cupped his hands and quietly asked, "Did you also receive orders from Star-Gazing Island?"

Senior Brother Rong nodded. "That's right! It seems you did too, Junior Brother Qin, which puts my mind at ease. I thought I was the only one, and I was racking my brain, wondering if I had inadvertently made a mistake and was about to be punished."

Qin Sang shook his head with a smile. "To be honest, Senior Brother Rong, I was just thinking the same thing..."

"I wonder if it's Senior Uncle Che who summoned us..."

The two continued their journey while talking, soon seeing Star-Gazing Island. They noticed that they weren't the only ones; many other streaks of light were also flying towards Star-Gazing Island, from both the righteous and demonic factions.

Star-Gazing Island was artificially formed by merging dozens of islands, yet it appeared as a seamless whole. Its surface was mirror-like, reflecting light, and several grand halls were neatly constructed on the island. Qin Sang had only ever entered the outermost one.

Upon landing on Star-Gazing Island, he found that over twenty people had arrived before them, standing in front of the grand hall, scattered in small groups.

A quick glance revealed familiar faces. Without exception, these individuals were all renowned figures who had shone brilliantly during the standoff between the Minor Cold Domain and the Sky-Faring Alliance. The vast majority were experts at the False Core stage. Only a few, like Qin Sang, hadn't reached the False Core stage but had still earned considerable reputations.

Seeing these people, Qin Sang felt a subtle sense of realization.

Noticing the flight of Qin Sang and Senior Brother Rong, everyone's gaze collectively turned their way, some wary, some harboring hidden hostility, and others showing goodwill.

A man in white robes strode forward to greet them, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "I knew you two fellow daoists would definitely be here." This person was Shang Yi, from the Taiyi Alchemy Sect. His famous magical artifact was an alchemy cauldron. Qin Sang didn't know if he practiced alchemy, but he certainly knew he could 'refine' people; quite a number of Sky-Faring Alliance cultivators had been swallowed by his cauldron, leaving no trace of their bodies.

"Fellow Daoist Shang..." Qin Sang and Senior Brother Rong returned the greeting.

Senior Brother Rong looked around, asking doubtfully, "Is Fellow Daoist Shang the only one from your sect who received orders?"

Shang Yi subtly pointed behind him. "Take a look at these people, fellow daoists. Is there anyone unremarkable among them? Every single one is a renowned veteran of the battlefield. In our sect, it's good enough if we can find one person like me who can barely make up the numbers; we don't have fierce individuals who can rival the famous Shadowless Sword."

"Fellow Daoist Shang is teasing me again," Qin Sang, also quite familiar with Shang Yi, shook his head and chuckled, retorting, "Putting other things aside, I've personally witnessed Fellow Daoist Yunyouzi's strength, and I'm utterly impressed. I've asked you a few times, but there's been no news. Your Taiyi Alchemy Sect must be hiding many masters, aren't you afraid of hindering their path to forming a core?"

"You too! You too!" Shang Yi chuckled. "Senior Brother Yunyouzi formed his Foundation at a hundred years old and then consecutively broke through to the False Core stage at an astonishing speed. With such talent and willpower, who in the entire Minor Cold Domain would dare to compare themselves to him? I've asked for you several times, but Senior Brother Yunyouzi's whereabouts are unknown, and he hasn't shown up. If there's any news, I'll definitely tell you right away. Besides, Senior Brother Yunyouzi's personal disciple, Li Yufu, is in your team. If he were to return, would he neglect his own disciple?"

Qin Sang nodded slightly. Not long after the True Water Thousand Illusions Array was deployed, Li Yufu was also summoned to the Chaotic Islands Waters. Qin Sang, overstepping his authority, found an excuse to transfer Li Yufu into his own team to look after him for Yunyouzi. Because Qin Sang acted cautiously, his team suffered few losses, and Li Yufu remained unharmed, making considerable progress over these three years. What made Qin Sang suspicious was that several years had passed since Li Yufu last delivered a message from Yunyouzi, who had gone to search for rare treasures, and there had been no news from him ever since. Even during this great war, Yunyouzi was nowhere to be seen. Yunyouzi's master had passed away early, and much like Qin Sang, he didn't have a strong backer within the sect. Qin Sang wondered what method he used to evade Star-Gazing Island's summons.

The three chatted for a while longer, and then several more streaks of light landed one after another. Just then, a sharp whistle came from the east, and a surge of demonic energy swiftly arrived, circling above Star-Gazing Island before descending into an unoccupied area. The demonic energy dispersed, revealing a pale-faced young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. However, his cultivation was undoubtedly at the False Core stage! The moment this person landed, Qin Sang's eyes flickered imperceptibly, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued to chat and laugh with Shang Yi.

At this moment, another senior sister from the Supreme Purity Palace walked over. As Qin Sang turned slightly, his gaze subtly darted towards the pale young man.

The pale young man's name was Ji Wu. Ji Wu was his real name, but he had another identity: White Flame, one of the Four Demonic Flame Envoys of the Demonic Flame Sect! He was the new personal disciple of Daoist Jiupao, taken in after the demise of the Kuiyin Sect! This man was truly less than a hundred years old; his cultivation period was likely shorter than anyone else present. Yet, he had not only broken through to the False Core stage, but his mastery over demonic flames was superb. It was said its power was comparable to the Azure Sun Demonic Flame of the Azure Sun Demonic Sect. Qin Sang paid close attention to him, knowing he certainly possessed powerful magical artifacts and talisman treasures! This couldn't be explained by mere talent alone. It was evident that Daoist Jiupao must have invested an immense amount of effort into this person!

Unlike the Kuiyin Sect remnants, Ji Wu's identity was clean; the Yuanzhao Gate was unaware of his connection to Daoist Jiupao. Not fearing pursuit from the Yuanzhao Gate, he acted very high-profile. He had already gained considerable fame in Qingyang City, and despite being transferred to the Chaotic Islands Waters less than two years ago, his reputation was already on par with Senior Brother Rong and others. Qin Sang, of course, knew Ji Wu's true identity and had secretly investigated, finding that Ji Wu had been collecting various high-quality healing elixirs, clearly for Daoist Jiupao. He had long plotted to capture Ji Wu, but unfortunately, despite his high-profile actions, Ji Wu was actually very cautious. Moreover, his cultivation was truly exceptional, having inherited the true teachings of Daoist Jiupao, leaving Qin Sang no opportunity.