Chapter 673: Du Yan Island

"Elder Zou, this is Daoist Qingfeng, whom I've told you about. Daoist Qingfeng, I believe this is your first time meeting Elder Zou?" Ranluo introduced the two.

"Indeed," Qin Sang nodded, cupping his hands. "This humble Daoist, Qingfeng, greets Elder Zou."

This person's aura was subtle, and his cultivation was extremely high. He appeared young, but was certainly an old monster. Moreover, he might have to rely on him for a living in the future, so Qin Sang's attitude was very respectful.

"I've long heard Ranluo speak of Daoist Qingfeng. I apologize for my previous engagements, which prevented me from greeting you sooner. Please forgive me," Elder Zou said genially, appearing very approachable.

This was not the place for conversation. After exchanging greetings, they immediately set off, using their movement techniques to swiftly move towards Wushen Mountain.

It was then that Qin Sang noticed the enchantingly beautiful woman who had arrived with Ranluo. She was very close to Elder Zou, yet they didn't seem like Daoist companions. The woman, named Yanwu, was also a Core Formation early-stage master and, surprisingly, a member of the Wu clan.

Several streaks of light flew into the sky, flashing like meteors, as they sped towards Wushen Mountain. Before long, Wushen Mountain came into view.

From afar, countless figures could be seen at the foot of Wushen Mountain, all Wu clan members who had come for pilgrimage. Wushen Mountain was recognized as the sacred mountain by the Wu clan. No one dared to occupy it alone, so there were no Wu clan sects on the mountain. Instead, it was jointly guarded by all Wu clan forces. It was precisely for this reason that the teleportation array leading to the Demon Sea was set up on Wushen Mountain.

There were many ancient and imposing halls on the mountain, and the teleportation array was located inside one of them.

"Let's descend. Everyone must land at the foot of Wushen Mountain and ascend on foot as a sign of respect, otherwise it will incur public outrage." Elder Zou transmitted a reminder.

At this point, they could also see that the cultivators who had arrived at Wushen Mountain before them had all landed and were walking up the stone steps. In a foreign land among unfamiliar people, it was better to be compliant. Qin Sang immediately put away his ebony sword, and with a flash of light, landed on a flat area at the foot of the mountain.

Elder Zou, who had the fastest escape speed, waited ahead. When he saw Qin Sang arrive, his eyes lit up. "I didn't expect that, besides being proficient in artifact refining, Fellow Daoist's sword technique is also extraordinary. With just this exquisite sword technique, Fellow Daoist is worth our full recruitment. Zou sincerely invites Fellow Daoist to carefully consider our Qiongyu Chamber of Commerce. This is the information about Duyan Island, where Zou plans to establish a base in the Demon Sea. Fellow Daoist might want to take a look."

With that, Elder Zou handed Qin Sang a jade slip.

"Before Elder Zou, this humble Daoist's meager accomplishments are not worth mentioning; I am merely showing off my limited skills," Qin Sang said modestly, feeling a little ashamed. With the help of his natal spiritual sword, his sword technique could indeed be deceptive, but once he switched to other spiritual swords, his true abilities would be revealed.

The contents of the jade slip were extremely detailed, including the identity of the island master, which was not concealed from Qin Sang. Duyan Island was a large island located between Dahuan Island and Tianwu Island, holding a significant position on the navigation route. The island master was a renowned Nascent Soul Patriarch named Lin Hai.

Before Lin Hai garrisoned Duyan Island, it did not hold such an important status. After cultivators occupied Duyan Island, it was repeatedly besieged by demon beasts. Countless cultivators on the island died, and only a few managed to escape. This was related to Duyan Island's location. Duyan Island was the most prominent large island protruding outwards along the entire navigation route. When incidents occurred, reinforcements could not easily arrive in time, and there was a bottomless trench nearby Duyan Island, teeming with countless demon beasts. Hunting too many demon beasts here could easily enrage them, and once a beast tide attacked, it would be unstoppable.

After Lin Hai occupied Duyan Island, with a Nascent Soul Patriarch presiding, Duyan Island gained a steadfast anchor. At the same time, Lin Hai established many rules, such as forbidding cultivators from hunting demons in large groups, only allowing small teams of a few people at most, and prohibiting large-scale massacres. Since then, Duyan Island became very safe. The most astonishing thing was that not a single demon beast attack on the island had occurred. Over the years, the navigation route changed several times, and with Lin Hai's meticulous management, Duyan Island achieved its current status.

Securing a foothold on such a large island was not easy, and Elder Zou and the Qiongyu Chamber of Commerce had to go to great lengths. The jade slip not only contained information about Duyan Island but also provided brief introductions to other famous large islands in the Demon Sea. After Qin Sang read them one by one, he found that Duyan Island was indeed an excellent choice.

He was skilled in evasion techniques and could always escape danger in time, so having fewer teammates was not an issue. Furthermore, his main purpose was not to hunt demons, but to comprehend the Killing Talisman, which required him to choose sufficiently powerful opponents. He would not proactively engage in massacres. In contrast, other large islands had their own rules, which were even more stringent than Duyan Island's, comparable to the sect rules of cultivation sects.

Of course, one could choose not to be bound by rules. In that case, one could go to smaller islands, or simply occupy an island and become an island master, living a carefree life. The Demon Sea was vast and boundless, dotted with islands of all sizes, allowing for free choice. However, these places offered no safety, and one lived from hand to mouth.

Qin Sang pondered the contents of the jade slip, not directly giving Elder Zou an answer. Unbeknownst to them, they had already ascended Wushen Mountain. Elder Zou seemed very familiar with the place, leading them through various grand halls, finally arriving in front of a hall named Tianwu Hall.

A Wu clan elder happened to emerge from inside. Seeing them, he sneered, "So, old ghost Zou is back too? You've withdrawn so many Core Formation experts this time; Pingbo Port must be almost empty, right? Aren't you afraid of someone taking advantage of the weakness and destroying the foundation humanity has built over the years?"

Elder Zou snorted, "How dare you, old man, talk so sarcastically? If it weren't for your Wu clan's sinister intentions, we wouldn't be in this situation. Compared to our lives, what does Pingbo Port matter?"

The elder chuckled, "You humans are cunning and always project your own nature onto others..." He said no more, collecting spirit stones before handing each of them an arrow-shaped spiritual talisman, then letting them enter.

"This kind of spiritual talisman is a teleportation talisman, which can resist the spatial pressure during teleportation. The teleportation array to the Demon Sea was an ancient teleportation array moved from another location and modified, so it's prone to instability, sometimes even encountering spatial turbulence. Under normal circumstances, we Core Formation cultivators can resist spatial pressure with our full strength. However, once turbulence occurs, we must rely on the spiritual talisman's protection to pass through safely. Just in case, it's best for everyone to activate the power of the teleportation talisman before teleporting..." Ranluo softly explained the use of the teleportation talisman to Qin Sang and the others.

Qin Sang was secretly surprised. The Minor Cold Domain could only use existing ancient teleportation arrays or barely repair slightly damaged ones. He had never heard of any sect capable of modifying ancient teleportation arrays. However, modifying ancient teleportation arrays must require extremely strict conditions, otherwise the Canglang Sea would have been dotted with teleportation arrays long ago.

Qin Sang carefully examined the teleportation array, recalling the scene of teleporting from the Ziwei Palace. If he had this kind of teleportation talisman protection at that time, perhaps he wouldn't have had to sacrifice an arm to survive.