Chapter 687: Trailing

Rain hitting the bluestone.

Four years of hunting demonic beasts.

Qin Sang's cultivation level had significantly improved. After forming his Core, he began engraving the fifth killing talisman onto his Ebony Sword, which further boosted his cultivation speed.

It was said that in the past, the Seven Kill Temple was artificially opened every seventy to eighty years. If all went as expected, he would have already broken through to the Mid-Core Formation stage before the next opening of the Seven Kill Temple.

The forces preparing to break the formation would release information in advance. At that time, cultivators wishing to enter the Seven Kill Temple would need to purchase qualifications according to the requirements; latecomers would not be admitted. Qin Sang would then ask the Qiongyu Chamber of Commerce to help him monitor the situation, to avoid missing the opportunity to enter the Seven Kill Temple.

Besides Qin Sang, the cultivation levels of the Sky-Eyed Butterfly and the Fat Silkworm were also rapidly increasing.

Three years ago, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly successfully advanced to the late stage of its first transformation. Now, it was on the verge of its second metamorphosis, needing only to break through to the peak of its first transformation. Once that happened, Qin Sang would feed it Fiery Gold to assist its metamorphosis. A small portion of the inner elixir remained within the Fat Silkworm, but its cultivation was already close to the mid-stage of its second transformation. Qin Sang had also offered the Fat Silkworm demon cores obtained from hunting, but it remained completely uninterested.

It was now the fifth year since leaving Duyan Island. Qin Sang's supply of elixirs was almost depleted, so he began to consider returning to Duyan Island.

The sky was clear, and the sea breeze was gentle. Yet, in this body of water, enormous waves would periodically surge. Amidst the tumultuous waves, a faint green mist swirled, within which a figure wielding a sword was confronting a bizarre demonic beast.

This person was Qin Sang, and he was enveloped in a faint, iridescent halo. The halo wasn't very noticeable, but upon closer inspection, it could still be seen, like a colorful treasure armor worn on his body.

The demonic beast he was confronting was called a Fanyu Fish, a creature at the peak of the Demonic Spirit stage. Over the past four years, Qin Sang had encountered numerous strange and exotic demonic beasts, and the Fanyu Fish before him was one of them. It resembled a headless turtle or soft-shelled turtle, possessing both a carapace and a tail, with barbels on its shell and its mouth and nostrils located beneath its belly. Qin Sang had never even heard of such a demonic beast in the Lesser Cold Domain.

Its tail was the most dangerous part to guard against. This Fanyu Fish's tail was over a zhang long, segmented like a steel whip. When it lashed out, it could instantly shoot forth a whip shadow several zhang in length, and like a scorpion's tail, it was highly venomous. The green mist was the Fanyu Fish's poisonous mist, and its toxicity was extremely potent. Cultivators, when encountering a Fanyu Fish, would likely choose to bypass it. Even Core Formation cultivators were reluctant to provoke this Fanyu Fish, fearing that a single misstep leading to contact with its potent venom would result in a tragic end.

Qin Sang had targeted this demon and moved freely within its poisonous mist precisely because of the iridescent light armor covering his body. The iridescent halo released by the Fat Silkworm could easily ward off the Fanyu Fish's poisonous mist. Moreover, to test the Fat Silkworm's abilities, Qin Sang deliberately stayed in the poisonous mist for a while longer, and the Fat Silkworm appeared to be effortlessly handling it. Given this, even if they encountered a Fanyu Fish at the early Demonic Core stage, the Fat Silkworm should be able to hold its own for a period. It's important to note that the Fat Silkworm was currently only at the early stage of its second transformation. When it transitioned to the late stage of its second transformation or even the third, resisting poisonous mist would become exceedingly effortless.

Generally, demonic beasts proficient in poison tend to have mediocre other abilities. With the Fat Silkworm, their greatest reliance posed no threat to Qin Sang, leaving them vulnerable to his attacks. Qin Sang could now specifically hunt venomous beasts.

After circling within the poisonous mist a few times, Qin Sang killed the Fanyu Fish with a single sword strike, then drew its demonic corpse before him. He searched for a while but found no inner elixir, a look of disappointment appearing on his face. Skillfully dissecting the demonic corpse, his sword shadow enveloped him, transforming into a streak of sword light that sped directly southwest.

Soon after, Qin Sang landed on a deserted island. At this time, the old couple and their three companions were already waiting there. The killing intent on them had not yet subsided, and there was a faint smell of blood, indicating they had also just experienced a battle.

"Senior, these are yours." The old man respectfully handed over a few beast bones.

Qin Sang casually accepted them. While he was pursuing the Fanyu Fish earlier, he had coincidentally encountered a group of demons. He killed the leader of the group and left the rest for them to handle. For the past few years, the old couple and their three companions had followed Qin Sang, consistently benefiting from his hunts. Their standards had become quite high; they no longer bothered with ordinary spiritual materials from demonic corpses. Of course, another reason was that their mustard seed bags were full, leaving no space for more.

"Senior, are we returning to Duyan Island now?" The Wang sisters stepped forward side by side and asked in clear voices. After several years of acquaintance, they had become familiar with Qin Sang and knew he wasn't unapproachable, so they were no longer as reserved as they once were. However, they still carried out Qin Sang's orders without question. After witnessing him single-handedly slay a great demon at the Demonic Core stage, their reverence for Qin Sang grew even deeper.

"What's wrong? You don't want to go back?" Qin Sang glanced at the mustard seed bags at their waists and said with a smile, "Your mustard seed bags are all full. If you continue hunting demonic beasts, what will you use to carry them?"

"We'll just have to replace the least valuable items," the old man said, looking distressed. He then added with some concern, tentatively asking, "Senior, when do you plan to come out hunting demons again?"

Seeing the expressions of the five individuals, Qin Sang knew what they were thinking. He calmly replied, "Demonic beasts are becoming harder to find in this area, and going deeper into the Fuhu Sea is too dangerous. I've decided to move to a different location. After we return, I'll first help the Chamber of Commerce with artifact refining, which should take at most half a year. If you have anything to attend to, do it as quickly as possible once we're back, otherwise, I won't wait for you."

Seeing that Qin Sang would still take them along, the five were overjoyed and vowed they would certainly not delay his time. Then, everyone activated their magical artifacts and flew towards Duyan Island.

The journey was uneventful. Half a month later, as they neared Duyan Island, they rested on a small island. Once the old couple and their three companions recovered their spiritual energy, they resumed their journey.

Shortly after leaving the small island and flying a short distance, Qin Sang suddenly noticed a figure appearing on the horizon to the east. Due to the great distance, only a vague dark silhouette was visible, making it impossible to discern the person's cultivation level. This person appeared to be heading directly west.

"Someone's there," the old couple and their companions noticed the approaching figure. The other party had evidently also seen them. Both parties paused in unison. Anyone daring to travel alone in the Demonic Sea must have something to rely on. Furthermore, their destinations were not in the same direction, so they would eventually diverge.

"Let's go, ignore him." Qin Sang, not wanting to cause any trouble, whispered this and continued to propel his sword light towards Duyan Island.

However, the other party's subsequent actions caused Qin Sang's expression to darken considerably. As they resumed their journey, the other person also moved, but instead of continuing west, they suddenly changed direction and began trailing far behind them.

Seeing the person's actions, the old couple and the others looked somewhat flustered. They whispered, "Senior, what should we do?" Openly trailing them surely indicated malicious intent. Even if this person was confident in their strength, they were not far from Duyan Island, where infighting among cultivators was strictly prohibited. Didn't this person fear the patrol guards of Duyan Island?