Chapter 70: First Mover Advantage

The Mortal Realm

It wasn't night, but neither was it the brightly lit daytime often seen outside.

A thin mist seemed to hang in the air, blurring distant views and revealing only the silhouettes of mountains. The forbidden area was larger than he had imagined.

A strong stench of decay assailed his nose. Qin Sang immediately held his breath and looked around. Ahead lay a foul-smelling swamp, while behind him stretched a dark, seemingly endless jungle.

The jungle was choked with overgrown branches and thick fog, which could have been either water vapor or miasma. This made the tree shadows appear like countless, menacing specters.

Upon entering the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone, one's landing spot was purely a matter of luck. If he happened to land in a monster's lair, he could only blame fate.

This place certainly didn't look benign. After a moment of contemplation, Qin Sang manifested a pair of wings on his back. Clouds generated by the wings enveloped his form, causing him to vanish into thin air.

He climbed a tree and waited. When no unusual activity was detected, Qin Sang silently leaped down. Employing his Cloud Escape technique, he glided towards his chosen direction.

After traveling a safe distance through the forest, Qin Sang arrived at the foot of a mountain. It wasn't a large mountain, but from his observations, it appeared to be the highest point in the vicinity.

However, as he neared the summit, Qin Sang subtly concealed himself behind a large boulder.

A moment later, another Qin Sang emerged from behind the boulder and confidently began climbing upwards. Just as he was about to reach the summit, 'Qin Sang' dissolved with a splash, soaking the ground.

A short while later, the real Qin Sang stepped out from behind the large rock.

The previous figure was, of course, a clone he had created using the Shifting Shadow spell. To prepare for the Ascension Assembly, he had practiced an additional spell.

Due to limited time and energy, he hadn't chosen the more complex spells like Water Condensation Barrier or Fog-Locked River.

Even with Shifting Shadow, Qin Sang's mastery wasn't perfect; the clones he created were not flawless. However, if an opponent wasn't observant or was momentarily careless, Qin Sang could easily succeed in his deception.

As Qin Sang's cultivation level advanced, his perspective broadened. He realized that every spell had a unique purpose. The Shifting Shadow spell, which he once thought useless, actually possessed endless applications; using it for reconnaissance and luring enemies was just one of them.

While such cautious behavior would inevitably consume a lot of time, it was a necessity in a place where danger lurked at every step.

Although the mountain appeared safe, Qin Sang's vigilance remained undiminished. Its expansive view was beneficial for observing the surrounding terrain, yet it also concealed dangers. If there were other people nearby, they would likely have the same intentions as him.

Qin Sang held the Purple Soul Bell in his palm, his divine sense ready to activate the Ice Silkworm Armor at any moment. Although the armor was only a mid-grade magic artifact, it could certainly block a sneak attack and buy him some time.

With all preparations made, Qin Sang continued to use his Cloud-Falling Wings, cautiously ascending towards the summit. Every few steps, he would vigilantly scan his surroundings. It took him a considerable amount of time to reach the mountaintop.

His view immediately widened. Within his sight, the terrain was surprisingly varied.

The spot where he had emerged was to his left, at the intersection of a swamp and a jungle. Both the swamp and the jungle stretched out immensely, with no end in sight.

Occasionally, he could see a patch of treetops swaying in the jungle, though he couldn't tell if it was due to something beneath them or simply the wind.

The swamp was even more treacherous. While the edges seemed tolerable, the deeper parts appeared to be boiling, constantly bubbling with foul mud. Above it, colorful mists coalesced, almost certainly toxic.

Those two areas were absolutely off-limits!

Qin Sang feared he might be devoured by the monsters or venomous insects within before even encountering another person.

It was crucial to remember that mundane-level monsters existed within the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone.

Birds, beasts, plants, ghosts, and even rocks or objects could, if they possessed deep fortune or were awakened by instinct, absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and draw in the essence of the sun, moon, and stars, thus becoming what was known as a monster.

What mortals referred to as spirits, monsters, or ghosts were all of this nature.

These monsters possessed only basic instincts for seeking fortune and avoiding danger, their sentience undeveloped. They were categorized as mundane-level monsters. Some mundane-level monsters were very weak, easily killed by mortals using special methods.

However, ancient, powerful monsters often possessed considerable intelligence and various strange abilities, making them extremely troublesome for Qi Condensation cultivators.

Monsters at the peak of the mundane level, on the verge of developing a monster spirit, even possessed strength comparable to a cultivator at the thirteenth level of Qi Condensation.

When a monster truly nurtured a spirit and began to develop sentience, it entered the monster spirit level, comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage for human cultivators.

Fortunately, there were no great monsters at the monster spirit level in the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone. However, it was said that monsters at the late or even peak mundane level did exist, and even with his top-grade magic artifact, Qin Sang dared not provoke them easily.

The Kuiyin Sect did not possess a map of the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Zone, nor did Qin Sang know which area he had been sent to.

He could go in any direction. Only after collecting the jade tokens would he know the way to the core area. Until then, his sole objectives were survival and seizing jade tokens.

Qin Sang surveyed the surrounding terrain and, after a moment's thought, decided to head to his right. There lay a vast mountain range, densely covered with vegetation but not as overwhelmingly dark as the shadowy jungle. This complex terrain suited him best.

Having made up his mind, Qin Sang was about to descend the mountain when he suddenly felt something was off. He abruptly looked up, fixing his gaze on a bird in the air that resembled a golden oriole.

This golden oriole had flown over shortly after he reached the mountain. Since wild animals existed in the forbidden zone, Qin Sang had initially glanced at it and then dismissed it.

However, the oriole never landed to feed. Since its appearance, it had continuously circled the peak, patrolling like a hawk, especially around the summit, where it had already made several passes.

Qin Sang watched the oriole, growing increasingly suspicious. After a brief contemplation, he looked down the mountain, meticulously searching every inch of the terrain below, but found nothing.

Just as Qin Sang was wondering if he was being overly cautious, the oriole suddenly spread its wings and flew down the mountain. Qin Sang's eyes lit up. Following the bird with his gaze, he saw it land in a patch of wild grass and disappear.

It was a secluded hollow, overgrown with mugwort as tall as a man, offering excellent concealment.

Then, the patch of mugwort rustled, and a figure emerged from within. The golden oriole stood on his shoulder, preening its feathers with its beak.

The person glanced around before swiftly moving towards the mountain peak.

"Good thing I never retracted my Cloud-Falling Wings," Qin Sang muttered to himself.

He couldn't help but inwardly congratulate himself on his caution. He hadn't expected someone to land so close to him. At the same time, a sudden tension gripped him.

He had taken countless lives, but this was his first encounter with another cultivator as an opponent.

Qin Sang hastily cast his Aura-Sensing Technique and found that the newcomer's cultivation level was similar to his own, meaning he didn't necessarily have to avoid them.

However, cultivators possessed many strange and unpredictable methods, so he still couldn't afford to be careless.