Chapter 758: Tailgating

Demonic Dao, Merchant Alliance.

What undercurrents surged beneath the seemingly calm surface of Canglang Sea, Qin Sang had no way of knowing.

He cautiously approached, discovering a restriction left by Xiang Yi. Standing at the edge, he gazed at the cultivator surnamed Pan and the Earth-Splitting Lizard.

The cultivator surnamed Pan lay dead with wide-open eyes, unable to rest in peace. Everything below his waist was gone, and a peculiar water-elemental power still lingered around the wound.

The Earth-Splitting Lizard was also blown into two halves; one section, like the lower half of the Pan cultivator, had been reduced to dust.

The residual power on them must be the Water-Gale Divine Thunder that Xiang Yi mentioned earlier.

"Even the residual power is this strong. The Water-Gale Divine Thunder's might is likely even greater than my Fire Orb. The question is, how many of them does Xiang Yi have?"

Qin Sang's expression turned serious, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, then he carefully retreated.

He didn't touch anything, to avoid leaving traces that Xiang Yi might discover.

Qin Sang still didn't leave; he remained where he was, waiting.

After some time, he finally heard voices. Qin Sang held his breath and listened intently, identifying the positions and distinguishing that there were a total of six people.

"The couple surnamed Liu and the sword-wielding youth have all been rescued by them."

Qin Sang thought to himself, listening closely.

He wondered how Xiang Yi had explained things to them on the way.

The six people arrived at the edge of the deep pit. The Liu couple and the sword-wielding youth looked at the two mutilated corpses without surprise, saying with hatred, "It really was the Earth-Splitting Lizard! Was this person truly a spy from the Demonic Dao?"

Xiang Yi nodded, "Almost certainly. The Merchant Alliance warned me to be careful before we set off. I deliberately didn't explain the full scope of the mission earlier, just as a precaution. I just didn't expect this person to be so cunning, capable of manipulating things under everyone's noses and attracting the Purple Star Vultures. What a pity for Daoist Qingfeng; we've searched for so long and haven't found him. He's likely met a grim end."

Mrs. Liu and her husband exchanged glances, sighing, "When the Earth-Splitting Lizard and Purple Star Vultures attacked, I noticed Daoist Qingfeng was in the worst position. He was practically sent flying directly into the horde of fierce beasts and was engulfed by the Purple Star Vultures before he could make any preparations. While Daoist Qingfeng's escape technique is good, it couldn't be fully utilized when he was surrounded and attacked. His cultivation was still a bit low after all. My cultivation is similar to his, and facing both fierce beasts and poisonous mist simultaneously, I quickly felt overwhelmed. If not for my husband's timely rescue, I might have..."

Mrs. Liu's expression was dim, showing some lingering fear.

The cultivator surnamed Liu embraced his wife, comforted her, and then said solemnly, "Even so, we shouldn't be so hasty in assuming Daoist Qingfeng is dead. More and more fierce beasts are gathering, and we haven't been able to explore the entire area yet. Don't forget that Daoist Qingfeng is not only skilled in escape techniques but also accomplished in corpse refining. There might still be a chance. In this perilous region, one more person means one more ability to deal with crises. We can't give up on Daoist Qingfeng so easily. After we recover, let's go in together and search. Daoist Xiang, the Bone Lotus should still have enough time, right?"

Cui Ji and the fat man in luxurious robes showed no change in expression.

Xiang Yi pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly, "Daoist Liu makes a good point. In that case, fellow Daoists, please quickly recuperate. We had plenty of time before, but after this disturbance, time will be a bit tight. You've already experienced how terrifying it is to be engulfed by the beast horde. Even Daoist Liu and I wouldn't last long without the Bone Lotus's protection. We can go in to rescue Daoist Qingfeng for a maximum of two lotus petals' worth of time. We'll do what we can and leave the rest to fate."

At this moment, everyone was severely drained, their true essence almost depleted.

The sword-wielding youth sat down cross-legged, frowning as he asked, "Daoist Xiang, can you explain the mission clearly now? Are you going to have us inexplicably experience another beast encirclement?"

Xiang Yi didn't hesitate, speaking frankly, "Before, it was to guard against spies, but now there's naturally nothing to hide. This stone hall is the first stage. There are three similar stone halls in the Purple Mist Desperate Land. It's said that the other two places are also similar to this one, separated only by restrictions, and not very dangerous. We just need to open all three stone halls, and then go to a place resembling an ancient divine platform to leave the Purple Mist Desperate Land..."

Qin Sang secretly listened to their conversation from the shadows.

He wasn't sure how Xiang Yi had explained it, but it sounded like the Liu couple and the sword-wielding youth had already believed his lies.

Hearing Xiang Yi explain the entire mission, Qin Sang's heart stirred.

In the other two stone halls, if there wasn't a second person to interfere, he probably wouldn't get a chance for revenge.

He also wanted to imitate the cultivator surnamed Pan, lure fierce beasts, and break up their formation.

But after much thought, he felt the chances were slim.

He didn't know what outrage the Earth-Splitting Lizard had caused in the Purple Star Vulture's nest to attract all of them. It had moved freely within the desperate land, choosing an incredibly precise moment, making it difficult to replicate.

The final ancient divine platform, which even Xiang Yi couldn't describe clearly, might be the only opportunity.

His enemies were not only Cui Ji but also Xiang Yi and the fat man in luxurious robes.

All three of these individuals had higher cultivation than him. If he could find an opportunity to isolate them, Qin Sang was fully confident against anyone but Xiang Yi.

Facing Xiang Yi, however, would be a bit tricky.

The power of the Water-Gale Divine Thunder was terrifying. Only by using his Fire Orb and seizing the initiative could he kill Xiang Yi. However, the Fire Orb was currently his strongest means. Compared to revenge, the subsequent journey to the Heavenly Pagoda was more important, and it would be best to save the Fire Orb for then, to deal with unknown dangers.

One was for temporary gratification, the other concerned forming a Nascent Soul. The priority was self-evident.

Qin Sang had always been patient, lurking in the shadows, waiting for his chance.

After Xiang Yi and the others recuperated for a while, restoring themselves to full strength, they re-entered the battlefield. This time, the battlefield was even more bloody and dangerous than before. Their search yielded no results, and they retreated in disarray.

"No sign of him alive, no corpse to be found..."

The Liu couple sighed, "We used to think the rumors about the Seven Kills Hall were exaggerated, but now we know there wasn't a single false word. Daoist Qingfeng's escape technique was considered top-tier among Core Formation cultivators, yet he didn't even get a chance to escape. His body was even torn apart and devoured by fierce beasts."

Xiang Yi looked at the Bone Lotus and reminded them, "More than half of the lotus petals have been tainted by the poisonous mist. Time is running out."

"Let's go..."

Everyone looked back once, then headed deeper into the Purple Mist Desperate Land.

No one noticed that a person was silently trailing behind them.

Although the poisonous mist obstructed sight and perception, Qin Sang didn't dare get too close, making the tracking difficult. Fortunately, the six individuals were a large enough target that he never lost their trail.

The second stone hall was located deeper within, reportedly very close to the deep chasm of the Purple Mist Desperate Land.

Xiang Yi wasn't moving in a straight line but diagonally forward.

The poisonous mist here was even more potent. Qin Sang worried that his fat silkworm might not be able to withstand it and continuously monitored its condition. Seeing it lazily perched on his cuff, appearing completely at ease, he nodded to himself in relief.