Chapter 798: Jiao Clan

The crystal exploded.

Feathers sprang out, trembling in mid-air. Then, as if weathered, they rapidly dissolved from their tips, eventually vanishing completely.

A sound of rushing air came.

A streak of green light rapidly flew into the cave.

It was a demonic bird.

Any cultivator witnessing this scene would recognize it as an Azure Pigeon, a demon beast carrying potent venom. One must be extremely cautious when facing such a creature.

This Azure Pigeon was far smaller than others of its kind, yet it displayed remarkable intelligence. Its cultivation was still far from the transformation stage, clearly indicating it had been enlightened by the Emperor's Dew.

Seeing the feathers dissolve, a look of panic appeared in the Azure Pigeon's eyes. It shrieked, flapping its wings and flying out, nearly crashing into the stone wall, continuously crying out: "Calamity... calamity..."

The large cave within the mountain connected to the underground.

The Azure Pigeon flew straight down without stopping, finally arriving in front of a stone gate encircled by green light, panting heavily.

Before it could speak, a deep voice suddenly emanated from within the stone gate.

"What happened outside? Why such panic?"

The Azure Pigeon spread its wings, prostrated itself on the ground, and said tremblingly, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the soul feather left by the Holy Son... it's shattered, he might have fallen..."

The voice from behind the stone gate was unperturbed. "Which Holy Son?"

The Azure Pigeon propped itself on its wings, pointing towards the cave above. "It's the young Holy Son personally chosen by Your Majesty, whom you helped transform and then sent to the human sacred land, the Seven Kills Hall. Before his departure, the Holy Son left a soul feather..."

A sound of 'Oh' came from behind the stone gate, followed by, "It's him! I understand."

The tone remained calm, devoid of anger, and then there was silence.

The Azure Pigeon was secretly surprised, somewhat taken aback.

After a moment, the King behind the stone gate asked again, "Is there anything else?"

The Azure Pigeon hastily replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I was wondering if we should send another Holy Son. Please give your command, Your Majesty."

"No need."

The King said resolutely, "By sending out one Holy Son, our agreement with the Flood Dragon clan is fulfilled. It is normal for accidents to occur when trespassing in a human sacred land."

"Then..."

The Azure Pigeon hesitated for a moment, "Should we inform the Flood Dragon clan of the Holy Son's death?"

The King remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Absolutely not! The Flood Dragon King is arrogant and overbearing. Upon learning of this, he will certainly force our clan to send another Holy Son."

"To successfully infiltrate the human Canglang Sea, a Holy Son must be below the transformation stage to avoid detection by humans. We use an ancient secret technique called the 'Blood Burning True Art' to help the Holy Son transform prematurely. After transformation, although it's difficult to completely eliminate the demonic aura, most human cultivators who use our demon race as ingredients for pill refinement also carry a demonic aura. Only we can distinguish between these two types of demonic aura, which allows us to deceive them and blend into the Great Barren Island."

"This secret technique comes at a great cost. Not only does it demand exceptional talent from the Holy Son, but after transforming into a human form, their cultivation can no longer advance, permanently losing the chance to break through the transformation stage, and their lifespan is greatly reduced."

"Furthermore, this secret technique must be personally performed by this King. Each time I perform it, it severely depletes my vital essence, requiring years of secluded cultivation to recover."

"I don't know where the Flood Dragon clan acquired this useless secret technique."

"The Flood Dragon clan claims that a supreme treasure, and even an opportunity for Spirit Transformation, lies within the human sacred land, the Seven Kills Hall. Yet they are unwilling to reveal the source of this information, simply wishing to assign our various clans to work for them! Setting aside the veracity of this claim, even if it were true, the Seven Kills Hall is not opening for the first time, and there are many human experts; how could they have missed it?"

"This King was forced to agree to their terms before, but there's no need for further action now. Do not leak this matter. Go and retrieve another Sea Soul Crystal and an Azure Feather, and place them back in their original spot."

The Azure Pigeon bowed obediently, utterly horrified upon hearing the secret of the technique. After receiving the King's command, it said 'As you command' and flew back the way it came.

Silence returned to the cave.

Qin Sang was completely unaware of everything happening in the Canglang Sea.

He was fleeing for his life, occasionally glancing back, secretly shocked.

When the cold flames erupted, Qin Sang was right at the center of the storm. The surrounding hurricane was affected by the power of the Winter Nether Cold Flames, causing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to become chaotic and forming a small vortex.

Fortunately, Qin Sang was quick enough and successfully escaped.

"If not for the Fire Orb, this time I might truly have been in grave danger..."

A bitter smile appeared on Qin Sang's face.

Although he was eager to discover the function of the bone flute, this was not a place to linger. He took out his jade talisman, discerned the direction, and flew towards the edge of the storm.

After a period of pursuit and escape, he had veered far off course. After a difficult journey, he finally reached the edge of the storm.

He proceeded cautiously and vigilantly. Only after seeing that the area outside the storm was calm did he emerge.

Not long after, Qin Sang arrived near Dongmen Island, surprised to find the island in ruins and completely deserted.

The city on the island was severely damaged; some parts of the island had even collapsed and sunk into the sea, clearly affected by a terrible force.

This gateway to the Seven Kills Hall had become a ruin. He saw no corpses, indicating that the island's inhabitants had already fled in advance.

"The Nascent Soul battle extended to this place!"

Qin Sang was secretly alarmed and extremely vigilant. Seeing no anomalies around, he dared not linger. After a moment of thought, he flew northwest.

The nearest large island to Dongmen Island was called Leichen Island. It housed a city of cultivators and was a core area of the nearby sea. He went to Leichen Island to inquire about the aftermath of the Nascent Soul battle.

The journey was smooth.

Leichen Island came into view. Seeing no anomalies, Qin Sang flashed down onto the island, entered the city, and sought someone to inquire for news.

"Fellow Daoist, are you asking about the Nascent Soul ancestors?"

The shopkeeper scrutinized Qin Sang and said, "Fellow Daoist, you're late. The Nascent Soul battle has already concluded. It is said that they fought from the Seven Kills Hall all the way to outside the storm, incredibly astonishing and fierce, nearly destroying Dongmen Island. On our Leichen Island, too, there was widespread panic, and at one point, we considered evacuating the entire island. Later, for unknown reasons, the Nascent Soul cultivators from both factions suddenly ceased fighting and then departed."

Qin Sang was somewhat surprised, secretly thinking that the Demonic Lord and the Grand Shaman might have reached some agreement.

"Did those Nascent Soul ancestors leave any messages before their departure? Regarding the Seven Kills Hall..."

The shopkeeper pondered for a moment and said, "It seems there's a rumor that the Witch race will be responsible for opening the Seven Kills Hall next time, and that it won't be too long from now, though no specific time was mentioned. However, I've been on the island this whole time and am not certain if this rumor is true or false..."

Qin Sang left some spirit stones, and the shopkeeper, displaying a satisfied expression, personally escorted Qin Sang out.

At this time, Qin Sang was traveling in his true form.

The Qiongyu Chamber of Commerce also had a branch on Leichen Island, and its business was thriving, making it one of the most valued locations for the Chamber. However, Qin Sang would certainly not contact the Qiongyu Chamber of Commerce before eliminating Xiang Yi, to avoid exposing his identity.

"So, the Witch race hasn't achieved their goal, and the next time might trigger even fiercer conflicts, but this has nothing to do with me. The more frequently the Seven Kills Hall opens, the greater my hope of finding the teleportation array. I should first take care of my own matters and simply head directly to Tianxing Island..."

Qin Sang made his decision.