Chapter 811: Tracking

Spirit Turtle Island was covered in peach trees, and the peach blossoms bloomed year-round. The island's protective formation was linked to the peach forest, combining illusion and deadly traps, making it incredibly powerful.

Whenever Senior Azure Bamboo gave lectures, people were allowed to visit the island, but only on the outer beaches. Senior Azure Bamboo stayed deep within the peach forest, and no one had ever seen his true face. Qin Sang heard all this from Sect Master Wu.

On the way to Ba Men Island, Qin Sang took out a cloak and put it on, changing his appearance. An enemy who could defeat even Senior Azure Bamboo could crush him as easily as an ant.

However, Qin Sang didn't want to just leave. For some reason, he felt that things were not that simple. Senior Azure Bamboo had found the teleportation array but gave up returning to the Small Cold Domain at the last moment. Now, shortly after the Seven Kill Hall was opened, Senior Azure Bamboo, who had been hidden for two hundred years, was found by his enemies and attacked. These events seemed to be connected in some unseen way.

The culprit might not necessarily be his enemy! It was also possible that Senior Azure Bamboo had been careless and someone discovered his secret. At the same time, Qin Sang recalled falling from the Sky Tower and waking up in the Witch Clan Continent. Was it truly the restrictions in the Seven Kill Hall that had teleported him?

Qin Sang felt a vast vortex around him. It hadn't swept him in yet, so he couldn't feel the tumultuous waves, much like the sea at that moment, shrouded in mist. He had a premonition that if he followed Senior Azure Bamboo's old path and sought the teleportation array, he too would eventually be drawn into the vortex. A chill ran down Qin Sang's spine. He needed to at least determine the identity of Senior Azure Bamboo's enemy to know whom to guard against.

After flying for some time, Qin Sang saw the outline of Ba Men Island through the mist. He wasn't in a hurry to land. He changed direction and flew towards Spirit Turtle Island. After circling Ba Men Island and flying some distance, he saw a scattering of uninhabited islets and reefs ahead. Beyond these, Spirit Turtle Island should be. Qin Sang flew back and forth over the sea several times but couldn't find Spirit Turtle Island. Only then did he realize that the above-water part of Spirit Turtle Island had been shattered, leaving only its submerged foundation.

Ba Men Island was quite large. Sect Master Wu had said that besides the Boundless Sea Sect, there were dozens of other major and minor forces on the island, with interwoven interests. In the center of Ba Men Island was a city where cultivators and mortals coexisted, with fewer restrictions.

Qin Sang landed on the island. After flying for a while, crossing mountains and valleys, he saw the city built in a basin. Sect Master Wu hadn't personally experienced the battle back then, so to find someone who knew, he had to search in the city. He disguised himself as a Foundation Establishment cultivator and easily blended into the city.

A storm had just passed, and sea mist enveloped the entire island. The streets were sparsely populated, appearing somewhat deserted. However, as Qin Sang crossed several streets and arrived at the cultivators' market, it became lively. This was the largest market in the nearby sea region.

Qin Sang strolled through the market, sometimes entering shops to buy miscellaneous items. He casually mentioned the Spirit Turtle Island Master, and to his surprise, he found a shop owner who had personally witnessed the battle. This shop owner was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but elderly, with no hope of further advancement.

"Back then," the old shop owner began, "I was returning from visiting a friend. Just as I was nearing Ba Men Island, I heard a thunderous roar. I turned around and saw a radiant glow emanating from Spirit Turtle Island, with colossal waves surging. The tremors even reached here, and the tides surged wildly..."

The old shop owner recalled the scene: "I thought some rare treasure had appeared and immediately flew towards the radiant glow. Unexpectedly, it was Spirit Turtle Island under attack. Both sides were incredibly formidable masters. Those of us who got a little too close nearly lost our lives. I faintly saw several figures within the glow, besieging Spirit Turtle Island. Even so, the battle lasted for more than half a day, showing that everyone had previously underestimated the Island Master's strength. He was at least a Nascent Soul Patriarch. After this incident, all major forces, including the Boundless Sea Sect, were relieved that they hadn't angered the Spirit Turtle Island Master before."

Speaking, the old shop owner said with a face full of regret: "I never imagined that a Nascent Soul Patriarch was right among us, living in seclusion for over two hundred years without anyone knowing. A great opportunity for immortal cultivation was so close, yet no one seized it. If I had known, I would have gone to the island every day to beg on my knees."

Qin Sang sat opposite the old shop owner, listening to him recount the past, piecing together the events of that day. At the end of the battle, someone in the radiant glow burst into maniacal laughter. The formation was broken, Spirit Turtle Island was destroyed, and no one was seen escaping. After destroying the island, those who besieged Spirit Turtle Island simply walked away. When the onlookers approached, they found Spirit Turtle Island completely submerged by the sea.

"Has Senior Azure Bamboo truly fallen?"

Confirming the outcome from the old shop owner's mouth, Qin Sang felt a sense of unreality. The seniors he most revered were not Nascent Soul Patriarchs like Earl Dongyang, but rather Roaming Cloud Son and Azure Bamboo. He and Azure Bamboo had never met, but along his journey, he had often heard legends of Senior Azure Bamboo.

As someone who also cultivated the "Soul Cultivation Sword Chapter," Qin Sang understood the horrific pain Senior Azure Bamboo must have endured without the Jade Buddha's protection. Yet, he split his soul, not only persevering but also astonishing everyone by becoming the fastest disciple to form a Core in Shaohua Mountain's history! Even with incomplete cultivation methods, he didn't give up, going so far as to create two killer talismans and reaching the peak of the late stage. Senior Azure Bamboo, enraged by the death of his beloved, cleaved mountains as he left, barged into a dragon's lair to personally slay his enemies, and was forced to flee far away. He was a true swordsman who lived by his principles of vengeance and pleasure. Who wouldn't admire such an peerless sword cultivator? To have died so quietly, surrounded and beaten to death.

After leaving the shop, Qin Sang looked in the direction of Spirit Turtle Island, sighing at the impermanence of life. Other than that, Qin Sang found no clues about the culprits. They had come specifically for Senior Azure Bamboo; after destroying Spirit Turtle Island, they left directly without harming anyone else. Qin Sang planned to rent a cave dwelling in the market and stay for a while to see if he could find any further clues.

As he walked down the street, looking for a place to stay, Qin Sang's gaze suddenly flickered. He then calmly turned into an alley, changing his mind, and headed directly out of the city. After Qin Sang left, two figures also darted out, quietly trailing him. The two, one tall and one short, wore Taoist robes adorned with wave-like patterns. They tracked Qin Sang out of the city. Seeing him use a movement technique to swiftly enter the mountain forest, they exchanged glances and said in unison, "Chase him!"

"Junior Brother, did you find out who this person is?" the taller cultivator asked, turning his head.

The shorter cultivator shook his head. "No. I asked the shop owners, and he claimed to be an outsider who wanted to become a disciple of the Spirit Turtle Island Master. That's ancient history! Looking at his aura, he probably just broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage. He shouldn't be someone Master told us to watch out for, so there's no need to report him to the sect. Let's just kill him and get rich."

"Huh, this guy is quite fast." The two pursued him into the dense forest but lost sight of their target.

Suddenly, a faint voice came from behind them: "Are you two looking for me?"