Chapter 822: Demon Lord

Liangqiu Island.

The island's appearance had drastically changed, now dominated by a formation of banners.

Numerous illusory banners, each three zhang tall, were either planted in the ground or floating in the air. At the center of the banner formation, the formation plate hovered, having expanded countless times in size.

The grand banners glowed with an intense yellow light, all converging towards the formation plate.

In the heart of Liangqiu Island, the yellow light shot skyward, forming a massive cocoon of light.

On the surface of the light cocoon, dense runes and small banner phantoms flickered, rotating with it. Inside, a tiny figure was trapped, desperately trying to break out of the light cocoon.

Anyone witnessing the scene within the light cocoon would be utterly astonished, as it was a Nascent Soul. Its physical body was gone, destroyed by the deadly formation, leaving only the solitary Nascent Soul attempting to teleport to freedom.

However, the light cocoon was incredibly resilient; not only did it remain unbroken, but it rapidly compressed inward. Each attempt by the Nascent Soul to teleport was easily blocked.

Powerless to resist, the Nascent Soul watched in despair as the light cocoon continued to shrink.

“Who exactly are you?!”

The Nascent Soul's expression was distorted with fury as it roared, but it received no reply.

Countless banner phantoms floated towards the person's Nascent Soul, seemingly carrying some sort of binding power. The Nascent Soul's resistance grew weaker and weaker, on the verge of being completely confined.

At this moment, two mysterious figures floated on either side of the light cocoon, fully activating the formation plate.

One of them, a grey-robed figure, seemed to sense something and briefly turned to look into the distance, but remained still, continuing to focus on controlling the banner formation and trapping the person inside.

The banner formation was incredibly powerful, and with the two working together, the Nascent Soul was utterly helpless.

‘Snap!’

Finally, the formation plate shattered, scattering down as a shower of yellow light.

The light cocoon became tiny, and the Nascent Soul inside fell completely silent. A Nascent Soul expert had been captured alive.

The grey-robed figure waved a sleeve, and the light cocoon vanished into it. Then, he swept his gaze around, ensuring no traces were left behind after the formation plate's destruction.

Just then, his companion flew over.

“It went rather smoothly. We finally captured Old Demon Yin alive. We should withdraw; those old devils have probably gotten wind of this and are heading here. If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late.”

The black-robed figure glanced left and right. “Why hasn’t your Soul Servant returned yet?”

“Dead.”

The grey-robed figure looked in the direction where the woman had fallen and said indifferently, “Killed in retaliation.”

The black-robed figure exclaimed in surprise, “Dead? And the opponent was just one person? Crafting those two Soul Servants cost you considerable effort. Even when you and I were at the late Core Formation stage, we might have been able to defeat a Soul Servant, but killing her would have been almost impossible… We’ve truly encountered a formidable foe!”

“No matter how formidable, they’re still just a junior Core Formation cultivator…”

A trace of annoyance in the grey-robed figure’s tone, he transformed into a streak of light and shot away.

Soon, the two appeared at the spot where the woman had fallen.

The sea surface was empty; the assailant had long since fled, leaving no trace.

After eliminating the soul entity, Qin Sang immediately fled far away.

After a long detour and a day in hiding, Qin Sang confirmed there were no pursuers and began flying towards Quheng Island, intending to gather information.

On his way to Quheng Island, he distinctly felt that the atmosphere was amiss. The islands along the way had mostly activated their protective formations, and the cultivators he encountered were all hurrying along.

Qin Sang inquired around, stopping a Core Formation cultivator and asking about the events of the past few days.

“The Island Master of Yin Bamboo Island is dead. It’s said that two nights ago, he was besieged by mysterious experts in plain sight. A dignified Nascent Soul expert, his fate is unknown, and his whereabouts are still unconfirmed. Not only the Island Master of Yin Bamboo Island, but also some Core Formation experts nearby, who were unaware of the situation and approached the battlefield, were caught in the crossfire and died, resulting in heavy losses. The perpetrators were so arrogant that the two Island Masters were enraged and have ordered a thorough investigation. All major factions of both the righteous and demonic paths in the Riftwind Islands have been mobilized, and many cultivators of unknown origins have been arrested. Now, people are terrified. Fellow Daoist, if you have nothing urgent, it’s best not to wander around. Like me, quickly return to your cultivation cave and stay there until this storm passes, to avoid any misunderstandings.”

The cultivator did not hold back, detailing what he had seen and heard.

“Yin Bamboo Island? I recall that Island Master seemed to be a demonic expert. Could it be a revenge plot?”

Qin Sang frowned, surprised. He had originally thought that Luo Daotong was backed by one of the two Island Masters of Quheng Island. He recalled carefully, remembering that Yin Bamboo Island was a well-known large island nearby, and its Island Master seemed to be associated with the demonic path.

“That, I don’t know. After all, he was a powerful figure in the demonic path; how could he not have many enemies? Many fellow Daoists share this speculation…”

The man lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously, “There’s a rumor on Quheng Island that this Island Master’s identity isn’t simple. He’s not an ordinary Nascent Soul expert and has intricate ties to the Demonic Sovereign. That’s why the two Island Masters are so panicked and working so hard—they fear the Demonic Sovereign’s wrath. When the Demonic Sovereign gets angry, millions could fall, and sweeping clean the Riftwind Islands wouldn’t be surprising! No matter where those culprits hide, they’ll probably be dragged out. The cultivation world is in for a chaotic period…”

The man shook his head as he spoke, then cupped his hands to Qin Sang in farewell.

Qin Sang watched him leave.

“It’s actually the Demonic Sovereign!”

A chill ran down his spine.

The demonic path was not a unified front.

However, as the foremost expert of the demonic path, the Demonic Sovereign's faction was undoubtedly the strongest. Who else could command the Island Master of Yin Bamboo Island and gather several Nascent Soul experts?

Qin Sang suddenly understood why Senior Azure Bamboo had been so cautious, living anonymously and hiding in a remote corner for two hundred years.

His enemy was actually the Demonic Sovereign!

This was undoubtedly a despair-inducing opponent.

No matter how talented Senior Azure Bamboo was, it would be impossible for him to gain the strength to contend with the Demonic Sovereign in just two hundred years.

Qin Sang recalled nearly losing his life when he was caught in the aftermath of the Demonic Sovereign's battle with the Grand Shaman at the Heavenly Tower. He felt even more despair than Senior Azure Bamboo; he didn't even have the qualifications to stand before the Demonic Sovereign.

“I’ve finally found out the opponent’s identity and know who to guard against… but this adversary is too terrifying. One of the grand cultivators standing at the apex of the Canglang Sea, how can one guard against them? Besides avoiding them, there’s nothing that can be done. I truly hope Senior Azure Bamboo didn’t incur the Demonic Sovereign’s enmity because of the teleportation array…”

Qin Sang gave a bitter laugh.

At the same time, he also felt doubts about the events of the past few days.

The other party targeted Luo Daotong and the Island Master of Yin Bamboo Island at the same time, just as he did. Was it truly just a coincidence that they had a grudge against the Island Master of Yin Bamboo Island?

The situation was perplexing, but he lacked the ability to find the true culprit and unravel the mystery.

“Never mind. Although I didn’t meet Senior Azure Bamboo in person, I didn’t come away empty-handed. Since the other party dared to attack someone connected to the Demonic Sovereign, they must have come prepared. This turmoil won’t subside easily, so it’s time to leave to avoid getting entangled. I’ve been out long enough; it’s time to return. There’s still much to do back on Tianxing Island.”

Qin Sang made up his mind to immediately leave the Riftwind Islands. His origins were very unclear; if he were caught and mistaken for an accomplice of the culprits, it would be a terrible injustice.

He changed direction and flew out of the Riftwind Islands.