Chapter 859: Rain Desert

Mortal World

The young man surnamed Fang invited a total of five people. When hunting the demonic beast, Qin Sang and his group would be in charge of the Sky-Cold Gale Formation.

"There was a slight hitch with the last cold stele; it won't be fully refined until tomorrow. Fellow Daoist Qin, please observe Fellow Daoist Qiu and the others practicing the formation first. Once I've finished refining the stele, we'll depart immediately."

The young man surnamed Fang gave his instructions, then flew above the cold pool, took out a fragmented crystal stele, and began refining it by absorbing the surrounding cold energy.

Qin Sang greeted everyone individually, then found a spot beside the cold pool and sat down quietly.

The burly man named Qiu was actually called Qiu Ji. He called the others to practice the formation, deliberately slowing down so Qin Sang could clearly see every transformation and keep up with their progress.

Another rogue cultivator Qin Sang had met was named Chu Heng.

The other two were named Luo Kun and Ma Debao.

They were once rogue cultivators too, but had since been recruited as enshriners by sects near Tianxing Island. To avoid excessive restrictions, they had joined relatively minor forces.

Chu Heng was most skilled in formations and restrictions. The core of the Sky-Cold Gale Formation for this mission was controlled by Chu Heng, and he was currently leading the others in practicing it.

Luo Kun was a man of few words; a slight nod to Qin Sang was his way of greeting him.

The cultivator named Ma Debao, however, had an unappealing appearance. His two small eyes were set in a round, pancake-like face, and his pupils darted about, seeming to openly pry into Qin Sang's secrets whenever he looked at him.

Including Qin Sang, all five individuals were mid-Core Formation stage cultivators.

As Qin Sang observed the formation's changes, his gaze inadvertently fell upon the young man surnamed Fang.

Earlier, when following the young man named Fang into the cave, Qin Sang had, out of caution, awakened his Heavenly Eye Butterfly to prevent any ill intentions or restrictions being set up in the cave.

Unexpectedly, he found no ambush but instead discovered something unusual about the young man surnamed Fang.

Normally, Qin Sang wouldn't presumptuously let his Heavenly Eye Butterfly use its divine ability to spy on others, as Core Formation stage cultivators have keen spiritual senses, and discovery could lead to animosity.

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly didn't directly probe the young man's secrets, so it remained undetected. Yet, there seemed to be a layer of mist around the young man, which even the Heavenly Eye Butterfly couldn't see through.

This surprised Qin Sang.

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine ability had been proven multiple times; it could not only pierce through illusions but also easily see through disguise techniques.

During the breakout from Yuheng Island, the late-stage demonic core fish demon, which had consumed Emperor's Nectar, attempted to ambush him, but its movements were exposed by the Heavenly Eye Butterfly.

And the recent Western Nether Alliance cultivators had also fallen into Qin Sang's hands due to the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's abilities.

The young man surnamed Fang likely possessed some kind of secret treasure or divine ability that could conceal himself and resist prying, rendering the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's efforts fruitless.

Qiu Ji and the others practiced the formation at an increasingly faster pace.

After observing one full cycle, Qin Sang's expression grew serious, his mind no longer preoccupied with other thoughts. The Sky-Cold Gale Formation was more complex than he had anticipated, and since the cold steles weren't fully assembled yet, only partial transformations could be demonstrated.

For the five of them to fully master the spiritual formation and use it against a great demon in the late Demonic Core stage, they would likely have to practice non-stop on their way to the demon's lair.

Qin Sang dared not be negligent, carefully noting down every transformation. Before he knew it, a day had passed.

By noon the next day, the young man named Fang had finally finished refining the cold stele. After a brief discussion, the group decided to depart immediately.

To save time, they chose not to travel by boat. The young man named Fang took out a flying magical artifact. They would take turns controlling the artifact to travel, while the others coordinated their practice of the formation.

After leaving the island, the young man surnamed Fang steered the artifact directly northward. The artifact's light streaked across the sea surface like a meteor.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, you've kept this so close to your chest, unwilling to reveal any information until now. The demonic beast's lair isn't in the Northern Sea's Rain Desert, is it?"

Ma Debao stroked the whiskers by his mouth and asked in a sharp voice.

The young man surnamed Fang raised his eyelids and smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist Ma, you worry too much. The distance from Tianxing Island to the Northern Sea's Rain Desert is too vast to reach in just a year or two; you all would grow impatient halfway. The place we're heading to is on the edge of the Northern Sea, only about two months' journey from here. Once we reach the beast's lair, you'll know what kind of demonic beast it is."

Qin Sang nodded subtly. If too much time were spent on the journey, he would indeed have to reconsider.

The Rain Desert they spoke of was a peculiar area deep within the Northern Sea, close to a storm belt.

Some attempted to divide the Inner Sea into four quadrants, but in reality, the Inner Sea's shape was irregular, roughly a long, narrow strip running north to south.

Previously, when Qin Sang searched for Senior Qingzhu, he had visited the Fissure Wind Archipelago in the southwestern sea. If he hadn't returned then and continued west, he would have soon reached the storm belt on the western side of the Inner Sea.

However, traveling north would take much longer, and the first area reached would be a sea region with incessant torrential rain, known as the Rain Desert.

It was said that the Northern Sea was the most affected by the storm belt, especially the Rain Desert, where torrential rains fell ceaselessly year-round, and the sun was never seen. It was impossible for mortals to survive in such a place.

Therefore, apart from islands with spirit veins where cultivators might be active, all other islands were barren. This place was not as chaotic as the Fissure Wind Archipelago, but it was definitely the most desolate and lonely sea region in the Inner Sea.

Qiu Ji uttered a slight sound of surprise. "It's in the Inner Sea, not even the Rain Desert, and yet this great demon hasn't been hunted down by a mighty expert?"

"The beast is alive and well, extremely brazen," the young man surnamed Fang nodded.

The young man surnamed Fang continued, "The reason I discovered this beast is that a merchant caravan led by a friend of mine was attacked by it. Not only were all their goods destroyed, but my friend nearly lost his life to the beast. He managed to escape by a stroke of luck, but he was severely injured, his foundation ruined, and his cultivation base gone, leaving him effectively crippled. My hunt for this beast is also to avenge my friend."

"Fellow Daoist Fang is truly righteous..."

As the escape light sped on, silence returned within the magical artifact. Qin Sang and the others focused on practicing the formation, while the young man surnamed Fang, controlling the artifact, watched the monotonous sea surface, his eyes flickering.

Not long after they departed, several indistinct figures appeared at the edge of the island.

These individuals were strangely dressed, all cloaked in black robes as if they wished to remain unseen. The only exception was the shop owner from Tianxing City.

Facing these people, the shop owner's expression was very cautious, tinged with flattery.

"Senior Brother has already left with his group; we should depart too. Junior Brother, after we leave, it will be up to you to contact those late-stage old fogeys. Make sure to keep them steady, so we don't find ourselves short-handed when we truly need them. These people aren't needed yet, but Senior Brother said the information he received might not be entirely accurate, and there could still be complications."

One of the black-robed figures turned and stared at the shop owner. From his voice, it was the same person who had traded with Qin Sang in Tianxing City.

The shop owner nodded profusely. "Senior Brother, rest assured, Junior Brother will do his utmost."