Chapter 870: Planning

It was too early to consider these matters. Qin Sang didn't know how to refine more Beast King Banners, so he simply threw the nine banners he had into his Thousand-Catty Ring.

"So many treasures?"

Qin Sang opened the black-robed man's mustard seed pouch. His spiritual sense swept through it, and he was astonished by its contents.

There were four high-grade spirit stones alone, along with several rare refining materials and spirit herbs.

This person's accumulated wealth was greater than that of any peak Core Formation cultivator Qin Sang had previously killed.

Unbeknownst to Qin Sang, this individual had been dispatched to infiltrate Tianxing City and recruit human rogue cultivators, so it was natural that he had brought many treasures. This was even after he had already spent some of them.

Unexpectedly, Qin Sang had stumbled upon an incredible windfall!

He had originally thought he would have to search extensively for high-grade spirit stones, but now he had directly acquired four. Combined with the one given by the young man named Fang, he had more than enough to refine the Ten Directions Yama Banner.

Qin Sang was overjoyed.

There was no time to inspect his gains now, so Qin Sang simply dumped everything into his Thousand-Catty Ring to sort through later.

The series of previous battles had been highly taxing. Qin Sang took several pills, held a spirit stone, and focused his mind, seizing the moment to restore his true essence.

Once his true essence had recovered to about sixty to seventy percent, he ceased his cultivation, stood up, and looked into the distance.

The torrential rain showed no signs of stopping, and the dark clouds grew thicker.

Amidst flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder, the night was a chaotic scene.

From his current position, he couldn't get a clear view of the battlefield. After a moment of thought, he removed the surrounding restrictions, then concealed himself within the wind and rain, stealthily moving closer.

Before long, a faint golden light appeared high in the distance.

Faint roars of beasts, mixed with the sounds of wind, rain, and thunder, seemed to drift over.

"It's the Beast King Banners!"

Qin Sang's heart stirred. "They're still fighting!"

He suppressed his aura, preparing to get closer to observe how the battle was unfolding.

Unexpectedly, before he could draw nearer, the golden light abruptly extinguished, and the beast roars ceased.

Qin Sang's expression changed slightly, and he stopped in his tracks.

"That fast?"

This made him frown inwardly. The battle had ended so quickly, and it seemed his destruction of the Beast King Banner formation had had little effect.

If there were no surprises, Black Snake Mountain should be the victor. From the looks of it, the mysterious group seemed to have little power to retaliate and had been trapped and defeated by the Beast King Banner formation.

This was normal. The mysterious group couldn't have cast such powerful lightning manipulation techniques without cost; they were likely nearing exhaustion.

Meanwhile, the Black Snake Mountain disciples had been lurking in the shadows, waiting for their moment, and were fresh forces.

With one side weakening and the other strengthening, the outcome was predictable.

However, his own plan had not succeeded, and he couldn't take advantage of the chaos, which left Qin Sang feeling somewhat dejected. This meant he would have to swallow his anger for now and seek revenge later.

He shifted his gaze towards the small island. There was no movement there, and he estimated that the Kui Dragon had already been slain.

A moment later, several streaks of light flew to the island, revealing the figures of the young man named Fang and his companions. They were carrying a person, indicating they had not only defeated their opponents but also captured several alive.

They were not unscathed; most looked pale, their robes were torn, and anger was visible on their faces.

An uninjured Black Snake Mountain disciple searched the island, collecting all the remnants of Chu Heng and the others. Then, he dismembered the Kui Dragon, taking everything of value.

The young man named Fang's gaze was sharp as he scanned the surroundings, seemingly on guard. After a fruitless search, and once his junior disciples finished their tasks, he let out a low command: "Withdraw!"

"Hmph! That kid got off easy, causing us so much trouble!"

"We'll kill him sooner or later to avenge Fourth Senior Brother and Junior Brother!"

"We'll tear him to shreds!"

The group cursed and uttered harsh threats as they flew away from the island.

Then, the young man named Fang waved his hand, unleashing several spirit talismans. Everyone suddenly vanished, completely disappearing from sight.

The torrential rain poured down, leaving the small island in ruins. The traces of battle and bloodstains were gradually washed away, as if nothing had ever happened.

There was no trace of the Black Snake Mountain disciples.

The young man named Fang and his group were extremely cautious, leaving no trace. Qin Sang couldn't find their tracks and was unable to follow. After lingering for a while, he silently retreated, realizing he had no choice but to leave the area.

Qin Sang's eyes flickered as he stared into the depths of the rainy night, his expression constantly changing. He was unwilling to let the matter rest and wouldn't give up easily, but he needed to carefully consider his next steps.

The identities of the mysterious group were still unknown. If he could uncover their origins, he might gain insight into Black Snake Mountain's objectives and then seek an opportunity to thwart their schemes.

To his knowledge, the nearby waters were extremely barren, with virtually no islands possessing spirit veins. No sect had ever established itself here.

Rogue cultivators wouldn't open a cave dwelling in such a place either.

The mysterious group's strength surpassed that of some medium-sized sects, and they possessed a protective spirit beast like the Kui Dragon, yet they were holed up in this location, which was puzzling.

It would likely take some time to uncover their identities.

Alternatively, he could simply leak the news that Black Snake Mountain cultivators had infiltrated and were slaughtering human cultivators. He could then leverage the major human forces to hunt them down without expending any effort of his own.

In any case, he wouldn't let them off easily.

However, with the attention of both races' experts and various factions drawn to the Demonic Sea, it was uncertain how effective this approach would be.

At that moment, Qin Sang suddenly remembered something else. His expression subtly changed, and he disregarded the current situation, transforming into a streak of light and heading directly for Tianxing City.

His external avatar was still in the cave dwelling in Tianxing City!

He had killed two true disciples of Black Snake Mountain in succession, and Black Snake Mountain certainly wouldn't let it go. His identity could be easily traced, including the location of his cave dwelling.

If his external avatar were exposed and discovered by Black Snake Mountain, it would be troublesome.

Besides the Black Snake Mountain Patriarch, Qin Sang wasn't afraid of anyone else, but his external avatar was still very weak and couldn't withstand any abuse; even a casual Black Snake Mountain disciple could easily capture and kill it.

Time also didn't permit Qin Sang to re-refine his external avatar.

Compared to seeking revenge, his external avatar was clearly far more important, as it concerned the ancient teleportation array. Even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance of something happening to it, he absolutely couldn't allow it.

Qin Sang suspected Black Snake Mountain had spies in Tianxing City; otherwise, they couldn't have so easily recruited so many human rogue cultivators.

The shop owner's suspicion was high.

With this thought, Qin Sang dared not linger there. He had to settle his external avatar in a safe place before Black Snake Mountain made a move, only then could he plan other matters without worry.

Even if it meant missing the opportunity for revenge, he couldn't afford to care.

Qin Sang raced against time, hardly stopping for a moment.

When his true essence was exhausted, he summoned the Twin-Headed Hou to travel.

Traveling day and night, he returned to the waters near Tianxing City in less than two months.

Qin Sang donned a cloak and, as Daoist Qingfeng, entered the city boldly. He wasn't worried; even if the Black Snake Mountain Patriarch arrived personally, he wouldn't dare kill someone within Tianxing City.

After entering the city, Qin Sang didn't rush to the Baogu Mountain cave dwelling. Instead, he headed straight for the market. Before long, he arrived near the shop, only to find its doors closed even in broad daylight.

The shop owner was gone!

"This person really was suspicious!"

Qin Sang frowned and quietly withdrew.