Chapter 97: Unexpected and Choices

**The Mortal Realm**

The night sky was as bright as day!

Qin Sang climbed out of a pile of mud, brushed off the twigs from his body, spat out blood and decaying leaves, and turned his head, staring in horror at the direction of Yuanzhao Gate. A great sun hung in the sky, illuminating Yuanzhao Peak in exquisite detail. The entire mountain range was bathed in daylight. Mountains collapsed, and birds and beasts fled in terror. Several angry roars followed, imbued with endless fury and sorrow. Then, a brilliant light engulfed everything, the earth shook incessantly, and nothing else could be seen. Qin Sang tightly closed his eyes, secretly alarmed. He didn't know what was happening there, but he could feel an extremely terrifying fluctuation emanating from that golden sun. As the light gradually faded and his vision returned, Qin Sang found that the cloud-piercing Yuanzhao Peak was severed in the middle, and even several surrounding mountains had inexplicably become shorter. This was the destructive power of a Core Formation cultivator, and Qin Sang felt a mixture of fear and longing rise within him.

Qin Sang's expression subtly changed. He had originally planned to find a place to observe. He hadn't previously rejected demonic cultivation, nor did he have a direct understanding of the conflict between orthodox and demonic sects in the cultivation world. It wasn't that he disliked them from the bottom of his heart. Especially after hearing the vigorous young man in the Bagua Forbidden Land reveal the inside story of the Ascension Ceremony, Qin Sang understood that the orthodox path might not be clean either. He simply wanted to save his own life and live a little longer, which was why he was determined to leave the Kuiyin Sect. There was always a difference between the orthodox and demonic paths. Yuanzhao Gate still knew to lure rogue cultivators into the Bagua Forbidden Land with the Ascension Ceremony to conceal their true motives; they didn't explicitly send their own disciples to their deaths. If it were the Kuiyin Sect, even if it meant sacrificing the lives of their disciples, Sect Master Yi probably wouldn't hesitate for a moment. Just think of the countless souls in the Yinsha Abyss, far more numerous than those in the Bagua Forbidden Land. There's a saying: "at all costs." In the cultivation world, if a low-level Qi Refinement cultivator has no backing, they might become one of those "costs" if something goes wrong, and this is even more likely in the demonic sects. Either they're like Liang Yan, close to Yue Wu, so no one dares to provoke them. Or they're like Yue Wu himself, a Foundation Establishment cultivator and a powerful force within the sect, only then can they possibly save their lives. Unfortunately, he was just a small pawn living from hand to mouth.

But as the saying goes, times change. After obtaining the mysterious orchid, Qin Sang began to waver. If the Kuiyin Sect won decisively, no matter how good the mysterious orchid was, even with a thousand guts, he wouldn't dare abscond with a spiritual medicine coveted by a Golden Core Elder. Even if he fled for a full day using wind manipulation, a Golden Core Elder could catch up in the blink of an eye, and a mere sweep of their divine sense would reveal his hiding place. With Zhao Yan dead and no witnesses, if he presented the mysterious orchid to the Sect Master, having achieved such a great feat, it shouldn't be difficult for Sect Master Yi to grant him a few Foundation Establishment Pills, even if he didn't receive a heavy reward. At the very least, he could exchange it for a life-saving talisman. As long as he had a chance to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, following the demonic path to the very end wouldn't matter.

However, Yuanzhao Gate didn't seem entirely powerless. After the explosion of that great sun, the direction of Yuanzhao Gate had been deathly silent. Demonic flames, grand formations, ghostly figures, cultivators... all were gone without a trace! The night sky was eerily silent!

Suddenly, a heartbreaking roar echoed from the distant sky: "Senior Brother!" A fiery red streak of light, surging with power, streaked across the sky like a meteor, reaching the skies above Yuanzhao Gate in the blink of an eye, revealing the figure of a young man in black. The young man gazed disbelievingly at the severely damaged Yuanzhao Gate, his face filled with immense grief. Just then, there was a deafening 'boom'. The remaining half of Yuanzhao Peak also collapsed with a roar. From the dust, a dozen disheveled figures flew out. Seeing the young man standing in mid-air, they were overjoyed: "Martial Uncle! You've finally arrived!" Only Yu Hua seemed frozen in shock, his eyes blank. But upon meeting the young man's cold gaze and seeing their devastated sect, it was as if they had a bucket of ice water thrown over their heads.

'Crack!' The sky suddenly split open with a fissure, and a wisp of black mist drifted out of it... The young man abruptly looked up, staring intently into the depths of the rift, his eyes instantly filled with furious hatred. "Kill!" The fiery red divine sword carried an awe-inspiring momentum capable of cleaving through anything. A somewhat thin wisp of black mist frantically fled northward ahead of it, not daring to pause for a moment.

Qin Sang watched this scene with trepidation. Was the person who arrived so suddenly reinforcements for Yuanzhao Gate? Had Yuanzhao Gate, with its sect gate besieged and grand formation broken, actually turned the tide in a desperate situation? This far exceeded Qin Sang's expectations. The divine sword and the black mist chased each other, eventually disappearing into the horizon.

Qin Sang's expression flickered indecisively. He quickly made a decision: he took out the Four Clouds Divine Restriction and discarded it. Holding the jade box, he hesitated for a long time but ultimately couldn't suppress the greed in his heart. A hint of self-mockery appeared on Qin Sang's face. He quickly searched Zhao Yan's spatial pouch, taking out useful items and leaving behind everything he didn't recognize. Finally, he found a familiar bead. Qin Sang was overjoyed; he still vividly remembered the bead's terrifying power. Even if he encountered a powerful Foundation Establishment enemy, throwing the bead, while it might not kill them, would certainly throw them into disarray for a while. Qin Sang gripped the bead in his hand, fully activating his Wind Manipulation art. He had only one thought: escape, as far away as possible.

Using spirit pills to suppress his injuries, Qin Sang, dragging his wounded body, fled on the wind. He first headed west, and a few days later, found a cave to discard Zhao Yan's spatial pouch, then turned south. When his spiritual power was depleted, he would find a cave to recover, then continue running, eating wild fruits and drinking mountain spring water, avoiding people. He was set on heading southwest.

While confined to Guiyang Valley at Yuanzhao Gate, Qin Sang had no opportunity to purchase a map of the cultivation world. He only gained some understanding of it from listening to Yue Wu's lectures and conversing with fellow disciples in the Kuiyin Sect, but as Qi Refinement disciples, their knowledge was limited. Their location was in the northwest corner of the entire continent, known as the Little Cold Domain in the cultivation world. Legend had it that the continent was vast, its edges surrounded by an boundless ocean, but how far it stretched to the east and south, and how many major sects existed beyond, only Nascent Soul cultivators might know. Even the nearest western and northern borders were rarely reached, as the far west of the Little Cold Domain was the territory of the demon race, and the north was the Ancient Immortal Battlefield! It was said that the Ancient Immortal Battlefield was extremely dangerous, yet it also offered heaven-defying opportunities, containing countless ancient immortal remains and legacies. Regarding the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, Yue Wu was tight-lipped, and the Qi Refinement disciples knew little, having only heard about it through various rumors and hearsay.

The Little Cold Domain primarily consisted of three major powers: the west was occupied by the demon race, the northeast was controlled by demonic sects, and Qin Sang was currently fleeing towards the territory of the orthodox sects. The Kuiyin Sect and Yuanzhao Gate were situated precisely in the buffer zone between the orthodox and demonic forces in the Little Cold Domain. Both once had Nascent Soul Old Ancestors presiding over them, flourishing for a time. Though they were now gradually declining, a dying camel is still larger than a horse; they retained considerable fame in the Little Cold Domain.