Chapter 1000: The Ten-Year Promise

Inside the cave dwelling...

As soon as Qin Sang sat down, he asked, "I wonder what relationship you have with Senior Qingzhu?"

Since Ning Wuhui’s cultivation was only at the Core Formation Realm, Qin Sang suspected that he might be Senior Qingzhu’s successor.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Seeming to guess Qin Sang’s thoughts, Ning Wuhui said, "Senior never truly took any disciples. But all cultivators who once received his grace on Linggui Island would treat him with the respect due to a master. May I ask when and where you met him?"

Ning Wuhui leaned slightly forward, his tone filled with urgency.

"The last time Seven-Kill Hall opened, within the Sky Tower..." Qin Sang did not hide anything and recounted the circumstances under which he had met Senior Qingzhu. "Senior Qingzhu was in poor condition. Another consciousness had taken over his body. It was murderous, cruel, utterly devilish, like a devilish soul."

Upon hearing this, the light of hope gradually faded from Ning Wuhui’s eyes. His brows furrowed tightly as he pondered for a long while. "Daoist Qin, he didn’t ask you to bring back any message?"

"No." Qin Sang shook his head. "At that time, Senior could only temporarily suppress that other consciousness, and even that took great effort. He tried to condense a crystal bead for me to bring to you, but it was destroyed by that other consciousness. Moreover, he couldn’t speak of the real secret, nor could he even think about it. Any stray thought would be caught by the other consciousness."

"I see. Thank you, Daoist Qin, for bringing back this news." Ning Wuhui drew in a deep breath and bowed to Qin Sang, then shifted the topic. "Daoist Qin, you must have had another purpose for visiting in person, correct?"

Qin Sang still had many doubts, but seeing that Ning Wuhui seemed unwilling to elaborate, he did not press further and instead stated his purpose. "Daoist, your insight is remarkable. Indeed, there is something I had hoped to ask Senior Qingzhu. However, since he cannot appear in person, he instructed me to seek you instead."

"Oh?" Ning Wuhui appeared slightly surprised. "Please, speak. I will tell you all I know."

"In the inner hall of Seven-Kill Hall, there is a teleportation array that is of great importance to me. Only Senior Qingzhu knew where the ancient teleportation array is located..."

Since he was asking for a favor, Qin Sang did not hide anything and spoke truthfully. Given that Ning Wuhui was someone whom Senior Qingzhu trusted, he ought to be reliable.

However, Ning Wuhui looked troubled. "Daoist, you might have misunderstood. I know little of Seven-Kill Hall and have never heard Senior mention any teleportation array."

Qin Sang’s heart sank. Ning Wuhui’s expression did not seem to be feigned.

Senior Qingzhu was trapped by the devilish soul, and who knew when he could free himself. If Ning Wuhui knew nothing of it, then if Senior Qingzhu could not suppress the devilish soul, would Qin Sang be unable to return forever?

The grudges in the Small Cold Domain were secondary. Now that he had reached the late stage of the Core Formation Realm, his cultivation art and life-bound spiritual sword were no longer obstacles; he was already facing the bottleneck before forming his Spiritual Infant.

All was ready except for one last push, and the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid was of utmost importance to him.

Ning Wuhui rose to his feet and paced back and forth, seeming to be deep in thought.

After a while, he said to Qin Sang, "Since Senior asked you to find me, there must be some deeper reason. In that case, I will not conceal anything. When Seven-Kill Hall opens next, I must personally enter the inner hall. If I am not mistaken, Senior likely wanted you to enter Seven-Kill Hall together with me."

"This was Senior Qingzhu’s intention?" Qin Sang’s eyes lit up, and a thought struck him. Could it be that there is a way in the inner hall for Senior to suppress the devilish soul and eliminate the danger?

Ning Wuhui shook his head. "I know little beyond my orders. If you are willing to accompany me, we can meet at a designated place before Seven-Kill Hall opens. However, the interval before its reappearance has shortened drastically. According to rumors, it may open again in just over ten years. You should begin preparing early. Seven-Kill Hall is no place of peace, especially the inner hall, a peril even Spiritual Infant grandmasters speak of with fear."

"Just ten years? That soon?" Qin Sang was startled; it was far sooner than he had expected.

He had thought it would be at least fifty years. By then, his cultivation would have reached the peak of the Core Formation Realm, and he could return to the Small Cold Domain to prepare for the Spiritual Infant Realm.

"This came from a Spiritual Infant grandmaster in my sect. It should be accurate. Seven-Kill Hall manifests earlier each time, and it is hard to say what may happen in the future." Ning Wuhui sighed softly.

Qin Sang tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze fixed in thought for a long time. He truly had not expected Seven-Kill Hall to appear so soon; all his plans were instantly thrown into disarray.

Ten years would never be enough to refine a new external incarnation. And if he needed to return to the Demonic Sea to capture a spirit beast, there would be no time to choose carefully.

During this period, cultivation was not his top priority. Having just broken through in both cultivation and physique, even ten years of hard training would not bring a dramatic improvement in strength.

Instead, he could focus on collecting rare resources unique to the Small Cold Domain to profit later, such as demonic cores, demon bones, and Malevolent Demonic Pills.

Especially the Malevolent Demonic Pill, famed for increasing the chance of Core Formation; it could fetch a high price and was worth the risk. But when selling them, he must never reveal his identity, or it would cause endless trouble.

These thoughts flashed through Qin Sang’s mind, but he quickly pushed them aside. After all, whether he could return to the Small Cold Domain was still uncertain.

The two continued their private discussion for some time. Two days later, Ning Wuhui personally escorted Qin Sang down the mountain.

After parting with Ning Wuhui, Qin Sang flew for a distance, glanced around, and then turned sharply, diving into a nearby mountain range. Soon, he appeared before a dense forest.

As his evasion light landed, Bai’s voice came from within the trees. "How did it go, Daoist?"

Before the words had fully fallen, Bai’s figure emerged from the forest. After confirming there was no one following, he waved his hand, and dozens of streaks of light flew out from the woods and merged into her palm.

To be safe, before departing, Qin Sang and Bai had carefully arranged a spirit array. If pursued by a Spiritual Infant grandmaster, they could use it to delay the enemy. Now, thankfully, it wasn’t needed.

Qin Sang flashed forward and landed before Bai. "I met the right person, and I’ve gotten some clues about the ancient teleportation array. But there’s one piece of news I’m not sure if it’s good or bad. Seven-Kill Hall may reappear in just over ten years..."

Bai was taken aback. "That soon? Then in ten years, you might finally return to the Small Cold Domain?"

"I don’t know what Senior Qingzhu has planned. Whether I can return or not depends on whether he can resolve the danger within him." Qin Sang hesitated for a moment before asking, "Daoist Bai, what are your plans? Will you come with me to the Small Cold Domain to find a way to break the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, or will you stay in Canglang Sea to search for your memories?"

The teleportation array lay within Seven-Kill Hall, and only when it emerged naturally could one travel between the two places. If anything unpredictable happened to it, the passage might be severed.

Bai’s origin was deeply tied to Seven-Kill Hall, which itself was near Canglang Sea. The chances of recovering his memories there were far greater than anywhere else.