Chapter 1006: Return

Qin Sang did not conceal his aura. The white crane never imagined it would encounter a cultivator here, much less one who radiated such hostility.

Its eyes rolled quickly, and without hesitation, it turned and fled. As expected, its spiritual intelligence was not low.

Qin Sang nodded in satisfaction. Three-colored evasion light flared around him, and in an instant, he easily blocked the crane’s escape.

The white crane darted left and right, but each time Qin Sang intercepted it with ease. Unable to break through the blockade, the crane finally grew furious. It flapped its wings and struck at Qin Sang.

Qin Sang met the attack head-on, throwing a single punch against one of its wings.

Bang!

Qin Sang’s figure only trembled slightly, while the white crane was sent tumbling backward, its wings quivering and its eyes filled with shock.

It felt a flash of terror and dared not linger. With a sharp cry, it flapped its wings and unleashed two blade-like streaks of light, then turned into a stream of white radiance, fleeing in panic.

Qin Sang’s figure flickered several times, effortlessly dodging the blades. This time, he did not rush to cut off its escape but instead pursued at a leisurely pace. Drawing the ebony sword, he began to toy with the crane, occasionally swinging the sword, each casual strike forcing the beast into frantic evasions.

The entire chase was pure mockery. Even without using the sword wheel, each random slash was enough to make the white crane struggle desperately.

It finally realized that the cultivator before it was unfathomably strong, and much faster. Escape was impossible. Wherever Qin Sang wanted it to fly, it had no choice but to go.

It's emotions turned from anger to despair. After flying for an unknown distance, the crane finally gave up. It folded its wings and dropped into the sea with a

thud

, floating motionless upon the surface.

It seemed to have resigned itself to fate, surrendering entirely to Qin Sang’s mercy.

"Playing dead?" Qin Sang chuckled quietly, descending beside it. The white crane’s eyes were tightly shut, showing no reaction at all.

That puzzled Qin Sang. He summoned the Primordial Unity Ring with a flick of his finger, and the ring floated above the crane’s head. He had already emptied the ring earlier, preparing to subdue it.

Infusing his true essence, the astra flared with brilliant light, and several ring shadows shot downward, binding the crane’s body. Under their confinement, it stiffened instantly.

With his cultivation, suppressing the creature was simple, though taming it would usually take effort.

Unexpectedly, as Qin Sang attempted to bind it, he felt no resistance at all. The white crane truly accepted its fate, submitting meekly as if begging to be taken.

It was the first time Qin Sang had encountered such a straightforward beast. He had originally intended to discipline it with the astra, but seeing it so obedient, he found it unnecessary.

The crane flipped itself over, raised a claw to touch the collar around its neck, and rolled its eyes about nervously.

"You seem rather clever. From now on, follow me. As long as you obey orders and work diligently, you won’t suffer. If you perform well, I might even let you go someday..." He studied the crane carefully.

It clearly understood his words. Its spiritual intelligence was no lower than that of the Two-Headed Hou.

However, the crane’s temperament was far more slippery. Unlike the honest Two-Headed Hou, who could be motivated by a few empty promises, this one would need to be disciplined from time to time.

"Take me to the nearest late-stage Demonic Core beast," Qin Sang commanded.

The white crane, which had been hanging its head in defeat, suddenly perked up. It even seemed to forget its predicament. Its eyes gleamed as it let out two eager cries and immediately tried to fly back the way it came.

Seeing its enthusiasm, Qin Sang’s expression grew strange.

Did I just capture a fool?

But a moment later, he understood that it was probably itching to settle accounts with its romantic rivals.

That island was far from simple. Qin Sang suspected there was a Transformation Realm great demon dwelling in its depths. He had no wish to provoke such a being, so he quickly stopped the crane. The white crane looked visibly disappointed.

A month later, Qin Sang felt that staying any longer would be risky and decided to leave the region.

The white crane’s eyes carried a sorrowful gleam. It looked back again and again as they departed, crying mournfully, as if bidding farewell to all its lovers.

***

He called it training, but it was closer to wandering. Qin Sang roamed across the Demonic Sea, traveling countless li, witnessing different landscapes. Several times, he encountered danger, once even alarming a Transformation Realm great demon, and had to lay traps or flee for his life.

Fortunately, his vigilance saved him every time. His harvests, however, were tremendous.

Unknowingly, the ten-year promise was nearly upon him. On a nameless island, Qin Sang awoke from meditation and turned his inner vision inward.

After nearly a decade of wandering, he had rarely remained in one place long enough for deep cultivation. Aside from his daily star essence tempering, most of his progress came through insight. His comprehension of the killing symbol had deepened another stage, ensuring that his realm would soon catch up naturally.

"The agreed time is almost here. Seven-Kill Hall is about to emerge... I wonder how Bai is doing. It’s time to head back," he murmured.

In ten years across the Demonic Sea, he had accumulated astonishing wealth. Any creature worthy of his personal strike had at least reached the Core Formation Realm, and both their demonic cores and corpses were immensely valuable.

"I can go on a grand shopping spree on Tianshing Island." Qin Sang decided, ready to return to Canglang Sea.

He took out a poisonous algae fruit and fed it to the silkworm, then produced a petal of a rare spirit flower. Watching the Sky-Eyed Butterfly nibble it daintily, his gaze softened.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Both spiritual insects remained at the middle stage of their third metamorphosis. Despite consuming so many poisonous algae fruits, the silkworm still showed no signs of breakthrough, and the butterfly’s progress was likewise slow. It seemed impossible for either of them to advance again before Seven-Kill Hall opened.

After feeding the spiritual insects, Qin Sang walked out of the cave dwelling. The white crane was nowhere to be seen, so he activated the Primordial Unity Ring.

Soon, a streak of white light appeared over the distant sea. It was the white crane. The crane flew swiftly toward him, landing at his side. It looked around with an air of pride, shaking its feathers energetically, and a few red feathers drifted down.

"Where did you go this time?" Qin Sang’s face darkened. He scolded, "If you cause trouble again, don’t expect me to clean up after you!"

At first, the crane had been lazy and unmotivated, but after several harsh lessons, it had become more obedient and useful. Still, its flirtatious nature was something it could never seem to change.

The white crane shrank its neck and lowered its head meekly. Moments later, a white streak of light shot from the small island.

Riding the crane, Qin Sang soared across the Demonic Sea, heading back toward Desolate Island.

After ten years, Desolate Island and Tianshing Island remained largely the same. Qin Sang made contact with the major merchant guilds and auction houses, selling off excess spiritual materials and exchanging them for a large quantity of treasures scarce in the Small Cold Domain, such as Malevolent Demonic Pills refined from demonic cores.

A cultivator engaging in such profiteering might have seemed unbecoming, but Qin Sang felt no shame at all.

Still, he didn’t linger too long over these matters and kept everything within moderation. After all, it was still uncertain whether he could return.

While making his large-scale purchases, he also sought out rare treasures useful for himself, preparing for the opening of Seven-Kill Hall.

After more than a month of busy dealings, he finally settled all his affairs and left Tianshing Island. Whether he would ever come back again, no one could say.

Stopping mid-air, Qin Sang turned to look back at Tianshing Island, lost in thought.

"The Wang Sisters, the Two-Headed Hou, Yuan Zhu..." Counting carefully, Qin Sang realized there were not many people or things here truly worth remembering.

He had already bid farewell to the Wang Sisters and Yuan Zhu, while the Two-Headed Hou had vanished without a trace.

Only the poor Mute Girl remained. Even if she ever regained consciousness, returning to her homeland would be near impossible.