Chapter 1038: Warning and Trade

Su Nu?

A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Sang’s eyes.

He had once saved Su Nu on the Mystic Ice Plains and was very familiar with her voice. This earth spirit turned out to be a puppet under her control.

"Who are you, Daoist?" Qin Sang narrowed his eyes slightly, showing no hint of recognition.

While the other earth spirits lunged forward in a frenzied assault, Qin Sang raised his arm, and several streaks of sword light shot from his ebony sword, clashing fiercely with the earth spirit horde. The earth spirit controlled by Su Nu feigned an attack as well.

Standing beside Qin Sang, Ming Wei immediately sensed something unusual about that earth spirit. She was secretly surprised and glanced between the earth spirit and Qin Sang, wondering who he was communicating with.

"Daoist, you saved my life not long ago. Have you already forgotten me?" A fleeting, charming face appeared across the earth spirit’s features and vanished. It was Su Nu.

"You must have mistaken me for someone else," Qin Sang replied, not admitting anything.

When he had rescued Su Nu, he had been wearing a mask and had activated the Heavenly Demon Transformation. His appearance and aura then had been entirely different from now. Yet Su Nu still saw through his disguise. That was something Qin Sang had not expected.

"There’s no need to deny it. My cultivation art is special, and my perception is extremely sharp. Outside the Soul-Enchanting Cavern, I sensed that your aura was identical to that of my savior. I simply didn’t have the chance to confirm it before," explained Su Nu quickly.

Qin Sang sighed inwardly. As expected, the cultivation arts of the ancient devils were bizarre and sinister, and she had seen through even his carefully crafted disguise.

After a moment of silence, Qin Sang decided not to hide it any longer. "Since you have taken possession of an earth spirit to find me, what business do you have?"

"My split spirit cannot last long, so I will be brief," Su Nu said rapidly, her tone urgent. "I will never forget the debt I owe you. I came to warn you that great calamity is about to befall this place. Do not involve yourself in the struggle for the Soul-Cleansing Liquid. Take my advice and leave the cavern at once."

Qin Sang was startled, suspicion flashing in his heart. He had only helped her because of Bai’s reminder, not expecting gratitude in return.

"I don’t know what calamity you speak of. To ask me to give up such a treasure based on a few words, isn’t that too frivolous? If the Dongji Alliance wishes to clear away competitors with such tricks, they’d do better to target Daoist Master Xiaoyun and the Blood Bat. I alone pose no threat to you."

Su Nu’s voice turned anxious. "I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and I know your strength well. But this Soul-Cleansing Liquid cannot be fought over! Have you not noticed the masked man among us? Do you know who he is? He is Venerable Ye of the Dongji Alliance, a Spiritual Infant grandmaster."

"What?" Qin Sang was shocked.

Her words were shocking. Qin Sang’s body stiffened, and his heart pounded violently. He lifted his gaze toward the center of the secret chamber, where the seal lay.

Not only were the cultivators nearest the dome attacking, even those farther away were urging their astras and Dao Techniques against it. The light dome trembled faintly.

Among them was the masked man, Venerable Ye, the very person Su Nu had mentioned.

"This is a Core Formation Realm trial realm. How could a Spiritual Infant grandmaster appear here? That’s utterly impossible. There has never been such a precedent in all of history." Qin Sang retorted coldly, not believing Su Nu's words.

"Before entering Seven-Kill Hall, did you ever see such a man beside me?" Su Nu countered softly, then sighed. "If I were you, I would think the same. But I saw it with my own eyes. The celestial phenomena that appeared in the trial realm not long ago were caused by his entry."

She proceeded to recount everything in detail. Her explanation was precise, with no inconsistencies.

Qin Sang recalled the scene on the square. Indeed, Su Nu had not been accompanied by anyone like that.

Is that man really Venerable Ye?

Thinking of the earlier celestial phenomenon, Qin Sang felt increasingly uncertain.

"Venerable Ye smuggled himself here just to seize the Soul-Cleansing Liquid?" He still found it hard to believe.

Su Nu explained that Venerable Ye had paid a heavy price to enter the realm, and that a few bottles of Soul-Cleansing Liquid alone were not worth such effort.

"He has another goal. Taking the Soul-Cleansing Liquid is merely incidental." Su Nu sighed quietly. "Before he acts, I can prove nothing. But once the seal breaks, you’ll know whether I spoke the truth. Believe me or not, I cannot force you. Only, when the time comes, don’t blame me."

Her words were sincere and filled with emotion, and Qin Sang couldn’t decide what to think. But to give up the Soul-Cleansing Liquid, the key to forming his Spiritual Infant, based on nothing more than her warning, was something that he could not do.

As he hesitated, Su Nu said after a pause, "If you refuse to withdraw, then perhaps we can make a trade."

Qin Sang’s eyes flickered. "I’m listening."

"Venerable Ye has already promised to give me one bottle of the Soul-Cleansing Liquid once everything is over. I’m willing to offer that bottle to you." Her tone was firm, as if the treasure meant nothing to her.

Qin Sang’s heart was stirred, though he only half believed her. "You know well what the Soul-Cleansing Liquid is worth. I doubt I possess anything that could compare."

Su Nu replied bitterly, "Of course I know. It merely assists in breaking through to the Spiritual Infant Realm! But if I lose my life, that breakthrough is nothing more than an illusion. What use would I have for it then?"

Her mournful tone made Qin Sang frown in curiosity. She didn’t sound like she was pretending.

"I don’t understand, Daoist," he said. "Given your standing in the Dongji Alliance, who could possibly threaten your life?"

"What if I told you that the very people who wish to kill me are from the Dongji Alliance itself?" The earth spirit’s hollow eyes gleamed strangely.

Qin Sang’s brows furrowed deeply. Others might not know, but he did. Granny Yue had once spent a fortune to rescue Su Nu from a demon-filled island.

Later, Su Nu’s cultivation had skyrocketed, rising from Foundation Building Realm to the late stage of the Core Formation Realm in mere decades. The Dongji Alliance must have poured immense resources into her. Why nurture such a talent only to destroy her?

Unaware of Qin Sang’s expression, Su Nu continued, "Outsiders would never believe what I’ve endured. When I was still a young girl, I was fortunate enough to encounter a path to immortality. A senior took me in as her disciple, and I thought I had found my destiny. I trained with my fellow disciples, dreaming of glory. But that woman’s heart was as venomous as a serpent’s. She used us all as sacrifices, drawing on true devilish qi to set up a devilish array, attempting to refine a Five-Yin Mystic Body from among us. In the end, I alone survived. She thought I’d lost my memory after being reshaped by the array and pretended kindness, only to later offer me to the leader of the Dongji Alliance..."

Su Nu recounted a horrifying history. Qin Sang was shaken to his core. That "senior" was none other than Granny Yue.

He never could have imagined that the seemingly virtuous elder hid such monstrous cruelty behind her facade. At last, Qin Sang understood.

No wonder Su Nu had acted so strangely back then. She had been trying to escape Granny Yue’s clutches.