Chapter 455: White Flame, Ji Wu

An hour later.

Qin Sang was jolted awake from his meditation—his command token was glowing again!

Stargazing Island was summoning him!

"So soon? What happened this time?"

Startled, Qin Sang's thoughts spun rapidly, but he wasted no time. He quickly gathered his belongings, pushed open the door, and stepped outside. This time, unlike last night, things were different.

Mu Yifeng and the others were nowhere to be seen, and the rest of the island remained calm as usual.

This indicated that Stargazing Island had summoned him alone.

He glanced around but saw nothing unusual. Despite the apparent tranquility, he couldn't shake off a sense of unease.

Not daring to delay, Qin Sang rode his Nether Cloud and flew toward Stargazing Island alone.

As he neared the island, a familiar streak of rainbow light sliced through the sky. Judging by its trajectory, it was also heading toward Stargazing Island.

A flicker of joy crossed Qin Sang’s face. He slowed his flight, waiting for the light to catch up.

The approaching light seemed to notice him as well, curving slightly before descending beside him. It was none other than Senior Brother Rong.

"Senior Brother Rong..."

Qin Sang cupped his hands and asked in a low voice, "You received Stargazing Island’s summons too?"

Senior Brother Rong nodded. "That’s right! It seems Junior Brother Qin did as well. Now I can rest easy. I thought I was the only one summoned and was racking my brain, wondering if I had unknowingly made a mistake and was about to be reprimanded."

Qin Sang chuckled and shook his head. "To be honest, I had the same thought just now..."

"Could it be that Senior Uncle Che summoned us?"

As they conversed, they continued on their way. Before long, Stargazing Island came into view, and they saw that they weren’t the only ones summoned. Several streaks of evasion light were also flying toward the island—both righteous and demonic cultivators alike.

Stargazing Island was an artificial formation of dozens of smaller islands, seamlessly fused into one. The ground was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting their images. Several grand halls stood in neat rows on the island, but Qin Sang had only ever entered the outermost one.

Upon landing, he noticed that over twenty people had arrived ahead of them, scattered in small groups in front of the main hall.

With just a glance, he recognized familiar faces.

Without exception, every single person had made a name for themselves during the confrontation between Small Cold Domain and the Tianxing Alliance. These were all renowned cultivators, most of whom were in the Fake Core Realm.

Only a handful, like Qin Sang, had yet to reach the Fake Core Realm, yet they had still managed to carve out a formidable reputation for themselves.

Seeing this gathering, Qin Sang felt a vague sense of understanding.

The moment he and Senior Brother Rong landed, every gaze turned to them. Some were wary, some concealed hostility, while others were amicable.

A man in white robes strode forward, cupped his hands, and smiled. "I knew it. You two wouldn’t be left out."

This man was Shang Yi from the Taiyi Core Sect.

His renowned artifact was a pill cauldron. Qin Sang didn’t know if he was skilled in alchemy, but he did know that Shang Yi was adept at refining people. Many Tianxing Alliance cultivators had been devoured by his pill cauldron, leaving not even their bones behind.

"Daoist Shang..."

Qin Sang and Senior Brother Rong returned the greeting.

Senior Brother Rong looked around and asked curiously, "Are you the only one from your sect summoned?"

Shang Yi discreetly gestured behind him. "Take a look at the people here—do you see a single weakling? Every one of them is a battlefield veteran. Within my sect, finding someone like me to make up the numbers is already a stretch. We don’t have anyone on par with the illustrious Shadowless Sword."

"Daoist Shang, are you teasing me again?"

Qin Sang was quite familiar with Shang Yi and couldn’t help but chuckle. He countered, "Let’s not talk about others, but as for Daoist Wandering Man, I’ve seen his strength with my own eyes, and I admire him immensely. I’ve asked you several times about him, but you’ve never given me a clear answer. Who knows how many powerful cultivators Taiyi Core Sect is hiding? Are you afraid it will interfere with their Core Formation?"

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Likewise! Likewise!"

Shang Yi laughed heartily.

"Senior Brother Wandering Man reached the Foundation Building Realm at a hundred years old and then advanced to the Fake Core Realm in rapid succession. Such talent and determination—who in the entire Small Cold Domain dares to compare to him?"

"I’ve asked around for you multiple times, but no one knows where Senior Brother Wandering Man has gone. He hasn’t shown up at all. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know immediately."

"Besides, his personal disciple, Li Yufu, is in your squad. If Senior Brother Wandering Man were to return, could he possibly ignore his own disciple?"

Qin Sang nodded slightly.

Not long after the Thousand-Illusion Array of True Waters was set up, Li Yufu was also summoned to the Chaotic Island Waters. Taking matters into his own hands, Qin Sang found an excuse to transfer Li Yufu into his squad so he could look after him on behalf of Wandering Man.

Thanks to his cautious approach, his squad had suffered minimal losses, and Li Yufu had remained unharmed, making significant progress over the past three years.

However, what unsettled Qin Sang was that ever since Li Yufu had last gone to Qingyang Market to deliver a message, Wandering Man had disappeared in search of rare natural treasure. Several years had passed, yet there had been no news of him.

Even in the current great battle, Wandering Man was nowhere to be seen.

Wandering Man’s master had passed away long ago, leaving him without a strong backer in the sect—much like Qin Sang himself. Somehow, he had managed to evade Stargazing Island’s summons.

The three of them continued their conversation for a while before several more streaks of evasion light landed in succession.

At that moment, a piercing screech echoed from the east. A surge of demonic qi swept in, circling once over Stargazing Island before descending in an empty area.

As the demonic qi dispersed, it revealed a pale-faced young man who appeared to be in his early twenties.

However, his cultivation was unmistakably at the Fake Core Realm!

The moment this person landed, Qin Sang’s eyes flickered slightly, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued conversing casually with Shang Yi.

Just then, a senior sister from Shangyuan Tranquility Palace approached.

As Qin Sang subtly shifted his posture, his gaze discreetly swept over the pale young man.

His name was Ji Wu.

That was his real name. But he had another identity—one of the Four Demonic Flame Envoys of the Demonic Flame Sect: White Flame!

After the Kuiyin Sect was annihilated, he had become the last disciple of Daoist Jiupao.

Despite being under a hundred years old, and likely having cultivated for less time than anyone present, Ji Wu had already broken through to the Fake Core Realm. His mastery of demonic fire was said to be near perfection, reportedly rivaling the Demonic Qingyang Fire of the Demonic Qingyang Sect.

Qin Sang had paid close attention to Ji Wu for some time and was well aware that he possessed several powerful artifacts and talisman astra.

His achievements couldn’t be explained by talent alone.

It was clear that Daoist Jiupao had poured immense effort into him.

Unlike the surviving remnants of the Kuiyin Sect, Ji Wu’s identity was clean. The Yuanzhao Sect had no knowledge of his connection to Daoist Jiupao, which meant he had no fear of being hunted.

Thus, he acted with great confidence, even gaining considerable renown in Qingyang City. In less than two years since being transferred to Chaotic Island Waters, his reputation had already become comparable to that of Senior Brother Rong and others.

Of course, Qin Sang knew Ji Wu’s true identity. Through secret investigations, he had discovered that Ji Wu had been quietly collecting high-quality healing pills—clearly meant for Daoist Jiupao.

He had long been planning to take Ji Wu down. Unfortunately, despite his outward arrogance, Ji Wu was incredibly cautious.

Moreover, his cultivation was truly formidable, having inherited Daoist Jiupao’s complete teachings. Qin Sang had never found an opportunity to make his move.