Chapter 773: Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold

Qin Sang had anticipated numerous scenarios when he ordered the flying yaksha to scout ahead.

If a ghost king appeared, he would accept his inferiority without complaint, abandon the yaksha, and immediately flee.

If the enemy was weaker, he could quickly reinforce it with his own exceptional speed.

However, he had never imagined something like this would happen.

A Core Formation Realm refined corpse like the flying yaksha was exceedingly rare. Even a ghost cultivator who specialized in corpse refinement would need to expend tremendous effort to refine such a being.

Qin Sang had planned to delve deeper into the methods of ghost cultivators to further enhance the yaksha's strength, but he encountered this unexpected mishap.

The yaksha was seriously wounded, still unrecovered, its strength significantly reduced.

If the enemy was immensely powerful, the yaksha wouldn't even have had the chance to resist, and would likely have been subdued immediately upon entering the ghostly land.

The enemy's actions indicated that its strength was limited but possibly happened to counter refined corpses.

Hence, Qin Sang was unafraid, boldly pursuing the culprit.

He suspected the enemy had taken the trouble to drag the flying yaksha away and mask its soul imprint rather than destroying it, likely coveting its refined corpse body.

It was highly probable the enemy itself was a wandering ghost.

"If my own cultivation were weaker, perhaps it would have been my body stolen instead?"

Realizing this, Qin Sang's anger surged even further.

Soon, he stopped where the soul imprint had vanished, looking around carefully. Still, he found nothing. The enemy was cunning and had left no trace behind.

Qin Sang could only pick a random direction and continue onward. Ultimately, he reached a sheer cliff, completely losing track of the opponent.

The enemy was not only cautious but also exceptionally skilled at concealment. Qin Sang couldn't find even a single clue.

He hadn't even seen the enemy's face, yet had already lost one of his most capable assets.

Refusing to give up, Qin Sang steeled his resolve and began scouring the ghostly land.

For a while, glaring evasion lights swept back and forth through the ghostly fog, searching extensively. Qin Sang practically turned the ghost land upside down, thoroughly inspecting even the edges along the cliffs.

He spent considerable effort but gained nothing in return.

It seemed as though the yaksha had simply evaporated into thin air. No matter how Qin Sang activated the soul imprint, there was no response, as if it had sunk into the depths of the sea.

"I can't waste any more time here..."

Qin Sang stood at the exit of the ghostly land, gazing helplessly into the layers of ghostly mist.

He had yet to acquire the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells and had already lost a powerful subordinate.

Having spent far too long searching the ghostly mist, Qin Sang had no choice but to leave this place and head toward the Sky Tower.

"If only the Sky-Eyed Butterfly had completed its third metamorphosis. Beneath its Sky Eyes, those cunning creatures would have nowhere to hide... If you dare, escape beyond the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells. Otherwise, when I return, I'll surely hunt you down," Qin Sang muttered bitterly, consoling himself with the proverb: "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

Surrounded by layers of ghostly mist, he felt incredibly powerless.

Though he possessed a corpse core, he wasn't a true ghost cultivator. His spiritual perception remained severely limited within the mist.

Conversely, his enemy could move freely, using mysterious evasion techniques. Even if the enemy trailed him closely, Qin Sang doubted he'd be able to detect it.

Unfortunately, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly had fallen into a deep sleep due to its mutation, delaying its metamorphosis and failing to reach its third metamorphosis. Otherwise, Qin Sang could have easily penetrated the mystery.

Suddenly, a violent disturbance erupted from the mist. A massive group of resentful spirits burst out, swarming chaotically.

These were spirits disturbed by his earlier search.

"Get lost!" Qin Sang barked coldly, expressionless.

A fierce wind rose, and true essence surged forth, transforming into a rainbow of light that violently sent the resentful spirits flying back.

Qin Sang gave the ghost land one last deep look, erased any remaining traces, restrained his true essence, donned his fire cloak, and flashed through the devilish flames.

After Qin Sang left, the resentful spirits gradually settled down, losing their target. The ghostly land returned to its original silence. The ghostly mist flowed gently, seemingly unchanged from before.

Passing through the devilish flames, Qin Sang arrived at the canyon's exit.

He turned and stood there for a moment, summoned the fat silkworm, and quietly left the area.

After leaving the canyon, Qin Sang did not immediately retrace his steps. Instead, he carefully sneaked toward the Purple Crystal Lake, hoping to steal another Purple Crystal and secure additional food for the fat silkworm.

Unexpectedly, before reaching the lake, Qin Sang sensed an extremely powerful aura hovering around it, sending chills down his spine.

Alarmed, Qin Sang immediately halted, carefully retreating step by step.

"The leader of the ferocious beasts has been alerted and has personally come to guard the lake. It seems the entire clan has moved here. The number of ferocious beasts around the lake has increased tenfold compared to earlier. It looks like we won’t have any chance to grab another Purple Crystal for now. You’ll have to make do with these two pieces. Ration them carefully."

Qin Sang glanced down at the fat silkworm, only to find it wearing an equally helpless expression.

Since there was nothing more he could do, Qin Sang had no choice but to retreat.

He returned to the cliff, found the spot from which he had descended earlier, and began climbing back along his original route.

Passing once more through the location where the ancient divine platform had previously emerged, Qin Sang saw that the ground was perfectly smooth, without the slightest trace remaining.

As the fierce battle at the first stone hall had not yet settled, Qin Sang chose to take a detour. Arriving at the canyon occupied by the Purple Star Eagles, he crossed it effortlessly, finally leaving the Purple Mist End behind.

Once clear of the poisonous mist, the fat silkworm immediately withdrew its Poison-Warding Armor and crawled swiftly into its insect basket, clutching a demonic core tightly as it drifted into a deep sleep.

Throughout the journey, it had continuously resisted the toxic mist, nearly exhausting itself completely.

With the poisonous mist gone, Qin Sang’s view suddenly became clear, and his mood also lifted somewhat.

Of course, this didn’t mean that outside the Purple Mist End was any safer. Outside, not only were there numerous ferocious beasts to avoid, but he also had to stay vigilant against other immortal cultivators.

"The Sky Tower lies to the north, but the dense forest is fraught with danger. It might be better to retrace my original route and reach the Sky Tower through the wilderness instead."

Having made his decision, Qin Sang quickly oriented himself. Then, walking side by side with the Two-Headed Hou, he entered the dense forest and soon vanished among the ancient trees.

***

In the canyon.

The devilish flames hovered silently, seemingly everlasting.

An unknown amount of time passed after Qin Sang’s departure.

Suddenly, ripples appeared within the poisonous mist, and a figure slowly emerged, calmly walking forward.

Surprisingly, this person displayed no visible protective barrier but moved freely within the poisonous mist. Whenever the mist touched his black robes, it simply bounced away, unable to penetrate even slightly.

This was the deepest region of the Purple Mist End, where the poisonous mist was particularly severe. The ease with which this individual walked indicated either the possession of an exceptional poison-warding treasure or an extraordinarily high cultivation level.

Gradually, this mysterious person emerged from the poisonous mist, revealing his face.

He appeared to be around forty years old, tall and imposing. His temperament, however, clearly contradicted his appearance; his true age was evidently far greater. His eyes were deep and intimidating, filled with profound intensity.

Upon catching sight of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, a fanatical and obsessive expression appeared in his eyes.

"This time, I refuse to believe I cannot subdue you..." the man murmured to himself. But before finishing his sentence, his face abruptly changed. In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished from sight.

Now concealed, he carefully surveyed the canyon. His gaze eventually settled on a narrow gap between the devilish flames and the cliff wall. His eyes turned strangely black as he stared intently.

A moment later, shock and disbelief filled his face.

"How is this possible!"

He shouted internally, overcome with astonishment. "Even I cannot withstand the corrosion, so how could anyone possibly pass through this canyon? No, not only did he enter, he even emerged alive..."