Chapter 822: Devilish Lord

Liangqiu Island.

The scene on the island had completely changed, now dominated by a flag array.

Shadowy banners, each over three zhang tall, stood planted in the ground or floated in mid-air. At the center of the flag array, an array disk hovered, expanded countless times over.

The banners shone with dense yellow light, all converging into the array disk.

At the heart of Liangqiu Island, the yellow radiance surged into the sky, forming a massive cocoon of light.

On the surface of the cocoon, densely packed runes and small flag projections flickered and spun, revolving along with it. Inside, a small human-shaped figure was trapped, desperately ramming against the light cocoon.

Anyone who saw this scene would have been shocked, for the prisoner inside was a Spiritual Infant cultivator. His physical body was gone, destroyed by the killing array, leaving only the Spiritual Infant cultivator alone, trying to teleport away to freedom.

But the cocoon was impossibly resilient. Not only did it withstand the assault, it also shrank inward at a rapid pace, and every teleportation attempt was easily blocked.

The Spiritual Infant cultivator could do nothing but watch as the cocoon compressed around him, despair filling his expression.

"Who are you!"

His face twisted with rage, his roar echoing uselessly.

Countless flag shadows floated down onto the Spiritual Infant cultivator's body. They seemed to carry some kind of sealing power, and his resistance weakened with each passing moment. Soon, he was on the verge of being fully bound.

At either side of the cocoon, two mysterious figures floated, pouring their full strength into the array disk.

The gray-robed man seemed to sense something and glanced off into the distance, but he did not move. He kept his focus on controlling the flag array to trap and kill the one inside.

The array's power was overwhelming. With the two of them working together, the Spiritual Infant cultivator had no power to resist.

Crack!

At last, the array disk shattered, dissolving into a rain of yellow light.

The cocoon was now small enough to hold in one hand, and the Spiritual Infant cultivator within had fallen completely silent. A Spiritual Infant expert had been captured alive.

The gray-robed man flicked his sleeve, and the cocoon disappeared into it. His gaze swept the surroundings, confirming that the array disk had left no trace behind.

His companion flew over. "That went smoothly enough. We finally have Old Devil Yin alive. Time to withdraw. Those old fools probably already know and are on their way here. If we don’t leave now, we won’t make it."

The black-robed man glanced around. "Why hasn’t your Soul Servant returned yet?"

"Dead."

The gray-robed man looked toward the direction where the woman had fallen. His voice was calm. "Killed."

The black-robed man was astonished. "Dead? The opponent was just one person? Refining those two Soul Servants cost you quite a bit of effort. Even if you and I were still at the late stage of the Core Formation Realm back then, we might have been able to defeat them, but killing one outright... That should have been nearly impossible. Sounds like you ran into someone tough."

"No matter how tough, he's still just a junior at the Core Formation Realm."

There was a trace of irritation in the gray-robed man’s voice as he transformed into a rainbow of light and shot away.

The two soon arrived at the place where the woman had perished.

The sea stretched empty before them. The killer had long since fled without leaving a trace.

***

After eliminating the soul body, Qin Sang fled at once.

He took a long, winding route and hid for an entire day. Only when he was certain there were no pursuers did he head toward Quheng Island to gather information.

On the way, he sensed a shift in the atmosphere. Most islands had already activated their protective arrays, and every cultivator he saw was in a hurry.

Stopping one Core Formation cultivator, Qin Sang asked what had happened in recent days.

"The master of Yinzhu Island is dead. Word is that two nights ago, in front of countless witnesses, he was surrounded and attacked by mysterious experts. He was a mighty Spiritual Infant expert, yet his fate is still unknown, and his whereabouts are unclear. Not just Yinzhu Island’s master. Several nearby Core Formation experts were caught in the aftermath and died without understanding why, a tremendous loss. The culprits are brazen. The two island masters are furious and have ordered a thorough investigation. Both righteous and devilish factions of Windy Archipelago have been mobilized, and many cultivators of unknown origin have been arrested. Everyone is on edge. Daoist, it’s best not to wander. Do as I’m doing; go back to your cave dwelling and wait until this storm passes, so you don’t invite suspicion."

The man did not keep anything to himself and recounted everything he had seen and heard.

"Yinzhu Island? I recall that the island master was from the devilish path. Could this be revenge?"

Qin Sang frowned, surprised. He had assumed Luo Daotong’s backer was one of Quheng Island’s two island masters. Thinking back, he remembered Yinzhu Island as one of the larger, well-known islands in the area, its master indeed a devilish cultivator.

"That, I don’t know. He was a mighty figure in the devilish path. How could he have few enemies? Many believe the same thing."

The man lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "There’s a rumor on Quheng Island that this island master’s identity is far from ordinary. He’s no common Spiritual Infant expert. He’s closely tied to the Devilish Lord. That’s why the two island masters are so anxious and throwing all their strength into this. They’re afraid of the Devilish Lord’s wrath. If the Devilish Lord is angered, corpses will litter the land. Wiping out Windy Archipelago would not be surprising. No matter where those culprits hide, they will be hunted down. The immortal cultivation world is in for a storm."

Shaking his head, the man clasped his hands to Qin Sang and departed.

Qin Sang watched him go.

"The Devilish Lord!"

A chill ran through him.

The devilish path was not a united front.

Yet the Devilish Lord, as its foremost expert, was undoubtedly the strongest among them. To command Yinzhu Island’s master and gather several Spiritual Infant experts, who else could it be?

He suddenly understood why Senior Qingzhu had been so cautious, concealing his name and hiding in a remote corner for two hundred years.

His enemy had been the Devilish Lord!

That was an utterly hopeless opponent.

No matter how great Qingzhu’s talent, there was no way he could have gained the strength to face the Devilish Lord in only two centuries.

Qin Sang thought back to the time in the Sky Tower when he had been caught in the aftershocks of the Devilish Lord’s battle with the grand witch priest and had nearly lost his life. Compared to Qingzhu, he felt even more powerless. He was not even qualified to stand before the Devilish Lord.

"At least now I know who the enemy is and who to guard against... but this enemy is too terrifying. One of the supreme cultivators standing at the very peak of Canglang Sea. How can I guard against someone like that? There’s nothing to do but stay far away. I only hope Senior Qingzhu didn’t offend the Devilish Lord because of that teleportation array..." Qin Sang gave a bitter smile.

He still harbored doubts about what had happened days earlier.

The other party had been targeting Luo Daotong and Yinzhu Island’s master just as I had. Was it really a coincidence born of a personal grudge against Yinzhu Island’s master?

The situation was tangled beyond his ability to unravel. He had no way to seek out the truth.

"Enough. I may not have seen Senior Qingzhu in person, but I did not come away empty-handed. Whoever dares to strike at the Devilish Lord’s people must be well prepared. This storm will not die down quickly. It’s time to leave before I get caught up in it. I’ve been away long enough. I should return to Tianxing Island. There’s still a lot to be done."

Resolved, Qin Sang immediately left Windy Archipelago. His origins were far too suspicious. If he was caught and mistaken for an accomplice, it would be a grievous injustice.

He changed course and flew toward the outskirts of Windy Archipelago.