Chapter 927: Second Entry into Seven-Kill Hall

After finishing his discussion with Elder Zhou, Elder Zhou invited Qin Sang to travel together, but Qin Sang declined.

"I have long been used to walking alone, and before entering Seven-Kill Hall, there are still some personal matters I need to handle. I would not trouble Elder Zhou and the fellow Daoists," Qin Sang said with a smile.

Qin Sang deliberately avoided contact with people from the Dongji Alliance and the Xiyou Alliance, as there were bound to be schemes involving them within Seven-Kill Hall.

Elder Zhou let out a light sigh, his tone carrying a subtle emotion. "Since Daoist Master has no such intention, I shall not insist. Once we part today, who knows if we will ever meet again? Daoist Master, take care."

"Elder Zhou, take care!" Qin Sang bowed solemnly in farewell.

After separating from Elder Zhou, Qin Sang frequently visited shops and auction houses, spending a large sum of spirit stones to purchase various treasures. Three days later, he left Tianxing Island alone and flew toward Dongmen Island.

Returning once again to Dongmen Island stirred memories of his first entry into Seven-Kill Hall.

Seven-Kill Hall was ever-changing. What had been safe during the last visit might now be occupied by ferocious beasts, or hidden ancient barriers could suddenly be triggered.

However, his strength now far surpassed what it had been back then. As long as he remained cautious, the outcome should not be worse than before.

In a temporarily rented cave dwelling, Qin Sang took out fifteen banner poles and gently stroked them. In his heart, the foremost matter in this trip into Seven-Kill Hall was not even finding the ancient teleportation array, but subduing the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells and refining the eighteen banners.

As an artifact refinement master, he fully understood the value of a top-grade astra. If he missed this opportunity, even after reaching the Spiritual Infant Realm, he might never again come across a chance to obtain such a treasure.

With the eighteen banners in hand, even if he could not find a way back, his strength would still be formidable, granting him the ability to seek further opportunities.

At that thought, Qin Sang’s eyes flickered and his expression turned contemplative. He recalled the flying yaksha still trapped in the ghostly ground, its fate unknown.

His strongest refined corpse being seized by a wandering ghost had been something he had not anticipated, and every time he remembered it afterward, he could not help feeling irritated.

That ghostly creature should not have been too powerful, otherwise it would have directly attacked his true body rather than hiding so furtively. Yet it possessed a degree of intelligence, able to conceal the soul imprint he had left in the refined corpse. It was not to be underestimated.

The fact that the ghostly ground, sealed for countless years by the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, housed such a creature was intriguing. It suggested some abnormal change had occurred. Ghost cultivators did indeed live longer than ordinary cultivators, but not to such an extraordinary extent.

Clearly, the ghostly ground still hid secrets he had yet to uncover. Back then, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly had not yet reached its third transformation, its heavenly eyes unopened. Otherwise, he would not have been toyed with.

Now that the Sky-Eyed Butterfly had advanced to the middle stage of the third metamorphosis, its innate supernatural ability had risen another level. This time was perfect for revenge. If that ghostly creature dared to appear, it would have nowhere to hide under the Sky Eyes.

Retrieving the refined corpse was secondary. After all, with the refined corpse’s cultivation equivalent only to the early stage of the Core Formation Realm, it was no longer of much use to him.

What mattered was that while refining the devilish banners and absorbing the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, he must not be disturbed.

He had to extract the flames little by little, sealing them into the banners. Even a small mishap could provoke the flames into revolt and backfire upon him.

After pondering for a while, Qin Sang put away the banners, calmed his mind, and waited for the final moment to arrive.

In the blink of an eye, he had already stayed on Dongmen Island for a month. During this period, more and more cultivators gathered there, but there was still no news of Seven-Kill Hall opening, leaving everyone restless and uneasy.

Half a month later, while Qin Sang was in secluded meditation within his cave dwelling, he was suddenly startled awake by a powerful aura.

Returning to this place, he knew the moment had come. He stopped his cultivation, quickly put away all his belongings, and strapped the stone coffin containing his external incarnation onto his back.

Just as he flew out of the cave dwelling, he heard a voice echo from above. "Tonight at midnight, Seven-Kill Hall will open. Fellow Daoists, prepare yourselves."

Qin Sang’s eyes gleamed as he transformed into an evasion light and shot out of Dongmen Island. Making a wide arc, he silently headed toward the storm barrier. On the way, his evasion light remained dim, keeping a low profile. Midnight was still far away, and he had plenty of time.

Before long, Qin Sang once again approached the storm barrier. The sight within the storm was still just as awe-inspiring and terrifying.

It was hard to imagine why the immortal cultivation world had become this way, or by what means those ancient powerhouses had left behind this barrier to cut off the storm and protect their descendants for so long.

Glancing around, Qin Sang’s brow lit up as he summoned the ebony sword. Encased in sword light, he plunged through the barrier without hesitation.

No sooner had he entered the storm than a gray hurricane barreled toward him. Qin Sang’s expression shifted slightly as the sword light flashed, carrying him dozens of zhang to the side in an instant.

The hurricane swept past him, but the massive waves it stirred up loomed like a curtain of heaven, impossible to evade.

At a single thought, Qin Sang flared his sword light, piercing through the monstrous waves despite their crushing force.

His strength was no longer what it once had been. He now dared to travel alone along the outer edges of the storm.

Yet when faced with the core of a hurricane, he still felt a flicker of dread. He did not doubt its power—if he were caught in its grip, even if he somehow escaped, he would not know where he might be cast.

Lost within the storm’s depths, finding a way back would be nearly impossible. The result was self-evident.

Erring on the side of caution, Qin Sang slowed down, riding his sword carefully. Weaving through gaps between the hurricanes, he followed the jade talisman’s guidance toward Seven-Kill Hall.

The journey was fairly smooth, and he was already halfway there when his brows suddenly furrowed, and he stopped his evasion light.

Rumble after rumble shook the skies, as violent winds and towering waves drowned out all other sounds.

Suspended in mid-air, Qin Sang cloaked himself in protective sword qi against the storm and turned his head. At the edge of his vision, he saw two faint figures also hanging motionless, half-hidden by the wind and waves. At the same time, he felt their gaze upon him, ill intentions unmistakable.

"Xiang Yi had warned me there were brigands lurking in the storm, waiting to ambush others. Have I run into them now?" Qin Sang’s eyes narrowed slightly, a cold smile flickering beneath his mask.

The two sides faced off for a while. When the others made no move, Qin Sang tapped his ebony sword and shot forward, tearing through the void. Only after he left did the two figures glide closer.

"Gone too far!" One of them swept his gaze around, discovering Qin Sang’s trace had vanished. He struck his chest in frustration and complained, "Big Brother, we finally encountered someone traveling alone, why didn’t you let me act?"

The other man, wearing a ghost-faced mask, stared solemnly in the direction Qin Sang had disappeared. His voice was low and heavy. "Anyone daring to walk the storm alone is not to be trifled with. His evasion light did not waver even amidst this storm. He is no ordinary person. I sensed a dangerous aura from him. I suspect if we had attacked, we would have regretted it."

"That strong?" The first man’s heart trembled at his words. "Fine then! I’ll listen to you, Big Brother, we’ll let him go! The feng shui here doesn’t feel right anyway. Let’s change places. We must bag a deal today."[1]

1. Feng shui, sometimes called Chinese geomancy, is a traditional form of geomancy that originated in ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment. The term feng shui means, literally, "wind-water" (i.e., fluid). From ancient times, landscapes and bodies of water were thought to direct the flow of the universal qi – "cosmic current" or energy – through places and structures. ☜