Chapter 936: Confirmation

Qin Sang turned his head and glanced at Bai.

"Since that man is waiting for you, how could he be discovered so easily? I knew you might come, so when I felt the ground shaking, I came to keep watch. Not long after you entered, he arrived. This man laid some kind of array outside. When setting up the array, it was inevitable to reveal a flaw, and that was how I noticed him. I could not see his true body, but no spiritual array is flawless. Watch those few places carefully..." Bai transmitted his voice, pointing out directions to Qin Sang.

Qin Sang was very curious to know which Spiritual Infant grandmaster had set his sights on him.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly stirred its supernatural ability, sweeping the gorge back and forth. Though no figure appeared, Qin Sang always felt uneasy.

"I can drive the ghostly mist to strike against the devilish barrier, forcing him to reveal himself. Each time the ground shakes, it is always accompanied by instability in the barrier. This is a normal occurrence, so there is no need to fear alarming him," Bai offered.

"No rush!" Qin Sang thought for a moment, then called softly. The Sky-Eyed Butterfly flew out of his dantian, fluttering gracefully before landing on his shoulder.

The tremors Bai spoke of should have been caused by the aftershocks whenever the celestial array outside was attacked. Since Seven-Kill Hall was sealed by the celestial array, the disturbances would ripple inside as well.

Seeing the Sky-Eyed Butterfly appear, Bai was a little dazed. This fellow had actually hidden a third-metamorphosis spiritual insect.

No wonder I lost.

Bai muttered inwardly. Much of his resentment dissipated.

After summoning the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, Qin Sang ordered his incarnation and the Two-Headed Hou to keep watch over Bai, then slowly closed his eyes, focusing his mind to connect with the butterfly, channeling his spiritual consciousness into it.

This was a secret technique of the witch race, meant to be used with one’s life-bound insect gu.

The master and the insect would combine their powers to perform a supernatural ability, temporarily enhancing its strength. The forbidden secret technique Daoist Fang had used before his death belonged to this category. However, the one Qin Sang employed now was far gentler, though less powerful, and much more intricate to use.

Such a technique consumed the master’s spiritual consciousness greatly. Qin Sang would not last long.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly rested on his shoulder, wings spread, facing the gorge.

After several metamorphoses and mutations, the patterns on its wings had grown exceedingly beautiful. The Sky Eyes markings looked enchanting, carrying no trace of eeriness.

The patterns seemed like real eyes, their gaze appearing to move. No matter where one stood, it gave the illusion of being watched.

Qin Sang’s spiritual consciousness merged with the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, jointly activating the Sky-Eyes supernatural ability.

The wing patterns lit up one by one, dazzling and irresistible to the eye. Light flowed endlessly into the central Sky Eye, which shone with brilliant colors.

The butterfly’s wings trembled lightly, making one worry if its delicate body could withstand the strain.

The "eyeball" within the Sky Eye truly turned, becoming a real eye, fixing intently on the gorge beyond the devilish flames.

Soundlessly, the Sky Eyes scanned every corner of the gorge. After a pause, Qin Sang signaled to Bai, "Thirty percent strength."

Without Bai making a move, the ghostly mist behind them suddenly pressed into the ground. The earth quivered gently, the devilish flames drifting at the gorge entrance flickered faintly, leaking a trace of their power. The ancient barrier on the stone wall also rippled slightly, but soon returned to normal.

At the same time, Qin Sang helped the Sky-Eyed Butterfly fully exert its supernatural ability.

In the instant the barrier wavered, Qin Sang’s expression shifted, his face solemn.

At the gorge entrance, one spot on the stone wall looked as hard and dense as iron, covered in ancient barriers. Other than that, it appeared empty.

This was one of the locations Bai had pointed out.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly detected a minute fluctuation there, so subtle it seemed like a small square phantom flickered briefly. Without Bai’s reminder, Qin Sang would never have noticed such an anomaly.

Supernatural insects were rare because their life-bound abilities far surpassed ordinary spiritual insects, often capable of transcending realms. If the Sky-Eyed Butterfly reached the late stage of its third metamorphosis, it might even pierce the concealments of a Spiritual Infant grandmaster.

With the boost from the secret technique, its power was already comparable to that level. If someone truly lay in wait, only a Spiritual Infant grandmaster could hide so flawlessly, perhaps even one stronger than Qin Sang had anticipated.

His heart sank abruptly. Moments later, all returned to normal.

At the gorge entrance, a figure sat cross-legged in the shadows like a meditating monk. It was Old Devil Mou, who had slipped away through trickery.

He had rushed straight to the Purple Mist End, discovered traces within the gorge, and confirmed that his target had once again passed through the devilish flames into the ghostly land.

Old Devil Mou felt both alarmed and delighted. Had he been quicker, he might have captured the man directly. Now, he could only wait in ambush outside.

Earlier, he had been observing the other Spiritual Infant cultivators and found no irregularities, which meant the one who slipped through was most likely a Core Formation cultivator. Unless another elder, like himself, had used some method to escape ahead of time. He was uncertain.

That devilish flames frightened even him and those late-stage Spiritual Infant experts. No one had ever entered the ghostly land before. For a mere Core Formation cultivator to manage it was beyond belief.

To be safe, he had laid a spiritual array, waiting to strike when the intruder emerged. Sensing the subtle fluctuation in the barrier, Old Devil Mou lifted his eyelids slightly, glancing at the devilish flames and the ghostly land, but noticed nothing unusual.

By then, Qin Sang and Bai had already retreated deeper into the ghostly mist.

"Looks like you found something! Surely you no longer need to see his true body to believe me?" Bai, in control of the flying yaksha’s body, curved his lips in a chilling smile. In this eerie ghostly land, his grin was unsettling.

"Enough!" Qin Sang replied.

He stared into Bai’s eyes. "I can be sure there was nothing abnormal when I first entered. Clearly you and the resentful spirits fear the devilish barriers, for they were meant to target your kind! It’s impossible to tamper outside the ghostly land, or you would have left long ago. Making unnecessary moves would only alert him and worsen my situation."

Bai’s face showed satisfaction. "Seems like you are clever. Then we can talk business."

"Wait." Qin Sang raised his hand. "That man could not have entered with me. The problem must lie here. Since you have been trapped in the ghostly land all this time, this can’t be your first encounter with him, right? What else do you know? What level is his cultivation?"

"You’re right, this was not the first time. Not long after you left last time, he came. As for his strength..." Bai’s expression grew heavy as he recalled. "Among those I have ever detected, the strongest were only late-stage Spiritual Infant cultivators. His aura was just slightly weaker than that."

"Slightly weaker than late-stage Spiritual Infant..." Qin Sang was startled.

That aligned perfectly with his own suspicions. At the very least, the man was a middle-stage Spiritual Infant master!