Chapter 937: Oath

If his opponent had only been an early-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator, then with the

Lightning Control Technique

and his other methods, Qin Sang might still have had a slim chance of survival in a place as peculiar as the Purple Mist End.

But now, with an expert second only to the Devil Lord and the sect leader of the Heavenly Dao Sect standing guard beyond the devilish flames, he could not imagine how he might escape under such eyes.

"Since he came right after I left last time, it must have been then that he noticed my traces. That man truly has patience, waiting here like a hunter for several decades!" Qin Sang’s face darkened as he raised his head. "He must be eyeing some treasure within the ghostly land."

Bai sneered. "What other purpose could there be? Did you not also once believe some ancient treasure was sealed behind the devilish barriers? Over the years, countless cultivators have tried to break them, but all failed. Otherwise, I would have escaped this prison long ago. Who would have thought this was merely a dead place sealed by the barriers, filled only with wandering spirits and mountains of bones?"

"You wish to bargain with me. Do you have some way to deceive the heavens and send me out?" Qin Sang asked.

"Indeed!" Seeing Qin Sang finally willing to speak of business, Bai grew impatient. "Not only to send you out, I intend to leave with you. So you can fully trust me."

Qin Sang paused, surprised. "You can leave the ghostly land? Though my cultivation is low, I can see a little. This devilish barrier is strange indeed. If I’m not mistaken, whoever placed them meant to trap your kind here forever, never to reincarnate. Now that you’ve taken the body of a flying yaksha, are you no longer scared to be sealed by the devilish barrier? I could attempt to help you, but if you rouse the wrath of the barriers, you and I will both turn to ash beneath the flames."

Bai stayed silent for a moment before replying coolly, "It seems like you have some grasp of the Dao of barriers. But the barrier has waned after ages, and its strength is not what it once was. So it is no wonder you see through a bit. You’re right, I have not fully merged with this body. Even with your aid, I cannot break my shackles yet. That is why I must first see the astra you use to command the devilish flames..." His tone trailed off.

Qin Sang’s brow furrowed slightly. After a short hesitation, he flicked his sleeve, and three small devilish banners flew out to circle in the air. Since he had not channeled true essence into them, they did not reveal the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells.

"That is it!" Bai’s eyes shone brilliantly, his face brimming with joy. "The flames are sealed within these banners. The three connect to form a great array! The black pole you produced earlier looked so similar to these banner poles. Were you planning to gather more flames to forge additional banners?"

After a moment of silence, Qin Sang replied, "You have sharp eyes. Yes, I returned to the ghostly land precisely to refine this astra..."

At this point, hiding was pointless. He briefly explained his plan: to refine Soul Threads, seize the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, and reforge the banners. At the end, he looked at Bai with a faint smile. "It seems the resentful spirits here were likely your old acquaintances. You won’t oppose me refining Soul Threads, will you?"

At those words, Bai did not answer at once. His gaze turned profound, as if piercing through endless years and the river of time.

"Earlier, I told you that I endured this sunless ghostly land because of an obsession. Do you know what that obsession is?" Without waiting for Qin Sang to answer, Bai said softly, "It is both an obsession and an oath. My memories have all decayed. I have forgotten who I was. Only this oath remains, my sole surviving memory, never forgotten."

He turned back to look into the depths of the ghostly land. There, ghostly mist surged like a sea, and white bones piled up into mountains.

The resentful spirits had lost their intellect and self, wandering in confusion, trapped forever by the barrier, never to be reborn.

"I must break the barrier, grant them release, and send them into reincarnation!" Bai looked at Qin Sang, his eyes clear and his voice ringing with solemn conviction.

Qin Sang stared at him, the familiar corpse body now shining with unparalleled brilliance.

An oath carried through endless years had kept him standing, enduring loneliness and despair, waiting for a chance that might never come.

"Does reincarnation truly exist?" Qin Sang asked unconsciously, a question that had troubled him for a long time. His eyes swept over the mountains of bones. "Even if it does, these spirits have long lost their spiritual essence. How could they be reborn? Once the barrier is broken, won’t they simply become wandering ghosts in the world?"

A look of confusion crossed Bai’s face. He shook his head with a bitter smile. "I do not know. Perhaps, in life, I made this oath only for peace of mind. I only know that within this ghostly land lies a grand array to deliver the spirits to salvation. Perhaps I left it myself. Whether it can redeem them will depend on fate. This oath is the reason I endure. Only by fulfilling it can I seek out who I truly am."

"So you intend to stop me from refining Soul Threads?" Qin Sang’s eyes narrowed, flashing dangerously.

Bai shook his head. "Do not mistake me. I will not hinder you. In fact, only by refining the banners can you help me fulfill my oath. But the secret art of refining Soul Threads can be altered. It will be more troublesome, but sufficient. The spirits here are countless. You need not annihilate them all. Draw just a single thread of soul qi from each, and it will be more than enough."

Hearing this, Qin Sang considered, and his expression eased. He nodded slightly. "That may be workable, though more troublesome. Still, if you can restrain the spirits and order them to let me draw their soul qi, the process should not be much slower."

Bai was overjoyed. "I will give my utmost aid!"

Qin Sang gave him a long look, then chuckled. "Do not be so quick to rejoice. We have not yet spoken of the true matter. What is it you want me to do? What are the terms of this bargain?"

"What I need is simple. Over the years, the barrier has developed many flaws. When you harvest the flames, I want you to act at certain points, weakening its strength."

Bai quickly laid out his scheme. "After that, I will activate the grand array, strike the barrier head-on, and deliver the spirits. Once the barrier shatters, the pent-up ghostly mist will burst forth. With all these forces combined, the uproar will be immense. The one outside will be caught off guard and struck by the backlash. In the chaos, we can seize our chance to flee..."

Bai then explained the plan in detail.

So the flames do not merely block the gorge's entrance, but permeate the entire barrier. This way, I can forge eighteen banners in secret.

After listening, Qin Sang’s expression grew thoughtful.

He had worried before that the disturbances caused by seizing the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells would be impossible to conceal and would alert the enemy outside.