Chapter 958: Strange Beast

"Daoist, are you planning to head elsewhere?" Qin Sang turned and asked.

Bai nodded. "I have yet to recover, and this body being full of corpse qi is far too conspicuous. It isn’t wise for me to wander about. You, however, are adept in evasion techniques. So long as we don’t provoke a Spiritual Infant cultivator, you can ensure our safety. If you have no urgent matters, why not accompany me for a while? Perhaps something will stir my memory and help resolve our current predicament."

After a brief pause for thought, Qin Sang nodded. "Very well. As long as we keep watch on movements near the Sky Tower, we should be able to return in time. I happen to have a matter to take care of as well."

"Oh?" Bai looked surprised. "What else do you need to do? Then let us follow your lead."

Qin Sang patted the Spirit Beast Pouch at his waist. "It’s nothing major. I promised this little fellow that I would help it find a spiritual herb. Originally, inside the Purple Mist End there was a type of Purple Crystal that could aid its growth, but one mishap after another prevented me. I now know that the Purple Crystal is guarded by top-tier ferocious beasts, so I dared not harvest it. We can only try our luck at Celestial Blossom Lake instead."

The fat silkworm had no other talent but an extremely keen sense for food. Once inside Celestial Blossom Lake, they only needed to make a circuit and let the silkworm search on its own. It would not take long, nor delay important matters.

Joining Elder Zhou in a treasure hunt was another matter entirely. Breaking through an ancient barrier of a hidden realm could not be done in a short while.

"Oh? That spiritual silkworm that resisted the poison for us in the poisonous mist?" Bai glanced at the Spirit Beast Pouch.

The pouch stirred. The fat silkworm squirmed excitedly, clearly having heard Qin Sang’s words.

"I didn’t get a close look at the time, but this silkworm is a third-metamorphosis spiritual insect, isn’t it? You’ve raised two spiritual insects to their third metamorphosis. That takes incredible wealth. Even if you had no reason to deceive me, I wouldn’t believe you were a mere rogue cultivator," Bai exclaimed in wonder.

Qin Sang smiled faintly. "It was mostly luck. I came across a special medicine, which allowed me to raise them. This fat silkworm actually cost me little effort. That Purple Crystal was found by itself. Instead, its abilities have been of great help to me. Without its Poison-Warding Armor, I wouldn’t have dared enter the depths of the Purple Mist End, and I wouldn’t have met you. Seven-Kill Hall covers a vast area, filled with ancient ruins. Some are on par with the Sky Tower. Who knows, something here might stir your memory. We should set out quickly."

"Alright!" Bai slipped back into the Corpse Puppet Pouch. Qin Sang quietly left the jungle, studied his geomantic map for a while, planned a route, and flew toward a nearby ruin called Celestial Platform Mountain.

On the way, Qin Sang summoned the Two-Headed Hou, mounted its back, and had Bai keep watch while he himself turned his gaze toward the Sky Tower, all the while bringing out the devilish banners to refine and practice with them.

He was already skilled with the banners and could control three with ease. But handling more than that was taxing. Another pressure came from the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells. It would take time to adapt before he could wield them freely.

Danger loomed ahead, and time was short. Any increase in strength meant greater hope of survival. He brought out six banners together and tried to control them. There was an obvious stiffness in his handling. When combined, the six formed an array whose power rivaled a high-grade astra.

Yet his cultivation was only at the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm. Though he had practiced some mediocre secret techniques and his spiritual consciousness surpassed ordinary cultivators at the same realm, even wielding a single high-grade astra put a heavy strain on him. Controlling an array of multiple astras demanded far more.

After great effort, Qin Sang finally stabilized the banners so the array did not collapse. The banners trembled. Wreaths of Devilish Flames of Nine Hells poured forth, gathering at the center into a mass, but just as it was about to take form, it burst apart.

Qin Sang’s expression shifted, and he hastily formed a seal to reel the flames back into the banners.

"As expected, it's not easy. I must not only steady the banners but also drive the flames. My spiritual consciousness is still too weak. Still, once I grow familiar with this array, I should manage to wield six banners in combat. After breaking through to the late stage of the Core Formation Realm, I can try nine. Even a few strikes then would carry tremendous force..." he muttered to himself without discouragement, settling his mind to refine the astra further.

The Two-Headed Hou galloped through the mountains. Whenever danger stirred, Bai would give timely warning. Before long, they arrived at the foot of Celestial Platform Mountain.

"Celestial Platform Mountain and the Sky Tower are the two most prominent sites of the outer hall. This too is a famed hidden realm. It’s said a top-tier treasure once emerged here, sparking a Spiritual Infant battle that even spread to Canglang Sea," Qin Sang murmured while gazing up at the mountain.

True to its name, at the peak was a celestial platform. The platform stood bare, with no halls or palaces to either side. Yet the summit was cloaked in dense celestial barriers, shrouded in drifting haze much like the inner hall. It was extremely dangerous. Some suspected it had once been an ancient cultivator’s dueling platform.

Looking around, Qin Sang found no trace of others. It was said that after that battle, no treasures had appeared on the mountain again. The inside had likely been picked clean, so few ventured here anymore.

Qin Sang found a hidden trail, slipped up to the peak, and stood outside the barriers where the platform was clearly visible. Bai emerged in person, studied it for a while, and shook his head. "I remember nothing of this mountain."

Qin Sang acknowledged with a hum. "No rush."

He turned and descended. After a while, they reached a second well-known hidden realm. Still, Bai recalled nothing.

"This place isn’t far from Celestial Blossom Lake. Let’s head there first." Qin Sang showed no discouragement. His tone held expectation. "The Purple Mist End and Celestial Blossom Lake are both poisonous lands. Perhaps you’ll recognize something there."

"Let’s hope so..." Bai said.

The Two-Headed Hou wheeled around, bounding toward Celestial Blossom Lake, while Qin Sang continued to familiarize himself with the banner array. Halfway along the route, just as they were about to cross a mountain range, Bai suddenly called out sharply, "Stop! Something ahead!"

The Two-Headed Hou also sensed danger. Its body shuddered and it halted instantly, descending lightly without a sound. Startled, Qin Sang quickly put away the banners, leapt off the beast’s back, and crept up to the mountaintop.

Concealing himself behind a boulder, he peered out. A boundless stretch of mountains rolled before his eyes, and in the distance his peripheral vision caught the towering Sky Tower piercing the heavens.

From ahead came the shrill sound of sonic boom. Soon Qin Sang saw it. A streak of evasion light shot out from the distant forest, so dazzling it was visible even from far away.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Inside Seven-Kill Hall, unless under dire circumstances, no cultivator dared display evasion techniques so brazenly. Doing so risked attracting ferocious beasts or other cultivators, placing one in grave danger.

The owner of that evasion light seemed panicked, clearly fleeing from something. Sure enough, the next instant a thunderous beastly roar erupted behind it.

Roar!

The sound shook the clouds.