Chapter 677: Chapter 677

With clues in hand for both of the rare items he sought, Qin Sang was in excellent spirits. He made quite a few purchases and wandered the city until evening before heading to the city gate to regroup.

Ning Kun and the others were already there. Judging by their cheerful expressions, they must have gained a lot as well.

Aside from them, the other merchant guild members who had lagged behind were also assembled. Judging by their full carts, they had done a good deal of business on Tianwu Island and were clearly ready to depart at any time.

"Elder Zhou sent a message just now. It so happens that a major faction is preparing to send a ship out to sea. We've decided to join them and leave immediately. Daoist Master, have you made up your mind? Will you come with us?"

Ran Luo looked at Qin Sang with anticipation.

Qin Sang nodded. "I came here to hunt beasts anyway. It doesn’t matter which island I go to. I’ll go to Duyan Island with you. If my artifact refinement skills aren’t up to your guild’s standards, I hope you’ll look after me."

Ran Luo smiled lightly. "You’re being too modest. Elder Zhou praised you highly. We would be honored if you joined our guild."

With the journey settled in just a few words, Qin Sang was now considered one of them, and their attitude toward him became noticeably warmer.

As they spoke, more people from the Qiongyu Merchant Guild arrived by carriage. With a wave of her hand, Ran Luo led the group and their cargo toward the port.

Along the way, Qin Sang learned that the ship they would be boarding belonged to Nine-Star Guild, one of the top merchant associations under the Dongji Alliance. The vessel was heavily guarded and carried many fellow cultivators.

"Doesn’t your guild have its own ship?" ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel•fire.net

At the port, the ship had yet to arrive. As they waited, Qin Sang stood beside Ran Luo and asked.

Ran Luo shook her head. "Our guild focuses mainly on the Inner Sea and Desolate Island. We don’t have enough guards stationed on Tianwu Island. The risk of shipwrecks in the Stormy Demonic Sea is extremely high. Sea routes are not absolutely safe. Along the way, not only will we be frequently harassed by demonic beasts, but the storms that appear in the Demonic Sea are far more terrifying than those in the Inner Sea. Every one of these threats can be fatal."

Qin Sang understood. No wonder the Qiongyu Merchant Guild valued him so highly. Compared to the weight and bulk of giant beast corpses, refined artifacts were far easier to transport.

Given the dangers of trading in the Demonic Sea, the best way to reduce risk was to make fewer trips and move as many goods as possible each time.

Over the past few days, Qin Sang had heard multiple people speak of how terrifying storms in the Demonic Sea were. Some even called them natural disasters on par with beast tides. Whenever cultivators out hunting detected signs of a storm, they had to find shelter immediately. Once caught in a storm, there was no hope of survival.

Still, one question lingered in Qin Sang’s mind.

"Daoist Ran, are the storms in the Demonic Sea the same as those in the Inner Sea, caused by the overflow of power from the storm belts? Is the Demonic Sea separated from the Inner Sea by one of those belts?"

Ran Luo thought for a moment. "The storms are indeed similar in nature, but whether the two regions are divided by a storm belt, I can’t say. There are too many rumors and conflicting theories. Even now, no one knows exactly where the Demonic Sea lies in relation to the Inner Sea."

As they spoke, Qin Sang suddenly felt a massive shadow pass overhead. He looked up and saw a tall, sturdy treasure ship gliding toward them. Though not luxurious in appearance, it was clearly built for durability.

When the ship drew near, Ran Luo saw to the cargo and brought Qin Sang and the others aboard, assigning them guest quarters on the upper deck. Then she went to pay respects to Elder Zhou and the ship’s owner. Since Qin Sang was not yet an official member of the Qiongyu Merchant Guild, he stayed quietly in his room and didn’t go anywhere else.

The ship remained docked at port overnight and departed before dawn the next day.

Qin Sang occupied a room of his own. He arranged a spirit-gathering array and a barrier-breaking array, then stood by the window, gazing out at the sea.

This was the first time he had traveled by sea in this world. As the treasure ship sailed forward, the view gradually opened up. Tianwu Island quickly faded behind them, swallowed by the darkness.

The stars had yet to fade. Sky and sea met at the edge of vision, where the starry heavens melted into the black ocean.

All he could see was endless waves and countless stars. The sheer vastness of it all stirred a sense of awe and openness in his heart.

Qin Sang stood at the window, eyes slightly dazed, lost in the memories of his journey.

When he finally came to, the scene before him made him recall a familiar verse. "Drunken, unaware the sky lay in the water; the full boat of dreams pressed upon the galaxy."[1]

The initial sense of novelty soon gave way to the long stretch of travel.

Still, it wasn’t boring. Demonic beasts often attacked the ship, providing no small measure of excitement.

At first, Qin Sang had gone to the rails with interest to observe the battles, studying the habits of the beasts and the strength of the cultivators who roamed the Demonic Sea. Later, he stopped bothering and remained shut in his room, focused entirely on studying the artifact refinement methods he had paid a high price for on Tianwu Island.

Under normal circumstances, refining artifacts required not only beast corpses but also various precious spiritual materials.

However, in the Demonic Sea, beast materials were so abundant they were practically at one's fingertips. Refiners here had developed their own unique methods, using beast corpses with just a small amount of supplemental materials to produce functional artifacts.

This approach differed completely from the methods used by Xuling Sect. It was a field Qin Sang had never explored before, and he devoted himself to studying it thoroughly.

Still, mastery in one path led to insights in others. With his foundation in refinement, it didn’t take him long to adapt. It was more than enough for crafting top-grade artifacts.

Qin Sang lost himself in the art of refinement, forgetting the passage of time.

The treasure ship continued its voyage, passing one island after another, stopping and starting, picking up and dropping off passengers along the way.

Fortunately, the journey was smooth. They encountered neither large beast hordes nor storm attacks.

That day, Qin Sang had already reviewed the artifact refinement techniques several times. He was in his room experimenting with Pill Fire, trying to fully grasp and internalize the methods. Suddenly, the door was knocked. Sweeping it with his spiritual consciousness, he saw that it was Ran Luo standing outside.

"Daoist Master Qingfeng, we’re about to arrive at Duyan Island. It’s time to disembark," Ran Luo said softly.

Qin Sang came back to himself as if waking from a dream. He shook his head, forced down the flood of artifact refinement knowledge in his mind, glanced at the cluttered room, then smiled and waved his hand to clean it up before stepping outside.

Walking to the ship’s railing, he saw a black speck in the distance gradually growing larger within his field of vision.

Ran Luo handed Qin Sang a token and said, "Elder Zhou has already purchased several cave dwellings on the island, all located atop decent spirit veins. Daoist Master may pick one to rest in for a few days. Once you’ve settled in, we can discuss proper business."

"Very well," Qin Sang nodded and accepted the token.

He had been so engrossed in artifact refinement lately that a short period of quiet cultivation would do him good. A proper review of his recent insights would undoubtedly bring a substantial improvement to his skills.

The artifact refinement methods from the two regions complemented each other, bringing him remarkable benefits.

At this point, Qin Sang was confident that even without relying on the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, he could still craft top-grade artifacts.

To his surprise, Duyan Island turned out to be a stone island. The peaks were jagged and craggy, with exposed rocks jutting out like blades. There was very little greenery in sight.

On this seemingly barren island, rows of stone houses were neatly arranged. A low perimeter wall encircled them, making them look simple and crude.

However, the spiritual qi on the island was incredibly rich.

1. This is a line from an ancient Chinese poem. ☜