Chapter 687: Chapter 687

After four years of beast hunting, Qin Sang’s cultivation had advanced significantly.

Since forming his core, he had begun inscribing the fifth killing symbol onto the ebony sword, which once again accelerated his cultivation speed.

It was said that Seven-Kill Hall was generally opened once every seventy to eighty years. If all went smoothly, Qin Sang would break through to the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm long before its next opening.

The factions planning to breach the array would announce it in advance. At that time, cultivators wishing to enter Seven-Kill Hall would need to acquire a qualification according to the stated requirements. Those who missed the window would not be considered.

When that time came, Qin Sang would have Qiongyu Merchant Guild keep a close watch on the matter so he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to enter Seven-Kill Hall.

Aside from himself, both the Sky-Eyed Butterfly and the fat silkworm were also advancing rapidly.

Three years ago, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly successfully transitioned to the late stage of its first metamorphosis and now hovered just a breath away from its second. Once it reached the peak of the first metamorphosis, Qin Sang planned to feed it Crimson Fire Gilded Gold to help it evolve.

As for the fat silkworm, only half of its inner core remained, but its cultivation had nearly reached the middle stage of its second metamorphosis. Qin Sang had even offered it demonic cores obtained from his hunts, yet it remained completely uninterested.

Now, five years had passed since leaving Duyan Island.

With most of the pills he had brought nearly depleted, Qin Sang began considering a return to the island.

The sky was clear, and the sea breeze was gentle.

Yet, across the waters, waves surged in layers, rising like a thousand folding tides.

Amid the crashing waves, a faint green mist drifted. Within that mist, a sword-bearing figure stood locked in a standoff with a strange demonic beast.

That person was Qin Sang. A faint seven-colored halo shimmered around him. Though not very pronounced, a closer look revealed it to be like a suit of rainbow-hued armor draped over his body.

The beast facing him was called a Fanyu Fish, a peak Demonic Spirit Realm creature.

Over the past four years, Qin Sang had encountered many bizarre beasts, and the Fanyu Fish was among the oddest. It looked like a headless turtle, complete with a shell and a tail. Whiskers grew from the top of its shell, and its mouth and nostrils were located beneath its belly.

Back in the Small Cold Domain, Qin Sang had never even heard of such a creature.

Its most dangerous feature was its tail, which stretched nearly one zhang long. Segment after segment resembled a steel whip, capable of releasing a venomous whip shadow several meters long in an instant. Like a scorpion’s tail, it carried potent toxins.

The green mist was the Fanyu Fish’s poisonous vapor, and its toxicity was extraordinarily fierce.

Immortal cultivators who encountered a Fanyu Fish would usually choose to avoid it. Even Core Formation cultivators were reluctant to provoke it, fearing they might be poisoned and meet a miserable end.

Qin Sang had targeted this beast and moved freely through its poisonous mist, all thanks to the layer of rainbow armor on his body. The aura released by the fat silkworm could easily resist the poison mist of the Fanyu Fish.

In fact, Qin Sang had intentionally lingered in the mist longer just to test the fat silkworm’s capabilities. It didn’t seem to be under any strain at all.

Judging by this, even if he encountered an early-stage Demonic Core Fanyu Fish, the silkworm should still be able to hold out for some time.

And this was when the fat silkworm was still only in the early stage of its second metamorphosis. Once it advanced to the late stage or even the third metamorphosis, resisting the poison mist would be effortless.

Typically, demonic beasts that specialized in poison would have more average abilities in other areas. With the fat silkworm, the trait these creatures relied on most posed no threat to Qin Sang, leaving them completely vulnerable.

In the future, Qin Sang could focus specifically on hunting poisonous beasts.

After circling through the poisonous mist several times, Qin Sang struck with one sword and beheaded the Fanyu Fish. Drawing the corpse toward him, he searched but found no inner core, and a look of disappointment crossed his face.

He skillfully dissected the body, then wrapped himself in sword shadows and turned into a streak of sword light flying southwest.

Not long after, Qin Sang descended onto a deserted island.

The old couple and the others were already waiting there. Traces of killing intent still lingered around them, and the scent of blood had yet to dissipate. They had clearly just come out of another fight.

"Senior, this is for you."

The old man respectfully handed over a few beast bones.

Qin Sang accepted them without care. While chasing down the Fanyu Fish earlier, he had come across a pack of beasts and slain their leader. The rest had been left to his followers to clean up.

For the past few years, the five had followed Qin Sang around, constantly picking up the leftovers from his battles.

Their tastes had grown refined. They no longer bothered with ordinary materials from beast corpses. Of course, it also didn’t help that their Mustard Seed Pouches were already full.

"Senior, are we returning to Duyan Island now?"

The Wang Sisters walked forward shoulder to shoulder and asked crisply.

After spending several years together, the five had grown familiar with Qin Sang. They knew he was not an unfeeling man and no longer acted as reserved as they had in the beginning.

However, they still carried out his orders without fail. Having witnessed Qin Sang slay a Demonic Core Realm great demon on his own, their respect for him had only deepened.

"What is it? Don’t feel like going back?"

Qin Sang glanced at the Mustard Seed Pouches on their waists and smiled. "Your pouches are full. If you keep hunting demonic beasts, what are you planning to store them in?"

"We can only discard the least valuable parts," the old man replied with a pained look. He hesitated briefly, then cautiously asked, "Senior, when do you plan to head out for beast hunting again?"

Qin Sang could tell what they were thinking just by looking at their expressions. He said calmly, "Beasts in this area are becoming harder and harder to find. Venturing deeper into Fuhu Sea is far too dangerous. I’ve decided to head somewhere else. After we return, I’ll help the guild with artifact refinement, which should take no more than half a year. If you have matters to take care of, do so quickly after we get back. I won’t wait for you."

When they realized Qin Sang intended to take them along again, the five were overjoyed and immediately swore they would not delay him.

Soon after, they each summoned their artifacts and flew toward Duyan Island.

The journey passed uneventfully. Half a month later, they were nearing Duyan Island and stopped to rest on a small island. Once the five had recovered their spiritual power, they prepared to set out again.

They had barely flown a short distance from the island when Qin Sang suddenly noticed a figure appear on the surface of the sea at the edge of his eastern vision.

The person was still too far to make out clearly, just a vague dark silhouette, so it was impossible to determine their cultivation level.

This figure appeared to be heading directly westward.

"There’s someone ahead." The old couple and the others noticed too. It was clear the other party had also seen them.

Both sides paused slightly and observed each other.

Anyone bold enough to travel alone in the Demonic Sea was certainly not without means.

However, since their destinations were not aligned, they would most likely pass each other by.

"Let’s go. Ignore him," Qin Sang said in a low voice.

He didn’t want any complications and continued flying toward Duyan Island in his streak of sword light.

But the stranger’s next move made Qin Sang’s face darken.

Just as they resumed flying, the figure also began moving but instead of continuing west, they suddenly changed direction and began trailing far behind them.

Seeing this, the expressions of the old couple and the others turned uneasy. One of them whispered nervously, "Senior, what should we do?" For origınal chapters go to NoveI[F]ire.net

Someone openly tailing them clearly had bad intentions.

Even if the person was confident in their strength, they were getting close to Duyan Island, where conflict among cultivators was strictly forbidden. Does this person not fear the patrol guards stationed around the island?