Chapter 692: Chapter 692

"Since the two of you just left not long ago, you must have made thorough preparations. I assume you haven’t used up much of your pills and supplies yet? I’ve just exhausted my own reserves and would like to trade some demonic beast corpses for them. What do you think?"

Qin Sang kept his word and tossed them a top-grade artifact, then had a sudden idea to initiate a trade.

The senior brother was surprised. "Daoist, you don’t plan to return to Duyan Island to wait things out?"

Qin Sang shook his head. "I came to the Demonic Sea to hunt demons and stock up on cultivation resources. I’m afraid that if I return, I’ll end up trapped on the island. I’m alone and not like you two, who have disciples to care for. I can come and go freely. I’ve decided to stay out here a few more years and observe how things develop. If you two trade your pills for demonic beast corpses, at least your trip won’t be wasted."

After a brief discussion, the two agreed to trade with Qin Sang. Following some haggling, they tossed him a Mustard Seed Pouch. Qin Sang likewise threw over several demonic beast corpses, while remaining on guard in case greed got the better of them.

After inspecting the items in the Mustard Seed Pouch, Qin Sang cupped his hands and said, "Farewell, Daoists."

"Farewell," the two replied, their tone noticeably friendlier than before.

"Oh, one more thing," Qin Sang turned back just before leaving. "It seems the area near Duyan Island is no longer stable. I haven’t seen any patrolling cultivators around. You’d best be cautious."

The senior brother was taken aback. "Thank you for the reminder..."

Qin Sang rose into the air with his evasion light and soared off into the sky.

After confirming that no one was following him, he landed on a deserted island and transferred the contents of the Mustard Seed Pouch into his Thousand-Jin Ring.

The two cultivators had prepared thoroughly. With their supplies in hand, Qin Sang no longer had to worry about running out of provisions in the Demonic Sea. He now had much more room to maneuver.

"The place where we fought isn’t far from Duyan Island. As long as the five of them are careful, they should have reached the island by now and reported the situation to Ran Luo. If she sends someone to retrieve me... Should I go and make contact?"

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Qin Sang pinched his chin and began to ponder his next move.

In the end, he decided not to reach out.

After learning of the chaos between the two races and the sealing of Duyan Island, Qin Sang had almost no hesitation before making up his mind. He would not return to the island until the conflict was resolved.

That was why he had traded with the two cultivators, so he could secure enough supplies to act alone in the Demonic Sea.

He had experienced the war between the Small Cold Domain and the Tianxing Alliance, and had been stationed on the frontlines for five years. He knew well how terrifying war between immortal cultivators could be.

If even Foundation Building cultivators were caught up in such violence, the duels between Core Formation experts would be even more unpredictable and deadly.

Back in the Small Cold Domain, as a disciple of Shaohua Mountain, he had no choice but to remain on the battlefield in order to study the killing symbol.

Now, however, things were different. He could study the killing symbol by hunting demonic beasts. His arrival here had been accidental, and he held no deep ties to either the human or witch factions of Canglang Sea.

Duyan Island may appear secure, with a Spiritual Infant expert guarding it.

But if the war escalated, no one from either side would be able to stay uninvolved. Duyan Island would become an even more conspicuous target. If Lin Hai thought sealing the island would allow him to sit out the storm, he was simply deluding himself.

When that time came, the cultivators on the island would be dragged into battle whether they liked it or not, forced to follow Lin Hai’s orders. Qin Sang, being human, would also have no choice but to stand with the human race.

Though he was not a native of Canglang Sea, his identity as a human cultivator left him with no other option. In such a situation, sitting on the fence was the most dangerous move and only invited death.

Qin Sang was only an Outer Sea Guest Cultivator for the Qiongyu Merchant Guild. He had no roots on Duyan Island, no one above to shield him. When danger struck, the riskiest tasks would undoubtedly be handed to him.

Why jump into the fire of his own accord?

In retrospect, the ambush he had suffered might have been a blessing in disguise, giving him the perfect excuse to separate himself from Duyan Island.

Thus, Qin Sang decided not to contact the Qiongyu Merchant Guild for now. He would treat himself as missing in action. If he reunited with them in the future, he could make up an excuse. That way, he could avoid being pressured by the guild or the island into doing anything he didn’t want. There was no need to tear that relationship apart just yet.

His impression of the Qiongyu Merchant Guild was decent. It was worth keeping that connection intact.

"Now, where to go next? Should I head straight to Huntian Island to search for the Fire-Repelling Finch? I don’t know what the situation on Huntian Island is like now. Before the chaos, it was possible to take a ship there. Now, I’ll probably have to fly myself. Thankfully, Huntian Island isn’t far from Duyan Island. There’s only one large island between them. With my talisman protecting me, I shouldn’t have much to worry about..."

Qin Sang looked southwest and murmured to himself.

He had originally planned to go there after collecting all the Jiao spirits.

The Primordial Unity Ring could act as an early warning tool and would be highly useful in the Demonic Sea.

Especially now, with the chaos of the two races unfolding, he could foresee spending the coming years roaming the sea alone. To avoid getting caught up in the fighting, he might even have to hide in the deeper regions. The utility of the Primordial Unity Ring would only become more apparent.

"The sooner I refine the Primordial Unity Ring, the sooner I can safely hunt demonic beasts. If the war spirals completely out of control and even the calm regions become unsafe, I’ll just retreat into the depths of the sea. No need to wade into these muddy waters..."

After weighing everything carefully, Qin Sang made his decision.

Before setting out, he decided to find a place to repair those astras. With them restored, he would have greater confidence moving forward.

With this in mind, Qin Sang meditated briefly to regulate his breath, then sought out a nearby island containing a spirit vein. There, he set up a barrier-breaking array and immersed himself in studying and repairing the Golden Radiance Armor and other astras.

One month later, Qin Sang withdrew the spiritual array, mounted his sword, and flew off the island, heading in the direction of Huntian Island.

He now wore an inner armor on his upper body.

Qin Sang pressed his palm lightly against his chest, feeling the power of the Golden Radiance Armor, and a faint smile appeared on his face. His gaze flickered, and he promptly stored the armor back into his dantian.

Over the past month, he had dedicated himself to the task, burning through a large amount of demonic beast bones and spiritual materials. He had finally succeeded in restoring the cracks in the Golden Radiance Armor to their original state.

However, the damage to its spiritual essence caused by the Blood Defilement Divine Light had yet to fully recover and would still require time to nurture.

Flying low over the sea, Qin Sang kept a safe distance from the surface to avoid being caught off guard by a sudden attack from a demonic beast. Newest update provıded by N0veI.Fiɾe.net

His gaze remained alert as he ensured no one was watching him. Then he took out a geomantic map of the Demonic Sea.

"The main travel routes are probably unstable now. I can’t follow them completely. But they’re well-mapped and the demonic beasts along them aren’t very strong. The surrounding waters are far more dangerous, so I can’t stray too far..."

After putting the geomantic map away, Qin Sang made up his mind. He adjusted his course slightly, and his figure gradually vanished into the vast ocean.

Several months later.

A streak of white light descended from the sky and landed on a deserted island. When the light faded, the figure of a travel-worn Qin Sang appeared.

After flying for so long, he had been relying continuously on flying artifacts or his sword to travel.

He still remembered the leisurely sight of Daoist Master Xuanyu back in the Small Cold Domain, using a Jiao spirit to pull his carriage. That method allowed one to conserve energy, needing only to bind a thread of spiritual consciousness to the Jiao spirit, and even left the mind free to cultivate while on the move.

But in the Demonic Sea, danger lurked everywhere. Qin Sang dared not take such liberties and had no choice but to handle everything himself.