Chapter 698: Chapter 698

"You’re absolutely right, Daoist. Now that the Thousand-Demon Sea has turned into what it is, restoring it to its former calm will be difficult. Though dangerous, that place holds treasures not found elsewhere. It’s a real shame."

A scholar-robed cultivator echoed the sentiment, visibly regretful.

Qin Sang gave a slight nod and glanced around. "I’ve stated my terms. Does anyone have what I seek and is willing to trade?"

He looked around the hall one by one, but not a single person responded. A deep sense of disappointment welled up in him.

Just then, an elder, likely from a merchant guild, murmured quietly with the people around him before speaking up. "The items you’re asking for are all extremely rare in this world. Even if I exert all my efforts, I may only be able to find one of them—the Soul-Guiding Grass. If you're willing, Daoist, I’d like to propose a different kind of deal. I don’t want demonic cores or astras."

The mention of the Soul-Guiding Grass came as a pleasant surprise.

Qin Sang’s interest was piqued. "And what kind of deal are you proposing?"

The elder pondered briefly before replying, "Given that you can offer so many demonic cores at once, your strength must be extraordinary. I’d like to invite you to join us. Once you become one of us, everything will be easier. I can petition the Inner Sea to send one or two stalks of Soul-Guiding Grass. Even the other spiritual items you asked for might be possible."

As he finished speaking, the elder transmitted his identity to Qin Sang through a voice transmission. It turned out he belonged to a well-known and influential merchant guild.

Qin Sang found it amusing. He hadn’t expected that, upon arriving at Huntian Island, he would once again encounter someone trying to recruit him.

Judging from the man’s tone, his guild was even more powerful than the Qiongyu Merchant Guild. But Qin Sang had no interest in being beholden to others and certainly wasn’t going to sell himself just for a few stalks of Soul-Guiding Grass.

"If the Soul-Guiding Grass is in the Inner Sea, how long would it take before I can get it in hand?"

The elder’s face showed a flicker of awkwardness. "With the current trade routes being unsafe, you’d probably have to wait until the war between the two races comes to an end. But Daoist, you needn’t worry. We can put it in writing. Also, joining our guild won’t place much burden on you. On the contrary, you’ll gain many benefits others could only dream of."

No matter how the elder tried to entice him, Qin Sang remained unmoved.

Since even the elder failed to persuade him, the others naturally didn’t bother trying either.

For a moment, silence fell upon the hall.

Seeing that there was truly no hope, Qin Sang sighed inwardly and offered, "Daoists, if anyone happens to have spiritual pills suitable for cultivators in the Core Formation Realm, I’m open to trade."

This time, more people were willing.

Not only did Qin Sang acquire several high-quality healing pills, he even managed to obtain a rare bottle of cultivation-enhancing pills. All in all, the trip had not been in vain.

Once the exchange was complete, the next cultivator stepped forward. Just as Qin Sang finished putting away his items, his right ear twitched ever so slightly. Without drawing attention, he raised his head and glanced toward the far corner of the hall.

A stocky, short cultivator was staring directly at him. Their eyes met, and the man gave him a subtle nod before calmly turning to look at the next item being presented.

Qin Sang’s brow furrowed slightly as he lowered his gaze, lost in thought. But soon, the ongoing trades once again drew his attention.

Despite the long wait, the actual trading moved quickly. Just past noon, the final exchange concluded. The elder said a few polite closing remarks before announcing the end of the event. Soon after, everyone dispersed under the guidance of the market officials and left the island in groups.

Before parting, the elder handed Qin Sang a luopan and invited him to attend the next gathering.

After departing the island, Qin Sang flew a fair distance on his sword, glancing warily behind. He eventually settled on a desolate island and took out his geomantic map. On it, he located a small island named Blackhawk Island, which lay within the same sea region.

Staring at the little island marked on the geomantic map, Qin Sang’s eyes grew contemplative.

Back at the trade meet, Qin Sang had already given up hope. But to his surprise, that stocky cultivator had secretly sent him a voice transmission, claiming he knew a way to safely traverse the Thousand-Demon Sea. He hadn’t asked for any of the items Qin Sang had offered either. He only told him to come to Blackhawk Island after leaving the market if he was interested.

After a moment’s deliberation, Qin Sang decided to take a look.

But first, there was something else he needed to do, something he could hardly wait for.

He arranged soundproofing barriers all around him, then sat cross-legged on the ground. He removed the bone flute hanging from his neck and took out the other matching piece as well.

Holding his breath, he examined both pieces carefully. Sure enough, they looked identical. No difference could be seen, even up close.

He placed the two bone flutes in the palms of each hand. Though they were now reunited, nothing unusual happened. A flicker of doubt crossed Qin Sang’s eyes. In the end, he took the initiative to bring them closer together.

A crisp crack rang out at the moment of contact, and the two bone flutes fused together on their own.

Qin Sang’s expression shifted. He was just about to activate his barriers and prepare to flee in case the commotion attracted nearby cultivators.

But unexpectedly, after the fusion, the bone flute only gave a faint tremor. A wave of light rippled across its surface, then it returned to stillness. No other phenomenon occurred.

The most noticeable change was that the cosmic star force within the flute had become denser and more prominent.

Qin Sang raised his hand and examined it closely. The two segments had joined seamlessly into a single, slender bone flute. They were perfectly integrated, with no trace of ever having been broken.

Once he was certain that the flute had stabilized, Qin Sang cautiously activated his spiritual consciousness to probe it. But just like before, it was like a stone sinking into the sea. Nothing could be sensed.

"So it seems this bone flute has more fragments scattered elsewhere. Until all the pieces are gathered, its true power will remain hidden..."

Qin Sang murmured to himself, feeling a strong sense of regret.

To obtain even a single piece of the bone flute in a foreign land had already been a stroke of luck. As for the remaining fragments, who knew where they had ended up? If they were like these two, scattered across different immortal cultivation realms, then the hope of finding them was exceedingly slim.

In the end, still unwilling to give up, Qin Sang tried many more times. But the result remained the same, and he could only toss the bone flute into a corner of the Thousand-Jin Ring.

"It’s about time to head over..."

Qin Sang looked up at the sky, then flew off toward Blackhawk Island on his sword.

By the time evening approached, Qin Sang caught sight of a shadowy island in the distance. The tallest mountain on the island resembled a black hawk spreading its wings, which was how the island had gotten its name.

As soon as he spotted Blackhawk Island, Qin Sang suppressed his evasion light and hovered in mid-air.

"Daoist Qin, you've arrived. Why not come down to the island?"

Just as Qin Sang revealed himself, a streak of rainbow light shot out from the island. The short and stocky cultivator emerged from it and called out loudly.

Qin Sang’s eyes narrowed slightly. He stared at the dim outline of Blackhawk Island and said coldly, "There seem to be other Daoists on the island. Yet you never mentioned that beforehand."

The short cultivator was briefly stunned before letting out an awkward laugh. "I never said I only invited you, did I? Rest assured, Daoist Qin. That person is an acquaintance. We just saw him at the trade meet. A few other Daoists haven’t arrived yet either..."

Before he finished speaking, another figure flew up from the island.

Qin Sang focused his gaze. Sure enough, it was the scholar-robed cultivator he had seen earlier at the trade meet. Qin Sang had a vivid impression of him. The treasures this man had presented were all extraordinary, and his strength was clearly not to be underestimated.