Chapter 1196: Traveling Alone
Chapter 1196: Traveling Alone
After speaking privately for a while longer, the Snake King offered several additional conditions, but Qin Sang rejected them all.
Qin Sang did not lack any astras. The ebony sword was on the verge of transforming into a top-grade astra, and the devilish banners were no less formidable. With these, he would not need to deliberately seek out new astras even after entering the Spiritual Infant Realm.
Seeing that Qin Sang truly had no intention of going and was not bargaining, the Snake King could only take his leave with regret.
After sending the Snake King off, Qin Sang reflected that he could not keep waiting for the ebony sword. It would be better to depart soon and let it continue refining along the way, while keeping a low profile upon first arriving in Sin Abyss.
Otherwise, if the Snake King and his companions stirred up trouble in Sin Abyss and caused it to tighten its security, Qin Sang might suffer undeserved consequences as well.
With this thought in mind, Qin Sang quickly arranged his affairs.
He found Jinglin and Si Di and told them he would be leaving for a time. Although they were somewhat reluctant, they also knew they had no real reason to stop him.
Fortunately, Sin Abyss had recently eased its offensive momentum, and Chanling had practically withdrawn into hiding.
Before Qin Sang set out, the fat chicken came to him and shamelessly begged to accompany him. "I have already refined the Azure Luan’s lightning power, and my Lightning Evasion Technique has improved greatly. I can also feel the bottleneck of the late stage beginning to loosen. Master, you are venturing alone into the dragon’s den. If something happens and you cannot handle it alone, would that not be troublesome? I am willing to give my life for you and serve you loyally. I will obey every command!"
Qin Sang glanced at him. "And what if we encounter pursuit from a Spiritual Infant cultivator of Sin Abyss? Are you not afraid I might throw you out as bait?"
The fat chicken’s expression froze. With difficulty, he replied, "If my death can secure a path of survival for you, I am willing to die!"
Whether he believed his own words was uncertain. Qin Sang sneered, yet he still brought the fat chicken along. He might prove useful.
Less than half a month after the Snake King left, Qin Sang departed.
According to the route he had planned, he could not cross the enemy’s lines directly through the grasslands to enter Sin Abyss. It would be safer to detour through the desert. Though it would take more time, it would be much safer.
He first traveled westward, passing Shiqu Mountain and arriving near Hukou Stronghold, where the demon race maintained a defensive garrison.
Sin Abyss’s defenses were noticeably looser here.
Qin Sang found an opening and quietly left Tianxing Highland. The surroundings gradually became more desolate. After traveling across a stretch of barren land, he finally saw endless yellow sand stretching to the horizon.
The desert heat was unbearable. Compared with the cool Tianxing Highland, it felt like an entirely different world.
Between the massive sand dunes, scorching winds howled, gradually forming the beginnings of a sandstorm.
A figure quietly appeared atop a hill. With brows tightly furrowed, he gazed into the distance. The world ahead had turned murky yellow. A sandstorm was approaching!
An invisible shield seemed to surround him, blocking all wind and sand. Even the terrifying sandstorm posed no threat.
That figure was Qin Sang. Observing the road ahead, he murmured to himself, "The patrols are becoming fewer and fewer. After traveling a bit farther, I should be able to move freely at full speed."
With his cultivation, he had little to fear unless he encountered a Spiritual Infant cultivator of Sin Abyss.
Still, since this territory had already been occupied by Sin Abyss, Qin Sang kept a very low profile along the way to avoid unnecessary trouble. Naturally, his speed was slower as a result.
Boom! In an instant, the sky darkened as the sandstorm swept in.
Qin Sang narrowed his eyes. His figure flickered and vanished into thin air, effortlessly passing through the storm. After flying onward for a while, a patch of green suddenly entered his sight.
"Another oasis, and the spiritual qi seems rather dense..." Qin Sang muttered.
After a moment’s thought, Qin Sang activated the Breath Concealing Technique and flew toward the oasis.
Before long, Qin Sang stood atop a verdant hill at the center of the oasis. Looking at the surrounding ruins, he released a nearly inaudible sigh.
This had clearly once been the site of an immortal cultivation sect. Now its headquarters had been destroyed by Sin Abyss. The sect’s disciples were nowhere to be seen. Whether they had died or scattered elsewhere was unknown.
Fortunately, Sin Abyss had not gone so far as to slaughter the mortals. The ordinary people within the oasis were still able to survive, though life in the desert had become far more difficult without the protection of immortal cultivators.
Scenes like this had appeared frequently along Qin Sang’s journey. The immortal cultivators of the desert had long since suffered under the blade of Sin Abyss.
"What exactly does Sin Abyss intend to do? And Old Devil Ye... Does he truly only seek to become the supreme ruler of Beichen Realm?" Qin Sang shook his head and continued onward.
The endless desert seemed to stretch on forever. This journey itself was a form of training.
Though Qin Sang mainly focused on traveling, he would sometimes stop to observe the desert’s unique scenery. Occasionally, he even ventured deeper into the desert, interacting with its cultivation world and observing the influence of Sin Abyss there. He hoped to learn as much as possible about Sin Abyss.
Along the way, he encountered several desert cultivation sects and witnessed many Dao Techniques unique to desert cultivators. Among them was a major sect guarded by a Spiritual Infant cultivator, with a long-standing heritage that rivaled the great sects of Small Cold Domain.
Unfortunately, that sect had originally been located at an oasis close to Sin Abyss. Forced by circumstances, it had abandoned its headquarters and relocated deep into the desert to avoid disaster. Fortunately, Great Beichen Desert was vast enough that Sin Abyss’s reach could not extend everywhere.
Yet what surprised Qin Sang most was that Sin Abyss actually possessed the ability to wage war on two fronts!
During his travels, Qin Sang happened to meet the sect’s supreme sect leader.
The two were strangers who met by chance. Neither sought to probe the other’s secrets. They simply sat together and discussed the Dao, both gaining some insight before Qin Sang departed gracefully.
The desert contained many hidden realms and forbidden lands, but Qin Sang had no interest in searching for treasures. Thus he traveled on, sometimes stopping and sometimes moving, spending more than a month crossing Great Beichen Desert diagonally before finally entering Sin Abyss.
Since it was wartime, Sin Abyss itself remained highly vigilant. Immortal cultivators who remained in their sects conducted frequent patrols.
Qin Sang had no choice but to slow down once again. At the same time, he carefully observed the customs of Sin Abyss, gradually enriching the geomantic map left by his senior sister while slowly approaching Jinhen Mountain.
Contrary to the propaganda of the Two-Domain Alliance, Sin Abyss was not some blood-soaked devilish realm filled with mountains of corpses. In the heartland of Sin Abyss, mortal societies lived in peace.
Because most cultivation sects were concentrated along both sides of Heavenly Scar, Sin Abyss adopted a different strategy toward mortals compared with Small Cold Domain. They sent low-level disciples who had no hope of advancing in cultivation to rule as kings, governing the mortal world and selecting talented youths as disciples.
Yet for some reason, wars among mortals still continued.
Qin Sang did not investigate further. After learning enough to understand the general situation, he quickened his pace.
Jinhen Mountain stood on the eastern bank of Heavenly Scar.
After repeatedly avoiding patrols, Qin Sang finally saw the legendary Heavenly Scar! The sight before him was indeed breathtaking. No wonder it was called Heavenly Scar!
The earth had split open here, forming a chasm nearly a thousand li wide. Its depths were unfathomable, plunging straight into the underworld!
One could not help but wonder whether one day the two halves of the continent might be completely severed.
Endless white mist rose from the depths of Sin Abyss. Even immortal cultivators who infused spiritual power into their eyes could hardly see the opposite shore. Fragments of ancient barriers drifted within the mist, flashing with strange lights and creating an atmosphere of extreme mystery.
Ordinary cultivators did not dare cross Heavenly Scar directly through the air.
At certain narrow points, various factions had established teleportation arrays. Though these arrays could not compare to ancient teleportation arrays in distance, they were perfectly suited for crossing the chasm.
"What an extraordinary Heavenly Scar." Qin Sang exclaimed in admiration.