Chapter 1251: Luring with a Scheme
Chapter 1251: Luring with a Scheme
Although Qin Sang did not have to worry about a heart devil tribulation, his mind had long been clouded, and such impurities could not be easily dispelled by external means.
Qingjun had once borne a deep blood feud and fallen into devilish obsession, struggling greatly before breaking free. She empathized with Qin Sang, yet also understood that bluntly pointing things out would have little effect.
Qin Sang had just fought Dongyang Bo. It was precisely the best moment.
"Senior Sister, thank you for your guidance." Qin Sang’s gaze shifted uncertainly before finally settling into calm. He felt his mind become clear and unobstructed, as though a layer of dust had been swept away.
Back then, he had been treated like a plaything, manipulated at will. Two hundred years of resentment had taken root deeply. It had never been something trivial. Today, he had finally let it go.
If not for the presence of so many people here, it would not have been excessive for him to bow deeply to his senior sister.
Of course, this did not mean he had forgotten the enmity between himself and Dongyang Bo. Perhaps only a sage could do such a thing.
As the saying goes, the tree longs for stillness, but the wind does not cease.[1]
Once Dongyang Bo returned, how could he let matters rest? There would inevitably be further entanglements. What needed to be done would still have to be done.
However, Qin Sang could now face it calmly, no longer weighed down by bitterness and hatred.
His gaze no longer lingered there, but instead turned toward the next heavenly tribulation, toward higher realms.
Qingjun smiled and nodded, then spoke of another matter. "This Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet should originate from the Dao of talisman soldiers. But the Great Dao is interconnected. After this matter is settled, I can try to help you find a method to control it. It will also allow me to gain some insight. Even if this puppet is not the strongest to have appeared in Beichen Realm, it is not far from it."
Qin Sang said, "There are hundreds of ghosts residing within the puppet. Controlling it will likely not be easy."
"Since Dongyang Bo already knows it was you, there is no need to continue disguising yourself as a demon king. Rather than letting him use it against you, it would be better to reveal your identity openly." Qingjun reminded him.
Qin Sang had already thought of this. He glanced around at the others and said, "To reveal it directly would be too abrupt. I need to find the right moment. The demon race must also be given an explanation."
While they communicated in secret, everyone had already gathered.
Devil Lord Tongyou said, "Earlier, Daoist Xiang and I went ahead to investigate. We have confirmed that the direction from which the blood souls attacked coincides with the location where the anomaly previously appeared. These blood souls are very strange. They appeared suddenly. Combined with the earlier anomaly, it is possible that Old Devil Ye triggered the ancient barriers and accidentally released them."
"Sacred Lord, do you mean we should go directly to the location of the anomaly?" someone asked.
Devil Lord Tongyou shook his head. "We split up! Both the center of the basin and the anomaly site are possible. Old Devil Ye is cunning. He may have deliberately created the anomaly to mislead our judgment. We cannot ignore that either. Sin Abyss has its own methods. Sending individuals alone to investigate would be no different from walking into a trap. We divide into two groups and form battle formations. Even if we encounter Sin Abyss, we can hold out for a time. Once the target is found, everyone must remain patient. Do not provoke them. Send word to the other group and wait until everyone has gathered before acting. This may delay us somewhat, but with ancient barriers scattered throughout this place, they will not be able to succeed easily."
These two locations were the most unusual and most likely to be Old Devil Ye’s target. They had previously suspected the center of the basin, but the disturbance had made it difficult to determine.
With that, the group did not argue for long and chose to trust Devil Lord Tongyou.
Qin Sang and Qingjun went together, following Daoist Master Chongyi and the others toward the anomaly site, while Devil Lord Tongyou led the remaining half toward the center of the basin.
Along the way, more and more blood souls appeared. Now that they were prepared, they would not repeat their earlier mistakes. They slaughtered their way forward, quickening their pace, yet remained vigilant against ambushes from Sin Abyss.
Qin Sang walked side by side with Qingjun, occasionally releasing the fat chicken to sense for his mother. After traveling safely for a long time, they finally saw their destination.
"It’s actually a mountain of corpses!" The group looked up at the scene before them, their expressions uncertain and shocked.
Before them stood a mountain that was not particularly tall, far from matching the towering peaks at the basin’s edges. The entire mountain was enveloped in blood mist.
Yet it was extremely strange. Ancient barriers filled the mountain, and blood-red light permeated it entirely, obscuring everything. Only the summit was exposed.
On the sheer cliffs at the summit, enormous black iron cages hung one after another, each large enough to hold three or four people.
Most of the cages were badly damaged, but a few remained intact. Inside them were skeletons bound by iron chains!
These cages had hung here, constantly eroded by yin wind and subjected to various tortures, until their occupants were tortured to death.
The sight sent chills through the group. Those imprisoned in the cages must have been far more powerful than them, yet they had died here, reduced to nothing but white bones.
Arriving here, they did not see Old Devil Ye or the others. However, they noticed that behind the mountain, a patch of blood light was violently fluctuating, clearly abnormal.
"That’s where the blood light shot into the sky earlier, illuminating the blood mist!" Qingjun said in a low voice.
The group circled around the mountain and saw a massive blood-colored archway standing at its base, with a stone staircase leading straight upward.
The archway was in ruins, its inscriptions long worn away. The staircase’s original color was unknown. Now it had been eroded into blood-red stone by the mist.
"No one is at the base. There’s also no news from Daoist Tongyou’s side. We form a formation and go up to take a look. Everyone, be careful." Daoist Master Chongyi took the lead, with his two disciples guarding him on either side.
Qingjun walked at the rear, while Qin Sang was protected in the middle. They knew his perception was sharp and allowed him to focus on operating his technique.
Qin Sang was content to remain at ease. He silently activated the Sky Eyes, remaining alert to his surroundings to avoid ambushes. The group advanced in formation, passing beneath the archway, encountering resistance from ancient barriers, proceeding cautiously step by step.
Even Qin Sang did not notice that not long after they entered the mountain, a figure silently appeared in the distant void. It was the blood devil incarnation of Old Devil Ye.
The incarnation sneered coldly. "Tongyou is indeed cunning. But being able to draw half of them here makes my efforts worthwhile. It’s a pity that brat Ming Yue is also present. Otherwise, I would have let you all taste the power of the ancient barriers of the corpse mountain! A mere demon dares to involve himself in the affairs of the human race. He really does not know the pain of death!"
The incarnation turned and vanished into the blood mist, leaving behind a cold snort. His arrangements here were not limited to this, but due to Qin Sang’s presence, he had no choice but to abandon them.
Even as cautious as Devil Lord Tongyou was, Old Devil Ye had still succeeded. This had been an open scheme, meant only to delay them. Small Cold Domain had been forced to split its forces and proceed cautiously, granting Old Devil Ye and his group even more time.
"Crap! We’ve been tricked!" Halfway up the mountain, Daoist Master Chongyi suddenly shouted. The message sword in his hand trembled. It was a transmission from Devil Lord Tongyou.
The group exchanged glances. As Devil Lord Tongyou had predicted, Old Devil Ye had set bait here, then used the blood souls to lure them over, concealing his true objective.
It was unknown what method Old Devil Ye had used, but these blood souls had been drawn here to block them.
Fortunately, he could not control them. Otherwise, they would have been forced to flee in panic.
"Move!"
The group did not hesitate. They rushed down the mountain at full speed, heading straight for the center of the basin.
There were no obstructions along the way. By the time they reached the center, Old Devil Ye and the others were nowhere to be seen.
The two blood gates remained tightly shut, while Devil Lord Tongyou and the others were still attacking them with full force.
1. This is an ancient Chinese saying, meaning that the world changes regardless of personal will. ☜