Translator: CinderTL
Time flowed slowly, and before they knew it, four hours had passed.
At that moment, two figures, a man and a woman, approached from the west.
The woman possessed peerless beauty and a graceful figure.
The man beside her was pale and gaunt, his body radiating a faint, putrid odor.
Their pace was unhurried, their movements unusually cautious, clearly on guard against something.
Hidden in the crevice, Song Wen immediately recognized the newcomers as Jiang Lanruo and Hong Zhe.
Though he had never met Hong Zhe in person, he had obtained his portrait from Qi Luo long ago.
"Ye Bing, it's bad news! You need to leave now!" Song Wen transmitted urgently to Ye Bing.
Two thousand miles away, Ye Bing's expression turned to shock.
She was startled both by the urgency of Song Wen's message, unsure why he was so desperate for her to leave, and by the fact that he had returned and was hidden nearby. After all, their cultivation realms were identical, and their sensory ranges should be roughly the same.
"What's happening? Why are you so panicked?" Ye Bing couldn't transmit back, so she whispered her question aloud.
Song Wen replied, "Hurry! Jiang Lanruo has brought members of the Divine Blood Gate. There's a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator among them."
Upon hearing this, Ye Bing immediately soared into the air, flying deeper into the Rotting Miasma Ridge.
She had barely flown a mile when she stopped again.
"What about you?"
Song Wen replied, "I'll stay behind to eliminate Jiang Yushan and draw Jiang Lanruo and the others away from you. Otherwise, they might discover your trail."
"But that's incredibly dangerous!" Ye Bing said, her voice filled with worry.
"Don't ask so many questions! Go now! They're almost here. Back when I was only at the Divine Transformation stage, I managed to escape Du'e. What threat could two Void Refinement Stage cultivators pose to me now?" Song Wen urged anxiously.
"I'll wait for you in Crimson Rainbow City," Ye Bing said without hesitation. Her figure transformed into a streak of light, vanishing into the distance at breakneck speed.
Crimson Rainbow City was the headquarters of the Dual Polarity Sect. It was where the two had first boarded the sect's Giant Flying Ship when they ventured into the Qicang Domain.
Watching Ye Bing disappear, Song Wen let out a soft sigh of relief.
Firstly, with her presence, he couldn't help but hold back, concerned for her safety.
Secondly, when Song Wen had first detected Jiang Lanruo and the others, they were over a thousand miles away. Now, though their pace wasn't rapid, they had already flown past Song Wen's position and were only a few hundred miles from the cave where Jiang Yushan was hiding. If Ye Bing had lingered any longer, she would have been discovered.
"You two, don't come any closer. Otherwise, Jiang Yushan's life won't be spared." Song Wen's voice boomed across the sky, reaching Jiang Lanruo and Hong Zhe clearly.
Hearing this, Jiang Lanruo and Hong Zhe followed the voice to its source, discovering it originated from a towering mountain hundreds of miles away.
The speaker stood halfway up the mountain, a dark cave behind him.
Inside the cave, Jiang Yushan lay unconscious.
They had tracked Jiang Yushan's soul lamp to this location and had already sensed his presence within the cave. However, they hadn't detected anyone at the entrance, as if the figure had materialized out of thin air.
The pair halted, their divine sense locking onto the figure.
"Who are you? Why have you kidnapped my nephew?" Jiang Lanruo immediately recognized the man as the one who had trapped her in the blood sea not long ago.
The figure guarding the cave entrance was Song Wen's Cosmic Transformation Incarnation.
He had kept it hidden until now, activating it only when necessary.
He feared that Hong Zhe wasn't the only member of the Divine Blood Gate present and that someone with even greater cultivation might be lurking behind Hong Zhe and Jiang Lanruo. Caution was paramount.
It's worth noting that when Song Wen activated the Cosmic Transformation Incarnation, he discovered a rather troublesome issue.
Originally, the Cosmic Transformation Incarnation could draw upon forty percent of Song Wen's spiritual power, effectively possessing forty percent of his strength. However, now that Song Wen had reached the Void Refinement Stage, his spiritual power had become far more profound. The Incarnation, unable to bear such a burden, could only access ten percent of his power.
In other words, while the Incarnation currently exuded the aura of an early-stage Void Refinement cultivator, it was merely a facade—a hollow shell with no substance.
"It seems Fellow Daoist Jiang truly doesn't remember this old acquaintance," the Cosmic Transformation Incarnation said. "But that's unimportant. Today, I wish to propose a transaction with Fellow Daoist Hong Zhe."
"Oh?" Hong Zhe's surprise was evident. "You came here for me? Then you must know my origins."
"Naturally," the Incarnation replied. "Fellow Daoist Hong Zhe hails from the Divine Blood Gate."
"Since you know I'm from the Divine Blood Gate, you still dared to lure me here with this scheme? Your ambitions must be vast indeed. However, while Jiang Yushan is under my tutelage, he's not a formal disciple of the Divine Blood Gate—merely a Registered Disciple. Don't you find it somewhat laughable to threaten me with him?" Hong Zhe, unaware of Song Wen's true terms, immediately began bargaining, attempting to seize the upper hand.
The Cosmic Transformation Incarnation's eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold smile curled at the corner of its lips.
"Fellow Daoist Hong Zhe, since you've already come this far, why bother with pretenses? Jiang Yushan is insignificant, but the phantom shadow within his Sea of Consciousness is of paramount importance."
Hong Zhe and Jiang Lanruo exchanged startled glances.
"You even know about the shadow void? It seems you came prepared. Speak plainly—what exactly do you want from me?" Hong Zhe demanded coldly.
The Cosmic Transformation Incarnation replied, "The method to travel from Qicang Island to the Eastern Profound Continent."
"Ah, so you're unwilling to remain confined to this tiny Qicang Island." Hong Zhe's lips curled into a faint smile, as if Song Wen's request were a trivial matter, hardly worth mentioning. "I see you cultivate the Corpse Path Art. Why not join the Divine Blood Gate? Become an outer sect elder like myself. Traveling to the Eastern Profound Continent would then be effortless."
Hong Zhe finished speaking, his gaze fixed calmly on Song Wen. He was confident that few in the Qicang Domain could refuse the Divine Blood Gate's invitation.
To his surprise, Song Wen shook his head slightly.
"Fellow Daoist Hong Zhe, I appreciate your offer, but I have no intention of joining the Divine Blood Gate. If you don't know of any other methods, I'll simply have to kill Jiang Yushan. After all, we have some old grudges to settle."
"Fellow Daoist, you hail from this tiny Qicang Island, yet you dare look down on the Divine Blood Gate?" Hong Zhe's eyes flashed with barely concealed anger.
It was unclear whether his fury stemmed from Song Wen's ingratitude in refusing to join the Divine Blood Gate, or from Song Wen's threat to eliminate Jiang Yushan.
"If you refuse to join the Divine Blood Gate, then your only option is to cross the strait between Qicang Island and the Eastern Profound Continent," Hong Zhe declared.
The Cosmic Transformation Incarnation retorted, "Do you take me for a fool? The Primordial Qi Death Zone lies between Qicang Island and the Eastern Profound Continent. How could I possibly cross it?"
"It's not entirely impossible to cross..."
As Hong Zhe spoke, his expression suddenly turned ruthless.
Nine black spikes materialized before him, shooting toward the Cosmic Transformation Incarnation.
The Cosmic Transformation Incarnation frowned, utterly surprised by Hong Zhe's sudden attack.
Was Hong Zhe truly willing to disregard Jiang Yushan's life?
(End of the Chapter)
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Translator's Corner
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