Chapter 1136: The Willow Tree Spirit
After entering Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea, the white cat clearly relaxed. She leaped and darted between the bamboo groves. She was extremely familiar with this place and guided Qin Sang around other demonic beasts.
As they neared the center of Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea, she brought Qin Sang to a mountain cave and said, "Mr. Qin, we left Immortal Demon City in haste. Grandpa Willow still does not know we have returned. Please wait here for a moment. I will go back first and ask Grandpa Willow how he wishes to arrange matters."
Qin Sang readily agreed. Given the gravity of the situation, he understood her caution.
She nodded to Qin Sang, then turned and leaped out of the cave, vanishing into the vast sea of bamboo.
Qin Sang concealed his figure and stood at the cave entrance, a contemplative look on his face.
Sneaking into the demonic domain and making contact with the demonic beasts of Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea was only the first step. If he wished them to help him investigate Demon King Qianji and the mysterious stone tablet, he still had to earn their recognition.
He gazed into the distance.
After entering the bamboo sea, he had sensed the presence of demonic beasts more than once, including many plant spirits. The demonic beasts of Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea were gentle by nature. After being here so long, he had not encountered a single fight.
The sun set, painting the clouds across the horizon red. Night gradually enveloped the land, yet there was still no sign of the white cat.
Qin Sang knew that the news of Wandering Man’s death would surely have caught the old willow tree off guard. He would also need time to consider how to treat Qin Sang. Thus, Qin Sang did not grow anxious.
He walked into the cave dwelling, sat cross-legged, fed the Sky-Eyed Butterfly once, and then silently refined his sword array.
Before he realized it, midnight had arrived. The night was dark. No stars or moon were visible. It was so dark that he could not see his own hand.
After sitting motionless for half the night, Qin Sang’s eyelids trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.
A faint sound of something cutting through the air came from outside the cave dwelling. A white figure flashed in.
The white cat had returned. Seeing that Qin Sang had remained patiently waiting inside the cave, she let out a quiet breath of relief and said apologetically, "Mr. Qin, I have kept you waiting."
Qin Sang nodded indifferently and glanced outside. No other demonic beasts were in sight.
"Grandpa Willow asked me to invite you. He will remain in his cave dwelling to control the spiritual array and secretly divert the guards, allowing us to avoid other eyes and ears so that your identity won't be exposed..." she explained briefly.
They set out under the cover of night, crossed several mountain ranges without alarming any demonic beasts, and arrived at the old willow tree’s cave dwelling.
It was difficult to discern the beauty of the scenery at such a late hour.
Qin Sang maintained a measure of vigilance and quietly observed his surroundings. He noticed that she led him through a mountain gorge. The view suddenly opened before them, revealing a basin.
A faint white mist drifted above the basin. Within it stood wooden palaces, neatly arranged in orderly fashion.
Upon entering the basin, she led Qin Sang toward one of the palaces.
Suddenly, Qin Sang stopped. He turned his head toward a row of willow trees beside the palace. His gaze swept quickly across them before settling on one ancient willow tree.
"Mr. Qin, you are indeed formidable. You saw through my true form at a glance," a voice said.
In the next instant, green light shimmered upon the willow tree and condensed into a somewhat illusory figure that slowly descended.
The spirit of the willow tree transformed into an elderly man leaning on a cane.
His eyes shimmered with an unusual light as he examined Qin Sang. With a sigh of admiration, he offered a fist-and-palm salute and said, "Mr. Qin, I have failed to greet you from afar. I hope you will forgive the discourtesy."
"Grandpa Willow!" The white cat bowed obediently.
"Daoist Willow, your concealment skills are truly extraordinary. I only sensed a faint clue by chance," Qin Sang said modestly.
What he did not mention was that after the Sky-Eyed Butterfly advanced to the late stage of its third metamorphosis, even a Spiritual Infant grandmaster, unless skilled in concealment arts, would likely struggle to evade its Sky Eyes. How much less a mere tree demon?
"Mr. Qin, you do not need to be modest. Since my king entrusted Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea to you, there must be a reason. I trust my king’s judgment." The spirit of the willow tree expressed goodwill. Seeing no falsehood in his manner, Qin Sang felt slightly relieved.
They entered the main hall.
The willow spirit invited Qin Sang to sit and ordered the white cat to serve tea. Their etiquette was no less refined than that of humans. Qin Sang had previously worried that demonic beasts might be capricious by nature, but it seemed like he had overthought it.
"The predicament of Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea has likely already been explained to you by Xiaobai. Ever since my king disappeared, Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea has been battered by storms and drawn covetous gazes from outside. We finally welcomed my king’s return and stabilized the situation, only for upheaval to erupt in the world of immortal cultivation and for news of my king’s death to arrive..." The willow tree spirit’s tone was low, his eyes filled with deep sorrow and confusion.
Affected by his emotion, Qin Sang also felt a tinge of sadness.
The willow tree spirit steadied himself and continued, "With my king fallen, my cultivation is meager. I cannot protect Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea, but I also cannot allow the spirits within the bamboo sea to be butchered at will and ruin the foundation my king left behind. Xiaobai mentioned that Mr. Qin possesses a disguise technique..."
Qin Sang nodded and wasted no words. He simultaneously displayed the Heavenly Demon Transformation and his disguise secret technique.
"Indeed, an aura comparable to that of a Transformation Realm great demon! Mr. Qin could pose as my king’s successor..." The willow tree spirit was overjoyed.
Yet soon, as though recalling something, the joy faded from his face. Concern flickered in his eyes as he probed cautiously, "May I ask how long you intend to remain in Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea?"
Qin Sang understood his concern clearly. After a moment’s thought, he said, "At present, my foremost priority is to temper my cultivation and await the chance to form my Spiritual Infant. I have no sect and stand alone. Before breaking through, it makes no difference where I cultivate. However..."
His tone shifted abruptly, causing the faint smile on the willow spirit’s face to stiffen. "I also have a request. The matter concerns my formation of the Spiritual Infant. If I succeed in breaking through to the Spiritual Infant Realm, protecting Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea will be effortless."
As Qin Sang spoke, he noticed the willow tree spirit’s expression and guessed that he feared coercion. Qin Sang quickly added, "Daoist Willow, please do not misunderstand. Wandering Man was both a mentor and a friend to me. Regardless of success or failure, I will spare no effort in fulfilling what he entrusted to me."
The willow tree spirit’s expression softened slightly. After some hesitation, he said, "Since it concerns the Spiritual Infant Realm, it must be no trivial matter. What can we do for you, Mr. Qin?"
"I wish to ask you to inquire about something..." Qin Sang inclined his body slightly and explained his purpose.
"Demon King Qianji! The mysterious stone tablet!" The willow tree spirit stood and began pacing back and forth, frowning deeply in thought.
Seeing that he had not refused outright, a flicker of delight passed through Qin Sang’s eyes.
After a moment, the willow tree spirit said gravely, "We plant spirits may lack the combat prowess of other demons, but most of us possess our own life-preserving supernatural abilities. However, our cultivation is shallow. We cannot approach a demon king’s cave dwelling at will and steal the stone tablet. Since Demon King Qianji values that stone tablet so highly, I'm afraid it will be difficult to uncover useful information."
Upon hearing this, Qin Sang was overjoyed. "Thank you, Daoist Willow. As long as I can determine Demon King Qianji’s background and the location of his cave dwelling, that will suffice. If it comes to facing the demon king directly, I possess some means of my own and will not trouble others."
The willow tree spirit’s eyes flickered with surprise. At last, he gave his word. "If that stone tablet can truly assist you in forming your Spiritual Infant, it will be a great blessing for all the demons of Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea. I will certainly do my utmost."
