Chapter 225: A Reunion with an Old Friend
Whoosh!
Hurricanes, thunderbolts, celestial fire, blizzards...
Countless celestial phenomena swept through in succession, causing the ground to tremble, mountains to shake, and monstrous waves to surge.
In the face of such terrifying celestial phenomena, even the small lake could no longer remain calm, appearing extraordinarily fragile.
The refuge within the lake, reinforced and repaired by countless cultivators over countless years, had endured for an unknown period of time. Qin Sang had sought shelter there many times before, and the refuge had always remained as steady as a mountain. Yet, for the first time, he witnessed such a scene.
He and Wandering Man no longer had the mood for casual conversation. They focused all their energy on maintaining the barrier of the refuge, their expressions grave as Qin Sang spoke solemnly, "Over the years, it seems that the power of celestial phenomena has grown stronger. The force of this celestial phenomenon is several times more powerful than before. Daoists deep within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield must be facing great danger..."
The deeper one ventured into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, the more unstable the space became, and the destructive power of celestial phenomena grew ever more terrifying.
An ordinary refuge would likely struggle to withstand the shockwaves of this celestial phenomenon.
"This is a sign that the Spirit Tide is approaching."
Wandering Man’s gaze grew profound as he looked through the lake’s water toward the storm above—dark clouds, lightning, gale-force winds, and torrential rain. His tone was one of wistful reflection, "They say only those who have witnessed the eruption of the Spirit Tide can understand the true meaning of world-destroying power..."
Qin Sang froze slightly. "Spirit Tide?"
Over the years, he had indeed heard of the Spirit Tide. It was said to be a form of celestial phenomenon within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, but one with the most terrifying power. When the Spirit Tide arrived, there would be no safe place in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Unless one had immense confidence in both their own strength and luck, the best option was to leave the battlefield, seek shelter in the seven strongholds, and wait for the Spirit Tide to subside before returning to explore.
Fortunately, each eruption of the Spirit Tide was separated by varying lengths of time—sometimes even hundreds of years—meaning many cultivators never witnessed its occurrence in their lifetimes.
The Spirit Tide brought extreme destruction, but it could also offer opportunities. Many hidden realms were affected by the tide, with their barriers damaged, and the unstable space caused previously concealed realms to be revealed—these were unexamined hidden realms filled with ancient immortal legacies and countless treasures.
Qin Sang raised his head, following Wandering Man's gaze. The lightning gradually grew less frequent, and the dark clouds parted to reveal cracks, letting the sunlight shine through. He knew that the force of the celestial phenomenon was beginning to weaken.
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He pondered inwardly, If the Spirit Tide emerges, it's best to retreat to Xuanlu Stronghold in advance. After all, remaining within a hidden realm may not guarantee safety. With my current strength, I am not bold enough to brave the Ancient Immortal Battlefield during a Spirit Tide.
As for the hidden realms and their treasures, only those with truly extraordinary luck could encounter them. Rather than placing hope in such an ephemeral chance, it would be better to focus on cultivation.
But Qin Sang also understood that such omens were merely signs, and the Spirit Tide could take decades to truly manifest. Worrying about it now seemed like foolish paranoia.
In an instant, the storm cleared, the rain stopped, and the sky was as clear as ever.
The blazing sun shone down, and the outside world was as peaceful as if the apocalyptic scene had never occurred.
Qin Sang and Wandering Man repaired the damaged barrier within the refuge, then boarded the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat and headed toward Tianjing Hidden Realm. With the celestial phenomena ended and the Cloud Beasts returning to their nests, they encountered only a few scattered Cloud Beasts along the way, which they dispatched with ease.
In less than two days, they reached the entrance to Tianjing Hidden Realm.
Qin Sang, accompanied by Wandering Man, entered the hidden realm. Standing at the entrance, he had the guards summon Teng Nan. No sooner had the guards left than three streaks of evasion light sped toward them from deep within the hidden realm.
Two of these streaks seemed familiar. Qin Sang paused for a moment, recalling the identities of their owners, a look of surprise flashing across his face.
The evasion lights reached them in the blink of an eye, and three figures landed before them.
The leader was Senior Brother Teng Nan, who greeted Qin Sang before walking toward Wandering Man to inspect his Shadow Guards’ token. The other two figures were Mu Yifeng and Ascetic Yunqiong!
"Junior Brother Qin, didn’t expect to see us here, huh?"
Mu Yifeng laughed heartily, patting Qin Sang's shoulder in a friendly manner. "I’ve heard you’ve been stuck in this godforsaken place for over twenty years. I haven’t had the time to come and visit you. Your aura has become much steadier compared to before. That Teng fellow hasn’t mistreated you, has he? If you’ve suffered any grievances, feel free to say it. Your senior brother will definitely help you get your revenge!"
Teng Nan turned around and smiled wryly. "Senior Brother Mu, you’re being unfair. I would never dare mistreat Junior Brother Qin. The cave dwelling arranged for him is the best in this hidden realm."
"Ah, my small progress is nothing to boast about," Qin Sang replied with a tone of polite admiration. "But I must congratulate Senior Brother Mu on breaking through to the middle stage of the Foundation Building Realm! And Daoist Yunqiong is also about to break through. I’m truly envious!"
Qin Sang clasped his hands, his tone full of flattery.
It had been over twenty years since they parted ways in Gubei Town. He hadn’t expected Mu Yifeng to have broken through to the middle stage of the Foundation Building Realm, and Yunqiong’s aura was now much stronger than before. With the right opportunity, Yunqiong could soon break through as well and reach the middle stage of the Foundation Building Realm.
Qin Sang hadn’t expected to see them as soon as he returned to the Tianjing Hidden Realm. A sudden thought crossed his mind, and he asked in surprise, "Senior Brother Mu, Daoist Yunqiong, have you been assigned a mission? Are you perhaps traveling with Wandering Man?"
Both of them were members of the Shadow Guards, and since they suddenly appeared in the Tianjing Hidden Realm, it was likely that Wandering Man had received a summons to meet them here. Unless they were on the same mission, it was too much of a coincidence.
"This is Daoist Wandering Man? I've heard a lot about you!"
Mu Yifeng cupped his hands toward Wandering Man, his tone polite but far less familiar than his greeting to Qin Sang. After some pleasantries, he turned to Qin Sang and spoke with a mysterious air. "It’s not just us. Junior Brother Qin will be joining us as well."
Qin Sang froze upon hearing this. Five years had passed, and it was indeed time for him to take on a mission, but he hadn’t received any notification. Confused, he asked, "Senior Brother Qi hasn’t contacted me..."
"It’s because I didn’t want to trouble Senior Brother Qi." Mu Yifeng grinned. "This is a great opportunity. To surprise you, Junior Brother Qin, do you remember Daoist Yin who died in the mine twenty years ago?"
As Mu Yifeng explained in detail, Qin Sang learned the full story, and a look of joy spread across his face.
It turned out that twenty years ago, they had reported the strange occurrences in the mine, and experts from Yuankong Town had entered to investigate. They eventually discovered a demonic headquarters in the fissure where Yin Xingge had died.
The demonic headquarters was actually a hidden cave connected to the mine vein, which had been exposed when Yin Xingge dug into it.
Inside, for reasons unknown, lay countless corpses of demonic cultivators. At the deepest point, they found the body of a Core Formation Realm cultivator, which had transformed into a powerful humanoid Cloud Beast. Fortunately, the experts who entered the mine had been cautious, or many would have perished.
While clearing the demonic headquarters, they discovered that these humanoid Cloud Beasts were likely demonic cultivators from thousands of years ago, when Xuanlu Stronghold was still under the control of the demonic sect, and demonic cultivators were active in the area.
In the end, they found a clue to a hidden realm on one of the Core Formation cultivators.
The demonic sect had been driven out by the righteous path, so they naturally wouldn’t relinquish control of their hidden realms. As time passed, the demonic sect failed to retake Xuanlu Stronghold, and those who knew the truth gradually passed away. The hidden realms fell back into obscurity, their treasures gathering dust, forgotten by all.