Chapter 1402: Chaotic Devil Island and the Ethereal Sea

It was just as Qin Sang had expected.

He looked at Lan Jingsi, then at the jade slip, pondering in silence.

Lan Jingsi continued, "Senior Brother will make arrangements in a famous city of Boundless Sea. Once you make contact with his informant there, he'll receive word and come to meet you as quickly as he can."

Valley Master Mu had arranged to meet in a city rather than anywhere else was meant to dispel Qin Sang's misgivings as far as possible. Everything else could be discussed in detail when they met.

Qin Sang weighed the matter silently.

He had already planned to make a trip to Boundless Sea to investigate Pure Lake, so meeting Valley Master Mu along the way cost him nothing. The other party's urgency in summoning him to Boundless Sea likely meant he had run into some trouble and needed Qin Sang's strength. Otherwise, Qin Sang did not believe Master Feng's face carried enough weight for Valley Master Mu to trouble himself over such a trifle in the middle of pressing business.

If the other side wanted something, that was precisely his chance to set terms. What Valley Master Mu did not know was that Qin Sang possessed the Sky-Eyed Butterfly and was bent on obtaining the Spirit Elevation Rite. The initiative still rested in his own hands.

His calculations complete, Qin Sang reached out, picked up the jade slip, and swept his spiritual consciousness through it.

At the sight, Lan Jingsi broke into a smile, a trace of urgency in her voice. "The road is long, and the matter cannot be delayed. Please set out as soon as you can. If our hospitality has fallen short these past days, I beg your forgiveness..."

Clearly, she would reveal nothing more.

Qin Sang put away the jade slip, nodded to her, and rose to take his leave at once.

Without alerting the disciples, he left Hundred Flowers Valley quietly. Once beyond the miasma, he mounted his evasion light and shot into the sky.

Before long, Qin Sang caught sight of the azure ocean in the distance. But he was in no hurry to depart. Instead, he detoured to a nearby market and bought another nautical chart.

The chart Lan Jingsi had given him was simple, marking little more than a single route. Naturally, Qin Sang had no intention of obediently following it and meant to plan his own.

The agreed meeting place was called Nine-Precept City, an odd name, shared with the island it stood on.

Qin Sang purchased several charts in the market, each claiming to be the most complete, but found no detailed information on Nine-Precept Island. Comparing the charts, he plotted the first leg of a route, intending to refine it after entering Boundless Sea, and left Crescent Moon Realm that very night.

The waters near Crescent Moon Realm still lay under the control of the land powers. Beyond them stretched the true Boundless Sea!

He raced across the water.

The sea ran boundless to the horizon, dotted here and there with islands large and small. The familiar scenery stirred Qin Sang's memories of Canglang Sea, bringing an unexpected sense of nostalgia. He had cultivated on Canglang Sea for over a century and had long grown used to this life of drifting across the waves.

The rumors about Boundless Sea sounded intimidating, but it was not necessarily any more dangerous than some of the deadly places in Canglang Sea. Back then he had been a mere Golden Core Realm cultivator, far less capable of protecting himself than he was now.

Along the way, Qin Sang occasionally encountered immortal cultivators, and when the chance arose he would stop to gather news and purchase more detailed charts. Gradually, a clear picture of Boundless Sea took shape in his mind.

Within the chaos, there was an order of its own.

The present core of Boundless Sea was an island its cultivators called Chaotic Devil Island, along with its surrounding waters. The reason was simple: the island's master was a great cultivator, the Chaotic Devil Elder!

Though the Chaotic Devil Elder occupied the island, he did not bar other powers from entering. On the contrary, he let them do as they pleased, treating righteous and devilish, human and demon, all alike.

Countless powers had gathered on Chaotic Devil Island, and though the situation there was tangled and complex, it ran by rules of its own. As long as one did nothing to violate the Chaotic Devil Elder's taboos, the island was actually safer than most other places.

The Chaotic Devil Elder, however, harbored no ambition to unify Boundless Sea and paid no heed whatsoever to anything that happened beyond his island.

There were several other places in Boundless Sea similar to Chaotic Devil Island, merely less renowned. Nine-Precept Island was one of them.

Nine-Precept Island lay in the southern Boundless Sea, so after leaving Crescent Moon Realm, Qin Sang headed straight southeast. Midway, however, he deliberately swung a wide arc to a place called the Nine-Star Sea Region.

The Nine-Star Sea Region was the station of the Nine-Star Guild, a Boundless Sea faction. The guild was formed from nine merchant guilds active across Boundless Sea, an alliance of sorts, and enjoyed considerable fame in these waters.[1]

Merchant guilds had always been the best-informed of all, and it was precisely for news that Qin Sang had come.

At Nine-Star City.

Qin Sang changed his appearance, disguised himself as an ordinary cultivator, and entered the compound of one of the member guilds. Though he revealed only Golden Core Realm cultivation, he still received honored-guest treatment, with a guild attendant welcoming him personally.

"My name is Luo Chen. May I ask how I should address you, honored guest?" Attendant Luo warmly ushered Qin Sang into a private chamber.

Qin Sang had no intention of introducing himself and came straight to the point. "I want to ask about a few matters."

Seeing that Qin Sang had not come to buy treasures, disappointment flickered in the depths of Attendant Luo's eyes, but his enthusiasm did not wane. "Then you've come to the right place. Nothing that happens in Boundless Sea escapes the ears and eyes of the Nine-Star Guild!"

"Don't speak so confidently!" Qin Sang gave a cold snort. "Tell me, has anything major happened around Nine-Precept Island recently?"

Attendant Luo froze, then frowned. "That's rather broad. What do you mean by..."

"Anything that would draw the eyes of a Spiritual Infant cultivator," Qin Sang said, his tone hardening. "Anything at all!"

"A Spiritual Infant cultivator?" A chill ran through Attendant Luo's heart. He stole a careful glance at Qin Sang and said cautiously, "That goes beyond my duties. I'll send word to the guild's elders at once. However..."

Qin Sang took his meaning and tossed a pouch of spirit stones onto the table. "Is this enough?"

He was merely asking for news, not probing hidden secrets; spirit stones would suffice.

Attendant Luo's face wreathed itself in smiles. "More than enough, more than enough. Please wait a moment..."

"Hold on!" Qin Sang called him back and tossed over another pouch. "While you're at it, look into whether there's a place called Pure Lake."

Attendant Luo was puzzled. "Is Pure Lake the name of an island, or..."

Qin Sang shook his head. "All I have are the two words 'Pure Lake.' It may be a name from thousands of years ago, since changed."

Attendant Luo departed, still puzzled.

Qin Sang sat in the chamber, resting with his eyes closed. A good half day passed before Attendant Luo finally returned. "Apologies for the long wait! 'Pure Lake' was too broad; we had to comb through all manner of records, which took some time."

Qin Sang's expression stirred slightly. "You found it?"

Attendant Luo nodded. "I'm pleased to report success! As for Nine-Precept Island, everything around it has been normal of late, no major incidents, though of course it's possible something was deliberately concealed and never spread.

"As for Pure Lake, I had our people search the ancient records, and we did indeed find a place by that name. Time brings great changes, and much has changed beyond recognition; Pure Lake is no exception. The name no longer exists today, but after careful comparison, we can confirm this much: Pure Lake should lie somewhere in what is now the Ethereal Sea."

1. TL note: Nine-Star Guild shares the same name as a previous merchant guild under the Dongji Alliance. This is different from that despite sharing the same name. ☜

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.