Inquiry about immortality

Chapter 2709 Sneaking out

"Fellow Daoists."

Elder Mu looked around at everyone and revealed a startling piece of news, “During this period, in order to contain that demon, I planted divine intent crystal pillars around this area. I just activated all of them. These divine intent crystal pillars are connected to the Mind-Capturing Bell, and any movement within them will be detected by the Mind-Capturing Bell. Therefore, your movements cannot be hidden from Fellow Daoist Youyan. I am speaking this beforehand to avoid any misunderstandings.”

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became somewhat unnatural, as no one wanted to be constantly monitored.

But they had no way to express their grievances. Old Mu's reasons were very valid, and he acted with integrity and uprightness, so no one could find fault with him.

In order to contain that demon, can't we even tolerate this little bit of trouble?

"I will immediately go into seclusion. I ask Fellow Daoist Youyan to remain here. You all, please go your separate ways..."

Having said that, the old shepherd summoned his bamboo cane into his hand, strolled leisurely, and his figure blended into the mountain.

Youyan swiftly sat in the spot where Elder Mu had been, held the Mind-Controlling Bell in front of her chest, and closed her eyes.

The others looked at each other and spontaneously split into four groups, each flying in a different direction, preparing to advance the search from the outside in.

Qin Sang naturally went south with Jiang and Xie, while the girl in the purple dress and the old man surnamed Mu went east and north respectively, and the dark clouds drifted west.

Flying far away, among the three who had remained silent, Jiang Jiugao sighed and said, "To be honest, when I saw that Elder Mu and that old hag from the Nine Nether Demon Clan were old acquaintances, my heart sank."

This team was hastily assembled. Firstly, the main culprit had escaped, and Elder Mu was not confident in searching alone. Secondly, Jiang Jiugao and the others adopted a do-or-die attitude, which forced Elder Mu to compromise.

Once Elder Mu gains strong support, everyone else will be kicked out, especially the three with the lowest cultivation levels. Even if they form an alliance, it won't make any difference.

"Elder Mu and Fellow Daoist Youyan seem to have a past grudge. Those two unseen members of the Nine Nether Demon Clan are not weak. Their mutual restraint is our opportunity," Qin Sang said.

If things were to change, he wouldn't worry about losing his life, but his plans would certainly be impossible to carry out.

"That's right, the Nine Nether Demon Clan must be allies. The fact that our side is still stronger than theirs... unless Elder Mu has gone senile!"

Jiang Jiugao breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

The couple didn't have much ambition, and of course, they wouldn't dare to have any ambition in front of Youyan and Mu Lao.

After finding Lei Jun's cave, the main contenders will be You Yan and Elder Mu. Elder Mu has won them over, and he'll definitely want a share of the spoils. If, as speculated, it's one of Lei Jun's most important caves, it must contain a wealth of treasures. Getting a share will make the trip worthwhile.

Therefore, he did not hesitate to win over Qin Sang, whose identity was unknown, while Xie Jing lowered his stance to please the girl in the purple dress.

Qin Sang nodded, casually echoing Jiang Jiugao, her mind racing.

The Nine Nether Demon Clan and the Thunder Lord's Cave—the two major events that interested him most had unexpectedly collided. Unfortunately, he didn't have the strength to kill two birds with one stone, and now he had to be careful to hide himself.

The situation was more complicated and difficult than he had anticipated.

Elder Mu just explained clearly that once the second Mind-Capturing Bell is refined, it will definitely be able to capture the demon and force him to reveal the location of Thunder Lord's cave. Then, they must rush to the next place without stopping.

The Banyan Tree King had said that as long as he recovered his full strength and carefully planned, he could temporarily sever the connection between Miena and the Bewitching Demon Lord without relying on the Thunder Lord's Cave, provided that Miena was isolated. Qin Sang originally planned to use the power of these experts to try to lure Miena out of the Bewitching Demon Kingdom, and then take advantage of the chaos to act.

Unfortunately, they had too little time—just a few months. It was unknown how much of the Vermilion Fruit's medicinal power the Banyan King and the Vermilion Bird could refine, or whether they could make it in time.

Now that he is bound by the Great Oath of True Radiance and confined to this place, he is even more restricted.

Not only are their movements being monitored, but their secret communication techniques may also be discovered.

While Qin Sang was pondering, she heard Jiang Jiugao say that they had arrived at the southernmost point of this region.

No boundary could be seen with the naked eye; there was no difference between the inside and outside of this area. However, Qin Sang and the other two sensed in their hearts that there was an invisible barrier blocking their way.

This barrier will not restrict their movements, but if they rashly step out, it could cause misunderstandings with Youyan and Mu Lao, and the consequences could be unpredictable.

"Let's all keep moving and begin the search!"

Jiang Jiugao said in a deep voice.

Qin Sang and Xie Jing immediately flew to the sides, and the three of them stood in a line, with the distance between them being the limit of their divine senses. In this way, they could search inch by inch and not miss any place.

In fact, Qin Sang and Jiang Jiugao did not focus on the search; instead, they secretly communicated and got to know each other to avoid giving themselves away to others.

They were well aware of their responsibilities. Only when Elder Mu condensed the second Mind-Capturing Bell could they possibly capture the demon. Their current task was to keep the demon constantly on edge and unsettled, thereby weakening his strength.

Jiang Jiugao admitted that they came from a force called Yisheng Mansion on the True Glory Continent. They were the first batch of human descendants to migrate to the True Glory Continent after the True Glory Holy Clan made a compromise.

The demonic tide was imminent, and they had considered leaving the True Radiance Continent and migrating to the south, but their roots were already deep, making the move difficult.

Qin Sang used a false identity fabricated for him by the Banyan Tree King. The Banyan Tree King had traveled to the Demon Realm with Senior Qingyuan and was very knowledgeable.

Judging others by one's own standards, Qin Sang only believed three-tenths of what Jiang Jiugao said.

As expected, a month later, everyone gathered at Youyan. They searched every corner of this area, both above and below ground, using all sorts of supernatural powers and treasures, but to no avail.

The demon seemed to have vanished into thin air.

"continue!"

Youyan cherishes words like gold.

Left with no other option, the group had to turn around and search in the opposite direction.

Qin Sang and Jiang Jiugao also fell silent, only occasionally exchanging a few words about their respective discoveries.

It's January again, and they've reached the border once more, but still nothing surprising happens.

Qin Sang and Tian Li used their Heavenly Eye Divine Power to search, but they couldn't tell if the demon was hiding elsewhere or if even Tian Li's divine power could be blocked. The reason was probably the latter, as You Yan and Elder Mu's search methods were no less effective than the Heavenly Eye Divine Power.

"It's been two months..."

Qin Sang gazed at the desolate land beyond the border.

Over the past two months, changes have been happening subtly. They have gradually felt an invisible pressure enveloping the region, as if a stone were weighing on their hearts.

This pressure is increasing day by day, which shows that the Mind-Controlling Bell that Master Mu condensed is very special. It can be effective even without being fully condensed.

Perhaps it won't be long before the demon is forced out.

"Tap tap tap..."

Within the small grotto, the stone door of the Vermilion Bird Cave made a few noises, but fell silent again when there was no response from inside.

Time passed slowly, and another three months went by.

The group searched the area several more times, but the demon remained calm and did not reveal any of his aura.

"Tap tap tap..."

The Vermilion Bird Cave was struck again.

Every few days, Qin Sang would knock on Zhu Que's door, and with his persistent efforts, he finally received a response.

"I'm sick!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Zhuque was in a terrible mood upon waking up. "You surnamed Qin, I, Zhuque, will hang you up and roast you into a dried-up human body!"

Despite his greatly improved strength, Suzaku's personality remained unchanged, but his temper grew increasingly worse.

Outside the small cave, Qin Sang raised an eyebrow, remaining calm and letting Zhuque utter a few meaningless curses.

This guy sounds very energetic; the effects of the Zhu Guo medicine are indeed remarkable.

"I'm in trouble. How much of your injury have you recovered?"

Time was of the essence, and Qin Sang felt the pressure growing stronger. It wouldn't be long before the second Mind-Capturing Bell would be formed.

Are you going to die again?

The Vermilion Bird flew out of its cave and landed on the mountaintop, leisurely preening its fiery red feathers. Looking up at the sky, its eyes were full of schadenfreude.

"You don't intend to stand idly by, do you?"

Qin Sang's face darkened.

"Qin boy!"

Zhuque scoffed, demoting Qin Sang from someone with the surname Qin to a mere "Qin boy," and raised her head arrogantly, saying, "I, Zhuque, am a noble celestial demon, not your nanny!"

The First Sword Servant keeps you by my side, what else could it be but a babysitter?

Of course, Qin Sang only dared to mutter a few complaints in his heart. He remained silent for a moment and then said, "This time is different from before."

Zhuque snorted coldly.

"There is no danger to my life. I was just investigating a secret and got entangled in it by accident. I had no choice but to get involved."

Zhuque turned her head away disdainfully.

"A great opportunity is about to unfold..."

The Vermilion Bird pricked up its ears.

"If we succeed, the reward will certainly be no less than that of the Qilin Origin."

"What a great opportunity!" Zhuque suddenly turned his head back, his eyes shining.

"Bound by an oath, I cannot reveal this to outsiders. You can try to sense the outside world now. There are at least two late-stage Nascent Soul Realm experts around, whose strength is comparable to yours..."

With Qin Sang's cooperation, Zhuque was also able to sense the abnormalities in the outside world within the small cave.

Hearing Qin Sang compare it to others, Zhuque scoffed, "Once I, Zhuque, recover my full strength, killing them will be a piece of cake, and all the treasures will be mine!"

"Yes, yes, it's a pity we can't wait that long," Qin Sang sighed inwardly upon hearing that Zhuque was not yet fully recovered. "How much of your strength have you recovered..."

Previously, Zhuque snatched the Zhu Fruit and ran away, and Qin Sang didn't have time to tell her what had happened during that time.

He immediately told the Vermilion Bird about the origin of the Vermilion Fruit and his unexpected encounter with the Banyan King.

If the Vermilion Bird can recover most of its strength by refining the Vermilion Fruit, the Banyan Tree King should also be able to fight now. He needs the Vermilion Bird to go out and inform the Banyan Tree King.

"I can't tell you the truth. Just tell Elder Rong about the situation here, and he'll understand. It's up to him to plan. I'll coordinate from the inside. However, they have a secret treasure that monitors all directions. Can you leave here without anyone noticing?"

"A trivial skill!"

The Vermilion Bird looked proud; it indeed had a way to control the Mind-Capturing Bell.

Even if Elder Mu and Youyan had planned everything, they could never have predicted that Qin Sang would have such a freak as Zhu Que by her side.

Although his cultivation has not yet recovered, in terms of the sophistication of his supernatural abilities, the Banyan Tree King is no match for the Vermilion Bird.

"So it was that old blockhead. I had a vague feeling that something was wrong when I was in the demon realm, but unfortunately I couldn't find that old codger!"

Hearing that the Banyan Tree King was also in the Demon Realm, Suzaku was very excited. When the Banyan Tree King appeared in the Demon Realm, Suzaku was already asleep. The rest of the story was told by Qin Sang, which was not exciting enough.

Upon hearing that Zhuque had almost exposed the Banyan Tree King in the Demon Realm, Qin Sang was surprised. Was this guy bragging or was it true?

"Quickly open the cave, and I, the Vermilion Bird, will emerge from seclusion immediately!"

The Vermilion Bird swaggered and soared high into the sky.

'Shuh! '

Crimson flames emanated from beneath its wings, resembling two long tails, transforming the Vermilion Bird into a magnificent and extraordinary divine bird.

It wasn't until it flew to the entrance of the cave that the Vermilion Bird, still not satisfied, withdrew its flames, which then enveloped its entire body, transforming into a fire egg.

As the fire egg gradually shrank, the flame became increasingly pure and transparent.

With the cave open, Qin Sang was certain that the Vermilion Bird had left, but there was nothing unusual in her field of vision. The overwhelming pressure that enveloped all directions also failed to elicit any response.

After waiting for a long time, Elder Mu and Youyan did not make any move, clearly they had been deceived by Zhuque.

"I'll definitely have to get this guy to teach me a few tricks sometime..."

Qin Sang thought to herself with a touch of envy.

After awakening last time, Zhuque displayed remarkable supernatural powers. Last time, he defeated Yinshan Fujun so badly that he couldn't even lift his head. This time, he moved freely within the supernatural powers that Mu Lao was so proud of. This is the true strength of a celestial demon.

Its memory has probably recovered most of its strength, and it is more than capable of guiding Qin Sang.

However, this guy is becoming increasingly arrogant, and he certainly won't give his all for nothing. Qin Sang is prepared to suffer a huge loss.

With a flicker of her eyes, Qin Sang continued to perform her duties, diligently searching for the demon's whereabouts.

Two months passed after Zhuque left, and Qin Sang still hadn't received any news from Zhuque or the Banyan Tree King. But he wasn't worried; the Banyan Tree King was mature and prudent, and would surely make a thorough plan.

Next, a new change occurred: the rate at which the pressure was increasing was clearly accelerating, indicating that Elder Mu was speeding up the process.

Jiang Jiugao couldn't help but chat with Qin Sang, his tone quite delighted. This time it went very smoothly. Although they had been stuck here for more than half a year, fortunately, apart from the Nine Nether Demon Clan, they hadn't attracted any more competitors, and they still had a chance to get a share of the pie.

Qin Sang raised his head, and the boundless dark clouds seemed to be the manifestation of that oppressive aura. He couldn't help but feel doubtful, wondering how much of the Banyan Tree King's injuries and strength had been restored, and what his plans were.

The pressure was increasing day by day, and everyone could feel that it was about to reach a critical point.

That demon is quite patient, and hasn't made any unusual moves so far, making people wonder if they've lost track of him.

Qin Sang had already made up his mind. If he still didn't receive any news about the Banyan Tree King, he would go to the Thunder Lord's Cave with Elder Mu and the others.

As the pressure increased, the area targeted by Elder Mu began to experience frequent earthquakes, with the earth rumbling loudly.

At this moment, Qin Sang, who was searching for the demon, suddenly sensed a familiar aura and then saw an astonishing scene.

Suddenly, a tiny crack appeared in the ground in front of him, a flash of green light appeared, and a banyan sapling grew out.

The Banyan King was able to openly and brazenly invade the area locked by Elder Mu!

The next moment, the banyan sapling withered abruptly, the green light disappeared, and the ground closed up. An outsider would probably have thought it was an illusion.

The banyan sapling conveyed a thought: "Follow them."

Qin Sang felt much more at ease. The fact that the Banyan Tree King could do this meant that its injuries had greatly improved. With the addition of the Vermilion Bird, what else was there to worry about?

Just then, the earth suddenly trembled violently, and at the same time everyone sensed the divine will transmitted by Elder Mu and Youyan.

The Mind-Capturing Bell is nearing completion! (End of Chapter)