Inquiry about immortality

Chapter 2723 A Gathering of Heroes

According to Xie Jing himself, he and his wife were also deceived. The girl in the purple dress suddenly turned ruthless, causing her to be trapped here. Jiang Jiugao's whereabouts are unknown, and his situation is probably not good either.

However, these are all Xie Jing's side of the story; Jiang and Xie may not be as innocent as she claims.

As they were talking, a new twist occurred.

Xie Jing in the illusion grew increasingly terrified. In order to dodge the Typhon giant's attack, he had no choice but to hide under the beast, his body completely merging into the beast's shadow.

When she was terrified, she let out a strange growl, and a fierce glint flashed in her eyes.

Qin Sang keenly noticed the change in Xie Jing, which was definitely not something Xie Jing did on purpose. Meanwhile, Xie Jing was still trying his best to explain to him.

As Qin Sang glanced around, she suddenly noticed something strange: the beast's face looked somewhat familiar, and upon closer inspection, it bore a faint resemblance to Xie Jing!

This is too strange. The appearance of that ferocious beast has nothing to do with humans. It even has four eyes and looks nothing like Xie Jing, yet it gives people a similar feeling.

Suddenly, the beast's face twisted, instantly transforming into Xie Jing's terrified expression before immediately reverting to its original form.

Qin Sang's expression changed slightly. This was no illusion. Xie Jing was merging with the ferocious beast in the illusion. When the beast's face truly became Xie Jing's face, it meant that Xie Jing had completely fallen for it!

This is the true danger of the illusion. When creatures fall into the illusion and experience sudden changes, their emotions fluctuate wildly. They become more and more convinced that what is happening in the illusion is real, and they take it as the real world, until they are truly trapped in the illusion and can no longer get out.

Xie Jing on the other side also sensed the danger, but she was powerless to do anything about it. It was as if she had split into two people. The Xie Jing outside could only watch helplessly as the Xie Jing inside the illusion sank deeper and deeper.

"Fellow Daoist, save me..."

Xie Jing pleaded desperately.

“Saving you is not difficult, but I am worried that the trust between me and you two has been broken. If I go to great lengths to rescue you, I will only be creating an adversary for myself!” Qin Sang said meaningfully.

Xie Jing swore an oath, "As long as Fellow Daoist Qingfeng rescues me and my husband, my husband and I will never oppose you and will definitely help you seize the treasures in this cave!"

"Words are no proof!"

Qin Sang revealed his true intentions, saying, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for completely opening your mind and allowing me to place a restriction on you. Only then can I feel at ease. Otherwise, I would rather go find Yi Ling alone!"

Yi Ling is the name of the girl in the purple dress. She claims to be a rogue cultivator, and Xie Jing has been unable to find out anything about her.

Meanwhile, Xie Jing in the illusion gradually became tainted by the ferocity of the beast without realizing it, and the beast's face increasingly revealed Xie Jing's essence.

Xie Jing had no choice but to agree to Qin Sang's conditions, and Zhuque immediately placed a restriction on Xie Jing's body.

'Snap!'

A bolt from the blue; fire rained down from the sky within the illusion.

The Typhon giants and the ferocious beasts were locked in fierce battle, completely oblivious to the strange celestial phenomena.

A crack appeared in the sky, and suddenly a giant fiery hand reached in and stirred it violently.

The illusion was shaken by the giant hand, and Xie Jing, who was inside the illusion, finally 'woke up' and tried his best to break free from the illusion's constraints.

'puff! '

A figure stumbled out in front of Qin Sang.

Xie Jing was in a terrible state; her wrinkles were even deeper than before, and her face still showed signs of fear and anxiety. It was clear that this experience had had a tremendous impact on her, and her character had been damaged.

If the damage isn't rectified quickly, progress may stall altogether. Of course, if Xie Jing is resilient enough, he might even turn misfortune into blessing.

Xie Jing forced himself to calm down, stood up, looking exhausted, and bowed to Qin Sang, saying, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for saving my life."

It was hard to tell how much of the gratitude in her tone was genuine, since her life and fortune were now in Qin Sang's hands, and she could only treat Qin Sang with utmost respect.

In a short period of time, Xie Jing had examined herself more than a dozen times using various methods. There was nothing abnormal inside or out, but she always felt as if there was a golden hoop binding her.

The invisible constraints were like a shadow in her heart, making her extremely uncomfortable, but she just couldn't find where that shadow was.

Qin Sang naturally understood that calming the mind was paramount, but how many people could resist the temptation of the Holy Venerable's legacy? The grace of being saved was often insignificant compared to the opportunity to attain enlightenment.

It was Suzaku who made the move; Xie Jing would have no chance of breaking through to the late stage of the Fusion Realm.

Xie Jing stood respectfully before Qin Sang, who from that moment on became her master. She noticed a small, exquisite red-feathered firefly perched on Qin Sang's shoulder, staring at her with malicious eyes, giving her a sense of unfathomable depth. Qin Sang made no attempt to introduce it to her, and she dared not ask any further questions.

Qin Sang was very satisfied with Xie Jing's attitude. He not only took a liking to these two people, but also to their sect.

By controlling Jiang and Xie, we'll have manpower available on the True Glory Continent.

However, Jiang Jiugao and Yi Ling are missing, and finding them is the most urgent task.

"My husband is still alive!"

There is some kind of secret communication technique between Jiang and Xie. Xie Jing used the technique and vaguely felt a connection.

Upon learning that Jiang Jiugao was not dead, Xie Jing's anxious heart was relieved. As long as the couple were alive, that was all that mattered. Even if they were reduced to servants, as long as they endured the humiliation, there would always be a turning point in the future.

"Lead the way!" Qin Sang immediately decided to go and rescue Jiang Jiugao.

Xie Jing recounted his past experiences to Qin Sang in detail. He and his wife had always been wary of Yi Ling and weren't foolish enough to separate on their own initiative. Unfortunately, Yi Ling was more cunning than they had imagined and didn't tell them the whole truth, which put the couple in danger.

After being persuaded by Yi Ling, they first left the deep blue sea area and followed Yi Ling into a secret passage.

Later, the two sides went their separate ways, and then Jiang and Xie also encountered an accident. The two were separated and originally planned to reunite after obtaining the treasure, but unexpectedly they both fell into danger. The treasure in Xie Jing's hands was also snatched away by Yi Ling, and it is estimated that Jiang Jiugao will not be able to escape either.

Fortunately, due to her vow, Yi Ling only wanted money and did not want to kill Xie Jing, who had a close call with death.

"What exactly is embedded behind the True Radiance Statue?" Qin Sang pressed.

“I don’t know either. It was an octagonal gemstone, perfectly shaped, with a smooth, warm surface and a crimson color. I pried it out following Yi Ling’s instructions, but I couldn’t store it in my spatial storage. I could only wrap it with my true essence. The gemstone moved on its own, as if something inside was attracting it and bringing me here…”

Xie Jing looked puzzled when she talked about the eight-sided gemstone. She had tried it with all sorts of supernatural powers, but the gemstone was extremely hard and could not be damaged.

"You mean there's more than one True Radiance Statue?"

Qin Sang's expression hardened slightly.

“That’s right. Before this, Yi Ling had already led us to find one, and my husband should have found one as well. Yi Ling used the first True Radiance Statue to demonstrate to us how to pry open the gems. After that, we split up, so there are at least four True Radiance Statues in this cave!” Xie Jing dared not hide anything and answered honestly.

"Did she say what the purpose of these gems is? What exactly is this cave?" A glint flashed in Qin Sang's eyes.

Xie Jing said, "She said this place is likely the treasure vault where Lei Jun keeps his treasures. Those Typhon giants and strange creatures are the guardians of the vault. One of the functions of the True Radiance Statue is to suppress the guardians. The key lies in the gems embedded in them. If all the gems are collected, we can uncover the true secret and find Lei Jun's treasure vault. But once the gems are pried off, the power binding the Typhon giants and other ferocious beasts will gradually disappear. We have very little time, so we have to split up..."

"Thunder Lord's Treasure Vault? Guidance?"

Qin Sang sneered, "You believed that?"

It must be said that Yi Ling's fabrication did have some credibility, no wonder Jiang and Xie took the bait, after all, they did come for Lei Jun's cave at first.

Xie Jing remained silent. Of course, they didn't believe it completely. They were confident that the couple would not be afraid of Yi Ling if they joined forces, but they underestimated Yi Ling. Now it was too late to say anything.

"Is Yi Ling hiding her cultivation level?" Qin Sang continued to press, wanting to understand Yi Ling's background more thoroughly. Yi Ling had set up such a grand scheme, completely outmaneuvering everyone; Qin Sang suspected her cultivation level was more than just the mid-stage of the Integration Realm.

Xie Jing shook her head. According to her, Yi Ling was indeed not as simple as she appeared, but her performance along the way was only at the mid-stage of the Demon Lord realm, unless Yi Ling was still hiding her strength.

Qin Sang pondered to herself.

Yi Ling's words shouldn't be taken too seriously, but in order to convince Jiang and Xie, she would definitely have to reveal some real secrets. Some of the information about the True Radiance Statue and the Eight-Sided Gem might actually be true.

It is very likely that Yi Ling was eager to get the Jiang Xie couple involved because the guards would soon get out of control, and with powerful competitors like Elder Mu and Youyan, she was eager to find other True Radiance Statues and pry open the eight gems, so that she could reap the benefits.

If that's the case, things are probably already in chaos outside.

I wonder what those Typhon giants and ancient beasts will do. Will they take the opportunity to escape the cave, or come to plunder the treasure vault? Or, as Elder Mu guessed, are they all subordinates left behind by the Great Celestial Venerable for his successor, waiting for the true successor to appear?

Whether it is Lei Jun's treasure vault or the Saint Venerable's legacy as Elder Mu speculated, we will soon find out!

With layers of illusions blocking their way, Qin Sang and Xie Jing, guided by Zhuque, both learned how to deal with them.

They passed through layers of illusions, and Xie Jing's senses grew stronger and stronger; Jiang Jiugao was nearby!

"There!"

Zhuque was the first to discover Jiang Jiugao's whereabouts.

Jiang Jiugao, like Xie Jing, was trapped in an illusion, but even more deeply than Xie Jing, and had already begun to merge with a cultivator in the illusion.

In order to awaken Jiang Jiugao, Qin Sang went to great lengths. Then, she used the same trick again, planting a restriction in Jiang Jiugao's body to bring him out of the illusion.

"Hoo! Hoo!"

Finally free from the illusion, Jiang Jiugao was breathing heavily and looked ashen-faced.

Xie Jing stepped forward to help him up, and the couple looked at each other in silence.

After Jiang Jiugao calmed down, Qin Sang asked, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, were you also ambushed by Yi Ling?"

“It wasn’t a sneak attack,” Jiang Jiugao said with a wry smile. “She took the gem openly and honestly; I’m no match for her. However, Yi Ling has been displaying only a mid-stage Demon Lord realm cultivation level from beginning to end. Now that she has all the gems in her hands, she’s fearless and has no need to hide her cultivation anymore…”

Jiang Jiugao brought important intelligence.

It was clear that after ambushing Xie Jing, Yi Ling went to Jiang Jiugao and snatched the gem from him, leaving her with four gems in her possession.

The moment the four gems came together, they suddenly burst forth with dazzling light.

At that moment, the earth shook violently, and something deep within the dense fog resonated with the four gems, their radiance transforming into a beam of light.

"Before falling into the illusion, I saw the precious light pointing in that direction," Jiang Jiugao pointed to the distance.

With a clear goal in mind, they took immediate action.

The surrounding illusions were a major problem. Yi Ling, holding the gem, was likely unaffected by the illusions, and the distance between them would only increase. Zhu Que racked his brains for a way to break the illusions and try to shorten the time as much as possible.

"These illusions must have actually happened in ancient times..."

Qin Sang murmured.

Within the illusion, he witnessed all sorts of unusual sights: extinct demon races, magnificent and mysterious phenomena, peerless powerhouses whose voices could be heard but not seen, and many members of the True Radiance Holy Clan...

It's hard to imagine that these illusions were created by themselves; they are so real that they must be a projection of history.

I wonder what the purpose of the Great Celestial Venerable or the Thunder Lord is in preserving these projections. Is it to commemorate that vibrant ancient era?

Qin Sang and Zhu Que initially thought that these illusions might hold some secrets, and tried to find the connections and patterns between them, but ultimately failed.

Breaking through the layers of illusions, their progress accelerated.

As they got closer to the secret, the Vermilion Bird suddenly turned its head to look back. Qin Sang noticed its movement and stopped.

"What happened?" Qin Sang thought another competitor had arrived.

Of the cultivators who entered the cave together, only You Yan and one of her junior sisters were still alive, lagging behind. Both of them were injured and might not dare to come in again.

"The old banyan tree ignited the feathers I left behind..."

Zhuque transmitted her voice, "It seems that woman was right about one thing: the surrounding power is weakening, and the message from the old banyan tree just now came in directly."

After a pause, Zhuque said in a deep voice, "It has lured out all the demons in the Bewitching Demon Kingdom, and it has not only destroyed one of the Six Desires Demon Lords."

"This..." Qin Sang's face darkened. She hadn't expected the two things to collide, especially since they were about to find Yi Ling.

With the gem in her hand, it won't be long before Yi Ling succeeds. Retreating now would mean giving up the chance to compete for the Saint's relics.

"I'll go, you stay here!"

Zhuque stretched and said, "The Holy Venerable's relics are valuable. You must get your hands on them and not let that woman get them!"

"Just the two of you? How confident are you?" Qin Sang frowned.

He certainly wouldn't dare compare himself to the Vermilion Bird or the King of Banyan Trees, but he could still contribute something. Since it concerned Senior Qingyuan, he couldn't afford to fail.

Zhuque snorted, "Heh, the Bewitching Demon Kingdom has mobilized its entire forces; their power is indeed formidable. However, it's not just the Bewitching Demon Kingdom that's been attracted this time. The Old Banyan Tree said this cave has been exposed, and chaos is likely to erupt soon... The more chaotic the situation, the better for us. Don't worry!" (End of Chapter)