Leaving aside how Old Devil Ye and the others would break through the gate...

After Qin Sang met up with Si Di, they first followed him a short distance to the left and soon encountered another person. It was the same devilish Spiritual Infant cultivator who had once accompanied Qingjun and Jiugu to bring Qin Sang to Zhitian Peak to refine the power of star essence.

This man was a trusted confidant of Devil Lord Tongyou, deeply relied upon. His Dharma name was Cangqing.

It was said that the pair of hook swords in his hands had reached an extraordinary level of mastery.

Back when Qin Sang had gone to Zhitian Peak, Cangqing had not made things difficult for him, so Qin Sang had a favorable impression of him.

As it turned out, although Qingjun and the others had been scattered by the blood souls, they had not been completely helpless. To avoid anyone being left alone and encountering danger, they had split into small groups of two or three when scattering, trying to stay together as much as possible.

Si Di and Cangqing had been closest to each other, so they had fled in the same direction.

The blood souls were too troublesome. To completely shake them off, they had later split up again. Si Di had been on his way to rendezvous with Cangqing when he ran into Qin Sang.

Although conflict between the righteous and devilish factions in Small Cold Domain had never ceased, in recent years they had shared a common enemy and joined forces against Sin Abyss. Their internal contradictions had greatly diminished, and they had become far more united than before, which could be considered a blessing in disguise.

The three of them quickened their pace and headed to regroup.

"I was delayed for a while due to an unexpected incident. Only after seeing the message left on the mountain peak did I learn that everyone had already set out. I assume the others have mostly arrived by now..." Qin Sang said as they moved.

Cangqing shook his head. "Dongyang Bo has yet to arrive. Daoist Tongyou originally intended to wait for him a while longer, but after noticing unusual signs, he had no choice but to set out first."

"Dongyang Bo?" Qin Sang feigned surprise. "He never showed up to regroup?"

At the same time, he pondered inwardly. Dongyang Bo had only suffered a temporary setback. It was impossible that he would be so frightened as to not dare show himself.

No matter how arrogant Qin Sang might be, he would not dare act against Dongyang Bo in front of Qingjun and Devil Lord Tongyou.

Although Dongyang Bo’s scheme against Gong Liangyu had been disgraceful and Qin Sang had witnessed it, the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet was now in Qin Sang’s possession. If the matter were brought up, it would be difficult to explain clearly.

Unless Qin Sang could resist the temptation of a Spiritual Infant Realm puppet and return it publicly to Shangyuan Tranquility Palace, the best choice would be to remain silent.

When Dongyang Bo had fled, he had split into eight figures that were both real and illusory. Even the Sky-Eyed Butterfly had been unable to see through them. It was unknown what secret technique or treasure he had used. It was possible that it required a great cost, forcing him to find a place to recuperate and leaving him unable to attend to matters here.

That would be good news. Qin Sang had been troubled by that technique of Dongyang Bo. Now it seemed that the cost was so great that Dongyang Bo likely could not use it freely.

Si Di snorted. "Until we were scattered by the blood souls, we never saw any trace of that old ghost. Although the outside is filled with forbidden zones, with Dongyang Bo’s cultivation, he shouldn’t have been delayed this long. Unless he forgot the greater priority, or knew something and deliberately ventured into some forbidden area, only to be trapped there."

Cangqing smiled. "That is only human nature. Who among us does not harbor such thoughts? Even if he ran into a minor mishap, it would not trap him for long. He may have already arrived by now."

Qin Sang smiled in agreement, but silently pondered something.

Along the way, blood souls roamed about, but all were slain by them. After traveling an unknown distance, they finally arrived at the agreed meeting point.

"Daoist Ming Yue has arrived!" Qin Sang followed behind Cangqing and Si Di. As soon as he appeared, he heard Devil Lord Tongyou’s voice, filled with delight. The others also showed expressions of joy.

He gave a fist-and-palm salute in greeting and swept his gaze across the group. He saw his senior sister, Chongyi, Xiang Qing, and the others were all present. Only Dongyang Bo was missing. He immediately understood why they were so pleased to see him.

"If I had not been skilled in escape techniques, I would have nearly died at the hands of Old Devil Ye. I must return that arrow someday... Fortunately, I am not too late," Qin Sang said casually.

Hearing this, everyone was overjoyed, repeatedly saying that he was not late. Qin Sang greeted them one by one and walked over to Qingjun, noticing the questioning look in her eyes.

Before entering, he had mentioned to Qingjun the matter of the fat chicken searching for his mother.

"I haven’t found her yet. If the Lightning-Devouring Falcon demon king is still alive, she is most likely trapped somewhere in the basin. After this matter is settled, I will need to take him around to search..." Qin Sang transmitted his voice, then briefly mentioned his encounter and battle with Dongyang Bo earlier.

Qingjun was astonished upon hearing this and could not help but look Qin Sang up and down for quite some time, making him somewhat uncomfortable.

"I didn’t expect to fight him here either," Qin Sang said with a sigh. "It’s a pity I had no extra help. I wonder if anything unexpected will happen when dealing with Sin Abyss this time."

"I knew your abilities were extraordinary, but I didn’t expect you to be able to force Dongyang Bo back on your own and nearly leave him behind. We know very little about Old Devil Ye’s plans. We’ve investigated for years without obtaining accurate information. We can only do our best and leave the rest to fate. If not for Tongyou restraining everyone, many Daoists would likely have scattered to search for the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood. If we fail because of this, then it is fate. It's not your fault..." Qingjun reassured him.

After looking at Qin Sang, she continued, "I have focused on the path of puppetry and have gathered various puppet secret arts. I also understand a bit about the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet. Such a puppet is a vicious construct and cannot be subdued. Dongyang Bo killed Gong Liangyu to seize that puppet, but it may not have been for himself. He places great importance on Shaohua Mountain, yet none of his disciples have reached the Spiritual Infant Realm. He likely intended to leave the puppet for Shaohua Mountain to strengthen its foundation. Even if none of his disciples can reach the Spiritual Infant Realm in the future, the sect would still have a Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet to guard it."

Qingjun was exceptionally perceptive. Combining various clues, she had nearly deduced Dongyang Bo’s intentions in an instant.

Qin Sang was startled. "Senior Sister, you mean..."

"I have long felt that something was strange about Dongyang Bo. Not long after leaving Ziwei Palace back then, he suddenly broke through to the middle stage, and during that period his cultivation surged rapidly, even forcing his way through a heavenly tribulation. But after that, his cultivation nearly stagnated, while only his life-bound astra improved rapidly. I once thought he had neglected his cultivation in favor of refining his astra. Now it seems there must be another reason. His next heavenly tribulation will likely..." Qingjun said meaningfully.

Seeing Qin Sang lost in thought, Qingjun called out, "Below the Spiritual Infant Realm, whether mortal or cultivator, all are bound by lifespan. Beyond the Spiritual Infant Realm, there is still the four-nine heavenly tribulation. And now, there is even the difficulty of a severed path of cultivation. These calamities press forward step by step. If you do not advance, you die! The Great Dao is ruthless. Junior Brother, you have already stepped onto this path. Do you still not understand?"

The Great Dao is ruthless! These words struck like a great bell, deafening and enlightening.

If Qingjun was correct, then Dongyang Bo had forcibly broken through using a secret technique back then, causing his cultivation to stagnate. Knowing he could not survive his next heavenly tribulation, he had begun planning for what came after his death.

After another hundred years, his enemies would perish under the heavenly tribulation.

Compared to the Great Dao and the heavenly tribulations, what did such grudges amount to?

Since being schemed against by Dongyang Bo and forced to flee to Canglang Sea, Qin Sang had never spoken of it, yet it had remained like a heavy stone pressing on his heart, impossible to let go.

Even after reaching the Spiritual Infant Realm, he had hidden his identity and devoted himself to seeking revenge. Revenge could be taken, but it must not cloud his mind and obstruct his path!