Chapter 44

But not long after, Qin Sang’s face was full of disappointment, and he let out a soft sigh.

He sprinted down the mountain, searching the chaotic battlefield with great urgency. After a long search, he found only two strips of cloth hanging from the branches, with no sign of a single person, not even a corpse.

The battlefield seemed to be confined to an area of a few hundred meters. Undeterred, Qin Sang expanded his search, but found no trace of anything.

Qin Sang held the two pieces of fine blue fabric, his gaze fixed on the valley below, which was now unrecognizable, his face deep in thought.

The peaks on both sides of the valley had collapsed, and the valley was filled with earth and rocks. The small river that once flowed through the valley was now blocked, forming a small lake upstream. Could someone be buried under the valley?

With so many rocks, he couldn’t clear them alone. After a moment’s hesitation, Qin Sang returned to the ancient path and ordered a regiment of soldiers to come and dig.

The valley was not on the ancient path, but no one dared to defy Qin Sang’s orders. They immediately set to work with great enthusiasm.

Qin Sang, growing impatient, joined in to help.

The valley was not large, but the accumulation of earth and rocks was deep. Qin Sang couldn’t help but worry that even if someone was down there, they would likely have been crushed to a pulp. He hoped the items hadn’t been damaged.

Layer by layer, the earth and rocks were removed, and before he knew it, night had fallen. Qin Sang, suppressing his anxiety, ordered the soldiers to prepare a meal and then continue digging through the night.

Some soldiers couldn’t help but grumble, but he pretended not to hear. Torches were placed throughout the valley, and they worked until late at night. Finally, the bottom of the valley was revealed.

The last layer of earth and rocks had been soaked into mud, and they were carried out basket by basket. Qin Sang was almost covered in mud himself.

At that moment, a sudden cry came from the front. Qin Sang’s heart leaped, and he heard a soldier shout, “General Qin, there’s someone down there!”

Qin Sang was overjoyed and quickly shouted, “Don’t touch him!”

He leaped forward in a few bounds and discovered that a hidden river had been dug out.

The terrain here was very peculiar. The bottom of a large green stone on the riverbank had been hollowed out by the river, forming a natural barrier. Several large rocks had fallen and blocked the gaps, but the hidden river was not blocked and still flowed with a gentle stream.

A person was lying face down in the water, motionless.

This person was wearing deep blue clothing. Qin Sang took out the fabric from his pocket and compared it, confirming it was from this person’s clothes.

Qin Sang bent down to check if the person was alive or dead, but then he heard someone call out, “Another one found!”

Then he heard Zhang Wenkui shout, “General Qin, this person is dead, his head was crushed by a rock.”

Another mutual destruction?

Qin Sang thought to himself that the world of cultivators was truly bizarre. They always died in pairs, but for him, this was definitely a great blessing.

Qin Sang immediately ordered all the soldiers to leave the valley.

The torches illuminated the mountains, and in the distance, wolves howled and night owls screeched, creating a chilling atmosphere. But Qin Sang’s heart was burning with excitement.

He reached out and grabbed the person’s arm in the stream, about to pull him out, when his expression changed slightly.

The person’s body was half submerged in the water, cold as a corpse, but the moment Qin Sang touched his arm, he felt a pulse!

He was still alive!

For a moment, Qin Sang didn’t know whether to be happy or worried, his face uncertain. After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to gently pull the person out of the water.

The young man had been in the water for a long time, his face pale, and his thin lips had no color.

He looked older than the Song family youth, around twenty years old, with a rugged and angular face. His breathing and pulse were extremely weak, and he didn’t wake up when Qin Sang dragged him out.

But cultivators couldn’t be compared to ordinary people; this person might not be beyond saving.

Qin Sang stared at the young man, his mind wavering. He was inclined to save him.

Seeking immortality, he had endured so much, tolerating the impatience and dealing with ordinary people, all for the sake of seeking immortality. Now that he had finally encountered a cultivator, why waste time in the mundane world?

Although killing him could make the King of Hell summon his soul for questioning, the soul’s existence was so short that it would be impossible to get a full picture of the cultivator’s world.

But Qin Sang couldn’t help but think of the blood sacrifices drained dry by the black-clothed demon. What if this person was also a demon? Or if he was a righteous cultivator and discovered that Qin Sang had practiced a demon’s technique, would he slay the demon?

Qin Sang was truly at a loss, unable to make a decision.

Unexpectedly, just as Qin Sang was internally conflicted, the young man suddenly opened his eyes without any warning. His narrow eyes shot out a gaze like a sharp sword, piercing Qin Sang’s eyes.

Qin Sang didn’t expect the young man to wake up on his own. Caught off guard, he felt as if the young man was seeing through his thoughts. Shocked, he quickly suppressed his intentions and made a decision, bowing and saying, “Qin Sang greets the Immortal Master! I wish the Immortal Master is unharmed!”

At the same time, his heart was on high alert.

The young man stared at Qin Sang for a while, the severity in his eyes easing slightly. He looked around and said in a hoarse voice, “Are you a general of the mortal world?”

The young man was indeed seriously injured, his voice very weak, but Qin Sang still heard him clearly and nodded, saying, “Qin Sang is a colonel of the Xuanwei Camp.”

“Xuanwei Camp?”

A look of confusion flashed in the young man’s eyes, but he didn’t delve into it. Instead, he asked, “Since you are a general, why did you bring your troops to the ancient Ling Mountain?”

Qin Sang hesitated. The surprise attack at Raven Pass was a military secret, and if it leaked, it would affect the battle and cost him a great victory.

But thinking that the young man was a cultivator, and if he could win his favor, why bother going to the Holy Mountain? Whether the Eastern Yang King won or lost was none of his business. He immediately explained the situation in detail.

“So that’s how it is…”

The young man nodded and tried to turn his head, “There should be another person nearby…”

Qin Sang quickly got up and carried the other body over. This body was in a terrible state, with a large rock crushing everything above the neck.

“Please, Immortal Master, grieve for your companion. He has unfortunately met his end.”

The young man sneered, “How could Han Mou be a companion of a demon? This person was a malevolent cultivator of the demon path. I happened to encounter him and slew him. However, his magical artifact was bizarre, and I almost fell…”

As he spoke, the young man coughed violently, his hand weakly lifting to cover his chest, his face contorted in pain. “Search his body… see if there’s a palm-sized pouch…”

Is this young man named Han really a righteous cultivator who hates evil?

Qin Sang suppressed his unease and dared not show any signs of it.

He carefully felt around the corpse’s waist and indeed found a small pouch. He took it out and saw that it was about the size of a colorful brocade pouch but made of gray fabric, looking dull and unremarkable.