After receiving Qin Zong's token, Fu Jun and the rest looked at Qin Shi with gratitude.
Qin Shi had given them a glimmer of light in the darkness of despair.
Qin Shi smiled and patted their shoulders, not saying much.
"Let's go." Feng Sha waved at them.
Fu Jun and the others bid farewell to Qin Shi and followed Feng Sha.
Only when they disappeared from his sight did Qin Shi let out a sigh of relief. "Finally resolved a big matter."
Then, he looked at the time. There were only three days left until the Talisman Demon Competition. He stretched and prepared to rest.
However, suddenly, an extremely powerful pressure, so powerful that it made him feel suffocated, flashed over his head. He was startled. A voice rang in his ears.
"Little guy, do you still remember who I am?"
This voice was full of holiness and ethereal, like the sounds of nature. Qin Shi didn't need to think too much to know who spoke.
Facing this person, Qin Shi felt a different emotion. He did his best to take a deep breath before pretending to be calm. "How could this junior forget? If it wasn't for senior He Shuhan's help back then, this junior would not be here today."
The owner of this voice was the Blue Snow Sect's sect master, He Shuhan.
"Hahaha, little guy, you're quite sweet. No wonder you tricked my little disciple into being so loyal to you."
"My heart for Xue Xin can be seen by the heavens and earth. I have no other intentions."
"Have no other intentions?
Then how do you explain your wife and child in Chi Yan and the spirit weapon in your arms? "He Shuhan's voice became slightly cold.
Qin Shi was shocked and thought to himself, "She actually knows everything?"
He Shuhan's voice rang out again. What was worth mentioning was that it was much gentler than before. "Alright, you don't have to be nervous. I'm not here to denounce you. Xuexin, this child, was born with a bitter life. If the two of you are really fated to be together, I will be happy for her. I'm here for one thing."
"What thing?"
"The God artifact treasure map!" He Shuhan said without hiding anything.
"Divine artifact treasure map?" Qin Shi instinctively raised his guard.
"You don't have to be on guard. If I wanted to take it from you, you would have already lost it on your way back."
"You followed me?"
"Not really. I just want to tell you that if this God Artifact Treasure Map can't be used to open a God Artifact, it's just an ordinary treasure map. However, there's a saying that I don't know if you've heard before."
"Are you trying to say that an ordinary man is innocent, but treasuring a jade ring makes him guilty?"
"Yes, that's right. I hope you can protect this Divine Artifact Treasure Map well. At the very least, don't let it fall into the hands of the Puppet Group. Otherwise, it will be a catastrophe for our Mortal World!" He Shuhan's voice was extremely serious.
Qin Shi also became resolute. He nodded and said, "Of course."
He Shuhan smiled with satisfaction and said, "Also, I'm here for another reason. It's about Xue Xin."
"Xue Xin?
What happened to her? "
"What happened to her?" Qin Shi became extremely serious when it came to Qin Xue Xin.
"She's fine. You don't have to worry. However, regarding Xue Xin, I believe you more or less know something. Although I can't be sure right now, the Puppet Group wouldn't make a move for no reason. They must have their reasons for targeting Xue Xin."
He Shuhan said softly. There was no pressure as a sect master in her voice. Instead, it gave Qin Shi the feeling of a mother worrying about her junior.
Hearing this, Qin Shi also fell into deep thought. He had thought about this for a long time, but he still couldn't find the reason. He knew that the Puppet Group was targeting him because of Benyu and the Nefarious Demon. However, he couldn't sense any demonic nature from Qin Xue Xin. There was only a strange energy that suddenly erupted from her body during the God Realm Ceremony. However, that energy wasn't baleful qi, so he couldn't figure it out.
"I will find the reason." Qin Shi said resolutely.
"Yes, you do know. It's good that you know. Then, I won't say more. I hope that you can still achieve an outstanding result in the Talisman Demon Competition." He Shuhan smiled gently.
Her voice disappeared into the horizon.
Qin Shi was in his room. His eyes were a little muddled. What happened between the Puppet Group and Qin Xue Xin?
"Xue Xin, don't worry. One day, I will definitely find out the truth!" He clenched his fists and swore in his heart.
After the conversation with He Shuhan ended, he didn't add any burden to himself. In the remaining three days before the Talisman Demon Competition, he cultivated in his room.
On the second day, Feng Sha came to tell him that Fu Jun and the others had safely left the Chaotic Lands. This made Qin Shi feel gratified. Of course, before Feng Sha left, he didn't forget to remind Qin Shi about the four thousand Demon Talismans.
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
When a white light flashed in the East, dispelling the darkness, a sacred power rose in the Chaotic Lands.
The Talisman Demon Competition was about to begin.
In the center of the outer regions of the Chaotic Realm, there was a mysterious place where the eight regions were gathered.
The entire Chaotic Lands was boiling with excitement.
In the inner region of the Chaotic Lands, on a high platform floating in the sky, there was a lady's room that looked a little lonely. Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, two figures flew across the sky. If Qin Shi was there, he would definitely find them familiar. The one in the lead was Dong Qing, who had helped Qin Shi when he first entered the Chaotic Lands.
Behind Dong Qing was the handsome young man, Zhao Xin.
However, compared to two years ago, the two of them seemed to have lost some of the sunlight. For some reason, they seemed to have gained a bit of vastness. In the short span of two years, Zhao Xin no longer had that faint smile on his face.
The two of them landed in front of the lady's room and gently pushed the door open.
Inside the lady's room, a petite girl was sleeping. In her laziness, there was also a trace of disappointment towards the world.
Dong Qing shook his head helplessly, "This little girl.
What happened one and a half years ago was a big blow to her. "
"Yeah, who would have thought that the four of us would end up like this. Fate really makes fools of us."
"No matter what, we have to tell her." Zhao Xin took a deep breath and slowly walked to the bed. "Ning 'er, Ning' er!"
"What's wrong?" Wu Ning opened her sleepy eyes, which were empty.
"Today is the Talisman Demon Competition. Let's go and watch."
"I'm not going. There's nothing to see," Wu Ning said softly, numbly.
"Really?
I think there's someone you might want to see. "
"Who?" Wu Ning curiously raised her head.
"Qin Shi."
"He's here too?" Wu Ning's beautiful eyes, which were calm as an ancient well, showed a rare ripple.
"Yeah, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't have come to call you."
Wu Ning was silent. She looked like she was struggling. After hesitating for a while, she gently nodded. "Alright, let's go and watch."
…
Outer Territory, Central Area …
It was a sea of people. Many disciples of the Chaotic Territory had come to watch.
Among the crowd, the first to appear was naturally the Chaotic Territory. It was the first time Yao Ming showed up among the outer territory disciples. He was still arrogant, his long robe fluttering in the wind. He smiled faintly, "Today is the Talisman Demon Competition, which happens once every ten years in our Eight Zones. I believe everyone can't wait. So, let's not waste time. Let's welcome the contestants of the Talisman Demon Competition."
The crowd clamored.
From the Chaotic Territory's side, more than ten people jumped out first. Undoubtedly, these people had extremely strong soul power. When they gathered together, everyone was shocked.
Of course, there was a withered shadow among them. That shadow wasn't eye-catching, but his aura was enough to oppress the entire place.
From the Sword Sect's side, Fang Qing, Feng Sha, and the others were following behind. When they saw the withered shadow, they slightly frowned. "It's him?"
"I can't believe that the Chaotic Territory has recruited him."
Qin Shi looked at the withered old man in admiration. In just a blink of an eye, the old man's sharp eyes responded to him, as if he could see through him in just a blink of an eye.
"Such a strong soul pressure."
Qin Shi was startled. Now that he was at the ninth level of Curse Peak Realm, the only realm that could give him this kind of pressure was the Curse Domain Realm, right?
"Is it the Curse Realm?"
In the human world, Domain Realm experts weren't rare. However, those who could reach the Curse Realm were as rare as a phoenix feather or a unicorn horn. After all, soul cultivation couldn't be compared to ordinary spiritual power. It required great talent and luck.
At least, until now, Qin Shi had seen hundreds of Domain Realm experts, if not thousands. However, he had never seen a Curse Realm expert. If this old man was one, he would be the only one.
"Master, who is this old man?"
"Him?"
Feng Sha snorted and said coldly, "His name is Ghost Shadow, a real Curse Realm expert. However, this man is very greedy. The eight territories have offered him an olive branch, but he has always been in the eight territories. He has never been too close to any of them. This has made many territories unhappy with him. Luckily, he hasn't been close to any of them, which has made them feel a lot safer. After all, a Curse Realm Demon Master can change a lot. However, I didn't think that he would represent the Chaotic Territory in the competition today."
"Indeed!"
Qin Shi's eyes darkened. The Curse Realm expert made him very anxious. It was beyond his imagination.
"Young man, this man is cruel and ruthless. Try not to fight against him during the competition. Do you understand?" Feng Sha kindly reminded him.
Hearing that, Qin Shi looked helpless. "Can I avoid it?"
Feng Sha was surprised. He shook his head and said, "If you can't avoid it, you must be very careful, even if you have to give up the competition."
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Qin Shi agreed, but deep down, he didn't back down. Feng Sha seemed to see through him. He shook his head and said, "I hope nothing goes wrong."
When all the contestants from the Chaotic Territory were in position, Yao Ming had retreated to the back of the audience. Yuan Hao would be the host for him. Yuan Hao stepped forward and smiled.
"Now, let's welcome the contestants from the other seven territories!"