Chapter 703: Chapter 703

Daoist Fan let out a bitter smile. "The sea around this island is vast. To scout the entire area thoroughly is no easy task. It would take a lot of time. Should we split up or go together?"

"I believe we should go together, just like we did before. That way we can look out for one another, and the search will be more thorough," the scholar replied calmly.

"Very well. Together it is! Time is tight. Let’s not waste any more of it. Move out quickly," Daoist Fan agreed readily.

Just as they were about to depart, the gaunt old man suddenly turned his head and frowned. " Daoist Qin, what are you doing?"

Only then did everyone notice that while they had been discussing how to proceed, Qin Sang had been squatting at the edge of the cold mist, holding a clump of grass frozen into a lump of ice, examining it with intense focus.

Qin Sang stood up and pulled out the entire tuft of grass from the ground. "Have you noticed how strange the cold mist is here? When I tried expelling it with true essence, it didn’t feel like ordinary cold qi. It was more like spiritual fire burning away my true essence. Also, I’ve discovered something odd. Look..."

As he spoke, a flicker of true essence flashed at Qin Sang’s fingertip, melting the layer of ice on the surface of the grass.

To everyone’s surprise, the blade of grass began to wither at a speed visible to the naked eye. Its green hue faded rapidly, turning into something akin to black ash. With a casual flick of Qin Sang’s hand, it crumbled into dust.

The group looked on, clicking their tongues in astonishment.

"Daoist Qin is certainly observant. I’ve been here once before, and I didn’t even realize the cold mist had such strange properties," Daoist Fan said, bending down to pull up a blade of grass himself. When he rubbed it in his palm, it too turned to ash.

Qin Sang simply smiled without saying a word.

A female cultivator chopped down one of the frosted trees. After the ice melted, the same transformation occurred.

Everyone stared in silence, unable to make sense of what they were seeing.

"This cold mist is definitely abnormal. If it were just ordinary cold qi, it would freeze the vegetation to death, not reduce it to ash," the female cultivator said seriously.

Under everyone’s gaze, Daoist Fan could only smile bitterly. "I’ve already sworn on my heart devils that everything I told you was true. If you still don’t believe me... When I went into the cave, I really didn’t encounter anything . Besides, I didn’t dare to exhaust my true essence down there. I made sure to preserve enough to keep the mist from invading my body. If you ever feel your essence depleting too quickly, you can always pull back." Read complete versıon only at NoveI(F)ire.net

"Maybe it’s precisely because the cold mist is so strange that a Spiritual Infant grandmaster chose to establish a cave dwelling here," someone said.

Since no one could figure out the nature of the mist, they gave up for the time being, concealed their auras, left the island, and began a thorough sweep of the surrounding waters.

They were meticulous in their search, even examining the sea beneath the surface.

When they returned to the island, they found that the cold mist had expanded again. Without wasting another moment, they held a quick discussion, laid down a joint warning barrier, and proceeded together toward the cave.

The cave’s entrance barrier appeared to be designed only to seal off the cold mist and did not prevent entry.

A stone staircase had been carved into the passageway, clearly manmade. Inside, visibility was completely blocked by dense cold mist.

Daoist Fan led the way. The others followed in pairs. Qin Sang volunteered to stay at the rear with the gaunt old man. Though the cold mist limited visibility, the distance between them was close enough that they could still faintly make out one another’s movements.

The moment they entered the cave, everyone involuntarily let out a breath.

The cold mist inside was far stronger than outside. A chill ran through their bones, and they immediately channeled their true essence at full strength. Feeling how quickly it was being consumed, they urged the short cultivator to move faster.

Without hesitation, Daoist Fan quickened his pace, and the others followed closely behind.

The tunnel twisted and turned, becoming wider the deeper they went. The earlier cramped path had given way to more open space. They spread out slightly and summoned their astras, remaining alert as they advanced.

Qin Sang brought out the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions, all three banners at once.

He set them in an array, then quickly absorbed them into his palm. Though the moment was brief, the sudden appearance and disappearance of the faint aura of devilish fire still drew attention. A few noticed something odd.

Someone turned to glance at him but, seeing no trace of the banners, appeared uncertain and looked away.

"Your astra seems rather unusual, doesn’t it?" came the gaunt old man’s voice via sound transmission.

Qin Sang glanced at him and replied coolly, "You flatter me, Daoist. Among everyone here, I have the lowest cultivation. I only broke through to the Core Formation Realm a few years ago. Fortunately, I happen to own a decent astra. That’s the only reason I’ve managed to survive in the Demonic Sea. But in the end, an astra is an external tool. Cultivation is the true foundation."

What he said was the truth. The old man chuckled and didn’t pursue the matter further.

Qin Sang gripped the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions in his hand. A thread of Devilish Flames of Nine Hells coiled around his fingertip. His expression remained calm.

Yet in his heart, countless suspicions stirred.

When he had just set up the banners and secretly activated the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, he noticed a strange reaction. The flames had become somewhat agitated, as if they had sensed something nearby.

This was the first time he had ever seen such a response from the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells since obtaining them.

Qin Sang curled his fingers slightly, focusing all his attention on soothing the flames, yet they remained restless. It did not feel like excitement from encountering a kindred flame. Rather, it felt like a predator that had locked eyes on a rival and could not wait to devour it.

In the past, Qin Sang had faced opponents who also controlled spiritual fire. The most powerful among them had been a Golden Core cultivator from the Devilish Qingyang Sect.

That cultivator had trained in the Devilish Qingyang Fire. Qin Sang had battled him using the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, but the flames had shown no such reaction back then.

Could it be that the opponent was simply too weak, and the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells had looked down on the opponent?

"Could it be that a type of spiritual flame is hidden deep within the cold mist, one even more powerful than Wu Youdao’s Devilish Qingyang Fire?"

Qin Sang pondered silently. "When two powerful spiritual flames draw near, are they capable of sensing each other’s presence? It’s a pity that when I infiltrated the Devilish Qingyang Sect, I didn’t bring the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions. If I had, the sect’s Ancestral Sacred Flame might have stirred the interest of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells. I could’ve verified it right then..."

At this thought, Qin Sang’s expression turned grave. His eyes flickered as he stared toward the end of the cave.

If there truly was a spiritual flame hidden deep within, one whose power rivaled that of the Ancestral Sacred Flame, then it was no wonder that even a Transformation Realm demonic beast's hide had corroded so quickly.

But if that were the case, such a perilous place was by no means something Core Formation cultivators like themselves could venture into lightly.

"Is that man hiding something?"

Qin Sang did not believe for a moment that Daoist Fan had laid all his cards on the table. He was definitely concealing something, though perhaps not necessarily the existence of a spiritual flame.

Faced with a force of this level, no tricks would be of any use. And since the cultivator himself had come down here too, if he harbored any ill intent toward the flame, he wouldn’t be able to escape either.

Qin Sang could not yet confirm whether his suspicions were correct. The Devilish Flames of Nine Hells were, after all, a lifeless thing and couldn’t provide him with clear answers.

"For now, it seems the power of the cold mist is still within tolerable limits. I’ll wait and see what lies at the first layer of the barriers."

Murmuring to himself, Qin Sang withdrew the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells back into the banner and fixed his gaze on Daoist Fan’s back.