Chapter 715: Chapter 715

A mere difference of one cultivation realm could mean a world of difference.

Amid his elation, Qin Sang carefully thought things through. The most likely explanation lay in the unique nature of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells.

These flames could directly assault the primordial spirit, and naturally worked just as well against demonic beasts. When paired with the Primordial Unity Rings, which specialized in restraining such creatures, the synergy was near perfect.

Had it been any other type of astra, the effect might not have been nearly as significant.

Qin Sang held up the Primordial Unity Ring, turning it over in his hand again and again.

Its grade hadn’t changed, yet its true value could no longer be measured by grade alone.

No wonder it had been considered a treasured secret of Yuling Sect.

Qin Sang once again marveled at the astra. Thanks to a twist of fate, it had been awakened to even greater brilliance in his hands.

Some demonic beasts possessed potent bloodline power and formidable supernatural abilities. Even against late-stage Core Formation cultivators, they showed no weakness. If he could subdue one such beast, Qin Sang’s strength would rise dramatically alongside it.

Typically, a Core Formation cultivator would spend years of painstaking cultivation before finally refining their life-bound astra into a middle-grade astra during the late stage. Those who possessed a middle-grade astra during the early or middle stages were exceedingly rare.

Among Qin Sang’s possessions, the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman certainly qualified. The Golden Radiance Armor could just barely count as well.

This meant he already held four treasures that rivaled middle-grade astras in power.

Of course, that was the ideal scenario.

To fully unleash the power of the Primordial Unity Ring, he would first need to locate and subdue a demonic beast at the middle stage of the Demonic Core Realm.

This was no easy feat. First, he would have to defeat and capture the beast alive. Only when it was severely weakened would there be a chance to break through its resistance. Even during the taming process, he would have to constantly guard against its struggle.

The more powerful and strong-willed the beast, the greater the likelihood of failure.

As for those beasts with formidable supernatural abilities, Qin Sang couldn’t even handle them right now, let alone consider taming one.

Moreover, the limitations of the Primordial Unity Rings could not be ignored.

A demonic beast that had been forcibly subdued and bound by an astra was completely different from one that willingly accepted a master. Its heart would remain unyielding, always seeking to break free, and perhaps even turn on its master.

Controlling demonic beasts through the Primordial Unity Rings were not like Qin Sang’s personally refined flying yaksha.

The force that restrained them came from the astra itself, not from his own soul imprint. The Jade Buddha likely would not be of much help in such cases.

Because of this, whenever he used a beast in battle, the moment he sensed his true essence nearing depletion, he would have to immediately withdraw it. He could not rely on it for too long in case it turned on him.

The stronger the beast, the greater the caution required.

Even with these limitations, the Primordial Unity Rings still brought Qin Sang immense surprise and joy.

His heart surged with excitement. He put away the yang ring, darted out of the cave dwelling, picked a direction, and disappeared into the deep blue sea.

The years passed like a fleeting moment.

In the blink of an eye, fifteen years had gone by.

It was the early hours of the morning. The stars had yet to fade, starlight still shimmered across the sea, and a thin veil of pale white had just begun to stretch across the distant eastern horizon.

All was still. Nothing had awakened. In this stretch of ocean, aside from the soft whisper of sea breeze and the gentle crashing of waves, not a single sound could be heard. It was utterly silent.

The sea was vast and empty. There was not an island in sight in any direction.

Suddenly, a streak of azure light shot in from the west at an astonishing speed. With a loud splash, it plunged headlong into the ocean and vanished without a trace.

A moment later, in another part of the sea, a figure the size of a warhorse silently rose from the water’s surface.

Bathed in starlight, its appearance could just barely be made out.

It was a two-headed demonic beast, its twin heads sprouting from its shoulders. Its form resembled a wolf-hound, but it radiated a savagery that far surpassed either creature.

What made it even more bizarre were the vertical pupils that gleamed from the foreheads of both heads. Its true eyes remained shut, while only the vertical pupils were open, flashing occasionally with green light, eerie and unnatural.

Both pupils were filled with anxiety. The most update n0vels are published on novel•fire.net

From its ribs extended two azure wings, but upon closer inspection, the wings were not physical. They appeared to be formed from some strange, condensed energy.

The demonic beast had a long, streamlined body. When paired with its wings, even the slightest movement exuded a natural elegance. Unfortunately, it was wounded, and the injuries severely hampered its movements.

A gaping, blood-soaked wound marred its abdomen. Whatever had inflicted the bite had viciously pierced through its flesh, almost exposing its internal organs.

In addition, one of its forelegs hung limp. It had already been broken.

Because of these injuries, its wings trembled unsteadily, causing it to fly in a lopsided, stumbling manner.

The demonic beast surfaced and glanced back. It noticed a white line trailing swiftly through the seawater from the west, heading straight toward it, and instantly grew anxious.

It licked the wound on its belly, then both heads let out a low growl in unison. In the next instant, its body shimmered and split into three identical forms, each fleeing in a different direction.

Moments later, a loud splashing noise erupted from the west.

That white line turned out to be parted seawater, surging forward from a massive shark charging through the waves.

Riding on the shark’s back were two figures. One was Qin Sang, and the other was the yaksha.

Qin Sang, standing atop the shark, came to a halt at the spot where the demonic beast had split into three. He scanned the surroundings, then pointed in one direction. The yaksha instantly darted into the air in pursuit.

Next, Qin Sang slapped the shark’s head and pointed toward another direction, speaking in a low voice, "You chase that one."

The shark's tail suddenly flicked upward, creating a wave, its manner clearly reluctant.

Qin Sang let out a cold snort. With a flicker of his mind, a ring-shaped projection suddenly appeared above the shark’s head.

The shark twisted in pain, rolling about uncontrollably.

Once the lesson was delivered, Qin Sang said coldly, "Azure Shark, if you help me catch that Two-Headed Hou[1] today, I’ll consider letting you go free out of respect for our years together. Otherwise, you’ll remain my battle pet for life."

Over a decade ago, Qin Sang had refined the Primordial Unity Rings.

After first subduing a demonic bird to fulfill his long-held wish of "riding a crane to the South,"[2] he chose this Azure Shark next and found it to be an excellent fit.

The Azure Shark was an early-stage Demonic Core beast, well-versed in water-based supernatural abilities, and once ruled the seas. Although it had never willingly submitted after being subdued, it had still contributed significantly under Qin Sang’s command.

Man and beast—what began in battle had become a grudging partnership.

Had it not been for the appearance of this Two-Headed Hou, Qin Sang had not intended to replace the Azure Shark so soon.

He had stirred up the Demonic Sea for over ten years, always hoping to subdue a middle-stage Demonic Core beast. But that ambition had yet to be fulfilled.

Three days ago, by a stroke of fortune, he encountered this Two-Headed Hou.

It was named for its resemblance to the ancient divine beast Hou, though it had no actual connection to it.

This species excelled at riding the wind. The wings at its ribs were wind-forged, not physical. They enhanced its movement and gave it an outstanding evasion technique. It also possessed a cloning technique that allowed it to split its body into perfect copies that were indistinguishable from the real one.

This particular two-headed hound was at the middle stage of the Demonic Core Realm. After splitting, even a late-stage Core Formation expert would struggle to discern the true body.

Under normal circumstances, Qin Sang would not have even considered going after it. But this hound had apparently gotten into a fierce battle with some other powerful beast and had been severely wounded.

Qin Sang had tracked it in hiding for two whole days. When the opportunity finally came, he launched a surprise attack, worsening its injuries and crippling its strength. Both its evasion techniques and cloning ability had been weakened.

And so began an entire night of pursuit and escape.

1. Hou is a Chinese legendary creature. It is one of the sons of the Dragon King, and has the habit of guarding. It has ten characteristics that resembles animals: horns like a deer, head like a camel, ears like a cat, eyes like a shrimp, mouth like a donkey, hair like a lion, neck like a snake, belly like a Shen, scales like a koi, front paws like an eagle, and rear paws like a tiger. ☜

2. This is a classic action of an immortal as recorded in ancient Chinese myths. ☜