Chapter 719: Chapter 719

With a flicker of his figure, Qin Sang vanished from sight.

Suppressing his aura, he quietly moved northward, approaching Cold Flame Island[1].

Coincidentally, just like the first time he came to Cold Flame Island, it was once again dusk. The setting sun burned like blood on the horizon.

Estimating the distance in his mind, Qin Sang judged that Cold Flame Island should be just ahead, so he stopped and flew higher to get a better view.

When he finally caught sight of the area where the island should have been, he suddenly froze, rubbed his eyes in disbelief, thinking he had seen wrong, and instinctively flew a bit farther forward. Newest update provıded by novèlfire.net

Once he could clearly see what lay ahead, he couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

He still remembered that when he had been driven away by a horde of demonic beasts years ago, the cold flame had only just emerged but was already stabilizing, settled within a deep pit at the center of the island. Although the rest of the island had been affected, it had not been completely destroyed.

But now, Cold Flame Island had entirely vanished.

Where the island had once stood, the blue flame still burned brightly, flickering in place. Surrounding it were clusters of blue flowers formed from the cold flame. Some were floating mid-air, others suspended on the sea’s surface, resembling the river lanterns once seen in the mortal world.

To the west, the dying sun burned crimson, clouds aglow with fire. To the east, the Cold Flame still flickered gently, the surrounding waters bathed in a ring of blue like a belt of stars.

Qin Sang’s face was filled with astonishment. The cold flame was still here, yet now it had shattered into fragments.

This was far beyond his expectations.

He had assumed the cold flame had already been taken by the Transformation Realm demonic beast, but it had remained, and even the great demonic beast had left empty-handed.

Why has the cold flame splintered? What has caused the disappearance of Cold Flame Island?

Gazing from afar, Qin Sang was completely baffled. He scanned the surrounding waters with full attention, but found no unusual signs. The Primordial Unity Ring also gave no warning.

If the Transformation Realm great demon was truly gone, then even if other demonic beasts were nearby, escape would not be too difficult.

After a brief hesitation, Qin Sang steeled himself and cautiously moved closer.

Before long, he neared the cold flame. With the naked eye, he could now clearly see that although it had fractured, each bloom of flame remained stable, floating steadily in the air or on the water without flickering out or drifting aimlessly.

"Incredible," Qin Sang murmured to himself, lingering for a while before continuing forward even more carefully and slowly.

But just as he had moved a short distance, he abruptly stopped, surprise flashing in his eyes. In the next moment, he quickly retrieved a mask from the Thousand-Jin Ring and placed it over his face.

Faint ripples stirred on the surface of the water near the cold flame. Within those ripples, specks of golden light appeared. It was some sort of barrier.

Through the shimmering barrier, Qin Sang could see that the island’s foundation still existed. The island had not completely collapsed; rather, only the surface portion had somehow been wiped away.

Even so, to destroy an island of that size required a terrifying amount of power.

Then, a man clad in black armor emerged from the water. His gaze swept across the area and locked precisely onto where Qin Sang was hiding. He shouted angrily, "Come out!"

In the blink of an eye, the armored man vanished from his position.

Qin Sang felt a sudden chill in his heart. Without the slightest hesitation, he poured out all his power. Thunder roared as a red-and-white evasion light shot out like lightning, shifting his position dozens of zhang in an instant.

An explosion of seawater erupted from where Qin Sang had just stood. A spear shadow flashed and vanished. The black-armored man appeared slowly on the edge of the newly formed crater.

With a solemn expression, the armored man stared at Qin Sang’s new location. But upon seeing his face clearly, a trace of surprise softened his stern demeanor.

"So it’s a fellow Daoist..."

He looked Qin Sang up and down, noticing his modest cultivation. But because of the astonishing speed Qin Sang had just demonstrated, he did not look down on him. Retracting his spear, he cupped his fists and said, "This place is extremely dangerous. If you’re unaware of the situation, I suggest you leave immediately. I will overlook this intrusion."

Naturally, Qin Sang had no intention of leaving so easily. What shocked him even more was this man’s cultivation. That brief burst of aura he had released was at the late stage of the Golden Core Realm.

What surprised him even further was the man’s identity. Although he had never seen this person before, he recognized the distinctive black armor. They were worn exclusively by guards from Huntian Island.

Had it not been for his impressive speed, this man would certainly not have been so polite.

To think that the one guarding the cold flame was not a demonic beast, but a Huntian Island guard.

Has that the Transformation Realm great demon been driven away by the island master of Huntian Island?

Qin Sang did not immediately leave. Quietly gripping the Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions, he cupped his fists in return and cast a sidelong glance toward the cold flame. "Please don’t take offense. I was only passing through the Thousand-Demon Sea and noticed a strange blue light flashing here. I thought some rare treasure had emerged, but I didn’t expect it to be such a strange flame. If it requires you to personally guard it, then it must be no ordinary item?"

Perhaps due to the dullness of being stationed here for so long, the black-armored man did not respond harshly. Instead, he smiled and said, "It wouldn’t be wrong to call it a rare treasure. This flame is called the Dongming Cold Flame. It was born from a peerless supernatural ability cultivated by the former island master, Saint Dongming. After Saint Dongming passed away, he left behind the Dongming Cold Flame. Its power is extraordinary, enough to draw the attention of Transformation Realm great demons. The island master drove the demonic beast away and ordered me to guard this place. However, this flame bears the unique mark of Saint Dongming. It is said that before his passing, Saint Dongming was only a step away from the late stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm. Erasing his imprint and subduing the flame is virtually impossible for anyone else."

"Dongming Cold Flame?"

Qin Sang was truly surprised. He had assumed it was a naturally formed wondrous flame that had attracted Saint Dongming here. He had never expected that the flame had been cultivated by Saint Dongming himself.

So that cave dwelling had actually been the place where Saint Dongming passed away. No wonder it contained so many precious treasures.

"Transformation Realm great demon?"

Qin Sang feigned astonishment. "No wonder there were so many disturbances in the Demonic Sea in recent years. So it was because a Transformation Realm great demon had emerged."

The black-armored man looked Qin Sang up and down and asked in surprise, "Daoist, have you just returned from the depths of the Demonic Sea?"

Qin Sang nodded. "I had crossed the Thousand-Demon Sea before and have been hunting beasts deep within ever since. Later, I heard that chaos had broken out between the two races, and the sea routes were blocked by evil cultivators. I was anxious to return, but there was nothing I could do as I was completely trapped inside. A short while ago, I was fortunate enough to acquire a nautical chart and discovered this route, so I decided to take the risk and give it a try."

"In that case, you entered before the great conflict between the two races and have been deep within the Demonic Sea for nearly twenty years?"

The black-armored man was astonished. He gave Qin Sang a deep look and said, "You’ve hidden yourself incredibly well. I nearly misjudged you. Perhaps you don’t know that the chaos between the two races ended five years ago. The evil cultivators who blocked the route never became a true threat. With your strength, there was no need to fear them. Still, it wasn’t wrong to be cautious. That route had long since been overrun by beast hordes and is now completely impassable. The evil cultivators entrenched there didn’t escape in time and were wiped out by the demonic beasts, which saved us the trouble of cleaning them up ourselves."

1. This is the island where cold flame was found, named Cold Flame Island for smoother translation. ☜