Chapter 721: Chapter 721

After slipping out of the black-armored man’s line of sight, Qin Sang continued flying calmly for a while. Once he confirmed that no one was following him, his figure abruptly halted mid-air. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs Nove1Fire.net

He turned to look in the direction of Cold Flame Island, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face.

After a moment of contemplation, he scanned his surroundings, then landed on a nearby small island. There, he set up a concealed spiritual array and went into hiding.

A bold idea had just occurred to him, but he wasn’t certain whether it was feasible.

He summoned the Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions and drew forth the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells.

The devilish fire gathered into a single cluster. Qin Sang curled his finger slightly, and the flame obediently settled into his palm. Fixing his gaze on it, he focused on the aura it gave off and fell into deep thought.

There was no question that the current power of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells only reached the level of a middle-grade astra. Compared to the cold flame, the difference was vast.

Even a small wisp of cold flame was far more terrifying than what the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells could presently offer.

But this was not the true appearance of the devilish flames. Its main body had long been sealed within the Yan Luo Banners, suppressed by banner poles forged from the black iron columns. What was visible now was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Neither Qin Sang nor Founder Kuiyin could control the flame directly. They could only channel it through the demonic banner.

The black iron columns were extremely mysterious, inscribed with profound barriers that even the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells feared.

As Qin Sang’s skills in artifact refinement improved rapidly, his understanding of the black iron columns also deepened. He had once entertained the thought of using them to craft other astras, but now he dared not even consider it.

Daoist Jiupao had once tried to forge his life-bound astra using the black iron columns. The insights he left behind had merely been his wishful thinking. If he had not died, and had successfully seized a new body for rebirth, he would have faced inevitable failure and wasted high-grade spirit stones for nothing.

The barriers within the black iron columns were intricately layered and perfectly integrated. Even someone as powerful as Founder Kuiyin had been unable to reconstruct them.

It was only because the columns had been damaged for some unknown reason that a single flaw appeared. Through clever manipulation, Qin Sang had managed to separate them. Yet even then, the core of the treasure remained intact.

Without the black iron columns, the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells would be as untamable as the cold flame.

This led to another question: Could there be differences in power and hierarchy among all the various spiritual and demonic fires?

Qin Sang had been turning this idea over in his mind ever since. Having now observed the Dongming Cold Flame up close and compared it with the devilish flames sealed in the Yan Luo Banners, he had a vague feeling that the latter might actually be stronger.

The contrast between Saint Dongming and Founder Kuiyin offered some insight into this.

Saint Dongming had failed to break through to the late stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm, while Founder Kuiyin had been able to suppress the Small Cold Domain using only a portion of the devilish flames’ power.

Back when the Dongming Cold Flame had not yet split apart, Qin Sang would never have dared to covet it.

The power of a spiritual flame also depended on quantity.

Compared to such a massive mass of cold flame, the amount of devilish flames sealed within three Yan Luo Banners was pitifully small. It might even be devoured instead.

But now that the cold flame had been divided, there might just be a chance.

Although Qin Sang’s cultivation level was far below that of the Huntian Island's master, he possessed something even a Spiritual Infant grandmaster lacked.

If both flames were of the same nature, could he use the Yan Luo Banner and the devilish flames to suppress the cold flame’s violent tendencies and take it away?

Qin Sang knew very little about spiritual fires. This was nothing more than a bold hypothesis.

If he could secure even a single wisp of the Dongming Cold Flame, it would be an invaluable asset. Even if he failed to tame it in the end, it could serve as a surprise weapon, catching enemies off guard and instantly turning the tide.

At the very least, late-stage Core Formation cultivators would have no choice but to flee before it.

This was a risk worth taking.

Even if it meant offending the Huntian Island's master and Old Devil Mou, he had nothing to fear. The Inner and Outer Seas were vast and boundless. As a solitary cultivator, he could simply hide away again and keep a low profile.

What could they possibly do to him?

Having come to this conclusion, Qin Sang resolved to give it a try.

The only obstacle now was the black-armored man. It would take some time to collect the cold flame, so Qin Sang needed to lure him away first.

He waited patiently on the island for five full days. On the sixth day, under the blazing sun at high noon, he finally slipped away and began his fire-theft mission.

After leaving the island, Qin Sang summoned the Two-Headed Hou, concealed the yang ring, and whispered a few words.

Before he even finished, both heads of the Two-Headed Hou were already shaking frantically, clearly refusing.

Qin Sang tried every manner of threat and persuasion, but the beast remained stubborn.

This plan was doomed to fail unless the Two-Headed Hou carried it out willingly.

Left with no other choice, Qin Sang thought for a moment and said, "Help me steal the Dongming Cold Flame, and I promise you that once I reach the late stage of the Core Formation Realm, I will immediately set you free."

The Two-Headed Hou jerked its heads up, staring at Qin Sang with a face full of suspicion.

"I swear on my heart devils... Is that enough for you?"

Under the protection of the Jade Buddha, Qin Sang had no fear of heart devils, but he also would not deceive a demonic beast. Once he broke through to the late stage of the Core Formation Realm, the Two-Headed Hou would no longer be of much use to him. He could simply replace it.

The Two-Headed Hou let out a low growl, as if warning Qin Sang not to break his promise. Then, wings sprouted from its sides as it silently soared northward. It planned to circle around in a wide arc and approach Cold Flame Island from the rear to draw the attention of the black-armored man.

That man had been ordered to stand guard here, so any strange movement from a demonic beast would certainly alert him.

Though the Two-Headed Hou was one stage lower in cultivation, it possessed a life-saving supernatural ability called the Shadow-Splitting Technique. It didn’t need to engage the black-armored man in close combat. As long as it could stall him for a while, the plan might work.

However, Qin Sang had no way of knowing how much time the Two-Headed Hou could buy. He had already prepared himself for the possibility of failure.

After releasing the beast, Qin Sang’s eyes narrowed slightly. Then, he summoned the scroll and vanished on the spot, silently moving toward Cold Flame Island.

He had already tested the range of the black-armored man’s spiritual perception. The moment he entered that range, he came to a halt, quietly diving into the water and remaining absolutely still.

At the same time, he released the Sky-Eyed Butterfly.

The butterfly, hidden from sight, continued flying ahead in Qin Sang’s place to scout the area.

The black-armored man's cultivation was far too high. Qin Sang did not dare let the butterfly get too close. It was enough as long as it could observe his movements clearly.

Gentle ripples spread across the sea’s surface.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly hovered silently atop the wave crests, rising and falling with the swell. Before long, a sea breeze blew in from the east, and the waves began to grow larger. This was an ordinary occurrence in the Thousand-Demon Sea.

Yet the black-armored man was still startled. He rose to the surface.

Everything around him appeared normal. The black-armored man frowned slightly, but then his gaze abruptly locked onto a patch of empty space to the east. His palm flickered, and a black spear appeared. In the next instant, he hurled it with force.

The shadow of the spear shot forth like lightning. The piercing sound of it splitting the air had only just begun to echo when the black spear arrived in a flash.

With the violent impact of the black spear’s power, a crooked and disheveled figure was forced out of hiding, looking rather bedraggled.

The Two-Headed Hou flared its azure wings and stabilized itself above the waves. It bared its fangs at the black-armored man and let out a low, savage growl.

The black-armored man’s expression turned grim.

He did not immediately launch an all-out attack. Instead, with a discreet motion of his other hand, a jade talisman that was somewhat similar to a Sound Transmission Talisman, though with much more intricate and refined runes, slid into his palm.

Gripping the talisman in reverse, the black-armored man's gaze remained locked on the Two-Headed Hou. Meanwhile, the corners of his eyes carefully scanned the surroundings cun by cun, searching for any other trace of demonic beasts.