Chapter 727: Chapter 727

A thin barrier surrounded the surface of the Dongming Cold Flame.

Traces of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells lingered faintly within the barrier, giving it a grayish-black hue, but that did nothing to diminish the dazzling, pure blue radiance emitted by the flame itself.

Qin Sang held the flame cautiously in his palm and carefully extended a wisp of spiritual consciousness to probe through the barrier.

The moment his spiritual consciousness made contact, a flash of blue light flared from within the flame, and his connection was instantly severed. That wisp of awareness was extinguished in an instant.

Qin Sang could only sigh helplessly.

This wasn’t his first attempt in the past ten days, and the result had always been the same. He still had no idea how to subdue the Dongming Cold Flame.

"Could it really only be used to forge a single-use artifact like the Xutian Thunder?" he muttered under his breath.

Being highly skilled in artifact refinement, Qin Sang naturally leaned toward resolving the issue through that method. After several days of contemplation, he theorized that with the aid of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, he might be able to forcefully compress the cold flame into a Flame Orb.

If he succeeded, the Flame Orb would erupt with devastating force upon activation, far surpassing the Xutian Thunder in power. Few beneath the Spiritual Infant Realm could hope to withstand such an attack. The downside, however, was that it could only be used once.

"To use such a rare flame for a one-time Flame Orb is too wasteful. And even crafting a Flame Orb isn’t simple. At the very least, I’d have to reach the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm before I could attempt it."

He hesitated, clearly reluctant to part with such a treasure in that way.

After trying a few more times without success and seeing the flame remain completely unresponsive, Qin Sang put it away once again.

The island took its name from the Green Hylia that lived there. These creatures were not demonic beasts. They were harmless and well loved, posing no threat to humans.

The island had no Spiritual Infant cultivators guarding it. Although it was protected by a protective array, it was far too fragile in the face of a beast tide. As Qin Sang walked along its streets, he noticed that the buildings lining both sides were made from the crudest stone imaginable.

He wandered the island and eventually purchased the most detailed nautical chart available. With it, he easily confirmed the location of Redleaf Island and departed alone.

Redleaf Island lay to the east of Green Hylia Island.

These kinds of remote islands had few cultivators, and the surrounding sea had only been partially explored. Redleaf Island lay beyond those mapped regions. It was infamous for being infested with demonic beasts and was considered a deadly zone that terrified the locals.

Once he was far enough from the island and sure no other cultivators were nearby, Qin Sang summoned the Two-Headed Hou. Man and beast soared across the sea, racing directly toward Redleaf Island.

The distance was considerable. Even traveling night and day without pause, it still took them more than half a month to reach it. Qin Sang could not help but wonder what kind of treasure that witch race brute had been chasing to come this far into such perilous territory.

As they neared Redleaf Island, even someone as strong as Qin Sang dared not be careless.

Here, if a single beast was disturbed, it would not end with just one. Entire packs would respond, possibly triggering a minor beast tide that could trap him on the island indefinitely. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel~fire~net

He dismissed the Two-Headed Hou, allowing it to return to slumber, then took out a scroll to conceal his presence. Staying alert to the Primordial Unity Ring’s reactions, he advanced with extreme caution.

It was not long before the yin ring within his body began to vibrate without pause.

The density of demonic beasts here rivaled, if not exceeded, that of the Thousand-Demon Sea. This left Qin Sang secretly alarmed.

Fortunately, the Primordial Unity Ring had not detected the presence of any Demonic Core Realm demonic beasts yet. The lesser creatures were unable to detect his concealed form, allowing him to proceed without worry.

But the peace did not last long. Before he had gotten far, the yin ring suddenly trembled violently, and Qin Sang’s expression changed. He had no choice but to take a detour.

A journey that should have taken half a day stretched into a full day and night. By the time deep night fell, he finally caught sight of Redleaf Island in the distance. No wonder that witch race brute had looked so shaken when mentioning the place.

Qin Sang hovered silently above the water, observing the island from afar.

Redleaf Island was not large. It was densely covered in ancient trees with crimson leaves. Under the pale moonlight, the forest looked like a floating red cloud resting upon the sea.

Mist swirled constantly at the base of the ancient trees, never dissipating. The sight resembled a red cloud drifting over a sea of fog, creating a scene that felt almost otherworldly.

"Not bad. No sign of any demonic beasts."

Qin Sang reached the edge of the island, scanning his surroundings carefully before quietly letting out a breath of relief.

Upon landing, he discovered that there was not a single blade of grass on the island. The only vegetation was the crimson-leaved ancient trees. The entire island was utterly silent, without even the presence of an insect or beast.

As he stepped into the woods, Qin Sang’s vigilance only deepened. The mist covering the island was not poisonous, but it was unusually dense. Visibility was poor, and even his spiritual consciousness could only extend a short distance.

Recalling the directions given to him by the witch race brute, Qin Sang adjusted his path slightly and proceeded straight toward the heart of the island.

As he walked among the ancient trees, Qin Sang found the ground beneath his feet covered in blade-like stone shards, razor-sharp and pointing straight upward. They were everywhere, jutting out without pattern.

It was unclear whether this terrain had been formed by years of seawater erosion, but between the shards lay countless narrow gaps. From those crevices, a steady stream of white mist continuously emerged.

Even the roots of the ancient trees had plunged deep into those cracks.

The journey remained peaceful throughout. Before long, Qin Sang reached his destination. What appeared before him was a towering ancient tree, far taller than the others. Its gnarled roots resembled giant pythons, with the tallest reaching the height of two grown men.

The roots twisted and intertwined, forming a canopy-like structure near the base.

Qin Sang climbed up along the roots, searching carefully. Eventually, he discovered a hollow between two withered roots that was just wide enough for a person to pass through.

As the witch race brute had described, crawling into this hollow would lead him to the Six-Petaled Butterfly Pansy.

The passage was also filled with mist. Qin Sang released the flying yaksha, instructing it to lead the way. He then left the Two-Headed Hou to guard the entrance before climbing inside.

The tree’s root system was far more vast and intricate than he had imagined. The tunnel twisted and curved endlessly. No one could tell how deep it extended underground. At last, the roots began to thin out and disappear, replaced by solid stone walls.

Stone cliffs lined both sides. The area ahead resembled an underground canyon.

Qin Sang paused, tilting his head to listen. To his surprise, he faintly heard the rumble of thunder coming from ahead.

The flying yaksha that walked in front remained unharmed. After a brief hesitation, Qin Sang pressed forward.

The thunder grew louder and louder, echoing continuously through the underground cavern, deafening and violent. Just as Qin Sang frowned, trying to sense the source, he received a message from the yaksha and was pleasantly surprised. He quickened his pace.

To his astonishment, there was a vast, empty underground cave deep within Redleaf Island.

Qin Sang and the yaksha landed one after the other, their feet touching water. They looked upward.

Though the cave itself was not filled with thick fog, its ceiling was shrouded in a dense mist that resembled a heavy cloud. What made it even stranger was that, despite being deep underground, the mist above flickered with electric light. Thin streaks of lightning occasionally flashed in and out of view.

Under the illumination of the lightning, the cave interior was clearly visible. Qin Sang swept his gaze across the area and quickly spotted several familiar plants deep within the cave. They were Six-Petaled Butterfly Pansies.

The rare flowers were in full bloom and had all reached maturity.

Just as Qin Sang was about to dart forward and harvest them, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly dormant within his Qihai suddenly awakened for reasons unknown. It was so agitated that it seemed desperate to emerge.

What drew its attention appeared to be the thunderclouds.