Paying a Visit

It was the fire-controlling secret technique. Old Devil Mou had used this method to subdue the Dongming Cold Flame. After Qin Sang obtained it, in his haste he had refined a wisp of Nine Nether Demonic Fire, but soon discovered that his cultivation was insufficient to continue practicing the secret technique. According to the technique's description, during the cultivation process, the refined fire seed would undergo changes akin to a real lotus—progressing through the stages of a lotus seed, blossoming, and fully transforming into a lotus—which was precisely how it had earned its name. Once the secret technique reached great attainment, further wondrous transformations would occur, though the manual did not explain them explicitly, stating only that it depended on the practitioner's fortune and destiny. For Qin Sang, such matters were still far off in the distant future. Upon achieving a breakthrough, the practitioner's divine sense would also undergo a massive enhancement; this was the secret technique's most precious aspect. Back then, Old Devil Mou had not even completed the first stage, his fire seed still in the form of a lotus seed, yet his divine sense was already on par with a great cultivator's. Qin Sang had only condensed the embryonic form of a lotus seed, barely scraping through the basics, so he could not yet feel this effect. "The Nine Nether Demonic Fire inside the demonic banners is more than enough to help me break through the first stage. There is certainly plenty of demonic fire; it all depends on whether I can control it. Although the eighteen demonic banners are precious, the secret technique strengthens my own self. Even if all the demonic banners were ruined, it would still be worth it." Qin Sang knew very well what to prioritize and what to let go. Besides, once refined, the demonic fire could likewise be used against enemies. He picked up a demonic banner, poured in his true essence, and channeled the Nine Nether Demonic Fire within. Before long, he abruptly halted his cultivation. Furrowing his brows tightly, he stared at the demonic fire drawn from the banner. Cultivating the secret technique anew, the outcome was somewhat beyond Qin Sang's expectations. His cultivation had increased dramatically, his divine sense far exceeding what it had been in the Core Formation stage. Furthermore, his origin soul had been continually nourished by the Soul-Nurturing Wood; over decades of relentless tempering, his divine sense had already achieved tangible results. Yet when he practiced the secret technique once more, he still found it exceedingly strenuous. Forcibly condensing the demonic fire had almost caused the fire seed to spiral out of control and trigger a backlash from the flame. Confronted with this situation, Qin Sang immediately understood. The issue lay not in himself, but in the Nine Nether Demonic Fire itself! It was very likely that the rank of the Nine Nether Demonic Fire was simply too high, far beyond the bounds of what his realm could tame; even at the early Nascent Soul stage, he was still incapable of manipulating this flame. That he had managed to forcibly condense an embryonic fire seed in the past was largely thanks to the jade Buddha. After all, the main body of the demonic fire remained sealed inside the demonic banners, exposing only a fraction of its power. The Nanming Primordial Fire was by no means inferior to the Nine Nether Demonic Fire either. Qin Sang pondered for a long time. Under the current circumstances, there were only two methods available. The first was to raise his cultivation realm. Expanding his divine sense might also work, but the Soul-Nurturing Wood worked gradually, and secret techniques for training divine sense were even rarer, meaning the gains would not match the effort invested. The second was to do as Old Devil Mou had done: locate another slightly weaker spiritual fire, akin to the Dongming Cold Flame, to achieve the first stage of the secret technique first. Once the fire seed was stable and powerful enough, he could then forcibly refine the demonic fire. Neither method was simple. One purpose behind cultivating this was to manipulate more demonic banners and rapidly bolster his combat capabilities. If breaking through were that easy, why would it be so troublesome? As for spiritual fires, the power could neither be too strong nor too weak. From what Qin Sang knew, two places in the Xiaohan Realm possessed famed spiritual fires: the Ancestral Holy Fire of the Qingyang Demon Sect, and the subterranean fire nurtured within the Xuling Sect's Mountain within the Mountain. Both spiritual fires already belonged to someone. The Mountain within the Mountain was the foundational bedrock upon which the Xuling Sect was established. Suspended directly in the center of a subterranean fire vein, it hung between heaven and earth without touching either, baked year-round by the subterranean fire vein. Over time, the rocks of the mountain transformed, giving rise to an extraordinary subterranean fire whose might far outstripped ordinary earth flames. Yet Qin Sang had heard that the Mountain within the Mountain and the subterranean fire were practically one and the same; the subterranean fire could not be subdued on its own. Nor would the Xuling Sect ever agree. "The Ancestral Holy Fire, then..." Qin Sang recalled his experience infiltrating the Qingyang Demon Sect to steal the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi. He vividly remembered that atop Divine Astral Peak, the phantom into which the Ancestral Holy Fire had manifested danced wildly like an enraged fire god, utterly frenzied, leaving a profound impression on him. It was said that the Ancestral Holy Fire had been left behind by the founding ancestor of the Qingyang Demon Sect. Similar in origin to the Dongming Cold Flame, both were spiritual fires cultivated by a Nascent Soul Patriarch. However, sealed atop Divine Astral Peak and absorbing who knew how much Qingyang Divine Astral Qi over the years, the Ancestral Holy Fire could no longer be regarded as the founding ancestor's original spiritual fire. Back then, the aura and momentum it displayed were already no weaker than the Dongming Cold Flame. When the Qingyang Demon Sect had declined, they had once threatened to detonate the Ancestral Holy Fire, forcing back the Nascent Soul cultivators who coveted their sect. "Back then, the Ancestral Holy Fire was on the verge of losing control, and everyone in the Qingyang Demon Sect walked on eggshells whenever they absorbed the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi. I could stay outside the seal and absorb and refine the power leaking from the Ancestral Holy Fire." Qin Sang's eyes flickered. "I wonder if this new sect master has found a way to resolve the hidden peril of the Ancestral Holy Fire... If not for a new Nascent Soul emerging from the Qingyang Demon Sect, were I to approach them now and make this request, they likely would not refuse." After some thought, Qin Sang shelved the idea of paying a visit for the time being. He knew nothing about this new sect master. The Qingyang Demon Sect belonged to the demonic path; they walked different roads, so paying a rash visit was ill-advised. It would be better to thoroughly investigate the Qingyang Demon Sect's situation first. If they had not yet resolved the trouble with the Ancestral Holy Fire, he wouldn't mind lending them a hand. "During this quiet period, I might as well travel to the demonic path's domain. Along the way, I can check on the Demon Flame Sect and Meigu. Furthermore, I ought to pay a visit to the Yuanzhao Sect to reclaim the remaining banner poles..." Qin Sang laid out his plans, though he did not rush to depart immediately. Remembering the transparent lotus seed used to aid cultivation, he wondered whether he had misjudged it before. Qin Sang summoned his fire seed and followed the steps of the secret technique, merging the demonic fire into the transparent lotus seed. The process went smoothly: the lotus seed vanished, and the fire seed coalesced once more. Next, he continued refining the demonic fire, only to find the situation barely improved—and nothing more. Even if he cultivated to the limit, controlling fifteen demonic banners would remain impossible. Since that was the case, Qin Sang gave up on it, unwilling to waste any more time. He refocused his energies on cultivation, spending half his time regulating his true essence and the other half refining his body, steadily advancing both cultivation methods. A month later, Qin Sang left Bai at the Yuanshen Sect and departed alone. Passing through the Great Sui, Qin Sang met with Li Yufu and the other two, offered them guidance, and then continued northward, preparing to pay a visit to the Yuanzhao Sect! He had already investigated the matter thoroughly. Back then, the sect master of the Wuji Sect had betrayed the Xiaohan Realm, nearly resulting in the annihilation of both realms. After leaving the Ziwei Palace, the wrath of the various powerhouses was easily imagined; without the slightest hesitation, they carved up the Wuji Sect. The Wuji Sect was wiped out on the spot, and sects subordinate to them were more or less implicated. The Yuanzhao Sect had been one of them. Fortunately, they had not participated in the plot. By paying a certain price, the Yuanzhao Sect managed to weather the catastrophe, ultimately escaping destruction. Over the years, the Yuanzhao Sect had recovered somewhat, though they were still far from their standing back when Qin Sang had infiltrated them. Today, the Yuanzhao Sect's mountain gate was located at the former site of the Kuiyin Sect. This time, Qin Sang would truly be revisiting familiar ground.