Sacred Flame

The ghost mist had grown unimaginably dense, like a turbid, churning river circling the Scarlet Altar. In all directions swarmed countless yin souls and evil ghosts, radiating virulent malice and resentment. All of them had manifested their true forms—grotesque, mangled, and incomplete—swept along by the river toward the Scarlet Altar, struggling frantically in the current while shrieking in helpless agony. The scene inevitably brought to mind the legendary Yellow Springs. As the apparitions drew near the altar, the ancient scarlet restrictions assimilated them into nothingness, absorbing them into the altar itself. With countless spirits swallowed by the Scarlet Altar, its crimson radiance blazed ever more fiercely. Above the altar, a mass of blood clouds coalesced, exuding a pungent reek of gore as its bloody glare shot straight into the clouds. Rumble... The blood clouds roiled violently, a yin wind howled, and the void trembled. Its sheer momentum was not the least bit inferior to the five-colored immortal wind of the Inner Hall. A peculiar ripple permeated the void above the altar, as though something was steadily taking shape. Old Demon Ye and Jade Bone hovered in midair, their silhouettes looking battered and frail against the violent backdrop. Countless evil ghosts milled around them, seething with hatred, yet none could draw close. Old Demon Ye lifted his head, his gaze piercing through the blood clouds toward the summit of the altar. His eyes burned with feverish intensity, completely uninterested in Jade Bone's words. Jade Bone fell silent as well; neither of them took Qin Sang to heart. From the palms of Jade Bone and Old Demon Ye extended thin filaments of crimson thread, drifting through the ghost mist. After some time had passed, Old Demon Ye glanced toward the altar from time to time, licked his lips, and asked in a raspy voice, "How many more yin souls must it devour before the seal breaks? More and more enemies are gathering. The Soul Infant Array commands tens of thousands of souls and is nearing its limit—it won't trap them for much longer. If they break free and destroy too many Blood Infant Crystals, it will jeopardize the grand plan." The Nascent Souls fused with crystal orbs were precisely the Blood Infant Crystals Old Demon Ye spoke of. Having been turned into Blood Infant Crystals, those Nascent Souls had long lost their sanity, reduced to feral, ferocious blood infants controlled by the two to form the Soul Infant Array. "If you'd known this day would come, why act as you did back then?" Jade Bone snorted coldly. "Had you unsealed me earlier so I could gather enough yin souls outside, there would have been no need to cause such an enormous commotion..." Halfway through his sentence, Jade Bone abruptly paused. He turned to look in the direction where Qin Sang was, letting out a soft murmur of surprise. "The Sacred Flame?" His voice was tinged with surprise and delight. Surprised, Old Demon Ye glanced at Jade Bone. *** Within the ghost mist. Red blood clouds drifted all around Daoist Zhenyi and the others amidst dense spectral silhouettes. Countless yin souls and ghosts had them surrounded, their eyes blood-red, radiating venomous malice almost tangible to the touch. It was as if they were being controlled by something, attacking the group with unnatural madness and evil frenzy. Noticing a streak of light charging straight toward them, Daoist Zhenyi first wore a wary expression, but once he saw clearly who it was, his vigilance instantly gave way to pleasant surprise. "Fellow Daoist Qin!" Whoosh! Sword Qi rolled out like a bolt of silk, piercing the ghost mist ahead of Qin Sang and stabbing into a blood cloud. Pierced through, the blood cloud burst apart on the spot. Yet a moment later, the scattered blood cloud gathered back together, restoring itself completely. That sword strike had appeared astonishing, yet it had failed to harm the blood cloud in the slightest. Following closely behind, Qin Sang pulled up abruptly and stared at the blood cloud with a grave expression. "Careful, Fellow Daoist Qin! Do not let the blood clouds get near you! These are soul-refining abominations capable of defiling both physical body and true essence. If they seep into your body, the consequences will be unthinkable!" Daoist Zhenyi called out in warning. Even as Daoist Zhenyi spoke, two blood clouds shifted their targets and lunged toward Qin Sang. Recalling his ebony sword, Qin Sang frowned as he cast a glance at the blood clouds. He flashed backward, and in his former position appeared a dark silhouette—the Nascent Soul talisman puppet. As a puppet, the Nascent Soul talisman puppet should have nothing to fear from such foul creations. Eager to understand the truth of what was happening and worried for the safety of Qingjun and Bai, Qin Sang made no further attempt to conceal the puppet. In the next instant, the Nascent Soul talisman puppet threw a punch at the blood cloud! Runes flickered across its entire body, faintly outlining the silhouette of the puppet seal beneath a faint blue-green sheen. The moment it struck, a burst of black light shot forth, transforming into a fist projection that battered the blood cloud to pieces. The fragmented blood cloud drifted toward the Nascent Soul talisman puppet. Qin Sang ordered the puppet not to evade. Sure enough, just as he expected, when the fragments made contact, they could only cling to the puppet's exterior, completely unable to seep inside. Seeing this, Qin Sang's expression eased. Ordering the Nascent Soul talisman puppet to clear a path, he followed behind it on his flying sword. One man and one puppet forced their way forward while the surrounding blood clouds and yin wraiths pounced wildly upon them. The ebony sword slayed the ghosts while the Nascent Soul talisman puppet shattered the blood clouds. With clear division of labor, man and puppet charged ahead at top speed. Seeing this, Daoist Zhenyi hurriedly rallied the others to meet him. Boom! A black silhouette burst violently from a mass of blood cloud, appearing right before them. Catching the glare dripping with intense murderous intent, even someone of Daoist Zhenyi's cultivation could not help but feel his heart clench. Glancing at the Nascent Soul talisman puppet, Daoist Zhenyi recognized it as Qin Sang's puppet. Suppressing his astonishment, he swept his horsetail whisk, releasing stream after stream of white light to ease the pressure on Qin Sang. Whoosh! Seizing the opportunity, Qin Sang broke through the encirclement. Nodding in greeting to everyone, he seamlessly joined the battle, coordinating with them against their common foes. The Nascent Soul talisman puppet fought side by side with Qin Sang. The others could not help glancing at the puppet from time to time with varied expressions, yet without exception, their eyes were full of shock. Qin Sang's current fame already showed signs of eclipsing even veteran powerhouses. One had to keep in mind that he had formed his Nascent Soul merely several decades ago; such accomplishments were already astonishing enough. Who would have thought that a mere twenty years after the great war ended, he had somehow produced a Nascent Soul-tier puppet from who knew where? Judging from the puppet's performance, it appeared even slightly stronger than an early Nascent Soul cultivator. How could they not be shocked? Daoist Zhenyi thought of Qin Sang's relationship with Qingjun; though startling, it made sense, so he refrained from prying and turned to serious matters. "Did Fellow Daoist Qin just come out from the Inner Hall?" Qin Sang nodded. "Indeed! I ventured into a secret realm, unaware that the ancient restrictions within could block the talisman sword's perception. The moment I saw the message, I rushed over, only to find everyone gone... What on earth happened?" "There is no need to worry, Fellow Daoist Qin. When we separated, this poor Daoist saw Fellow Daoist Leng together with Fellow Daoist Jingyu. They should be in no great danger." Knowing what Qin Sang truly cared about, Daoist Zhenyi first put his mind at ease before explaining what had transpired. "Everyone searched the Inner Hall, yet we never found a trace of Old Demon Ye. Meanwhile, the phenomena in the Inner Hall grew increasingly violent, and the power of the ancient restrictions inside the secret realms became truly daunting. With the appearance of the five-colored immortal wind, the Inner Hall grew ever more perilous, leading us to consider retreating to observe the situation first. Right at that moment, the Scarlet Altar unleashed a soaring blood light that exposed Old Demon Ye's whereabouts, so we returned to the Outer Hall, intending to capture Old Demon Ye first—he might know the cause behind Ziwei Palace's abnormal phenomena. Aside from Fellow Daoist Qin, Feather King, and Fellow Daoist Lu, nearly all the top experts had gathered..."