“The rat demon isn’t dead!” Island Master Shen cried in shock.
Master Feng, flying at the very front, knit his brows tightly upon hearing this.
He had personally laid the ambush with Island Master Shen to assassinate the rat demon, and had watched it perish with his own eyes—yet their attempt had actually failed!
Could the one they killed earlier have been nothing more than an avatar rather than its true body?
The situation allowed Master Feng no time to ponder further.
Though he had lost track of the mark, the general direction was clear.
Moving like smoke, he flew without pause. After speeding forward for a distance, a dark silhouette suddenly loomed on the ocean ahead—plainly an island.
Pitch-black and entirely deserted, it was a barren isle.
Master Feng’s heart leaped with joy.
A deserted island appearing here was no coincidence; the Xuantian Palace traitor was likely hiding right on it!
Whoosh!
Master Feng arrived at the edge of the island and released his divine sense without hesitation, sweeping across the isle in an aggressive search.
To his surprise, he detected nothing out of the ordinary.
***
In a hidden cavern.
As the Nascent Soul cultivators and Demon Kings came clashing into the vicinity of the deserted island, the ice-encased white-robed man sensed the disturbance. His eyelids fluttered slightly.
“They’ve come so fast…”
A soft sigh echoed through the quiet cave.
Yet no panic showed on the white-robed man’s face.
Cold mist condensed above the black ice, coalescing into a round ice mirror that reflected the scene near the deserted island.
In an instant, the calm in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by a livid complexion!
“Why are there so many?!”
Had he not been frozen in ice, he would likely have jumped to his feet in agitation.
With the arrangements he had made, he had been sixty to seventy percent certain of escaping the Rainbow Rat’s pursuit.
Never could he have imagined that during the time he had spent sealed in ice, so many upheavals would have occurred outside. Six full Demon Kings had been drawn here, along with human Nascent Soul cultivators joining the fray.
Even at his peak, under the watchful eyes of so many, he would not have stood a chance of escaping.
Despair!
It flooded his heart.
Bitterness filled the white-robed man’s face.
If given another chance, he would never have chosen to betray Xuantian Palace, but it was too late for regrets now.
Suddenly, the ice mirror caught sight of the Rainbow Rat on the eagle demon’s back.
Having revived through an avatar, the Rainbow Rat had yet to complete its secret art. It was in a weakened state to begin with, its power severely diminished, and sensing the mark just now had depleted it further.
Staring fixedly at the Rainbow Rat, a glint of cold light flashed through the white-robed man’s eyes, giving way to a flicker of grim determination. He gave a slight tremor with both arms.
Crack, crack…
Crisp snaps sounded from the black ice as fissures gradually crawled across its surface.
***
On the battlefield between Qin Sang and Bi Fang.
Demonic fire and blood flame clashed, blazing so fiercely they seemed to incinerate the heavens.
The battle had reached a fever pitch.
A ferocious glint shone in Bi Fang’s demonic eyes, seeming to pierce through the roaring blaze straight at Qin Sang.
The demonic fire was more formidable than anything it had ever witnessed. It was unknown when such an expert had emerged among humanity.
Under the assault of the demonic fire, the blood flame was forced to contract. If this continued, it would soon show signs of defeat and be thoroughly suppressed by the demonic fire.
However, Bi Fang had not unleashed its full power yet, as it still needed to hold back trump cards against Qin Sang’s Nascent Soul puppet.
To its surprise, even after fighting for so long, Qin Sang had shown no intention of deploying the puppet. To look on the bright side, the puppet might have suffered too much damage previously to be easily repaired, rendering it unusable against enemies.
Bi Fang’s eyes rolled as a plan formed in its mind.
The others had already flown far ahead; it could delay no longer.
The blood flame danced wildly, swiftly gathering toward the center before surging back against the demonic fire.
Standing behind the demonic fire and manipulating his demonic banner, Qin Sang remained composed. Seeing this, his heart stirred slightly. It seemed he was about to force another technique out of Bi Fang.
The thought had barely crossed his mind when, accompanied by a deafening roar, a pillar of blood flame shot into the sky.
The massive pillar turned into a fire cloud midair.
Just as Qin Sang was about to act, the cloud shifted, transforming into a true divine Bi Fang bird—standing on a single leg, exuding towering majesty, and looking down on the world with disdain!
He hastily glanced at the center of the fiery sea.
Bi Fang’s true body had vanished, merging with the blood flame to become this Blood Flame Bi Fang!
Swish!
The Blood Flame Bi Fang twisted its neck, fixing its eyes of blood flame squarely on Qin Sang.
Qin Sang felt his entire body tighten. It was as if he were being watched by a peerless mythical beast, and a sensation of dry throat crept over him. He secretly put his guard up, remaining alert.
Immediately after, a cold snort exploded in Qin Sang’s mind.
The Blood Flame Bi Fang withdrew its gaze, looked toward the direction Master Feng and the others had flown, and folded its wings. A streak of flowing fire shot out, with its true body following right behind.
Demonic fire rose up, spanning the expanse of the sky to intercept Bi Fang.
Yet unexpectedly, Bi Fang’s power suddenly surged. It forcefully broke through the demonic fire’s blockade and tore away through the void.
Blood-red sparks rained down in its wake, casting an eerie, mournful beauty across the sky.
The demonic fire did not pursue Bi Fang. Instead, it converged toward the center, taking the form of a flaming dragon before flying back to Qin Sang.
Standing in empty air, Qin Sang watched the direction in which the Blood Flame Bi Fang had fled. After a slight hesitation, he recalled the demonic fire and gave chase.
He had no desire to force Bi Fang into a fight to the death. Thus, he had not fought with all his might, and seeing that things had gone far enough, he stopped pressing relentlessly and let Bi Fang go.
Having stalled Bi Fang for so long, Master Feng could hardly fault him.
Furthermore, Qin Sang was curious about what kind of treasure ahead held such immense appeal for the experts of both races.
From Master Feng’s behavior, Qin Sang could tell they definitely knew something.
It was just unclear whether Master Feng had only just discovered the demons’ intention or had known all along and intentionally withheld it to prevent him from harboring improper thoughts.
The terms of their agreement were for Qin Sang to tangle with Bi Fang when a major battle broke out. Master Feng concealing key information was not technically a breach of promise.
Since that was the case, nobody could blame Qin Sang if he sought a share of the spoils.
And Qin Sang had just the strength to do so!
Qin Sang knew very well that the moment he moved to compete for the treasure, not only the Demon Kings, but Master Feng and the other humans would immediately turn hostile toward him.
Therefore, he intended to remain quiet and observe for now.
He still had designs on Hundred Flowers Valley, and unless absolutely necessary, he was unwilling to make an enemy of Master Feng.
Unless it was a supreme treasure useful for his cultivation, Qin Sang would not act rashly. He could even use this opportunity to strike another deal with Master Feng.
Even as these thoughts crossed his mind, Qin Sang’s speed did not falter in the slightest.
He sensed the current position of the Nascent Soul talisman puppet; while he was fighting Bi Fang, the puppet had gradually caught up and was now trailing behind.
He had originally left the puppet outside as a precaution against Master Feng and the others, so it could mount a rescue from without should he inadvertently fall into a trap.
As it stood, this backup measure would not be needed.
Still, he had no time to recall it for now.
Leaving it outside posed no problem anyway; if any unexpected turn arose, the Nascent Soul talisman puppet could still provide support from without.
The road ahead was unknown, and the situation was bound to become chaotic.
Among the powerhouses present, Qin Sang and Bi Fang possessed top-tier flying arts. Though delayed briefly by their battle, before long they caught sight of the streaks of escape light from the others speeding through the air.
Qin Sang did not rest, occasionally launching attacks to harass Bi Fang, though in truth most of his attention was fixed on the group ahead.
Soon, Qin Sang also made out the outline of the deserted island, watching as everyone scrambled to descend upon it.
They had arrived!
Chapter 1385