Then, Qin Sang's eyes flashed. He unleashed his divine sense without reservation.
The astral winds grew increasingly violent. Within them, a stream of white air was distinctly discernible from the rest of the gale—this was the external manifestation of divine sense power: materialized divine sense!
Only when divine sense became exceptionally formidable and condensed could this be achieved; it was regarded as one of the hallmarks of a great cultivator.
Those capable of doing so at the Mid Nascent Soul stage were few and far between, every single one among the cultivation world's pinnacle experts.
"I still can't directly mobilize the origin power of heaven and earth. Reportedly, that is a technique reserved exclusively for the Deity Transformation stage, fundamentally different from the Nascent Soul realm. I'm overthinking it."
Thoughts flashed through Qin Sang's mind before he pulled himself back to reality.
"Mm, the benefits of materialized divine sense are exceptionally evident. Beyond what was naturally expected, the speed of casting Daoist arts and my grasp of timing have taken a qualitative leap, and my disguises will be far harder to see through. Furthermore, my spiritual sense has grown keener! For instance, my premonition of danger, or when someone is spying on me—it's far easier to detect now."
Only now did Qin Sang understand why, after being shadowed by Old Man Hunmo for so long, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had only detected him at the very last moment.
He recalled the odd reactions of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly before entering the Jinghai Sect, remembering that unexplained flutter of its wings.
It had most likely been caused by Old Man Hunmo.
It was not that the butterfly's innate divine ability was weak or unable to see through Old Man Hunmo's movements. Rather, Old Man Hunmo's spiritual sense was so sharp that the instant he was on the verge of being exposed, he sensed something amiss and reacted in time.
And back in the Buddhist hall.
Old Man Hunmo's reaction speed had been faster than Qin Sang anticipated; the demonic light he unleashed in haste had actually dispersed the Nine Nether Demonic Fire.
"No wonder!"
Having untangled his past doubts, Qin Sang gave a slight nod. He wondered inwardly whether, once the Heavenly Eye Butterfly ascended to the mid-phase of its fourth metamorphosis, it could bypass the perception of a great cultivator.
His analysis complete, Qin Sang withdrew his divine sense. Then, the fire lotus seed flew out from between his brows.
Qin Sang let it hover before him and examined it closely.
By refining the Hidden Fragrance Pill and cultivating intently for four months, Qin Sang had smoothly broken through to the second layer of the Fire Seed Golden Lotus!
At this moment, the fire lotus seed looked largely the same on the surface, but faint flames now danced around it. Looking closely, one could discern the vague outline of a budding flower.
Qin Sang searched his memory.
Back then, Old Demon Mou's fire lotus seed had seemingly displayed a similar appearance, though the bud outline on its surface had been somewhat plumper.
From this, it could be deduced that Old Demon Mou had also been at the second layer of the Fire Seed Golden Lotus back then, with an attainment higher than Qin Sang's current level.
Looking at the unbloomed fire lotus seed and recalling the secret technique's description, Qin Sang murmured softly, "Only by condensing a complete lotus flower can one advance to the third layer and evolve the spiritual fire lotus platform. From the looks of it, refining all of the Nine Nether Demonic Fire wouldn't be enough, and it will require a vast amount of time to cultivate. To break through to the third layer, must one reach the Deity Transformation stage, or perhaps... even higher?"
Just what grade of secret technique was the Fire Seed Golden Lotus?
Qin Sang realized he would have to re-evaluate it.
Since the third layer of the Fire Seed Golden Lotus was far beyond his current reach, Qin Sang dwelt on it no further and turned his thoughts to the future process of refining demonic fire. With his divine sense materialized and increasingly dense, the speed of refinement would naturally increase as well.
He cast out a demonic banner and manipulated the demonic fire; it was indeed far more fluid and responsive than before, freeing him from worry that an opponent might seize an opening and slip away.
He also tested various Daoist arts, including the Thunder Command Art, and found all of them easier and swifter to execute than before.
Having verified through various trials the transformation brought by his materialized divine sense, Qin Sang was about to return to his cave abode when a thought struck him. He formed an incantation gesture in his mind, and his form shifted.
Whoosh!
Phoenix wings unfurled wide behind his back as Qin Sang executed the Heavenly Demon Transformation, demonic qi billowing forth.
Just as he was about to test his Thunder Escape to see what changes the phoenix wings had undergone after his divine sense materialized, a sudden intuition struck his heart, and he gave a low shout: "Azure Luan Dharma Idol!"
The Azure Luan dharma idol materialized, still exceptionally ethereal.
Qin Sang knew this was because his progress in the Heavenly Demon Transformation had remained stagnant.
However, summoning the Azure Luan dharma idol this time felt completely different from before.
Pondering for a good while, Qin Sang moved his thoughts. The Azure Luan dharma idol flickered slightly, and then Qin Sang felt the thunderous power within the phoenix wings abruptly turn violent.
Crack!
A bolt of lightning ripped through the void, followed only then by the rumble of thunder.
Before the thunder could fade, another lightning bolt flashed back along its path, revealing Qin Sang's slightly excited smile.
For a time, wind, rain, thunder, and lightning alternated across this stretch of the sea.
The living creatures in the water fled in instinctive terror.
"I never expected that the benefits of materialized divine sense would go even further—I can actually tap into the power of the Azure Luan dharma idol to a preliminary degree, enhancing my Thunder Escape. My movement speed is faster once again!"
On second thought, this was hardly surprising.
All signs indicated that essence, qi, and spirit were all of vital importance to a cultivator.
Recalling Old Man Hunmo's performance in the Jinghai Sect, Qin Sang assessed mentally: "If Old Man Hunmo didn't hold back, using both of my movement techniques simultaneously would already make me faster than him. Well, Old Man Hunmo wouldn't abandon reason in a rage; he had to guard against traps in the secret passage back then, so that may not have been his full capability—it remains to be verified. Still, with my current strength, even if I encounter that old monster in the future, I have the ability to hold my own and maneuver around him."
The boost to his movement technique was an unexpected delight, bolstering Qin Sang's confidence greatly.
"With my speed vastly increased and my spiritual sense sharpened, I have sufficient confidence to attend the Myriad Demons Assembly, even if there really is some trap. Old Man Hunmo would never guess that I could achieve materialized divine sense in such a short span of time. Still, I cannot let myself get carried away; after all, that old fiend is a great cultivator. When I get back, I'll contact Tan Hao to see how much intelligence he has gathered, and whether the appearance of Huang Longshi's temporary palace is genuine."
The Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal surfaced in Qin Sang's mind.
Given the chance to acquire a Nascent Soul-tier martial divine ability, he did not want to miss it.
His previous contingency plan was to ask Daoist Yinquan to purchase it on his behalf. But that would require handing over the spirit herbs and pill formula to Daoist Yinquan beforehand. Qin Sang could not accept laying his cards on the table before an outsider, even with the restraint of an inner demon oath.
Moreover, if a treasure superior to the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal appeared at the trade fair, he would miss out on it.
Normal top-tier cultivation methods or breakthrough secret arts wouldn't be offered up by those old monsters.
However, if something had fatal flaws—similar to the Mystic Female Jade Tripod True Scripture, corpse cores, or the Heavenly Demon Transformation—and happened to be something he could bypass using the jade Buddha, he could buy it at a low price.
Ideally, there would be a divine ability related to divine sense.
Qin Sang's application of divine sense was still at a rudimentary stage.
Mulling over these matters, Qin Sang flew steadily back toward his cave abode.
Tan Hao had left no message, and it was unclear where he had gone.
Qin Sang was considering whether to make a trip outside himself. With the Myriad Demons Assembly approaching, rumors were bound to be rampant, and information wouldn't be hard to gather.
Right then, he suddenly remembered another item inside the Qianjun Ring.
The mysterious ice chest from Xuantian Palace!
A stronger divine sense inherently aided in breaking restrictions and seals; perhaps he could open the ice chest now.
At this thought, Qin Sang immediately sped up, rushing back to his cave abode, and took out the mysterious ice chest.
Chapter 1435