Fire Rhinoceros Island

The Wandering Sword hung inverted above. Its tip pointed directly at the Gu King. Sword radiance flickered; sword intent swelled within, held back without unleashing. Before the sword even struck, the Gu King began to show signs of restlessness and unease. The protective toxic light around its body immediately shrank inward, a clear reaction to encountering a natural predator. The Gu King raised its head, staring up at the Wandering Sword and letting out a menacing cry, yet in Qin Sang's ears, it sounded distinctly lacking in confidence. Qin Sang knew at once that he had found the key. He immediately urged his sword intent forth. The Wandering Sword quivered slightly, and sword light poured down like a torrent. There was no killing intent within the sword light, only pure sword intent. Qin Sang did not wish to slay the Gu King, but rather to suppress its ferocity. This strike yielded immediate results. The Gu King dodged frantically. Having followed the scar-faced man for many years, the fear of this aura was etched deep into its bones. After several adjustments, and coordinating with the poison bead, Qin Sang finally drove the Gu King to wrap its wings tightly around itself and curl into a ball. Its protective toxic light formed a sphere, solidifying into a cocoon of light that completely sealed it within. "Phew..." Qin Sang let out a soft breath, inspecting the cocoon of light. With the Wandering Sword above urging forth sword intent and the poison bead transforming into a glow of mist to surround the cocoon, the dual suppression had barely managed to quell the Gu King's savage nature. The Gu King had entered a dormant state on its own initiative. This state clearly could not be considered taming it. Only because Qin Sang displayed no killing intent could the two sides maintain an odd equilibrium. Once the Gu King sensed a mortal threat, that balance would shatter. The Gu King possessed low intelligence and a brutal disposition. Aside from the scar-faced man who had nurtured it, it was virtually impossible for anyone else to make it submit—at least, Qin Sang could think of no good method. Yet having the poison bead devour the Gu King would not be easy either. After pondering for a moment, he attempted to channel the poison bead to release a trace of its devouring aura. As expected, the cocoon of light trembled violently, and the Gu King's ferocity was nearly reignited. Qin Sang had no choice but to cease, thinking to himself that maintaining this state for now was good enough. He would give it proper thought after leaving the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. With a flick of his fingers, he sent several sword arts into the Wandering Sword. The spirit sword could maintain its sword intent on its own without requiring his mental effort. Then, with a shift of intent, he drew all three into his body. The glowing mist of the poison bead wrapped around the cocoon of light and returned to his dantian. The Wandering Sword took its place high in the purple palace, its sword intent reaching straight down to the sea of qi. Qin Sang drew his awareness inward to sense them. Confirming nothing was amiss, he turned his attention away from the Gu King, sorted through the scar-faced man's miscellaneous belongings, and stowed them away by category. The incarnation had been meditating to recover all this while, and was now mostly restored. In the recent battle, the incarnation had repeatedly wielded spirit treasures in coordination with the original body, expending a great deal of strength. The spoils of victory were nothing short of magnificent; in particular, what the incarnation had gained in Bingyi Palace made Qin Sang feel the trip had been thoroughly worthwhile. The incarnation handed the Ice-Fire Token and the Water Phase inheritance over to the original body, then drew out the spirit arrays and restrictions from his memory so the original body could keep them for future study and comprehension. Next, Qin Sang still planned to divide their forces. The original body would proceed ahead to ascend Dishou Mountain, scout the situation, and prepare to vie for the opportunity of Deity Transformation. The incarnation would make a trip to Fire Rhinoceros Island to search for that fire-attribute treasure before meeting up at Dishou Mountain. This was a necessary move, as neither the Deity Transformation opportunity nor the tribulation-crossing array could be missed. In fact, the Deity Transformation opportunity was even more crucial—without reaching Deity Transformation, how could one speak of crossing a tribulation? The incarnation would still carry the Bingyi Divine Disc, as it might prove useful on Fire Rhinoceros Island as well. In addition, Qin Sang handed a Boiling Snow Pill to the incarnation and untied the spirit beast bag from his waist, having the incarnation take the Fire Jade Centipede. Having reached the early stage of the fourth transformation, the Fire Jade Centipede's sensory powers had greatly increased and would surely be of help when treasure hunting. The incarnation accepted them one by one. The original body pushed open the cave abode's door, leaped onto the mountain peak, and surveyed the surroundings. Confirming there was no anomaly, he sent a signal and dashed straight toward Dishou Mountain. Not long after the original body departed, the incarnation also left the cave abode, heading south. According to the topographical map from the Langhuan Jade Pavilion, the Fire Phase Hall was built on Fire Rhinoceros Island, located south of Dishou Mountain. The incarnation flew through the mountain forests, occasionally stopping to look around. After leaving the ruins of Bingyi Palace far behind, he turned southeast. At present, the Wuxiang Immortal Sect could still be described as vast and sparsely populated; even after traveling for a long time, he did not sense anyone's presence. Restrictions were dense here, and ancient trees towered toward the sky. The incarnation had already lost count of how many pavilions and towers he had seen along the way. Countless ancient halls lay hidden among the mountains and forests, exuding an air of mystery. There might be treasures in those places as well, but they paled in comparison to the true heritages of the five lineages. At this moment, no cultivator entering the Wuxiang Immortal Sect would linger in such areas. Recalling the map, the incarnation continually adjusted his direction. Finally, after cresting a mountain range, he saw the edge of his vision dyed crimson. A floating island in the sky was faintly visible—it was indeed Fire Rhinoceros Island! Fire Rhinoceros Island was built atop a flame vein. It floated at no great height, lower even than the mountain beneath his feet; obscured by the surrounding peaks and restrictions, it could not be seen from afar. The flame vein was evidently still active. The source of the crimson glow dyeing the sky red was boiling magma. From a distance, the terrain around Fire Rhinoceros Island was not yet clear; he only knew that the area appeared much flatter than elsewhere, with no visible undulations, suggesting there might be a magma lake. Unable to estimate the extent of the flame vein, the incarnation shifted his gaze to Fire Rhinoceros Island above. After looking it over, an expression of astonishment crossed his face. Fire Rhinoceros Island was not completely airborne. Between the bottom of the island and the flame vein, four pillars of fire connected them, supporting the floating island. Each pillar was extraordinarily colossal. Focusing his sight, the incarnation discovered that the pillars of fire were actually composed of magma. Boiling magma flowed upward in reverse from the flame vein, pouring into the floating island with staggering momentum. The four fire pillars resembled four fire dragons bearing Fire Rhinoceros Island upon their backs. Evidently, this was a phenomenon that could only be created through an array. Fire Rhinoceros Island's grand array was not in the least inferior to that of Bingyi Palace, yet its current condition appeared far from ideal! Though supported by the fire dragons, Fire Rhinoceros Island still gave off a precarious feeling, as if on the verge of collapse. Standing where he was, the incarnation could only see one side of the floating island, but it was clear that many red lines ran across it—fissures formed by the cracking of the floating island and the intrusion of magma. The floating island had suffered severe damage; once the fissures expanded, the entire island would break into pieces. The worst damage lay on the southern side of the island, which was incomplete as a whole, looking like a round pie with a large slice carved out by two cuts. Magma flowed down through the jagged gap, forming waterfalls. The magma waterfalls were like crimson curtains. Two curtains met at the center of the floating island, sending torrents of molten fire cascading downward to return to the flame vein. From this, it was evident that the four fire dragons were not the complete set. Analyzing the pattern of the dragons' arrangement, the incarnation deduced that if the floating island were intact, there would be at least nine fire dragons—eight stationed in the eight directions surrounding a central one, forming an arrangement of nine dragons upholding heaven. In other words, more than half of the floating island was missing, and it had lost its most vital central pillar! Seeing this, the incarnation's gaze darkened, and an ominous premonition rose in his heart. At Bingyi Palace, at least the main structure of the ice palace remained, and the remnant array could barely function. Fire Rhinoceros Island was even worse off than Bingyi Palace; most of its treasures had probably already been destroyed. Yet since he was already here, he might as well see it through. No matter what, he had to go take a look. With this thought, the incarnation leaped down from the mountaintop and sped toward Fire Rhinoceros Island. The journey went smoothly. Traversing mountains and ridges, the incarnation arrived near the flame vein and indeed saw an expansive magma lake, its interior surging with molten rock and an exceptionally thick aura of scarlet flame. Drawing closer, the sensation became much clearer. Tilting his head slightly, the incarnation examined Fire Rhinoceros Island. The extent of the island's devastation was shocking to behold; that it had maintained itself until now was truly a feat. The power of scarlet flame steamed upward, bringing waves of rolling heat crashing against him. The incarnation practiced ice-attribute arts, so he felt rather uncomfortable, though the impact was minor. He shifted his gaze toward where the two magma waterfalls converged. The layout of Fire Rhinoceros Island was easy to deduce: the central palace position directly above the core pillar had to be of paramount importance. Yet that spot was a blur of crimson and boiling magma, making it impossible to tell whether it still existed. Of the four remaining fire dragons, one was in the southeast, while the other three were in the northern half of Fire Rhinoceros Island, forming an arc. That was also the most well-preserved section of the island. Despite being so close, the incarnation did not feel the immense pressure akin to the eerie blue sky-glow of Bingyi Palace. This indicated that the damage to Fire Rhinoceros Island's grand array was far worse than anticipated. He could not help wondering whether flying up would immediately cause Fire Rhinoceros Island to collapse, sending him plunging into the magma below. Observing the four fire dragons carefully, the incarnation noticed that the connections between their qi mechanisms were not tight; each fire dragon stood as an independent entity. From this, he grasped the principles of the arrays on Fire Rhinoceros Island. Each fire dragon was formed by an independent array. The nine fire dragons were nine grand arrays, serving not only to support the floating island, but likely also as pillars for the grand array of Fire Rhinoceros Island itself. Only this could explain why, when Fire Rhinoceros Island's grand array had broken down and the other fire dragons were destroyed, these four could still exist. This was a mixed blessing. The upside was that when the incarnation ascended the island to search for treasures, the resistance he faced would not be too formidable. The downside was that the central palace of Fire Rhinoceros Island had likely met with disaster, with little left behind. The incarnation shifted his gaze toward the northwest of Fire Rhinoceros Island, where a scarlet chain connected the edge of the flame vein to the island. The chain was not physical; it was composed entirely of interlocking rings of fire, each ring constantly shifting into the forms of various fire-spirit divine beasts, looking remarkably wondrous. Similar chains existed in other directions as well, some severed and others teetering precariously, which were evidently paths for ascending the island. During the time the incarnation stopped to observe, there was no abnormality on or around Fire Rhinoceros Island, and no one else appeared to be approaching, which saved him trouble. Relieved, the incarnation flickered across the area, skirting the magma lake for a moment before arriving in front of the northwestern chain and testing it with a footstep. At the same time, he released the true essence sealing his sleeve. A streak of scarlet-gold light slithered out—the Fire Jade Centipede. After its metamorphosis, the Fire Jade Centipede looked far more formidable than before. Tucking the Fire Jade Centipede into the palm of one hand, he grasped the mysterious ice disc with the other. To his surprise, the scarlet chain showed no reaction. The newly released Fire Jade Centipede shook off its daze, suddenly stiffened, and stared fixedly toward Fire Rhinoceros Island. It began to clamor wildly, its hundred legs scrambling in a frantic rush to charge toward the island. Had the incarnation not held it back, it would have shot off as a streak of golden light on the spot. "Easy there!" The incarnation hurriedly suppressed the Fire Jade Centipede with true essence, looking toward Fire Rhinoceros Island in surprise. The Fire Jade Centipede's reaction was more intense than ever before. It seemed there truly was something good on the island; seeing it so impatient, he wondered what sort of treasure it could be. He was filled with anticipation as well, but he understood that unlike Bingyi Palace, the ice disc could not help him ward off the restriction powers here, so he could not act rashly. Being forcibly pinned down made the Fire Jade Centipede deeply disgruntled. Its hundred legs scratched incessantly in the incarnation's palm, its body writhing and its carapace clicking loudly; from the look of it, it wished it could bite its master. The incarnation gave an amused chuckle, shook his head, and stepped forward along the scarlet chain. *Clatter...* The scarlet chain swayed. Though not physical, it produced the sound of clashing metal. Listening closely, there was even the faint ring of bells at the end of the chain. Pausing briefly and noting no anomalies, the incarnation walked briskly upward along the chain. Looking down, he could see magma flowing like a tide beneath him. After walking briskly for a time, he reached the end of the chain. Here lay a jade terrace constructed from an invaluable type of fire jade. The incarnation stepped onto the terrace and still met with no attacks from restrictions, proving more hospitable than Bingyi Palace. The scene on the island could only be described as a disaster. As far as the eye could see, the incarnation beheld groves of spirit trees with leaves as large as cattail fans. This was the renowned fire pu tree, which thrived best on scarlet flame and was the premier choice for fire-attribute cultivators refining magic implements and talisman paper. Its greatest use lay in being planted within spirit arrays, where its thick leaf veins reached straight down into its root system, interconnecting in all directions like the meridians of heaven and earth to regulate and channel scarlet flame qi. The thicker the aura of scarlet flame, the better the fire pu trees flourished. Magma flowed everywhere across Fire Rhinoceros Island, only causing them to grow more luxuriantly. The fire pu groves were scattered haphazardly. Across the paths carved from fire jade, roots and stems crisscrossed, and magma coated the ground, leaving virtually no footing. This was the result of severe past destruction followed by rampant, wild growth. Left untended, the fire pu trees had grown abnormally dense, their leaves twice their normal size, completely obscuring the buildings within. With the Fire Jade Centipede pointing the way, the incarnation did not need to bother figuring out the directions. Slightly easing his true essence, he saw the centipede burrowing straight ahead. Unsurprisingly, what attracted it lay in the central palace. The incarnation summoned the Snow-Treading Divine Saber to hover above his head and stepped down from the jade terrace. He had taken barely two steps when a surge of magma suddenly welled up from a fissure in the ground, instantly transforming into a crescent-shaped fire blade that slashed furiously toward him. Had this strike landed, it would have severed him at the waist on the spot. Prepared well in advance, the incarnation leaned back slightly and swung the Snow-Treading Divine Saber, unleashing a blast of chilling saber qi that struck the fire blade head-on. *Bang!* The saber qi and fire blade annihilated each other simultaneously. Immediately following, the surrounding scarlet flame aura surged violently. The fire pu trees shook frantically, nearly snapping, and the ground trembled in sympathy. The incarnation's face darkened. This was already the result of exquisite, pinpoint control on his part; if he fought the restrictions recklessly, it would not be difficult, but doing so multiple times would throw the floating island's qi mechanism into utter chaos, triggering unimaginable consequences. Yet analyzing the restrictions step by step would consume far too much time. He paused in thought. Recalling the Fire Jade Centipede's past performances, an idea struck him. He released a portion of his true essence and allowed the Fire Jade Centipede to lead the way ahead. *Whoosh!* Finally freed, the Fire Jade Centipede sprang into motion. A flash of golden light weaved and bobbed among the fire pu trees, covering a hundred zhang in the blink of an eye without provoking a single restriction attack. A smile appeared on the incarnation's face. The arrays here were broken and distorted, and the gaps between restrictions formed natural paths, perfectly suited for the Fire Jade Centipede to navigate. Of course, bringing the Heavenly Eye Butterfly would have yielded even better results. Flashing forward, the incarnation kept pace with the Fire Jade Centipede, weaving swiftly through the woods. Although triggering restrictions and drawing attacks remained inevitable, everything stayed within manageable bounds. Before long, the incarnation saw a cluster of palace halls appear amid the trees. Their foundations were submerged in magma, and collapsed ruins lay everywhere in a truly tragic sight. Showing no sign of stopping, the Fire Jade Centipede wriggled violently and darted straight over the ruins of one palace hall!