The heavenly fire returned to its place.
The stench of blood that had previously been burned away gradually seeped out anew from the mangled corpse and the Daoist nun, permeating the entire cave abode.
The nun's hair was disheveled, looking like a madwoman.
She sat dazed, her expression contorted—at times terrified, at times dull and blank. Blood mixed with saliva dripped from the corners of her mouth. Her aura was climbing, as though she were absorbing the power of the white-robed Daoist's essence blood and Nascent Soul.
*Drip!*
Blood hit the ground.
As if startled awake by the sound, the nun shuddered violently. A strange brilliance surfaced in her hollow eyes, and she twisted her neck stiffly and slowly.
She paid no heed to the mangled corpse of her senior brother before her.
Her gaze locked onto the Crimson Fire Sword beside the fire barrier.
When the white-robed Daoist perished, the Crimson Fire Sword had already nearly broken through the fire bell. Because the heavenly fire had been redirected by the nun to ambush him, the sword had also been cast aside and fallen to the ground, accompanied by the Fire Rhinoceros Pendant and the archer's ring that it had brought out.
On all fours, the nun crawled forward and snatched up the spirit sword.
With its master dead, the Crimson Fire Sword was now unowned. The flame anomalies upon its blade faded, revealing its original form—it seemed to be forged from some kind of crystal, closely resembling the Firefly Dharma Chain around the nun's wrist.
Through the reflection on the blade, the nun saw her own face.
She raised a bloody hand and gently touched her visage. Her fingertips brushed across her features, from forehead to mouth to ears, stroking them with meticulous care, her gaze tinged with novelty.
In the process, she smeared blood all over herself, turning her face into a messy patchwork that concealed her delicate beauty.
Suddenly, she froze, staring intently at her reflection in the mirror-like blade.
An instinct that did not belong to her told her that this was not pleasing to look at.
Tilting her head, she drew a wisp of heavenly fire from the fire bell. With a soft burst, the flames encircled her, burning away the blood and grime. Then, finding the stench of blood foul, she incinerated the mangled corpse and bloodstains together, erasing the traces of the battle in passing.
The air within the cave abode became crisp and clear.
Straightening her Daoist robe, the nun looked at her face again and felt it was far more pleasing to the eye. The corners of her mouth twitched, forming a clumsy, bizarre smile. Finally, smoothing down the corners of her mouth with her fingers, she made it look presentable; after practicing a few more times, she grew adept at it.
Gripping the sword, she weighed it in her hand; it felt comfortable enough. She summoned the archer's ring and the mustard seed pouches of both individuals, using heavenly fire to blast apart their restrictions directly, sending their contents scattering across the floor.
She touched this and examined that, discarding them like trash. She ate everything edible, and her gaze finally settled on the Fire Rhinoceros Pendant.
"Heavenly... tribulation..."
Her tone was completely different from before. Though she was muttering to herself, her voice was shrill and bizarre, like someone who did not know how to speak forcing out sounds, and her expression seemed somewhat dazed and indistinct.
After studying the Fire Rhinoceros Pendant for a long time, the nun decided to take it with her. Holding the Crimson Fire Sword upside down, she braced her legs and slowly stood up, taking a step forward.
*Bang!*
Though the ground inside the cave abode was level, the nun fell flat, hitting the floor solidly.
Face-first into the ground.
"Wu..."
Propping up her upper body in a disheveled state, she suddenly giggled, her smile holding a trace of sheer innocence.
She climbed back up. Having found her balance, her gait became far more coordinated. Within a few steps, she had completely familiarized herself with the body and walked with brisk, sweeping strides.
Stepping out of the cave abode, the nun suddenly turned her head toward the west, as if listening intently to something. Moments later, her body flickered and vanished into thin air.
...
Qin Sang and the other two were still in pursuit.
However, Qin Sang could clearly sense that Su Zinan and Mo Xingdao had grown cautious, no longer as aggressive as before, shifting their focus toward handling the divine restriction.
In truth, Qin Sang had also run into a conundrum.
The power and tenacity of the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction far exceeded his estimates, giving him a deeper appreciation of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect's heritage.
After entering the divine restriction, once he confirmed that Su Zinan and Mo Xingdao could only trail behind and posed no immediate threat, Qin Sang concentrated on figuring out a way to break the restriction.
He tried various secret arts and treasures, but ultimately had to start with the Fire Seed Golden Lotus.
After a meticulous deduction, Qin Sang discovered that the divine restriction seemed to lock onto intruders through the heavenly fire's own resonance, automatically attacking discordant auras.
Thus, he devised a strategy: controlling his Nine Nether Demonic Fire to construct a fire cage and seizing a portion of the heavenly fire's power during a collision.
Within the black fire cage, the Yang-Flame Heavenly Fire spontaneously shrank into a sphere.
Qin Sang altered his hand seals repeatedly, coordinating with restrictions to forcefully sever the connection between this cluster of Yang-Flame Heavenly Fire and the divine restriction, then proceeded to refine a wisp of the heavenly fire on the spot using the Fire Seed Golden Lotus secret art.
The refining process went surprisingly smoothly.
The grade of the Yang-Flame Heavenly Fire was lower than Qin Sang had anticipated.
Yet things were not so simple.
Qin Sang sensed that the heavenly fire he had refined was intrinsically different from the Yang-Flame Heavenly Fire outside—whether the change occurred when he captured it or during the refinement, he could not tell.
Refining the heavenly fire to deceive the divine restriction would not work!
A divine restriction was, after all, a restriction; its crux lay in the formation itself. What he had refined was merely the outer manifestation of the heavenly fire, devoid of substance.
This posed a problem.
The farther ahead one went, the more terrifying the heavenly fire became. If this continued, the power in the depths of the divine restriction would surely be horrifying enough to threaten the life of a great cultivator; forcing one's way through was out of the question.
Once there, shaking off his pursuers would not be hard. The real challenge was how to traverse the divine restriction and reach the Wordless Jade Wall.
For the moment, Qin Sang could not think of a better way.
After all, the divine restriction was masterless. Qin Sang was confident that with his strength and the Heavenly Eye divine ability, he could definitely make it through; the issue was that breaking the restriction required time.
While ascending the mountain, Qin Sang had noticed spirit light flickering at the entrance of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. He estimated that the power of the Cloud Dragons was waning and cultivators were entering one after another, which would undoubtedly provide powerful assistance to the Daoist sects and the Wuxiang Immortal Sect.
In an even more extreme case, news of the ancient estate's emergence had surely spread, and experts from all quarters were rushing over.
When that time came, the various sects would gather at the Wuxiang Immortal Sect.
If chaotic fighting ensued, that would be fine.
However, Zhongzhou was accustomed to order, and they would very likely agree upon terms first to jointly carve up the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. Those of dubious origin like them would all be excluded and become targets of everyone.
How to break this deadlock?
While Qin Sang was deep in thought, Su Zinan and Mo Xingdao faced the same dilemma.
They had pursued him inside firstly to find an opportunity to slay Qin Sang, and secondly to drive Qin Sang deeper into the divine restriction to scout the path for them. Neither had forgotten the Wordless Jade Wall; neither wished to miss an opportunity for Deity Transformation.
As they went deeper into the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction, the thought of slaying Qin Sang grew fainter; instead, they had to be wary of Qin Sang setting traps using the restriction.
If not for wanting to keep an eye on Qin Sang to see what means he would use to cross this place, they might have already abandoned the chase.
Su Zinan knew full well that killing Qin Sang here was impossible. At this moment, he merely maintained a loose lock on Qin Sang's movements, focusing his attention on observing the surrounding heavenly fire and pondering a way through.
Judging from Mo Xingdao's expression, he was of a similar mind.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Heavenly fire ahead was drawn toward them, hurtling forward in rapid succession.
Coordinating seamlessly, they used soft techniques to deflect heavy blows, drifting swiftly through the gaps between the heavenly fire so that the flames never touched them.
Though it appeared effortless, both knew this maneuvering had its limits. Unless they found a better method, it would not suffice to cross the divine restriction.
Right at this moment, two clusters of heavenly fire rushed into Su Zinan's field of vision.
Looking past the dazzling fiery light, Su Zinan spotted a smaller cluster of heavenly fire. Just as he felt puzzled, he saw the small flame shoot rapidly between the larger clusters of heavenly fire. Alarm flared wildly within him as he cursed under his breath.
"Retreat!"
Su Zinan, who had been habitually guiding the trajectory of the heavenly fire, instantly halted his movements and darted back in retreat.
Mo Xingdao was even more alert, falling back without the slightest hesitation.
The next moment, the cluster of heavenly fire tore open from within, and a firebird spread its wings and soared out, its form graceful as it flew toward them, only to collide with a cluster of heavenly fire in the end.
*Boom!*
The firebird and heavenly fire exploded like fireworks, scattering countless streams of fire. The shockwave stirred up cluster after cluster of heavenly fire, triggering a chain of explosions.
At the same time, a cold, grim voice echoed in their minds: "If you dare continue pursuing, do not blame Qin for being ruthless!"
Evading the aftershocks, Su Zinan and Mo Xingdao stared at the chaotic scene before them, their expressions grave.
Ahead.
Qin Sang glanced back, accelerating at the same time.
Just now, he had wrapped the firebird in the refined heavenly fire to mask its aura. Although the heavenly fire was superficial, it looked no different from the outside.
As a lifeless object, the firebird would not provoke a strong reaction from the divine restriction.
In this manner, he had quietly left behind the firebird as a trap, ambushing them.
However, the aura of the Nanming Primordial Fire was too distinct; the heavenly fire could not completely conceal it, and over time it would still trigger a backlash from the divine restriction. Furthermore, the trap could only utilize three firebirds; he was still unable to control all six.
Once close to them, it would inevitably be sensed, so the trap had its limitations.
Qin Sang had deduced carefully: even if he subdued more heavenly fire or used demonic fire, such traps would hardly yield great results because the other side was now extremely cautious.
If he led them deep into the divine restriction, Qin Sang himself would be exhausted just coping with it, let alone making a move.
Knowing the trap would have limited effect, Qin Sang used it anyway.
First, to force them back, making it easier for his subsequent moves.
Second, as a warning, primarily aimed at Mo Xingdao.
Qin Sang had used the Sun God Tree against Old Wu, which could not be hidden from Su Zinan. Su Zinan certainly knew the power of the Nanming Primordial Fire, but he might not have told Mo Xingdao. Once Mo Xingdao realized Qin Sang wielded such a lethal weapon, he would grow wary and hesitant.
It would be even better if it frightened him into retreating directly.
As expected, the moment the firebird appeared, the two fell back.
Seeing that the pursuers had given up, Qin Sang continued inward for a short distance, then did the exact opposite—turning around and flying back out toward the perimeter of the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction.
During the chase, his avatar had likely traversed the wave of mist outside. A divine restriction that his true body could not cross was out of the question for his avatar.
He planned to rendezvous with his avatar first.
Additionally, Qin Sang had a vague suspicion.
He worried that clashing stubbornly with the divine restriction would take too long—weren't Zhu Wudao and the other remnants of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect worried about the same thing?
Did Zhu Wudao and the others have another motive in deliberately destroying the outer arrays?
Sometimes, taking a step back might reveal a shortcut.
On the other side.
Mo Xingdao narrowed his eyes, staring at the dispersing remnants of the Nanming Primordial Fire, his expression dark. "Is this the most powerful spiritual fire that man commands?"
His tone carried an implicit question.
Su Zinan's description of this spiritual fire had been far too brief; anyone hearing it would only know it was powerful without grasping just how terrifying it was, which was clearly intentional on his part.
"Indeed," Su Zinan nodded, his expression unchanged. "Back then, Old Wu was forced back by this very firebird. To think that in just a few decades, he has made further progress and grown even stronger."
Seeing how casually Su Zinan brushed it off, Mo Xingdao could not press the matter further, asking instead what their next move should be.
"That Fire Demon fellow won't be easy to pursue any further... Fellow Daoist Mo, do you remember what Old Devil Zhu said when he urged us to smash the jade pavilion?" Su Zinan asked Mo Xingdao in return after a moment of thought.
Mo Xingdao gave an indirect answer: "Old Devil Zhu holds the Metal Phase Token."
Su Zinan glanced at him and smiled. "So Fellow Daoist Mo was already suspicious. The restrictions here follow the principle of mutual generation among the Five Elements; there must be divine restrictions for the other four elements, matching the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction in power. He deliberately destroyed the jade pavilion, so there should be variables in the location of the Metal-phase divine restriction!"
Mo Xingdao nodded. The two also began to head back, though taking a different direction from Qin Sang. Deducing the position of the Metal-phase divine restriction, they moved toward it.
...
Outside the divine restriction.
Below the square, the wave of mist churned, and a figure emerged from within—it was Qin Sang's avatar.
Although the formation within the mist had been damaged, it remained troublesome. Fortunately, a connection existed between him and the true body; by holding fast to this thread of connection, he did not lose his way in the mist and soon found an exit from the chaos.
The avatar was cautious. Upon emerging, he darted into an abandoned refined lodge and carefully observed the scene above.
Obstructed by the divine restriction, their minds could not link directly. He knew little of the environment here, only that the true body had already entered, vaguely sensing its position.
Just then, the avatar's eyes narrowed. He saw constant tremors and rumbling thunder along the periphery of an expanse of golden clouds to the west. The commotion and fluctuations were remarkably strong; clearly, people of great power were locked in battle!
Fighting as they went, they moved deeper into the golden clouds.
The depths of the golden glow seemed affected as well, light and shadow swaying.
"That's not the direction of the true body..."
The avatar's expression relaxed slightly. Continuing to observe and confirming that there was no one else on the square, he carefully approached the clouds and entered the Five Elements Divine Restriction as well.
Just after stepping inside, the Fire Jade Centipede unexpectedly woke up.
After devouring the fire spirit, the centipede had been drowsy. Tucked into his sleeve, the avatar had occasionally stimulated it so it wouldn't fall into a deep slumber. Now, it had suddenly startled awake.
According to past experience, it had sensed something.
"There's a treasure in the restriction?"
Surprised, the avatar was about to summon the Fire Jade Centipede to see which direction it pointed, when the centipede's restlessness abruptly worsened, hissing shrilly.
"What is this?"
The avatar paused, instantly sensing something amiss.
The centipede's reaction indicated that the treasure was close at hand and rapidly approaching him.
Yet the Five Elements restriction permeated everywhere here, and there was clearly nothing around.
Still, the Fire Jade Centipede's behavior was definitely abnormal!
Without waiting to ascertain the cause, the avatar's eyes turned stark white. With a *whoosh*, the Ice Soul Divine Light struck outright.
White frigid air surged like a torrent, instantly flooding the avatar's surroundings and freezing everything solid. As this was the outer perimeter, the power of the Five Elements restriction was limited and could not withstand the Ice Soul Divine Light.
To his surprise, the divine light swept through empty air!
The avatar's face shifted. Feeling increasingly uneasy, he wrapped the divine light around himself and decisively retreated out of the Five Elements restriction.
Once he stepped outside the clouds, the Fire Jade Centipede's agitation settled considerably.
At the same time, beyond the avatar's sight, the clouds rippled, and a graceful silhouette abruptly flashed into view.
The other half of her body remained concealed within the restriction, invisible.
Yet this half was exposed.
The Daoist nun frowned slightly and retreated back into the restriction.
Sensing something, the avatar turned his head sharply, but saw nothing at all.
Chapter 1654