The Poison Pearl had consecutively devoured the Gu King and the poisonous smoke of Myriad Poison Mountain's sacred relic.
The two poisonous potencies merged within the pearl, recreating the primordial venom of the Bloodthirsty Miasma Spirit. Integrating into the Poison Pearl, it brought about a metamorphosis, rendering it far beyond what it had once been.
After being refined anew by Qin Sang, the seven-colored radiance of the Poison Pearl possessed two divine abilities: warding off poison and inflicting poison. Naturally, with this metamorphosis, its might had vastly increased.
The power of the poisonous light was on par with the divine abilities of a five-transformation Bloodthirsty Miasma Spirit while alive, sufficient to threaten fierce beasts of the Deity Transformation tier.
What Qin Sang unleashed was merely the poisonous light, not the Heaven-Severing Soul-Dispersing Divine Needle.
The Heaven-Severing Soul-Dispersing Divine Needle was originally a major divine ability of the poison path. Cultivated with the aid of the poisonous light, its power would certainly be extraordinary.
Unfortunately, he had yet to master this divine ability. With far too many matters demanding his attention and unable to be in multiple places at once, he could only prioritize by urgency and comprehend them step by step.
However, against an opponent like the Thunder Turtle, the poisonous light was not necessarily inferior to the Heaven-Severing Soul-Dispersing Divine Needle.
Once the Heaven-Severing Soul-Dispersing Divine Needle was loosed, the foe would end up either dead or maimed. If the Thunder Turtle sensed a fatal threat, it would inevitably ignite its instinctual savagery, prompting a counterattack or retreat, making the situation unpredictable. In contrast, the poisonous light, working silently and imperceptibly, was far more dependable.
Within the sword array.
Qin Sang's figure was ethereal and elusive as continuous streams of incantation seals were cast into the sword array.
No matter where the Thunder Turtle charged, the starry sky perpetually rotated around it, as if the turtle were the center of heaven and earth—though this was hardly a fortunate circumstance.
The sword stars across the sky waxed and waned. Each time the starlight flared, streams of celestial light cascaded downward.
In the blink of an eye, the starlight merged into a singular entity—ten thousand swords uniting as one—thrusting straight toward the Thunder Turtle!
Crackling sounds exploded within the sword array.
The radiance pouring from the Thunder Turtle was in no way inferior to the starlight. Bathed entirely in thunder, its lightning shell alternately shrank back onto its carapace and abruptly swelled, threatening to transform half the firmament into a sea of thunder.
Like a heaven-bearing behemoth hoisting a mountain of thunder, the Thunder Turtle surged up in fury.
As the lightning shell slammed forward, the momentum of the sword of light faltered before shattering in an earth-shaking collision into speckles of light dust, dispersing in all directions. The ferocious might of the fierce beast was laid bare.
Naturally, the Thunder Turtle could not emerge unaffected from such a head-on collision. Even if it could have remained unscathed in its prime, its old wound was inevitably jarred open, spilling fresh blood.
To the beast, such minor pain was nothing, and it remained as ferocious as ever. Yet it failed to notice that virulent poison had seeped through the wound.
Qin Sang used the Seven Mansions Division Sword Array to contend with the Thunder Turtle, gradually "feeding" the poisonous light into its body. With the Thunder Turtle's lofty realm and robust physical body, a small trace of poisonous light produced only negligible effects; it had to be approached patiently.
The virulent poison circulated through its body alongside its essence-blood, silently penetrating its internal organs. The more ferocious the Thunder Turtle's counterattacks, the more violently the poison would flare up when it took effect!
Unfortunately, the Thunder Turtle possessed no such patience and would never permit Qin Sang to toy with it at will.
Just as Qin Sang grew increasingly adept at maneuvering the sword array and prepared to repeat his gambit, he suddenly sensed that something was amiss with the Thunder Turtle.
The Thunder Turtle raised its head high, its slender upper torso stretched taut, glaring in fury at the river of stars. A rustling sound echoed from its frame—revealing that its body was covered in scales.
At this moment, the scales flared and stood on end before detaching from its body one after another. Dense swarms of glittering specks erupted outward, their target not the prey, but its own lightning shell.
The specks of light were half-real and half-illusory, resembling countless fist-sized thunder pearls carrying the Thunder Turtle's essence-blood. As they integrated into the lightning shell, explosive crackles sounded incessantly.
After bursting, the specks turned into clusters of luminous mist, completely absorbed into the lightning shell and producing a visible transformation.
Instead of expanding, the lightning shell steadily shrank. A touch of crimson stained the silvery-white lightning, brimming with heart-stopping, violent power amidst its eerie aura, condensing in an instant into a thunderous disc.
The thunder disc spun at blinding speed, abruptly shooting toward the starry river.
Wherever it passed, it carved a striking lightning trail into the night sky. The shockwaves of the disc formed streaks of lightning that scattered in silvery arcs, resembling fissures left by ruptured space, or perhaps a heavenly scar rending the river of stars in two!
Even if the disc lacked the might to shatter the void, it was still a terrifying divine ability virtually peerless in the mortal realm, born from the fusion of the Thunder Turtle's blood-qi and lightning arts—no trivial matter.
Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. Without hesitation, he halted his sword seals. Light and shadow flickered around his dantian as the phantom outline of the Mani Pearl emerged, though it did not fully materialize. A cluster of black flames detached from the Mani Pearl, coalescing before Qin Sang into the shape of a fiery lotus.
"Go!"
With a thought from Qin Sang, the fire lotus surged with astonishing speed. In a flash, it appeared right before the thunder disc. Illuminated by the thunderlight, the fire lotus looked ever more profound. Slowly revolving, the not yet fully bloomed lotus crashed head-on into the thunder disc.
Boom!
A magnificent blossom unfurled amidst the vast river of stars.
Half black, half silver.
Even the starlight could not overshadow this wondrous flower. The moment it appeared, it abruptly detonated—the silver half erupting in raging thunder, the other gushing forth inexhaustible black flame.
In an instant, the river of stars trembled.
Half the sky was pitched black as ink, veiled in flames, while the other half shone bright as day with wild dancing lightning serpents.
The heavenly thunder and black fire seemed endowed with apocalyptic power, swallowing up sword star after sword star. The myriad stars dimmed, teetering precariously, utterly unable to resist.
Below, the Thunder Turtle retracted its head and was overturned directly by the force of the collision. On the other side, Qin Sang was thrown into disarray, the sword array teetering on the brink of collapse.
A metallic sword hum resonated.
From deep within the river of stars, a slender sword shadow materialized—Qin Sang's sword, the Grey Oriole Sword, which was vibrating violently, its true form forced into view by the sheer impact.
Qin Sang drew a deep breath and hurriedly altered his sword seals to reconstruct the Seven Mansions. Suddenly, a shrill screech rang out. The Thunder Turtle was formidable indeed; it swiftly steadied itself and flung its entire body toward Qin Sang in a crashing charge.
To the naked eye, only a ball of blinding thunderlight was visible, yet Qin Sang could sense a pair of ferocious, crazed eyes within, glaring fixatedly at him like a predator ready to devour its quarry!
Zheng!
Showing no trace of panic, Qin Sang flicked his finger. The Grey Oriole Sword vanished once more into hiding. Specks of starlight gathered around him as sword stars either reformed or were drawn in from afar.
Though the Thunder Turtle drew ever closer, sword stars continually materialized out of thin air between them. Qin Sang did not seem to move, yet the distance appeared stretched infinitely far.
Had the opponent been a Nascent Soul cultivator, touching even the hem of Qin Sang's robe would have proved impossible. Yet the Thunder Turtle's cultivation realm surpassed Qin Sang's; like a soaring rainbow, it shattered subtlety with raw brute force, tearing through the void with peerless momentum.
Boom!
When the Thunder Turtle smashed forward, all it shattered was another sword star and one of Qin Sang's sword soul avatars. Trapped within the starry river once more, it could only vent its rage and frustration through roaring bellows.
Qin Sang steadfastly adhered to his predetermined strategy.
Naturally, he was not without other responses. For instance, when meeting the thunder disc head-on, he could have easily deployed the Sun God Tree; unleashing all six divine birds would certainly have yielded greater results than the fire lotus.
However, the Sun God Tree consumed far too much energy. Even though he had already stepped into the Deity Transformation stage, he could only unleash a few strikes. In an environment like the Storm Belt, it was far wiser to preserve some strength.
The battle seemed to have returned to square one.
Qin Sang shifted ceaselessly among the Seven Mansions, repeatedly channeling the sword array's might to manifest swords of light and assail the Thunder Turtle.
The Thunder Turtle grew increasingly irritable from the relentless harassment, making it all the harder to notice the changes within its body.
Roars thundered.
Completely enraged, the turtle stepped on lightning, body and thunder becoming one, transforming into a true incarnation of thunder. With supreme savage might, it pursued Qin Sang relentlessly within the sword array.
Wherever it passed, sword stars were scattered, carving prominent trails across the starry river.
Yet it was palpable that the Thunder Turtle's momentum was noticeably diminished compared to the beginning, having been gradually depleted through this protracted entanglement with Qin Sang.
Qin Sang had expended a great deal of energy as well, but he remained the one holding the initiative. Furthermore, silently and unnoticed, the toxins within the Thunder Turtle's body had accumulated to a critical degree!
Gazing at the Thunder Turtle rampaging through the sword array, Qin Sang's eyes flashed. He raised a hand and beckoned toward the void, and a sword appeared in his grasp out of thin air.
With the Grey Oriole Sword in hand,
the starry river suddenly dissolved, and the sword stars were extinguished all at once.
The howling of the tempest returned.
This was not solid ground, so it was impossible to tell how far Qin Sang and the Thunder Turtle had drifted during their battle. But as they reappeared, the distance separating them was remarkably short—they stood face to face!
The starry river just now seemed like an illusion. Shaking its head, the Thunder Turtle locked its gaze onto the prey that had reappeared before it. With malice blazing in its eyes, it transformed into a gigantic sphere of thunder and charged savagely.
A cold glint flickered in Qin Sang's eyes, showing no intention of dodging. The Grey Oriole Sword flickered and vanished. Simultaneously, light and shadow danced around the Thunder Turtle, and seven Qin Sangs materialized, each holding a sword.
The sharp blades pointed in unison at the Thunder Turtle, suddenly transforming into seven sword lights that intersected above its head.
Sensing the boundless killing intent and sword intent surging toward it, the Thunder Turtle's savage nature flared. Just as it prepared to retaliate, an anomaly erupted within its body.
While deploying the Seven Po Killing Array, Qin Sang quietly channeled the Poison Pearl, awakening the accumulated poisonous light within the turtle. Virulent poison and the Seven Po Killing Array detonated simultaneously, one from within, the other from without.
The Thunder Turtle's cry distorted, warped with agonized pain.
Even if its formidable physical body could resist the virulent poison, the thunderlight coursing across it dimmed, and the glow of its lightning shell dulled, suddenly appearing somewhat frail.
Right at this juncture, the seven sword lights converged and slashed down with blinding speed!
Crack!
Tiny fissures abruptly webbed across the lightning shell, barely visible to the naked eye, before it shattered into pieces.
The sword lights actually penetrated the lightning shell, driving deep into the Thunder Turtle's body!
"Awoo!"
The Thunder Turtle let out a cry of sheer agony, drenched from head to toe in blood. Not only did it suffer outer sword wounds, but berserk sword qi was tearing through its insides. It was not yet dead, its body shuddering like chaff in the wind, and it plunged headlong into the sea.
Crash!
Bloody water shot into the sky, instantly swept away by the storm.
The Thunder Turtle thrashed in the sea. For the first time, terror crept into its crazed eyes, and it fled without looking back.
Unexpectedly, before it could get very far, blue light blocked the way ahead as two coiled, soaring Tengshe lunged toward it in tandem.
Having broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage and refined the Fourfold Tengshe Seal over many years, the external incarnation could now command two Tengshe, though doing so remained somewhat strenuous, falling short of Yin Changsheng in his prime.
Having scouted the surrounding area and confirmed there was no second fierce beast, the external incarnation had rushed over to reinforce the battle.
Qin Sang's true body had no intention of letting up either. The fire lotus arrived almost simultaneously with the Tengshe, descending slowly from above. Flames blanketed the sea in an instant, enveloping the Thunder Turtle.
The Tengshe spewed cold flame, creating a striking contrast with the demonic fire.
Qin Sang and his external incarnation appeared one before the other, gazing down at the turtle. One wielded the Grey Oriole Sword to control the assault of demonic fire, while the other hovered beneath the Fourfold Tengshe Seal aloft, fingers quietly forming incantation seals.
Naturally, the true body remained the primary combatant, while the incarnation waited for openings, also serving to pin down the beast.
The Thunder Turtle's cries grew increasingly mournful. Its massive body thrashed within the rolling waves of fire, resembling nothing more than death throes. With old injuries compounded by fresh wounds, and virulent poison alongside sword qi wreaking havoc inside, how could it possibly be a match for Qin Sang?
Had Qin Sang not intended to capture it alive, he would have slain it already!
With wolves ahead and tigers behind, the Thunder Turtle was utterly stripped of any hope of escape.
Qin Sang and his incarnation coordinated seamlessly, chaining one divine ability after another to steadily sap the creature's strength.
Whoosh!
The Grey Oriole Sword cleaved through the air.
The Thunder Turtle scrambled to dodge, but failed to evade the pincer attack of the Tengshe. With a resounding boom, the turtle's body stiffened, a layer of frost blanketing its surface.
At the same time, a figure flashed above. The external incarnation waved a hand, unleashing a boundless expanse of white cold fiend. The Ice Soul Divine Light swept across the Thunder Turtle, freezing it solid.
Crack, crack...
Cracks spread across the mystic ice.
Even in such a weakened state, the Thunder Turtle remained extraordinarily savage; the external incarnation alone was insufficient to keep it frozen.
Qin Sang let out a cold snort. Seizing the opportunity, his true body intervened. With a wave of his hand, the demonic fire abruptly converged into a black cord, wrapping tightly around the Thunder Turtle and binding it fast. The power of the demonic fire seeped into its wounds, targeting its vital points.
Next, the sword qi of the Grey Oriole Sword soared to the heavens. Revolving the blade, Qin Sang struck the flat of the sword heavily against the Thunder Turtle's head, knocking it unconscious. He then flashed forward, his fingers gripping like iron pincers as he caught the cord of demonic fire and pulled it taut.
The incarnation retracted the spirit treasure and divine abilities, and the Second Nascent Soul fled back into the true body.
Dragging the Thunder Turtle behind him, Qin Sang sped off into the distance, vanishing into the depths of the storm.
He did not know if other fierce beasts lurked nearby. Some fierce beasts of the Abyss Ruins possessed peculiar and perilous divine abilities, capable of sensing fluctuations from immense distances away. Having depleted a substantial amount of true essence, he needed to leave the battlefield as quickly as possible.
……
Having departed, Qin Sang was pondering how to deal with the Thunder Turtle, completely unaware of what this battle in the Storm Belt would bring in its wake.
After his departure, the storm immediately swept away the blood-reddened seawater of the battlefield. The sky-blotting tempest and towering waves returned, leaving behind not a trace of the fierce battle that had just transpired.
Yet as time passed, an unknown transformation seemed to unfold over this stretch of ocean.
The shift was exceedingly slow. Even if someone had lingered here continuously, they would not have perceived it, only coming to a sudden, startling realization after a vast span of time that their surroundings had changed.
After an untold duration, the seawater began to flush with a faint redness that did not disperse when the gales swept through, indicating that the anomaly did not stem from the water itself.
Looking up into the void, a faint crimson glow had surfaced at some point, like a veil of red gauze. Even the hurricanes howling through this realm were dyed a vivid crimson.
The uncanny red light steadily deepened, though the process remained extraordinarily sluggish, measured across months or even years.
After a very long time,
this place truly became a sea of blood.
Only now could the source of the anomaly finally be discerned. The crimson radiance shone down from the endless heights above—a mysterious power capable of piercing even through the howling tempests.
Where the crimson light shone, the storm was actually subdued. The hurricanes acquired a touch of gentleness unseen elsewhere, and their howling seemed less shrill. Yet the Demonic Voice of the Heavenly Dao in this region grew far more piercing, as though madness itself had infected this entire domain.
The place where the red light was densest was high in the firmament.
If someone had stood upon the sea's surface at this moment and looked toward the heavens, they would have clearly beheld the source of the crimson light, unhidden even by layers of gales.
It resembled a faint red moon hanging in the sky.
Or rather, a demonic eye slowly opening!
Chapter 1728