Flowing Gold and Fire Bell Thunder Summons

Thunder Right Manor. Unlike Thunder Left Manor, which was scattered across a thousand islands, Thunder Right Manor's entire sect was located on a single vast island. It was said that the size of this island ranked among the top three in the Star Island Immortal Lake. Today was the day of opening the altar and conferring registers. Holding the thunder talisman bestowed by Elder Li, Qin Sang arrived at their gates to advance his ordination and receive the second-rank Flowing Gold and Fire Bell Register. Upon presenting the thunder talisman, he was immediately led inside by a Thunder Right Manor disciple, then joined the other cultivators advancing their registers as they headed toward the Register Conferral Court. By the rules of Thunder Right Manor, new register candidates were conferred their registers first. Qin Sang and the others waited until the last candidate had completed their investiture before being permitted to enter. Seeing Thunder Right Manor's ancestral altar, Qin Sang almost thought he had returned to Thunder Left Manor. The Thunder Ancestor Hall, the sacred portrait of the Thunder Ancestor, and even the design of the incense burner before the hall were identical to those of Thunder Left Manor. The ritual liturgy of register conferral was also largely the same. When Qin Sang's turn arrived, he entered the Thunder Ancestor Hall and knelt upon a prayer mat. There was no need to summon his register altar; he waited as the Transmission Master burned the talisman and submitted the memorial. The Flowing Gold and Fire Bell Register sank between Qin Sang's brows, settling into place naturally. At the center of his register altar, the Shenxiao Thunder Seal flashed with faint radiance, and the Flowing Gold and Fire Bell Register sank within it, vanishing from sight. None of the Three Masters noticed that Qin Sang's altar-guarding divine general was his internal true spirit rather than a celestial deity of the Thunder Department. In fact, even if Qin Sang had summoned his register altar right before them, he would have had no cause to worry about exposing himself. An altar-guarding divine general was not an actual deity, but a wisp of divine intent that only the practitioner himself could perceive. Qin Sang rose, bowed, and withdrew. Having likewise received a jade slip, he left Thunder Right Manor that very day. It was not until he returned to his cave dwelling on Kettle Island that Qin Sang carefully examined the changes brought by this advancement. First, he scanned the contents of the jade slip. It was divided into three parts as before: the key points of casting an altar, the All Gods Thunder Department Immortal Guide, and the *Chaozhen Jade Talisman Incantation*. The All Gods Thunder Department Immortal Guide differed from the one he had received before; it featured fewer sacred images of celestial deities, but their ranks were higher. The Great General of the Flowing Gold and Fire Bell, the Left-Leading General of the Thunder Chariot, the Thunderbolt Canonical Records Officer, the Fire Bell Majestic Heaven Clerk, the Jade Light Gold Essence Superior Clerk, the Wind and Thunder Divine Clerk, the Book-Keeping Judge... Divine names drifted past Qin Sang's eyes one by one, finally settling upon the Great General of the Flowing Gold and Fire Bell. The sacred image of this celestial deity was the only one lit among all the gods! *Can I only visualize this single celestial deity of the Thunder Department?* Qin Sang was surprised, though he did not dwell on it. After all, he had no intention of meditating on celestial deities. Shifting his attention back to the talismanic register itself, he saw that within the register altar, the two registers had already merged into one. The divine talisman that bore the Flowing Gold and Fire Bell Register was the Flowing Gold and Fire Bell Thunder Summons. Qin Sang had heard that the Daoist sects possessed an ancient divine seal known as the Flowing Gold and Fire Bell Divine Seal, which wielded formidable powers: summoning dragons and calling thunder, refining souls to ascend to truth, slaying water monsters, and expelling dark vapors. He did not know if there was any connection between the two. The Flowing Gold and Fire Bell Thunder Summons was reputed to subdue all demons, which was naturally an exaggeration. Nonetheless, the talisman genuinely possessed the power to intimidate demons. As for its effectiveness, that depended on the gap in cultivation between the two sides and the purity of the demon beast's bloodline. Qin Sang took out the imperial bloodline essence of the Golden-Winged Thunder Hawk—over half a bottle still remained—and set about casting his altar. The talismanic form of the Flowing Gold and Fire Bell Thunder Summons was far more intricate than that of the Jade Clarity Thunder Summoning Talisman. Both divine talismans belonged to the High Shenxiao Register, and their spirit apertures could be superimposed seamlessly. All Qin Sang needed to do was keep laying more bricks and tiles. As Qin Sang gradually perfected his register altar, the Jade Clarity Thunder Summoning Talisman would also be enhanced, its power growing alongside his cultivation. Furthermore, unleashing the Jade Clarity Thunder Summoning Talisman and the Flowing Gold and Fire Bell Thunder Summons in unison produced wondrous variations. Such was the advantage of sharing a single lineage. *Crack!* The jade vial opened, and drops of essence blood flew out continuously, coalescing into the dispersed glyphs of the divine talisman before merging into the register altar. Though he had only just received the Flowing Gold and Fire Bell Register, Qin Sang's movements showed not the slightest hesitation. Over the past two years, apart from preserving his spirit, Qin Sang had delved into the Dao of talismans, purchasing quantities of paper, brushes, and cinnabar to craft talismans personally. Strictly speaking, the Dao of talismans shared common principles with artifact crafting and formation restrictions. Having mastered the latter two, Qin Sang found little difficulty in comprehending talisman craft. By now, as long as he had the appropriate paper, brushes, and cinnabar, his success rate in creating Nascent Soul-tier spirit talismans was already respectably high. Tireless, Qin Sang stacked apertures and aligned glyphs again and again until the vial of Thunder Hawk essence blood was completely depleted. A flash of the Qianjun Ring sent several demon bones flying out. These were the bones of the Thunder Turtle. When Qin Sang dismantled the demon carcass back then, he had kept only the purest essences. The bones were rich with the Thunder Turtle's innate origin. As long as these bones proved usable, he would be able to use the Thunder Turtle's demon core to cast his altar after advancing his register in the future. From Qin Sang's experience battling the Thunder Turtle, its innate divine ability was exceptionally pure. Among all treasures used for casting altars, demon beast blood, bone, and cores made up the greatest share. The purer the bloodline, the higher the rate of success. Some cultivators in this world also ventured deep into the Sin Plains to hunt fierce beasts for casting their altars. Infected by the ancient qi of the six heavens, those fierce beasts were not merely manic in mind; the corruption spread throughout their bodies and deep into their marrow. While it was said not to impair the effectiveness of altar casting, fierce beasts with pure bloodlines were exceedingly rare. The demon bone gradually melted in Qin Sang's palm, eventually turning into a glob of thunder slurry, within which faint threads of blood seemed to drift. With a thought, Qin Sang drew out a strand and began tracing the talisman's contours. As the dispersed glyph gradually took shape, showing no signs of collapsing, it was finally completed and sank into the register altar. A look of delight crossed Qin Sang's face. Without hesitation, he continued casting the altar. The Thunder Turtle was a Deity Transformation-grade fierce beast with abundant bloodline power; it would have no trouble sustaining the altar through to completion! Qin Sang maintained his true essence at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Without needing his divine sense to isolate it, he no longer had to worry about erratic qi backlashes. He tested several Daoist arts, circulating true essence and inhaling and exhaling primal qi without any hindrance, and could not help nodding secretly in approval. Next, Qin Sang reached his divine sense into his spirit beast pouch, summoning the Fire Jade Centipede, and brought out the Heavenly Eye Butterfly as well. The Fire Jade Centipede was in a deep slumber, an imperceptible fluctuation radiating from its body. This slumber was not because the centipede was nearing a breakthrough, but because Qin Sang had sealed it to protect its sentience! A spirit insect's primordial spirit was the most fragile. Having accompanied Qin Sang to this realm, the centipede had lacked protection, and its sentience had gradually been affected. The moment Qin Sang noticed the signs, he had immediately ordered it into slumber. By contrast, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had never shown the slightest sign of confusion. Ever since mutating from consuming the Blue Phoenix's thunder power, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had displayed ever higher intelligence. She and the fat silkworm were exceptionally clever among spirit insects of their rank, far surpassing the Fire Jade Centipede. Whether it was due to this, or... Qin Sang looked inward at the jade Buddha, suspecting that as his natal spirit insect, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly might also have benefited to some extent. The Shenxiao Thunder Seal glowed faintly, shooting out a seal-shaped mark that sank into the crown of the Fire Jade Centipede's head. The slumbering centipede shuddered slightly. From this moment forth, it was the first insect general beneath Qin Sang's command! *Whoosh!* The Fire Jade Centipede turned into a red beam, darted into the register altar, and took up residence within one of the spirit apertures. It would take time for the altar-guarding divine general to be nurtured and elevated, so he let it continue sleeping. "With the register altar, there's no need for the spirit beast pouch anymore. Quite convenient, really." Qin Sang looked at the empty spirit beast pouch and tossed it aside. The pouch had once held several auxiliary spirit insects with peculiar abilities gathered in the storm belt, but owing to their low cultivation, none had survived until now. As for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, there was no need for such trouble. As his natal spirit insect, she could share the altar ground with Qin Sang without having to enter the register altar. *** After another several months of secluded cultivation, Qin Sang was awakened by a talisman letter. Leaving his cave dwelling in haste, he arrived at Master Qi's manor and found him in the fire chamber. Upon seeing Qin Sang, Master Qi asked directly, "How fares Fellow Daoist's divine ability? I intend to open the furnace in half a year!" Qin Sang frowned. Master Qi had summoned him several times before to assist with various secret crafting techniques, all of which had ended in failure. Judging by Master Qi's tone, this was clearly no test, but the true opening of the furnace! "How confident are you?" Master Qi shook his head gently and sighed. "I have done all I can. My skill reaches only this far. Even if you gave me decades more to contemplate it, I would fare no better than I do now." Qin Sang understood and said in a deep voice, "I shall control the fire for you, Master!" With his register altar completed, he was now capable of assisting Master Qi in crafting the treasure. For the next two months, Qin Sang remained at Master Qi's manor, preparing for the upcoming refinement. Offering to control the fire had originally been a pretext. Yet when Qin Sang displayed his superlative fire-control skills before Master Qi, the master was thoroughly astonished and immediately decided that the two of them would forge the treasure together. Master Qi first refined the Wind-Returning Armor, after which he constantly coordinated with Qin Sang until their teamwork became seamless. Since Master Qi was leading the refinement, they still chose the fire chamber and spiritual fire he was most accustomed to. Master Qi patiently explained every detail to Qin Sang again and again, showing even greater devotion than the armor's actual owner. For half a year, neither of them took a single step outside the fire chamber. Finally, the day arrived. Master Qi ordered his Daoist boy to shut the doors and turn away guests, sealing the estate and the fire chamber with formation restrictions. Only Qin Sang and Master Qi remained within the fire chamber. A square cauldron rested over the spiritual fire between them. Beside it, neatly arranged, lay the true treasure fragment, the Wind-Returning Armor, and various spirit materials. Master Qi nodded toward Qin Sang, drew the newly prepared Wind-Returning Armor before him, and rubbed his fingers together. A white blossom sprouted from his fingertip. The white flower drifted lightly upward and settled upon the Wind-Returning Armor, instantly taking root. Slender tendrils grew wildly, some even piercing through the spiritual armor, weaving inside and out, blanketing it in a layer of rootlets within moments. Qin Sang watched Master Qi's movements with rapt attention. This method planted the white flower into the armor's qi meridians, using the root system to manifest them so that every minute change during the subsequent forging could be monitored with absolute precision. A similar technique existed within the legacy of the Wood Element Hall of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. *Whoosh!* The Wind-Returning Armor was cast into the square cauldron. Qin Sang pressed his palm forward in an empty gesture. The flames surged violently, nearly swallowing the cauldron. Though appearing tempestuous, every fraction of a shift remained firmly under Qin Sang's control. The firelight shone brilliant and clear. Leaping flames transformed out of thin air into strands of fire talismans, drifting into the square cauldron and shrouding the Wind-Returning Armor in layers. The green hue of the Wind-Returning Armor gradually faded, glowing like red-hot iron, and even the patterns across the armor grew faint. Yet the white flower and its roots remained. Master Qi was not idle either. He drew over the spirit materials from the ground one by one, shifting his hand seals continuously as talisman characters merged into each in succession. Each time one was finished, it was struck into the square cauldron for Qin Sang to temper. Last came the true treasure fragment. Qin Sang focused single-mindedly on his task until only the Wind-Returning Armor and several clusters of multi-colored light remained inside the cauldron. He looked up across from him. Master Qi was still hard at work. The true treasure fragment hovered before him, tumbling and turning over and over. The more Qin Sang watched, the more astonished he became. Master Qi treated the true treasure fragment as though it were a sheet of talisman paper, occasionally drawing upon the clusters of light within the cauldron as ink to imprint divine talismans onto the fragment. At first, they could only float upon the fragment's surface, but gradually, they began to show signs of dissolving into the rippling water. Integrating the Dao of talismans into artifact crafting was an ingenious art that gave Qin Sang a novel appreciation, leaving him completely enthralled. A loud shout snapped Qin Sang back to attention. Master Qi's eyes widened fiercely, and he thrust both hands forward with all his might. The true treasure fragment sent forth clear ripples, tumbling into the square cauldron like a waterfall. Qin Sang hurriedly collected his wits, devoting all his strength to commanding the flames. With one hand forming an incantation seal, Master Qi pressed his other against the body of the square cauldron. This cauldron was itself a treasure. Flashes of talisman restrictions appeared endlessly from within, drawing the true treasure fragment and the Wind-Returning Armor toward each other. One could scarcely tell whether the true treasure fragment was merging into the Wind-Returning Armor or vice versa. Amid blinding brilliance, the two became one. The true treasure fragment vanished, and a layer of rippling water seemed to spread across the Wind-Returning Armor. Yet this was merely the first step; the most grueling trial was only just beginning. Inside the fire chamber, the two sat on opposite sides of the cauldron, motionless. The flickering firelight intertwined with the spiritual glow from within. Time lost all meaning. The square cauldron shuddered, and a metallic chime echoed through the fire chamber. As if roused by the sound, both opened their eyes simultaneously, traded a glance, and unleashed true essence from their palms with full force. Exotic light shot toward the ceiling from within the cauldron, stopped by the restrictions of the fire chamber. The Wind-Returning Armor could be seen slowly rotating inside the cauldron, alternating between ethereal and solid. Qin Sang knew they had reached the most crucial, and the most difficult, step. Connecting the qi meridians, threading the qi through the spirit armor! Both were utterly focused, yet as time dragged on, the body of the Wind-Returning Armor began to tremble, the shaking growing ever more violent. Master Qi's expression shifted slightly. He altered his seals repeatedly, producing several spirit talismans and hurling them directly into the cauldron without the slightest hesitation. Qin Sang supported him with everything he had. Yet things went contrary to their desires. Even with all their strength, they could not stabilize the situation. The spiritual radiance of the Wind-Returning Armor gradually dimmed, and a rushing sound of water echoed inside the cauldron, laden with an ominous restlessness. Master Qi's eyes threatened to tear at the corners as a low growl escaped his throat, but whatever he did proved useless. Qin Sang sighed softly. "If it cannot be done, there is no need to force it, Master." Master Qi seemed to awaken from a dream. He stared blankly at the cauldron, his eyes dimming. But in the next instant, as if struck by an epiphany, his gaze suddenly brightened. He abruptly drew the Wind-Returning Armor out of the square cauldron and flicked his fingers repeatedly, sending beams of spiritual light into the armor. Gradually, Qin Sang seemed to understand as well. A look of joy appeared on his face as he began working in coordination with Master Qi. An hour later. Qin Sang was the first to withdraw his hands. Master Qi's figure flickered, appearing above the Wind-Returning Armor, and he pressed a single hand seal against the breastplate. *Boom!* Dazzling spiritual light flooded the chamber, followed by profound silence. When the light faded, Qin Sang saw Master Qi turning a palm-sized set of armor over and over in his hands, unable to tear himself away. Sensing Qin Sang's gaze, Master Qi reluctantly tossed the spiritual armor over. "Alas, my attainment is lacking; it falls a bit short of expectations." Despite his words, his tone was brimming with pride and excitement. Catching the spiritual armor, Qin Sang instantly sensed the changes within. With a thought, the breastplate transformed into a pool of clear water—the true treasure fragment revealing itself. They had originally intended to fuse the two treasures into one, but in the end had only managed to embed the true treasure fragment into the Wind-Returning Armor. The fortunate part was that the power of the true treasure fragment could now be drawn forth through the Wind-Returning Armor, even if only covering a small area. The fragment could shift freely across the surface of the Wind-Returning Armor. Wherever it rested, the defensive strength would far surpass that of any other spot, testing the wielder's mastery of timing. "A fine treasure!" Qin Sang nodded repeatedly.