Yet this did not mean the firebirds were weak. Their greatest ability was their bizarre cry, which carried a peculiar sound wave capable of battering the origin soul. Even if Qin Sang was unafraid, that did not mean other cultivators could remain so composed.
Moreover, who knew just how many firebirds lurked within the boundless mist?
If one were besieged by tens of thousands of firebirds at once, the mere thought of it was terrifying.
The thought had just crossed Qin Sang's mind when he suddenly noticed that the surrounding mist was growing unstable. Waves churned in all directions as countless red points of light emerged from the depths of the fog, swiftly dyeing the mist red!
These points of light were like crimson eyes, present above, below, left, and right—everywhere. Gale winds whipped the fog, carrying a scalding heat that buffeted the stone platform. Whether drawn by the cries of the firebirds or disturbed by Qin Sang's spiritual power fluctuations, those "eyes" were rapidly converging on him.
Qin Sang felt his scalp tingle, cold sweat nearly breaking out on his forehead.
Just as he had imagined, countless fire spirit beasts were indeed hidden within the mist. If all of them were firebirds, it might still be manageable, but if there were fire spirit beasts with other abilities, being mobbed by so many would undoubtedly lead to a horrific end!
Confronted with this sight, Qin Sang did not dare remain where he was. Only one thought remained: fight his way out immediately!
*Buzz!*
The ebony sword split into a formation, its sword qi erupting violently to carve a flaming path through the siege of firebirds.
Stepping onto the iron chain, Qin Sang bolted forward. The instant he moved, the fire spirit beasts from the depths of the mist arrived, their avian screeches growing tens, hundreds of times shriller.
The rising and falling cries battered the mist, creating sound waves visible to the naked eye. Overlapping one another like tempestuous waves, their might was utterly terrifying.
And the focal point of their onslaught was precisely where Qin Sang stood.
Even as he fled, Qin Sang managed a frantic glance around him. They were all identical firebirds!
There were no other fire spirit beasts.
Yet the faster Qin Sang moved, the more firebirds he attracted. Before long, he was completely enveloped by a dense swarm of them, too numerous for the ebony sword and Ten Directions Yanluo Banner to ever wipe out.
Their grotesque screeches were as deafening as a collapsing mountain or a roaring tsunami, threatening to make one dizzy and disoriented.
Qin Sang's origin soul remained unharmed, yet the din was thoroughly vexing. He suddenly realized that these firebirds could sense his spiritual power fluctuations; even employing spiritual sense would be detected by them.
At this thought, Qin Sang could not help but break into a cold sweat on behalf of the others. Besieged by firebirds and subjected to sound wave attacks against their origin souls, cultivators would inevitably fight back—and the moment they made a move, even more firebirds would be drawn in.
Once the firebirds multiplied, a Foundation Establishment cultivator's origin soul would be severely wounded by the sonic onslaught, ending in failure for the trial.
It was a vicious cycle. One could only weather the firebirds' attacks and dash heedlessly toward the far end of the iron chain, clearing this trial at the fastest possible speed.
At that moment, Qin Sang suddenly stowed away both the ebony sword and the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner. With a sway of his body, he vanished on the spot.
The firebirds' screeches took on a tinge of confusion. Even more violent sound waves blasted the spot where Qin Sang had disappeared, carrying waves of flaming hurricanes, yet they failed to flush out the intruder.
In the end, their efforts proved futile, and the firebirds dispersed in bewilderment.
By now, Qin Sang was standing quietly ahead of the flock; he had already found the method to pass this trial.
Thanks to the jade Buddha, though the firebirds in the mist were countless and screeched without pause, subjecting anyone standing anywhere to the battering of their sound waves, he had nothing to fear.
Watching the flocks of firebirds disperse, Qin Sang strode calmly forward, occasionally seeing swarms of them whistle past.
In other words, the only adversaries in this trial were firebirds?
A thought stirred in Qin Sang's mind, and he paused in his tracks, stopping on the iron chain. Looking down at the lava river below, a thoughtful expression surfaced on his face.
Tracing back the history of this ancient immortal's abandoned abode, it had once been occupied by demonic sects for a period ten thousand years ago. Unless a single sect had kept it strictly guarded as their private preserve, countless demonic cultivators must have entered it.
Earlier, he had heard Che Yutao mention that the restrictions encountered by Foundation Establishment and Core Formation stages were different, so the trials they faced were likely distinct as well.
When Foundation Establishment cultivators entered, they could only rely on their own strength to overcome the trials; receiving assistance from sect seniors was impossible.
Of course, cooperating with others might have been an option.
A total of twenty-seven people had entered the stele together, yet Qin Sang had not encountered a single companion thus far. Still, this space was immensely vast, and there might be many similar stone platforms scattered about, separated by distances too great for them to meet.
It was difficult to say for sure right now and remained to be verified.
In a place like this, joining forces was likely no easy feat either. A single slip would alert the firebirds, and fighting back would only attract even more of them. Waiting in place for companions to make contact would be nothing short of suicide.
That being the case, there would inevitably be cultivators who failed the trial and perished here.
Back in the passage, Qin Sang had already realized that the trials held no mercy whatsoever. Had he slipped up, he would definitely have been slain by the Golden-Armored Divine Generals, and this place would be no different.
Failing the trial meant death!
Could there be the skeletal remains of fallen demonic cultivators down below... and demonic tools?
Viewed from above, the lava river was a red line, which meant it had boundaries rather than being a vast sea of lava. A cultivator's corpse falling into the lava would certainly be reduced to ashes, but if they landed on the banks, their bones might still remain...
Unless someone like Qin Sang, unafraid of sonic attacks, had gone down to scour the place clean, the ground below was very likely a treasure trove.
Qin Sang's heart leaped.
It just so happened that the adversaries of this trial were firebirds whose abilities were suppressed by the jade Buddha, so he was in no hurry to leave at all.
After emerging from the passage, Qin Sang had seen no sign of a time limit. As long as one was not killed by the firebirds, it likely would not count as failing the challenge.
Even if he were kicked out for exceeding some time limit, if he could truly find the corpses of demonic cultivators along the banks of the lava river and loot their relics, this trip would still be well worth it—even being ejected would be worthwhile.
After all, there would be no danger at all; it was practically picking up treasures for nothing.
Venturing deeper into the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode would entail many unknown perils, and the place had already been thoroughly looted by demonic cultivators once, so he might not reap much of a harvest anyway.
It had taken him twenty years just to raise four Ten Directions Yanluo Banners to great accomplishment. With the black market supplying fewer and fewer demonic tools, upgrading the remaining two banners would likely take an eternity.
If he could find enough soul-refining demonic tools down below, how much time and effort would that save him?
An opportunity like this would come only once; the later trials certainly would not consist of just these firebirds.
Che Yutao had said that anomalous changes would occur in the ancient immortal's abandoned abode, making it uncertain whether they could ever enter again. If he did not seize this chance now, there might never be another.
After a brief hesitation, Qin Sang made his decision immediately. With a gentle tap of his toes against the iron chain, he did not descend right away, but instead flew slowly upward.
As he flew upward, Qin Sang distinctly felt the pressure bearing down on him grow heavier and heavier. Upon reaching a height of over a dozen zhang, the crushing weight had already become terrifying, pressing down until he could barely breathe.
Chapter 233