Firebirds Again

Before they realized it, the cloud layer was within arm's reach. Only after stepping above the clouds did they discover that, contrary to what they had imagined, there was no swirling mist here. Their current position was only halfway up the Heavenly Peak; the path above lay completely open to view, yet was covered in layered restrictions. Astonishingly, atop the summit of the Heavenly Peak, endless fire elemental power was surging out from within the belly of the mountain. The moment he stepped above the cloud layer, a blast of scorching air hit Qin Sang in the face, bringing stifling, dry heat. This Heavenly Peak was actually a colossal volcano, and it was still active! If not for the cloud layer holding it back, the entire space of the ancient abode would surely have been swept by the fire elemental power erupting from the volcano. The vegetation in the outer perimeter that still struggled to survive would have turned to ash, making the realm a barren wasteland devoid of all life. At this moment, countless firebirds were flying in and out of the volcanic crater in immense numbers. Swarming together, they seemed like a red cloud blanketing the sky above the crater. Like the flying monkeys in the underground cavern, their bodies were dark red, and their strength far exceeded that of their counterparts in the trial space. They were likewise bound by invisible restrictions, unable to stray far from the crater, and could only circle above it. The volcano's interior appeared to be the nest of these firebirds. At the sight of the firebirds, Qin Sang felt a sudden jolt in his heart. His hands clenched secretly, and his gaze shifted inconspicuously, finally settling along the rim of the crater as though searching for something. The mountain path led straight to the summit and extended directly into the crater. Judging by the structures along the trail, none looked like an ancient cultivator's abandoned abode. Within his line of sight, there was no trace of Daoist Xuan Yu. Since the path led right into the crater, could the ancient cultivator's cave dwelling have been built inside the mountain's belly? One, two, three, four... Qin Sang silently counted the layers of restrictions along the path. The final layer—the one closest to the crater and nearest the firebirds—was a stone hall. Having endured the battering of fire elemental power year in and year out, a layer of red glaze had formed over the hall's surface, seamlessly melding together as if carved from red jade. If nothing went awry, this stone hall would be his to breach. Qin Sang lowered his head, concealing his gaze, his thoughts hidden. Old Man Dique cast a casual glance upward. Finding no sign of Daoist Xuan Yu, he looked at the flocks of firebirds swarming over the crater and frowned in silence. Just then, a violent tremor suddenly surged through the ground. The quake came fast and vanished just as quickly. Even Old Man Dique froze for a brief moment. Ren Hong hesitated for a second before whispering, "The tremor didn't seem to come from beneath our feet..." Qin Sang nodded in agreement and turned his gaze toward the horizon to the left. Though nothing was visible to the naked eye, he acutely sensed that the source of the shock wave should be there—the Heavenly Peak that Sikong Muyue had climbed and descended from earlier. No one was supposed to be on it now; it was impossible to tell what had just happened within, or what Sikong Muyue had once done there. They waited for a short while, but no subsequent tremors followed. Withdrawing his gaze, Old Man Dique commanded coldly, "Continue." ... The stone hall resembled a piece of flawless porcelain. The light reflected by the hardened glaze was not merely red; some halos rippled like a rainbow, striking and beautiful. Qin Sang rotated his left arm. When he had passed a restriction earlier, he had suffered an ambush that nearly sheared his left arm off at the shoulder. Fortunately, Old Man Dique's medicinal pill worked wonders, and the arm was now completely fine. Ascending the entire way, Qin Sang had cracked more than twenty restrictions. The further they went, the more formidable the restrictions became. With his limited cultivation, Qin Sang was often at a complete loss and had to rely on Old Man Dique's guidance to pass. Surviving countless brushes with death truly impressed upon him how terrifying a Core Formation stage cultivator was. Were it not for being tied down by the talismans and secret marks Daoist Xuan Yu had left behind, Old Man Dique certainly would not have gone to such great trouble. The impression he gave Qin Sang could only be described as unfathomable. Meanwhile, Qin Sang's own mastery over restrictions was advancing by leaps and bounds. Accompanied by the grating screech of stone grinding on stone, Qin Sang shoved open the heavy stone doors. Shortly after Qin Sang entered the hall, Ren Hong—who had been feigning meditation—suddenly opened his eyes. He looked at Old Man Dique's back, then raised his head toward the flocking firebirds, his expression torn between hesitation and terror. In the end, fear won out. Ren Hong gritted his teeth, dropped to his knees, and bowed. "Disciple greets Master! I beg Master not to send me to test those firebirds." Old Man Dique turned around, looking down with a half-smile at the prostrate Ren Hong. "You have seen them before?" Ren Hong nodded. "During the trial, the second trial was a flock of firebirds. Their cries can batter the origin soul. At first, disciple didn't think much of it, but after being surrounded by tens of thousands of them, I realized how horrifying they truly are. Disciple nearly died from origin soul collapse. The firebirds here are bound to be stronger than those in the trial space. I fear just a few hundred of them would be enough to kill me with ease." "Sound waves battering the origin soul?" Old Man Dique tilted his head up, thoughtfully studying the swarming firebirds. In his eyes shone unmasked, intense delight. Just then, Qin Sang finally broke out from the stone hall in a wretched state. His left hand clutched his abdomen tightly, his face deathly pale, his steps unsteady. Across his belly was an alarming claw mark that had nearly torn his abdomen wide open, exposing the pulsating internal organs within. The wound was squirming with regenerating flesh; Qin Sang had swallowed a medicinal pill in advance, and its dissolving efficacy was now healing him. Just above the stone hall lay the rim of the crater, affording a near-complete view of the volcanic maw. The crater was bottomless, densely packed with firebirds—endless and beyond count. Before Qin Sang could steady himself, Old Man Dique's sharp warning suddenly rang out: "Don't move!" Immediately afterward, the Tianyin Conch in Qin Sang's hand flashed with radiant light, and an unprecedented surge of vast divine sound power roared out, lunging toward his back with thunderous speed. Right below was the volcanic crater; how could Daoist Xuan Yu not leave a secret mark at the summit? It was just as he had anticipated. With his back turned to Old Man Dique, a subtle flicker of excitement surfaced in the depths of Qin Sang's eyes. Qin Sang spun around violently to see that, at some point, the wall of the stone hall had warped visibly. Green light radiated across its surface, and upon closer inspection, eight different talismans were embedded inside the wall, forming an Eight Trigrams formation with exceptional stealth. The placement of these talismans was exceedingly insidious. It was designed to strike the precise moment when the person breaching the restriction had just escaped danger and let down their guard. Yet Qin Sang was not alone. Old Man Dique had been continuously monitoring the surrounding space. The talisman formation was triggered by Qin Sang and on the verge of erupting, only to be preempted by Old Man Dique. The power of divine sound instantly split into eight streams. Like eight ropes, they bound the talismans firmly, preventing even a single one from detonating. The green light had barely flared before being extinguished. Unexpectedly, at that exact instant, Qin Sang made his move! He hurled the Tianyin Conch from his hand with all his might, kicked off the ground with explosive force, and rode his sword straight toward the volcanic crater. In that instant, he unleashed every ounce of his power—sword qi like a rainbow! "Courting death!" Old Man Dique's thunderous roar reverberated through the space of Qin Sang's origin soul. Yet Qin Sang turned a deaf ear. Enraged, Old Man Dique let out a cold sneer of disdain. The moment the Tianyin Conch left Qin Sang's hand, it vanished from the spot, only to reappear the next instant right above Qin Sang's head, descending to trap him from midair!