Qin Sang led the way while Shangguan Lifeng followed behind. Once they traveled a certain distance, or when Qin Sang's spiritual power was depleted to a certain point, Shangguan Lifeng would take over to forge ahead.
A streak of blue light flew from his mustard seed bag. Revealing its true form, it turned out to be an icy bead the size of a longan.
Inside this diminutive icy bead lay the scene of a blizzard, where goose-feather snowflakes were depicted down to the finest detail, strikingly vivid and lifelike.
Qin Sang's magic tools had all been destroyed at the volcanic crater. Before setting out, he had stocked up on several practical magic tools, and this Cold Snow Bead was one of them. It was merely a high-grade magic tool, yet nothing could be more suited for this place.
The Cold Snow Bead flew up above Qin Sang's head on its own accord. Snowflakes showered down from the bead, forming a curtain of snow around Qin Sang that spun ceaselessly about him.
When tongues of fire lunged at the snow curtain, the ice and snow melted while the flames were extinguished in turn, canceling each other out.
The snowflakes within the Cold Snow Bead seemed inexhaustible, falling in an endless stream to replenish what was lost.
Relying on the magic tool's power, Qin Sang did not need to constantly concentrate on maintaining a spiritual power shield. He nodded to Shangguan Lifeng and leaped into the sea of fire.
As far as the eye could see, blazing flames drifted everywhere.
At first, the flames were not particularly powerful, comparable to the stream of fire they had encountered outside.
The Cold Snow Bead alone was enough to withstand them with ease.
The whirling snowflakes repelled wave after wave of lunging flames. Qin Sang signaled Shangguan Lifeng and quickened his pace.
The color of the flames grew increasingly deep, and their intensity multiplied severalfold.
Layers of fire slapped against the snow curtain encircling Qin Sang, causing it to wear perilously thin, on the verge of being burned through. The Cold Snow Bead alone was no longer enough to ward off the searing heat; he had to channel spiritual power into it without pause.
However, none of this posed a major issue; it was merely a natural progression. The restriction's true might had yet to reveal itself.
Qin Sang maintained the magic tool while keeping a vigilant watch on his surroundings.
Suddenly, Qin Sang noticed an abnormal ripple in the flames ahead. Without hesitation, he summoned his ebony sword. Sword qi erupted as he slashed out with ferocious speed.
The sea of fire was instantly cleaved in two by the sword qi.
In his field of view, layer upon layer of raging fire parted, until the sword qi collided with a stream of flame—only to be easily scattered by it.
This stream of flame was distinctly different from the surrounding fire: it was a pristine, purest cyan, hurtling out from the depths of the sea of fire straight toward Qin Sang.
The bluish-purple flames seemed terrified of this cyan fire, parting out of its way one after another.
The instant he saw the cyan flame stream, alarm bells rang loudly in Qin Sang's heart. He immediately shouted a warning to Shangguan Lifeng behind him while shifting rapidly to the left.
*Whoosh!*
Not only was the cyan flame stream exceptionally long, it was also astonishingly swift. Though Qin Sang dodged with all his might, it was still a struggle, and he was on the verge of being grazed by the flame stream's tail.
*Snap!*
A formidable force carrying horrifyingly high temperatures swept past, effortlessly shattering the snow curtain with a light brush.
Qin Sang's reactions were lightning fast. He swiftly brought the ebony sword before him to clash head-on with the flame stream, buying himself a fleeting moment to dodge its full brunt in the nick of time.
The ebony sword buzzed and hummed as it flew back into his grip. Qin Sang inspected it closely and confirmed that the precious sword was undamaged.
The cyan flame stream did not wheel around to continue its attack; instead, it flew a short distance further before dissipating into thin air.
*So this is the restriction's method of attack,* Qin Sang realized.
If it was only this, dealing with it wouldn't be difficult. But things certainly wouldn't stay this simple; this cyan flame stream was merely the tip of the iceberg.
Qin Sang had guessed right. As they pressed forward, more flame streams flew toward them before long—and this time, two came at once. Qin Sang had prepared in advance; his figure flickered repeatedly, coordinating with the ebony sword to evade the impact of the flame streams. But right after, he sensed an abnormality beneath him. Hastily shifting several tens of feet to the side, he saw a pillar of fire erupt out of thin air from the spot where he had just stood, soaring into the sky.
From that moment on, the shifts in the restriction suddenly intensified in density. Streams of flame coordinated with eerily unpredictable pillars of fire, attacking like surging tides and giving Qin Sang no chance to catch his breath.
With Qin Sang scouting ahead, Shangguan Lifeng behind him did not need to be constantly on guard against the flame streams, having a much easier time.
After traveling a distance, Shangguan Lifeng took the initiative to step forward, allowing Qin Sang to regulate his breathing and recover.
As time went on, the shifts of the restriction grew ever more intricate and dense, making it difficult for both of them to cope.
"That should be enough."
Swapping places once more, Qin Sang estimated that they had already ventured well past the center of the sea of fire. Catching his breath in rapid gasps, he transmitted his voice, "Holding our ground here for thirty breaths should be plenty."
Shangguan Lifeng dodged a pillar of fire and frowned. "I still have some strength left. Pushing a little further inward will be safer. I must ask Daoist to help protect me."
Seeing Shangguan Lifeng insist, Qin Sang had no objections and trailed closely behind him.
Unexpectedly, before they had flown much farther, an enraged shout rang out from Shangguan Lifeng up ahead, laced with pain.
Right after, Shangguan Lifeng's figure could be seen flying back in disarray.
Half of his robes had been incinerated, and a long wound stretched across his chest and abdomen. Evidently, a momentary lapse had prevented him from dodging in time, leaving him heavily wounded by a flame stream.
Witnessing this, Qin Sang did not suspect Shangguan Lifeng had injured himself on purpose. His wound was neither light nor critical; taking a healing pill and regulating his breathing for a while would allow him to recover.
As long as he hadn't lost his fighting capability, he couldn't escape the scouting duty anyway, so doing such a thing was utterly pointless.
Sure enough, right behind Shangguan Lifeng, several dozen cyan flame streams attacked in unison, weaving into an exceptionally dense net of fire that left no gaps whatsoever.
Qin Sang thought to himself, *no wonder*. Earlier, when he had faced a dozen-odd flame streams at once, even he had found it quite demanding.
*Buzz!*
The ebony sword tore through the air, flashing past Shangguan Lifeng in an instant. The sword formation deployed, clashing head-on against those flame streams in an uncompromising stance.
The sword qi shattered, and the ebony sword hurtled back even faster. Though it was overpowered, it checked the flame streams for a fleeting moment.
Shangguan Lifeng seized the chance to mobilize his spiritual power, transforming into a flash of saber light to finally pull clear of danger.
"I was reckless. I have made a fool of myself before Daoist," Shangguan Lifeng said, clutching his wound and offering a bitter smile, looking somewhat ashamed.
He had already swallowed a healing pill, but the fire poison had seeped into his body, and purging it would take considerable effort.
Qin Sang shook his head. "Facing an onslaught of so many flame streams at once, Fellow Daoist Shangguan escaped with only this minor injury. Your cultivation is already quite formidable. This is no place to linger; we might as well tend to your wounds after we get outside!"
This time, Shangguan Lifeng raised no objection. Together with Qin Sang, he swiftly flew toward the outer edge of the sea of fire.
Finally flying clear of the sea of fire, Shangguan Lifeng darted over to Yu Kong's side. After a brief explanation, he sat cross-legged at once and circulated his cultivation technique to purge the fire poison.
"Recover as quickly as you can!" Yu Kong said with a furrowed brow, knowing this was difficult to avoid.
To everyone's surprise, the moment the words left his mouth, Yan Wu actually came flying out as well, supporting Wu Chen.
Yan Wu wore an embarrassed, sheepish expression.
As for Wu Chen, his face was as pale as golden paper—his injuries were far more severe than Shangguan Lifeng's.
Chapter 293