"That fast!" the old man gasped, his face pale with shock.
Barely a few dozen breaths had passed from the moment they saw Qin Sang strike to when they rushed in, yet Qin Sang had already easily captured the blue flood dragon leader alive from within the pack, leaving no signs of an intense struggle.
This showed that the blue flood dragon had been completely suppressed without having any chance to fight back.
The three exchanged glances, deeply shaken, a heavy veil of worry rising in their eyes.
They had accepted Qin Sang's commission only after careful deliberation, confident that with their various trump cards, they would still have the power to resist even if Qin Sang turned on them.
Only now did they realize just how naive they had been.
The cloaked Daoist's strength was truly terrifying. If he actually turned against them, they would be just like that blue flood dragon—utterly helpless.
"Kill the flood dragons!"
The old man was decisive. Tearing his gaze away from Qin Sang, he gritted his teeth and barked the command.
The other two also knew it was too late to second-guess themselves. Qin Sang's conduct along the journey had not seemed particularly cruel or ruthless, which offered them some small comfort.
Qin Sang paid no heed to what the others were thinking.
He had first cleaved through the demon mist with a single sword strike, then released the two Flying Yakshas to work in tandem with the ebony sword. Capturing and slaying a mere peak Demon Spirit stage blue flood dragon had naturally required negligible effort.
Yet he dared not dawdle. Having subdued the blue flood dragon leader, he immediately summoned the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman, preparing to slay the beast and extract its soul. Linger too long, and nearby demon beasts would surely be drawn to the scene.
Holding the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman, Qin Sang pressed it against the blue flood dragon's glabella.
The blue flood dragon roared savagely, but as the secret talisman shone brighter and brighter, beams of light pierced into its body like silver needles, causing its struggles to grow feeble.
Before long, a palm-sized flood dragon spirit soul was dragged inch by inch from its glabella, drifting slowly toward the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman.
The spirit soul began thrashing violently once more, but before Qin Sang, all resistance proved futile.
Qin Sang's fingers flew as he cast seal after seal, driving the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman to swallow the flood dragon spirit soul bit by bit until the secret talisman completely stabilized.
With a wave of his hand, the secret talisman flew back into his palm.
Within the pristine, jade tablet-shaped secret talisman, seven dragon souls were now sealed, elevating its power to another level.
Stowing the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman, Qin Sang turned to survey his surroundings.
Bereft of their leader, the flood dragons had fallen into complete chaos, scrambling over one another to flee into the ocean depths. Seizing the disorder, the old man and his two companions had already slain over a dozen large flood dragons, their expressions flushed with excitement.
By now, the sea below was dyed red with blood, a faint scent of gore wafting outward.
The mist was also thinning out.
Right then, the old woman's shout suddenly came from outside: "Daoist, there seems to be strange movement in the eastern waters! A bizarre wind is whipping up waves and blowing straight toward us!"
Qin Sang shouted, "Stop hunting! Harvest the carcasses and leave at once!"
If a powerful demon beast was drawn here, the odds would be bleak for all six of them.
Moreover, according to the rules of Duyan Island, they could not completely wipe out this pack of blue flood dragons; what they had taken was already enough.
Knowing what was at stake, the old man and his companions ceased their attacks at once, swiftly gathering their spoils.
Qin Sang skillfully butchered the dragon carcass before him, taking only the valuable materials and stowing them into his Qianjun Ring. When he finally severed the flood dragon's head, he let out a soft exclamation of surprise. Reaching in with his true essence, he retrieved a blue orb that resembled a demon core.
"An inner core?"
Looking at the orb, Qin Sang was reminded of the Heavenly Flame Jiao inner core he had obtained from Kong Xin back in Wuya Valley.
The two looked remarkably alike.
However, while the Heavenly Flame Jiao inner core contained immense fire power, this inner core seemed to be toxic, slowly corroding his true essence.
Since entering the Demon Sea, Qin Sang's understanding of demon beasts had grown vastly beyond what it once was. He knew such inner cores were not unique to Heavenly Flame Jiaos. Slaying demon beasts in the late Demon Spirit stage also carried a small chance of yielding a similar inner core, though the probability was exceptionally low.
Demon beasts possessing an inner core were generally stronger than their peers. Whether inner cores were related to true demon cores remained unresolved among immortal cultivators. Even so, like demon cores, an inner core could be incorporated into Fiend Demon Pills and Blood Bone Pills to enhance their potency, making them highly valuable.
This blue flood dragon had nurtured an inner core and should have possessed formidable strength; pity it had had no opportunity to unleash its full might before being surrounded and slain by Qin Sang and two Flying Yakshas.
Qin Sang took out a jade box, preparing to seal the inner core away, when he suddenly sensed unusual movement from the fat silkworm in the insect basket, stirring his curiosity. Its chirps were as urgent as when it had first seen the Thousand Hands Spider Fruit, brimming with impatience.
*Could demon beast inner cores be the food it truly craves?*
Qin Sang beamed with delight. He had tried countless methods to no avail, yet the fat silkworm had remained utterly indifferent. Who would have thought that an unintentional action would yield such a breakthrough, uncovering what it liked right here!
*No, perhaps it's interested only because this is a toxic core. I wonder if a true demon core would work?*
Recalling that the fat silkworm's abilities were all related to poison, Qin Sang murmured to himself.
Now was not the time to verify this. Qin Sang put away the blue flood dragon's inner core and quickly finished butchering the carcass. Seeing that the others were also done, he immediately ordered their departure.
Concealing their auras, the six fled outward, hearing the tremendous roar of churning waves behind them.
Only after fleeing a great distance did they dare turn around to look.
By then, violent winds howled across the waters where the hunt had taken place, and demonic qi soared to the sky, obscuring even the bright moon. Terrifying dark silhouettes seemed to emerge from the ocean depths.
Had they delayed even a moment longer, they would truly have been trapped within!
Secretly unnerved, everyone proceeded with even greater caution, traveling through the night and safely escaping the sea region without further incident.
The next morning.
"Having operated here for so long, you must have a safe stronghold. Lead the way there. We'll wait until these waters settle down before venturing out to hunt flood dragons again," Qin Sang said in a deep voice.
After slaying the blue flood dragon the previous night, Qin Sang felt that the ensuing commotion had been rather alarming. Uneasy, he decided to take the safe and steady approach.
The old man hesitated briefly, but ultimately followed Qin Sang's orders, turning to fly due south.
After flying continuously for several days, the group landed on a desolate island.
Cracks in the island's rock ran straight into the subterranean depths, where a small spirit vein lay hidden at the bottom. Though modest, it was more than adequate for use as a cave dwelling.
After issuing a few instructions, Qin Sang chose the innermost cave dwelling and laid down a warding restriction.
He then retrieved both the fat silkworm and the blue flood dragon inner core.
At the sight of the inner core, the fat silkworm's eyes shone brightly just as they had upon seeing the Thousand Hands Spider Fruit, its cries full of intense longing.
Though the inner core was valuable, Qin Sang certainly wouldn't be stingy if it could enhance the fat silkworm's abilities. He promptly unsealed the blue flood dragon inner core and tossed it over.
The fat silkworm let out a joyous chirp. An iridescent glow appeared across its body as it landed on the inner core, then clambered over and wrapped its entire body tightly around it.
It didn't gnaw on the inner core like it had with the Thousand Hands Spider Fruit; instead, it drew upon the iridescent glow to absorb the power within the blue flood dragon inner core.
Cradling the inner core, the fat silkworm wore a look of immense satisfaction. It showed no signs of forming a cocoon, resting in a half-asleep state while the inner core showed no visible change.
From the looks of it, absorbing the blue flood dragon inner core would be a prolonged process.
Chapter 683