"A strict hierarchy—true to its reputation! If all the fire-repelling sparrows in their nest can unite like this, guided by a king at the Demon Core stage, combining the chilling wind divine abilities of hundreds of sparrows would yield truly horrifying power."
Qin Sang shuddered at the thought.
Obtaining the Ten Thousand Generations Camphor from the sparrow nest was likely not going to be easy.
Seeing the flock fly farther and farther away, Qin Sang pondered briefly, suppressed his thoughts, and hurriedly exerted his movement technique to give chase.
The fire-repelling sparrows were not large, yet their endurance was extraordinary. Clamping chunks of sea beast flesh several times their own size in their beaks, they flew continuously for an entire two hours without a single pause.
After trailing them for fully eight to ten hours, Qin Sang finally saw the towering silhouette of a mountain emerge over the sea ahead.
From afar, a patch of pure white caught his eye.
"A snowcapped mountain?"
Qin Sang was surprised. Snowcapped mountains were rarely seen in this region. But considering the divine abilities of the fire-repelling sparrows and the nature of the Ten Thousand Generations Camphor, its presence here was perfectly natural.
The sparrows ascended higher and higher, finally reaching the mountain's peak before vanishing from sight.
Qin Sang halted at a distance and discovered that the peak was structured like a volcanic crater. Its depths were unknown, but the sparrows' nest was evidently inside the belly of the mountain.
Having witnessed how the flock hunted in unison, Qin Sang decided it would be unwise to rashly infiltrate the nest. It was better to find a nearby spot first, observe their habits, and determine the size of the flock before making any moves.
The population of a flock was usually tied to the strength of its king. If tens of thousands of sparrows resided here, their king might well be a great demon at the peak of the Demon Core stage.
However, Qin Sang noted that the crater opening did not appear overly vast, so there probably weren't that many.
With that in mind, Qin Sang circled the snowcapped mountain a few times, chose an inconspicuous islet some distance away, excavated a temporary cave dwelling, and laid down several concealing restrictions and spirit arrays.
Once finished, he set out again and eventually discovered another hunting party of fire-repelling sparrows venturing out.
This time, he did not conceal himself. Striking openly, he slaughtered the entire flock. To test the strength of their chilling wind divine ability, he patiently sparred with them for a while before delivering the fatal blows.
"The power is indeed formidable. When their chilling winds merge, they unleash strength several times that of their leader. But combining the wind takes time and requires advance preparation, which might be an opening to exploit. Still, their king is a Demon Core great demon and likely possesses even stronger abilities… The good news is that the Nine Nether Demonic Fire holds a powerful advantage over them. Once I unleash it, even if the king is at the mid Demon Core stage, the chances of slaying it are high—provided I can lure it out of the nest, away from the flock."
Qin Sang collected the demon carcasses and lingered beneath the nearby sea surface for a while before leaving.
"No other sparrows came searching right away. It seems they lack the ability to sense each other's life or death…"
Qin Sang muttered to himself as a plan gradually took shape in his mind.
Returning to his temporary cave dwelling, he divided his time between cultivation and observing the activity on the mountain. Over the course of twenty days, he gathered a wealth of information.
The weakest members of the flock almost never left the nest; their existence seemed dedicated purely to breeding. At regular intervals, leaders at the Demon Spirit stage took turns guiding small groups out to hunt and bring food back.
Their prey fell into two categories: sometimes sea beasts, and other times ordinary sea fish.
"Judging by the frequency of their hunting trips, this flock likely numbers fewer than ten thousand. Their king truly knows how to endure solitude; I haven't seen it emerge once…"
Qin Sang mused silently and resolved to proceed with his plan.
That night, he ambushed and wiped out a small team of fire-repelling sparrows south of the mountain. The next day, he repeated the tactic, hunting down another group to the west.
He intended to use this method to draw the king out of the nest.
Yet on the second night, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
Qin Sang had arrived ahead of time at a desolate islet north of the snowcapped mountain to wait. He knew a flock of sparrows had just departed the nest and was heading this way.
He had not killed enough yet for the sparrows to notice anything amiss.
Unexpectedly, not long after his arrival on the islet, the situation changed.
A bright moon hung high in the sky on a glorious night.
Qin Sang was seated cross-legged on the grass in quiet meditation when he suddenly felt an unprecedented, terrifying aura sweep past far to the north, instantly jolting him awake from his trance.
With a sharp gasp, Qin Sang shot to his feet. His expression changed drastically as he stared fixedly at the northern night sky.
A moment later, a streak of fiery red light sliced across the heavens like a meteor, blazing westward.
The distance was too great to make out anything more than that red glow.
Yet even from so far away, the aura radiating from the red light sent shivers down Qin Sang's spine, leaving him momentarily rattled.
"A Transformation stage great demon!"
Qin Sang cried out in shock. Such a dreadful aura had not even been possessed by the human-faced porpoise dwelling near the cold flame; only a Transformation stage great demon or a Nascent Soul expert could exude it.
Coupled with the soaring demon qi in the north, there was only one possibility!
Qin Sang had encountered Transformation stage great demons in the Lesser Cold Domain, but those beasts were on friendly terms with humanity and would not kill indiscriminately, making them far less frightening.
The Demon Sea was entirely different. Demon beasts and cultivators shared irreconcilable hatred; the moment a great demon spotted a cultivator, it would not hesitate to obliterate them.
"There's actually a Transformation stage great demon near Huntian Island? Why would it appear now?"
Shaken to the core, Qin Sang's thoughts raced as his body moved into action. Without hesitation, he abandoned the islet and fled directly south.
"Judging by the direction it's flying, it seems to be heading straight for the Thousand Demons Sea. Could it have been drawn by the cold flame…"
The possibility suddenly struck Qin Sang, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
For cultivators to secure a foothold on a major island, there was bound to be a mutual understanding with the nearby Transformation stage great demons. Under normal circumstances, neither would trespass into the other's territory unless drawn by an extraordinary allure.
Only a treasure of the cold flame's caliber could lure a Transformation stage great demon across such distances.
"Even a Transformation stage great demon is tempted. The cold flame can't be kept secret at all…"
Qin Sang gave a bitter smile, watching the red light recede into the distance. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief; since the beast was rushing toward the cold flame, it would at least spare him from interference while securing the Ten Thousand Generations Camphor for the time being.
Still, once he obtained the camphor, he would have to steer well clear. Returning along his original path was out of the question for now, leaving him no choice but to continue southward.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Qin Sang's expression shifted violently.
Just as the red light was about to vanish into the western night sky, several extraordinarily powerful auras surged in rapid succession from the distant east, moving at astonishing speed as though following in its wake.
Without exception, all were Demon Core stage great demons!
One of them happened to be directly to his east, hurtling straight toward his position.
Chapter 711