"Fifteen years here... it's about time to head back."
A soft sigh echoed from within the cave dwelling.
Qin Sang looked around. The furnishings were simple yet far from crude, and remarkably, the spiritual energy was exceptionally abundant—not in the least inferior to those premium cave abodes.
To stumble upon such a superb cave dwelling in the boundless Demon Sea was truly a stroke of good fortune.
Over these years, he had been thoroughly satisfied with his life in the Demon Sea, practically content enough to forget about returning.
With the Primordial Concentric Rings giving early warnings, the times Qin Sang had encountered genuine peril could be counted on one hand. Even now, plenty of the medicinal pills and supplies he had prepared before his departure remained.
Given his temperament, returning only after exhausting his provisions would not have been late at all. Unfortunately, he had only brought two six-petaled butterfly violets with him, and barely any remained; if he did not return soon, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's rations would run out.
The six-petaled butterfly violets on Red Leaf Island were bound to have matured by now, but Qin Sang knew nothing of the outside world. He had no idea how far the turmoil between the two races had escalated, and whether he could make his way to Red Leaf Island without a hitch remained unknown.
Over the years, as Qin Sang's cultivation advanced step by step, the two spirit insects were also growing at an astonishing pace.
Not long after settling down here, the fat silkworm had finished absorbing the toxic cores and, as expected, smoothly transitioned into the middle stage of the second metamorphosis.
To Qin Sang's surprise, after entering the middle stage, its absorption speed grew faster and faster, yet the effects of the toxic cores became noticeably diminished compared to before.
By the time it absorbed every toxic core Qin Sang had prepared for it, it seemed just a hair away from breaking through to the late stage, while the efficacy of the toxic cores grew weaker and weaker.
Seeing this, Qin Sang gave it the actual demon cores of toxic beasts. After some initial clumsy fumbling, the fat silkworm truly managed to absorb the toxic beast demon cores directly. Qin Sang had secretly breathed a sigh of relief; otherwise, he really would not have known what to feed it.
The fat silkworm's abilities had been proven through several fierce battles against toxic beasts.
When its iridescent halo coalesced into the poison-warding armor, it could already withstand the virulent toxins of early Demon Core stage toxic beasts.
The armor was as thin as a cicada's wing. Worn over Qin Sang's body, it was almost imperceptible to the naked eye. In future clashes against cultivators skilled in using poison, he would hold an immense advantage.
Presently, clutching a toxic beast demon core, the fat silkworm was snoring soundly inside the insect basket, having successfully broken through to the late stage of the second metamorphosis.
By comparison, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's growth had not been as rapid. Though it had also broken through to the middle stage three years ago, the time it would take to initiate its third metamorphosis would likely be later than the fat silkworm's.
*Ling ling...*
The Primordial Concentric Rings flew up, surging with a burst of white light, and the two-headed hou appeared before Qin Sang.
Its injuries had improved, and the wounds were beginning to knit together.
Upon being released, the two-headed hou scrambled abruptly to its feet. Its fur bristled, its eyes gleamed with savagery, and it bared its fangs, letting out a low growl at Qin Sang.
Qin Sang's face darkened. As the Primordial Concentric Rings tightened, the two-headed hou instantly suffered excruciating agony striking straight into its soul. It shrieked repeatedly and collapsed to the floor, shivering all over, curling into a ball at times, oblivious even as its wounds split open again.
At the height of its agony, it even bashed its heads against the stone walls of the cave abode.
Qin Sang watched coldly, his expression unruffled.
Only when the two-headed hou lay limp like mud, breathing like gossamer, did Qin Sang suspend the punishment.
"I know your intelligence is far beyond those primitive sea beasts; you should be able to understand my meaning."
Qin Sang walked over, gripped the two-headed hou by the scruff of its neck, and stared straight into its vertical pupils.
Facing such an intractable demon beast gave Qin Sang a bit of a headache as well.
Along the way, similar scenes had played out several times without bringing the two-headed hou to heel. One had to realize that the previous blue shark could not take it by the second time and had submitted to Qin Sang.
Though the two-headed hou had not a shred of strength left, it still stubbornly glared with both pairs of eyes. Yet in the depths of its gaze lay a profound exhaustion, which Qin Sang keenly caught.
"Having me release or kill you is impossible. Willing or not, the Primordial Concentric Rings will break you sooner or later, so you might as well accept your fate. Countless demon beasts have been taken as mounts by immortal cultivators; you are hardly the only one. You saw how that blue shark ended up—I will not bind you for life. When I find a better beast, or when you are no longer of use to me, I will restore your freedom... provided you obey my orders!"
The light in the two-headed hou's eyes flickered.
Qin Sang fed it another spirit pill, then stowed the Yang Ring once more.
Two months later.
Qin Sang appeared above the sea. Holding a sea chart, he determined his bearings and decided to head north, retracing the route by which he had arrived.
The southern route was not so easily reopened, and the evil cultivators were powerful and sinister. After weighing the matter, Qin Sang still decided on the northern path.
Moreover, he was curious whether the cold flame was still in its original place or had already been taken by the Transformation stage great demon.
After discovering that the Transformation stage great demon had been drawn by the cold flame and appeared in this sea area, Qin Sang had been deeply on edge for quite some time, moving with extreme caution. Only when he saw that no unusual disturbances shook the Demon Sea did he finally put his mind at ease.
Throughout that period, there was only one brief commotion among the demon beasts two years prior. By then, Qin Sang was already deep within the Demon Sea, and by the time he sensed the anomaly, it was drawing to a close.
Qin Sang had ventured north to investigate, suspecting that it had again been caused by the Transformation stage great demon passing through. Yet unlike before, after an interval of over a dozen years, the great demon had finally returned.
No one knew what that Transformation stage great demon had been doing while lurking near Huntian Island for over a decade.
Qin Sang suspected that since the great demon was willing to return, it had very likely succeeded.
Having spent fifteen years here, Qin Sang was thoroughly familiar with this sea area. He easily found the optimal route and waved his arm, summoning the two-headed hou to his side.
The two-headed hou crouched low upon the water's surface.
Azure light shimmered along its flanks, manifesting a pair of exceptionally graceful wind wings. Judging by its aura, its wounds had clearly healed completely.
Straddling the two-headed hou, Qin Sang pointed out the direction, then half-closed his eyes and actually began quietly meditating. The two-headed hou tossed its heads, rose reluctantly, and flapped its wings, riding the wind across the sea.
Half a month later, Qin Sang sighted the large island at the exit of the Thousand Demons Sea.
The sea west of the large island appeared completely normal, yet Qin Sang chose caution above all, putting the two-headed hou away to proceed alone.
A solitary person could more easily conceal himself and escape should danger arise.
Entering the Thousand Demons Sea and retracing his steps, he encountered no packs of demon beasts along the way. The tension in Qin Sang's heart gradually eased as he arrived smoothly in the vicinity of Cold Flame Island.
An illusory figure emerged over the open water. Qin Sang turned to gaze toward the north, the direction where the cold flame lay.
Hesitating briefly, Qin Sang formed an incantation gesture for the Spirit Concealment Art, then turned his palm over to reveal a scroll. It was the magic treasure seized from the Witch Clan youth, possessing the power of illusion.
With a gentle flick, the scroll flew above Qin Sang's head and slowly unfurled, revealing an exquisitely detailed painting of mountains and forests. Within it stretched seas of trees and brocades of blooming flowers—a scene of sheer magnificence.
Drifting petals and falling leaves spilled from the painting, swirling around his body before silently vanishing into nothingness.
Chapter 718