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With a flicker of his figure, Qin Sang vanished as well. Concealing his aura, he silently made his way north, drawing closer to Cold Flame Island. By coincidence, just like the day he had first arrived at Cold Flame Island, it was dusk, and the setting sun was as red as blood. Mentally calculating the distance, Qin Sang estimated that Cold Flame Island was not far ahead, so he halted and flew higher into the air. When he caught a dim glimpse of where Cold Flame Island should be, his expression froze. He rubbed his eyes, thinking his vision was playing tricks on him, and instinctively flew forward a bit further. Once he could see clearly, he could not help but suck in a sharp breath. He remembered that when the pack of demons had scared him away years ago, although the cold flame had just emerged, it had already begun to stabilize, occupying a deep crater in the center of the island. Though the rest of the island had also been affected, it had not been devastated so completely. Yet now, Cold Flame Island had vanished entirely! In the spot where the island had once stood, azure flames still burned brilliantly in place. Furthermore, scattered around the island's former site were small blue blossoms of cold flame—some drifting in the air, others floating on the sea—resembling the river lanterns he had once seen in the mortal realm. To the west, the setting sun was as red as blood and the clouds blazed like fire; to the east, the cold flame burned as before, surrounded by what looked like ribbons of blue starlight. A look of profound shock appeared on Qin Sang's face. The cold flame was still here, but it had shattered into pieces. This was completely beyond his expectations. He had assumed that the cold flame would have been subdued by the Transformation stage great demon, yet it remained right where it had been. Even the great demon had come away empty-handed. Why had the cold flame split apart? And how had Cold Flame Island disappeared? Gazing from afar, Qin Sang was thoroughly perplexed. He looked as far as he could, carefully examining the waters near Cold Flame Island, but detected nothing unusual, nor did the Primordial Concentric Rings give any warning. With the Transformation stage great demon gone, even if other demon beasts were nearby, escaping should not be difficult. After a moment of hesitation, Qin Sang emboldened himself and continued closer. Before long, he drew near the cold flame and could see it even more clearly with the naked eye. Even after splintering, every single blossom of flame managed to remain stable, hovering in the air or drifting on the water's surface without going out or floating erratically. *Incredible!* Qin Sang marveled inwardly. He waited in place for a brief moment, then resumed his approach, moving even more carefully and slowly this time. Unexpectedly, before he had flown very far, he came to an abrupt halt, surprise flashing in his eyes. Then, with great haste, he retrieved a mask from his Qianjun Ring and put it over his face. At the same time, faint ripples spread across the water's surface beside the cold flame, flecks of golden light surfacing within the ripples—revealing some kind of restriction. Through these restrictions, one could see that the foundation of Cold Flame Island was still there. The entire island had not collapsed; rather, for reasons unknown, the part above the water had been completely obliterated. Even so, destroying such a massive island was a feat that demanded terrifying power. Next, a man clad in black armor emerged from the water. Sweeping his gaze around, the black-armored man locked onto Qin Sang's hiding spot with pinpoint accuracy and bellowed, "Get out here!" In a flash, the black-armored man vanished from his spot. A sudden chill ran down Qin Sang's spine. Without hesitation, he exerted his full strength. A boom of thunder rang out, and a red-and-white streak of light shifted dozens of zhang to the side like lightning. *Boom!* In the next instant, right where Qin Sang had just been standing, the sea erupted with splashing water, blasting open a deep hollow. A spear shadow flickered and vanished, and the figure of the black-armored man slowly materialized at the edge. The strike had missed. The black-armored man stared at Qin Sang's new location with a solemn expression, but strangely enough, once he got a clear look at Qin Sang, the gravity on his face eased somewhat. "So it is a fellow Daoist..." The black-armored man looked Qin Sang up and down. He could tell that Qin Sang's cultivation was not high, but because of the extraordinary evasion speed Qin Sang had just displayed, he did not look down on him. Lowering his spear and stowing it, he cupped his hands and said, "This place is extremely dangerous. If Fellow Daoist does not know the truth of the matter, leave quickly. Lu can overlook this intrusion." Naturally, Qin Sang was reluctant to leave just like that. What shocked him was the black-armored man's cultivation—the aura he had momentarily unleashed earlier belonged to an expert of the late Core Formation stage! What surprised Qin Sang even more was the man's identity. Though he had never seen this person before, he recognized the origin of the black armor: it was the unique battle armor of Huntian Island's guards! Had he not displayed astonishing speed, this man would definitely not have been so polite. To his surprise, the one guarding the cold flame was not a demon beast, but a guard from Huntian Island. Could that Transformation stage great demon have been driven away by the Island Master of Huntian Island? Qin Sang did not leave immediately. Secretly gripping the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner, he cupped his hands in return. Glancing sideways at the cold flame, he said, "Please take no offense, Fellow Daoist. I was merely crossing the Thousand Demons Sea and happened to pass nearby. Seeing blue light flickering here, I thought some rare treasure had emerged, never expecting it to be such a strange cold flame. If this flame requires a fellow Daoist of your caliber to guard it personally, could it be some extraordinary treasure?" Perhaps because standing guard here was too monotonous, the black-armored man did not sternly drive Qin Sang away. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Calling it a rare treasure isn't far off. This fire is called the Dongming Cold Flame, a peerless divine ability cultivated by our former island master, Master Dongming. Master Dongming passed away here and left behind the Dongming Cold Flame. Its power is truly formidable—even Transformation stage great demons coveted it. The Island Master drove the great demon away and ordered Lu to guard this place. However, this flame carries Master Dongming's imprint. It is said that in life, Master Dongming was only a sliver away from the late Nascent Soul stage. For anyone else to erase his imprint and subdue this flame is essentially impossible." "Dongming Cold Flame?" Qin Sang was genuinely surprised. He had assumed it was some wondrous flame born of heaven and earth that had drawn Master Dongming here, never imagining that Master Dongming had cultivated it himself. So that cave abode was Master Dongming's place of demise—no wonder it contained so many treasures! "A Transformation stage great demon?" Qin Sang feigned shock. "No wonder turmoil was breaking out so frequently in the Demon Sea all those years ago. It turns out a Transformation stage great demon had emerged." The black-armored man looked Qin Sang up and down, asking with surprise, "Did Fellow Daoist just return from deep within the Demon Sea?" Qin Sang nodded. "Previously, I crossed the Thousand Demons Sea to hunt demons deep within the Demon Sea. Later, I heard about the great chaos between the two races and that the sea routes were blocked by evil cultivators. Though I was burning with anxiety, there was nothing I could do, and I was trapped inside. Only recently did I have the fortune to obtain a nautical chart and discover this route, giving me the courage to take the risk." "In that case, Fellow Daoist entered before the turmoil between the two races and stayed deep in the Demon Sea for nearly twenty years?" The black-armored man exclaimed in astonishment, giving Qin Sang a deep, meaningful look. "Fellow Daoist concealed yourself so well that Lu almost misjudged you! What Fellow Daoist doesn't know is that the turmoil between the two races ended five years ago. Those evil cultivators blocking the way never amounted to much anyway; given Fellow Daoist's strength, you had no need to fear them. Still, being cautious wasn't wrong either. That sea route was overrun by demon hordes long ago, and that path was completely severed. The evil cultivators entrenched there couldn't flee in time and were slaughtered by the demon beasts—which saved us the trouble of cleaning them out."