Suppression

Above the black-armored man's head, the phantom of a round treasure mirror materialized. The mirror phantom spun rapidly before freezing in place, its reflective surface aimed straight at the two-headed hou as light flickered across it. "No large surge of demon qi. It seems it merely wandered here on its own, lured by the cold flame..." Breathing a sigh of relief, the black-armored man dispelled the mirror phantom. His aura fluctuated violently in the aftermath; activating the treasure mirror seemed to take an immense toll, leaving even him somewhat strained. With his tension completely wiped away, he appraised the two-headed hou with keen interest and sneered, "A two-headed hou! It's been a long time since I've seen one out in the open... Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, don't even think of leaving!" Before his voice had even faded, he kicked off hard, leaving a trail of afterimages across the water's surface as he lunged forward. With a sweep of his arm, rays of dark light shot from the tip of his black spear. In the blink of an eye, the dark beams coalesced into the lifelike form of a black phoenix. Crying out sharply, the black phoenix swept downward from midair toward the two-headed hou, trailing several long tail feathers in an exquisite, graceful dive. The two-headed hou leaned forward slightly, ferocity blazing in its eyes as an azure glow surged. Two hurricanes merged into a single vortex, within which countless sharp wind blades spun at blinding speed, churning like a meat grinder. Undaunted, the black phoenix plunged headfirst into the storm. At that very moment, the phoenix spread its wings, its body turning ethereal as a black ring of light erupted from within it and rapidly expanded. The phoenix all but vanished, leaving behind only the colossal black halo. The timing was impeccable, detonating right at the very center of the hurricane. Amidst a succession of deafening roars, waves surged violently. The azure and black lights swiftly intertwined, but the black light clearly held the upper hand, tearing through the azure glow with ease and sweeping away every last wind blade. Seeing the black light pierce through the whirlwind and bear down upon it, panic flashed in the two-headed hou's eyes. It beat its wind wings furiously and retreated in frantic haste. Having evaded the strike, the two-headed hou cast a lingering, covetous glance at the cold flame before turning tail to flee. The black-armored man snorted coldly, his speed skyrocketing. The two-headed hou's figure blurred, abruptly splitting into six remarkably lifelike phantoms. Seven identical hou instantly scattered in different directions. Each one was extraordinarily agile, moving at virtually identical speeds with seamless natural movement. For a short time, it was nearly impossible to distinguish the real body from the fakes by aura alone. In an instant, hou were fleeing east, south, and north. It was as though the black-armored man had stirred up a hornet's nest of them. With a flick of his wrist, the black spear in his grip also split into seven. Seven black spears hovered before him. His gaze swept over them, and with a sharp snap of his fingers, each spear shot out with pinpoint accuracy toward one of the hou. *Boom! Boom!...* Towering waves rose in all directions. Four of the hou were pierced through by spear shadows and shattered on the spot, proven to be fakes. But the other three dodged the attacks with uncanny agility. The black-armored man had anticipated this, yet to his surprise, despite watching their movements intently, he still failed to spot which one was the true body. Seeing the three hou fleeing farther and farther away, he furrowed his brow, brushed his hand against his waist, and retrieved a bamboo tube as thick as an arm. The tube was a foot long and fresh green, looking as though it had just been cut. As he chanted an incantation, the sloshing sound of water echoed from within the bamboo tube, followed by a surging stream of water. After a brief squirming motion, the water reshaped itself into a flock of oddly shaped waterbirds. With a point of his finger, the flock split into three streams, shooting outward like arrows loosed from a bowstring. *Bang! Bang! Bang!...* Like cannon shells, the waterbirds detonated right around the three hou. Caught off guard, the hou dodged clumsily, their forms stumbling—and the black-armored man instantly caught the telltale flaw. With a cold sneer, he sped off in pursuit of the hou in the middle. While the two-headed hou and the black-armored man were locked in battle, Qin Sang remained hidden beneath the surface, silently approaching Cold Flame Island. Unnoticed by man or ghost, he crept up close to the Dongming Cold Flame. Even while still underwater, he could already sense its violent aura. Looking up, Qin Sang saw specks of blue light dotting the glistening surface. Selecting one of them, he paddled upward, cautiously closing the distance. From his earlier contact, he already understood the nature of the Dongming Cold Flame. The moment true essence touched it, it was bound to erupt, which would undoubtedly expose his presence. Everything now depended on whether the Nine Nether Demonic Fire could suppress it. Opening his palm, Qin Sang arranged the compact Ten Directions Yanluo Banners around himself and drew out a strand of Nine Nether Demonic Fire. Worried that the demonic fire might provoke a chain eruption from all the Dongming Cold Flames, he carefully masked its aura, raised his hand slightly, and directed the demonic fire to coil toward the selected flame. With a tense expression, he kept his eyes glued to both the demonic fire and the cold flame, poised to flee at the first sign of trouble. The Nine Nether Demonic Fire drew closer and closer. As if sensing something amiss, the Dongming Cold Flame suddenly began to flicker violently—an unmistakable omen of an impending eruption. Watching this, Qin Sang felt his heart leap into his throat. As the demonic fire swept right before it, Qin Sang watched helplessly as the cold flame's fluctuations grew more and more violent, a dense, rich blue light already welling up from its core. It had reached the brink of explosion! Qin Sang came perilously close to giving up. With a sudden *whoosh*, the Nine Nether Demonic Fire enveloped the Dongming Cold Flame, laying bare its formidable aura all at once. In that instant, the Dongming Cold Flame abruptly ceased its flickering. As though encountering something it dreaded beyond measure, it shrank inward violently, curling into a tight ball. Yet the signs of an impending eruption had not entirely vanished. Though it feared the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, Qin Sang could feel that it had not truly yielded. The demonic fire was merely an intimidating facade; if the cold flame probed its true depth, it could detonate at any second. Seeing this, Qin Sang swiftly poured true essence into the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners, drawing forth another wisp of Nine Nether Demonic Fire. With this reinforcement, the Dongming Cold Flame finally settled down, returning to an innocuous, harmless appearance. *It really suppressed it!* The stone in Qin Sang's chest finally fell away, giving way to pleasant surprise. Even so, suppressing the Dongming Cold Flame did not automatically mean he could take it away. *Suppressing a single tiny wisp of cold flame is already this difficult. With my current strength, taking any more is completely out of the question.* Qin Sang cast a regretful glance at the remaining Dongming Cold Flames. After a brief contemplation, he slowly closed his hand. Enveloped in the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, the cold flame was gently drawn downward toward him. Looking at the spiritual fire before him, Qin Sang hesitated for a moment before reaching out to cup it gently in his hand. Naturally, his heart was pounding. He had tasted the terrifying might of the Dongming Cold Flame firsthand; the slightest disturbance would drive it wild. If it detonated in his hands, the consequences would be unthinkable. Having succeeded, Qin Sang did not rush to flee. He left behind a few tiny wisps of Nine Nether Demonic Fire before quietly retreating. The black-armored man's prowess was even greater than imagined; the two-headed hou would not be able to hold out much longer.