Thundercloud

A thin layer of restriction covered the surface of the Dongming Cold Flame. Tinged with the aura of the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, the restriction gave off a faint grayish-black luster, yet it could not obscure the incomparably pure azure radiance of the Dongming Cold Flame. Qin Sang supported the cold flame in his palm and cautiously split off a strand of spiritual sense, sending it through the restriction. A flash of blue light flared within the Dongming Cold Flame, and Qin Sang instantly lost touch with that wisp of spiritual sense—it had been wiped out effortlessly by the cold flame. Qin Sang wore a somewhat helpless expression. Over the past month or so, this was far from his first attempt, yet every effort had met with a similar end. To this day, he still had no clue how to subdue the Dongming Cold Flame. "Could it be that I really can only refine it into a single-use magic tool like Xutian Thunder?" Qin Sang muttered to himself. He was proficient in artifact crafting and naturally sought a solution through it. After days of pondering, he realized that by using the Nine Nether Demonic Fire to forcibly compress the Dongming Cold Flame, he might be able to condense it into a fire bead. If refined into a fire bead, the cold flame's might would erupt in an instant, its destructive power far surpassing Xutian Thunder. Virtually no one below the Nascent Soul stage could withstand it. The drawback was that it, too, could be used only once. "To condense such a rare cold flame into a disposable fire bead would be an utter waste. Moreover, condensing a fire bead is no simple matter either; I can only attempt it after breaking through to the mid Core Formation stage at the very least." Qin Sang hesitated, reluctant to use it that way. After testing it several more times with no response from the Dongming Cold Flame, Qin Sang put it away once more. *** Green Oriole Island. It was named after a small bird called the green oriole native to the island. Not a demon beast, this little bird was completely harmless to humans and animals and was deeply beloved. Green Oriole Island was the kind of small island without a Nascent Soul cultivator overseeing it. Though equipped with an island-protecting grand formation, it remained exceptionally fragile when facing a beast tide. Walking along the island's streets, Qin Sang found that both sides were lined with extremely crude stone chambers and stone houses. After looking around Green Oriole Island, Qin Sang purchased the most detailed sea chart of the vicinity, easily pinpointed the location of Red Leaf Island, and departed the island alone. Red Leaf Island lay to the east of Green Oriole Island. Cultivators were sparse on such a small island, and the charted sea area around it was limited. Red Leaf Island happened to lie outside that range. Furthermore, the waters surrounding Red Leaf Island teemed with demon beasts, making it a perilous place that struck fear into anyone on Green Oriole Island who spoke of it. Once he was a fair distance from Green Oriole Island and no other cultivators were in sight, Qin Sang summoned the two-headed hou. Man and beast sped across the surface of the sea, heading straight for Red Leaf Island. Red Leaf Island was quite far from Green Oriole Island. Even traveling day and night, it took Qin Sang and the two-headed hou the better part of a month. One could only wonder what sort of treasure that burly Witch Clan cultivator had been seeking to venture so far into these waters. As they drew near Red Leaf Island, even someone of Qin Sang's prowess dared not proceed carelessly. In a place like this, disturbing the demon beasts wouldn't just bring a few; it would draw them swarm after swarm. Calling to their kin and moving in packs, they could trigger a minor beast tide in an instant and trap him here to death. Sending the two-headed hou back to slumber, Qin Sang brought out his scroll, concealed his form, and vigilantly monitored the movements of the Primordial Concentric Rings as he crept forward with utmost caution. Before he had gone far, the Yin Ring inside his body began vibrating continuously. The density of demon beasts here rivaled, if not surpassed, that of the Thousand Demons Sea, leaving Qin Sang secretly shaken. Fortunately, the Primordial Concentric Rings had yet to detect the aura of any Demon Core stage grand demon. The lesser demons could not see through Qin Sang's concealment, so he could still proceed with relative confidence. Yet good times never lasted. Not much further ahead, the Yin Ring suddenly began vibrating violently. Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly, and he had no choice but to detour. A journey that should have taken half a day took Qin Sang a full day and night. It was not until the dead of night that he finally caught sight of Red Leaf Island's silhouette. No wonder that burly Witch Clan cultivator had spoken of Red Leaf Island with lingering fear written all over his face. Lurking on the water's surface, he observed Red Leaf Island from afar. The island was not large, densely covered with ancient trees whose leaves were fiery red. Beneath the cold moon, the red leaves stretched together, looking like a crimson cloud floating on the sea. Around the roots of the ancient trees, mist and clouds curled in a perennial shroud, making the island resemble an ethereal wonderland layered with rosy clouds and a sea of mist. "Good fortune—no sign of demon beasts." Arriving at the edge of Red Leaf Island, Qin Sang surveyed his surroundings warily and breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Only upon setting foot ashore did he discover that not a single blade of grass grew on Red Leaf Island. The only vegetation was the red-leaved ancient trees. Moreover, the island was eerily quiet, without a single insect or beast. As he stepped into the woods, Qin Sang grew even more vigilant. The mist on the island was not miasma, but it was exceptionally thick. The blinding white fog cut off line of sight, and his spiritual sense could only reach out a short distance. Recalling the burly Witch Clan cultivator's directions, Qin Sang looked left and right, adjusted his course slightly, and headed straight into the island's depths. Walking among the ancient trees, beneath his feet were razor-sharp shards of stone pointing straight up, everywhere. He could not tell whether this terrain had been shaped by the wash of sea waves, but countless crevices were packed tightly between the stone slabs, and the endless white mist poured out from within them. The ancient trees' roots also plunged deep into the depths of these crevices. The journey was exceptionally tranquil. Qin Sang soon reached his destination, where an unusually towering ancient tree came into view. Its gnarled roots coiled like giant pythons, the tallest rising to the height of two men. The roots twisted together, forming an umbrella-like root system. Qin Sang climbed over the roots and searched around. At last, between two withered roots, he found a hollow cavity large enough for a person to pass through. Just as the burly Witch Clan cultivator had said, crawling through this cavity would lead him to the six-petaled butterfly violet. The cavity was likewise filled with mist. Qin Sang summoned the Flying Yaksha, ordering it to take the lead, and left the two-headed hou to guard the entrance before crawling in. The tree's root system was unimaginably vast and intricate. The cavity twisted and wound downward. After descending an unknown distance underground, the roots finally began to thin out, replaced by stone walls on either side. With stone walls flanking both sides, the place resembled a subterranean canyon. Right then, Qin Sang paused and pricked up his ears. To his surprise, he could faintly hear the rumble of thunder ahead. The Flying Yaksha moving ahead was unharmed. After a moment's hesitation, Qin Sang pressed on. The rumbling grew louder, echoing through the subterranean expanse with deafening intensity. Just as Qin Sang was quietly furrowing his brows, he received a signal from the Flying Yaksha. Delighted, he quickened his pace. *Splash! Splash!* Deep within Red Leaf Island lay a vast, hollow underground cavern. Qin Sang and the Flying Yaksha dropped down one after the other, landing upon shallow water, and looked up. There was no thick mist inside the cavern. Instead, it had condensed near the cavern ceiling into a heavy, cloud-like fog. Even more bizarrely, deep underground, flashes of lightning flickered within the cloud bank, with extraordinarily slender bolts of lightning weaving in and out of sight. Illuminated by the flashes of lightning, the cavern's interior was easy to see. Qin Sang swept his gaze across and spotted several familiar six-petaled butterfly violets in the depths of the cavern. The exotic flowers were in full bloom, all fully mature. Just as Qin Sang was about to fly over and harvest them, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly slumbering in his sea of qi awakened for some unknown reason, clamoring impatiently to emerge. And what drew it seemed to be the thundercloud.