Might of the Fire Bead

Fortunately, the star conch had been obstructed when destroying the Jinyao Lock, its power diminished by a few degrees. Qin Sang reconverged the demonic fire while the two-headed hou condensed wind blades, finally blocking the star conch. *Boom!* Demonic fire and wind blades scattered chaotically in all directions. Qin Sang and the two-headed hou felt as if struck by a massive hammer; their faces blanched, and their figures flew backward, barely stabilizing themselves. Man and beast alike were deeply shaken. Its momentum spent, the star conch's blue light faded, revealing a jade-white sheen as the aquiline-nosed man recalled it. He frowned slightly, appearing somewhat dissatisfied. Qin Sang stared at the treasure in shock. The star conch had clearly surpassed a medium-grade magic treasure, yet he could not discern its actual grade. There were no distinct signs of refinement upon it; its entire shell was seamless, as though naturally formed. Qin Sang had never seen such a magic treasure before. Its power was beyond question. Yet to Qin Sang's surprise, the aquiline-nosed man did not continue pressing the attack with the star conch. Turning his palm, he stowed it away and twisted around to charge once more. "How dare you enslave a spirit beast! Die!" Catching sight of the two-headed hou, the killing intent in the man's eyes burned even hotter. Qin Sang and the two-headed hou met him shoulder to shoulder, but the aquiline-nosed man's assault fell like thunder. Even fighting together, Qin Sang felt outmatched and was forced into a steady retreat. His field of vision was filled with fist shadows and streaks of azure lightning. Qin Sang wielded the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner, doing everything he could to defend and buy space, while the two-headed hou fought alongside him, alternately casting phantoms and condensing wind blades. Fighting as they withdrew, they wove through the storm, occasionally using the gales to win a fleeting breath of respite. Qin Sang kept his eyes glued to the aquiline-nosed man's movements, terrified that he would spring another ambush with the star conch. Qin Sang did not have a second Jinyao Lock; losing that magic treasure so abruptly and incomprehensibly pained him deeply. Throughout this exchange, the aquiline-nosed man did not use the star conch again. Qin Sang grew suspicious, wondering if activating the treasure demanded some kind of price or required time to charge, preventing frequent use. Regardless, the man was cunning, and Qin Sang dared not let his guard down in the slightest. What made Qin Sang anxious was that despite their continuous clashes, he had yet to find a suitable opening. He could only suppress his impatience and hold out under the tempestuous onslaught. Even though Qin Sang exerted every method at his disposal, he still could not prevent his opponent from closing in. He could clearly see the man's face. "I have to admit, with your meager cultivation, surviving before me for this long is truly a rare feat. Given enough time, the human race might have gained another top expert. What a pity you had to cross paths with me..." the aquiline-nosed man sneered. Though it took long to tell, they had actually been fighting for only a short while, and Qin Sang had spent nearly all of it fleeing. Yet in this perilous expanse, every additional breath increased the odds of an unforeseen disaster. The man's patience had worn paper-thin. The wings of light slashed like blades, cleaving through the demonic fire. The two-headed hou's slit pupils widened. It moved to intercept, but sensing the terrifying power of the wings, it whimpered and turned tail to flee. At the same time, the ebony sword was struck by the aquiline-nosed man's fists and knocked aside. The man's sudden ferocious burst left Qin Sang wide open. As his foe closed the distance in a flash, Qin Sang immediately activated a demonic talisman and scurried into a crevice between the gales. Suddenly, the aquiline-nosed man raised his palm, and the star conch reappeared. Qin Sang's heart jumped, and he shifted sideways. To his surprise, a devious grin spread across the man's face. He did not unleash the star conch; instead, his wings blazed with light and his speed skyrocketed. Closing in on Qin Sang, a flash erupted between his brows, and a dense cloud of green smoke shot out, lunging straight for Qin Sang's face. Qin Sang cursed inwardly and dodged frantically. But catching a strange whiff, his head spun, dizziness striking him with a wave of overwhelming drowsiness. *Poison!* Qin Sang screamed in his mind, and an epiphany flashed across his thoughts. At that very moment, the green smoke pounced upon him. Apparently incapacitated by it, Qin Sang failed to escape in time; his body listed, staggering a few steps before he was swallowed entirely by the toxic smog, losing all hope of flight. With a wild burst of laughter, the aquiline-nosed man flickered forward and appeared beside the smoke. Just as he moved to capture and kill Qin Sang, his expression changed dramatically. Letting out a furious roar, he shot backward in retreat, his face twisted in sheer terror. Swooning from the poison was nothing more than Qin Sang's feint. He had not expected the man to cultivate poison arts, but the moment he saw the green smoke, he knew his chance had arrived! The fat silkworm had shielded him from the shadows with the poison-warding armor. Having bided his time until now, Qin Sang seized the opening and finally unleashed the fire bead. Lightning-fast though the man's reflexes were, it was already too late. *Whoosh!* Under the man's terrified gaze, the fire bead shot forward, effortlessly piercing his protective spiritual light. Even the physical body he took such pride in was rendered utterly fragile before it. A tiny wisp of flame emerged on the bead's surface, burning through his skin and sinking into his chest like dry weeds before a scythe. "Heh... heh..." Strange guttural noises leaked from the man's throat, his eyes turning hollow. Aside from the small hole in his chest, there were no other wounds on his body, yet all breath of life had vanished completely. A cold gleam flickered at the puncture wound, and a layer of ice rapidly spread from the inside out, blanketing the man's entire body. His internal organs had long since been frozen solid. Qin Sang emerged from the green smoke unscathed. Shrouding himself in demonic fire, he braved the danger and darted forward, stripping an arm guard from the aquiline-nosed man. He sensed that the other section of the bone flute was hidden inside that very arm guard. Next was the star conch. That magic treasure had left a deep impression on him and would compensate for the loss of the Jinyao Lock. Moving like lightning, Qin Sang finally snatched the man's mustard seed bag and sprinted away without once looking back. *Crack...* A peerless expert, frozen through and through, was struck by an incoming wave and shattered straight into icy dross, completely erased from the world. In his place lingered a sphere of blue flame. Freed from restraint, the cold flame unleashed its full might, freezing a vast expanse of seawater in an instant. Yet in the next breath, the ice was pulverized by the tempestuous winds. The power of the cold flame threw the surroundings into violent chaos. Enveloped by the gales, wind and fire intertwined as terrifying energy brewed. Qin Sang knew he could not linger. Without even pausing to inspect his spoils, he was eager only to escape. By this time, the green smoke had not yet dispersed. To Qin Sang's surprise, the fat silkworm voluntarily hopped out of the insect basket, opened its mouth, and swallowed the smog whole in one gulp. Letting out a burp, it crawled back into the insect basket and curled up, falling fast asleep with soft snores. This was the first time the fat silkworm had ever proactively devoured toxic smoke. Qin Sang had no idea what to make of it, but seeing the hurricane cluster growing ever stronger behind him, he could stay no longer. Rejoining the two-headed hou, he sped away. *** Demon Sea. An unnamed great island, an unnamed tall mountain. Inside a massive cave dwelling hollowed into the belly of the mountain, the furnishings were intricate yet steeped in coarse savagery. Atop a stone table rested a crystal the size of a human head, within which was sealed an azure feather. Suddenly, the feather shuddered violently. The crystal groaned and detonated with a thunderous boom.