"Having the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn doesn't mean you can sit back and relax. The moment you feel its fluctuations weaken or turn indistinct, you must not push any deeper under any circumstances. There was once a Demon King who nearly lost his way forever inside..."
Yuan Zhu offered this parting warning as he handed the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn over to Qin Sang.
"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Yuan... Until we meet again!"
Qin Sang held the horn, tested it briefly with his spiritual sense, and cupped his hands to Yuan Zhu before vanishing into the winds and surging waves.
Yuan Zhu watched Qin Sang recede into the distance, then looked down at the jade slip in his palm, intense fervor welling in his eyes. He could hardly wait to return to his cave dwelling and begin comprehending the technique.
Dodging and weaving through the howling gales, Qin Sang sped directly toward the depths of the Storm Belt.
He opened his palm and brought out the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn.
The petite horn rested in his hand, suffusing his skin with a refreshing cool sensation.
"You really did win your gamble."
Bai's voice sounded faintly weary; having pushed himself near total depletion, he had yet to recover. "With the aid of the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn, you should be able to shake off Old Devil Mou. Still, do not let your guard down. I recall you mentioning that spatial rifts might exist deep within the storm."
Qin Sang grunted in agreement. "Though I have never ventured into the depths of the Storm Belt, I witnessed the terror of spatial rifts on the Ancient Immortal Battlefield in the Xiaohan Realm. There certainly won't be any shortage of them here. Fortunately, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly can keep watch for me; standard spatial rifts can be avoided in time. As for the most lethal rifts—those invisible and formless—the chances of encountering them are minuscule so long as we don't press into the extreme depths."
With that, Qin Sang awakened the Heavenly Eye Butterfly.
The butterfly fluttered forth.
Sensing its master's urgent tension, it lightly brushed Qin Sang's chin with its soft wings in quiet comfort, then settled obediently on his shoulder. Channeling its Heavenly Eye divine ability, it remained vigilant for every conceivable danger.
Feeling the thought sent by the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, Qin Sang's gaze softened, and his anxiety eased considerably.
The fire curse flared up once more.
In such a short time, it was hard to tell just how severely the storm dampened the curse's traces.
Reciting the incantation Yuan Zhu had imparted to him, Qin Sang channeled the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn.
As his true essence poured into it, the horn grew increasingly luminous, radiating a gentle lunar luster. Qin Sang narrowed his eyes, focusing his senses, and distinctly felt a wondrous resonance guiding him forward.
***
Within the storm.
The chase went on.
Old Devil Mou wore an ugly grimace, gripped by an overwhelming premonition that he might have miscalculated this time.
The sheer decisiveness his prey exhibited was chilling.
If they pressed any deeper, even Old Devil Mou would begin having second thoughts, fearful of losing his way. He had never expected things to come to this, and he carried no treasure capable of discerning direction within the Storm Belt.
Yet his quarry paid no heed to how perilous the depths were, plunging headlong inside without a pause, as though bent on throwing his life away.
Most frustrating of all, the storm was disrupting the fluctuations of the fire curse, stripping away its precision.
Old Devil Mou had to channel the fire curse with all his might for long stretches just to barely discern his prey's general location—a process that was not only time-consuming but terribly inefficient.
Furthermore, having pursued Qin Sang too aggressively earlier, he had maintained his blood escape technique for far too long, depleting his vital blood severely. Later, during his brief halt on the islet, he had merely suppressed his injuries rather than fully recovering.
This hidden toll now forced him to halt and regulate his breathing at regular intervals, slashing his pursuit speed drastically.
The prey had clearly caught onto this, having the audacity to play games and lead him in circles.
The fire curse flared.
It lingered for a long time before subsiding.
The moment the fluctuations faded, Qin Sang decisively altered his course.
Another bout of pursuit played out.
The glow of the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn dimmed slightly compared to before.
Here, spirit tides and hurricanes churned together in utter chaos. Spatial rifts frequently came into view, some spanning hundreds of feet, with several rifts even crisscrossing one another in lethal webs.
Qin Sang picked his way carefully through the crevices of danger. Sensing that Old Devil Mou's speed had visibly slowed, his mind stirred, and he began playing hide-and-seek with him.
Little did he know that upon reaching this place, Old Devil Mou dared not be reckless either, wary of stranding himself inside. His perception through the fire curse had turned even hazier, pinning down only a broad area with each attempt.
At this rate, catching his prey was next to impossible.
Old Devil Mou could only hope that his quarry would eventually exhaust his spirit medicines and collapse from depletion; thus, refusing to give up, he doggedly trailed far behind.
Qin Sang, meanwhile, grew increasingly composed.
Whenever Old Devil Mou paused to regulate his breath, Qin Sang could even afford to slow down, seizing every spare moment to refine the impurities in his body, soothe his agitated true essence, and ingest spirit medicine or absorb spirit stones without wasting any more Three Lights Jade Liquid.
"I can barely muster a demonic fire curse seal to suppress the fire curse for now and shake him off..."
Bai woke and spoke up.
Having recovered a portion of his overspent soul power, Bai condensed the demonic fire curse seal once more and sealed the fire curse. At the same time, Qin Sang picked a direction and sped away.
Arriving in an unfamiliar stretch of sea, Qin Sang felt a sudden wave of relief wash over him. They had finally shaken off Old Devil Mou.
Qin Sang could not say where they were, but with the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn in hand, he was in no danger of losing his way.
To completely purge the fire curse from his body, he still had to wait until Bai made a full recovery.
Bai recalled the seal and returned to quiet cultivation.
Qin Sang flew aimlessly through the storm, putting as much distance between himself and Old Devil Mou as possible.
To his surprise, the fire curse still stirred from time to time, revealing that Old Devil Mou had yet to abandon the hunt, though sensing his exact position was now out of the question.
The Storm Belt offered nowhere to rest.
Though fatigued, Qin Sang possessed abundant supplies. He slowed his pace, sorting through the impurities in his true essence as he flew, drifting purposelessly through the tempest.
It was a rare experience. With no expert standing guard over him, only by personally braving the majesty of heaven and earth could one truly grasp their own insignificance.
Qin Sang had no intention of leaving for the time being, lest he inadvertently cross paths with Old Devil Mou again.
Once he unraveled the fire curse within him and eliminated the hidden hazard, he would return to the Boundless Ocean.
More than half a month after entering the storm.
The Heavenly Eye Butterfly suddenly transmitted an unusual pulse of intent. Qin Sang's heart jumped, and guided by the butterfly, he looked into the distance, abruptly accelerating a moment later.
Skillfully dodging and weaving around successive spirit tides and gales, he flickered across the expanse before coming to a sudden halt, his face registering astonishment at the sight ahead.
Directly before him, a pillar of light shot up from the seabed toward the heavens.
Amid the chaotic spirit tides and tempestuous waves, the light pillar remained distinctly visible, though slightly distorted by the turbulent air.
"This is..."
Qin Sang recalled seeing a similar spectacle on the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.
An ancient restriction had been triggered!
Delight blossomed in Qin Sang's chest. In all the time he had spent inside the Storm Belt, this was the first ancient restriction he had encountered. There was a strong possibility it housed something like an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling.
In a flash, he appeared right beside the pillar of light and peered down toward its source.
Behind an ancient restriction might lie a cultivator's abode, but unknown perils might just as easily await.
After a brief hesitation, Qin Sang resolved to try his luck.
He was utterly exhausted, pushing through purely on willpower; only by finding a secure place could he properly rest.
Chapter 993