Chapter 1143: Qingluan

The falcon demon knocked out the Demon King’s favored consort.

The falcon demon surveyed its surroundings. Then, it brought its wings together, and bolts of lightning surged, silently converging in the center, forming a silvery-white orb of thunder in the void. Inside the thunder orb, countless delicate lightning strands constantly pulsed.

The falcon demon chanted a spell. It was unclear what secret art it activated, but the thunder orb suddenly dropped downwards, pointing towards the ground.

“It’s really here!”

Seeing this, the falcon demon was overjoyed and said triumphantly, “I’ve long felt there was something nearby that caused a stir in the lightning power within my bloodline. Who would have thought that Demon King Qianji’s treasury was actually hidden in his favored consort’s cave dwelling?”

The falcon demon meticulously searched, but found nothing. Its spiritual sense swept over the area, detecting not the slightest ripple or trace of a restriction. Guided by the thunder orb, it finally located an extremely concealed entrance. The ground beneath the jade bed silently split open, revealing a set of steps.

“That old demon is truly cunning, using mortal mechanisms!” The falcon demon cursed under its breath, then flashed into the underground passage.

The passage led directly underground. It wasn't dark inside; a row of luminous pearls was embedded in the walls, and at the end of the passage was a stone door. Faint light shimmered on the stone door, clearly a restriction left by Demon King Qianji. Time was limited, and a hint of urgency flashed in the falcon demon’s eyes as it hurried forward, focusing on deciphering the restriction.

Just then, suddenly, a voice came from behind it, “Thank you, fellow Daoist, for helping me find the treasury.”

In an instant, all the falcon demon's feathers bristled. Someone had been lurking behind it, and it hadn't noticed at all!

“Who!” The falcon demon was utterly terrified and, without thinking, its whole body crackled with lightning, forming an arm-thick bolt of lightning that shot fiercely backward.

Then, the falcon demon spun around, seeing a sight that filled it with despair. A masked figure, with blue wings on their back, was standing behind it, though it didn't know when they had appeared.

Facing the falcon demon's attack, the masked figure neither dodged nor retreated, but simply raised a hand. True essence surged in their palm, actually grabbing the lightning bolt tightly, and their figure only swayed slightly.

Immediately after, the falcon demon felt a flash before its eyes, and a sword light appeared. The next moment, a terrifying sword aura descended. The falcon demon's mind reeled; before it could make any move, the surrounding space was sealed by a sword array, and numerous sword lights gently trembled in the void, their tips pointing directly at the falcon demon.

Enveloped by the sword array, the falcon demon's eyes were filled with terror. Although the opponent wasn't a transformed great demon, their strength was immense. The falcon demon had no doubt that if it made any sudden move, it would be pierced by ten thousand swords in the next instant.

“Sword aura! You are human?” the falcon demon cried out in alarm. It had heard that the most gifted human sword cultivators could comprehend sword aura during the Core Formation stage, and their combat power was astonishing. Now that this was confirmed, it was utterly powerless to resist.

“Fellow Daoist, don't be impulsive. Given that you helped me find this treasure, I have no intention of taking your life. It wouldn't be good if I accidentally harmed you due to your nervousness,” Qin Sang said calmly, then struck out with a streak of light, sealing the falcon demon’s cultivation.

The falcon demon felt humiliated and angry, as the other party had returned its own words to the demon king's favored consort verbatim. Its eyes darted around, with no thought of treasure now, only how to escape from this person. The other party claimed they wouldn't take its life, but the falcon demon knew well that countless methods were more painful than death.

Qin Sang paid no mind to what the Thunder-Devouring Falcon was thinking. He suspected the falcon demon might be Fatty Chicken, but there was no time to ask now. If it truly was Fatty Chicken, it would certainly know the Endless Valley thoroughly. After getting the information, he could search for the Boundless Blood Mulberry in the Endless Valley when the opportunity arose. He wondered how this fellow had gotten by, and where its elder had gone.

Qin Sang remembered that when Fatty Chicken had just hatched, it already possessed a Demon Spirit cultivation level and had beaten him badly. Now, however, he had easily captured it alive.

Qin Sang examined the restriction on the stone door. With the help of his Heavenly Eye Butterfly, he discerned its weak points, and after some effort, finally broke the restriction and pushed the door open.

“Hah!” Seeing the items displayed in the treasury, Qin Sang felt a slight dazzle.

The most precious treasures were surely carried by Demon King Qianji himself. The treasury mostly contained chests of spirit stones, all mid-grade. Behind them were rows of wooden shelves, displaying various magic artifacts. Treasured light overflowed, though their grade might not be exceptionally high. These were artifacts that Demon King Qianji didn't need but couldn't bear to discard. If a Core Formation cultivator obtained them, they would surely be cherished as priceless treasures. All these treasures had restrictions left by the Demon King.

Qin Sang wasn't distracted by such immense wealth. His gaze quickly swept over the area, finally finding a square stone slab on one of the wooden shelves. It was exactly as Senior Sister Qingjun had described!

“That’s it!” Qin Sang's heart filled with joy, and he quickly walked to the shelf, staring intently at the stone slab.

Seeing that Qin Sang’s target was actually the stone slab, the Thunder-Devouring Falcon, whose cultivation was sealed and who stood immobile at the doorway, was extremely surprised and cursed its bad luck inwardly. It could feel that what attracted it was precisely this stone slab!

Demon King Qianji had left several layers of restrictions on the stone slab, clearly valuing this treasure highly. Qin Sang observed it, found the flaws in the restrictions, activated his true essence, and carefully attempted to break them. True essence had to be infused to activate the illusory Azure Luan within the stone slab.

Layer after layer of restrictions were broken by Qin Sang in succession, finally revealing the stone slab's true form. The mysterious stone slab's surface was uneven and appeared grayish-white. It lay quietly on the wooden shelf, with no illusory Azure Luan appearing, looking identical to an ordinary stone slab.

Having obtained it so easily, Qin Sang decided to take the stone slab directly and leave the Myriad Serpent Abyss first, choosing not to activate the illusory Azure Luan here, to avoid any unexpected incidents.

Unexpectedly, the moment his finger touched the stone slab, a sudden change occurred! A layer of green light suddenly emanated from the stone slab. This layer of green light, like a living thing, coiled around Qin Sang’s finger and swiftly surged into his body.

Qin Sang was caught off guard, his expression changing drastically. He didn't know what that layer of green light was. He had absolutely not expected the mysterious stone slab to react on its own, nor had Senior Sister Qingjun ever mentioned such a thing happening.

“Oh no!” Qin Sang cried out in his heart. Regardless of whether the green light was good or bad, he couldn't let it enter his body without knowing its true nature. Qin Sang reacted extremely quickly, immediately pulling back his hand and frantically activating his true essence, attempting to stop the green light from spreading through his body.

Suddenly, with a loud 'boom', the stone slab shattered! Debris flew everywhere. Amidst the dust and smoke, an illusory Azure Luan spread its wings and soared, and an unprecedented, world-shaking aura surged forth.

The treasury now seemed exceptionally cramped. The illusory Azure Luan circled slightly, then lowered its head, looking down at Qin Sang. They felt as if they were facing a true celestial demon; their minds were greatly shaken, and the falcon demon trembled with fear.

A sharp cry echoed. The next moment, the illusory Azure Luan suddenly transformed into a streak of green light and, without further ado, merged into Qin Sang’s body.

In a trance, Qin Sang seemed to arrive in a desolate wilderness. He seemed to see a boundless aura filling the world, with an Azure Luan soaring through thunderclouds, treating terrifying lightning as nothing.