Chapter 1470: The Power of the Sun God Tree (4k)

Outside Tianpeng Mountain, Qin Sang waited patiently for a day before seeing a black streak fly out of the mountain. Old Demon Hun rode his escape light, departing alone. Not long after, the Heavenly Peng Great Sage led the demon horde out of the mountain. They headed straight east, in a different direction from Old Demon Hun, continuing their conquest, with Bi Fang prominently among them.

Once both parties had left, Qin Sang revealed himself from the shadows. He gazed at the demon cloud drifting eastward, then glanced in the direction Old Demon Hun had taken. For an entire day, he wondered what the old demon and the demon sage had been plotting. Qin Sang had originally intended to secretly follow if Old Demon Hun and the Heavenly Peng Great Sage went treasure hunting or plotted something together. He would then act opportunistically, seizing any chance to intervene and turn their own methods against them.

Seeing this, Qin Sang surmised that the most likely scenario was that the time was not yet ripe, and they had arranged another meeting. He couldn't continuously track these two top experts, so he had to give up. Since Bi Fang had also left, there was no longer any need to stay here. After some thought, Qin Sang secretly contacted a Xuantian Palace spy and reported Old Demon Hun's private meeting with the demon sage to Xuantian Palace, then dismissed it from his mind.

Next, Qin Sang traversed the remaining areas of the demon realm, then sailed north to the Corner of Heaven.

This was a rocky island, isolated overseas, close to the storm belt. The island was characterized by towering peaks, grotesque rock formations, and a scarred, desolate landscape, riddled with traces of rampant hurricanes, utterly devoid of life. Fortunately, the demon race had not destroyed the island after occupying it. On the highest peak, an iron sword was inverted, plunged into the summit. Its blade was rust-stained, its divine power unseen, resembling a broken sword weathered by wind and rain, much like the person who planted it there, whose legends had also faded with time. Yet, the story and meaning behind this sword still captivated the heart.

Qin Sang ascended to the Corner of Heaven, arriving at the spot where Senior Tianyue had planted his sword. Fortunate to behold this sword, he bowed thrice to it. After becoming an honored elder, Qin Sang learned more about Senior Tianyue's deeds from Xuantian Palace.

Back then, the stir caused by Senior Tianyue challenging various major sects and planting his sword at the Corner of Heaven had not yet subsided. Two Xuantian Palace elders, along with experts from other regions, including both righteous and demonic factions and demon kings from the demon realm, went together to the Beichen Realm and were never heard from again. Not long after, grand gifts were sent to the sects of those individuals: their intact heads, encased in jade boxes, mysteriously appeared in their respective sect's forbidden grounds! Xuantian Palace was among them. The elder's head was returned to Lingxiao Peak, where the then Palace Master of Xuantian Palace, a late Nascent Soul expert, was meditating in seclusion, yet remained completely unaware. From then on, the North Sea trembled with fear; no one dared to trespass even half a step into the forbidden zone, and the Beichen Realm found peace. In a sense, Qin Sang also inherited Senior Tianyue's legacy.

After visiting the sacred site, Qin Sang entered the Star Sand Archipelago. He assumed his demon form when facing the demon race and reverted to human form when interacting with humans, navigating between the two races with ease. The situation in the Star Sand Archipelago was not optimistic; humanity could only hold onto a corner, as most of the archipelago had become a demon nest. Fortunately, the Heavenly Peng Great Sage had turned his attention to Xuantian Palace, allowing them a moment of respite.

Qin Sang claimed to be a special envoy from Xuantian Palace, visiting Nascent Soul cultivators in the Star Sand Archipelago to discuss mutual assistance and joint resistance against the demon race. He was not deceiving them, as he had discussed this matter with Shi Xue before coming. Seizing this opportunity, Qin Sang learned about many secret locations in the Star Sand Archipelago and quickly toured them all. He still found no Slaughter Sword Fragments, only acquiring two spiritual herbs of decent quality.

His experiences during this period confirmed Qin Sang's previous conjectures. The Slaughter Sword Fragments, accompanied by cultivation methods, were likely not scattered randomly but deliberately placed in separate locations by someone for unknown reasons. The places where they dropped must be ancient immortal palaces like Ziwei Palace and Seven Kills Hall; there was no need to waste more time on small secret realms or minor forbidden zones. Another possibility was similar to the first fragment, which was accidentally obtained by the Shaohua Mountain patriarch and brought back to the sect. However, this chance was slim and required luck. Recalling the locations where the previous two fragments were stored, both were in the depths of secret realms, extremely hidden places. The Shaohua Mountain patriarch only obtained that fragment after discovering the Tianshan Secret Path. The second fragment was even placed in the Netherworld Valley atop Yitian Peak in the Seven Kills Hall, its entrance hidden in the ancient hall's wall, making it impossible to retrieve through normal means.

Now, Qin Sang placed his greatest hope on the Xuantian Sacred Land. If the sacred land also contained no Slaughter Sword Fragments, his only option would be to leave the North Sea and search in Central Plains. Having traveled through the Star Sand Archipelago, Qin Sang intended to complete one last task in the demon realm before returning to the Crescent Realm.

Southwestern demon realm. This area was near the coast, with beautiful and enchanting scenery. Mountains and river valleys were crisscrossed by paths, and underground, interconnected dark rivers formed an extensive water system that eventually flowed into the sea. In the deep mountains, winding streams carried flowing water.

Qin Sang's figure quietly appeared. He looked around, silently flew to a high vantage point, and surveyed the rivers in the area. Based on the intelligence he had gathered, Qin Sang deduced that the frogfish demon's cave dwelling should be hidden here. However, this demon was very low-key, commanded no demon soldiers, and acted cautiously. Its dwelling was extremely hidden and unknown to anyone. When Tong Lingyu traveled north, she exposed both Bi Fang and the Cunning Fox, but she alone failed to find the frogfish demon. This demon had not followed the Heavenly Peng Great Sage in attacking Xuantian Palace. Perhaps it was intimidated by the fates of Bi Fang and the Cunning Fox, as there had been no news of it in recent years.

A gentle breeze brushed Qin Sang's cheek. The Celestial Eye Butterfly flew out, gently flapping its wings, affectionately circling Qin Sang. Qin Sang stroked the Celestial Eye Butterfly's soft wings, then activated his stealth technique, plunging into the great river. He dove deep to the riverbed, navigating through aquatic plants, beginning a seemingly aimless search. To avoid alerting the demon, Qin Sang could not fully extend his divine sense. He had to personally traverse every corner, relying on his Celestial Eye ability to find the frogfish demon's aquatic dwelling.

Within a thousand-li radius, an intricate network of underground waterways existed. Qin Sang, with immense patience, searched tirelessly, inch by inch, through every dark river and ditch. Persistence paid off. After more than a month of searching, Qin Sang finally discovered a clue in an underground deep pool. The deep pool was hidden at the bottom of a dark river, completely dark inside, and the black stones at its mouth had been smoothed by the current. The river water flowed smoothly through this spot, yet it added a touch of chilling coldness.

Qin Sang stopped upstream in the dark river, peered into the deep pool, and after a moment, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "This looks like a human technique, quite ingenious. Could it be something the frogfish demon acquired from the Boundless Sea?" A spirit formation was hidden within the deep pool. The formation's arrangement was clever; its fluctuations were very subtle and specifically designed to counter divine sense detection. If Qin Sang had stood on the ground and vigorously used his divine sense to search, not only would he have found it difficult to discover the deep pool, but he would also have triggered the spirit formation's reaction, alarming the great demon within the aquatic dwelling. He had guarded against this beforehand, relying on his Celestial Eye ability, which prevented him from being exposed.

Qin Sang observed for a while, then carefully retreated, moved away from the spot, and searched elsewhere, finding another suspected cave entrance. This demon clearly understood the principle of a cunning rabbit having three burrows, ready to escape at any sign of trouble. Qin Sang's expression turned pensive. His external avatar was not yet complete, making it impossible to block multiple exits simultaneously. Furthermore, Qin Sang estimated that the frogfish demon's aquatic dwelling had more than just these two exits, so blocking them would be useless. He decided to stop searching and return to the deep pool, secretly dismantle the formation, and then forcefully enter the aquatic dwelling! This was a confident approach.

Given Qin Sang's proficiency in formation arrays and with the Celestial Eye Butterfly's assistance, discerning the details of this spirit formation was not difficult. The key was to act quickly during the breach to prevent the frogfish demon from escaping. Qin Sang knew well that this frogfish demon possessed considerable abilities in water; he could not let it escape into the dark river. With this thought, Qin Sang quickened his pace, returned to the vicinity of the deep pool, and concealed himself. The Celestial Eye Butterfly was docile and quiet, perched on Qin Sang's shoulder, its wings slightly spread. Its Celestial Eye patterns resembled a pair of true divine eyes, gazing intently at the deep pool.

This spirit formation was not top-tier; it prioritized countering divine sense detection, inevitably sacrificing other aspects. He spent considerable effort understanding the formation's patterns, but did not act rashly. Instead, he mentally rehearsed countless times, contemplating the most efficient method for breaking it. Just as Qin Sang had expected, the formation's defensive capabilities were underwhelming. The frogfish demon clearly had no intention of building an impregnable aquatic dwelling, but rather held the intention of abandoning it at any moment. However, breaking the formation was not difficult, but it was hard to trap the frogfish demon inside its dwelling before it noticed. Only with a thunderous strike, a swift decisive battle!

The Qianjun Ring flashed, and the Solar Divine Tree slowly ascended. Its main body emitted radiant red light, which Qin Sang had concealed. Otherwise, the dark river would be dyed a fiery red, and if even a wisp of its aura leaked, the river water would surely evaporate and the dark river would run dry. At this moment, nine divine birds stood proudly on the nine flower buds of the Solar Divine Tree, heads held high and tails cocked! The divine birds were entirely scarlet, their bodies composed entirely of flame. Their fluttering feathers were merely the visible manifestation of the Southern Brightness Leaving Fire's aura. The divine birds' forms bore some resemblance to the legendary Vermilion Bird divine beast. However, with nine divine birds standing together on the divine tree, this scene also seemed to depict the legend of the Golden Crow and the Fusang Divine Tree. Qin Sang habitually called them Solar Divine Birds.

Not long ago, the Solar Divine Birds had fully formed, signaling that Qin Sang's long-awaited magic treasure was finally refined! During the long wait, Qin Sang had already become intimately familiar with the Solar Divine Tree. Moreover, since he had personally refined this treasure, it was as if it were a part of him, thus requiring no further expenditure of effort for refining. The Solar Divine Birds were light and delicately charming in appearance, yet the energy contained within them was terrifyingly potent! Even Qin Sang, as their master, felt a tingling sensation on his scalp when in close proximity to the Solar Divine Tree, and his movements unconsciously became extremely gentle.

"Now, it's up to you!" Qin Sang extended his hand, lightly supporting the divine tree. His gaze moved among the nine divine birds, finally settling on the three at the very top, muttering to himself. Mysterious white copper, green copper blocks, Nine-Lives Profound Tortoise Shell, Vermilion Bird True Feather... A magic treasure formed from the combination of several exotic artifacts, it would now accompany him in battle for the first time!

Reversing his hand, Qin Sang put away the Solar Divine Tree. He then roused the fat silkworm, enticing it: "Put in a good effort. If this demon has a poisonous core within it, it might be your fortune." The fat silkworm, initially sleepy-eyed, instantly sobered upon hearing this. Its small eyes gleamed, and it wagged its tail, spitting out a seven-colored halo that transformed into an Antidote Armor.

With these preparations made, Qin Sang then conjured his demon fire and drifted with the current towards the deep pool. The Celestial Eye Butterfly's wings trembled slightly, relaying every subtle change in the spirit formation to Qin Sang. Soon, Qin Sang infiltrated to the vicinity of the deep pool, his five fingers trembling slightly. As he moved, the demon fire split into fine black threads, silently probing into the deep pool. With the Celestial Eye Butterfly's cooperation, Qin Sang controlled the demon fire to infiltrate the spirit formation without triggering any reaction from it. At this moment, the demon fire formed a fiery net within the spirit formation. Qin Sang's current method was akin to setting up a formation with demon fire to counter the existing spirit formation. Such precise control was impossible before his divine sense had taken form. Seeing that the timing was right, Qin Sang let out a low cry. "Open!"

Meanwhile, inside the aquatic dwelling, gems were like sand, corals formed forests. Inlaid with bright pearls, it was magnificent. The frogfish demon, in its true form, lay on a bed made of polished giant clam shells. Its head was extended forward, eyes closed, mouth agape, as it continuously exhaled and inhaled a ball of green light. With each breath, the green light's color intensified and simultaneously contracted slightly, until a ball of green light condensed into a mere wisp, then a new ball of green light was exhaled, repeating the cycle.

Unaware of the impending disaster, the demon continued to cultivate intently. Suddenly, a loud boom came from one of the exits. The aquatic dwelling shook violently. Gems flew everywhere, corals shattered, and the entire dwelling instantly became a chaotic mess. Caught off guard, the frogfish demon nearly fell headfirst from the clam shell bed. It hastily swallowed the green light, reverted to human form, and sat up, glaring angrily at the exit.

The next moment, the frogfish demon's expression drastically changed. Although it didn't see a human figure, it saw streaks of black fire rising within the spirit formation. The demon fire's impact instantly shattered a significant portion of the formation's restrictions, its power as terrifying as remembered. The frogfish demon vividly remembered this black fire; in a three-on-one battle where its side had the overwhelming advantage, it was nearly burned to ashes by the black fire!

"It's him!" The frogfish demon was startled and alarmed. This person had come for revenge, and he dared to enter the demon realm! After learning that Bi Fang was cornered by Xuantian Palace's Grand Elder and only escaped by abandoning the Cunning Fox, the frogfish demon had been filled with regret. Human treasures might not even be useful to them, yet they gained nothing, only got into trouble, and unnecessarily provoked many powerful enemies.

Knowing it was no match for the newcomer, the frogfish demon had no thought of resisting. With a wave of its large hand, it swept up its treasures from the aquatic dwelling and intended to escape through another exit. Just then, an even louder boom sounded than before. A deafening explosion reverberated through the aquatic dwelling, and the frogfish demon's head buzzed, feeling a dizzying sensation. This dizziness was not caused by the loud noise, but by the impact of an unprecedentedly terrifying fluctuation! The frogfish demon's face was filled with horror. Its eyes stung, as if it had gone blind. Within its vision, everything vanished, leaving only a blinding white light.

"What a fine aquatic dwelling!" Within the white light, Qin Sang slowly stepped into the aquatic dwelling, the Solar Divine Tree suspended behind his head, three divine birds missing from its branches. He appeared calm, but inwardly he was also greatly astonished. Although he had conducted minor tests when the Solar Divine Tree was refined, the power of this first full-strength strike still exceeded Qin Sang's expectations. With his divine sense transformed, he could only barely control three divine birds, yet they easily swept away the deep pool's spirit formation, blasting open the aquatic dwelling's entrance. Qin Sang secretly estimated that if Tong Lingyu hadn't held back then, the instantaneous destructive power of the three divine birds' explosion would certainly far exceed the power of the Four-Wheeled Teng Snake Seal in her hand! It might even reach thirty or forty percent of its full potential! The cost was that nearly half of Qin Sang's vital essence was instantly drained, leaving him with a sudden feeling of emptiness within.