Chapter 1703: Feeding Spirit Method

The black threads were indeed the essence of the demonic flame.

Since arriving at Luye, Qin Sang's true body had been in secluded cultivation, rarely leaving his cave dwelling. Not only were his injuries improving daily, but his spiritual sense also showed gratifying progress. He had fully absorbed and refined the Near-Dragon Saliva, and with its power, the bottleneck of the "Golden Lotus of Fire Seeds" began to loosen.

Naturally, Qin Sang then focused all his energy on cultivating this secret art.

The fire lotus hovered before Qin Sang's glabella, an invisible connection extending from it to his glabella, and even his Purple Mansion. The Mani Pearl was close to the fire lotus, and the several strands of demonic flame essence moved continuously within the red fire of the Mani Pearl, like fish trying to evade capture in water.

Qin Sang gazed at the demonic flame essence, a thoughtful expression on his face. He had maintained this posture for several months. Before this, Qin Sang had continuously analyzed the power within the demonic flame essence, meticulously absorbing and refining it bit by bit, until he finally peeled away these black threads, at which point he reached a stalemate.

Qin Sang couldn't tell if these were the purest essence of the origin or something else entirely, but he was certain that the demonic flame's original owner controlled it through these black threads. He could feel that his spiritual sense had reached its peak, the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul realm, just one step away from entering a new realm. The next step was to refine one or more of these black threads to break through the bottleneck!

For several months, Qin Sang had been continuously deducing, consuming a tremendous amount of mental energy.

Suddenly, Qin Sang's eyes moved, and his expression became solemn. Having made up his mind, he separated several strands of spiritual fire from the lotus, which descended and coiled around the Mani Pearl. The black threads in the red fire seemed to sense something, and their movement speed suddenly accelerated. However, the demonic fire separated from the lotus shared the same origin, and under Qin Sang's manipulation, he successfully drew out three of the black threads. Indeed, Qin Sang intended to directly refine three black threads, using their power to break through!

The Mani Pearl slowly drifted to the ground and became still. The fire lotus in front of Qin Sang was no longer there; in its place was a ring of fire. The three black threads were trapped inside the flames, and wisps of spiritual fire, separated by Qin Sang, continuously approached the black threads, testing them.

A moment later.

'Whoosh!' The fire ring suddenly contracted inward, and the spiritual fire converged, swallowing the black threads like a gaping maw. Instantly, waves of fire surged within the cave, and black flames flickered on the walls, resembling menacing demons, striking fear.

Qin Sang's eyes were tightly shut. He instantly formed dozens of hand seals, and the spiritual fire gradually tightened, seemingly progressing smoothly. Unexpectedly, with a muffled bang, the compressed spiritual fire suddenly burst open, turning the cave into a sea of flames, engulfing Qin Sang's figure in layers of fire.

Within the sea of flames, the three black threads were most conspicuous. They appeared to be expanding, thickening from fine threads to the width of thin ropes, and radiating a violent aura. It was clear that the energy burst from the black threads would be terrifying, easily capable of leveling the cave dwelling.

"Condense!" Qin Sang's voice was low and devoid of panic.

As he spoke, the sea of flames instantly subsided, the spiritual fire gathered, and the fire lotus reappeared above the black threads, slowly rotating. A peculiar rhythm enveloped the black threads, finally appeasing the raging power within.

Having stabilized the situation, Qin Sang squinted at the black threads, a hint of joy on his face. "So that's how it is!" he murmured. No wonder refining the demonic flame essence was so difficult!

According to the cultivation stages of the "Golden Lotus of Fire Seeds" secret art, the first stage involves the fire condensing into lotus seeds. Upon reaching the second stage, the lotus seeds evolve into flower buds, and the fire lotus fully blooms. The third stage is the lotus transforming into a lotus pedestal. Currently, the fire lotus petals were not fully open, indicating a long way to go before reaching the third stage of transforming into a lotus pedestal. Even fully refining the demonic flame would not achieve the third stage, demonstrating the secret art's immense potential.

Moreover, his cultivation foundation was in techniques/spells, not spiritual cultivation. Normally, cultivating the "Golden Lotus of Fire Seeds" would be easier since it wasn't tightly linked to his primary Dao, yet he encountered one difficulty after another. Only now did he realize that the bottleneck was not only related to Qin Sang himself but also to the demonic flame. Astonishingly, the demonic flame's essence still contained traces of its original owner's imprint!

After countless years, the original owner's aura within the imprint had long since dissipated. Someone skilled in the Nine Nether Demonic Fire secret art could easily control and claim the imprint. However, Qin Sang intended to fully absorb the demonic flame, and without eradicating the imprint, it would naturally be incredibly difficult. Fortunately, the "Golden Lotus of Fire Seeds" itself was extraordinary, and Qin Sang had also acquired rare items like the Near-Dragon Saliva to assist him. He finally discovered the root cause; otherwise, it would have taken him immense effort and time to find the problem.

Knowing the crux of the problem made the next steps much easier. Qin Sang changed his strategy, manipulating the fire lotus to envelop the black threads, guiding the imprint to appear, and then trying various methods to wear it down. In just one month, he achieved remarkable results.

'Whoosh!' The previous scene repeated itself. The spiritual fire swallowed the black threads. This time, the energy within the black threads did not erupt. Under Qin Sang's calming influence, it maintained a certain stability, and the black threads seemed to melt, spreading out within the spiritual fire.

The demonic flame energy within the black threads was incredibly pure and potent. The "Golden Lotus of Fire Seeds" devoured it greedily, as if ravenous. Devouring three black threads simultaneously actually exceeded Qin Sang's capabilities, but this was precisely what he wanted. As the energies of the three black threads merged, his spiritual sense surged forth completely, pushing the "Golden Lotus of Fire Seeds" to its absolute limit!

Qin Sang's eyebrows twitched repeatedly, and pain radiated from his glabella. This was not damage to his nascent soul, but rather the consequence of an instantaneous, immense expenditure of spiritual sense. He gritted his teeth, not daring to relax for a moment. His mind was clear, completely disregarding the possibility of his spiritual sense, like a bursting dam, possibly drying up at any moment. He focused wholeheartedly on operating the secret art.

It seemed as if only an instant had passed, or perhaps a very long time. Suddenly, Qin Sang felt a stir in his heart. He opened his eyes, which seemed to contain swirling stars, and stared intently at the spiritual fire before him. The spiritual fire gradually stopped churning, condensing into a fire lotus, with new petals unfurling!

He shifted his gaze towards the cave entrance. His eyes seemed to pierce through the stone door, and his spiritual sense had already passed through the defensive array, spreading throughout the heavens and earth. He recalled how, in the past, the transformation of his spiritual sense into a physical form was a monumental change. It was the same now. In his 'eyes', this world was vastly different from before. His spiritual perception was sharper, its range wider. Not even the slightest change in Luye could escape his notice. He seemed able to 'hear' the sound of spiritual energy flowing, yet from extreme motion, he could also perceive extreme stillness. Qin Sang experienced this while recalling various things.

With a slight thought, a fierce wind began to blow outside the cave. White currents of air swirled above the dwelling, gradually forming a humanoid ethereal figure at the center of the gale. The ethereal figure possessed all facial features, remarkably resembling Qin Sang! Then, the ethereal figure slowly opened its eyes, raised its hands, looked down at them, and then loosely clasped its fingers, attempting to manipulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

A sensation of sluggishness and strain transmitted back to him. Qin Sang, still in his cave, frowned, then dispersed the ethereal figure, retracted his spiritual sense, and cultivated to restore himself to full strength. He then assessed the intensity of his spiritual sense, finding it not far from the performance of Saint King Qinghu and Saint Huiguang in the past—at least on the same level!

Qin Sang was delighted and then attempted to achieve the communion of heaven and man. However, the result was disappointing. From this, it appeared that Ghost Mother's theory of 'entering the Dao' was not baseless. He had entered the Dao through the "Primordial Spirit Sword Nurturing Chapter," with his foundation in technique cultivation. While the transformation of his spiritual sense would certainly benefit his future breakthroughs and enable him to resist the heavenly pressure of Soul Transformation cultivators, it could not allow him to truly sense the heavens and earth.

The benefits brought by his spiritual sense were certainly not limited to these. For instance, had Qin Sang entered the Non-Phase Immortal Sect with his current strength, he would never have been unaware of the two Soul Transformation cultivators approaching Emperor's Conferment Mountain.

Qin Sang was not in a hurry to emerge and test his new abilities. He continued to stay in his cave dwelling, refining other demonic flames. After his breakthrough, his progress greatly accelerated.

Less than a year passed in this manner. The Mani Pearl reverted to its original appearance. The Nine Nether Demonic Flame was finally completely refined by Qin Sang!

At Qin Sang's instruction, Luye had drifted to the uninhabited western region of the Northern Barrens. He rose and walked out of his cave dwelling, appearing in a wilderness. Wild grasses grew profusely, giving the impression of fertile land, yet it was actually ravaged by the Nine Disasters of the Northern Barrens at regular intervals, making it unsuitable for survival. Not only was it deserted, but even insects and beasts were rare.

His glabella shimmered, and the fire lotus slowly flew out. Two layers of petals were visible around the fire lotus, but the central bud remained tightly closed. The black lotus contained immense power. Qin Sang flicked his sleeve and released the Sun God Tree, intending to test whether the fire lotus or the combined power of the six birds was superior.

A moment later, thunderous roars continuously echoed across the wilderness. The entire wilderness, along with the surrounding mountains, trembled, terrifying all living beings. Qin Sang floated above the wilderness, surprised as he looked down at two bottomless holes. From one, crimson flames continuously erupted, while from the other, a black flame dragon flew out, circling around Qin Sang for a moment before transforming back into the fire lotus.

With his greatly advanced spiritual sense, his control over the Sun God Birds also improved. Although he couldn't reduce their consumption, he could simply guide the direction of the six birds' attacks. Of course, it couldn't compare to the fire lotus. This fire was completely under Qin Sang's control, as easy to manipulate as an arm, consumed far less energy, and undoubtedly possessed the power of a Soul Transformation cultivator.

However, when Qin Sang made a direct comparison, he was surprised to find that even after thoroughly refining the Nine Nether Demonic Flame, the fire lotus's power was still inferior to the combined might of the six birds. This gave him a new understanding of the Southern Bright Dispersing Flame.

The fire lotus hovered above Qin Sang's head, like a black crown. Qin Sang glanced around, confirmed no cultivators were alarmed by the phenomena, then retrieved the fire lotus. After meditating for a moment on the spot, brilliant light erupted from his back, and his phoenix wings spread wide. Then, with a slight thought, Qin Sang activated the Heavenly Demon Transformation, and a green light flickered behind his head, revealing the Azure Luan Dharmic Idol.

After reaching the Nascent Soul stage, his body refinement cultivation had not progressed, causing the Azure Luan Dharmic Idol to remain unchanged and unusually ethereal. However, Qin Sang recalled that when his spiritual sense first transformed into a physical form, he could initially mobilize the Azure Luan Dharmic Idol, drawing upon the thunder power within his phoenix wings to enhance his lightning escape technique. Now that his spiritual sense had undergone another transformation, would there be new changes?

Qin Sang immediately attempted it. The Azure Luan Dharmic Idol flickered, and a thunderous sound suddenly erupted from within the phoenix wings. Azure electric arcs leaped between the feathers, and dazzling lightning, like lightning fluid, almost completely enveloped Qin Sang.

'Crack!' A tremendous thunderclap sounded, and a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, pierced through the wilderness, and vanished deep into the mountains.

Once the lightning dissipated, the lightning bolt did not return. On a mountain outside the wilderness, a deep, humanoid pit appeared, with scorched vegetation and cracks spreading all around, nearly splitting the mountain apart. A gasp of cold air was heard from within. Qin Sang emerged somewhat disheveled, feeling pain throughout his entire body, as if his flesh and bones were about to crack.

Just as he had expected, with his spiritual sense greatly advanced and boosted by the Azure Luan Dharmic Idol, his lightning escape technique had indeed improved significantly. Unexpectedly, in a moment of impulse, he fully unleashed the lightning escape technique and immediately paid the price. A thought then made him realize the reason. The lightning escape technique mobilized the Azure Luan's thunder power within the phoenix wings, not his own power, making it a burden on him. While the consumption of true essence was secondary, his "Heavenly Demon Body Refinement" had stagnated, and his physical body was only comparable to that of an early Nascent Soul cultivator. Previously, he could endure it, but now it had exceeded his body's limits.

This warned him not to fully unleash the lightning escape technique unless his physical body improved or it was absolutely necessary to escape. However, even when holding back, his escape speed surpassed his previous capabilities. With the demonic flame and his escape technique, he finally possessed means to contend with Soul Transformation cultivators.

Qin Sang's gaze flickered southward, but he decided not to retrieve his avatar. He still harbored deep apprehension towards Soul Transformation cultivators.

Luye changed direction and drifted eastward. Shortly after, it stopped in a mountainous region. Qin Sang stood at the entrance of Luye, looking down, and saw several Daoist temples built on a mountaintop, with young Daoist priests in robes walking within. Outside the temples, a stone tablet stood, inscribed with 'Qingyang Temple Branch'.

This was the spiritual vein that Shen Chen and others had sought throughout the Northern Barrens. They established a Daoist lineage here, serving as a branch of Qingyang Temple. Only disciples who reached a certain cultivation level would be deemed worthy to know about and enter Luye for cultivation. Their cultivation time was still short, so these disciples' cultivation levels were quite low. However, under the management of Shen Chen, the Nether Moon Guard, and others, several batches of talented disciples had been brought up the mountain, showing a burgeoning prosperity. The Qingyang Temple of Central Plains also had another advantage: as long as Luye remained intact, a day of true flourishing would eventually come.

"Greetings, Master!" Shen Chen, leading the Nether Moon Guard, flew up to Luye and knelt in obeisance. His cultivation had also advanced.

"From now on, focus on your cultivation to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Leave all mundane affairs to the disciples..." Qin Sang gave some instructions, then ordered the Nether Moon Guard to keep an eye on the beast hunt before returning to his cave dwelling. He was naturally eager to acquire the Four Saints Spirit Gathering Array and cultivate the "Heavenly Demon Illumination Scripture," but he had to be patient. He could only recall his avatar when the fierce beasts appeared and the Soul Transformation cultivators were busy hunting them.

Back in his cave dwelling, while cultivating, Qin Sang began to deeply study the "Panhu True Scripture." With the invaluable advice left by Ghost Mother, combined with his previous experience, he was able to resolve various difficulties encountered while studying this scripture with ease. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he could begin to switch to cultivating this scripture!

An unknown amount of time passed. Qin Sang opened his eyes and looked at the Eye-Opening Butterfly on his left shoulder. By refining the Near-Dragon Saliva, the Eye-Opening Butterfly had also gained immense benefits. Her cultivation advanced even faster than it had in the previous two hundred years, and she had not yet fully absorbed the Near-Dragon Saliva's energy.

"After I switch to cultivating the 'Panhu True Scripture' and use the Spirit-Feeding Art, combined with the elixirs my avatar has collected, the Eye-Opening Butterfly will soon be able to break through to the late Fourth Transformation and catch up to me..." Qin Sang murmured to himself, deducing his next steps in cultivation.

Within the "Panhu True Scripture," the Spirit-Feeding Art was the most crucial core secret technique. Combining various shamanic secret arts like blood refinement, divine feeding, and secret medicines, this art could rapidly enhance the cultivation of one's natal insect-gu, bringing it closer to its master. This was the true meaning of the Shamanic Sect's natal insect-gu art. They were called natal insect-gu precisely because they could cultivate in synergy with their master, assisting each other, which was the biggest difference from other spirit insects. Unfortunately, Qin Sang had not received the full true transmission in Canglang Sea, which had limited the Eye-Opening Butterfly's progress, preventing it from advancing.

Now, all difficulties were easily resolved.

"Let's begin..." Qin Sang mentally called out to the Eye-Opening Butterfly.

The Eye-Opening Butterfly gently brushed Qin Sang's cheek and flew into his dantian.