Chapter 1728: Demon Eye

The Mortal Realm

The Poison Bead successively devoured the poisonous mist from both the Gu King and the sacred artifact of Myriad Poisons Mountain.

These two types of poisonous power merged within the Poison Bead, recreating the primordial poison of the Bloodthirsty Mire Spirit. This integration transformed the Poison Bead, making it far more potent than before.

After Qin Sang re-refined it, the Poison Bead's seven-colored glow gained two divine abilities: detoxification and poisoning. Naturally, with its transformation, its power significantly increased.

The power of the poisonous light was now comparable to the divine abilities of a Five-Transformation Bloodthirsty Mire Spirit in its prime, potent enough to threaten fierce beasts at the God Transformation stage.

Qin Sang unleashed only the poisonous light, not the Heaven-Severing Soul-Shaking Divine Needles.

The Heaven-Severing Soul-Shaking Divine Needles were originally a formidable divine ability of the poison path. Cultivating them with the aid of the poisonous light would undoubtedly yield extraordinary power.

Unfortunately, he had not yet fully mastered this divine ability. With too many responsibilities, he was spread thin and could only prioritize, gradually comprehending it.

However, against an opponent like the Thunder Tortoise, the poisonous light might not be inferior to the Heaven-Severing Soul-Shaking Divine Needles.

If the Heaven-Severing Soul-Shaking Divine Needles were deployed, the opponent would either die or be severely injured. The Thunder Tortoise, sensing a fatal threat, would undoubtedly unleash its instinctive ferocity, retaliating or evading. The situation would become unpredictable. In contrast, the subtle and silent infiltration of the poisonous light was a more reliable approach.

Inside the sword formation.

Qin Sang's figure was ethereal and unpredictable, as he continuously cast spell seals towards the sword formation.

No matter where the Thunder Tortoise charged, the starry sky always revolved around it, as if it were the center of the universe. However, this was not a favorable situation for the beast.

The sword stars across the sky flickered on and off. Each time the starlight surged, streaks of starlight would descend.

Amidst the flickering, the starlight instantly merged into one, and ten thousand swords united, thrusting directly at the Thunder Tortoise!

Inside the sword formation, loud crackling sounds erupted.

The light emanating from the Thunder Tortoise was in no way inferior to the starlight; its entire body was bathed in lightning. Its thunderous carapace sometimes shrank back onto its shell, and sometimes rapidly expanded, as if it would transform half the sky into a sea of lightning.

The Thunder Tortoise, like a colossal beast holding up the heavens, rose in fury, carrying its thunderous mountain.

As the thunderous carapace crashed forward, the light swords' momentum was thwarted, shattering into specks of light dust in the earth-shattering collision and rapidly dissipating. The fierce and wild power of the beast was fully revealed.

With such direct collisions, the Thunder Tortoise could not remain unaffected. Even if it could remain unharmed at its peak, its old wounds were now inevitably re-opened by the impact, with blood oozing out.

This slight pain was nothing to the Thunder Tortoise, and it remained as fierce as ever. However, it failed to notice the potent poison seeping into its wounds.

Qin Sang used the Seven Mansions Star Division Sword Formation to maneuver around the Thunder Tortoise, gradually "sending" the poisonous light into its body. Given the Thunder Tortoise's high cultivation and robust physical body, small amounts of poisonous light had a minor effect, requiring a gradual approach.

The potent poison flowed throughout the Thunder Tortoise's body with its vital blood, silently seeping into its internal organs. The fiercer the Thunder Tortoise's counterattacks, the more violently the poison would act!

Unfortunately, the Thunder Tortoise lacked such patience and would not allow Qin Sang to manipulate it indefinitely.

Just as Qin Sang was becoming more adept, skillfully operating the sword formation and preparing to repeat his tactic, he suddenly felt something was amiss with the Thunder Tortoise.

The Thunder Tortoise raised its head high, its slender upper body tensed rigidly as it glared furiously at the star river. A rustling sound came from its body, revealing it was covered in scales.

At that moment, its scales burst open, each one standing upright before detaching from its body. Countless densely packed points of light shot out wildly, not at its prey, but at its own thunderous carapace.

The points of light seemed both real and illusory, like countless fist-sized thunder beads, each carrying the Thunder Tortoise's vital blood. After merging into its thunderous carapace, they continuously emitted explosive sounds.

After exploding, the points of light transformed into clusters of light mist, completely merging into the thunderous carapace and causing visible changes.

The thunderous carapace, instead, continuously shrank. Its silver-white lightning glow was stained with a touch of crimson, exuding an eerie yet heart-pounding violent power as it instantly transformed into a thunderous disc.

The thunderous disc spun at extreme speed and suddenly shot towards the star river.

Wherever it passed, it left a striking thunderous mark in the night sky. The residual ripples of the thunderous disc formed streaks of lightning, and silver lightning scattered in all directions, resembling cracks in shattered space, or even a celestial rift dividing the star river in two!

Even without the power to shatter space, the thunderous disc was an unparalleled and terrifying divine ability, formed by the fusion of the Thunder Tortoise's vital blood and its lightning powers—truly extraordinary.

Qin Sang's expression changed slightly. He unhesitatingly stopped his sword incantation as light and shadow flickered in his dantian, revealing the ethereal image of the Mani Bead. Though it didn't fully materialize, a cluster of black flames detached from it and reformed into the shape of a fiery lotus in front of Qin Sang.

"Go!"

Qin Sang willed it.

The fiery lotus was incredibly swift, appearing instantly in front of the thunderous disc. Illuminated by the lightning glow, the lotus appeared even deeper. The not-yet-fully-opened lotus slowly rotated, striking the thunderous disc squarely.

*Boom!*

A splendid flower bloomed in the vast star river.

Half black, half silver.

Even the starlight could not obscure this wondrous flower. The moment it appeared, it suddenly exploded: the silver half unleashed rampant thunder, while the other side spewed forth endless black flames.

In an instant, the star river trembled.

Half of the starry sky turned pitch black like ink, with flames obscuring the heavens, while the other half became as bright as day, with thunder snakes dancing wildly.

The heavenly thunder and black flames seemed to possess world-destroying power, devouring sword stars one by one. The sword stars across the sky dimmed, tottering and on the verge of collapse, completely devoid of resistance.

The Thunder Tortoise below retracted its head and was directly sent flying by the impact force of the collision. Qin Sang, on the other side, was also disheveled, and his sword formation almost collapsed.

The swords hummed loudly.

A slender sword shadow materialized from the depths of the star river—Qin Sang's cherished Grey Oriole Sword. It was also trembling, having been forced to reveal its true form by this single collision.

Qin Sang took a deep breath, hastily changed his sword incantations to reshape the Seven Mansions. He then heard a sharp shriek; the Thunder Tortoise, indeed powerful, quickly stabilized itself and charged straight at Qin Sang with its entire body.

The naked eye could only perceive a dazzling ball of lightning, but Qin Sang could feel a pair of fierce and maddened eyes within it, staring intently at him, ready to devour him!

*Clang!*

Qin Sang showed no signs of panic. With a flick of his finger, the Grey Oriole Sword vanished again. Starlight shimmered around him as sword stars either reformed or were drawn from afar.

Although the Thunder Tortoise was getting closer, sword stars were born out of thin air between them. Qin Sang didn't appear to move, yet the distance between them seemed to be infinitely stretched.

If the opponent were a Nascent Soul cultivator, it would be difficult even to touch Qin Sang's clothes. However, the Thunder Tortoise's cultivation was even higher than Qin Sang's. Like a long rainbow, it broke through subtlety with brute force, arriving through the air with unparalleled momentum.

*Boom!*

When the Thunder Tortoise crashed forward, it shattered another sword star and one of Qin Sang's sword soul clones, only to find itself surrounded by the star river once more. It could only vent its anger and frustration with roars.

Qin Sang consistently adhered to his established strategy.

Of course, he wasn't without other countermeasures. For instance, when he had just confronted the thunderous disc head-on, he could have fully utilized the Sun God Tree; the combined efforts of the six birds would certainly have yielded better results than the fiery lotus.

However, the Sun God Tree consumed too much energy. Even though he had entered the God Transformation realm, he couldn't unleash many attacks. In an environment like the storm belt, it was better to preserve some strength.

The battle seemed to have returned to its starting point.

Qin Sang continuously moved among the Seven Mansions, constantly using the power of the sword formation to manifest light swords and attack the Thunder Tortoise.

The Thunder Tortoise, bothered beyond endurance, grew increasingly agitated, making it even harder for it to detect the changes occurring within its body.

Its enraged roars echoed like thunder.

The Thunder Tortoise was completely enraged. Treading on lightning, its body merged with the thunder, transforming it into a true Thunder Tortoise with peerless ferocious might, pursuing Qin Sang within his sword formation.

Wherever it passed, sword stars scattered, leaving striking trails in the star river.

However, it was also apparent that the Thunder Tortoise's momentum was significantly weaker than at the start, gradually being depleted during its entanglement with Qin Sang.

Qin Sang also expended a significant amount of energy, but he consistently held the initiative. And imperceptibly, the toxins within the Thunder Tortoise's body had accumulated to a critical level!

As he watched the Thunder Tortoise charging wildly within the sword formation, Qin Sang's gaze flickered. He raised his hand and beckoned towards the void, and a sword materialized in his palm.

It was the Grey Oriole Sword.

The star river suddenly dispersed, and the sword stars simultaneously extinguished.

The howling of the storm returned.

This was not land, so it was impossible to tell how far Qin Sang and the Thunder Tortoise had moved during the battle. However, after reappearing, they were not far apart, directly facing each other!

The star river from moments ago seemed like an illusion. The Thunder Tortoise shook its head, staring intently at its prey that had reappeared before it, its eyes fiercely malicious to the extreme. It transformed into a colossal ball of lightning and fiercely crashed forward.

A cold glint flashed in Qin Sang's eyes; he showed no intention of dodging. The Grey Oriole Sword flickered and vanished. Simultaneously, light and shadow flickered around the Thunder Tortoise, and seven Qin Sangs surprisingly appeared, each holding a sword.

The sharp swords all pointed at the Thunder Tortoise, suddenly transforming into seven streaks of sword light that crisscrossed above the Thunder Tortoise's head.

Feeling the boundless killing intent and sword intent assailing it, the Thunder Tortoise's ferocity was provoked. Just as it was about to counterattack, abnormalities suddenly appeared within its body.

While unleashing the Seven Souls Slaughtering Formation, Qin Sang silently activated the Poison Bead, awakening the accumulated poisonous light within the Thunder Tortoise's body. The potent poison and the Seven Souls Slaughtering Formation, one from within and one from without, erupted simultaneously.

The Thunder Tortoise's roar distorted, filled with pain.

Even though its powerful physical body could resist potent poison, the lightning glow all over its body dimmed. The light of its thunderous carapace darkened, surprisingly appearing somewhat flimsy.

Just then, the seven streaks of sword light converged and swiftly chopped down!

*Crack!*

Tiny cracks suddenly appeared on the thunderous carapace, almost invisible to the naked eye, then immediately shattered into pieces.

The sword light pierced through the thunderous carapace, deeply stabbing into the Thunder Tortoise's body!

*Roar!*

The Thunder Tortoise let out an excruciating roar, its entire body stained red with blood. Not only did it suffer external sword wounds, but rampant sword qi also continuously wreaked havoc inside. It wasn't dead yet, but its body trembled uncontrollably as it plunged headfirst into the sea.

*Splash!*

Bloody water shot up into the sky, immediately swept away by the storm.

The Thunder Tortoise thrashed in the sea, its eyes, brimming with madness, showed terror for the first time. It fled outwards without looking back.

Unexpectedly, the Thunder Tortoise hadn't fled far when a blue light suddenly blocked its path ahead. Two Teng snakes coiled and danced, pouncing together on the Thunder Tortoise.

Having broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage, his external incarnation had been refining the Four-Stage Teng Snake Seal for years. It could now control two Teng snakes, though it still felt somewhat strained, not comparable to Yin Changsheng in his prime.

After surveying the surroundings and confirming there was no second fierce beast, the external incarnation hurried to assist.

Qin Sang's main body also showed no intention of stopping. The fiery lotus arrived almost simultaneously with the Teng snakes, slowly descending from above. Flames instantly covered the sea, enveloping the Thunder Tortoise.

The Teng snakes spewed cold flames, creating an interesting contrast with the demonic fire.

Qin Sang and his external incarnation appeared one after another, observing the Thunder Tortoise below. One wielded the Grey Oriole Sword, controlling the demonic fire to attack, while the other had the Four-Stage Teng Snake Seal above its head, silently forming hand seals.

Of course, the main body remained the primary attacker, while the incarnation waited for an opportunity to act, also serving to restrain the Thunder Tortoise.

The Thunder Tortoise's cries grew increasingly shrill. Its massive body thrashed in the fiery waves, but it was more like a death throe. With old wounds superimposed on new ones, and potent poison and sword qi raging inside, it was no match for Qin Sang.

Had Qin Sang not intended to capture it alive, he would have already slain the Thunder Tortoise!

Surrounded by danger, the Thunder Tortoise now had no chance of escape.

Qin Sang and his incarnation cooperated tacitly, unleashing divine abilities one after another, continuously depleting the Thunder Tortoise's strength.

*Swish!*

The Grey Oriole Sword slashed through the air.

The Thunder Tortoise dodged in a panic but failed to evade the Teng snakes attacking from both sides. With a *boom*, the Thunder Tortoise's body stiffened, its surface covered with a layer of ice.

Simultaneously, a figure flashed in the sky. The external incarnation waved its hand, unleashing a vast white cold energy. The Ice Soul Divine Light swept over the Thunder Tortoise, freezing it.

*Crackling...*

The profound ice was riddled with cracks.

Even in its weakened state, the Thunder Tortoise remained exceptionally fierce; the external incarnation alone was insufficient to freeze it.

Qin Sang coldly snorted. His main body seized the opportunity to act, raising a hand to guide the demonic fire. The flames suddenly gathered, transforming into a black rope that coiled around the Thunder Tortoise, binding it securely. The demonic fire's power seeped into its wounds, specifically targeting its vital points.

Then, the Grey Oriole Sword's sword qi surged skyward. Its blade rotating, it fiercely struck the Thunder Tortoise's head, knocking it unconscious. Qin Sang then flashed over, his fingers like pincers, gripping the demonic fire rope and pulling it tightly.

The incarnation put away its spiritual treasure and divine ability, and the second Nascent Soul retreated back into the main body.

Qin Sang dragged the Thunder Tortoise and flew swiftly into the distance, disappearing into the depths of the storm.

It was uncertain if there were other fierce beasts nearby, as some in the Abyss Ruins possessed peculiar and dangerous divine abilities, capable of sensing fluctuations from afar. His true essence consumption was significant, so he needed to leave the battlefield as quickly as possible.

After leaving, Qin Sang was contemplating how to deal with the Thunder Tortoise, completely unaware of the implications this battle in the storm belt would have.

After he left, the bloody seawater on the battlefield was immediately swept away by the storm, and the sky-obscuring storm and towering waves returned. The fierce battle had left no traces here.

However, as time passed, this sea area seemed to be undergoing unknown changes.

The changes were incredibly slow; even if someone stayed there continuously, they wouldn't notice. It would take a long time before they would suddenly realize that the surroundings had changed.

After an unknown period, the seawater faintly turned red. This color wouldn't change with passing storms, indicating that the anomaly did not originate from the seawater itself.

Looking at the void, a faint red glow had appeared at some unknown time, as if veiled by a red gauze. Even the hurricanes sweeping through the area would be stained crimson.

The eerie red glow gradually grew denser, but its progression remained extremely slow, measured in months or even years.

A very, very long time passed.

This place truly transformed into a sea of blood.

At this point, the source of the anomaly could finally be discerned: the red light shone down from the boundless high sky. It was an unknown power, capable of penetrating even storms.

Where the red light shone, the storm was surprisingly suppressed. The hurricanes subtly gained a softness absent elsewhere, and their howling seemed less jarring. However, the Heavenly Dao Demonic Sounds in this area became sharper, as if madness had infected this part of the world as well.

The densest concentration of red light was high in the sky.

If someone were standing on the sea surface at this time, looking up at the sky, they would clearly see the source of the red light, which even layers of hurricanes couldn't conceal.

It was like a faintly visible red moon, hanging in the sky.

Or like a demonic eye slowly opening!

(End of Chapter)