Chapter 1752: Capturing the Demon

The Mortal Realm

"That young woman was secretly followed by a True Immortal, likely a Grand Altar Master..."The Wolf Demon spoke truthfully, a flash of hatred in its eyes as it gnashed its teeth. The Brocade Snake revealed a human-like sneer. If Heavenly Court Immortals were so easy to kill, it wouldn't have had to lie low for so long, using others to do its bidding.

"Since you failed, why are you here?" The Brocade Snake's eyes were icy, its tone completely flat.

The Wolf Demon's expression turned grim. "I, too, took this risk for your sake, which led to this misfortune. Not only did I lose my altar and wolf generals, but if my divine ability hadn't allowed me to deceive the heavens, you wouldn't be seeing me today... Are you truly so heartless?"

The Brocade Snake scoffed, neither confirming nor denying, its body gradually turning ethereal, as if it intended to dissipate on the spot.

The Wolf Demon grew anxious. "Although my cultivation has been severely damaged, it wouldn't be difficult to recover. But my altar has been seized, so I can only ask you to impart your techniques. As long as you can shelter me, I am willing to serve you as king, obey your commands, and be at your disposal."

Hearing this, the Brocade Snake stopped dissipating. It gazed at the Wolf Demon for a long time, then said indifferently, "Six hundred li northwest of this mountain, there is a cave dwelling in a deep gorge." With that, it didn't wait for the Wolf Demon's reply, transforming into a pool of water that fell into the deep pool. No matter how the Wolf Demon called out, there was no further sound.

The Wolf Demon straightened up, its eyes darting around. It wondered what the Senior Immortal's intentions were and whether it should honestly follow the snake demon's instructions. After waiting for a moment and receiving no further commands, it left dejectedly.

It crossed mountains and valleys to find the deep gorge the snake demon mentioned. The cave dwelling was small, serving merely as a temporary refuge. The Wolf Demon entered and diligently cultivated inside, awaiting instructions.

At this moment, Qin Sang had two treasures before him: the Grade Seven Jade Spirit Bamboo and the Dao Cultivation Tree. Restoring his true essence would likely depend on 'Daoist talismans.' Obtaining high-grade talismans wasn't something achievable overnight, so it was better to first find a way to enhance his strength. Qin Sang naturally thought of a secret art he had obtained from the grotesque-faced man: the "Later Heaven Wooden Figure Tablet." The Grade Seven Jade Spirit Bamboo had been acquired through a trade with the Azure Fox Saint King, originally intended as the spiritual medium for cultivating the "Later Heaven Wooden Figure Tablet." However, with his avatar sacrificing itself to shield his main body from disaster, he now had a better option. Qin Sang wasn't considering refining another avatar for now. In the past, he had relied on a Nascent Soul-level talisman puppet, refined over many years by the Shangyuan Pure Palace, to effortlessly create a Nascent Soul-level external avatar. Now, with the Dao Cultivation Tree reverting to its spirit wood state, its power had dissipated. Cultivation was not easy in this realm, and refining another avatar would undoubtedly be a major undertaking. After weighing his options, Qin Sang put away the Grade Seven Jade Spirit Bamboo, leaving the Dao Cultivation Tree. The profound mysteries of the "Later Heaven Wooden Figure Tablet" flowed through his mind.

This art required a spiritual wood as a medium to cultivate an incredibly powerful spirit wood body. As for its power, the grotesque-faced man had already demonstrated it fully during the battle at the Formless Immortal Sect. Back then, the grotesque-faced man could draw upon the surrounding wood spirit energy just by standing on the ground. Forests, mountains, and vegetation were all sources of his seemingly endless power. Qin Sang was forced to set fire to the forest to limit him. However, cultivating this art was no easy feat. Such rampant absorption of external power would place an enormous burden on the cultivator if their physical body wasn't strong enough. In severe cases, it could even lead to their body exploding. To be safe, although Qin Sang had already prepared the Grade Seven Jade Spirit Bamboo as the spiritual medium, he still intended to wait until "Heavenly Demon Body Forging" reached the late fourth stage before cultivating it. Unexpectedly, so many unforeseen events had occurred since then. The grotesque-faced man wasn't a body cultivator, but the cultivation technique he practiced was the top-tier wood-element art, "Wood Emperor Strategy," which perfectly complemented this secret art. It allowed him to utilize the absorbed wood spirit energy through his cultivation technique. Even so, he only dared to cultivate this method after breaking through to the late Nascent Soul stage.

Previously, whenever Qin Sang had free time, he would take out this secret art to study it, and it was now deeply ingrained in his mind. The first step in cultivating this art was not external but internal: to first temper the physical body's acupoints and maintain them in a special state. Then, one had to open spirit apertures on the chosen spiritual wood medium, ensuring they corresponded perfectly with the cultivator. Only by perfectly integrating the spiritual wood into oneself could one forge a spirit wood body. After thoroughly studying this art, Qin Sang finally understood why the grotesque-faced man had repeatedly targeted his external avatar. His top-tier wood-element cultivation technique naturally made him extremely sensitive to the aura of spiritual wood, but this was only one reason. That special state also served another purpose: it helped the cultivator find the most compatible spiritual medium. Once encountered, there would be a subtle, inexplicable resonance. The grotesque-faced man had already decided to condense a spirit wood body and began cultivating the "Later Heaven Wooden Figure Tablet." When he encountered the external avatar, he sensed this resonance, but he didn't realize he was sensing the avatar's true essence. In fact, at least in the Storm Realm, it would be difficult to find a more suitable spiritual medium than the Dao Cultivation Tree. Otherwise, after obtaining this secret art, Qin Sang wouldn't have hesitated between it and his external avatar. The Dao Cultivation Tree was a natural spiritual embryo; a soul could be reborn through it without harming its cultivation base. Even an immature Dao Cultivation Tree could be refined into a Nascent Soul talisman puppet or cultivated into an external avatar, containing countless profound mysteries. After an external avatar was formed, meridians and acupoints would develop within it, just like a normal person. When the second primordial spirit dissipated, the Dao Cultivation Tree reverted to its spirit wood state, with its acupoints and meridians vanishing, as if all traces had completely disappeared – another of its great magical properties. Therefore, opening acupoints on the Dao Cultivation Tree was far easier than on other spiritual woods, second only to those legendary natural wonders that spontaneously developed divine apertures. The spiritual medium was already acquired. Qin Sang could temper his own acupoints and open spirit apertures on the Dao Cultivation Tree simultaneously. He patiently cultivated here, letting the Heavenly Eye Butterfly slowly search for the snake demon's cave dwelling.

While Qin Sang cultivated, the Wolf Demon spent its time in apprehension. As the saying goes, heavenly might is unpredictable. The less Qin Sang acted, the more uneasy it felt. On a rock by the deep gorge, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly landed and waited quietly for three days and three nights. It found no abnormalities nearby, indicating the snake demon was extremely cautious. Then, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly took flight, gracefully fluttering and leaving exquisite butterfly shadows throughout the mountains. Unfortunately, it used its divine ability to hide itself, so no one could appreciate its beauty. Its figure appeared everywhere amidst the towering mountains and ridges, gradually expanding the search area outwards. After wandering for several months, flying over countless mountains and ranges, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly finally returned to Qin Sang.

"Nine suspected dwellings?" Sensing the thoughts transmitted by the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, Qin Sang pondered deeply. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly had ultimately found nine locations, all with faint auras, suspected to be the snake demon's cave dwellings. Unsure of the snake demon's methods and to avoid alerting it, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly didn't rashly enter the suspected dwellings. From the outside, it couldn't determine which one was real. It was even possible that all nine suspected dwellings were fake. The snake demon had left the Wolf Demon hanging, and it was unknown when it would show itself. After some deliberation, Qin Sang decided to wait no longer and act directly. Since demon talismans existed in the world, and were certainly not unique to this one snake demon, there was no need to waste time lingering here. Even if he failed this time and the opponent escaped, he could at least learn what methods a demon cultivator with a demon talisman possessed, and then seek other targets. If he were to attract powerful demon cultivators, he could simply retreat back to the Heavenly Court territory. With this in mind, Qin Sang and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly departed together. They ventured a considerable distance into the wilderness, conducted a thorough investigation, and finally settled on a plan, slowly flying towards one of the suspected dwellings. Along the way, he held spirit stones, and his true essence gradually became full.

This suspected dwelling, like the Wolf Demon's cave, was hidden at the bottom of a mountain stream between two mountains. Qin Sang concealed his aura and quietly landed on the eastern mountain peak. After observing for a moment, he transmitted a thought to the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly flapped its wings and flew into the distance. In fact, he had two other helpers with him: the Fire Jade Centipede and Su Zinan's demonic soul within the Three Corpses God-Slaying Banner. His external avatar hadn't had time to release the demon banner, so this treasure was preserved. However, the Fire Jade Centipede didn't know how to conceal itself and wasn't skilled in combat, while the demonic soul couldn't go too far from him. This time, only the Heavenly Eye Butterfly could assist him. Watching the Heavenly Eye Butterfly fly away, Qin Sang silently calculated the time. With a flip of his hand, the Solar Divine Tree appeared in his palm, and his figure flickered, appearing above the mountain stream. Gazing downwards, Qin Sang's mind stirred. Immediately, three divine birds flapped their wings and rose, like arrows released from a bowstring, plunging into the mountain stream.

*Sizzle...*

The moment the divine birds entered the water, they immediately stirred up a colossal mist, and the entire mountain stream was instantly evaporated by the Southern Bright Lihuo. Immediately after, a deafening roar erupted from deep within the mist. In an instant, crimson flames shot towards the sky, and the mountains on both sides shook. One of them seemed to have its foundation severed, tilting outwards. Rocks flew everywhere, and mountain spirits were terrified. As expected, this realm was indeed filled with numerous demons and ghosts. Streams of demonic energy and strange mists rose from the surrounding mountains, filling the sky as they fled in panic. Upon arriving in this realm, the Solar Divine Birds displayed their might for the first time, astonishing the world! How could the defensive measures the snake demon had set up in its suspected dwelling withstand three Solar Divine Birds? The cave dwelling's entrance, along with the rocks at the bottom of the mountain stream, were instantly obliterated by the Southern Bright Lihuo. If Qin Sang hadn't intended to capture it alive, he would have focused the power of the Southern Bright Lihuo, and the dwelling could have been razed to the ground with a single strike.

Inside the cave dwelling. A Brocade Snake with a human head and snake body was coiled up, cultivating. Surprisingly, the interior of the dwelling was quite lavish and exquisite, with red candles, incense, and light gauze curtains. Beneath the snake demon was a silken-draped fragrant couch, leading an unknowing person to believe it was the boudoir of a noble young lady. The snake demon's appearance was also top-tier, but its features were too effeminate, making it difficult to discern its gender. Catastrophe descended! The dwelling's entrance was instantly breached, and a torrent of intense fiery power surged in, incinerating the gauze curtains and tables in a flash. Only then did the snake demon awaken with a start, opening its eyes to an unbelievable sight: its dwelling's stone door had vanished, and a rolling wave of crimson flames surged in, radiating a world-destroying aura. Its eyes were filled with horror. Furthermore, within each of the other eight dwellings, there was also a snake demon, identical in appearance, and the furnishings in their dwellings were also roughly the same. At this moment, all eight snake demons opened their eyes simultaneously, their expressions exactly the same as this one.

The snake demon's face was filled with terror. Suddenly, multi-colored demonic light erupted from its body, and its skin gained a crystalline translucence, as if carved from jade. Before its next thought could even form, two sudden "Hum-Ha" sounds rang in its ears. Its entire body stiffened, and its eyes became completely blank. The next moment, Qin Sang appeared beside the snake demon, reaching out to seize it. He felt a strange, soft sensation. Upon closer inspection, it was merely a layer of snakeskin. Inside the snakeskin, a power stirred restlessly, attempting to return to some location. Unfortunately for the snake demon, Qin Sang was faster. As soon as the Solar Divine Birds breached the dwelling, he immediately cast the Soul-Seizing Incantation to shock his opponent. Even with his divine sense restricted, it was not something the snake demon could resist; in just a brief moment, it was captured by Qin Sang. Not having found the true body, Qin Sang's expression remained unchanged. He immediately had an idea: to use this power to locate the snake demon. This power must have been a division from the snake demon's body, maintaining a subtle connection with it. Unexpectedly, just as he was about to carefully sense it, that connection vanished. Clearly, the snake demon had realized something was wrong and adopted a 'gecko shedding its tail' strategy.

"Quite decisive!" Qin Sang smiled faintly. In that instant, he had already sensed the general direction. How could he let the opponent escape? Looking towards the southwest, Qin Sang's back flashed with lightning, immediately forming a pair of wings. Then, a thunderclap shook the heavens and earth, and Qin Sang vanished, leaving only a streak of lightning.

*Boom!*

The startling thunder reverberated through the myriad mountains. Countless demons and ghosts watched the scene in terror. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. Directly ahead of the flying lightning, the snake demon abruptly turned its head. The next moment, the same scene replayed: the multi-colored demonic light flared, a power vanished into thin air, and a layer of snakeskin was left slumped on the ground. Qin Sang was too late to stop it, but he had already secured one complete snakeskin, allowing him to roughly discern the profundity of the snake demon's divine ability and estimate the direction in which the multi-colored demonic light returned. "Let's see how many times you can transform..." Qin Sang casually conjured a heavenly thunderbolt, reducing the snakeskin on the ground to ashes. His escape light shifted, and he pierced through the air in another direction. High in the sky, the lightning darted and twisted. Wherever it passed, demons prostrated themselves, and ghosts fled. Qin Sang quickly spotted his next target, which again transformed into a snakeskin before him. However, this time he couldn't sense where the demonic light had returned. He immediately understood why: the snake demon must have realized the danger and decisively dispersed this demonic light instead of recalling it. Qin Sang could discern that these snakeskins were not merely meant to deceive. The demonic light within them was a division from the true body; each dissipated light meant a loss of a portion of its cultivation. This was indeed the case. This was the snake demon's unique divine ability. By refining its own shed skins, it could divide itself into demonic lights. Each demonic light merged with a snakeskin, and its aura was identical to the true body's. Moreover, it could cultivate while in this divided state. In times of danger, it could recall all the demonic lights to any snakeskin, reforming its true body. Even if some demonic lights couldn't escape in time, they could be decisively abandoned. As long as one demonic light managed to flee, it could slowly recover later. It had now accumulated nine shed skins and set up nine suspected dwellings, feeling completely secure. Qin Sang discerned the profundity of this divine ability and secretly thought he might fail today. Just as he was about to randomly choose a direction to pursue, his expression suddenly changed, revealing a smile, and he flew northwards. Soon after, he arrived at a mountain valley. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly flew up to meet him. On the ground lay a charred python, its brocade snake appearance no longer discernible. When investigating the nine suspected dwellings earlier, Qin Sang had noticed one that was particularly hidden. If not for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine eye ability, it would have been easily overlooked. Guessing it might be a carefully arranged spot by the snake demon, he had told the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to keep an eye on it beforehand. The snake demon, thinking it had lured its enemy away, hastily recalled its remaining demonic lights to this location to escape. But just as its true body reappeared, it was stunned unconscious by the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Rolling up the demonic snake, Qin Sang's escape light continued its journey towards the Heavenly Court territory, not forgetting to take the Wolf Demon with him along the way. Returning to the Heavenly Court territory in one breath, Qin Sang sensed his own condition and sighed inwardly. He needed to find a way to stabilize his primordial energy as soon as possible, otherwise, the restrictions he faced would be too great.