Chapter 1780: Flowing Gold Fire Bell Thunder Summoning

The Human World

Thunder Right Prefecture.

Unlike the Thunder Left Prefecture, which is scattered across a thousand islands, the entire Thunder Right Prefecture sect is situated on a single large island. It is said that this island ranks among the top three in size within the Star Island Immortal Lake.

Today was the day for the ritual altar opening and talisman conferral. Qin Sang arrived, bearing the Thunder Talisman granted by Elder Li, to receive the promotion to the second-tier Golden Fire Bell Talisman. Upon presenting the Thunder Talisman, he was immediately led inside by a Thunder Right Prefecture disciple, and then proceeded to the Talisman Conferral Hall with other cultivators also awaiting promotion.

The Thunder Right Prefecture's rule was to first confer talismans upon new disciples. Qin Sang and the others were only permitted to enter after the last new disciple had completed their talisman conferral.

Seeing the Thunder Right Prefecture's main altar, Qin Sang initially thought he had arrived at the Thunder Left Prefecture. The Thunder Ancestor Hall, the sacred images of the Thunder Ancestor, and even the design of the incense burner in front of the hall were all identical to those of the Thunder Left Prefecture. The talisman conferral ceremony was also largely similar to that of the Thunder Left Prefecture.

When it was Qin Sang's turn, he entered the Thunder Ancestor Hall and knelt on a meditation cushion. There was no need to summon his talisman altar; after the imparting master burned the talisman and submitted the petition, the Golden Fire Bell Talisman immersed itself into Qin Sang's glabella, automatically settling into its place. At the center of his talisman altar, the Divine Firmament Thunder Seal faintly flickered with light, and the Golden Fire Bell Talisman submerged into it, disappearing from sight.

None of the three masters detected that Qin Sang's altar-guarding deity was an inner truth manifestation rather than a Thunder Department Heavenly General. In fact, even if Qin Sang had summoned his talisman altar directly, he wouldn't have had to worry about being exposed. The altar-guarding deity was not a true god but a wisp of divine will, perceptible only to cultivators.

Qin Sang rose, bowed, and withdrew. He also received a jade slip and left the Thunder Right Prefecture that same day. It wasn't until he returned to his cave abode on Pot Island that Qin Sang carefully examined the changes before and after his talisman promotion.

He first scanned the contents of the jade slip. It also consisted of three parts: key points for altar casting, the Immortal Incantation of the Myriad Gods Thunder Department, and the "Jade Talisman Incantation of Adoration." The Immortal Incantation of the Myriad Gods Thunder Department was different from the one he received last time; it featured fewer, but higher-ranked, sacred images of heavenly gods.

Golden Fire Bell Grand General, Thunder Chariot Left Commander General, Thunderbolt Scripture Merit Officer, Fire Bell Divine Sky Official, Jade Light Golden Essence High Official, Wind and Thunder Divine Official, Judge of Records... One by one, the divine names flowed past Qin Sang's eyes, finally settling on the Golden Fire Bell Grand General. The sacred image of this heavenly god was surprisingly the only one lit up among all the deities!

"Can I only visualize this one Thunder Department Heavenly General?" Qin Sang was surprised but didn't pay too much attention, as he wouldn't be meditating on heavenly gods anyway. He shifted his attention back to the talisman itself. Within the talisman altar, the two talismans had already merged into one.

The divine symbol carrying the Golden Fire Bell Talisman was the Golden Fire Bell Thunder Summons. Qin Sang had once heard that the Daoist sect possessed an ancient divine seal called the Golden Fire Bell Divine Seal, which had powerful abilities such as summoning dragons and thunder, refining souls to ascend to truth, vanquishing water monsters, and dispelling dark spirits. He wondered if there was any connection between the two. The Golden Fire Bell Thunder Summons was said to be capable of subjugating all demons, though this was, of course, an exaggeration. However, this talisman indeed possessed the ability to deter demonic beasts. As for its effectiveness, it depended on the difference in cultivation between the two parties and the strength of the demonic beast's bloodline.

Qin Sang took out the Golden-Winged Thunder Eagle Royal Blood, with more than half a bottle remaining, and then began to cast his altar. The talisman shape of the Golden Fire Bell Thunder Summons was far more complex than the Jade Purity Thunder Summons Talisman. Both divine talismans belonged to the High Divine Firmament Talisman system, allowing their spiritual apertures to perfectly overlap. All Qin Sang needed to do was continue 'stacking bricks and adding tiles'. As Qin Sang gradually perfected his talisman altar, the Jade Purity Thunder Summons Talisman also received a boost, and the divine talisman's power would increase with Qin Sang's cultivation. Furthermore, when the Jade Purity Thunder Summons Talisman and the Golden Fire Bell Thunder Summons were cast simultaneously, peculiar changes would occur—this was the benefit of belonging to the same lineage.

'Snap!' The jade bottle opened, and drops of essence blood continuously flew out, forming scattered divine talisman shapes and integrating into the talisman altar. Although he had only recently obtained the Golden Fire Bell Talisman, Qin Sang's movements were without any hesitation. For two years, Qin Sang had delved into the Dao of Talismans in his spare time, purchasing numerous papers, brushes, and cinnabar to personally draw and create talismans. Speaking of which, the Dao of Talismans shared commonalities with the Dao of Artifact Forging and the Dao of Array Formations and Restrictions. Since Qin Sang was proficient in the latter two, he didn't find comprehending the Dao of Talismans particularly difficult. Currently, as long as he had the appropriate paper, brush, and cinnabar, Qin Sang already had a decent success rate in crafting spiritual talismans of the Nascent Soul stage.

Qin Sang seemed tireless, stacking apertures and combining forms repeatedly until the bottle of Thunder Eagle essence blood was used up. The Thousand Jun Ring flashed, and several demonic bones flew out from it. These demonic bones were from a Thunder Tortoise. When Qin Sang had dissected its corpse back then, he had kept only the essence. The demonic bones contained concentrated original essence of the Thunder Tortoise. As long as these demonic bones could be used, he would be able to cast his altar with a Thunder Tortoise demonic core after future talisman promotions. Based on Qin Sang's experience fighting the Thunder Tortoise, its innate divine abilities were very pure. Among all the treasures used for altar casting, demonic beasts' blood, bones, and demonic cores accounted for the largest proportion. The purer the bloodline, the higher the success rate. Some cultivators in this world also ventured deep into the Sinister Wilds to hunt fierce beasts for altar casting. Fierce beasts, corrupted by the Six Heavens Ancient Qi, not only became maniacal in their minds but also had the corruption spread throughout their bodies, deep into their bones. It was said that this didn't affect the altar casting effect, but pure-blooded fierce beasts were rare.

The demonic bones gradually melted in Qin Sang's palm, eventually transforming into a mass of thunder pulp, seemingly with faint blood threads inside. Qin Sang's mind stirred, and he drew out a wisp from it to depict the talisman shape. As this scattered shape gradually formed, showing no signs of dispersion, it was finally completed and submerged into the talisman altar. Qin Sang's face lit up with joy, and without hesitation, he continued to cast his altar. The Thunder Tortoise was a Deity Transformation stage fierce beast; its bloodline power was abundant, more than enough to sustain the altar until its grand completion!

Qin Sang maintained his true essence at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Without the need for divine sense isolation, he no longer had to worry about his true essence becoming chaotic. He tried several Daoist spells; his true essence flowed smoothly, and he breathed in spiritual qi without obstruction, causing him to nod inwardly.

Next, Qin Sang's divine sense touched his spirit beast pouch, summoning the Fire Jade Centipede, and at the same time, also summoned the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. The Fire Jade Centipede was in a deep slumber, emitting invisible fluctuations from its body. This slumber was not because the Fire Jade Centipede was about to break through, but because Qin Sang had 'sealed' it to protect its spiritual intelligence! The primordial spirit of spirit insects was the most fragile. After following Qin Sang to this world, the Fire Jade Centipede, without protection, gradually had its spiritual intelligence affected. Qin Sang noticed the signs and immediately forced the Fire Jade Centipede into slumber. In contrast, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had shown no signs of mental confusion. Ever since it underwent a transformation after devouring the Azure Luan's thunder power, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had shown increasingly high spiritual intelligence. It and the Fat Silkworm were considered extremely intelligent among spirit insects of their rank, far surpassing the Fire Jade Centipede. He wondered if it was this reason, or... Qin Sang internally observed the jade Buddha, suspecting that the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, as his natal spirit insect, might also benefit to some extent.

The Divine Firmament Thunder Seal faintly glowed, emitting a thunder-seal-shaped mark that entered the Fire Jade Centipede's crown. The sleeping Fire Jade Centipede trembled slightly, and from then on, it became Qin Sang's foremost insect general!

"Whoosh!" The Fire Jade Centipede transformed into a red light and entered the talisman altar, taking abode in a spiritual aperture. The altar-guarding deity would still need some time to improve, so he would let it continue its slumber.

"With the talisman altar, I won't need the spirit beast pouch anymore, which is convenient." Qin Sang looked at the empty spirit beast pouch and casually tossed it aside. The spirit beast pouch originally contained some auxiliary spirit insects with special divine abilities that he had collected in the storm zone, but due to their low cultivation, they hadn't survived until now. As for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, it wasn't so troublesome. As his natal spirit insect, it could share the altar space with Qin Sang without needing to enter the talisman altar.

After several more months of secluded cultivation, Qin Sang was awakened by a talisman message. He quickly left his cave abode and went to Master Qi's residence, finding Master Qi in the fire chamber. Seeing Qin Sang, Master Qi directly asked, "Daoist friend, how is your divine ability cultivation progressing? I plan to open the furnace in half a year!"

Qin Sang frowned. Previously, he had been called over by Master Qi several times to assist with various artifact refining secret techniques, but all had failed. Judging by Master Qi's tone, this time was clearly not an experiment, but a genuine artifact refining attempt!

"How confident are you?"

Master Qi gently shook his head and sighed, "I have done my best; my skill ends here. Even if I were to comprehend for a few more decades, it wouldn't be any better than now."

Qin Sang understood and said solemnly, "This humble Daoist will control the flames for Master!" With his talisman altar complete, he could assist Master Qi in refining the treasure.

For the next two months, Qin Sang remained at Master Qi's residence, preparing for the upcoming artifact refining. Qin Sang controlling the flames was originally just an excuse. However, when Qin Sang displayed his exquisite flame control abilities before Master Qi, Master Qi was astonished and immediately decided that the two of them would jointly refine this treasure.

Master Qi first refined the Return Wind Armor, and then continuously practiced with Qin Sang until their cooperation was seamless. Since Master Qi was leading, they still chose his most familiar fire chamber and spiritual flames. Master Qi painstakingly explained everything to Qin Sang repeatedly, showing even more dedication than the master of the residence himself. For half a year, the two never left the fire chamber.

Finally, the day arrived. Master Qi ordered his servant boy to close the doors to visitors and sealed off the residence and the fire chamber with array restrictions. Only Qin Sang and Master Qi remained in the fire chamber, with a square cauldron placed between them, sitting atop the spiritual flames. Neatly arranged beside them were the true treasure shard, the Return Wind Armor, and various spiritual materials.

Master Qi nodded to Qin Sang, drew the new Return Wind Armor before him, rubbed his fingers together, and a white flower actually grew from his fingertips. The white flower lightly flew up, landed on the Return Wind Armor, and immediately took root. Its slender roots rapidly grew, some even penetrating the spiritual armor, weaving in and out, instantly covering it with a layer of root system. Qin Sang watched Master Qi's movements intently. This act was to implant the white flower into the spiritual armor's energy meridians, using the flower's root system to manifest the meridians. During later refining, every subtle change could be precisely reflected. The heritage of the Wood Phase Hall of the Immeasurable Immortal Sect also contained similar methods.

'Whoosh!' The Return Wind Armor was cast into the square cauldron. Qin Sang raised his palm and pressed it virtually, and the flames roared, almost engulfing the square cauldron. Though seemingly violent, every inch and every minute change was under Qin Sang's control. The firelight shimmered. The flames leaped, transforming into streaks of fire talismans out of thin air, floating into the square cauldron, layer upon layer of fire talismans enveloping the Return Wind Armor. The blue color on the Return Wind Armor gradually faded, as if it were a red-hot iron, even the patterns on the armor became lighter, but the white flower and its root system remained.

Master Qi was not idle either. He drew in spiritual materials one by one from the ground, while continuously changing his hand seals, integrating runes into them. Each item, once completed, was cast into the square cauldron for Qin Sang to refine. Finally, it was the true treasure shard.

Qin Sang concentrated, completing his tasks. Inside the square cauldron, only the Return Wind Armor and several light clusters of various colors remained. He looked up at Master Qi opposite him. Master Qi was still busy, the true treasure shard floating before him, rolling back and forth. The more Qin Sang watched, the more astonished he became. Master Qi seemed to treat the true treasure shard like a piece of talisman paper, occasionally drawing on the light clusters in the cauldron as ink, and imprinting divine talismans onto the true treasure shard. Initially, they could only float on the surface of the shard, but gradually, they showed signs of merging like ripples in water. Such exquisite techniques, integrating the Dao of Talismans into the Dao of Artifact Forging, brought a novel experience to Qin Sang, mesmerizing him.

A loud shout startled Qin Sang. Master Qi suddenly wide-eyed, forcefully pushed his hands forward. The true treasure shard rippled with clear waves, falling into the square cauldron like a waterfall. Qin Sang quickly recollected his thoughts and fully controlled the flames. Master Qi formed a hand seal with one hand and pressed the body of the square cauldron with the other. This cauldron was also a treasure; streaks of runes and restrictions continuously flashed within it, pulling the true treasure shard and the Return Wind Armor towards each other. It was unclear whether the true treasure shard was merging into the Return Wind Armor or vice versa. Amidst the dazzling light, the two items merged into one. The true treasure shard disappeared, and the Return Wind Armor seemed to be covered in a layer of water ripples. This was just the first step; the most severe test had just begun.

Inside the fire chamber, the two sat motionless on either side of the square cauldron, the firelight flickering, reflecting the spiritual light within the cauldron. Unsure how much time had passed, the square cauldron trembled slightly, and a clanging sound echoed through the fire chamber. The two, as if startled awake by the sound, simultaneously opened their eyes, exchanged a glance, and vigorously circulated true essence in their palms. Strange light shot up from within the cauldron, blocked by the fire chamber's restrictions. It could be seen that the Return Wind Armor slowly rotated within the cauldron, at times illusory, at times solidified.

Qin Sang knew they had reached the most crucial and difficult step: connecting the energy meridians, channeling qi through the spiritual armor! The two were fully concentrated, but as time passed, the Return Wind Armor itself began to tremble, with increasing intensity. Master Qi's expression slightly changed. He continuously changed his hand seals and took out several spiritual talismans, throwing them directly into the cauldron without hesitation. Qin Sang was also fully cooperating. But contrary to their wishes, despite their best efforts, they could not stabilize the situation. The spiritual light of the Return Wind Armor gradually dimmed, and a rushing water sound echoed within the cauldron, filled with a sense of unease.

Master Qi's eyes were bloodshot, and he let out a low growl, but no matter what he did, it was in vain. Qin Sang sighed softly, "It's impossible to proceed, Master. There's no need to force it." Master Qi seemed to awaken from a dream, staring blankly at the square cauldron, a dim light flashing in his eyes. But then, Master Qi seemed to comprehend something, his eyes suddenly lighting up. He abruptly drew the Return Wind Armor out of the square cauldron, flicked his ten fingers, and streaks of spiritual light submerged into the spiritual armor. Gradually, Qin Sang also seemed to understand something, a look of joy appearing on his face as he attempted to cooperate with Master Qi.

An hour later, Qin Sang was the first to stop. Master Qi's figure flickered, appearing above the Return Wind Armor, forming a hand seal with one hand and pressing it onto the breastplate.

'Boom!' Dazzling spiritual light filled the cave abode, and all sounds ceased. After the spiritual light dissipated, Qin Sang saw Master Qi incessantly toying with a palm-sized set of spiritual armor, unable to put it down. Sensing Qin Sang's gaze, Master Qi reluctantly tossed the spiritual armor over. "It's a pity that my cultivation is not sufficient; it's a bit worse than expected." Although he said this, his tone was full of pride and excitement.

Qin Sang took the spiritual armor and immediately understood the changes within it. With a thought, the breastplate surprisingly transformed into a puddle of clear water—it was the manifestation of the true treasure shard. They had originally intended to merge the two treasures, but in the end, they only managed to embed the true treasure shard into the Return Wind Armor. The good news was that the power of the true treasure shard could be drawn out through the Return Wind Armor, albeit only within a small area. The true treasure shard could move freely on the Return Wind Armor. Wherever the true treasure shard was located, its defensive power would certainly far exceed other areas, testing the user's grasp of timing.

"What a treasure!" Qin Sang nodded repeatedly.