Chapter 1827: Self-Destruction

**The Mortal Realm**

Nine Sun Divine Birds emerged simultaneously!

Crimson Nameless Flame condensed before Qin Sang’s chest, giving birth to a blazing red sun. This attack was clearly premeditated. Since the nascent Vermilion Bird spirit was responsible for summoning the Sun Divine Birds, Qin Sang didn’t need to divert his attention during the battle. At this moment, the Eye of Heaven Butterfly, Qin Sang, and the nascent Vermilion Bird spirit coordinated perfectly, leaving their opponent no chance.

His True Essence surged forth like a burst dam. From the moment the battle with Xiahou began, Qin Sang had put away his Four-Chariot Tengshe Seal, and his Grey Warbler Sword was only used occasionally. All this was to conserve True Essence, waiting for this very moment!

The scorching flames stung Xiahou’s eyes and shook its mind. Its pupils suddenly constricted, revealing terror. The red sun reflected in its eyes, as did Qin Sang's gaze—a pair of calm and indifferent eyes. To Xiahou, this calmness was the epitome of madness. The red sun expanded, its incredibly violent power about to erupt, yet Qin Sang was still relentlessly clinging to it, showing no intention of retreating, completely disregardful of the danger. That resolve was a vow to die alongside its opponent! What else could this be but madness? Among powerhouses who cultivate to their level, there are many brave and fierce individuals, but few would risk their lives for external matters.

Xiahou was greatly alarmed. It wanted to break free from Qin Sang, to dodge, but the Sun Divine Tree appeared too suddenly, and the Nameless Flame erupted too quickly.

"Boom!"

Intense crimson light burst forth from their chests, and raging flames instantly engulfed both the man and the deer. The flames continued to expand, fire pythons writhing wildly. The blaze illuminated the palace, turning it entirely crimson and making it impossible to see. Xiahou’s eyes were bloodshot. In its panic, it struggled wildly, its body twisting and deforming. Its Deer Shadow ability had just been interrupted by the tribulation lightning, and the shadow was still suspended mid-air, out of reach! At this moment, the restraints holding Xiahou vanished. But the terror in its heart did not diminish in the slightest.

"Shatter!"

The Deer Shadow shattered. Blood and Qi surged through Xiahou’s body, and a faint Deer Shadow reappeared, seemingly trying to block in front of Xiahou, forming a layer of shadow armor. But before the Deer Shadow could fully form, the intense flames arrived. Xiahou made to retreat, watching helplessly as the Deer Shadow was instantly dyed crimson, melting and shattering in the inferno. The fragments of the Deer Shadow were then swept away by the flames, annihilated by the tongues of fire. The Nameless Flame, carrying the power to break shadows, engulfed Xiahou under its horrified gaze!

Xiahou’s vision turned entirely crimson. It felt an unparalleled violent force strike it, and with a shrill groan, it was sent flying on the spot. The fresh blood it spat out was instantly incinerated by the raging flames.

As the flames erupted, a streak of green lightning shot out from the center of the blaze, as if desperately fleeing for its life, or perhaps propelled by the terrifying force of the explosion. It slammed directly into the palace wall. With a "thump," a figure appeared beneath the green light, plastered against the wall in a near spreadeagled posture. The palace walls were extremely tough, showing no cracks.

This person was none other than Qin Sang. At this moment, his entire body exuded a burnt smell, and his Cyclone Armor was gone. This precious armor had endured both Xiahou’s fierce assaults and the engulfing flames, completely destroyed and reduced to nothing. Not even a single fragment remained. Before this, Qin Sang and Master Qi had numerous discussions, with Master Qi racking his brains to enhance the Cyclone Armor, wholeheartedly aiming to integrate the true treasure fragment with it to forge a genuine precious armor. The precious armor, meticulously refined with countless hours of Master Qi’s effort, was thus destroyed in this battle! Fortunately, as Qin Sang retreated, a canvas-like object fell, which was precisely the true treasure fragment. The true treasure fragment was still there, swept away by the tongues of fire, fluttering up and down in the flames like a butterfly.

"Pfft!"

Qin Sang slid to the ground, spitting blood, his breathing ragged. His chest was caved in, revealing a gaping blood-hole. He felt his internal organs displaced and was gravely wounded. Qin Sang only released his grip at the very last moment before the Nameless Flame erupted. Although the nascent Vermilion Bird spirit could slightly guide the direction of the Nameless Flame’s eruption, and everything was under his control with precise timing, he still couldn't avoid injury. Ignoring his injuries, Qin Sang fixed his gaze on the center of the flames. Based on his own strength, he had assessed the power of the Nine Birds. By keeping Xiahou close at the moment the nine birds merged and erupted, he could at least severely wound it!

"Swish!"

Points of jade light appeared before Qin Sang; they were jade bottles.

"Crack, crack, crack…"

The jade bottles shattered simultaneously. A portion of the floral dew was inhaled by Qin Sang, while most dissipated into thin air. What others feared like tigers—the poison—became a restorative medicine for Qin Sang to rapidly replenish his True Essence. He panted heavily, his eyes slightly lowered, as the scene within the sea of fire imprinted itself on his mind through his Eye of Heaven divine ability. He saw the black deer in the sea of fire, just like him, slammed into the wall on the other side, looking utterly disheveled. As expected, it wasn't dead!

After all, it was a late-stage Soul Transformation demon cultivator. Qin Sang had anticipated this. With a calm expression, he didn’t rush to treat his injuries. His five fingers plucked at the air as if playing a zither. The invisible poison he had secretly released earlier, Qin Sang had secretly infused into Xiahou’s body during their struggle. The invisible poison had remained dormant. As Qin Sang moved, runes appeared between his five fingers. The runes merged with the toxins, and a faint green light flashed and vanished. Within the green light was a green square seal. The seal became formless, disappearing instantly, and then a strange power permeated the air. This was a poisonous dao divine ability from the *Poison God Canon*, named "Annihilation Poison Domain." The Annihilation Poison Domain, combined with the invisible poison refined from floral dew, had been hidden until now, finally baring its fangs!

Xiahou slammed hard against the wall. Intense pain assailed its mind; its entire body ached everywhere. Its injuries to the chest and abdomen were more severe than Qin Sang's. Its fur had melted away, exposing raw red internal organs. It was nearly pierced through by the Nameless Flame. Its remaining Blood and Qi desperately converged towards its internal organs, resisting the erosion of the fierce flames. Fear arose in Xiahou's heart. Since entering the Cavern Profundity realm, it wasn't that it hadn't suffered serious injuries before, but this was the first time it had been so gravely wounded immediately after activating its innate divine ability. Even more terrifying, its current injuries had triggered old wounds, and waves of weakness washed over it. It was in an unprecedentedly perilous situation!

Xiahou desperately circulated its innate divine ability to suppress its injuries, then felt a trace of numbness spread through its battered body.

"This is..."

The more critical the situation, the clearer Xiahou’s mind became. It immediately thought of the pervasive poison released by Qin Sang.

"Poison!"

Xiahou was struck with horror. Normally, it could suppress the poison within its body, but at this moment, it only worsened an already dire situation.

The next moment, Qin Sang, who had just unleashed the Annihilation Poison Domain, rose to his feet. He immediately heard an extremely shrill roar and his gaze sharpened slightly. Xiahou threw back its head and shrieked. Its battered body erupted with an incomparably powerful aura, filled with absolute resolve and a will to die. Qin Sang was secretly alarmed. He noticed that the Annihilation Poison Domain's operation had become sluggish, and then saw black and white aura surging from Xiahou's body, growing increasingly dense. At the same time, the Blood and Qi within Xiahou's body rapidly burned, and its roars became even more piercing. Its old wounds were triggered, but Xiahou completely ignored them. Its demonic eyes were bloodshot, filled with boundless hatred.

"Whoosh!"

The black and white aura broke through the air, like two giant pythons, one black and one white, heading straight for Qin Sang. Xiahou's body merged with the two auras, its Blood and Qi burning, its vitality growing weaker, yet the black and white auras grew ever stronger. This was its desperate counterattack, charging forward relentlessly, already adopting a suicidal posture!

Qin Sang's expression changed. He immediately prepared to dodge and adopted a defensive posture. Unexpectedly, halfway through their flight, the black and white auras suddenly changed direction, rushing towards the palace gate at an even faster speed. Qin Sang’s expression darkened. He had thrown caution to the wind, almost exhausting all his trump cards, finally cornering Xiahou. How could he let it escape! The two black dragons outside the palace gate might not be able to stop Xiahou when it was fleeing with all its might. Without hesitation, Qin Sang stopped his evasive maneuver, flapped his phoenix wings fiercely, and almost simultaneously with Xiahou, charged to the palace gate.

At this moment, a glint of shrewdness flashed in Xiahou’s eyes, which had been filled with hatred.

"Boom!"

A vortex suddenly formed at the center of the black and white auras. Deer antlers emerged from the vortex, swirling the black and white auras, and flashed towards Qin Sang, suddenly lashing out. This strike had no crescent moon-shaped cold glow; only an astonishing binding force enveloped Qin Sang. This strike burned away Xiahou's Blood and Qi, expending all its strength!

Following the deer antlers, another object emerged from the vortex: a pill. The pill was also black and white, each color occupying half, with a pure luster.

A demon core!

The black deer threw its head back, spitting out its demon core, its expression filled with grim determination. At this point, only by doing this did it have any hope of turning the tide, even if the cost was incredibly painful!

As it conjured the deer antlers and spat out its demon core, Xiahou’s aura burst out of the palace, startling the black dragons awake. The black dragons roared, flying away from the palace gate, their bodies coiling, their massive heads aimed at the gate, staring intently at Xiahou. Should Xiahou dare to step even half a pace out of the palace, it would be met with a thunderous attack.

"Swish!"

The deer antlers bound Qin Sang. The lightning glow dimmed. Qin Sang was caught off guard, his entire body stiffening. The demon core spun as it flew up, its rotation seemingly slow, yet it deeply captivated Qin Sang’s gaze. Sensing Xiahou’s desperate resolve, Qin Sang opened his mouth, as if to cry out, his expression showing fear. The demon core reflected in his pupils, and on its surface, several cracks violently appeared. Immediately, an incredibly powerful aura erupted!

At this moment, the fear in Qin Sang’s expression abruptly vanished, replaced by his usual composure. He skillfully performed a hand seal. Flesh buds grew from the blood-hole in his chest, and his severely wounded body recovered at a visible speed, his weakened aura rapidly surging!

"Whoosh!"

An aura no weaker than his peak burst forth from Qin Sang. Under Xiahou’s shocked and despairing gaze, he powerfully swung a fist at the void before him.

"Crack!"

The void cracked with a sonic boom, and the deer antlers vibrated violently. Under this single punch, the binding force crumbled. Qin Sang broke free from the restraints, and with a flap of his phoenix wings, calmly retreated.

"Boom!"

The demon core exploded!

Chaotic black and white currents swept in all directions. The two black dragons waiting at the archway bore the brunt of the attack. Their heads exploded on the spot, and their mangled remains were silently obliterated as they were swept away by the currents. The dragon sigil on the palace gate reappeared, slightly dimmer than before. According to Xiahou’s plan, the self-destruction of its demon core would wipe out Qin Sang and the two black dragons, allowing its remnant soul to escape. As for how its remnant soul would survive within the healing altar, it couldn’t consider that now.

Qin Sang retreated further and further, his expression grave. The power of the demon core's self-destruction was even greater than that of the Nine Birds appearing simultaneously. Had it not been for his superior skill, he would not have escaped this calamity. Facing Xiahou, Qin Sang had never considered capturing it alive. Qin Sang believed he had a chance to slay Xiahou, but after careful consideration, he felt there was significant risk. Enticing Xiahou to self-destruct its demon core would destroy all spoils of war, but Qin Sang could ensure his own safety. He aimed to slay Xiahou for enlightenment; the spoils of war were not important. As he retreated, a cold glint flashed in Qin Sang’s eyes. A clear, resonant sword hum seemed to echo within him, and he transformed into a sword, erupting with sharp sword intent.

Outside the palace.

Amidst the chaotic currents, a small, ethereal deer shadow, its face filled with horror and unwillingness, saw Qin Sang break free from the deer antlers. It had already foreseen its own end. The next moment, the deer shadow froze in place, beginning to shatter from its brow, dissipating like wind.

Xiahou perished!

The chaos slowly dispersed. A faint sigh emanated from within the palace. Qin Sang let out a long breath, sweeping his gaze across the ravaged palace. The palace was exceptionally sturdy; it had endured continuous battles without a scratch. Lingering fires burned inside the palace, and the aura of the demon core had not fully dissipated.

Finally, Qin Sang looked at the Five Elements Crown on the well platform. When unleashing the Nameless Flame, Qin Sang had deliberately chosen a spot not far from the palace gate, keeping as far away from the Five Elements Crown as possible. The demon core's self-destruction also occurred at the palace gate, with most of its residual power directed outside the palace. It seemed the spirit of the Five Elements Crown had not been disturbed.

He took out a handful of pills, swallowed them whole, and swayed his body to the well platform. The duration of the Inner Lion Seal was limited; he had to return to his cultivation abode to heal as soon as possible. If he couldn't subdue the Five Elements Crown, he would have to leave it here and return another day.

Qin Sang recalled the information Mo Xingdao had given him, raised his palm, hovering it above the Five Elements Crown, and slightly closed his eyes. As his spiritual sense touched the Five Elements Crown, Qin Sang immediately felt an incredibly wild demonic will. It was very different from Mo Xingdao’s description. Previously, although the artifact spirit was deranged, due to the timely actions of Saint Huiguang and the Azure Fox Saint King, they had sealed the spirit with restrictions, allowing control over the artifact. Now, all the restrictions within the Five Elements Crown had vanished. As the artifact spirit and the demonic soul merged more deeply, the artifact spirit grew stronger day by day. The previous methods were no longer applicable. The artifact spirit’s consciousness was chaotic; communication was impossible.

Qin Sang’s expression showed thought. His immunity to demonic will was an advantage. As a temporary measure, he could actively accept the demonic will into his spiritual sense as a disguise to pacify the artifact spirit, temporarily alleviate its repulsion towards him, and first take the artifact away. However, subduing this artifact later would not be easy; he would need a long-term plan.

Having devised a plan, Qin Sang was about to act when he suddenly turned, his expression drastically changed.

"Swish!"

Mo Xingdao was summoned by Qin Sang, his five senses restored. He looked at Qin Sang with some bewilderment. He didn’t yet know the outcome of the battle, only seeing the chaotic cultivation abode and Qin Sang alone. With his intellect, he could immediately guess part of it, and his eyes showed shock.

"How did Hong Yuzi find this place?" Qin Sang stared at Mo Xingdao, questioning in a deep voice. He had left an alert restriction outside, which had just been triggered from the outside. Now, only Hong Yuzi could possibly have found his way here.

Mo Xingdao was greatly alarmed upon hearing this. "I never told him about the Five Elements Crown."

Qin Sang gazed intently outside the palace. He had repeatedly confirmed that the space within the mirror was extraordinary; no matter how fierce the battle, it wouldn't affect the outside world. It was even less likely for the Azure Fox Saint King and Xiahou to leave traces that would actively lead Hong Yuzi here. Perhaps Hong Yuzi was proficient in investigative techniques. Or perhaps Hong Yuzi already knew something!