Chapter 2332: Ghost Flame

The Tianmu Butterfly and Yu Ling's spiritual insect had both killed ancient insect projections, indicating that the transformation was not guaranteed to occur. Realizing this, both of them immediately had a change of heart. They had originally planned to leave quickly, but now that they understood the benefits of the ancient insect projections, they naturally didn't want to miss this opportunity.

They searched the area but only found two damaged spiritual treasures. One of them had a prominent sword mark on its surface, indicating it had been damaged by Qin Sang's sword technique. Hong Tong clearly held a deep grudge against them and had destroyed all his possessions, including his spiritual insects and spatial storage artifacts, leaving nothing behind.

Although they had successfully ambushed and killed Hong Tong, their primary plan had failed. Without Hong Tong's relics, they couldn't set a trap to lure the Dan Niao Clan's shaman. Their chances of seizing the White Emperor Divine Armor now depended entirely on luck.

The Dan Niao Clan's shaman was a top-tier expert, whose strength would be no less than that of the two individuals who last attacked Qin Sang. Even if Qin Sang and Yu Ling combined their forces in a direct confrontation, they might be able to repel him, but killing him would be exceedingly difficult. Furthermore, due to the unique rules of the insect tomb, they might not even be able to win. As a tribal shaman, the opponent would possess a number and strength of spiritual insects far beyond their own.

"Elder Qin, let's go our separate ways," Yu Ling suggested.

Qin Sang nodded. They didn't yet understand the patterns governing the appearance of the ancient insect projections. They surmised that these projections were scattered throughout the region and would be awakened when someone passed by or when certain conditions were met. If they acted together, only one person would awaken an ancient insect projection at a time. While this ensured safety, it would be too slow. The transformation was likely random, and with bad luck, they might need to kill numerous ancient insect projections before receiving the opportunity.

Ultimately, they decided to split up but maintain a certain distance, so that if one encountered danger, they could call for the other's assistance. They immediately divided the two spiritual treasures and set off in different directions.

The Tianmu Butterfly carried Qin Sang, flying unhurriedly at an altitude of about ten zhang, constantly maintaining its Tianmu divine ability to detect any enemy presence in time. Meanwhile, Qin Sang was helping the Tianmu Butterfly and the strange insect examine themselves. They had previously killed two ancient insects without any changes, making him wonder if he had overlooked something.

They flew for an entire day, detecting no enemies and encountering no ancient insect projections. All they could do was endure the solitude and continue their search. After another two hours of flying, it was deep into the night. Darkness enveloped the land, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of their face.

As they flew swiftly through the night, the Tianmu Butterfly suddenly conveyed a sense of unease. Qin Sang's heart brightened; they had finally found an ancient insect projection! He immediately had the Tianmu Butterfly stop and land on a mountain peak. He looked around; the night sky remained unchanged.

Last time, the Tianmu Butterfly had sensed the ancient insect projection an entire night in advance. This time, however, the projection appeared extremely quickly. They had barely landed when they felt a dangerous gust of wind approaching.

*Swish!*

Qin Sang dodged the fierce wind by riding a poisonous light. Looking back, he saw two ancient insects flash into existence behind him, and a fierce battle immediately erupted.

As before, Qin Sang was immediately drawn into the battlefield, forced to survive by maneuvering between the two ancient insects. This time, Qin Sang was well-prepared and very familiar with the strange insect's abilities. Coordinating with the Tianmu Butterfly, it consistently helped Qin Sang narrowly avoid the ancient insects' attacks, allowing him to focus on observing their battle.

Gradually, Qin Sang began to discern some patterns. However, he didn't act rashly. He needed to 'kill' both ancient insects, but also ensure that the final blow came from the Tianmu Butterfly, as this would increase the chances of its transformation. He waited patiently for a while, during which they constantly dodged, appearing quite harried.

Suddenly, Qin Sang's eyes lit up. With a command, the strange insect and the Tianmu Butterfly attacked simultaneously. A cloud of poisonous smoke instantly enveloped the two ancient insects, while azure lightning poured down. Yu Ling had lent the Azure Jade Eye to the Tianmu Butterfly and had not retrieved it, allowing the Tianmu Butterfly to still unleash the Yi Wood Divine Thunder.

From afar, the battlefield appeared chaotic. The two ancient insects harbored hatred for each other, and with the Tianmu Butterfly and the strange insect joining the fray to disrupt the situation, four divine abilities intertwined, making the battle incredibly messy. Yet, in Qin Sang's eyes, the underlying patterns were clear. He remained calm, precisely seizing every opportune moment. Under his command, the Tianmu Butterfly and the strange insect repeatedly struck, dealing severe blows to the ancient insects.

Before long, the two ancient insects' vital energy began to wane, and they gradually showed signs of defeat.

*Boom!*

The Tianmu Butterfly suddenly appeared above one of the ancient insects. Instantly, thousands of thunderbolts erupted simultaneously. The ancient insect had nowhere to dodge and was engulfed by the lightning. After struggling for only a moment, its vital energy completely vanished. At the same moment, the other ancient insect, covered by the strange insect's poisonous light, suddenly became sluggish in its movements.

After killing the first ancient insect, the Tianmu Butterfly immediately shifted its target and, together with the strange insect, attacked the remaining one from both sides. Although this ancient insect's strength surged, it couldn't withstand Qin Sang's meticulous planning. Having already sustained severe injuries, it was beyond recovery and ultimately perished from a lightning strike.

The two ancient insects fell one after another, and their projections subsequently dispersed. As before, there were no spoils of war. Qin Sang summoned the Tianmu Butterfly before him. He thought to himself, 'Just as expected.' The Tianmu Butterfly had not comprehended any new divine abilities; it seemed the transformation was not as easy as he had imagined.

He was not disheartened. After a brief rest, he continued onward.

Time flowed, and days and nights alternated. Unbeknownst to them, they had been trapped in the insect tomb for over twenty days. Qin Sang never lingered in one place, constantly moving, yet he had been unable to leave this region. The whereabouts of the three Shao Hao descendants remained unknown; the two parties had not yet encountered each other.

This was also beneficial, as Qin Sang could focus entirely on finding ancient insect projections. In the past few days, he had discovered five more. Although there were challenges during these encounters, he always succeeded in slaying the ancient insects. Unfortunately, his luck was poor, and the anticipated transformation never materialized.

In a certain valley, vast blue illusory flames covered the land. Below the flames, lightning flashed and thunder roared, accompanied by bursts of spiritual insects' hissing cries. The aftershocks of the great battle caused the surrounding mountain peaks to collapse, sending shattered rocks tumbling into the sea of flames. Strangely, ghostly faces occasionally materialized within the sea of flames, and a sinister aura permeated the valley. It was as if these flames, originating from hell, were devouring countless evil spirits.

Qin Sang stood within the sea of flames, his entire body ignited by the blue fire. Blue flames seemed to pass in and out of his body, transforming him into a figure of fire. Yet, his physical body appeared completely unharmed; through the blue flames, his complexion remained rosy. Ghostly faces frequently appeared within the sea of flames, bearing silent, grimacing smiles as they pounced towards him. Qin Sang, however, ignored them, allowing the faces to surge into his body.

It wasn't that Qin Sang was being arrogant; rather, this blue flame was highly unusual—a spiritual fire that could only burn the divine soul. The Jade Buddha's Buddhist light did not require Qin Sang's maintenance and would not cause a backlash from heaven and earth. Therefore, when these blue flames rushed into his Qi Sea, they were automatically blocked by the Buddhist light. Though sinister and terrifying, they were unable to harm him in the slightest.

Qin Sang's gaze pierced through the sea of flames, revealing a spiritual moth. The spiritual moth was entirely blue, enveloped in blue flames as it flew, with blue specks of light shimmering within the fire—a truly dreamlike and illusory sight. However, its appearance was terrifying, with a lifelike ghostly face pattern on its wings, resembling a malevolent spirit risen from hell. When Qin Sang's gaze met the ghostly face's empty eye sockets, he felt a slight chill down his spine.

This spiritual moth's divine abilities primarily targeted the primordial spirit and essence. Qin Sang only needed to dodge the attacks of the other ancient insect, significantly reducing his pressure. The Tianmu Butterfly and the strange insect didn't have to overly protect him, making this likely their easiest battle yet.

The battle had been ongoing for some time, and the other ancient insect was already at the end of its strength. Just then, a mournful cry was heard as the Tianmu Butterfly finally killed it. The spiritual moth let out a shrill shriek, and the blue flames suddenly flared, indiscriminately attacking Qin Sang, the Tianmu Butterfly, and the strange insect.

Qin Sang was completely unconcerned, and the Tianmu Butterfly, imbued with the Jade Buddha's Buddhist light, also possessed a certain resistance to this attack. Only the strange insect was forced to activate its protective poisonous light.

*Crackle!*

A bolt of Yi Wood Divine Thunder fiercely struck towards the spiritual moth. The spiritual moth sensed danger, and its cries grew even shriller. Ghostly faces leaped out of the sea of flames, each bringing forth a wave of fire, forming layers of fiery barriers in front of it. Unfortunately, all its actions were within Qin Sang's predictions. The Tianmu Butterfly's attacks were unusually tricky, and Qin Sang seized every opportunity to strike. Ultimately, the spiritual moth could not escape this calamity and was directly struck by the Yi Wood Divine Thunder.

Its cries abruptly ceased. The spiritual moth plummeted like a kite with a broken string, and the pervasive blue flames momentarily paused. Qin Sang knew the spiritual moth was not yet dead. He ordered the Tianmu Butterfly and the strange insect to continue the pursuit. Immediately, attacks rained down, giving the spiritual moth no chance to catch its breath.

Finally, the spiritual moth's wings shattered under the divine thunder, and the ghostly face on its back broke into pieces. It drifted down onto a rock at the bottom of the valley, its wings twitching twice, but it was too weak to fly. Its form gradually faded.

"It's dead..."

The pervasive blue flames dispersed as Qin Sang descended towards the valley floor. Suddenly, his heart stirred, and his expression immediately brightened with joy.

*Whoosh!*

A bolt of lightning shot up from below, heading straight for his face. The next moment, Qin Sang felt something warm and fuzzy rubbing against his cheek.

"Alright, alright..."

Qin Sang felt the Tianmu Butterfly's joyous and excited emotions and couldn't help but smile broadly. "Go on, try it!" he said expectantly.

At the very moment the spiritual moth was killed, the Tianmu Butterfly finally comprehended a new divine ability! The Tianmu Butterfly flew several circles around Qin Sang before finally suppressing its excitement and hovering in front of him. After a brief moment of concentration, a faint blue light flickered on its butterfly wings, and the familiar blue flames began to float across their surface. The blue flames gathered, transforming its butterfly wings into fiery wings. Its pair of Tianmu eyes now resembled eyes of pure flame!

*Swish!*

The Tianmu Butterfly flapped its wings, leaving a sky-blue trail in the void, where the blue flames persisted, unfading. Once it became more familiar with this divine ability, it forcefully flapped its wings again. In an instant, the valley was once more enveloped in blue flames.

"So it acquired this divine ability..."

Qin Sang nodded secretly. This blue flame was the spiritual moth's most powerful divine ability, indicating that the Tianmu Butterfly had good luck. He extended his hand and grasped a wisp of blue flame, actively drawing it into his divine soul. He immediately felt a sharp pain. This blue flame could ignite the divine soul; if not extinguished, it could draw energy from it and burn indefinitely. Even a tiny spark could ignite a prairie, turning into raging flames until the divine soul was completely consumed.

"What a malicious spiritual fire!" Qin Sang couldn't help but think of the Nine Nether Demonic Flame, but this blue flame was even purer. Seeing the ghostly faces floating in the sea of flames, Qin Sang muttered to himself, "From now on, I'll call it the Soul-Devouring Ghost Flame!"

After another careful investigation, Qin Sang confirmed that the Soul-Devouring Ghost Flame was indeed a spiritual fire, though its power was very unique. In other words, the Tianmu Butterfly had comprehended a fire-elemental divine ability. However, Qin Sang noticed that the Tianmu Butterfly had merely comprehended this divine ability, as if it had been forcibly bestowed. Normally, divine abilities were cultivated and understood step by step, but this was more akin to the innate talents of the Witch Clan, where one knows what it is but not how or why it works.

Logically, this wasn't a true transformation. However, it held immense significance for the Tianmu Butterfly, acting as a catalyst that opened a door to the Dao of Fire. If the Tianmu Butterfly were interested in this path, or if other avenues were closed in the future and it decided to forge a new one by continuing to comprehend it, it would eventually master the Dao of Fire, thereby completing its transformation.

"Fire..." Qin Sang secretly felt a pang of regret. He had long since abandoned the use of fire. Though he had once had an opportunity to cultivate the "Suwen Scripture" and regain fire control techniques in his dream realm, he missed it due to various unforeseen circumstances. Otherwise, he could have assisted the Tianmu Butterfly in its comprehension.

However, there was no rush. For now, this divine ability served as a catalyst, preserving a future possibility. What the Tianmu Butterfly most eagerly desired was an increase in its current strength.

"I wonder how many divine abilities ancient insect projections can bestow upon a spiritual insect," Qin Sang mused. "If I were to stay here and allow the Tianmu Butterfly to comprehend a few more divine abilities, wouldn't I be able to cultivate an all-rounder among insect kind?"

Qin Sang mused, but he himself had delved into enough diverse paths to know that being a jack-of-all-trades might not always be beneficial. Of course, Qin Sang didn't plan to give up. Even if it only provided the Tianmu Butterfly with more combat options, it would still be beneficial. Besides, he had another spiritual insect. The strange insect's path seemed set in stone, and he hadn't originally paid it much attention. But if it could comprehend a few divine abilities, its potential would change dramatically.

"Whether you have a future depends on your destiny..." Qin Sang glanced at the strange insect, thinking to himself.

After a period of recuperation, they resumed their journey. Around Qin Sang, butterfly shadows fluttered, and blue flowing flames danced. The Tianmu Butterfly found its new divine ability immensely novel and couldn't get enough of the Soul-Devouring Ghost Flame. Qin Sang secretly shook his head. What a beautiful phoenix butterfly, now entwined with ghost flames, adding a touch of sinister aura to its graceful form.

This successful acquisition greatly boosted Qin Sang's spirits. He continued searching for ancient insect projections for the Tianmu Butterfly and subsequently encountered two more. Unfortunately, the Tianmu Butterfly did not acquire new divine abilities after killing those ancient insects.

As he persistently searched for ancient insect projections, Qin Sang's expression suddenly changed. He looked down to see a cyan feather flying out from his sleeve. This tiny cyan feather was from Yu Ling's Azure Feather Spirit Bird, which she had specifically given to Qin Sang for communication before they separated. This was the first time Yu Ling had contacted him since they parted ways. The cyan feather was now intensely flashing with cyan light, signaling that Yu Ling was in danger!

"Could she have encountered the Shao Hao descendants?" Qin Sang wondered. The ancient insect projections nearby were generally at the same level of strength, differing only in their divine abilities. Even if Yu Ling was outmatched, she wouldn't need to call for his help so urgently.

Qin Sang did not hesitate and immediately decided to go. Firstly, he wanted to use Yu Ling to befriend the Tianyu Clan, which would facilitate his future endeavors within the Witch Clan. Secondly, he still hadn't given up hope on acquiring the White Emperor Divine Armor.

"Go quickly!" Qin Sang commanded the Tianmu Butterfly. With a clap of thunder, the Tianmu Butterfly enveloped Qin Sang in lightning and, following the cyan feather's guidance, pierced through the air.

Not long after, the cyan feather stopped flashing, indicating that Yu Ling's situation was very grim. Fortunately, the feather still glowed occasionally, signaling that she was still alive.