Chapter 2359: 魔

The Mortal World

Qin Sang watched as Little Five, drawn by the demon core, actively flew towards it, which made him recall the past of the Five Elements Crown.

When the Five Elements Crown first appeared, it had devoured many Nascent Souls, including a demonic heir. It took two Soul Transformation cultivators, along with several late-stage Nascent Soul masters, to finally suppress it. It was, without a doubt, a demonic artifact.

However, Little Five was later enlightened by the Ziwei Child, reshaping its true spirit. After undergoing worldly trials, its humanity had come to suppress its demonic nature.

Did Little Five want to devour this demon core?

Qin Sang had obtained demon cores before, but Little Five had never reacted this way. Was it because the previous demon core owners weren't powerful enough, or because the power within those demon cores wasn't to Little Five's liking?

Five Elements Crown, Five Elements, Water...

Qin Sang turned his gaze to the snake demon and was startled.

The demon core was shattered. Had it not been for the snake demon's extraordinarily strong life force, it would have already perished. At this moment, the snake demon was listless, and its nine pairs of snake eyes had all turned into crimson, blood-red pupils, appearing incredibly eerie.

Starlight floated above the snake demon's head. Qin Sang controlled his sword to trap it within a sword array, preparing to interrogate it thoroughly.

Just then, he suddenly felt something was off with the snake demon and sensed a hint of trouble.

Starlight descended from the sky, transforming into star prisons, each individually confining a snake head.

The snake demon struggled frantically, but its strength was greatly diminished. Its nine snake heads were firmly pinned in place by the starlight.

Still not satisfied, Qin Sang pointed his conjoined fingers, and thunderclouds converged overhead, striking down transparent bolts of lightning. These lightning bolts were a type of divine thunder from the Five Thunder Courtyard's secret transmission, specifically targeting the soul.

In the blink of an eye, the snake demon's body and soul were completely controlled by Qin Sang, yet the bloody glow in its snake eyes did not recede, appearing even more sinister.

"This isn't good!"

Qin Sang exclaimed softly.

The snake demon's eighteen snake eyes astonishingly transformed into eighteen clusters of blood-red demon fire. This demon fire ignited within its body, rapidly burning through its flesh, and finally, the flames emerged from the gaps in the snake demon's scales.

Qin Sang cast several spells in succession but failed to stop it. He watched helplessly as the snake demon turned into a ball of fire, its life force rapidly draining away.

Looking at the snake corpse engulfed in flames, Qin Sang couldn't help but frown. The snake demon was clearly disoriented, yet why did it possess such a strong will to die? But if it wasn't seeking death itself, then what was the power behind the bloody glow in its eyes?

Ever since arriving in this snowfield, Qin Sang had encountered too many strange things.

Fortunately, the blood-fire did not affect the demon core. Qin Sang looked at Little Five, who had stopped before the demon core, hesitated for a moment, then cupped the demon core in its small hands and presented it to Qin Sang.

Seeing this, Qin Sang felt greatly relieved; Little Five was no longer that demonic spirit.

"Do you want to swallow it?" Qin Sang asked.

Little Five nodded, gesturing for Qin Sang to examine the demon core.

Curious, Qin Sang took the demon core and focused his senses. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

This demon core contained a very peculiar power, one that Qin Sang found somewhat familiar.

"Could this be... True Demonic Qi!"

Qin Sang was astonished. If Su Nü were here, she would certainly be more familiar with this power, as she had possessed it when she was chosen as the vessel for the ancient demon.

After learning about the entanglement between the Spirit Realm and the Demonic Realm, Qin Sang speculated that True Demonic Qi might be the 'spiritual qi' of the Demonic Realm.

Minor realms evolved from major realms, thus possessing the same spiritual qi as major realms. However, two major realms could be vastly different, meaning the spiritual qi cultivators relied on for practice might also be two distinct types of power.

To combat ancient demons, Spirit Realm cultivators forged treasures like the Demon Binding Rope, Demon Sealing Stake, and Demon Suppressing Tablet. These artifacts were not actually aimed at the ancient demons themselves, but rather at True Demonic Qi, which is why they could restrain all ancient demons.

Just like Spirit Realm cultivators, ancient demons were born in the Demonic Realm, and regardless of their cultivation style, they could not do without True Demonic Qi. The Spirit Realm only had spiritual qi, not True Demonic Qi. When they left their own world and invaded other realms, they naturally faced various restrictions, which became their weakness.

Little Five's birth was connected to ancient demons. No wonder Little Five's intelligence was already very high; it felt like it was just a step away from a breakthrough, yet Qin Sang tried everything and still couldn't cross that threshold. Could it be due to the lack of True Demonic Qi...?

How could there be True Demonic Qi within the snake demon's body?

Qin Sang carefully sensed the demon core. This aura was very similar to the True Demonic Qi in his memory, yet there was an indescribable difference. He had only encountered True Demonic Qi a few times and hadn't had the chance to understand it deeply, so he couldn't comprehend it.

"It's a pity Su Nü isn't here..."

Qin Sang thought to himself, then returned the demon core to Little Five, gesturing that she could swallow it.

By this time, the snake corpse had been reduced to ashes, and the flames were gradually dying out.

Little Five did not swallow the demon core directly. Instead, it held half of the demon core in each tiny hand. Five-element divine light surged from its palms, and the demon core gradually melted into wisps of mist, dissolving into Little Five's body.

Finally, Little Five flicked its hands, discarding the two lumps of demon core residue, then blinked its eyes, which now held a strange, radiant glow.

Qin Sang saw Little Five's changes and knew that this demon core must have greatly benefited it. Then he saw Little Five turn its head to look at him, its cherry lips parting slightly as it whispered two words, "Not enough."

Qin Sang raised an eyebrow and looked down.

The True Demonic Qi within the snake demon's body likely came from deep within the abyss.

This brought him back to the previous question: how could there be True Demonic Qi here?

There were many possibilities. For example, if the Spirit Realm's membrane was shattered, there might be a hidden rift here through which True Demonic Qi could permeate. Or, perhaps, demonic armies had once invaded the Spirit Realm, and though they were eventually defeated, countless demonic artifacts were undoubtedly lost in the Spirit Realm, meaning a powerful demonic artifact might lie below.

There was also the most dangerous possibility: similar to the ancient demon in the Storm Realm, a Demon Lord might be sealed here.

This snake demon must have lived in the abyss for a long time without incident, so it shouldn't be too dangerous below. However, the snake demon's suicide cast a shadow over Qin Sang's mind.

Little Five's opportunity for transformation might lie here. If it successfully transformed, he would possess a post-natal spiritual treasure that could be openly used. He had to go down and investigate, no matter what.

Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then with a thought, summoned the Azure Luan Avatar.

Brilliant azure light dispelled the darkness, and a magnificent Azure Luan stood proudly, surveying its surroundings.

Qin Sang rarely used the Azure Luan Avatar alone; it was usually integrated with his true body, combined with the Nine Great Luminous Seals, to unleash greater power. His decision to send the Azure Luan Avatar out independently, rather than his true form, was due to a powerful artifact he possessed: Mount Daiyu.

Little Five reverted to its true form, and along with the Thunder Beast Guardian, transformed into two streaks of spiritual light, merging into the Azure Luan Avatar's wings.

Azure lightning flashed on the Azure Luan Avatar's wings, and a trace of true Azure Luan thunder within its body was poised to strike.

Next, Qin Sang's true body and the Azure Luan Avatar moved in opposite directions: his true body ascended out of the abyss, while the Azure Luan Avatar plunged into its depths.

Above the abyss, Qin Sang found a spot, sat cross-legged, and sensed the Azure Luan Avatar.

The Azure Luan Avatar carried nearly half of his power, accompanied by the Thunder Beast Guardian, making it capable of handling various unforeseen circumstances.

Should a life-or-death crisis truly arise, he could make a painful sacrifice for survival, still retaining the possibility of a comeback.

Within the abyss.

The Azure Luan Avatar's divine eyes scanned around like lightning. It had already descended to an extremely deep level, yet still couldn't see the end of the abyss.

The area was filled with dense Six-Heaven Ancient Qi, but no True Demonic Qi was found.

Knowing it wasn't deep enough, he continued to descend. Not long after, his figure paused, staring at the ground beneath.

The next moment, the Azure Luan Avatar rapidly dropped a hundred zhang. Its gaze flickered, and it finally sensed an aura similar to True Demonic Qi, though it was scattered and not pure enough. Little Five had no interest in it.

The Azure Luan Avatar looked upwards, feeling as though it had just crossed some kind of boundary. Not only had True Demonic Qi appeared, but the surrounding space also seemed to have become more expansive.

Just as it was about to continue descending, the Five Elements Crown suddenly flickered, and a keen light flashed in the Azure Luan Avatar's eyes.

Outside the abyss, Qin Sang suddenly opened his eyes, summoned the Vermillion Bird, and gave it a few instructions.

The Vermillion Bird plunged into the abyss, only to emerge from it a short while later, exclaiming in surprise, "There really seems to be something down there. Something is subtly luring me to go deeper. If I were one of those fools, I definitely wouldn't be able to resist the temptation..."

Qin Sang thought to himself, *Just as expected.*

A strange gravitational pull seemed to exist deep within the abyss, subtly planting the idea and desire to descend deeper into the Vermillion Bird's heart.

He, however, did not feel this, which was likely due to the Jade Buddha.

The eerie temptation looked exactly like a trap. Qin Sang had seen too much of this kind of thing and could instantly think of a dozen scenarios, such as someone eager to escape seeking a substitute.

But it wasn't absolute; it might just be an alluring demonic artifact.

More importantly, no warning signs appeared in Qin Sang's spiritual sense. He had relied on his spiritual sense to avoid several crises over the years.

After a moment of hesitation, Qin Sang still didn't want to miss this opportunity by hastily retreating. After all, True Demonic Qi was extremely rare in the Spirit Realm, unless he could open a realm gate and enter the Demonic Realm.

The Azure Luan Avatar in the abyss waited for a while, then continued to descend. As it had sensed before, the space here was extraordinarily vast.

As its position grew deeper, the True Demonic Qi gradually became denser. It soon discovered that this True Demonic Qi was not the kind Little Five needed.

The difference between the two resulted in a completely different attraction for Little Five.

From this, it was clear that even if True Demonic Qi was found elsewhere, it likely wouldn't be enough to help Little Five transform.

At this point, the elemental qi around the Azure Luan Avatar was incredibly chaotic, with spiritual qi, True Demonic Qi, and Six-Heaven Ancient Qi mixed together.

"No wonder that snake demon was abnormal, daring to cultivate in such a place. Should it be called a demon beast, a fierce beast, or a demonic beast?"

The Azure Luan Avatar gently shook its head, then, as if sensing something, suddenly accelerated.

Before long, the Azure Luan Avatar abruptly halted, sensing a strong threat emanating from ahead. It thought to itself, "There's another powerful demon here!"

At this moment, the other party also sensed its aura, and a deep, unconcealed malice rushed towards it.

*Whoosh!*

Gusts of sinister wind blew from ahead.

The Azure Luan Avatar's eyes narrowed slightly, then it saw a grayish-white outline appear in its vision.

This was a demonic bird, but its species couldn't be determined by sight, as it had no flesh or blood, only a skeletal frame. Only behind its head grew three black crown feathers, and two clusters of black fire burned in its eye sockets.

The black fire seemed to contain a fierce glint; even the Azure Luan Avatar felt a slight sting when meeting its gaze.

"Coo... Caw!"

The bone bird let out a long cry, like a call to the dead.

Its wings, supported by several bone rods, gently flapped once, stirring up a violent sinister wind.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The sinister wind assailed continuously, secretly carrying countless imperceptible gray blades. If engulfed by the sinister wind, one would surely be cut into a thousand pieces.

Like the snake demon, this bone bird had no intention of communicating. An overwhelming assault greeted the Azure Luan Avatar.

*Crackle!*

Azure lightning erupted all over the Azure Luan Avatar's body. Its plumage seemed to dance, with every barbule on each feather shooting out a bolt of Azure Luan demon lightning.

Countless bolts of Azure Luan demon lightning clashed with the sinister wind, the two forces colliding in the void between them.

*Rumble...*

Fierce winds raged, and lightning flashed with thunder.

This bone bird's strength was on par with the snake demon's.

Qin Sang suspected there were more than just these two powerful demons here. Judging by their behavior, they had probably fought countless times. The weaker ones would have long since become prey, leaving only the strong, who couldn't defeat each other and thus maintained a fragile balance. He, as an outsider, had broken this balance, and they considered him an invader.

Within the Azure Luan Avatar's sensory range, no third powerful aura was detected.

He thought to himself that this was a good opportunity. The bone bird's body surely contained the True Demonic Qi Little Five needed, so he might as well deal with this bone bird first.

With a plan in mind, the Azure Luan Avatar's wings shook, instantly transforming into a bolt of azure lightning, actively charging forward.

Seeing its enemy dare to be so audacious, the bone bird's cries grew irritable. Its beak opened wide, and its empty throat astonishingly shot out a bolt of black lightning.

*CRACK!*

The black lightning struck directly. The Azure Luan Avatar felt the threat, mobilized the true Azure Luan thunder within its body, and its thunder escape speed suddenly doubled, narrowly dodging the black lightning.

The bone bird froze for a moment, clearly not expecting the attack to miss. It immediately flew into a rage, wildly flapping its bone wings, and the surroundings instantly became eerie.

The next moment, dozens of identical bone birds appeared in the void, encircling it.

The Azure Luan Avatar had not brought the Heavenly Eye Butterfly down, so it couldn't distinguish the true body for a moment and could only rely on brute force to overcome the illusion.

However, the Thunder Beast Guardian was already poised for action. With a single earth-shattering thunderclap, a brilliant thunder spear appeared above the head of each bone bird, suddenly piercing down.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Instantly, more than half of the bone birds were obliterated by the lightning. Through the movements of the surviving bone birds, it wasn't difficult to pinpoint the location of its true body.

The Azure Luan Avatar and the Thunder Beast Guardian moved one after another, blocking the true bone bird's path, which only incited greater ferocity from the bone bird.

After an intense battle, ultimately, because Qin Sang's true body was not present and thus lacked some restraining abilities, the Azure Luan Avatar failed to capture the bone bird alive.

The bone bird's temperament was equally fierce and resolute, and it eventually followed in the snake demon's footsteps, its entire body igniting with black fire.

The Azure Luan Avatar watched from the side as the bone bird was consumed by black fire. Although the flames were different, their manner of death was strikingly similar.

Coincidence?

Beside the Azure Luan Avatar, Little Five manifested its true spirit, holding a feather in each hand.

The bone bird had no demon core; the three crown feathers on its head were the convergence of all its vital essence. Unfortunately, the bone bird had already consumed one, so they only managed to seize two.

Little Five held the crown feathers and, just like before, devoured them.

The divine light in its eyes grew brighter, and the vital energy within its body stirred restlessly. For hundreds of years prior, Little Five had barely changed at all, yet now, in less than a day, it had shown distinct changes.