Chapter 256: Again the Firebird

Unbeknownst to them, the clouds were now close at hand.

Only upon stepping onto the clouds did they realize that, contrary to their imagination, there was no mist or fog swirling above. Their current position was merely halfway up the Heavenly Peak; the view above was unobstructed, but heavily guarded by restrictions.

To their astonishment, infinite fire elemental energy was erupting from the summit of the Heavenly Peak. As soon as Qin Sang stepped onto the clouds, he immediately felt the scorching air wash over him, intensely hot and dry.

This Heavenly Peak was, in fact, a massive and still active volcano!

Were it not for the obstructing clouds, the entire relic space would undoubtedly be engulfed by the fire elemental energy erupting from the volcano. The vegetation that had been struggling to survive in the outer areas would all turn to ash, making it a desolate land devoid of life.

At this moment, countless firebirds were flying in and out of the crater. Their numbers were immense, gathering in flocks, making the sky above the crater appear as if covered by a layer of red clouds.

Like the flying monkeys in the underground cavern, these firebirds also had dark red bodies. Their strength far surpassed their counterparts in the trial space, and they were also bound by invisible restrictions, preventing them from straying too far from the crater; they could only circle overhead.

The interior of the volcano seemed to be the firebirds' nest.

Upon seeing the firebirds, Qin Sang's heart suddenly stirred. He quietly clenched his fist, his gaze subtly shifting, eventually settling on the edge of the crater, as if searching for something.

The mountain path led directly to the summit and extended into the crater.

Looking at the structures on the mountain path, none resembled an ancient cultivator's relic mansion. Xuan Yu Daoist's figure was nowhere in sight. The path led straight into the crater; could the ancient cultivator's cave dwelling be built within the mountain's core?

One, two, three, four...

Qin Sang silently counted the layers of restrictions on the mountain path. The last layer of restrictions, which was also the closest to the crater and the firebirds, was a stone hall.

The stone hall, constantly exposed to the impact of fire elemental energy, had developed a layer of red glaze on its surface. It appeared seamless, as if cast from red jade.

If all went as expected, he would likely be the one to challenge this stone hall.

Qin Sang lowered his head, his gaze introspective, lost in thought.

The Elder of the Earthly Fissure casually glanced upwards, not finding Xuan Yu Daoist. He looked at the flocks of firebirds in the crater, his brow furrowed in silence.

Just then, a violent tremor suddenly came from the ground.

The tremor came swiftly and vanished just as quickly.

The Elder of the Earthly Fissure was also momentarily stunned.

Ren Hong hesitated, then whispered, "The tremor doesn't seem to be coming from beneath us..."

Qin Sang nodded in agreement, then shifted his gaze towards the horizon on the left.

Although invisible to the naked eye, he keenly sensed that the source of the tremor was likely there: the Heavenly Peak that Si Kong Muyue had once ascended and descended. There shouldn't be anyone there now, so he wondered what had happened inside, or what Si Kong Muyue might have done.

After waiting for a moment, no further tremors occurred.

The Elder of the Earthly Fissure withdrew his gaze and said coldly, "Continue."

The stone hall resembled a perfect piece of porcelain. The light reflected by its solidified glaze wasn't simply red; some of the halos shimmered like neon, incredibly beautiful.

Qin Sang stretched his left arm.

He had been ambushed while passing through a restriction earlier, and his left arm had nearly been severed at the root. Fortunately, the Elder of the Earthly Fissure's miraculous elixir had worked its charm, and his arm was now fine.

Throughout their journey upwards, Qin Sang had deciphered over twenty restrictions. The further they went, the more powerful the restrictions became. With his limited cultivation, Qin Sang often found himself at a loss, only managing to pass with the Elder of the Earthly Fissure's guidance. Having narrowly escaped death countless times, Qin Sang truly felt the terrifying power of a Core Formation cultivator.

Had he not been constrained by the spiritual talismans and hidden marks left by Xuan Yu Daoist, the Elder of the Earthly Fissure certainly wouldn't have gone to such lengths. Qin Sang could only describe the feeling he got from him as unfathomable.

Qin Sang's mastery of the art of restrictions was also advancing by leaps and bounds.

Accompanied by a grating sound like grinding stone, Qin Sang pushed open the heavy stone door.

Shortly after Qin Sang entered the stone hall, Ren Hong, who had been feigning meditation, suddenly opened his eyes. He glanced at the Elder of the Earthly Fissure's back, then looked up at the flocks of firebirds, his face revealing a mixed expression of hesitation and fear.

Finally, fear gained the upper hand. Ren Hong gritted his teeth, flipped over, and knelt down, "Disciple greets Master. Please, Master, do not make this disciple test these firebirds."

The Elder of the Earthly Fissure turned around, looking at the prostrate Ren Hong with a faint, unreadable smile. "You've seen them before?"

Ren Hong nodded, "During the trials, the second stage was a flock of firebirds. Their cries could assault one's primordial spirit. At first, this disciple didn't think much of it, but later, when surrounded by tens of thousands of firebirds, I realized how terrifying they were. This disciple nearly died from a primordial spirit collapse. The firebirds here are certainly stronger than those in the trial space; I fear only a few hundred could easily kill this disciple."

"Sound waves assaulting the primordial spirit?"

The Elder of the Earthly Fissure raised his head, contemplatively observing the flocks of firebirds. His eyes clearly showed intense delight.

At this moment, Qin Sang finally emerged from the stone hall, his figure disheveled. He was clutching his abdomen tightly with his left hand, his face exceptionally pale, and his steps unsteady.

He had a ghastly claw mark on his stomach, almost tearing open his entire abdomen and exposing his pulsating internal organs. Granulation tissue was wriggling at the wound site; Qin Sang had swallowed an elixir beforehand, and its medicinal power was now dissolving and facilitating recovery.

Above the stone hall was the edge of the crater. One could almost see the entire crater's expanse. It was bottomless, densely packed with firebirds, infinite and countless.

Before Qin Sang had even steadied himself, he suddenly heard the Elder of the Earthly Fissure's warning, "Don't move!"

Immediately after, the Heavenly Sound Snail in his hand flashed with light, and an unprecedented, mighty divine sound power roared out, rushing towards his back with lightning speed.

Below was the crater; how could Xuan Yu Daoist not have left hidden marks on the summit? It was indeed as he had expected.

Qin Sang, with his back to the Elder of the Earthly Fissure, quietly showed a flicker of excitement in his eyes.

Qin Sang suddenly turned around and saw a visible distortion on the stone hall's wall, appearing at some unknown moment. Blue light radiated from the wall; upon closer inspection, eight different spiritual talismans were embedded within it, forming a Bagua array, very well-concealed.

The placement of these spiritual talismans was extremely peculiar.

It was designed to strike the moment someone challenging the restriction had just escaped danger and their mind was relaxed.

However, Qin Sang was not alone. The Elder of the Earthly Fissure had been continuously monitoring the surrounding space. The grand talisman array, triggered by Qin Sang, was about to erupt, but the Elder of the Earthly Fissure seized the initiative.

The divine sound power instantly split into eight strands, like eight ropes, firmly entangling the spiritual talismans, preventing a single one from being activated.

As soon as the blue light appeared, it was extinguished.

Unexpectedly, at that very moment, Qin Sang suddenly moved!

He forcefully flung the Heavenly Sound Snail in his hand, then sharply pushed off with his foot, riding his sword directly towards the crater. In that instant, he poured all his strength into it, his sword energy like a rainbow!

"You seek death!"

The Elder of the Earthly Fissure's thunderous roar echoed through the primordial spirit space.

But Qin Sang paid no heed.

The Elder of the Earthly Fissure sneered in extreme anger, his face full of disdain.

As soon as the Heavenly Sound Snail left Qin Sang's palm, it vanished from its spot, reappearing the next moment above Qin Sang's head and descending mid-air!