Chapter 294: Both Wounded

Qin Sang walked ahead, with Shangguan Lifeng following. After a certain distance, or once Qin Sang's spiritual power was sufficiently depleted, they would switch roles, and Shangguan Lifeng would take the lead.

A blue light shot out from a spatial pouch, revealing its true form: an ice pearl the size of a longan. Though tiny, the ice pearl contained a vivid scene of a blizzard, with large flakes of snow depicted in exquisite, realistic detail.

Qin Sang's previous magical artifacts had been destroyed in the volcano. Before setting out, he had acquired several practical ones, including this Cold Snow Pearl. Though merely a high-grade artifact, it was perfectly suited for their current environment. The Cold Snow Pearl automatically ascended to hover above Qin Sang's head. Flakes of snow cascaded from within, forming a continuous, rotating curtain of snow around him. As tongues of fire lunged at the snow curtain, the ice and snow would melt, simultaneously extinguishing the flames in a mutual cancellation. The snowflakes within the Cold Snow Pearl seemed inexhaustible, continuously falling to replenish any loss.

Aided by the artifact, Qin Sang no longer needed to constantly channel his spiritual power into a protective shield. He nodded to Shangguan Lifeng and plunged into the fiery expanse. His vision was filled entirely with raging flames, swirling in every direction. At first, the flames were not particularly powerful, comparable to the stream of fire they had encountered outside. The Cold Snow Pearl alone was sufficient to ward them off with ease. The swirling snowflakes repelled successive waves of surging flames. Qin Sang signaled Shangguan Lifeng, then increased his speed.

The flames grew progressively deeper in color, and their power increased several-fold. As layers of flame beat against them, the snow curtain surrounding Qin Sang became dangerously thin, on the verge of being burned through. The Cold Snow Pearl alone was no longer sufficient to resist the intense heat; he had to constantly channel spiritual power into it. Nevertheless, these were minor concerns, merely typical changes. The true power of the restriction had yet to reveal itself. Qin Sang continued to maintain the artifact while keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.

Suddenly, Qin Sang noticed an unusual ripple in the flames ahead. Without hesitation, he summoned his Ebony Sword, unleashing a burst of sword energy that cut swiftly forward. The sea of fire was instantly cleaved in two by the sword energy. As the raging flames parted before him, the sword energy ultimately struck a stream of fire, only to be effortlessly scattered by it. This stream of fire was distinctly different from the surrounding flames; it was an incredibly pure green, shooting forth from the depths of the fiery sea directly toward Qin Sang's position. The surrounding purplish-blue flames seemed to greatly fear this green fire, parting to clear a path for it.

The moment he saw the green stream of fire, an intense alarm flared in Qin Sang's mind. He immediately sent a warning to Shangguan Lifeng behind him, while simultaneously shifting his body rapidly to the left.

*Swish!*

The green stream of fire was not only incredibly long but also extremely fast. Despite Qin Sang's best efforts to evade it, he found it challenging and was on the verge of being grazed by its tail.

*Thwack!*

A powerful force, imbued with terrifying heat, swept gently past, effortlessly shattering the snow curtain. Qin Sang reacted with lightning speed, bringing his Ebony Sword to block in front of him. He met the flame stream head-on, buying himself a crucial moment to narrowly avoid its full impact at the last second. The Ebony Sword hummed as it flew back. Qin Sang carefully examined it, confirming that the treasured weapon was unharmed.

The green stream of fire did not turn back to continue its assault. Instead, it traveled a certain distance before dissipating into thin air. "This was the method of attack employed by the restriction," Qin Sang realized. If this were all there was to it, dealing with it wouldn't be difficult. However, he knew it wouldn't remain this simple; this green stream of fire was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Qin Sang's intuition proved correct. As they advanced, it wasn't long before more streams of fire appeared, this time two at once. Qin Sang was ready, his figure flickering continuously. With the aid of his Ebony Sword, he dodged the fiery onslaught. But then he felt something amiss beneath him and quickly shifted several yards horizontally, just as a pillar of fire erupted from thin air where he had previously stood, shooting skyward.

From that moment on, the manifestations of the restriction suddenly became more intense and frequent. Streams of fire, combined with strangely unpredictable pillars of flame, surged forward in a relentless tide of attacks, giving Qin Sang no chance to rest. With Qin Sang leading the way and scouting, Shangguan Lifeng, who followed, found it considerably easier as he didn't have to constantly guard against the flame streams. After some distance, Shangguan Lifeng voluntarily moved to the front, allowing Qin Sang to rest and recover his spiritual energy. As time wore on, the restriction's manifestations grew increasingly complex and concentrated, making it difficult for both of them to cope.

"Almost there," Qin Sang transmitted after another switch. He estimated they had long passed the center of the fiery sea. He took a few hurried breaths. "Holding out here for thirty breaths should be enough."

Shangguan Lifeng dodged a pillar of fire, then frowned, saying, "I still have some spiritual power left. It would be safer to venture a little further inside. Daoist, please assist me in guarding."

Seeing Shangguan Lifeng's persistence, Qin Sang had no objections and trailed behind him. Unexpectedly, after flying only a short distance further, a furious shout suddenly came from Shangguan Lifeng ahead, laced with a hint of pain. Immediately afterward, Shangguan Lifeng's figure retreated in disarray. Half of his magical robe was burned away, and a long gash marked his chest and abdomen. Clearly, he had been momentarily careless, failing to dodge in time, and was severely wounded by the stream of fire.

Witnessing this, Qin Sang did not suspect Shangguan Lifeng of feigning injury. His wound was neither minor nor critical; he could recover after taking a healing pill and resting for a short while. As long as he hadn't lost his combat effectiveness, the task of scouting would be unavoidable, making any pretense of injury pointless.

As expected, immediately behind Shangguan Lifeng, dozens of green streams of fire attacked simultaneously, forming an incredibly dense and seamless net of flames. Qin Sang inwardly thought, "No wonder." He recalled feeling quite strained when previously encountering just over ten such streams.

*Hum!*

The Ebony Sword tore through the air, instantly sweeping past Shangguan Lifeng. The sword array unfurled, then collided head-on with the flame streams in an incredibly resolute manner. Though the sword energy shattered and the Ebony Sword flew back at an even faster speed, unable to overcome them, it had still momentarily obstructed the flame streams. Shangguan Lifeng seized the chance to mobilize his spiritual power, transforming into a flash of blade light, and finally escaped the danger.

"My apologies for my rashness, Daoist. I've made a fool of myself," Shangguan Lifeng said, covering his wound and smiling wryly several times, his expression tinged with shame. He had already consumed a healing elixir, but the fire poison had entered his body, and expelling it would require considerable effort.

Qin Sang shook his head, saying, "With so many streams of fire attacking simultaneously, Daoist Shangguan, to have sustained only such minor injuries is a testament to your impressive cultivation. This place is not suitable for prolonged stay; let's wait until we are outside to tend to your wounds!"

This time, Shangguan Lifeng offered no objection. Together with Qin Sang, they swiftly flew toward the periphery of the fiery sea. Finally, after emerging from the fiery sea, Shangguan Lifeng darted to Yu Kong's side, offered a brief explanation, and immediately sat cross-legged to circulate his cultivation technique and expel the fire poison.

"Recover as quickly as possible!" Yu Kong knew this was unavoidable and said with a frown.

Unexpectedly, no sooner had he spoken than Yan Wu emerged, assisting a struggling Wu Chen. Yan Wu's expression was sheepish. Wu Chen, however, was ashen-faced, his injuries far more severe than Shangguan Lifeng's.