Chapter 407: Teaching You to Be Good

"Boom!"

The terrifying collision made the entire cave dwelling tremble. The shockwave almost made Qin Sang lose his footing. Blinding silver light filled the cave, obscuring his vision with a vast whiteness; he couldn't see anything with his naked eyes.

After the light faded slightly, the Nine Nether Demonic Flame had vanished at some point. The Ten Directions Yama Formation was scattered in disarray, with several ghost banners strewn across the ground. Fortunately, they weren't the thunderball's target, and Qin Sang, realizing the danger, had wisely retrieved the main soul at the last moment, thus saving them from destruction.

However, the magic treasure seemed to be in poor condition. The large banner lay fallen on the ground, its spiritual light dim, no longer possessing its former power. The flag surface was curled up, and a faint crack was visible on it.

The fat chicken was free. Its entire body was charred black, and its feathers were singed into bald patches, turning it into a bald, black chicken. Yet, it remained just as plump, especially its fleshy wings and bulging belly, which looked quite succulent. Despite its miserable appearance, the fat chicken's injuries weren't severe; its fleshy wings could still flap, and its two plump legs paddled the air. The Nine Nether Demonic Flame hadn't managed to harm it, as the magic treasure had been struck by the thunderball and sent flying, causing the demonic flame to dissipate.

However, it was incredibly angry. Once its initial fright subsided, it opened its mouth to squawk loudly, but its beak was also singed bald and black, making its cries hoarse and unpleasant. Unexpectedly, just as its squawk began, it abruptly cut off, swallowed back into its throat. A cloud of black miasma descended, covering it. The fat chicken's fleshy wings stiffened, and it fell to the ground with a thud. It bounced once.

Qin Sang raced against time, willing to destroy this top-grade magical artifact. He released all the poisonous miasma from the Heavenly Poison Veil, just to buy even a tiny bit of time. He was startled by the terrifying power of the thunderball's explosion, and after seeing the crack on the magic treasure, he was secretly worried about its condition. Even with a magic treasure, it had been a close call. Without the aid of the magic treasure, there would have been no chance to ambush the fat chicken.

While these chaotic thoughts flashed through his mind, Qin Sang's movements were fluid and swift. He threw the poisonous miasma to ambush the fat chicken, simultaneously manifesting a flood dragon's form on his body and darting like lightning towards the jade pool. Stepping onto the jade pool, Qin Sang secretly rejoiced that the thunderball wouldn't attack automatically.

Next, Qin Sang leaped into the pool, extended his hand into the spiritual spring, and grasped the piece of Netherworld Blood Mulberry. As his palm touched the spiritual wood, a sanguine glow emanated from it, spreading along Qin Sang's arm as if alive. Qin Sang jolted, immediately feeling an indescribable chilling, blood-tainted impurity assaulting his mind, which was then dispelled by the Jade Buddha. As expected of one of the Ten Divine Woods, it was indeed extraordinary.

Without time for a closer look, Qin Sang tossed the Netherworld Blood Mulberry into his storage pouch. A huge weight lifted from his heart, and he felt delighted. Just as he was about to retreat, Qin Sang glanced up and discovered a stone door behind the jade pool. There was actually a secret chamber, with more wonders hidden within.

A thought sparked in Qin Sang's mind. He had initially been puzzled, wondering if the cave dwelling, containing only a Thunderfalcon egg, a piece of Netherworld Blood Mulberry, and an unknown spiritual herb, despite their high value, was truly worth two Nascent Soul cultivators fighting so fiercely over. Could the truly valuable items be inside the secret chamber? This thought crossed Qin Sang's mind, but he wasn't overwhelmed by the allure of treasure. Obtaining the Netherworld Blood Mulberry was already an immense stroke of luck, and he had exhausted all his strategies and resources for it.

With the Heavenly Poison Veil destroyed by Qin Sang, the poisonous miasma was uncontrolled and wouldn't be able to trap the fat chicken for long. Once the fat chicken awakened, the consequence of insatiable greed would surely be dire.

Qin Sang averted his gaze, resolutely turned, activated the Nine Dragon Heaven Carriage Talisman, and fled towards the cave entrance. As he passed the fat chicken, Qin Sang waved his hand to collect the scattered magical artifacts and treasures from the ground, quickly checking the magic treasure's condition and sighing inwardly. He hadn't been mistaken earlier; there was indeed a crack on the magic treasure's banner! The only fortunate thing was that the damage wasn't severe; the thunderball's power wasn't as terrifying as he'd imagined, capable of directly destroying the magic treasure. It was only because Qin Sang's strength was too weak that the magic treasure was effectively wasted in his hands. Being implicated by Qin Sang, it couldn't exert its original power, and its main body was directly struck by the lightning, thus unfortunately sustaining damage.

If he were a Core Formation cultivator, he would only need to store the magic treasure in his Sea of Qi and nurture it with elixir fire for a period to restore it to its original state. Unfortunately, Qin Sang's cultivation was only at the Mid Foundation Establishment stage. Before reaching Core Formation, he was powerless to repair the magic treasure, nor could he ask other Core Formation cultivators for help, so he could only put it aside. Fortunately, he possessed two Ten Directions Yama Banners as magic treasures. Since both treasures couldn't be used simultaneously anyway, one being damaged meant the other was still usable, and his overall strength remained undiminished.

All in all, Qin Sang considered trading a destroyed top-grade magical artifact and a damaged magic treasure for a piece of Netherworld Blood Mulberry well worth it—in fact, a great bargain. Thinking of the Netherworld Blood Mulberry and the bright future of the Ebony Sword, all gloom in Qin Sang's heart vanished, and his mood greatly improved.

The cave entrance was now before him. Hearing the fat chicken's angry squawks from behind, a mischievous impulse arose in Qin Sang, and in a fit of playfulness, he turned his head and shouted, "Little fat chicken! Little black fat chicken! Grandpa will teach you a lesson: the world is treacherous, it's best to prepare more magic treasures to protect yourself! Magic treasures are truly useful! Haha..." He wondered how the age of demonic beasts was calculated. The fat chicken had just hatched from an egg, so it could be considered a child, while he was over seventy. Calling himself its grandpa wasn't taking advantage. The fat chicken seemed to have genuinely understood, and its squawks grew sharper.

A strong gust of wind assailed him from behind. Qin Sang laughed heartily as he rushed out of the cave entrance, entering the biting wind. Glancing back, it was just as he expected. The fat chicken's bloodline talent was lightning control, and despite its high cultivation, it still feared the terrible coldness of the Profound Frost Malefic Wind, which could impact one's Nascent Soul. Inside the cave dwelling, it had been safe due to the underground fire vein blocking the invasion of the cold wind. At the cave entrance, the fat chicken dared not take another step. It flapped its fleshy wings, hopping furiously, its large eyes—the only part of its body with any white—filled with rage, letting out a continuous string of squawks. Qin Sang knew the fat chicken was definitely cursing him, but since he didn't understand "bird language," he just assumed it was cursing itself.

Once he rushed into the deep cavern, the smile on Qin Sang's face immediately faded, replaced by a grave expression. He had obtained the Netherworld Blood Mulberry, but it wasn't yet time to rejoice. Only after safely leaving this place could he truly celebrate. He wondered how the battle among the Nascent Soul cultivators was progressing, hoping there would be no major unforeseen circumstances.

Qin Sang clenched the crimson pill tightly and swiftly ascended. Soon, he reached the exit. Qin Sang slowed his pace, held his breath, and cautiously peered out of the cave entrance, looking towards the distant sky. The sea of wind churned. The battle among the three mighty figures had not yet ended. Qin Sang couldn't see the Sect Master of Wuji Gate or the Thunderfalcon; with his naked eyes, he could only see streaks of sword light, like swimming dragons, colliding with lightning.

The black-clothed man still sat cross-legged. Around him, dozens of identical Profound Tortoise Shells had materialized, arranged in a mysterious pattern, forming an enigmatic grand formation. The grand formation still had a small gap, missing a few Profound Tortoise Shells.

Once all eighty-one Profound Tortoise Shells were gathered, the grand formation would be complete!