Chapter 710: Hunting

While fleeing, Qin Sang discovered two more traces of powerful demons. Without exception, they were all drawn by the strange phenomenon of the Cold Flame, gathering here from distant seas.

Knowing that more and more powerful demons would be attracted, Qin Sang dared not linger. He continuously sped towards the navigation route, only finding an island marked on the map and returning to the route late at night.

This place was very far from the Cold Flame, and no anomalies could be seen in that direction. However, along the way, Qin Sang vaguely heard the roars of demonic beasts behind him. These beasts seemed to be fighting among themselves, though he wasn't sure if it was because of the Cold Flame or if some treasure had survived on the island.

"Cold Flame..." Qin Sang murmured, thinking that with the power of the Cold Flame, it was unlikely that these Core Formation demonic beasts could subdue it. He himself was no exception; he lacked the strength to covet the Cold Flame.

Qin Sang withdrew his gaze, consulting the sea chart to confirm his direction.

He now had two choices: first, to return the way they came, as they had confirmed on their journey that the first half of the navigation route marked on the sea chart was accurate.

The second option was to go all in and continue traversing the Thousand Demon Sea.

Having already reached the heart of the Thousand Demon Sea, returning now felt somewhat unsatisfying. After a brief consideration, Qin Sang decided to continue following the sea chart's guidance forward.

This was a rare opportunity. The powerful demons in the heart of the Thousand Demon Sea had been drawn away by the Cold Flame, abandoning their lairs. Even if the sea chart had inaccuracies, the danger was significantly less than before.

Deciding to act, Qin Sang entered meditation on the island to recover his full strength, then immediately set off.

After three days of travel, Qin Sang felt relieved. The sea chart was marked accurately; this chart must be genuine. However, out of caution, Qin Sang proceeded carefully and slowly, taking nearly a month to finally traverse the Thousand Demon Sea.

Vast blue waves stretched to the horizon, where sea and sky merged into one.

Qin Sang stood on a large island several hundred miles in circumference. Being there, he felt as if he were on the mainland. Half of the island was covered in jungle, and the other half by towering mountain ranges.

Remarkably, the island was not occupied by demonic beasts and was teeming with life. Aside from humans, all kinds of birds, beasts, fish, and insects thrived, living peaceful lives on the island.

The coastal mountains were almost bare rock, with only sparse vegetation stubbornly growing in the crevices, better than nothing at all.

On the east side of the large island, the mountain range extended to the coast and protruded into the sea, forming a pointed, cape-like landform.

Qin Sang stood at the highest point of the cape.

The wind on the cape was particularly boisterous today!

"Continuing straight from this island, we will leave the Thousand Demon Sea," Qin Sang mused, gazing at the unusually calm sea surface and recalling the information he had gathered. "It's said that the sea ahead is actually safer than the Thousand Demon Sea, with fewer powerful demons. Of course, compared to the seas around Huntian Island, it's still very dangerous. Only a minority of cultivators strong enough to cross the Thousand Demon Sea make it here, and the Quehuo Birds frequent this area..."

After many twists and turns, finally arriving here, a faint smile appeared on Qin Sang's face.

If all went well, Qin Sang planned to cultivate in seclusion here for over a decade after refining the Primal Chaos Concentric Ring, avoiding the turmoil of the war between the two races. He would only return to assess the situation once he had a compelling reason to leave.

He was preparing to stock up on supplies. Having killed the gaunt old man and confiscated a large sum, he wasn't worried about running out of provisions. However, his two spirit insects posed a problem.

The fat silkworm was fine; by devouring poison pellets, its strength could rapidly increase without needing to be fed anything else specifically.

The Heaven's Eye Butterfly, however, was different; to make it transform quickly, it needed to be fed spiritual herbs.

He had already begun using the Six-Petal Butterfly Violet to prepare elixirs for the Heaven's Eye Butterfly, with excellent results. Unfortunately, he only had two Six-Petal Butterfly Violets, which would likely only last the Heaven's Eye Butterfly for a little over ten years.

The immediate priority was to first locate the Quehuo Bird's nest and pinpoint the location of the Myriad-World Camphor.

Someone had seen Quehuo Birds in the depths of this sea area. Qin Sang's figure flickered, transforming into a streak of light, and he set off once more.

Since there was no definite range, Qin Sang could only embark on a long journey of searching for demons.

The Quehuo Bird was a demonic bird, but its species had a strict internal hierarchy. Under the king's rule, all members of the flock would only operate within their territory.

As long as one Quehuo Bird was spotted, finding the nest would be much easier.

A single Quehuo Bird flock could often number in the thousands, sometimes even tens of thousands. The vast majority of Quehuo Birds, upon reaching adulthood, possessed only cultivation at the Mortal Demon stage and had short lifespans.

Only a portion of Quehuo Birds with powerful bloodlines had the potential for further advancement. Those fortunate enough to transform to the Core Formation demonic beast stage would gain the ability to establish their own territory.

However, even Quehuo Birds at the Mortal Demon stage were fierce. They were naturally endowed with a 'cold wind' divine ability, and when they acted in groups, their combined strength was formidable.

With so many Quehuo Birds, their sheer aura alone was enough to deter anyone.

Qin Sang had only seen records of the symbiotic relationship between Quehuo Birds and the Myriad-World Camphor in the jade slip given to him by the Eight-Sword Elder. In the Minor Cold Domain, very few people knew about this, despite the vast number of ancient texts collected there. The situation in the Canglang Sea Region was easily imaginable.

Those unaware of the internal details would certainly not risk intruding into a demon flock's nest without any clear benefit.

In the vast sea, finding a small demonic bird was not easy, let alone having to remain constantly vigilant against other demonic beasts. After wandering the sea for nearly a month, Qin Sang finally discovered a demonic bird on a desolate island that bore a striking resemblance to a Quehuo Bird!

Its feathers were like ice, and its posture resembled that of a swallow. Its sharp beak was strangely transparent. It was roughly the size of a goshawk, standing majestically on a reef by the shore of the desolate island.

*Splash!*

With its eyes fixed on the seabed, the Quehuo Bird suddenly dove into the sea.

In the sea, a marine beast resembling a carp let out a sharp shriek. Waves churned, and the two demonic beasts fought a life-and-death battle in the water.

The marine beast gained the upper hand, and the Quehuo Bird let out a panicked cry. However, the marine beast failed to notice that hidden among the rock crevices along the shore were over a dozen other Quehuo Birds, watching intently.

The moment the hunted Quehuo Bird unconsciously surfaced, the other Quehuo Birds suddenly moved, shooting out like several arrows released from a bowstring.

Terror appeared in the marine beast's eyes. It was too late to dive back underwater. The Quehuo Birds flapped their wings, and streams of cold wind converged, freezing the marine beast on the surface of the sea. They quickly dismembered it.

However, these Quehuo Birds did not immediately eat. Instead, each picked up a large piece of flesh, flapped their wings, and flew eastward.

Qin Sang remained hidden on the island, observing the entire process of the Quehuo Birds hunting the marine beast.

Their cooperation was highly skilled, as if they had practiced countless times, ingrained into their instincts.

One Quehuo Bird, at the late Demonic Spirit stage, was the leader. Under its watchful gaze, none of the other Quehuo Birds dared to sneak a bite while dismembering the prey.