Chapter 711: Chain Reaction

The rain pattered on bluestone.

"A truly rigid hierarchy! If all the Fire-Quelling Sparrows in the demon nest could unite like this, under the guidance of a Demonic Core stage king, hundreds of Fire-Quelling Sparrows combining their 'Cold Wind' divine abilities—how terrifying would their power be?" A shiver ran down Qin Sang's spine. It would likely not be easy to acquire the Myriad Ages Camphor from the Fire-Quelling Sparrows' nest.

Seeing the Fire-Quelling Sparrows fly farther and farther away, Qin Sang pondered for a moment, suppressed his thoughts, and quickly activated his movement technique to pursue them.

Fire-Quelling Sparrows were not large, but they possessed extreme endurance. Carrying the flesh and blood of sea beasts several times their own size, they flew for a full hour without any sign of stopping.

Following them for four or five hours, Qin Sang finally saw the silhouette of a towering mountain appear on the horizon. From afar, a patch of pure white caught his eye.

"A snow mountain?" Qin Sang was surprised; snow mountains were rare in this area. However, considering the Fire-Quelling Sparrows' divine abilities and the characteristics of the Myriad Ages Camphor, it made sense for them to be in a snow mountain.

The flock of Fire-Quelling Sparrows flew higher and higher, eventually reaching the summit of the snow mountain and disappearing from sight.

Qin Sang stopped at a distance, discovering that the summit of the distant mountain was structured like a volcano's crater, with an unknown depth at its base. The Fire-Quelling Sparrows' nest was clearly inside the mountain's belly.

Having witnessed the Fire-Quelling Sparrows' joint hunting, Qin Sang decided it was best not to rashly infiltrate their nest. Instead, he would first find a nearby location to observe their habits and determine the size of the flock before making a decision.

The size of a Fire-Quelling Sparrow flock was usually related to the king's strength. If there were tens of thousands of Fire-Quelling Sparrows here, their king might be a Great Demon at the peak of the Demonic Core stage. However, Qin Sang observed that the cave entrance on the snow mountain didn't seem large, so there likely weren't that many.

With this thought, Qin Sang circled the snow mountain a few times, choosing an inconspicuous small island far from the snow mountain. He established a temporary dwelling there and set up several concealing restrictions and spiritual formations.

After completing these preparations, he ventured out again and finally spotted another team of Fire-Quelling Sparrows out hunting. This time, he didn't hide but attacked directly, slaying all of them. He patiently maneuvered for a while to experience the power of their Cold Wind divine ability before delivering the killing blow.

"The power is indeed not weak. When the Cold Winds of this flock of Fire-Quelling Sparrows merge, they can unleash several times the strength of their leader. However, the merging of their Cold Wind requires a process and advance preparation, which might be a weak point. Still, their leader is a Great Demon at the Demonic Core stage, and it might possess even stronger abilities... The good news is that the Nine Nether Demonic Flame indeed has a strong restraining effect on Fire-Quelling Sparrows. If I unleash the Nine Nether Demonic Flame, even if the Fire-Quelling Sparrow king is in the middle Demonic Core stage, there's a good chance I can kill it, provided I can force it out of its nest and away from its flock."

Qin Sang collected the demon corpses, and surprisingly, he lingered for a while, lurking beneath the nearby sea surface before leaving.

"The other Fire-Quelling Sparrows didn't immediately come searching. It seems their flock doesn't possess the ability to sense each other's life and death..." Qin Sang murmured to himself, and a plan gradually formed in his mind.

Next, he returned to his temporary dwelling, cultivating while observing the movements on the snow mountain. In about twenty days, he gathered a considerable amount of intelligence.

The weakest members of the flock almost never left the nest; their existence was likely solely for reproduction. Every so often, Demonic Spirit stage leaders would take turns leading small teams out to hunt and bring food back to the nest. Food came in two varieties: sometimes sea beasts, and other times ordinary sea fish.

"Based on the frequency of their hunting trips, this flock of Fire-Quelling Sparrows probably numbers less than ten thousand. Their king is truly patient, as it hasn't appeared once..." Qin Sang muttered to himself, deciding to proceed with his plan.

That night, Qin Sang ambushed and killed a small team of Fire-Quelling Sparrows south of the snow mountain. The next day, he used the same tactic to hunt down another team west of the snow mountain. He planned to use this method to force the king out of its nest.

However, an unexpected event occurred on the second night.

Qin Sang arrived early at a desolate island north of the snow mountain to wait, knowing that a team of Fire-Quelling Sparrows had just left their nest and were heading in this direction. He hadn't killed enough yet, and the Fire-Quelling Sparrows hadn't noticed anything unusual.

Unexpectedly, shortly after Qin Sang arrived on the island, the bright moon hung high, and the night was beautiful. Qin Sang was sitting cross-legged on the grass, meditating, when he suddenly sensed an unprecedentedly terrifying aura sweep across the distant north. Qin Sang was instantly jolted awake from his meditative state.

Qin Sang sprang to his feet, his expression drastically changed, and he stared intently at the northern night sky. The next moment, a fiery red light, like a meteor, streaked across the sky and shot towards the west.

The distance was too great; he could only see the red light. However, the aura emanating from the red light, even from such a distance, still sent shivers down Qin Sang's spine and left him somewhat flustered.

"A Transformation-stage Great Demon!" Qin Sang gasped in shock. Such a terrifying aura was not even possessed by the Human-faced Boar residing near the Cold Flame. Only a Transformation-stage Great Demon or a Nascent Soul expert could possess it. Combined with the soaring demonic energy from the north, there was only one possibility!

Although Qin Sang had encountered Transformation-stage Great Demons in the Minor Cold Domain, those demons were on good terms with humans and wouldn't casually kill, so they weren't as terrifying. The Demonic Sea was different. Demons and cultivators were sworn enemies; upon seeing a cultivator, they would certainly not hesitate to kill.

"A Transformation-stage Great Demon actually exists near Hun Tian Island? Why has it appeared now?" In his alarm, Qin Sang quickly began to think, while simultaneously, his body moved, and he unhesitatingly left the desolate island, fleeing directly south.

"Judging by the direction this Transformation-stage Great Demon is flying, it seems to be heading straight for the Thousand Demon Sea Domain. Could it be drawn by the Cold Flame?" Qin Sang suddenly considered a possibility, and the more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. For cultivators to establish a foothold on a large island, they must have an understanding with the nearby Transformation-stage Great Demons. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't intrude into each other's territory, unless something immensely appealing drew them. Only a treasure of the Cold Flame's caliber could attract a Transformation-stage Great Demon.

"Even a Transformation-stage Great Demon has been tempted; the Cold Flame cannot be hidden..." Qin Sang gave a wry smile, gazing at the northern night sky, watching the red light fly farther and farther away. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This demon was heading straight for the Cold Flame, which meant it wouldn't, at least temporarily, interfere with his acquisition of the Myriad Ages Camphor.

However, after acquiring the Myriad Ages Camphor, he would have to hide far away. Returning the way he came was temporarily out of the question, so he would have to continue south.

Just as this thought flashed through his mind, Qin Sang's expression abruptly changed. Just as the red light was about to disappear into the western night sky, several incredibly powerful auras emerged consecutively from the distant east. Their speed was astonishing, seemingly in pursuit of the red light. Without exception, they were all Demonic Core stage Great Demons! One of them, specifically, was directly to his east, heading straight for him.