Chapter 712: Taking Advantage of the Opportunity

Upon seeing this, Qin Sang became even more cautious about revealing himself. He suppressed his aura and quietly fled southward.

To his surprise, the demonic beast's speed was astonishing.

The demonic beast was a monstrous bird, its massive body covered in black feathers that looked like a layer of dark flames. With a wingspan of nearly ten zhang, it was incredibly formidable.

With a gentle flap of its wings, the demonic bird soared forward like a black streak.

In just a few blinks, the demonic bird rapidly closed the distance between itself and Qin Sang.

Qin Sang felt a growing anxiety. The use of his secret talisman and the Sword Qi Thunder Sound was impossible to conceal, yet without these two divine abilities, his escape speed would be too slow to gain sufficient distance.

His fears soon materialized.

As the demonic bird drew closer, it suddenly seemed to sense something. Its head turned southward, and its sharp gaze swept across the area.

The vast ocean surface was eerily calm, appearing devoid of life. However, the demonic bird's spiritual perception was extraordinarily keen. A ferocious gleam flashed in its eyes as it fixed its gaze on a specific spot on the water.

The next moment, a figure suddenly shot out from that very location.

He unleashed the Nine Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman, the Sword Qi Thunder Sound...

Qin Sang employed every method at his disposal, boosting his speed to the absolute limit.

A chill ran down his spine. The demonic bird was a great demon in the late Demonic Core stage, and its spiritual perception was incredibly acute. Even while lurking motionless beneath the ocean surface, with his aura completely suppressed, he had failed to evade detection.

"Screech!"

Upon seeing Qin Sang's conspicuous escape light, the demonic bird let out an angry shriek. It immediately altered its flight path, its malevolent aura flaring, and relentlessly pursued Qin Sang.

Over the vast, empty ocean, two streaks of light chased each other, shattering the stillness of the late night.

Qin Sang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was a blessing in disguise that only this single demonic bird was pursuing him, and no other demonic beasts had been alerted.

Meanwhile, in the direction from which the shapeshifting great demon had come...

Overpowering demonic qi permeated the air, obscuring the sky. Terrifyingly massive figures surged forth endlessly, making it impossible to discern the true number of great demons. If so many demonic beasts had pursued him simultaneously, Qin Sang would have despaired.

Moreover, the demonic bird's appearance and its movements suggested that while its physical body was incredibly robust, it wasn't particularly skilled in escape techniques. Its speed couldn't compare to other demonic beasts of the same cultivation level; it was even marginally slower than Qin Sang.

Nevertheless, to shake off the demonic bird easily was mere wishful thinking.

The demonic bird, being in the late Demonic Core stage, possessed endurance far surpassing Qin Sang's; even his Golden Core and Corpse Core combined couldn't compete. If he couldn't lose his pursuer quickly, Qin Sang would find himself in a precarious situation.

The demonic bird was incredibly persistent, continuing its relentless pursuit.

Qin Sang could only bolt southward, deliberately skirting the snowy mountain where the Firefinch's nest was located, passing it on its western flank. In a hurried glance back, Qin Sang unexpectedly noticed streams of blue light erupting from the summit of the snowy mountain.

Faintly, amidst the blue light, a Firefinch significantly larger than its kin emerged.

"Has even this creature been alarmed by the shapeshifting great demon?"

Qin Sang was certain this was the Firefinch King, finally willing to emerge from its nest.

Unfortunately, the distance was too great to discern the demon's cultivation level. Being pursued by the demonic bird, Qin Sang didn't dare to approach that area, lest he be ambushed by more great demons.

Considering this, Qin Sang felt an even deeper hatred for the demonic bird behind him, though he could only curse it silently.

The Nine Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman and Sword Qi Thunder Sound consumed an astonishing amount of energy. After an unquantifiable distance, Qin Sang gradually felt his true essence beginning to wane, yet the demonic bird behind him continued its relentless pursuit.

The demonic bird's cries, like an eagle's shriek, grew sharper and more irritating with each passing moment.

Its eyes blazed with fury; it was clearly enraged by Qin Sang. It had expected to easily capture this "little bug," yet it had evaded capture for so long, and the distance between them was even widening, which incensed the creature.

However, the demonic bird had by now detected that Qin Sang's true essence fluctuations were weakening. A flicker of triumph appeared in its eyes, quickly overshadowed by a bloodthirsty glint.

Unexpectedly, the demonic bird's satisfaction was short-lived. Qin Sang's escape light momentarily dimmed, then abruptly blazed forth again. His true essence fluctuations instantly returned to full strength, and his speed remained undiminished.

It was Qin Sang, sensing the dire situation, who had unsealed his Corpse Core.

The demonic bird froze in shock, then, realizing it had been deceived, it erupted in furious rage.

Despite the infuriated cries from behind him, Qin Sang felt no relief. He already clutched the Three Lights Jade Liquid in his hand.

Swoosh... swoosh...

A human and a demon raced through the air.

Beneath the silver moon, the demonic bird relentlessly pursued Qin Sang. Its demonic qi surged heavenward, and its formidable aura caused the marine demonic beasts to cower, none daring to emerge. This was the sole piece of good news for Qin Sang.

By now, half of the true essence within his Corpse Core had also been depleted.

Qin Sang turned his head, able to see only a mass of black light behind him. From its center, two exceptionally fierce eyes glowed, striking terror into anyone who met their gaze.

Just then, a surprising scene unfolded before Qin Sang.

For some unknown reason, the relentlessly pursuing demonic bird suddenly halted. It tilted its head, then turned to gaze northwest. After a moment, the demonic bird shot Qin Sang a furious glare, then surprisingly chose to abandon the chase. Spreading its wings, it soared directly in that direction and vanished.

It was then that Qin Sang faintly heard a beast's roar.

He hovered in mid-air, watching the demonic bird's departing figure, his mind filled with uncertainty and surprise.

The roar had come from the exact direction the shapeshifting great demon had departed. Was it a summoning signal, compelling the demonic bird to abandon its chase?

Regardless, he had finally escaped the perilous situation.

Qin Sang let out a long sigh of relief, shuddering at the thought of the harrowing experience he had just endured. Any other cultivator with slightly less refined escape techniques would have surely met their end in the demonic bird's grasp.

The Demonic Sea was indeed fraught with peril at every turn.

Yet, the thought that this incident might be connected to the Cold Flame, and that his own actions had played a part in its manifestation, brought a bitter smile to his lips.

Once certain the demonic bird was gone, Qin Sang dared not linger. He chose a direction and hastily fled.

He located a desolate island to land on and set up a temporary cave dwelling. Qin Sang sat down, gathering his focus to circulate his cultivation technique. His nearly depleted true essence gradually began to replenish.

It was already dawn by the time he had fully recovered. Qin Sang awoke from his meditation, reflecting on the events of the previous night.

"Were all these demonic beasts summoned by that shapeshifting great demon along the way? Why gather so many for a single Cold Flame? Could it be..."

Qin Sang's eyes gleamed; it felt as if the shapeshifting great demon was orchestrating a military deployment.

"Has the Cold Flame perhaps alarmed the Island Lord of Hunyuan Island, and the shapeshifting great demon intends to contend with the Island Lord? Regardless, this area is bound to become chaotic, and I cannot stay here long. But with both paths back blocked, I can only continue fleeing south. I don't know how long it will be before they return; time is too pressing. I hope to acquire the Myriad Ages Camphor before then. Wait..."

Qin Sang suddenly stood up, a look of pleasant surprise on his face.

If his conjecture was correct, then even the Firefinch King would not dare defy the shapeshifting great demon's command.

Perhaps last night, it too was summoned by the shapeshifting great demon, forcing it to abandon its nest. Now, it has most likely gone to follow the great demon. Wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity?