Chapter 713: Thieves

The more Qinsang thought about it, the more he felt this was a strong possibility.

"Misfortune may prove to be a blessing"—how true. After so many incidents, he hadn't expected the solution to be found here. Regardless of whether his guess was correct, it was worth the risk to infiltrate the nest and investigate.

With this thought, Qinsang immediately left his cave, oriented himself, and flew rapidly towards the snow-capped mountain.

The snow-capped mountain stood tall, blanketed in white.

From the outside, the Quehuo Sparrow nest appeared as usual. However, Qinsang waited for a long time and saw no Quehuo Sparrows flying out to forage. This abnormality signaled that something was definitely amiss!

Qinsang pondered for a moment, then subtly phased into the void, silently approaching the island where the snow mountain stood. Upon reaching the mountain's base, he stealthily ascended towards the summit. Moving swiftly, he soon reached the vicinity of the summit, still undetected.

The mountain's summit was circular, resembling a volcanic crater whose depths were impossible to see. Oddly, the area around the opening was pristine white, with a continuous flow of cold air rising from below, creating an effect similar to a mysterious ice cave. As a result, the inner walls of the crater were covered in thick ice, forming sheer ice cliffs. The deeper he descended, the more expansive the space became, with countless sharp icicles hanging precariously, giving the place a very dangerous appearance. What was surprising was that these ice walls were riddled with countless holes, roughly the size of a human head, and within these holes, Quehuo Sparrows nested!

Qinsang lay prone at the crater's edge, gazing at the honeycomb-like nest below. The fact that the Quehuo Sparrows still hadn't detected him upon his arrival further boosted his confidence.

Thousands of Quehuo Sparrows resided throughout the crater, yet it was unusually quiet at this moment. Only at the very top, a few larger Quehuo Sparrows circled vigilantly, their flapping wings the only sound. Apart from these, all other Quehuo Sparrows remained quietly in their nests. The Quehuo Sparrows' defenses were exceptionally tight, structured in layers with orderly deployment.

After observing silently for a moment, Qinsang reached into his corpse puppet pouch. Two Flying Yakshas silently glided to the left and right sides of the crater entrance. Once they were in position, at Qinsang's command, they struck simultaneously.

"Boom! Boom!"

Both Flying Yakshas manifested, their fists coalescing into a mass of corpse qi, which they violently unleashed into the crater. The Quehuo Sparrows on the uppermost alert level were instantly obliterated, and the corpse qi continued to spread, corroding the other sparrows. In an instant, the crater plunged into chaos. Accompanied by sharp cries, streams of blue ethereal figures surged out of the opening, gradually coalescing into a massive flock of birds in mid-air.

The flock, while appearing chaotic, actually moved with a certain regularity. They shrieked at the rampaging Flying Yakshas, and two masses of cold energy rapidly condensed within the flock, so dense that they almost solidified into ice crystals.

"Their king truly isn't here! What a relief. The power of these two ice crystals is not to be underestimated; if the king were still present, the situation would be dire."

Qinsang lay silently on the snow, his expression solemn as he sensed the aura of the ice crystals. He quickly commanded the Flying Yakshas to retreat down the mountain, engaging the birds in a skirmish to divert their attention. Immediately afterward, he used the diversion to leap into the crater.

At this point, only a few Quehuo Sparrows remained on alert within the crater. As for those that stayed motionless in their nests, it was impossible for them to detect his presence. Qinsang successfully evaded the Quehuo Sparrows' senses and rapidly descended.

The cold intensified as he descended. Below the crater lay an expanse of ice of unknown thickness. Qinsang searched around and eventually discovered an ice crevice. He squeezed through the unusually winding ice crevice, which opened into a vast space rather than a solid bottom. Upon seeing the scene within, Qinsang paused slightly.

Deep within this space, an exceptionally pure mass of cold energy slowly rotated, condensed but not dissipating. At the center of this cold energy, he could faintly discern a palm-sized jade tree!

"Myriad World Camphor!"

Qinsang's eyes lit up. He had finally found the Myriad World Camphor!

However, he did not let excitement overcome him. He cautiously surveyed his surroundings, noting three Quehuo Sparrows guarding outside the cold energy, all at the peak of the Demonic Spirit stage. Aside from them, there were no other Quehuo Sparrows.

It seemed their king had indeed been taken away, making these three guards a minor concern. The cold energy, however, was problematic. It was likely left by the Quehuo Sparrow king to protect the Myriad World Camphor, probably condensed with the power of the entire tribe, making it incredibly formidable. Fortunately, this demon wasn't like a cultivator skilled in restrictions; the method of controlling this cold energy was crude, offering an exploitable weakness.

Qinsang thought for a moment, then quietly summoned his Ten Directions Yama Banner. With a gesture, the Nine Nether Demonic Flames split into three streams, shooting towards the three Quehuo Sparrows. Under Qinsang's deliberate surprise attack, the three Quehuo Sparrows offered little resistance.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

With three crisp snaps, the demonic flames pierced the sparrows' vital points, sending them tumbling to the ground.

Qinsang flickered to the front of the cold energy. After a brief observation, he paused to deliberate, then gathered all the Nine Nether Demonic Flames into a single stream, shaping it into a black sword, which he thrust forcefully into the cold energy. With a strange sound, the rotating cold energy suddenly became significantly sluggish, trembling incessantly. The Nine Nether Demonic Flames were indeed the bane of the Quehuo Sparrows. A faint smile touched Qinsang's lips as he continued to channel more true essence into the demonic banner. The cold energy's fluctuations grew more intense until, with a resounding boom, a breach finally appeared.

Seizing the opportune moment, Qinsang flashed through the opening, immediately feeling a refreshing coolness wash over him. The cold energy, spontaneously resisting the Nine Nether Demonic Flames, was slowly closing. Without delay, Qinsang retrieved a golden knife, knelt down, and examined the jade tree.

The jade tree, only palm-sized, had roots deeply embedded in the underground ice layer. It possessed a rough trunk and dense foliage, appearing complete in every aspect. Its jade surface radiated a rich green hue, conveying a vibrant sense of life. Without knowing its true nature, who would suspect it was merely an extraordinary jade, utterly devoid of life?

Myriad World Camphor fears gold.

Holding a jade box in one hand and the golden knife in the other, Qinsang carefully slid the blade along the base of the Myriad World Camphor, effortlessly cutting it free and placing it into the jade box. As long as the roots remained undisturbed, the Myriad World Camphor would slowly regrow. Qinsang, naturally, wouldn't engage in such a shortsighted act of destroying the source for temporary gain.

Having obtained the Myriad World Camphor, Qinsang immediately retreated, put away his Ten Directions Yama Banner, and departed without a backward glance.

The mountaintop was already a chaotic mess. The Flying Yakshas, obeying Qinsang's commands, had successfully diverted the Quehuo Sparrows' attention, enduring countless blasts of cold energy and being driven into a frantic retreat. Qinsang reappeared, recalled his Flying Yakshas, and immediately activated a secret talisman to make a swift exit. The Quehuo Sparrows pursued for a short while but were quickly outdistanced by Qinsang, returning empty-handed.

His wish finally fulfilled, Qinsang felt a sense of contentment. He fixed his direction and flew straight south. He flew until he reached the edge of the sea, beyond which lay uncharted territory. Only then did Qinsang find an island with a spiritual vein, where he established a cave dwelling, preparing to reside there permanently.

After attending to other matters, Qinsang retrieved the Primordial Concentric Yin Ring, the Myriad World Camphor, and several other spiritual materials, ready to begin refining his magic treasure!