Chapter 722: Suppression

Rain hit the bluestone.

A circular phantom treasure mirror appeared above the black-armored man's head.

The phantom mirror rotated rapidly, finally settling its surface towards the two-headed *hou*, and light flickered.

"No significant demonic energy. It seems it merely wandered here, drawn by the cold flame..."

The black-armored man's heart relaxed. He retracted the phantom mirror, and his aura fluctuated violently. Activating the phantom mirror seemed to consume a great deal of energy, even for him.

His tension vanished. The black-armored man, eyeing the two-headed *hou* with interest, sneered, "It's a two-headed *hou*! I haven't seen one in the outside world for a long time... Since you've delivered yourself, don't even think about leaving!"

Before he finished speaking, the black-armored man stomped his foot heavily, leaving behind a series of afterimages on the water as he lunged forward.

With a sweep of his arm, the tip of his black spear emitted streaks of dark light. In moments, these lights formed the lifelike shape of a black phoenix.

The black phoenix let out a cry, its graceful body trailing several long tail feathers, as it swooped down from mid-air towards the two-headed *hou*.

The two-headed *hou* leaned slightly forward, its twin eyes blazing with ferocity, as a burst of green light surged.

Two gusts of hurricane merged into one, countless sharp wind blades spinning rapidly within it, like a meat grinder.

However, the black phoenix showed no fear, plunging headfirst into the wind vortex.

At that very moment, the black phoenix spread its wings, its body becoming intensely ethereal. A black halo burst forth from within it, rapidly expanding.

The black phoenix almost vanished, leaving behind only the massive black halo.

The timing was perfect; the halo erupted precisely at the center of the wind vortex.

Amidst a series of thunderous roars, waves surged. The green and black lights quickly merged, but the black light clearly gained the upper hand, easily tearing through the green light and sweeping away the wind blades.

Seeing the black light penetrate the wind vortex and about to strike, a look of horror appeared in the two-headed *hou*'s eyes. It violently flapped its wind wings, retreating in a panic.

Having dodged the attack, the two-headed *hou* reluctantly glanced at the cold flame, then turned and fled.

The black-armored man snorted coldly, and his speed instantly surged.

The two-headed *hou*'s form flickered, suddenly splitting into six lifelike illusions. Seven identical two-headed *hou* immediately scattered, each fleeing in a different direction.

Each of the *hou* was exceptionally agile, their speeds almost identical, appearing very natural. It would be difficult to distinguish the real one from the fakes by their aura in a short time.

For a moment, two-headed *hou* were fleeing in the east, north, and south directions.

It was as if the black-armored man had disturbed a nest of two-headed *hou*.

The black spear in the black-armored man's hand vibrated, then split into seven.

Seven black spears hovered before him. The black-armored man's gaze swept over them, and with a forceful flick of his finger, each of the seven spears precisely targeted one of the two-headed *hou*.

"Boom! Boom!"

Massive waves surged.

Four of the two-headed *hou* were pierced by the spear shadows, shattering instantly, proving them to be fakes. However, the other three exceptionally agile ones evaded the spear shadow attacks.

The black-armored man had anticipated this, but what he didn't expect was that despite closely tracking the movements of these *hou*, he couldn't pinpoint the real one.

Watching the three *hou* escape further and further, the black-armored man frowned. He swept his hand across his waist and pulled out a bamboo tube as thick as an arm.

The bamboo tube was a foot long, looking fresh and vibrant as if it had just been cut.

The black-armored man murmured an incantation, and to his surprise, a gurgling sound of water came from the bamboo tube, followed by a stream of water emerging from it.

After a period of wriggling, the water surprisingly transformed into strangely shaped water birds. The black-armored man pointed a finger, and the flock of birds split into three groups, the water birds shooting forth like arrows from a bowstring.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

These water birds exploded around the two-headed *hou* like cannonballs. Unable to dodge in time, the *hou*'s form wavered, and the black-armored man quickly discerned the truth.

The black-armored man sneered and sped off, chasing the two-headed *hou* in the middle.

While the two-headed *hou* and the black-armored man were locked in battle, Qin Sang lay submerged beneath the water, silently approaching Cold Flame Island. Unnoticed, he reached the vicinity of the Winter Nether Cold Flame.

Still underwater, he could already feel the ferocious aura of the Winter Nether Cold Flame.

Qin Sang looked up. On the shimmering water surface, specks of blue light dotted the expanse. He selected one, surfaced, and cautiously approached.

From previous encounters, Qin Sang already understood the nature of the Winter Nether Cold Flame. He knew that if he touched it with his spiritual energy, it would inevitably erupt, and he would surely be exposed.

It all depended on whether the Nine Nether Demonic Flame could suppress the Winter Nether Cold Flame.

Qin Sang opened his palm, arranging the small Ten Directions Yama Banner around him to draw out the Nine Nether Demonic Flame.

Fearing that the Nine Nether Demonic Flame might provoke all the Winter Nether Cold Flames into an uprising, Qin Sang cautiously concealed its aura. With a raised hand, the Nine Nether Demonic Flame swept towards one of the Winter Nether Cold Flames.

His expression tense, he watched the movements of the Nine Nether Demonic Flame and the Winter Nether Cold Flame, ready to flee at any moment.

The Nine Nether Demonic Flame drew closer and closer to the Winter Nether Cold Flame.

As if sensing something unusual, the Winter Nether Cold Flame suddenly began to sway violently. This was almost a sure sign of an imminent eruption, and seeing it, Qin Sang's heart leaped into his throat.

When the Nine Nether Demonic Flame surged close to the Winter Nether Cold Flame, Qin Sang watched as the latter's fluctuations grew increasingly intense, with an incredibly dense blue light already emerging from its center—it had reached its critical point!

Qin Sang was almost ready to give up.

With a 'whoosh,' the Nine Nether Demonic Flame enveloped the Winter Nether Cold Flame, its potent aura instantly revealed.

At that moment, the Winter Nether Cold Flame suddenly stopped swaying. As if encountering something it greatly feared, it began to violently contract, the entire cold flame coiling into a ball.

However, the signs of eruption did not vanish. Although the Winter Nether Cold Flame feared the Nine Nether Demonic Flame, Qin Sang could feel that it had not truly submitted. The Nine Nether Demonic Flame was actually putting on a show, and if the Winter Nether Cold Flame discerned its true weakness, it could erupt at any moment.

Seeing this, Qin Sang swiftly poured spiritual energy into the Ten Directions Yama Banner, drawing out another wisp of Nine Nether Demonic Flame.

With the addition of this wisp of Nine Nether Demonic Flame, the Winter Nether Cold Flame finally settled down, returning to its harmless appearance.

"It's really suppressed!"

Qin Sang's suspended heart finally relaxed, his face filled with joyful surprise.

However, suppressing the Winter Nether Cold Flame didn't mean he could take it away.

"Suppressing just one small cold flame is this difficult. It seems with my current strength, I can't take any more."

Qin Sang looked regretfully at the other Winter Nether Cold Flames. After a moment of thought, he slowly closed his hand, the Nine Nether Demonic Flame adhering to the surface of the Winter Nether Cold Flame, gently drawing it down.

Looking at the spirit flame before him, Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently cupped it.

He was naturally extremely apprehensive. He had experienced the power of the Winter Nether Cold Flame; even a slight disturbance by others could trigger a rampage. If it were to erupt in his hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.

After securing it, Qin Sang did not rush to leave. He left behind a few small wisps of the Nine Nether Demonic Flame before quietly retreating.

The black-armored man's strength was even greater than expected, and the two-headed *hou* was quickly losing ground.