Chapter 420: The Demonic Flame Sect

The ebony sword coiled around the silver-robed man’s corpse.

Riding upon a cloud, Qin Sang swiftly departed before anyone nearby could react.

Within the mountain range, several auras had just begun to stir. After a brief hesitation, they exchanged a few messages among themselves before withdrawing once more.

Firstly, the battle had ended too quickly. By the time they had realized what had happened, Qin Sang was already far away.

Secondly, the sheer intensity of the ebony sword's strike when it slew the silver-robed man had been utterly shocking. Uncertain of Qin Sang’s true strength, none of them dared to make an enemy of him rashly.

Ensuring that no one was tailing him, Qin Sang landed in a secluded area. He stumbled slightly upon touching the ground, then used his inner vision to look at his Qihai. His spiritual power was nearly depleted.

Clearly, consecutively wielding two astras had placed a tremendous strain on him.

Fortunately, both instances of activation had been brief. Moreover, the ebony sword was his life-bound spiritual sword, intimately linked to his mind, allowing for precise control.

As long as he managed it well and unleashed only a portion of the ebony sword's power, the energy consumption would not be as terrifying as the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions.

Of course, to fully unleash the ebony sword’s true potential, he would have to wait until he reached the Core Formation Realm.

Taking out a jade bottle, Qin Sang swallowed a recovery pill he had prepared beforehand. Sitting cross-legged, he allowed his Qihai to replenish itself. Once his strength had recovered, he opened his eyes and looked at the silver-robed man’s corpse.

A Fake Core Realm cultivator was exceptional in every aspect—spell combat, battle experience, and decision-making. Anyone who managed to reach this level was an elite among immortal cultivators.

Killing them was not necessarily difficult, but capturing them alive required meticulous planning, as well as the right timing and circumstances.

Seeing that capturing the man was impossible, Qin Sang had no choice but to execute him.

Still, he felt little regret, for the outcome would likely have been the same whether he killed the silver-robed man or not.

"The fourth one."

Qin Sang crouched down, pressing his spiritual power into the fatal wound on the silver-robed man’s chest as he murmured the words.

This man was the fourth surviving member of the Kuiyin Sect that Qin Sang had slain.

After obtaining information about the Kuiyin Sect's members from Yu Hua, Qin Sang had secretly investigated their backgrounds. By now, he had gained considerable insight into the sect they had disguised themselves as—Demonic Flame Sect.

The Demonic Flame Sect was not weak, but its numbers were limited. With the Yuanzhao Sect watching them closely, they dared not openly expand or recruit disciples on a large scale.

The sect leader was Daoist Jiupao, who had assumed the alias Demonic Flame—likely named after his astra, the Demonic Flames of Nine Hells.

Under him were four personal disciples, known as the Four Demonic Flame Envoys. The silver-robed man was one of them, going by the alias Silver Flame.

Among the Four Demonic Flame Envoys, two were in the Fake Core Realm, while the other two were not far from it. Three of them, including Silver Flame, were Kuiyin Sect's members.

However, of the three, only Silver Flame was a direct disciple of Daoist Jiupao. The other two were Yi Tianye and another disciple of the Golden Core Realm.

Like gold panned from the river, only the strongest had survived the Yuanzhao Sect’s relentless pursuit.

The last of the Four Demonic Flame Envoys was an unknown figure. After thorough investigation, Qin Sang suspected that this person had joined the Demonic Flame Sect after its formation and had later risen to become one of its top four envoys.

As for whether this individual knew the sect’s true origins, Qin Sang had no way of knowing.

The Four Demonic Flame Envoys rarely appeared in public. Even though Qin Sang had identified their true identities, finding an opportunity to catch one of them alone was exceedingly difficult. The three people he had previously killed had all been ordinary disciples beneath the envoys.

Of course, those three had been carefully chosen, and their deaths had been spaced out over time. Qin Sang’s goal had always been to quietly get rid of Daoist Jiupao's underlings, delaying his recovery.

Discovering Silver Flame’s whereabouts this time was largely due to the Bloody Primordial Essence.

In recent years, as the political climate in the Small Cold Domain shifted, the Yuanzhao Sect had eased its aggressive stance. This had given the Demonic Flame Sect some breathing room, allowing them to become active in the shadows once more. Many of their members had been searching for rare spiritual medicines to aid in recovery.

With the Bloody Primordial Essence, a legendary healing elixir, coming into circulation, the Demonic Flame Sect would not pass up the opportunity to obtain it.

Qin Sang had been operating near Qingyang City when he noticed Silver Flame’s unusual movements. Connecting this to the upcoming auction of Bloody Primordial Essence at Tianyou Stronghold, he devised a plan for the ambush.

This also indirectly confirmed that Daoist Jiupao had not yet fully recovered from his injuries—an excellent development for Qin Sang.

Even more fortuitous was the fact that Silver Flame had personally come to acquire the Bloody Primordial Essence.

With his death, Qin Sang’s mission was more than halfway complete.

Among the Four Demonic Flame Envoys, Silver Flame was the most favored by Daoist Jiupao, utterly loyal to his master. Killing him was equivalent to severing one of Daoist Jiupao’s arms.

However, out of all four ambushes, this was the first time the Heart-Devouring Insect had successfully lured its target.

This proved that very few disciples in the Kuiyin Sect had mastered the art of venomous gu.

Unlike Silver Flame, the previous three captives had been taken alive.

Yet, the moment Qin Sang attempted to imprison their primordial spirits, something inexplicable occurred. Each of them, without exception, suffered an abrupt collapse of their primordial spirit, vanishing into nothingness before his eyes. It happened so suddenly that Qin Sang never even had the chance to cast the Spirit Seizing Spell, nor was he able to stop it.

One incident could have been a coincidence.

But when it happened three times in a row, it was no accident.

There was only one explanation—Daoist Jiupao had planted a barrier within their primordial spirits, preventing them from being subjected to soul-searching techniques that could reveal his whereabouts.

Upon confirming this, Qin Sang was deeply surprised.

Not only did Yu Hua possess expertise in Heart-Devouring Insect, but despite Daoist Jiupao's extreme caution, he still knew every detail about the movements of Daoist Jiupao and the Kuiyin Sect's members. His identity was undoubtedly more than just a Yuanzhao Sect traitor.

This man coveted both the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid and Daoist Jiupao himself—his ambitions ran deep. However, now that Yu Hua had been turned into a living corpse embryo, none of that mattered anymore.

Qin Sang could not be certain whether the Four Demonic Flame Envoys carried the same kind of barrier, but given Daoist Jiupao's meticulous nature, even if he had not planted a barrier, he would surely have other means of controlling them.

Because of this, Qin Sang dared not act recklessly and proceeded with utmost caution.

While dealing with ordinary disciples was straightforward, ambushing the Four Demonic Flame Envoys required meticulous planning and careful execution. He needed to establish a justifiable reason for their demise—one that would not arouse Daoist Jiupao's suspicion.

If he startled Daoist Jiupao, causing him to become wary and relocate, it would be far more difficult to track him down again.

For this reason, Qin Sang had deliberately acted aggressively at the auction house, purposefully creating a public enmity with the silver-robed man.

That way, when Silver Flame inevitably went missing and Demonic Flame Sect investigated, they would find a reasonable explanation.

The world of immortal cultivation was fraught with danger, and unexpected deaths were nothing out of the ordinary.

Qin Sang placed a mask on Silver Flame’s corpse, preparing to refine him into a malevolent corpse embryo for future corpse refinement. Then, he rummaged through his Mustard Seed Pouch.

Inside the pouch, the Bloody Primordial Essence was the most eye-catching item.

This was not something that could be easily sold, but he could keep it for himself.

With tensions rising in the Yuncang Marshlands, healing elixirs were an essential resource.

Silver Flame had spent 15,000 low-grade spirit stones to purchase the Bloody Primordial Essence, yet he still carried nearly 10,000 more spirit stones on him. Daoist Jiupao had clearly spared no expense for this.

How enraged would Daoist Jiupao be when he learned that his most trusted disciple had been ambushed and killed, and the Bloody Primordial Essence had been stolen?