Chapter 713: The Thief

The more Qin Sang thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

"'A blessing in disguise' wasn’t just an old saying. After everything that had happened, to think it would all come together here. Whether my guess is right or not, it’s worth taking the risk to sneak into the nest and try."

With that decision made, Qin Sang immediately left the cave dwelling, determined the direction, and sped toward the snowy mountain.

***

Snow blanketed the land, and the mountain towered high.

From the outside, the Fire-Repelling Finch nest looked as it always did. Yet Qin Sang waited for quite a while and did not see a single Fire-Repelling Finch leave to forage.

Something was clearly wrong. There were definitely demonic beasts inside.

After a short pause for thought, Qin Sang quietly slipped into the void and silently approached the island where the snowy mountain stood. Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, he began climbing stealthily toward the summit.

He moved swiftly and soon arrived near the mountaintop without being detected.

The summit was circular, resembling a volcanic crater that sank deep into the mountain. Oddly, the area surrounding the crater was pure white, and streams of cold qi continuously rose from below, making it look like a mystic ice cave.

Because of this, the interior walls of the crater were covered with thick layers of ice, forming a solid frozen wall. The deeper it went, the more expansive the space became. Countless sharp icicles hung upside down, appearing extremely perilous.

On the ice wall were countless densely packed holes, each about the size of a human head. Nestled inside these holes were the Fire-Repelling Finches.

Lying low at the crater’s edge, Qin Sang gazed down at the hive-like structure. Even now, none of the Fire-Repelling Finches had noticed him, which made him all the more confident.

Within the crater, thousands upon thousands of Fire-Repelling Finches rested, yet the atmosphere remained eerily still. Only a few larger finches were circling the upper edge of the crater, patrolling back and forth with the sound of wings stirring the air.

Apart from these few, the others remained motionless in their nests. Their defensive formation was tightly organized and layered with remarkable coordination.

Qin Sang observed silently for a while, then reached into his Corpse Puppet Pouch. Two flying yakshas slipped out and moved silently to either side of the crater.

Once they were in position, Qin Sang gave the command, and both attacked at once.

Boom! Boom!

The two yakshas appeared simultaneously, each condensing a ball of corpse qi in their fists and launching it into the crater with full force.

The finches patrolling the uppermost layer were instantly killed. The corpse qi continued to spread, invading the area and corroding the other finches.

In an instant, the crater erupted into chaos. Amid shrill cries, streams of blue phantoms surged into the air and quickly gathered into a massive bird flock above the mountain.

The formation looked chaotic but actually followed a pattern.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The birds shrieked furiously at the yakshas who had initiated the slaughter. Within their ranks, two clusters of cold qi rapidly condensed. The frigid power was so dense it was nearly solid ice.

"Their king really isn’t here. That’s a relief. The power contained in those two ice crystals is already considerable. If their king were still guarding this place, things would be far worse."

Lying still in the snow, Qin Sang sensed the aura of the ice crystals and grew solemn. He quickly ordered the yakshas to flee toward the foot of the mountain, dragging the birds into a drawn-out battle to keep them distracted.

Then, taking advantage of the confusion, Qin Sang jumped into the crater.

Only a few finches remained to guard the interior. The others, still in their nests and too afraid to move, had no way of detecting his presence.

Qin Sang successfully avoided their senses and quickly descended into the depths.

The cold qi intensified the further down he went. Beneath the crater was an unknown thickness of solid ice. After a thorough search, Qin Sang finally found a narrow ice crevice.

The twisting, irregular passage eventually opened into a vast space. When Qin Sang saw what lay within, his body paused slightly.

Deep within the space, an incredibly pure mass of cold qi remained condensed and unmoving, slowly rotating.

At the center of this cold qi, he could faintly see a palm-sized jade tree.

"Perpetual Camphor."

Qin Sang’s eyes lit up. He had finally found the Perpetual Camphor.

Yet he did not let excitement cloud his judgment. He cautiously scanned the surroundings. Outside the cold qi stood three Fire-Repelling Finches, each at the peak of the Demonic Spirit Realm. Besides them, there were no other finches in sight.

"It looks like their king really has been summoned away. These three guards aren’t much of a threat. But this cold qi is troublesome. It must have been left by the finch king to protect the Perpetual Camphor. Judging by its strength, it was likely formed using the power of the entire flock. Dealing with it will be difficult. Fortunately, this beast does not understand barriers the way cultivators do. The formation of this cold qi is rather crude. There may still be an opening to exploit."

After thinking for a moment, Qin Sang quietly summoned the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions. With a flick of his hand, the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells split into three streams and shot toward the three Fire-Repelling Finches.

Caught completely off guard, the three finches barely had time to react before they were struck down.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three sharp cracks echoed as the vital points of the Fire-Repelling Finches were pierced by the devilish flames. Their bodies toppled to the ground.

Qin Sang flashed forward, arriving before the cold qi. After a moment of careful observation, he narrowed his eyes and gathered all the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells into a single stream. The flames condensed into the shape of a black sword, which he drove forcefully into the cold qi.

A strange sound rang out as the spinning cold qi suddenly turned sluggish and began to shudder violently.

As expected, the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells were the bane of the Fire-Repelling Finches. A faint smile appeared on Qin Sang's face as he poured more true essence into the banner.

The cold qi trembled more violently. With a loud crack, a gap was finally torn open.

Seizing the moment, Qin Sang darted inside. Instantly, a refreshing chill enveloped his body.

The cold qi instinctively resisted the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells and had already begun to slowly close in on itself. There was no time to waste. Qin Sang took out a golden blade, crouched down, and examined the small jade tree before him.

The Perpetual Camphor was only the size of a palm. Its roots extended deep into the icy ground, and though its trunk was coarse, its dense foliage was complete and vibrant. The jade-like texture gleamed with a rich green hue, radiating a powerful sense of vitality.

Had he not known the truth, no one would have guessed this was merely a wondrous jade with no life of its own.

The Perpetual Camphor feared gold.

Qin Sang held a jade box in one hand and the golden blade in the other. Carefully, he slid the blade along the roots of the Perpetual Camphor and easily sliced it off, placing it into the jade box.

So long as the roots remained, the Perpetual Camphor would eventually regrow. Naturally, Qin Sang had no intention of destroying it completely for short-term gain.

Having collected the Perpetual Camphor, Qin Sang retreated at once. He retrieved the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions without hesitation and left without so much as a glance back.

By now, chaos reigned atop the mountain. The flying yakshas, following Qin Sang’s orders, had drawn the Fire-Repelling Finches' attention and endured wave after wave of cold qi assaults. They had been battered to the point of scrambling for cover.

Qin Sang reappeared, retrieved the yakshas, and activated the secret talisman to make his escape.

The Fire-Repelling Finches gave chase for a time but were soon left far behind. Unable to catch him, they returned empty-handed.

Now that he had finally gotten what he came for, Qin Sang felt utterly relieved. He adjusted his direction and flew straight south.

He flew all the way to the edge of this sea region. Beyond it lay uncharted territory. There, he selected an island with a spirit vein, carved out a cave dwelling, and prepared to settle for the long term.

Once he finished dealing with other matters, Qin Sang brought out the yin ring of the Primordial Unity Ring, the Perpetual Camphor, and several other rare materials. He was finally ready to begin refining his astra.