Chapter 718: What Lies Ahead

"I’ve been here for fifteen years. It’s about time I return."

A soft sigh echoed through the cave dwelling.

Qin Sang glanced around. The furnishings inside were simple yet not crude, and most importantly, the spiritual qi here was exceptionally abundant, rivaling even the finest cultivation abodes.

To find such an ideal cave dwelling in the vast and perilous Demonic Sea had been an incredible stroke of luck.

Over the years, he had grown quite fond of his life here. He had almost forgotten the idea of returning home.

Thanks to the Primordial Unity Rings' warning ability, Qin Sang rarely encountered real danger. The pills and supplies he had prepared before setting out still remained largely untouched.

With his temperament, he would normally only return once he had exhausted his supplies. Unfortunately, he had only two Six-Petaled Butterfly Pansies left, and they were nearly gone. If he delayed any longer, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly would run out of food.

The Six-Petaled Butterfly Pansies on Redleaf Island should have matured by now, but Qin Sang had no idea how the outside world had changed. With the war between the two races ongoing, whether he could even reach Redleaf Island remained uncertain.

While his own cultivation had steadily improved over the years, his two spiritual insects had also grown at astonishing speed.

Not long after settling down here, the fat silkworm had completely absorbed the poison core and, as expected, smoothly progressed to the middle stage of its second metamorphosis.

What surprised Qin Sang was that after reaching the middle stage, the silkworm absorbed poison cores at an even faster rate, though the effects became much less noticeable.

Even after consuming all the poison cores Qin Sang had prepared, it was still a step away from reaching the late stage. And now the poison cores seemed to have almost no further effect.

Seeing this, Qin Sang brought out the demonic core of a poisonous beast. After some initial difficulty, the silkworm finally adapted and could absorb the demonic core directly, which relieved Qin Sang greatly. Otherwise, he truly wouldn’t have known how to feed it further.

The silkworm’s abilities had been tested in several battles against poisonous beasts.

Its rainbow-hued light could now form a Poison-Warding Armor capable of withstanding even the fierce toxins of early-stage Demonic Core beasts.

The Poison-Warding Armor was as thin as a cicada’s wing. When worn by Qin Sang, it was nearly invisible to others. It would give him a great advantage when facing cultivators skilled in poison.

The silkworm was curled up inside its basket, sound asleep, hugging a poisonous beast’s demonic core. It had successfully broken through to the late stage of its second metamorphosis.

In comparison, the growth of the Sky-Eyed Butterfly had been slower. Although it had also reached the middle stage three years ago, its third metamorphosis would likely come later than the silkworm’s.

Jingling...

The Primordial Unity Ring flew into the air, releasing a glow of white light. The Two-Headed Hou appeared before Qin Sang.

Its injuries had improved, and its wounds were starting to heal.

As soon as it was released, the beast sprang upright, fur bristling, eyes full of ferocity, baring its fangs at Qin Sang and letting out a low growl.

Qin Sang’s expression darkened. The Primordial Unity Ring tightened its grip, and the Two-Headed Hou immediately felt a terrifying pain strike at the level of its soul. It let out a series of sharp screams and collapsed to the ground, its body trembling violently. Sometimes it curled up into a ball, oblivious even as its wounds reopened and bled.

When the pain reached its peak, it began slamming its head against the stone walls of the cave dwelling.

Qin Sang stood by with a cold gaze, showing no sign of emotion.

Only when the beast had collapsed like a heap of mud, its breath faint and on the verge of death, did Qin Sang halt the punishment.

"I know your intelligence is far above those savage sea beasts. You should understand what I’m saying."

Qin Sang walked forward, grabbed the Two-Headed Hou by the neck, and looked directly into its vertical pupils.

Even with his composure, Qin Sang found this rebellious creature quite a headache.

Along the way, scenes like this had happened several times, but none of them had been able to make the beast submit. In contrast, the Azure Shark had surrendered during the second round of punishment.

The Two-Headed Hou had no strength left in its body, but its gaze remained defiant. Yet, deep within its eyes, Qin Sang detected a weariness that it could not hide.

"You want me to let you go or kill you? Impossible. Whether you like it or not, the Primordial Unity Ring will eventually force you to yield. You may as well resign yourself. Beasts taken as mounts by cultivators are countless. You are not the only one. You saw the outcome of the Azure Shark. I do not intend to shackle you for life. Once I find a better beast, or if you become useless to me, I will return your freedom... but only if you obey my commands."

The Two-Headed Hou’s eyes flickered.

Qin Sang fed it another spirit pill and retracted the yang ring once more.

Two months later.

Qin Sang stood over the sea, holding a nautical chart in hand. After orienting himself, he chose to head north, planning to return along the same path he had come.

The southern route was likely still occupied by the evil cultivators, who were both powerful and treacherous. After weighing his options, Qin Sang decided the northern route was safer.

Besides, he was quite curious whether the cold flame was still in its original place or had already been taken by the Transformation Realm great demon.

When Qin Sang discovered that a Transformation Realm great demon had been drawn by the cold flame and had appeared in this part of the sea, he had been extremely uneasy for a while, proceeding with great caution. It was only after observing that there had been no further disturbances in the Demonic Sea that he finally allowed himself to relax.

During this time, there had only been a single brief commotion among the demonic beasts two years prior. By then, Qin Sang had already ventured deep into the Demonic Sea. By the time he noticed anything unusual, the disturbance was already coming to an end.

Taking a risk, Qin Sang traveled north to investigate and suspected that, once again, the cause had been the passage of the Transformation Realm great demon. However, unlike last time, this incident likely marked the beast's return after more than a decade.

No one knew what that great demon had been doing while lurking near Huntian Island for over ten years.

Qin Sang suspected that the fact the great demon was now willing to leave likely meant it had already achieved its objective.

After spending fifteen years here, Qin Sang had grown deeply familiar with this sea region. He easily located the best route forward and, with a wave of his hand, summoned the Two-Headed Hou to his side.

The Two-Headed Hou crouched low upon the water’s surface.

A soft blue light shimmered between its ribs as a pair of beautifully elegant wind wings formed. Judging by its aura, it had clearly made a full recovery.

Qin Sang seated himself atop the Two-Headed Hou and pointed out the direction. With eyes half-closed, he calmly began meditating as they traveled. The beast gave its head a reluctant toss, then stood up and, with a sweep of its wings, began gliding along the wind.

Half a month later, Qin Sang spotted the island marking the exit of the Thousand-Demon Sea.

The waters west of the island appeared calm and undisturbed, but Qin Sang chose caution over assumption. He stored the Two-Headed Hou away and continued forward alone.

Traveling solo made it easier to hide and escape should danger arise.

Re-entering the Thousand-Demon Sea and returning along the same path he had come, Qin Sang encountered no large groups of demonic beasts. As the journey continued smoothly, his tense nerves gradually eased. Eventually, he arrived near the island where the cold flame was.

On the open waters ahead, a hazy silhouette took form. Qin Sang turned toward the north, where the cold flame was located.

After a moment’s hesitation, he began forming the seal for the

Spirit Evasion Art

. With a flip of his hand, a scroll appeared in his palm. It was the illusory-type astra he had seized from the witch race youth.

He gave the scroll a light flick, sending it floating above his head. Slowly, it unfurled to reveal an exquisitely detailed painting of a mountain forest. The scenery was lush as a sea of trees, bursting with blooming flowers, a sight of breathtaking beauty.

Falling petals and drifting leaves scattered from the painting, swirling around Qin Sang’s body before quietly vanishing without a trace.