Chapter 829: Eighteen Devilish Banners

Back at Zhitian Peak, Qin Sang had once been drawn into the conflict between Granny Jing and Yuanshen Sect. In that battle, he killed a young man from Yuanshen Sect and obtained the

Fragmented Records of the Taixuan Array

, which contained several exquisite spiritual arrays.

He intended to adapt some of those arrays for his own use. With more than ten Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions, their combined might would rival that of a top-grade astra. Such a treasure had to be handled with the utmost care.

After confirming the array was flawless, he took out several middle-grade spirit stones and inserted them into the array one by one, then placed the single high-grade spirit stone into the core.

Whoosh!

The moment the stones settled, the five-elemental power above roiled violently. Qin Sang added another barrier-breaking array around the periphery to muffle the disturbance so it would not alarm the other cultivators on the mountain.

He then flashed into the air, seated himself cross-legged above the array, and began to control it.

Under his guidance, the five-elemental power poured ceaselessly toward the center, coalescing into a gray, chaotic light. At the same time, the inserted spirit stones flared brightly and were rapidly consumed.

Seeing the costly expenditure, Qin Sang suppressed his heartache. With a flick of his hand, the black iron column flew into his grasp, and he tossed it into the chaotic light.

The moment it entered, the column began to spin rapidly. His hands shifted through intricate seals, drawing the array’s power ever more tightly into the center, battering the black iron column.

At first, there was no visible change.

He waited patiently until a faint layer of black light began to glimmer across the surface. He knew this was the manifestation of the column's internal barriers resisting the array’s corrosion.

These barriers were profoundly intricate and immensely powerful. Even the faint black glow carried a crushing pressure. Qin Sang dared not provoke them and worked with extreme caution.

Though formidable, the barriers could not fully protect the column. It was already broken into two pieces, and the fracture point was a flaw he could exploit.

The array’s power wrapped around the column, striking again and again at that flaw, forcing its way inside.

Gradually, the black light thickened. Looking closer, he realized it was not light at all, but the column itself beginning to melt!

His expression grew grave. This was a critical step. His movements remained slow and delicate, for one misstep could enrage the barriers, destroying the array and leaving him gravely wounded.

As he worked, he could not help but feel a deep respect and awe. The first was for the ancient cultivator who had forged the black iron column.

Its barriers were a revelation to him. Even with the array’s aid, he could grasp only the barest hint of their mysteries. Yet even that was enough to greatly advance his skill in artifact refinement once fully understood.

Founder Kuiyin had once tried to comprehend these barriers but eventually abandoned the effort.

He had declared that the column was certainly the work of an ancient master of the highest caliber, a treasure of the old cultivation world so refined that even a late-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator could never unravel it.

Founder Kuiyin had long admired the brilliance of the ancient era, regretting he had not been born then.

The second was for Founder Kuiyin himself. Though unable to break the barriers, he had found a way to use the column's flaw, carefully dividing it to forge banner poles capable of controlling the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells.

Now the molten column resembled a column of black liquid, its surface rippling faintly.

Qin Sang closed his eyes slightly, locking his spiritual consciousness onto it and memorizing the details of the barriers. These would aid his future work.

He then shifted his hand seals, channeling a secret art to separate the column. Several attempts failed, the column merely quivering without yielding a single pole. Exhausted, Qin Sang paused to recover.

"As I thought, with my current cultivation this is still too much. I have wasted far too many spirit stones. If Founder Kuiyin were doing this himself, three high-grade stones would suffice. Still, it is not a complete waste. These failures will make each subsequent attempt smoother..." His gaze flickered and he sat cross-legged to meditate.

Once his energy was restored, he resumed. With each try, his technique grew more refined, and the column's fluctuations increased. But the high-grade spirit stone’s glow was dimming fast.

"Condense!" With a low shout, the column shuddered sharply. Under Qin Sang’s intense focus, a small section broke free, vibrating violently as if trying to return.

He stared without blinking, changing his hand seals rapidly. Slowly, the fragment calmed and, under the array’s power, reshaped into a banner pole.

Joy welled in his chest, but the work was not done. He tossed out a jade bottle containing several demonic beast essence souls.

Roar!

The moment they escaped, they roared in fury and lunged to strike back.

Qin Sang was ready. He flicked his fingers, sending countless threads of true essence to bind them, then used the secret art to refine them into a crystalline core, which he embedded into the banner pole.

A flash of light ran along its length. The first pole was complete!

He called it to his hand, inspecting it with satisfaction. This was the first astra he had crafted, a milestone on his path into the Dao of artifact refinement.

"By my count, the black iron columns can produce fifteen poles. With the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, that will be more than enough. Adding the three I already have, I will end up with eighteen devilish banners!" The number startled him.

Ten banners could barely touch the might of a top-grade astra. What would eighteen be capable of? Could it surpass the very limits of an astra?

Of course, he knew his current cultivation, true essence, and spiritual consciousness would not allow him to control so many at once. Only after forging them all would he know his true limit.

"I must study the

Fragmented Records of the Taixuan Array

thoroughly when this is over."

Resolved, he pushed on while the spirit stones still held power, forging a second pole before the high-grade stone’s energy ran dry and shattered.

Two poles for one stone. By his estimation, three more stones at most would finish the work.

He waved his hand, putting away the column and the array, then began studying the ancient barriers he had just observed.

Days slipped by in quiet cultivation. Half a year had passed since his return to the island before Madam Liu finally showed herself.

One night, while drawing in star essence to temper his body, Qin Sang felt a sudden tug on his senses. He drew a jade pendant from his robe, its faint white glow telling him the barrier he had left on a mortal courtyard had been disturbed.

"So it is finally time. I wonder what news she brings..." He put away his cultivation method, pulled on his hooded cloak, and stepped outside.