Chapter 991: The Scale

"That little fellow certainly has spirit. He’ll achieve something extraordinary one day," Bai remarked, watching the Two-Headed Hou’s silhouette disappear into the horizon.

"Indeed, it’s rare to see such resolve," Qin Sang agreed, nodding.

Even among demonic beasts that had consumed the Imperial Elixir and awakened intelligence, few possessed a temperament as steadfast as the Two-Headed Hou. The fact that he had managed to capture it back then had been sheer luck; it had simply been gravely wounded at the time.

"Let’s go." Qin Sang withdrew his gaze and set off as well.

The Two-Headed Hou was flying south to lure Old Devil Mou away, while he headed east to find Yuan Zhu.

***

A streak of blood light tore across the sky, pausing briefly every so often before darting forward again. Old Devil Mou was relentlessly pursuing, closing the distance with each passing moment.

Yet, despite this, his face was far from cheerful. For reasons he couldn’t explain, a sense of unease lingered in his heart. Having been misled once before, he no longer trusted the Fire Curse entirely. Until he saw his prey with his own eyes, he would not rest easy.

Whoosh!

The Dongming Cold Flame flared violently, tilting sharply forward.

Even so, Old Devil Mou spat out a mouthful of blood and essence, using its power to drive the Fire Curse at full force to confirm the direction. Only then could he feel assured. But after doing this repeatedly, even with his advanced cultivation, he was beginning to feel the strain. His Blood Evasion Secret Technique consumed blood and essence as well.

His face had gone pale as parchment, drained of color. Determined to capture his prey quickly and avoid any further surprises, he had pushed himself to the limit. Once this was over, he knew he would need to rest for quite some time to recover.

Ever since breaking through to the middle stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm, his name had carried considerable weight in the cultivation world. Even the Devil Lord and Lingzhuzi treated him with courtesy. It had been a long time since he had been driven into such a sorry state, especially when he held every advantage, and his opponent was merely a Core Formation cultivator.

Letting out a low growl of frustration, Old Devil Mou was about to withdraw the Fire Curse when his expression suddenly changed.

The cold flame, which had been pointing steadily south, suddenly trembled and wavered northeast, then swayed back and forth—sometimes south, sometimes east—flickering unpredictably right before his eyes.

"I..." His vision darkened with fury; he nearly cursed aloud.

The situation he dreaded most had happened again. The one ahead was likely another decoy!

His prey clearly understood curse techniques and had grown more skilled with each encounter. At first, the man had only been able to conceal part of the Fire Curse’s fluctuations, but now he could obscure Old Devil Mou’s perception even when the curse was fully activated.

"Wait..." Old Devil Mou narrowed his eyes, suppressing his rage.

He forced himself to remain calm.

Which direction is real? The east or the south? Is the one ahead just bait again? My prey is cunning. What if he changed tactics, and the one to the east is the decoy, meant to lure me away while the real body escaped elsewhere?

Old Devil Mou’s expression shifted several times as he deliberated. Finally, he struck the sea below with a burst of cold flame.

The ocean froze solid beneath him. Sitting cross-legged upon the ice, he closed his eyes. After a long moment, the cold flame before him steadied and leaned decisively northeast.

So it is another decoy.

Seeing the true direction of his prey’s escape, Old Devil Mou instantly understood his intent. He wanted to flee into the storm belt and use the chaotic spiritual qi there to break free of pursuit.

He knew well that once his prey entered the storm belt, the Fire Curse’s fluctuations would be disrupted.

Though there was a high chance the man would perish inside, Old Devil Mou wasn’t after his life; Old Devil Mou wanted the devilish flame within him.

His face darkened. In the next instant, he rose abruptly and turned into a streak of blood light, tearing through the sky at full speed.

***

Far away, the Two-Headed Hou came to an abrupt stop. It held a high-grade spirit stone between its teeth, absorbing spiritual power. It was one of the items Qin Sang had given it, along with a geomantic map of Canglang Sea and several other supplies.

The beast turned its heads back, its demonic eyes gleaming as it sensed its enemy’s aura fading into the distance.

It gave its heads a brief shake, then concealed its presence and quietly departed in the opposite direction, its movements light and effortless.

***

"After breaking through to the late stage of the Demonic Core Realm, the Two-Headed Hou’s Wind Evasion Technique has far surpassed the speed of my external incarnation. To think it managed to lure Old Devil Mou so far away, long enough for Bai to completely exhaust himself..." Qin Sang looked down at the Corpse Puppet Pouch.

Bai had fought with all his might and had finally withdrawn to recover. Fortunately, the time they had bought was enough for Qin Sang to reach the storm belt. Another long and grueling chase followed.

This time, Qin Sang could no longer seal the Fire Curse. All he could do was flee with everything he had. In his hand, he clutched a jade vial, ready to swallow the Jade Liquid of Three Radiances at any moment. He had already consumed his second drop earlier.

***

On an unknown island...

Boom!

The ground shook violently as a streak of blood light descended from the heavens. Old Devil Mou appeared, his face ashen with exhaustion.

Continuous use of the Blood Evasion Technique had drained him severely. He could no longer sustain it and had to stop to recover. Yet his prey was still full of vigor, fleeing tirelessly without pause, his true essence seemingly endless.

Old Devil Mou knew now beyond doubt that the man possessed a top-grade spiritual herb capable of replenishing true essence.

With no time to waste, he swiftly laid down a complex array on the island’s surface, sat cross-legged in its center, stuffed a handful of pills into his mouth, and closed his eyes tightly, seizing every moment to recover his strength.

***

Qin Sang sensed that Old Devil Mou had stopped moving, yet he felt little joy. Losing Old Devil Mou was only temporary; the danger was far from over. Sooner or later, that fiend would catch up again. No matter what, he had to reach the depths of the storm belt. He was out of the dragon’s lair, only to enter the tiger’s den.

Qin Sang knew well how perilous the inner regions of the storm belt were. The chaotic Spirit Tide there might even surpass those of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield during its most violent upheavals, a place even grandmasters of the Spiritual Infant Realm feared to tread.

Still, at least there he could die on his own terms. Lost in thought, he continued flying for a while longer. Then, at the edge of his vision, a black curtain appeared. His spirit lifted. He had finally reached the storm belt!

Heaven and earth roared. The waves surged like mountains. Inside the storm belt, the scene was monotonous. There were endless hurricanes and raging seas, all identical in their fury.

Qin Sang arrived near Yuan Zhu’s cave dwelling. He looked around but saw nothing but repetitive scenery. The cave dwelling was nowhere in sight.

From the Thousand-Jin Ring, he retrieved the scale Yuan Zhu had given him. Channeling true essence into it, the scale began to emit a faint light, activating a hidden barrier.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Qin Sang’s heart burned with anxiety. Old Devil Mou had already caught up again and was approaching rapidly. He had very little time left.

Unease filled his chest as he prayed that Yuan Zhu had not left the cave dwelling. Just then, faint white lights began to flicker amid the crashing waves. Seeing this, Qin Sang felt a surge of relief, but Yuan Zhu still did not appear.

His eyes narrowed slightly; a guess formed in his mind. Suppressing his impatience, he waited silently in place.

The white lights drifted about for a while before, suddenly, a beam of light shot up from beneath the sea. From within came Yuan Zhu’s hearty laughter. "Hahaha, Daoist, you’re back so soon! Don’t tell me you missed me already? Eh..."

At that exact moment, the Fire Curse flared up again. Fiery blue runes surfaced on Qin Sang’s body, glowing vividly. A translucent figure appeared before him. It was Yuan Zhu’s phantom.

Noticing Qin Sang’s condition, Yuan Zhu’s expression changed. "What happened?"

Qin Sang gave a bitter smile. "I was deceived and trapped by an enemy. A Fire Curse clings to me, and I am being hunted by a formidable foe. I had no choice but to come and seek your aid. Daoist Yuan, please lend me your aid!"