Chapter 994: The Seed of the Fire Curse

Qin Sang carefully surveyed his surroundings before diving down into the depths of the sea.

The pillar of light originated from the seabed. Yet even down here, things were far from calm. The power of the storm penetrated deep into the water, stirring violent undercurrents that were no less perilous than the waves above.

Steadying himself with difficulty, Qin Sang turned his gaze toward the source. A strange, dazzling light pierced the dark waters. Through the Sky Eyes, he saw that the glow came from behind a vast curtain. Beyond that curtain lay a barren stretch of land and several ancient halls.

He examined the scene through the curtain. It was lifeless and still. Everything behind it was in plain view; there seemed to be no hidden danger. The curtain itself, however, was the true form of the ancient barrier.

To his surprise, Qin Sang noticed that the barrier was incomplete. One corner had been shattered, as though someone had forcefully broken through it.

At once, he darted toward the curtain. The Sky-Eyed Butterfly flared its wings wide, unleashing its life-bound supernatural ability to assist him.

Although Qin Sang had never encountered this type of ancient barrier before, with the butterfly’s aid, he gradually discerned the nature of its power. Eventually, he managed to find a possible method of entry.

Using the damaged section as leverage, he felt reasonably confident that he could break through.

Still, he did not act rashly. He waited a while longer, ensuring no hidden danger lingered beyond the curtain, before finally making his move.

Whoosh...

Six devilish banners formed an array as the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells condensed into a flaming spear, striking hard at the corner of the barrier.

Boom!

The curtain remained unmoved.

The pillar of light only quivered slightly. Yet at the point of impact, something changed.

The flaming spear had struck one of the preexisting cracks precisely, causing that section of the curtain to blaze with dazzling brilliance as waves of strange light rippled outward.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly stretched out its wings, and within the shimmering patterns appeared two vivid, living eyes that locked tightly onto the barrier.

Timing his moment precisely, Qin Sang’s hands formed a series of seals, sending one barrier after another flowing like water into the curtain.

The first few attempts failed. But after repeated adjustments, Qin Sang finally succeeded.

The light in that cracked corner dimmed abruptly, and his figure flickered as he slipped through the gap, entering the space beyond.

The interior was not large. Summoning his spiritual sword and devilish banners to guard himself, Qin Sang swiftly explored the area, circling the few ancient halls. He soon found that the barriers here also bore marks of having been broken long ago.

"Empty," Bai’s voice sounded suddenly.

Qin Sang’s expression brightened. "You’ve recovered?"

Swoosh!

Bai emerged from the Corpse Puppet Pouch and nodded. "By tomorrow, I should barely have enough strength to break the Fire Curse."

He surveyed the surroundings and added, "I didn’t expect you to find such a hidden realm. But it seems these barriers were already breached long ago. Someone has been here before..."

"There are countless powerful cultivators among both the human and witch races. It is no surprise that others once ventured into the storm belt and discovered this place. As long as it is safe enough to shelter us for a while, I will be content. From the moment I started fleeing until now, I have nearly exhausted both my strength and energy, relying only on willpower to continue." Qin Sang sighed, his tone filled with fatigue.

"I never properly thanked you. Without your help, I would already be dead." Qin Sang thanked Bai sincerely.

Bai looked at Qin Sang deeply. "Finding a sliver of life within a certain death and escaping from a Spiritual Infant expert’s grasp... That credit belongs mostly to you. Even with my aid, most others would have perished."

After a brief discussion, the two each chose a hall and went into meditation to recover. Qin Sang longed for a deep sleep, but the time was not right. He sat cross-legged, sinking into stillness.

Several hours later, after recovering some of his strength, Qin Sang left the hall and gazed up at the great curtain above. The light of the ancient barrier was far too conspicuous.

He flew closer, studying it intently for a long time. Finally, he discovered a way to suppress the pillar’s glow and worked to reinforce the damaged section of the barrier as best as he could.

By the time he finished, Bai had already been waiting. Inside the hall, Qin Sang summoned the devilish flames.

He had learned the technique of forming the Fire Curse seal from Bai, and now the two worked together to dispel the curse.

Bai focused on removing the seals lodged in Qin Sang’s limbs and viscera, while the one at his upper dantian was left for Qin Sang himself to handle.

Old Devil Mou seemed to have abandoned the chase, for the Fire Curse remained dormant. Their progress was slow but steady.

During a brief pause, Qin Sang pondered for a long moment before saying to Bai, "What if we leave one Fire Curse intact to trace Old Devil Mou’s location, or even lure him here?"

Bai froze, startled. "You cannot be thinking of..."

Qin Sang hesitated. "I suspect Old Devil Mou may still be searching for me."

"I really underestimated you. To call you bold would be an understatement. If Old Devil Mou were only at the early stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm, your lightning art might give you a small chance of success. But a wily old monster like him would never remain here without a powerful life-saving method or a means to strike back. Even if we rest and recover fully, we would still struggle to gain the upper hand against him," Bai said, shaking his head.

"Don't worry. It was only a thought." Qin Sang sighed. He understood Bai’s reasoning perfectly well.

The difference in strength between them and Old Devil Mou was far too great. No amount of schemes or cunning could bridge that gap.

"However..." Bai’s tone shifted as a thought seemed to occur to him. "What you said does give me an idea. Curses like this are double-edged swords. I might be able to tamper with the Fire Curse and leave behind a seed. When your strength surpasses his one day, you could use it to track him down and turn the hunt around. That way, avenging yourself against Old Devil Mou may not be entirely impossible."

He paused briefly, then looked at Qin Sang. "If the Dongming Cold Flame is truly as powerful as you described, then once Old Devil Mou subdues it, his strength will likely exceed most of his peers and fall just short of late-stage Spiritual Infant cultivators. If you plan to take revenge, it will not be easy. If you think the chance is too slim, it might be wiser to abandon that thought altogether before it festers into a heart devil."

Qin Sang fell silent. Even if Old Devil Mou’s cultivation halted where it was, who knew how many years or decades it would take before Qin Sang himself could reach the middle stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm. By then, he might have already left Canglang Sea behind.

And if Old Devil Mou advanced into a great cultivator, vengeance would be an even more distant dream.

Being hunted down all the way by Old Devil Mou had cost Qin Sang dearly. He had burned through nearly all his high-grade spirit stones, and most of his pills were gone.

Worse still, his incarnation had self-destructed, and he had released the Two-Headed Hou. It was no different from cutting off both his own arms, leaving his strength greatly diminished.

Forging a new incarnation in the future would take decades, and any new demonic beast he captured would never match the Two-Headed Hou in intellect or power.

What pained Qin Sang the most, however, was the loss of three drops of the Jade Liquid of Three Radiances.

That was a grievance he found difficult to swallow, yet he had no choice but to endure it. He would bide his time like a hidden claw waiting to strike.

Qin Sang exhaled slowly and said decisively, "Then I’ll trouble you to leave behind the seed of the Fire Curse. I’ve weathered many ups and downs along my path. Something like this won’t give rise to heart devils so easily."

"Good! To condense a seed of the Fire Curse and ensure Old Devil Mou cannot detect it when we meet him again, I’ll need to think this through carefully," Bai replied solemnly.