Chapter 1434: The Devil-Subduing Vajra

Disaster descended on Ethereal Sea.

Under the terrified eyes of countless cultivators, the torrent of flame erupted and shot straight into the clouds. Some Golden Core cultivators who failed to flee in time were swallowed on the spot.

Pure Sea Sect was overturned outright by the flames, fragments of surviving land forced up above the surface. A few of those fragments still bore pavilions and towers, Buddhist barriers flickering across them, yet all of it was devoured by the torrent at appalling speed.

The cultivators watching from around saw figures come bursting out even so. Not only had those Spiritual Infant cultivators survived, each displaying his own supernatural abilities, they hadn't forgotten to scrape up the treasures the flames had washed out before withdrawing. With the situation this urgent, no one cared about grades. They scooped up whatever they could and pulled back, racing clear before the crimson flame qi erupted in full.

The flames brought a crimson firestorm that spread outward at staggering speed, and beneath the horrified eyes of the low-level cultivators, it fell upon them.

Seawater vaporized. Massive waves surged and rolled.

Ships had no time to withdraw. Some were overturned, others broke apart on the spot and were swallowed by fire.

Cultivators whose attainments fell short had the flesh stripped from their bones by the scorching storm, dying in terror, and only in their last moments did they recall the warning that had circulated through the world of immortal cultivation since ancient times: never go near a high-tier cultivator, and least of all a battlefield between Spiritual Infant cultivators.

In moments the scene turned to unrelenting carnage.

High above, the Chaotic Devil Elder didn't race the others for Pure Sea Sect's scattered relics. His pupils pitch black, he swept his gaze around like a hawk, but in the end he never found that suspicious figure.

***

Southeast of the Ethereal Sea, past its bounds, the occasional occupied island came into view, and a fair number of immortal cultivators moved about the region.

Two figures sped low across the water, keeping a discreet profile, as though guarding against something.

After a stretch of hard flying, boundless blue waves stretched in every direction, without so much as a barren islet in sight.

"Senior's water manor is right here," one said.

The burly one of the pair, a coarse-featured man, surveyed the area for a moment, then raised a hand and pointed ahead. He took the lead, flew on a while longer, and dove beneath the surface. The other followed close behind.

The two were Qin Sang and Tan Hao.

Four days had passed since the battle at Pure Sea Sect.

After leaving that day, Qin Sang had suppressed his injuries and carried Tan Hao far away without a backward glance, never pausing once along the route. He hadn't gone looking for Valley Master Mu, and he had no idea how the affair at Pure Sea Sect had ultimately been settled.

What they sought now was the Ghost Mother's former cave dwelling. Tan Hao had stayed there a while when he followed her to the North Sea.

That the dwelling had gone undiscovered for so long spoke to how well it was concealed. Qin Sang could treat his injuries here, sort through his gains, and think through what came next.

Splash!

They hadn't descended far before a hidden island appeared below the surface. Tan Hao tried a mental seal, and a faint light flickered at the island's center before a door took shape.

Qin Sang slipped in after him and found only a few stone chambers, the spiritual qi extraordinarily dense but the furnishings starkly simple, several of the rooms standing entirely empty.

"Senior Ghost Mother hasn't been back," Tan Hao reported after pushing open a few doors and checking.

"So she really has left the North Sea." Qin Sang nodded without having held out much hope, picked a room at random, and paused mid-step as he was about to enter. "Brother Tan, how are your injuries?"

"I took a pill. There's no lasting harm, thanks to you blocking the flames." Recalling what they had gone through at the end of that day, Tan Hao still felt a lingering chill, along with a touch of exhilaration. Working with Qin Sang, he had snatched treasures right in front of a great cultivator.

Qin Sang gave a hum of acknowledgment. "I recall you saying you'd been active around here before and had some connections. You shouldn't draw suspicion. Once the noise dies down, go out and gather word. It isn't convenient for me to show my face for now. And take a look at what the descendants of Daoists Qi and Wang have been up to. The Chaotic Devil Elder may have marked them. Be extremely careful, and don't make direct contact."

The Spirit Elevation Rite still weighed on Qin Sang's mind, but he had no intention of calling on Hundred Flowers Valley yet. The movements of the descendants of Daoists Qi and Wang would let him glimpse how that battle had ended and whether anyone had survived.

Three against two. And at the critical moment I seized the opening to steer the power of the Thousand Buddha Wall and put one over on the Chaotic Devil Elder, buying them time. At least one of them should have gotten away. Qin Sang mused.

Tan Hao nodded. "I'll head out in a few days."

"Ask around for anyone in Boundless Sea skilled at alchemy, individuals or organizations..." Qin Sang said.

Qin Sang worked through the tasks ahead one by one, then said, "Your Devil-Subduing Vajra may be a Buddhist treasure, but fortunately cultivators outside the Buddhist path can use it too. Since it's an astra devoted purely to slaughter, its function is singular, but that only raises its potency. It's a high-grade astra, yet once you've fully refined it, it should be capable of power rivaling a top-grade astra."

The Vajra he had seized in the Buddha hall was called the Devil-Subduing Vajra.[1]

Tan Hao's face lit with delight. With that astra in hand, he would have nothing to fear from the established Spiritual Infant cultivators once he broke through.

Then Qin Sang's tone shifted and he said with a smile, "Leave it with me for now. I'll see whether I can alter its form. Otherwise, even if I handed it over, you wouldn't dare use it in public, unless you aren't afraid of the Chaotic Devil Elder's claws tracing it back."

Thinking of what it meant to be marked by the Chaotic Devil Elder, Tan Hao shivered.

Thud! Qin Sang shut the door and laid down barriers.

He summoned the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet. It was charred black with no obvious external wounds, yet another broad section of the puppet seal had collapsed.

After examining it, Qin Sang clicked his tongue. "Its injuries are on par with when it first came out of the storm belt. Ah. Following me has put you through the wringer."

He reached out and ran a hand over it, then set the puppet aside.

The Thousand-Jin Ring flashed, and streams of light spilled onto the floor like running water.

"An unprecedented haul this time..." Qin Sang rubbed his hands together and got straight to inspecting it.

First came nine Myriad Spirit Fruits, laid out separately. Their luster had dulled, though that didn't affect their efficacy.

"Plenty to spare. A pity I never found the method for refining Spirit-Calming Incense..." Qin Sang said.

Qin Sang wondered whether the Ghost Mother might have taken it. The thought passed, and he opened his Spirit Beast Pouch and called out the Fire Jade Centipede.

It curled into a ball, the red light along its body brightening and dimming like breath. The injuries from the Three-Spirit Coiling King Array would take a long time to heal, and it had been listless for days.

Qin Sang opened a jade box, took out a Myriad Spirit Fruit, recalled the feeding method Valley Master Mu had described, and gently circulated his true essence to break the fruit's skin.

Juice thick with vitality flowed out, its clean fragrance filling the air.

The Fire Jade Centipede snapped taut with a pop, springing upright like a rod.

Qin Sang let out a soundless laugh, cast several barriers, refined the juice, then drew off a single droplet and fed it to the centipede, sealing what remained in a jade vial.

The effect was immediate. The centipede's aura steadied at once, after which it went languid, shrinking back into Qin Sang's palm, drowsy, beginning to digest the spiritual herb.

Qin Sang repeated the process, refining two more Myriad Spirit Fruits and feeding them to the Sky-Eyed Butterfly and fat silkworm respectively.

1. TL note: For some reason, the author decided to change the name of the Vajra to Devil-Subduing Vajra. ☜

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