Chapter 1158: Paying a Visit
The Fire Seed Golden Lotus was a fire-control secret technique. Old Devil Mou had used this method to subdue the Dongming Cold Flame.
After Qin Sang obtained it, he hastily condensed a strand of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells. Soon afterward, however, he realized that his cultivation had been insufficient to continue practicing the secret technique.
According to the description in the technique, during cultivation the fire seed would transform just like a real lotus, passing through stages such as lotus seed, blooming flower, and lotus transformation. The name Fire Seed Golden Lotus came from this very process.
Once the technique reached the advanced stage, other mysterious transformations would occur. However, the text did not specify them clearly, merely stating that everything depended on the cultivator’s fortune and opportunity.
For Qin Sang, such matters were still far beyond reach.
While cultivating the Fire Seed Golden Lotus, the cultivator's spiritual consciousness would also increase significantly. This was the most precious aspect of the secret art.
Back then, before Old Devil Mou had even completed the first stage, when the fire seed was still in the form of a lotus seed, his spiritual consciousness had already rivaled that of great cultivators.
Qin Sang had only condensed the embryonic form of a lotus seed, barely qualifying as the beginner stage. For now, he could not yet feel this effect.
"The Devilish Flames of Nine Hells are more than enough to help me break through the first stage. The devilish flames themselves should be sufficient. The question is only whether I can control them. Although the eighteen devilish banners are precious, this secret technique strengthens me. Even if the banners are ruined in the process, it would still be worth it." Qin Sang understood very clearly how to weigh the trade-offs.
Moreover, once he refined the devilish flames, he could also use them against enemies.
He grabbed one devilish banner, poured true essence into it, and drew out the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells contained within.
He suddenly halted his cultivation. His brow furrowed as he stared at the devilish flames drawn from the banner.
When he attempted to cultivate the secret technique again, the result surprised him somewhat.
His cultivation had increased greatly. His spiritual consciousness was far beyond what it had been during the Core Formation Realm. In addition, his primordial spirit had been nourished by the Soul-Nourishing Wood, and over several decades his spiritual consciousness had continuously been refined, producing noticeable results.
Yet when he resumed cultivating the Fire Seed Golden Lotus, he still found it extremely difficult. When he forcibly condensed the devilish flames, the fire seed nearly lost control, and the flames almost turned against him.
The moment this happened, Qin Sang immediately understood the cause. The problem was not with himself, but with the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells!
Most likely the flames were of too high a rank, exceeding the level he could subdue with his current cultivation. Even at the early stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm, he still could not control such flames. Previously, when he forcibly condensed the embryonic fire seed, it had largely been thanks to the Jade Buddha. After all, the true body of the devilish flames remained sealed within the banner. What he had drawn out was only a portion of its power.
The Southern Sun Fire would certainly not be inferior to the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells.
Qin Sang pondered for a long time. At present, there were only two possible solutions. The first was to increase his own cultivation.
Strengthening his spiritual consciousness might also help. However, the Soul-Nourishing Wood worked gradually over time, and techniques specifically for cultivating spiritual consciousness were even rarer. The gains would not justify the effort.
The second option was to do as Old Devil Mou had done and find another spiritual flame that was slightly weaker, similar to the Dongming Cold Flame, and first cultivate the first stage of the technique. Once the fire seed became sufficiently stable and powerful, he could forcibly refine the devilish flames.
Neither of these methods was simple. One of Qin Sang’s reasons for cultivating the Fire Seed Golden Lotus had been to control more devilish banners and rapidly increase his combat strength.
If a breakthrough were so easy, there would have been no need for such trouble. As for spiritual flames, they could not be too strong, yet they could not be too weak either.
As far as Qin Sang knew, two famous spiritual flames existed within Small Cold Domain.
One was the Ancestral Sacred Flame of Devilish Qingyang Sect, and the other was the earth fire nurtured within Dixuan Mountain of Xuling Sect.
Both of these flames already had owners. Dixuan Mountain was the very foundation of the Xuling Sect.
This mountain floated at the center of an underground fire vein, suspended between heaven and earth. It had been continuously scorched by the subterranean fire vein for countless years. Over time, the mountain’s rocks transformed and gave birth to a peculiar earth fire whose power far surpassed ordinary earth fire.
However, Qin Sang had heard that the mountain and the earth fire were essentially one entity. The earth fire could not be subdued separately. Naturally, Xuling Sect would never agree to such a thing.
"The Ancestral Sacred Flame..." Qin Sang recalled the time he had infiltrated Devilish Qingyang Sect to steal the Divine Qingyang Gale.
He still remembered how, atop Divine Gale Peak, the phantom formed by the Ancestral Sacred Flame had danced like a mad fire god. The scene had been wildly frenzied and had left a deep impression on him.
It was said that the Ancestral Sacred Flame had been left behind by the founding grandmaster of Devilish Qingyang Sect. Its origin was similar to that of the Dongming Cold Flame, both being spiritual flames cultivated by Spiritual Infant grandmasters.
However, the Ancestral Sacred Flame had been sealed at the summit of Divine Gale Peak and had absorbed an unknown quantity of Divine Qingyang Gale over the years. It could no longer be regarded as the original flame left behind by the sect’s founder.
Even back then, the aura it displayed had not been weaker than that of the Dongming Cold Flame.
During the decline of Devilish Qingyang Sect, the sect had once threatened to detonate the Ancestral Sacred Flame, forcing Spiritual Infant cultivators who coveted the sect to retreat.
"Back then, the Ancestral Sacred Flame was close to losing control. Everyone in Devilish Qingyang Sect trembled with fear while absorbing the Divine Qingyang Gale. I could absorb and refine the power that leaks out from the Ancestral Sacred Flame outside the seal." Qin Sang’s gaze flickered. "I wonder whether this new sect leader has found a way to resolve the hidden danger of the Ancestral Sacred Flame... If Devilish Qingyang Sect had not produced a Spiritual Infant cultivator, I could simply go to their door and make the request. They probably would not refuse."
After thinking about it, Qin Sang temporarily suppressed the idea of paying a visit. He did not understand this new sect leader. Devilish Qingyang Sect belonged to the devilish path, and they were not the same kind of people. Paying an unannounced visit would not be appropriate.
He would first investigate the sect’s situation. If Devilish Qingyang Sect had still not solved the problem of the Ancestral Sacred Flame, he would not mind helping them.
"While things are calm for now, I might as well take a walk through the devilish territories. I can also check on Devilish Flame Sect and Mei Gu. In addition, I should visit the Yuanzhao Sect and retrieve the remaining banner poles..." Qin Sang formulated his plan but did not depart immediately.
He thought of the transparent lotus seed used to assist cultivation and wondered whether he had misjudged it before.
Qin Sang summoned the fire seed and followed the steps of the secret technique, merging the devilish flames into the transparent lotus seed. The process went very smoothly. The lotus seed disappeared, and the fire seed condensed again.
He then continued refining the devilish flames and found that the situation improved slightly compared to before, though only marginally. Even if he cultivated to the limit, it would still be impossible to control fifteen devilish banners.
Since that was the case, Qin Sang abandoned the attempt and stopped wasting time. He devoted himself to cultivation. Half of his time went toward studying the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, and the other half toward body refinement. Both cultivation arts advanced steadily.
One month later, Qin Sang left Bai behind at the Yuanshen Sect and departed alone. Passing through Great Sui, Qin Sang met with Li Yufu and the others. After giving them some guidance, he continued northward, preparing to visit Yuanzhao Sect!
He had already investigated the matter thoroughly. Back then, the sect leader of Wuji Sect had betrayed Small Cold Domain, nearly causing the destruction of both domains. After leaving Ziwei Palace, the fury of the various great powers had been unimaginable. They mercilessly divided up Wuji Sect.
Wuji Sect had been exterminated on the spot, and the sects affiliated with it had more or less suffered the consequences. Yuanzhao Sect had been among them.
Fortunately, they had not participated in the conspiracy. After paying a certain price, Yuanzhao Sect managed to survive the disaster without being wiped out.
Over the years, Yuanzhao Sect had recovered partly, though it still could not compare with its strength when Qin Sang had once infiltrated it.
Now, the sect’s headquarters stood at the former site of Kuiyin Sect. This time, Qin Sang was truly revisiting an old place.
