Chapter 1226: Attempt

The Ancestral Sacred Flame’s true form had been extremely restless, wantonly unruly, arrogant in its bearing, and utterly domineering.

This had been Qin Sang’s first time approaching the true body of the Ancestral Sacred Flame at close range, truly experiencing its power.

The closest he had ever come before was near the mountaintop while refining Gale Jade. What he had seen and sensed then had only been the azure shadow formed by the Ancestral Sacred Flame’s overflow.

Only upon seeing its true form did he realize that its power went far beyond that. Among all the spiritual fires Qin Sang had encountered, the Ancestral Sacred Flame had been second only to the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells and the Southern Sun Fire.

Compared to the true Ancestral Sacred Flame, even the Dongming Cold Flame fell short.

Perhaps when the founding grandmaster of Devilish Qingyang Sect had first sealed it within Divine Gale Peak, the Ancestral Sacred Flame had indeed been comparable to the Dongming Cold Flame, as the grandmaster’s cultivation had been on par with Saint Dongming.

The founding grandmaster of Devilish Qingyang Sect had once been one of the foremost experts in Small Cold Domain.

Saint Dongming, on the other hand, had perished after failing to break through to the late stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm.

As the Ancestral Sacred Flame had continuously absorbed Divine Qingyang Gale over time, accumulating more and more energy, its power had naturally risen along with it, even undergoing changes in nature.

That was why it had become impossible to control. Devilish Qingyang Sect had been helpless, and even Xiang Qing could not deal with it.

Meanwhile, Saint Dongming had only been a figure of a previous generation. The Dongming Cold Flame had been trapped on an isolated island in the Demonic Sea, and after emerging, it had been taken by Old Devil Mou, with no continuous source of cold flame to devour.

Qin Sang circled the Ancestral Sacred Flame once, assessing whether he could subdue it. As an ownerless flame with a foundation rooted in Devilish Qingyang Fire, its essence was certainly inferior to the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells. Moreover, it was restrained by the Gale Jade Array, giving him considerable hope.

"It can be attempted." After a long moment of contemplation, Qin Sang gave his answer, though he did not speak with absolute certainty.

Xiang Qing could not help but feel overjoyed. For Qin Sang to say this had already far exceeded his expectations.

As a dignified demon king, he was unlikely to speak carelessly. No one dared to claim complete confidence in subduing the Ancestral Sacred Flame.

He and Bing Han had gathered various secret techniques and attempted it multiple times together. They had nearly suffered backlash and still could not fully subdue it. At best, they could only confine its true form here, let alone refine it.

Yet even after witnessing the true form of the Ancestral Sacred Flame, Qin Sang still dared to try. He must have had some confidence.

Qin Sang walked to the jade platform, summoned the twelve devilish banners, and planted them into the ground. Then he sat down cross-legged.

Xiang Qing widened his eyes, watching Qin Sang’s every move.

A fire seal rested in his palm. If Qin Sang were to provoke the Ancestral Sacred Flame and cause chaos, he would be ready to act at once. Bing Han also stood nearby, flames coiling around her fingers, a faint fire talisman flickering in and out of view.

After setting up the array, Qin Sang tapped his brow and summoned the fire seed.

The fire seed had been formed from the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, condensed into the shape of a lotus seed. It appeared extremely illusory, still far from forming a true seed.

Both Xiang Qing and Bing Han could sense the aura of the lotus-seed-shaped fire seed. It was identical to the devilish fire within the banners, and they grew very curious about Qin Sang’s fire-controlling technique.

Unfortunately, nothing could be discerned from the fire seed itself.

Ignoring them, Qin Sang fixed his gaze on the Ancestral Sacred Flame. He mobilized the devilish fire within the banners and, guided by his spiritual consciousness, enveloped the fire seed and slowly sent it forward.

Seeing this, Xiang Qing adjusted the Gale Jade Array, allowing the fire seed to enter. At the same time, he and Bing Han joined forces to activate the array, subduing the Ancestral Sacred Flame.

Compared to the Ancestral Sacred Flame’s true form, the not-yet-formed fire seed appeared minuscule, like a candle before the bright moon. Fortunately, with the support of the other Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, it could withstand the impact of the Ancestral Sacred Flame.

Qin Sang acted with extreme caution, carefully activating his technique and controlling the fire seed as it slowly approached the Ancestral Sacred Flame.

The Devilish Flames of Nine Hells inherently held a hierarchical suppression over the Ancestral Sacred Flame. However, the effect seemed counterproductive. The Ancestral Sacred Flame began to sway more violently, its aura growing even more irritable.

Seeing this, all three of them felt their hearts tighten.

Qin Sang immediately drew the fire seed back. After the Ancestral Sacred Flame stabilized, he resumed probing, while instructing the Sky-Eyed Butterfly to observe even the slightest changes.

Time passed slowly. The three stood like statues, completely motionless.

With their close coordination, the fire seed drew closer and closer to the Ancestral Sacred Flame’s true form.

Qin Sang suddenly halted it. He then closed his eyes and fully activated the Fire Seed Golden Lotus, gently casting layer after layer of barriers.

Soon, Xiang Qing discovered with delight that the deep azure Ancestral Sacred Flame had begun reacting to the fire seed. A small protrusion formed, and a strand of the flame touched the fire seed, as though it were being devoured.

A sudden change erupted!

That strand of the Ancestral Sacred Flame began to tremble violently, triggering signs of an eruption in the main body and crashing against the grand array.

All three were startled. Fortunately, their coordination was seamless. Xiang Qing and Bing Han activated the array, while Qin Sang immediately withdrew the fire seed to avoid the impact.

Only after the Ancestral Sacred Flame calmed down did the tension on their faces fade.

"Truly, the world is full of wonders. Daoist Ming Yue’s secret technique can actually refine an ownerless spiritual fire directly. By weakening the Ancestral Sacred Flame bit by bit in this manner, once Daoist Xiang subdues it, the process will surely become much easier. Congratulations, Daoist Xiang. At last, your sect’s hidden danger can be resolved!" Bing Han first praised the Fire Seed Golden Lotus, then offered her congratulations to Xiang Qing.

Xiang Qing’s face was filled with joy. Although the first attempt had failed, all signs indicated that Qin Sang’s method might succeed.

"For this period, I will trouble you to devote your efforts, Daoist Ming Yue!" Xiang Qing gave a fist-and-palm salute to Qin Sang, then took out a jade slip. "This secret technique is used to refine Devilish Qingyang Fire and should assist you in refining the Ancestral Sacred Flame. You may study it. However, it is one of the core techniques of our sect’s fundamental arts and is of great importance. I hope you can understand that you will first need to swear an oath not to pass it on."

"Refining the essence... Is this the secret method your sect uses to refine fire seeds?" Qin Sang’s heart stirred as he asked.

Xiang Qing nodded. "Correct. Our sect has passed down fire seeds through generations, not by direct absorption. The Devilish Qingyang Fire cultivated by each person carries their unique imprint. The spiritual fire grows alongside the cultivator, and the two become fully integrated. The aura within the Ancestral Sacred Flame is far more complex, even chaotic. If you use this technique to refine it first, it will reduce the rejection of the spiritual fire and should improve your chances of success. There is another benefit as well. Directly absorbing another’s spiritual fire can rapidly increase strength, but it leaves hidden dangers. By refining it with this technique and retaining only the purest essence before integrating it into the body, the short-term gains are smaller, but the strength can steadily improve over time, and the likelihood of future backlash will be greatly reduced."

This matter concerned the very survival of Devilish Qingyang Sect. The greater Qin Sang’s chances of success, the more hope there was of suppressing the Ancestral Sacred Flame. Not only would it eliminate the sect’s hidden danger, but Xiang Qing himself could later refine the Ancestral Sacred Flame to increase his own strength.

It was a win on all fronts, so Xiang Qing did not hesitate to share the secret technique.

Qin Sang made the oath, then eagerly accepted the jade slip. He sent his spiritual consciousness into it and rapidly skimmed through its contents.

As he listened to Xiang Qing explain the technique, Qin Sang recalled certain ideas he had once had while practicing the Fire Seed Golden Lotus.

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