Chapter 1340: The Divine Artifact in His Memories

The Divine Sun Tree. That was the name Qin Sang had given his new astra.

Its form had been inspired by a divine artifact from the memories of his previous life, the Divine Bronze Tree. Back then, he had once been fortunate enough to observe a reconstructed version of the divine tree, and the shock it had left him with remained unforgettable even now.[1]n undulating dragon.[/ref]

Thus, when considering the astra’s form, Qin Sang had decided to model it after the Divine Bronze Tree. It was a form of sentimentality on his part.

Upon the base refined from the Nine-Life Black Tortoise Shell, three roots supported the divine tree’s main body.

The trunk stood straight and tall. The branches were divided into three layers, and each layer extended three branches in different directions, for a total of nine branches across the entire tree.

All the branches drooped gently downward, with flickering runes adorning them like ancient decorative patterns. However, none of those were the true focus.

The most striking feature was the short branch extending upward from each main branch. Slightly curved upward, each one supported a small circular platform, atop which rested a flower bud.

In Qin Sang’s original vision, after subduing the True Vermillion Bird Feather, the Southern Sun Fire would be guided into the white copper tree body. Ultimately, the flames would gather within the flower buds and transform into nine divine birds with raised heads and uplifted tails!

In that way, he would be able to wield the Southern Sun Fire through the astra itself, rather than merely using it as a container to seal the True Vermillion Bird Feather.

The first step had been completed. The True Vermillion Bird Feather had been drawn into the base refined from the Black Tortoise Shell.

Having lost its source, the Southern Sun Fire was no longer capable of contending against the golden-thread ancient barrier. The flames rapidly weakened beneath the suppression of the dense golden light, and most of the Southern Sun Fire followed the feather itself into the Divine Sun Tree.

The stone chamber’s full appearance was finally revealed.

At the very center of the chamber stood a circular stone platform. The center of the platform was hollow, its surface covered in densely packed golden-thread ancient barriers, while the interior glowed crimson red.

The remaining flames withdrew inward and became a furnace fire. The flames swayed gently and appeared extremely docile. They were now rootless flames and would gradually dissipate in the future.

As expected, this place had once been a pill chamber. Yet there was only the pill chamber itself, with no pill cauldron in sight.

Nor were there any fire ducts used to draw earth fire. Evidently, the ancient cultivators had used the Southern Sun Fire itself as their alchemical flame.

Qin Sang had no time to observe the surrounding environment further. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he closed his eyes tightly. The Divine Sun Tree slowly revolved before him.

Within the base of the Divine Sun Tree, after the True Vermillion Bird Feather had been dragged into the black water space, the power of black water hidden within the Black Tortoise Shell immediately surged forth.

The Black Tortoise Shell had originated from a Transformation Realm Nine-Life Black Tortoise. Although it was not on the same level as the Vermillion Bird, the power of black water still possessed a degree of suppressive effect against flames and could merge with the aura of the green copper.

Naturally, however, most of the credit belonged to the green copper itself.

Qin Sang concentrated completely and pushed the astra with all his strength. The green copper manifested within the black water space, and its green radiance grew increasingly intense. The True Vermillion Bird Feather continuously trembled as it attempted to flee from its natural enemy.

But at this point, escape was no longer possible. The green copper slowly descended onto the feather itself and subdued it. The two treasures became tightly pressed together.

Subduing the feather itself meant half the process had already been completed. Qin Sang did not dare relax. He immediately shifted his attention to the divine tree.

Under his guidance, the Southern Sun Fire flowed into the body of the divine tree. The white copper tree body was immediately "dyed red," entering an extremely unstable state. The entire tree turned crimson, and a glaze-like sheen appeared upon its surface, as though molten liquid flowed across it. One could not help but worry that it might melt apart at any moment.

This was another enormous hurdle. Until this very moment, even Qin Sang himself had not been completely certain.

The mysterious white copper possessed an extraordinary origin, yet no records regarding it existed in the current world’s texts. No one knew whether its material could withstand the terrifying Southern Sun Fire.

Qin Sang could only do his utmost, using everything he had learned throughout his life while incorporating countless precious spiritual materials to forge the tree body. The rest would depend on fate.

Qin Sang’s mind remained tightly strained as he observed every tiny change within the divine tree.

The flames slowly flowed through the tree body. The trunk gradually became translucent, allowing the streams of fire within to be seen clearly. Though the flames appeared calm on the surface, Qin Sang understood better than anyone how violent their true nature was.

The Southern Sun Fire’s impact and destruction upon the divine tree were entirely within Qin Sang’s expectations.

Runes flickered across the tree’s surface before dimming in large patches. Qin Sang remained incomparably busy, doing everything he could to repair the runes, yet he still found himself unable to keep up.

The situation appeared extremely perilous as the divine tree shook violently. Yet the joy upon Qin Sang’s face grew stronger and stronger.

Fortunately, the divine tree body refined from the mysterious white copper did not collapse. It endured the process. In fact, during this refinement, the divine tree itself became even more condensed and refined.

At the same time, the flames gathered toward the centers of the tree’s nine flower buds.

The flames churned endlessly, gradually condensing over time into clusters of red fireballs, while the shaking of the divine tree slowly subsided.

Qin Sang opened his eyes, which shone brilliantly.

The crimson divine tree appeared as though a layer of illusory flames constantly burned across its surface. With the slightest movement, it scattered crimson tassels resembling glowing clouds, incomparably beautiful.

The fireballs within the flower buds radiated even more dazzling light, like nine miniature suns hanging upon the tree.

Viewed this way, it truly resembled the legendary divine tree Fusang.[2]

Qin Sang carefully admired the Divine Sun Tree from top to bottom, feeling deeply satisfied. This was an astra he had personally conceived and refined, something extraordinarily rare in the current age.

Despite all the twists and hardships, he had ultimately succeeded.

He activated his spiritual consciousness and cautiously probed into the Divine Sun Tree, attempting to stimulate the fireballs upon the flower buds. Suddenly, the divine tree trembled, and the Southern Sun Fire immediately showed signs of becoming violent once more.

If the fireballs collapsed and the balance broke, all his previous efforts would be wasted. Qin Sang’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly withdrew his hand.

His gaze fell upon the nine flower buds. After condensing into fireballs, they could progress no further, which differed somewhat from his original expectations. After several attempts yielded no progress, Qin Sang understood that the problem lay in his cultivation being too low.

"It seems like I’ll need to wait until I can refine the fireballs into the forms of Firebirds and stabilize them before I can truly wield the Southern Sun Fire." Qin Sang rose to his feet as exhaustion washed over him.

Ever since entering the hidden passage, every step had felt like walking on a tightrope.

Comprehending the golden-thread ancient barrier and suppressing the True Vermillion Bird Feather had consumed an enormous amount of mental energy.

He gazed at the Divine Sun Tree with visible reluctance for quite some time. The delight on his face was impossible to hide. After expending so much effort and thought, the result had finally lived up to his expectations.

After putting away the divine tree, Qin Sang shifted his gaze and examined the pill chamber.

Aside from the golden-thread ancient barrier, there was nothing else of value. Even if the ancient cultivators had left behind treasures, they had long since been destroyed by the True Vermillion Bird Feather.

A cluster of Southern Sun Fire still remained within the furnace. Qin Sang lacked the ability to subdue it, so he could only leave it here and allow it to dissipate naturally.

Qin Sang suddenly felt a chill. Without the Southern Sun Fire blocking it, the sword qi and wind had begun invading once more.

This was not a place where he could remain for long. Qin Sang turned and left the pill chamber. Before departing, he also checked the other pill chambers, but they were damaged even more severely than this one and contained nothing of value.

There were no other treasures upon the sword-scarred mountain worth Qin Sang lingering for. After meditating within the stone hall to recover himself, he decided to leave immediately.

Using the same method as before, he lured away and killed the red foxes before crossing the most dangerous section of the dense forest.

Then Qin Sang retraced his original path and sped toward the mountain’s exterior.

1. he Divine Bronze Tree is ]a 3,000-year-old, 3.96-meter-tall artifact discovered at the Sanxingdui site in China. It is the largest single bronze artifact ever found, featuring three levels of branches, hanging fruit, birds, ☜

2. Fusang is a mythical tree in China. It is the legendary tree that the Three-Legged Crows rest on. ☜