Control

"Roar!" Someone had disturbed the guardian earth spirits. Deafening roars echoed one after another, thoroughly shattering the secret chamber's tranquility. Rumble... The grand array trembled, and mysterious ripples stirred within the black mist. Amidst the churning dark fog, towering figures rose one after another from the ground. Their auras were savage, and they roared loudly as they charged at the intruders in fury. Shadows flickered through the dark fog; the earth spirits were numerous, seeming to appear everywhere. The more people there were, the more earth spirits were drawn to them. Blood Bat cursed under his breath and said coldly, "You've all seen it. With only four bottles of Soul-Washing Liquid, there's not enough to go around, no matter who shares. Don't even bother forming alliances—let each person rely on their own skills! Strike!" Whoosh! A burst of bloody light flashed behind Blood Bat, manifesting the phantom of a blood bat. Its wings whipped up gale-force winds thick with the stench of blood as it lunged straight toward the earth spirits. Boom! An earth spirit was torn to shreds by Blood Bat, but others immediately swarmed in to take its place. The other demonic cultivators exchanged glances and likewise plunged into the army of earth spirits, charging toward the light barrier in the center. In an instant, chaotic melee erupted throughout the chamber. By now, Qin Sang and Mingwei had also entered the secret chamber. Driving the ebony sword to cleave back the earth spirits before him, Qin Sang communicated secretly with Mingwei via voice transmission. "There are only four bottles of Soul-Washing Liquid. I'm afraid our previous plan won't work." Bai was also interested in the Soul-Washing Liquid. Qin Sang was confident in snatching one bottle. But if the three of them took three bottles, they would certainly incur public wrath. If there had been enough Soul-Washing Liquid, there would still have been a chance to fish in troubled waters. Now, countless eyes were fixed on every single bottle, making even Qin Sang find the situation rather thorny. Facing so many opponents, the only thing he could rely on was his movement arts, which far surpassed those of cultivators of the same rank. But if he were cornered and his movement arts were restricted, his predicament would become exceedingly perilous. The cultivators gathered here were the elites of various sects; Qin Sang had no certainty of making a safe escape. "If it truly won't work, I won't take one," Bai said, sensing the danger. He communicated secretly with Qin Sang, prepared to give up. "Before, I only guessed that it might be helpful to me. As long as you can find the Heavenly Corpse Sect and unravel the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, whether I have the Soul-Washing Liquid won't make much difference." Qin Sang pondered briefly, then replied via voice transmission, "Let's see how the situation develops in the end. If there's an opportunity, we definitely shouldn't give it up. If you can advance to a Corpse King, it will make things far more convenient once we return to the Xiaohan Realm. The shadow of an ancient demon once appeared in the Xiaohan Realm, so it isn't peaceful, and I still have enemies there." Bai grunted an acknowledgment and said no more, trusting that Qin Sang would know his limits. Mingwei's expression was grim. Forcing a smile, she said, "Fellow Daoist Qin, you aren't planning to tear up our covenant, act alone, and leave each of us to our own fate, are you?" Though she possessed a Life Talisman, seeing this situation, she also understood that her hopes were slim. As they had traveled together, the more she learned about Qin Sang, the more unfathomable she found him. If she cooperated fully with him, she might yet have a sliver of hope. She now deeply regretted having been overly confident when making the oath, failing to bind herself tightly to Qin Sang, and ending up caught in her own cocoon. Qin Sang pondered for a long time, also hesitant. The Life Talisman in Mingwei's hands could produce miraculous effects, but joining hands with her meant that with every extra bottle of Soul-Washing Liquid they tried to take, the risk would increase by a margin. It was a tough choice. In another direction. Venerable Ye had sealed his cultivation, exerting only a fraction of his strength as he slowly approached the light barrier, keeping an exceptionally low profile. Su Nü and the others stood back-to-back, following some distance behind Venerable Ye, focusing primarily on self-preservation while biding their time. The long-bearded elder and the other two were on edge, suppressing their excitement. They cast glances at the Soul-Washing Liquid from time to time, itching to pocket it immediately. Only Su Nü was not so fervent about the liquid. Her beautiful eyes darted around as she secretly observed the other cultivators in the chamber. Black mist swirled as cultivators and earth spirits fought in chaos. Right then, Su Nü's gaze narrowed slightly, locking onto a figure. Though she could not see clearly, she was certain that this person was the one she was looking for. Her heart stirred. The offensive of the demonic saber in her hand slackened slightly, and she was forced back by an earth spirit. Unexpectedly, the earth spirit attacked ferociously, and Su Nü was on the verge of falling into danger. Slash! A saber glow flew past from behind Su Nü, cutting down the earth spirit. Steadying herself, Su Nü breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you for your help, Senior Brother." The burly man swung his saber repeatedly, driving back the earth spirits to relieve pressure on Su Nü, and asked with concern, "Junior Sister, are you alright? Is your primordial spirit unstable? Don't circulate your true essence for now—come to our center to regulate your breathing so your mind doesn't collapse!" Upon reaching this place, the influence of the Cave of Bewildered Souls had not vanished; instead, it had intensified. Fortunately, all of them were top experts who possessed one method or another to protect their primordial spirits, leaving them with surplus strength to fight the earth spirits. Catching her breath, Su Nü shook her head and said, "The cultivation technique I practice happens to stabilize the mind, so the effect isn't significant. However, we're clustered too closely together; my movement arts are completely stifled. Eldest Senior Brother, why don't we spread out a bit? As long as we don't separate too far, there shouldn't be any danger." The alluring woman chimed in, "Junior Sister is right! Cramming together binds our hands and feet! When Master is ready to make his move, it won't be too late to gather and form the array." The long-bearded elder sighed. "I was originally worried you might be affected by the Cave of Bewildered Souls... but since both Junior Sisters think so, let's take a battle array formation, holding the four directions so we can watch each other's backs." "All right!" The four parted and each took a position. The situation quickly stabilized. The long-bearded elder and the others focused on dealing with the earth spirits, failing to notice Su Nü's subtle movements. Su Nü kept her eyes locked on that figure, her peripheral vision catching Venerable Ye's back, her heart pounding with tension. She activated her demonic wings, slashing at earth spirits with her saber while concealing her other hand inside her sleeve, secretly pinching incantation hand-seals. Venerable Ye was moving quickly, drawing closer and closer to the seal. The distance widened. Slash! Su Nü cleaved an earth spirit down with one stroke. But before it collapsed to the ground, her other hand shot out like lightning, pressing against the center of its brow, after which she slashed with her saber to send it flying far away. Remarkably, that earth spirit did not sink into the ground. Its body wobbled as it scrambled back to its feet—it had been brought under Su Nü's control. Its hollow eye sockets flickered with eerie light. Shaking its head, the earth spirit turned to look at a figure battling earth spirits in the distance. Then, stomping hard against the ground, it dashed toward that figure. The earth spirits seemed endless, growing stronger the closer one drew to the seal. Surrounded and engulfed by the army of earth spirits, the crowd could only press forward inch by inch. The strongest among them had already begun attacking the seal. Qin Sang was in no rush to charge ahead. He was discussing plans with Mingwei. "Fellow Daoist..." Qin Sang paused mid-sentence through his voice transmission, his tone faltering as his sword incantation abruptly shifted. Sweeping through the horde of earth spirits with invincible momentum, the ebony sword suddenly reined in its radiant glow and hovered before an earth spirit. Qin Sang turned to look. Just now, he had sensed something unusual—this earth spirit seemed abnormal. "Fellow Daoist, it's me!" A familiar voice echoed from within the earth spirit.