Secured

It was difficult to imagine. Even heavenly thunder could evoke the sensation of being torn apart. A single palm print ripped through the thunderbolts. Venerable Ye emerged, his expression dark, brimming with murderous aura. On the hand that had torn the lightning apart, he wore a white glove woven as if from raw silk—gossamer-thin and delicate, the back inscribed with a galactic river, the palm cradling the sun and moon. This was an exotic treasure, likely not something of the mortal realm. The starry river circled his palm, sun and moon shining together, shattering the lightning art and keeping it from touching him. His whole body was charred black, his skin clearly bearing the marks left by the Thunder Command Art, yet it appeared far less severe than one would have expected. However, this was merely the surface. Venerable Ye had unsealed his power once more to forcibly wield an exotic treasure and survive the crisis. The price he had paid was beyond ordinary imagination, even if invisible to the eye. His gaze was sharp as a blade, pinned entirely on Qin Sang. *The old bastard really did have a trick up his sleeve!* Qin Sang was both shocked and furious. Under Venerable Ye's glare, a chill ran straight down his spine. Catching sight of the dazzling escape light enveloping Qin Sang, a flicker of surprise crossed Venerable Ye's eyes. Seizing his remaining momentum, he kicked off the ground with a sudden burst, surging in pursuit at a speed even greater than Qin Sang's. Inside the hidden cavern, another heart-stopping chase played out before everyone's eyes. One possessed transcendent escape arts, which made it no wonder he dared snatch treasure right from the hands of a Nascent Soul Patriarch. Yet the other, seemingly lacking any exquisite movement technique, was still a cut above. The distance between them closed rapidly. Fierce wind battered him from behind, making Qin Sang's scalp tingle. At long last, Qin Sang successfully reached the cave entrance, where Ming Wei was waiting inside for him. Without the slightest hesitation, he plunged into the cavern, his fingers rapidly flashing through a sequence of hand seals. *Swish! Swish!* One demonic banner after another tore free from the earth. They had lain in wait for a long time, and finally their moment had arrived. In an instant, the demonic banners formed an array, and the Nine Nether Demonic Fire surged forth in a roaring, monstrous blaze. "Go!" Before the demonic fire could even fully coalesce, Qin Sang formed an incantation seal and guided it backward. He then swept up all the demonic banners in one arm and charged deep into the cave, where he saw Ming Wei's anxiety-stricken face. *Whoosh!* The Nine Nether Demonic Fire blasted out of the cave entrance. Venerable Ye, hot on his heels, took the brunt of it. Seeing the sky-blotting Nine Nether Demonic Fire and sensing its aura, Venerable Ye froze for a fraction of a second. His face instantly drained of color, and he blurted out in shock, "True Demon Flame!" He halted abruptly, hastily crossing the hand bearing the exotic treasure across his chest and pouring everything into activating it for protection, appearing profoundly wary of the Nine Nether Demonic Fire. *Boom!* The demonic fire collided with the palm print. Rocks crumbled and demonic flames splattered everywhere. The palm print dimmed, the starry river shattered, and the sun and moon lost their light. The exotic treasure on Venerable Ye's hand began melting like snow; having been pushed hard twice in succession, its power was now nearly exhausted. Amid the chaos came Venerable Ye's exasperated, furious roar: "A hollow imitation! That isn't real True Demon Flame!" Paying no heed to his heartbreak over the artifact, he channeled its remaining power and tore through the blockade of the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, only to find the cave utterly deserted. Following Qin Sang's instructions, Ming Wei had remained near the cave entrance all along. She had seen Venerable Ye make his move with her own eyes, dispelling any lingering doubts about Qin Sang's claims. Instead, she had grown anxious over whether he would actually act, whether he could succeed, and whether he would manage to seize the Soul-Washing Liquid and hand her a bottle as agreed. And then she had watched Qin Sang strike with ruthless precision. Lightning arts, a refined corpse, a spirit beast, escape arts—linked seamlessly one after another, forcibly plucking the Soul-Washing Liquid from the fire and nearly taking Venerable Ye's old life in the process. As expected, a Nascent Soul Patriarch was truly not someone easy to deal with. Knowing the weight of her responsibility, Ming Wei had pulled back immediately, activating the Life Talisman and waiting for Qin Sang's return. Their gazes met. Seeing that Ming Wei had not fled in panic, Qin Sang breathed a sigh of relief, a faint smile surfacing on his face. Just then, a wave of hollow exhaustion washed over him. Driving the nine-banner array had sucked dry the meager true essence he had just restored with spirit pills. Fortunately, that amount had been enough to unleash a single blow of the Nine Nether Demonic Fire; otherwise, he would have been forced to consume another drop of Three Lights Jade Liquid. Seeing Qin Sang arrive, Ming Wei could hardly conceal the excitement in her eyes and instantly fully activated the Life Talisman. The Life Talisman flared with a soft light, and a complex ancient character appeared on its surface, representing 'Life.' Immediately after, the gentle radiance expanded into a halo that enveloped them both. Finally, Qin Sang commanded the baleful corpse to dash deeper into the tunnels, while Ming Wei also laid down a few countermeasures. With that, both of them vanished without a trace. *** Deep in the cavern tunnels, the baleful corpse and puppets created turmoil, scattering a tangle of conflicting auras through the labyrinth of passages that made tracking them impossible. Venerable Ye stood at the cave entrance, his search coming up empty. Right at that moment, the long-bearded elder and the others finally caught up. Not knowing how things had concluded, they all looked toward Venerable Ye, hesitating to speak. Noticing their master's expression, their unease deepened. Master hadn't hesitated to ruin an exotic treasure to forcibly break the seal—could it be that he still failed to detain them? Had three bottles of Soul-Washing Liquid truly been snatched away right before their eyes? "Master, what do we do now?" the long-bearded elder asked softly, gesturing behind him, a flicker of worry in his eyes. The cultivators gathered in the hidden cavern were all seasoned schemers. Initially intimidated by the gruesome fate of Blood Bat and the others, they had not dared contest a Nascent Soul Patriarch. When Qin Sang made his move, the situation had shifted in the blink of an eye, leaving them even more hesitant to act before the entire affair drew to a close. Now, understanding was gradually dawning on them. Inside the Trial Realm, a Nascent Soul Patriarch was not quite so invincible. At present, three bottles of Soul-Washing Liquid had been carried off by Qin Sang, their whereabouts unknown. But there remained one bottle—the one seized by the charming woman. Malicious gazes fell upon the charming woman and her companions. The crowd began to stir, shadowy figures gathering as they slowly closed in. Abandoning one bottle of Soul-Washing Liquid had been a decision reached after discussion between Qin Sang and Bai. Aiding their breakout was only part of the reason. If Qin Sang had taken all four bottles, the others would have had no cause to fight among themselves. Seeing no remaining prize, even if those cultivators saw through Venerable Ye's true state, they would not make trouble for him. They might even unite in common cause to hunt down Qin Sang instead. If Venerable Ye proved relentless, it would spell disaster were he actually to discover anything. Now, by giving up a single bottle of Soul-Washing Liquid, Venerable Ye and his followers had become the target of all. If they could force this formidable enemy to withdraw first, Qin Sang and his companion would be vastly safer—an entirely worthwhile trade. "Give me the Soul-Washing Liquid," Venerable Ye said to the charming woman. The woman bit her lip, reluctance evident, but the moment she met Venerable Ye's gaze, she startled in fright and hastily handed it over. "Let's go!" Venerable Ye cast a cold, piercing glance backward, causing the hearts of the encroaching cultivators to skip a beat. "Master, are we really just letting this go?" the burly man asked, deeply unwilling. Soul-Washing Liquid was tied directly to reaching the Nascent Soul realm—a chance of a lifetime! "Hmph! The techniques that person displayed are by no means something an ordinary cultivator could possess. His plan was meticulous; had I not been present, every drop of Soul-Washing Liquid would likely have fallen into his hands. Such secret techniques cannot have been created out of thin air. Mobilize the Business Alliance—it won't be difficult to uncover his identity. When the time comes, I'll make him spit it all back with interest!" Venerable Ye remarked coldly before darting into a passage. Su Nü felt a quiet wonder, puzzled as to how Qin Sang had managed to shake off the pursuit, and her tightly strung nerves finally began to relax.