Sun De paled in fright. In a flurried rush, he unleashed a streak of rosy light, within which lay a finely woven immortal net. It spread open at the crucial moment to block the Yin Thunder, but immediately afterward, Qin Sang casually hurled several pre-prepared talismans. Ice, fire, and earthen spikes flew together in a chaotic barrage, battering the net until it tottered on the verge of collapse.
Closely following behind, the ebony sword took advantage of the net's dimming spiritual glow and slashed it straight in two.
With his magic tool so easily destroyed, the caught-off-guard Sun De only had time to dodge sideways. The ebony sword grazed his lower ribs, leaving a long, narrow wound.
Sun De let out another shrill scream. Panicked, he cried out at the top of his lungs, "Junior Brother Qin, stop! It's a misunderstanding!"
Qin Sang turned a deaf ear.
Sun De's words and actions were utterly bizarre. Though Qin Sang harbored countless doubts, he knew that under no circumstances could he give the man a chance to catch his breath. If Sun De were allowed to unleash some powerful magic tool, the tables might well turn. He had to crush him completely in one relentless push.
Pressed hard by the ebony sword, along with the talismans and Yin Thunder Qin Sang flung out without warning, Sun De did not even have the chance to retrieve a magic tool. He glared viciously at Qin Sang, chanting incantations under his breath. A moment later, he suddenly stared at Qin Sang in utter astonishment, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable.
Qin Sang had no idea what tricks Sun De was playing at. Channeling his sword formula with full strength, the ebony sword dissolved into streaks of sword light that engulfed Sun De, directly slashing open his qi sea.
Ultimately, Sun De was driven into a corner of the cave dwelling, left with nowhere to run.
Qin Sang severed Sun De's limbs, flicked away his mustard seed bag, and left him with a single breath of life.
Sun De lay motionless on the ground, seemingly passed out. Qin Sang cautiously swept his spiritual sense over him. Once certain Sun De could no longer stir up any trouble, he recalled the ebony sword.
At that moment, a blue orb of light suddenly burst from the crown of Sun De's head, shooting like a meteor straight for Qin Sang's face.
Not a trace of panic appeared on Qin Sang's face. Just as the orb was about to touch his brow, he quietly activated the Heavenly Star Tear. A protective shroud immediately surfaced over his body, deflecting the orb of light away.
The orb trembled in midair and made to flee toward the entrance. How could Qin Sang allow it to escape? In a flash, he blocked its path. The glow of spiritual power enveloped his palm as he grabbed it firmly. Squeezing tightly, a cry of agony immediately rang out from within.
"Junior Brother Qin, spare my life! I only grew worried seeing you stay in seclusion for so long, so I came in to check on you. I had no intention of forcing my way into your cave dwelling—it's all a misunderstanding! For the sake of our bond as fellow sect members, I beg you to show mercy!"
Sun De's desperate pleas echoed repeatedly in Qin Sang's mind, but Qin Sang remained entirely unmoved. Expressionless, he looked at Sun De's origin soul, then glanced down at the completely ruined Soul-Bewildering Mirrors on the ground, and said coldly, "Senior Brother Sun, if it's all a misunderstanding, could you explain to me how you destroyed the Soul-Bewildering Mirrors? And why were you so certain I would die?"
He had originally thought Sun De possessed some powerful magic tool to forcibly break the Soul-Bewildering Mirrors, but once the man showed himself, Qin Sang realized that was not the case.
Could a top-grade magic tool—one that had even formed an array—be destroyed so easily?
And then there was Sun De's exclamation when they first met. A cultivator breaking through to the tenth layer faced virtually no lethal danger, so why had he assumed Qin Sang was dead?
Qin Sang suddenly had a strong premonition.
"This..."
Sun De hesitated. Qin Sang let out a cold snort and tightened his grip once more.
The orb of light fluctuated violently. Sun De wailed in pain before yelling, "Junior Brother Qin, have mercy! It's because your mirrors are baleful artifacts forged with yin baleful qi using a special restriction! I've seen them before and knew how to unravel that restriction, which is why... Junior Brother Qin, don't be angry! This kind of baleful artifact doesn't last. Even if I hadn't destroyed them, they would have broken down on their own after being used for a while..."
Hearing Sun De's words, Qin Sang kept his grip on Sun De's origin soul, a thoughtful look crossing his face.
If what Sun De said was true and the Soul-Bewildering Mirrors were baleful artifacts, then the seventeen magic tools they had obtained from Sect Master Yi were probably no exception—they were all forged using yin baleful qi. No wonder every single one carried an indelible, chilling chill.
It was true of the Chilong Sword and the Soul-Bewildering Mirrors. As for the Cloudfall Wings, because their function was merely concealment, it was less pronounced.
Qin Sang looked down at Sun De's origin soul, a strange glint surfacing in his eyes. Out of nowhere, he asked, "Even the master artifact refiners in the cultivation markets couldn't tell. Senior Brother Sun is truly knowledgeable. It seems you have quite a deep connection with the Kuiyin Sect."
He had never heard of so-called baleful artifacts before. Having asked so many artifact refiners across the cultivation markets, not one of them had been able to point it out, yet Sun De knew it so clearly.
The orb of light fell silent.
Qin Sang was secretly surprised. He had only been bluffing, yet Sun De truly was connected to the Kuiyin Sect.
After a long silence, Sun De sighed softly. "Junior Brother Qin, whatever you wish to know, I'll tell you. But you must swear that after I finish, you'll spare my life."
Qin Sang's eyes flashed. He said impassively, "Senior Brother Sun, you don't seem to be in any position to negotiate. If you say nothing, I will kill you right now! Besides, did you think the cultivation world lacks methods to make someone talk? Let's see just how unyielding you really are!"
Without waiting for Sun De to speak, Qin Sang's expression darkened. Spiritual power flared in his palm as he began to forcefully grind down Sun De's origin soul. Qin Sang had experienced pain originating from the soul long ago; he did not believe Sun De could endure it.
Sure enough, Sun De screamed incessantly. The orb of light grew dimmer and dimmer until it finally morphed into a face, pitifully begging Qin Sang for mercy over and over.
"Junior Brother Qin, stop! I'll speak, I'll speak..."
Having taught him a sufficient lesson, Qin Sang finally stopped, his eyes glinting with cold light as he stared at Sun De.
Sun De looked cautiously at Qin Sang. "Junior Brother Qin guessed right. My background is indeed connected to the Kuiyin Sect. First, let me ask you a question: have you not been cultivating with the Yanluo Banner?"
Qin Sang countered, "How did you find out I had a Yanluo Banner?"
He had possessed the Yanluo Banner ever since joining the Kuiyin Sect in the Youshan Cultivation Market, and even Yue Wu had failed to detect it.
"Junior Brother Qin, surely you haven't forgotten the Heart-Devouring Insect in your origin soul?"
Sun De gave a dry laugh. Seeing Qin Sang's dark expression, he dared not beat around the bush any longer. "Patriarch Kuiyin discovered several corpses of Heart-Devouring Insects inside a chunk of thousand-year cold ice, and he created a venomous gu technique that allowed one to manipulate the dead insects to control others. This is no secret within the Kuiyin Sect.
"From what I know, very few corpses of the Heart-Devouring Insect remain. Sect Master Old Ghost Yi hoarded them all, and only recently was willing to use them in order to plant disciples within the Yuanzhao Sect.
"That day on Shaohua Mountain, when I sensed the Heart-Devouring Insect inside you, I guessed you might have fled from the Yuanzhao Sect. Old Ghost Yi naturally had no reason to fear betrayal from his trusted confidants sent to the Yuanzhao Sect; only those disciples picked from the Yin Baleful Abyss were deemed untrustworthy and controlled with Heart-Devouring Insects. And those disciples would inevitably carry a Yanluo Banner.
"I tested you a little, and seeing that you indeed chose the chores at Dichen Cave, I thought everything was foolproof. What I never expected was that you would actually resist the temptation of the Yanluo Banner and refrain from cultivating with Soul Pills. With such character and willpower, I don't feel wronged to have fallen into your hands this time."
Hearing this, Qin Sang grew even more puzzled. "What happens if someone cultivates with the Yanluo Banner?"
"They become a sacrifice," Sun De said.
Chapter 109