Old Demon Ye

Qin Sang let out a long breath of relief and hastily retrieved the twelve demonic banners along with the white bronze. Without taking time to inspect it, he merged his form with his spirit sword and instantly shifted sideways. The azure light finally brewed to fruition, almost scraping past Qin Sang's back. That hair-raising brush left Qin Sang's heart pounding. Yet everything had stayed within his control; he had successfully snatched the white bronze. He could only hope the white bronze would not disappoint him. The entire act of seizing the treasure had unfolded in the blink of an eye. "Roar!" The agonizing pain coupled with the grudge of stolen treasure drove the evil spirit completely mad. Its hatred for Qin Sang ran to the bone, even eclipsing its malice toward the Snake King's trio. For the Snake King and his companions, this was the best news possible. While Qin Sang made his move, they hadn't idled either. Cultivator Lu and the Cold Lizard joined forces to obstruct the evil spirit's long tail, then seized the moment when its attention was drawn by Qin Sang to dive together toward the exit of the Abyss Ruins below. The Snake King cast some unknown secret technique; his black saber struck with ferocious abandon, sweeping wide and carving through the air as he took on two opponents alone, forcing Jiang Chenzi and his partner into utter disarray, leaving them barely able to parry. Meanwhile, the other Sin Abyss Nascent Soul cultivator seemed to have only just reacted, flusteredly summoning his magic treasure—which unexpectedly turned out to be a treasure banner identical to Jiang Chenzi's. Watching Qin Sang seize the treasure right under their noses, the three Sin Abyss Nascent Soul cultivators were alarmed by the divine abilities and magic treasures he had displayed—not only were they extraordinarily potent, but they also restrained the evil spirit—and at the same time, they were infuriated. They had long considered the treasures inside the snake spirit their exclusive domain. This interloper's appearance had not only ruined an excellent situation, but had also snatched one of the treasures while they were forced to watch helplessly. The Snake King harbored an entirely different mood. He was likewise stunned by Qin Sang's hidden strength; how ridiculous that he had sent Qianji Demon King to duel the man back then—even if he had taken the field in person, he probably wouldn't have stood much of a chance. Having forced back Jiang Chenzi and his partner, the Snake King immediately recalled his black saber and darted toward the exit behind the Cold Lizard and Lu, urgently transmitting his voice at the same time: "Brilliant methods, Fellow Daoist! We cannot linger here—hurry, withdraw!" Even after seeing that Qin Sang could suppress the evil spirit, the Snake King and his comrades had no intention of remaining behind to assist him in looting the rest. First, the evil spirit had merely lost its sentience to malevolent thoughts; it was no lifeless husk. Its instincts remained intact. The same trick used against it a second time would yield drastically reduced results. Tangle with it any longer, and who knew how long it would take to succeed. Second, they had not come away empty-handed; they had already secured what appeared to be the most vital treasure and had no reason to risk life and limb for two items of unknown utility. Having cultivated to such a realm, how could they not understand when to take and when to yield? The Snake King kindly warned Qin Sang, urging him to flee alongside them. Though Qin Sang had primarily come for the treasure, it was an indisputable fact that he had rescued them from peril, and they had to acknowledge that favor regardless. Qin Sang was doing his utmost to evade the evil spirit's pursuit. Facing the creature alone multiplied the pressure on him. He had encountered the Demon Lord in the Hall of Seven Kills, but the one who had truly faced the Demon Lord then was not him, but Qingzhu and a host of senior experts. The evil spirit was arguably the most formidable opponent he had ever confronted directly. Hearing the Snake King's transmission, Qin Sang nodded inwardly. He had guessed right: the Snake King and the others had indeed secured a passage to sneak into the Abyss Ruins. He had originally thought it lay within the blood lake, but it turned out to be down below. Qin Sang promptly gathered his escape light and surged toward the exit behind the Snake King. He had already searched the Heavenly Corpse Sect's headquarters thoroughly. Leaving smoothly from here saved him from taking a roundabout path. By now, Cultivator Lu and the Cold Lizard were a step ahead, arriving right before the exit. Qin Sang and the Snake King were slightly slower, with the snake spirit and the Sin Abyss Nascent Souls pursuing behind each of them respectively. Just as Cultivator Lu and the Cold Lizard were about to enter the exit, an ominous premonition suddenly gripped Qin Sang for reasons unknown. "Something's wrong! What went wrong? What did I overlook?" Qin Sang's heart tightened. The sensation was intensely sharp, as though some lethal danger lay in wait right beside them, yet he had failed to sense it all along. This was the Sin Abyss's home territory—how could Qin Sang have been careless? Before striking, Qin Sang had even channeled the Witch clan's secret insect-controlling arts to stimulate the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine ability, scouring the surroundings inch by inch to confirm no one else lurked in the shadows and that there was no sign of other Nascent Souls rushing over for now. While he made his move, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had never relaxed its vigilance for even a fleeting moment. Yet despite such meticulous caution, an oversight had still occurred. The very moment these thoughts surfaced in Qin Sang's mind, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly transmitted a fierce warning. Crash! Behind the battlefield, sudden ripples disturbed the previously calm blood lake. In an instant, a tempest of blood formed. The bloody water gathered into surging waves that reared high, unexpectedly shaping into a blood-colored gate in midair. Inside the blood gate, boundless crimson water roiled, then parted to both sides, faintly revealing a silhouette that flew out from within, seemingly slow yet deceptively swift. At the same time the blood gate and figure appeared, the space before the exit was submerged by bloody water without warning. Caught entirely off guard, the Cold Lizard and Cultivator Lu were swept inside. Seeing this, Jiang Chenzi and the other two showed no surprise on their faces. They immediately abandoned their pursuit, broke apart abruptly, and each held a treasure banner, assuming a Three Talents formation to lay down a blood-colored banner array! The Nascent Soul who had hidden in the shadows had previously seemed clumsy and slow. The Snake King and the others had assumed Qin Sang's assault had been too fierce and the tides of battle had shifted too quickly, catching the man unprepared and leaving him half a beat behind. Looking at him now, he wore a shrewd look, without a trace of hesitation in his movements. His earlier clumsiness had clearly been an act. Even Jiang Chenzi and his companions' pursuit had been a sham, meant solely to lull their opponents into complacency while waiting for this exact moment! The figure flew out from the blood gate, its face growing clearer and clearer. "Old Demon Ye!" Glimpsing the person's true face, the Snake King blurted out in shock, his expression twisting in horror. He and Qin Sang had both halted in time. Fortunately, they lagged behind Cultivator Lu and the Cold Lizard; seeing things turn foul, they stopped immediately and were not dragged into the blood water. Hearing the Snake King's gasp, Qin Sang's gaze narrowed in utter astonishment. Old Demon Ye was actually here! Years ago, Old Demon Ye had orchestrated a surprise raid on Ziwei Palace that nearly annihilated the high-ranking cultivators of both domains, leaving an indelible impression on Qin Sang. This man's cultivation realm was on par with Patriarch Chifa and Daoist Zhenyi—only a hair's breadth away from entering the ranks of great cultivators—yet both of them regarded him as their lifelong nemesis and held immense dread for him. The Sin Abyss's conquests on every front, which had plunged the Beichen Realm into widespread conflict, were spearheaded single-handedly by this very man. Qin Sang considered that, with his divine abilities, there were few people left in the Beichen Realm whom he truly needed to fear, but Old Demon Ye was undeniably one of them—someone best avoided whenever possible. Yet ever since the war began, Old Demon Ye had never left the front lines. During that previous surprise offensive, Daoist Zhenyi had reportedly confronted Old Demon Ye in person and waged a grand battle against him. It was precisely because they were certain Old Demon Ye was pinned down at the front lines that Qin Sang and the Snake King had boldly infiltrated the Abyss Ruins. Neither of them had expected Old Demon Ye to suddenly emerge from the blood lake. Moreover, Old Demon Ye did not seem to have just returned; his aura was deeply intertwined with the blood lake, showing that he had clearly lingered here for a long time. 'Could there be two Old Demon Yes at the peak of the mid-Nascent Soul stage?' An absurd thought flashed across Qin Sang's mind.