Qin Sang had never crossed hands with Old Demon Ye, but judging by the Snake King's expression, the rumors were likely true.
The Old Demon Ye who had emerged from the blood lake carried an aura superior even to the Snake King's. His cultivation was beyond doubt—a top master at the peak of the Mid-Nascent Soul stage.
Old Demon Ye gave Qin Sang a feeling of danger even greater than what he had felt from the alliance heads of the Three Great Merchant Alliances before the Inner Hall of the Hall of Seven Kills.
He did not know whether the Old Demon Ye from the front lines had slipped back in secret, or if there truly were two Old Demon Yes.
"An external incarnation? A second nascent soul? Or some other similar secret art?"
Qin Sang's thoughts raced.
If Old Demon Ye truly had an incarnation of equal cultivation, he was genuinely the foremost master in the Beichen Realm.
Qin Sang had only stepped in to seize the treasure after confirming his safety, never expecting that just as he was about to make his escape, a formidable enemy would appear and bar his way forward.
For reasons unknown, Old Demon Ye had been hiding within the blood lake, and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had failed to detect anything amiss there.
Qin Sang could only be thankful that he had not hesitated before acting, striking with thunderous force from the start.
Old Demon Ye had probably not expected an uninvited guest to suddenly appear and disrupt their plans either.
Otherwise, had Old Demon Ye noticed him in advance and had ample time to lay an ambush—luring the tiger into the trap—his plight would have been even more perilous than it was now.
Taken completely by surprise, Qin Sang and the Snake King could only watch as Cultivator Lu and the Cold Lizard were engulfed by the blood water.
*Crash...*
The blood water did not originate from the blood lake; it seemed to surge forth from the void, in an instant forming a vast crimson river that thoroughly cut off their retreat.
Watching the roaring waves, Qin Sang and the Snake King were inwardly alarmed, seized by a sense of dread.
After being swallowed up, the Cold Lizard and Cultivator Lu made no response whatsoever, appearing completely defenseless. No one knew how they fared now.
Did Old Demon Ye truly possess such terrifying might that he could instantly kill a transformed demon king and a Mid-Nascent Soul master?
Compared to the Snake King, Qin Sang faced even greater pressure.
A vicious wind blew in from behind; the evil spirit was right at his heels.
After Old Demon Ye appeared, he had first cast out the river of blood, then turned his gaze upon Qin Sang. His eyes were cold and grim; clearly, he had targeted Qin Sang as well.
One could only blame Qin Sang's performance just now for being too dazzling: under everyone's watchful eyes, he had forcibly wrested a treasure from within the evil spirit and still managed to retreat with ease.
The Sin Abyss cultivators' wariness of him ran even deeper than their wariness of the Snake King.
If this continued, Qin Sang would soon face a pincer attack from formidable foes who each surpassed him in strength. How could he slip through the narrow gap and escape this place?
At the same time Old Demon Ye appeared, Jiang Chenzi and his two companions dispersed in tacit coordination, hemming Qin Sang and the others in the center. Casting hand seals they had prepared long ago one after another, they drove their treasure banners with all their might.
The three treasure banners hung planted in the air, their qi mutually connected and linked to the blood water below.
The power of the banner array condensed into bloody mist, surging continuously toward the river of blood and the surroundings, quickly draping the void in a crimson veil.
Their ambitions were great: not only did they intend to cooperate with Old Demon Ye to thoroughly suppress Cultivator Lu and the Cold Lizard and seal the exit shut, but they also aimed to lock down the space to prevent Qin Sang and the Snake King from fleeing in any other direction.
The situation was shifting in the blink of an eye.
Hard-pressed to dodge and maneuver under the evil spirit's pursuit, Qin Sang saw this and knew that once their spirit array was fully formed, he and the Snake King would both be trapped here with grim prospects.
Within the river of blood, the Cold Lizard and Cultivator Lu still made no sound or movement, their fate unknown.
This route was definitively blocked.
Looking at the river of blood made Qin Sang's heart palpitate. Unclear on the river's secrets, he had no desire to charge in recklessly and test Old Demon Ye's strength with his own life.
Ever decisive, Qin Sang merged his body with his sword, shifted direction, and lunged toward the nearest opponent, Jiang Chenzi.
Seeing Qin Sang head straight for him, Jiang Chenzi showed not the least sign of panic. A cold sneer curled the corner of his lips, and his divine sense completed an exchange with his two companions in an instant.
The three treasure banners turned to face Qin Sang, shifting the array's power toward his direction.
*Swish!*
The ebony sword shone with brilliant luster as it struck out once more.
Sword light pierced through the bloody mist, pointing straight at Jiang Chenzi.
Jiang Chenzi's gaze tightened slightly. Only when facing the sword directly did he realize how extraordinary it was—a standout even among supreme-grade magic treasures. Sheltered behind the treasure banner outside the array, he still felt a faint prickling pain once the sword locked onto him.
Thick bloody mist rolled forward to suppress the ebony sword.
The sword light was forced to retract, and the ebony sword appeared about to be pinned down.
Right then, the ebony sword vanished into thin air, and the Seven Po Killing Array reappeared!
Qin Sang held nothing back. Carrying the full might of the sword array, the ebony sword tore through the bloody mist in a fierce advance.
Yet they were facing three Nascent Soul masters. A lone ebony sword could hardly hold out on its own, and since Qin Sang had only recently formed his Nascent Soul, even the Seven Po Killing Array had its limits, no matter how powerful.
At this moment, the twelve demonic banners circled Qin Sang continuously, while Nine Nether Demonic Fire spread out behind him. Qin Sang looked like a demon lord stepping out of demonic flames, a domain of black fire blanketing the air behind him.
Moreover, a tortoise shell hovered behind his back, ringing out with periodic dull thuds and exuding gentle dark water power like a massive shield.
This was born of necessity: only by relying on the Nine Nether Demonic Fire and the Nine-Life Black Tortoise shell could Qin Sang barely keep himself safe under the evil spirit's attacks.
Neither treasure could be spared, and neither could be diverted elsewhere.
Seeing the ebony sword thwarted, Qin Sang was just about to cast the *Thunder Command Art* and throw all his methods into the fray when he saw an astounding blade light slash out fiercely from beside him!
"The Snake King has finally struck!"
Qin Sang breathed a sigh of relief.
Earlier, when making his decision, Qin Sang had secretly sent a transmission to the Snake King, explaining that this path was impassable and that he knew another way out.
Yet Qin Sang hadn't been sure what choice the Snake King would make.
After all, the Snake King had come seeking treasure alongside Cultivator Lu and the others, so the trust among them was surely stronger. Furthermore, the exit lay right below; so long as they broke through the blood river's blockade, they could escape.
Fortunately, the Snake King had ultimately chosen to believe him.
The black blade shot after the ebony sword, slashing toward Jiang Chenzi.
The black blade's aura was not the slightest bit inferior to the ebony sword's. Its hundred-zhang blade ray looked like a rift in space, wiping every trace of ease from Jiang Chenzi's face and leaving it steeped in gravity.
Divine patterns intertwined across the three treasure banners, and boundless blood water surged forth, condensing into barrier upon barrier.
Racing abreast, the ebony sword and the black blade joined forces to slash through the barriers. At the same time, their power was rapidly draining; just as they seemed about to break through the blockade and strike Jiang Chenzi, their strength was exhausted.
The smile returned to Jiang Chenzi's face. He was just about to drive the spirit array to force them back when his expression suddenly froze.
The dimmed blade of the ebony sword flickered, and in an instant, it splashed out a beam of bloody light.
They could not be more familiar with this bloody light.
The Blood Filth Divine Light!
In order to accomplish everything in a single stroke, Old Demon Ye had exhausted every means to search for Boundless Blood Mulberry, barely assembling enough for the Filthy Blood Array. That painstaking effort had not been in vain; at the Ziwei Palace, it had instantly crippled the magic treasures of most cultivators from both domains.
Regrettably, word had somehow leaked out. Despite sacrificing so much precious spiritual wood, the sneak attack had only yielded mediocre results, and they had still ended up mired in a protracted war spanning a century.
"Using a man's own methods against him..."
The thought suddenly flashed through Jiang Chenzi's mind.
Chapter 1212