Clay Puppets

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly observed in secret. There were no other Nascent Souls in the vicinity; Fairy Qiuzhi was alone. Qin Sang made no attempt to retreat or evade. He knew full well that once his identity was exposed, Sin Abyss would never allow him to slaughter at will. They would either dispatch a master to suppress him or send someone who countered his abilities to keep him in check. Qiuzhi's appearance came as no surprise to him. Besides, it was too early to tell who would be keeping whom in check. Having slain Yue Sanren and now pinning down a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator from Sin Abyss, his battle results were already beyond expectations. He needed only to concentrate on dealing with Qiuzhi, leaving the battles elsewhere to the others. At this thought, Qin Sang raised his arm and abruptly gathered all of the Nine Nether Demonic Fire into his sleeve. With the demonic fire gone, Qin Sang summoned the ebony sword once more. Forming sword seals in rapid succession, the sword radiance flickered as the flying sword pointed from afar at Fairy Qiuzhi. "So you are Qin Sang!" Fairy Qiuzhi said coldly. "Why aren't you using your demonic fire?" Qin Sang's demonic fire banners were rumored to be miraculous, and especially after Old Demon Ye had been forced to detonate his Blood Demon avatar, they had become something that struck terror into the hearts of Sin Abyss cultivators. However, Fairy Qiuzhi showed no fear. If anything, she wished to experience the might of the demonic fire for herself. "Wouldn't deciding victory in an instant be rather dull? Fairy, why don't you first figure out how to block my flying sword?" Qin Sang said indifferently. The ebony sword shone dazzlingly, splitting into streaks of sword light that surfaced in the void like points of starlight, all pointing straight at Fairy Qiuzhi. Killing intent fused into the sword intent, soul-stirring and faintly locking down the surrounding space. Fairy Qiuzhi also possessed considerable attainments in the dao of the sword, so she felt it more acutely than others, recognizing how profound Qin Sang's mastery was. A flicker of solemnity flashed through her eyes. No wonder Yue Sanren had lost his life so easily after falling into the sword array. On swordsmanship alone, this man could hold a prominent place in the Beichen Realm. Fairy Qiuzhi scoffed, speaking disdainfully, "When you killed Yue Sanren, you didn't use your stronger demonic fire banners, but rather a sword array. It shows you had no confidence in trapping and killing him with the banners. Either the demonic fire has a flaw, or you cannot control it perfectly, leaving openings that would have allowed him to escape. Now it seems the banners' limitations don't stop there. The might of that demonic fire is unlike anything I have ever witnessed; having reached the Nascent Soul realm only recently, you likely struggle to sustain the drain of such a treasure, do you not?" Qin Sang's expression darkened. This woman was exceptionally shrewd. Before they had even clashed, she had easily deduced the weaknesses of the demonic banners merely from his few actions just now. That was precisely why he had shelved the demonic fire banners and switched to the ebony sword. Deploying all eighteen demonic banners consumed too much energy to maintain for long. His previous uses had all occurred at critical junctures—facing formidable foes or in guaranteed kill scenarios. Furthermore, controlling the banners left little room to divide his attention. Being in the enemy lines now, he naturally needed to hold some strength in reserve to avoid being drawn into a trap. If he used only a few banners, they wouldn't be as handy as his natal spirit sword and the Seven Po Killing Array. Seeing Qin Sang remain silent, Fairy Qiuzhi became even more certain of her deductions. For someone who had only recently formed a Nascent Soul to slay a Blood Demon avatar was simply too fantastic a tale. No matter how powerful a magic treasure was, it was ultimately an external object; one's cultivation realm was the true foundation. The battle at Blood Lake had ultimately been forced by circumstances. Had the Blood Demon avatar wished to flee, Qin Sang would never have been able to stop him. *Whoosh!* Fairy Qiuzhi formed a sword seal with her jade fingers. A cluster of yellow light flew from her palm, then coalesced before her into a Xuanhuang Greatsword, which she grabbed in her hand. Her slender fingers tightly gripped the greatsword's hilt, angling it toward Qin Sang. Seeing a greatsword as large as a door panel, Qin Sang could not help but be taken aback. Fairy Qiuzhi was petite, creating a striking contrast with the greatsword. Brandished in her grasp, it exuded a peculiar beauty of violence. *Buzz!* Fairy Qiuzhi's jade-like arm trembled slightly. Dense yellow light erupted from the Xuanhuang Greatsword. Rather than striking at Qin Sang, it showered down onto the ground beneath her. At the same time, Fairy Qiuzhi tapped repeatedly with her other hand, shooting out streaks of light that turned out to be talismans. As the talismans merged into the yellow light, the ground writhed. Then, one clay puppet after another leaped out from the earth. These clay puppets were tall and burly, their bodies composed of sharp-edged stone blocks. Though seemingly cumbersome, they were exceptionally agile. Each puppet gripped a stone sword—a spitting image of the Xuanhuang Greatsword. *Swish!* The clay puppets raised their swords high, resonating with Fairy Qiuzhi's Xuanhuang Greatsword as a peculiar ripple emanated outward. "A sword array!" As a fellow sword cultivator, Qin Sang recognized it at a glance. The scene before him reminded him of the puppet sword array he had encountered in the Hall of Seven Kills. Fairy Qiuzhi appeared to have fused the dao of the sword with the dao of talismans, summoning clay puppets to create a unique sword array. How could Qin Sang let her have her way? Without hesitation, he spurred the ebony sword to thrust forward at blazing speed! Sword light rained down. Fairy Qiuzhi's figure stood motionless as a mountain. Suddenly, with a reverse grip, she plunged the Xuanhuang Greatsword into the earth. *Boom!* The earth shook. Xuanhuang sword light surged into the clay puppets. As if coated in gold, their aura surged. They whipped around, glaring furiously at Qin Sang, and slashed their greatswords downward in a flash! In the next instant, a massive beam of Xuanhuang sword light hacked furiously toward the ebony sword, while a curtain of sword light manifested before Fairy Qiuzhi. The ebony sword pulverized the Xuanhuang sword light and pierced into the curtain, only to encounter tremendous resistance, as though countless spirit swords were relentlessly assailing it. Qin Sang shifted sword seals repeatedly. Incomparably sharp, the ebony sword finally closed in on Fairy Qiuzhi. With a tremor of its blade, the void abruptly dimmed, and even the Xuanhuang Greatsword lost some of its brilliance. Just as Fairy Qiuzhi seemed about to follow in Yue Sanren's footsteps, she abruptly twisted the greatsword. The clay puppets seemed to merge into one with the Xuanhuang Greatsword in her hands, and the sword array was finally complete! The two masters of the sword dao clashed head-on. All the clay puppets were linked in breath and aura, advancing and retreating in unison around Fairy Qiuzhi. Though Qin Sang shifted his formations again and again, he could not harm her true body. Little did he know, Fairy Qiuzhi was just as shaken. She had combined her insights into the sword dao and talisman dao, and her cultivation was a level higher than Qin Sang's. Although she wasn't helpless like Yue Sanren, she still couldn't overcome the Seven Po Killing Array for the moment. Had her divine sense not been so strong, she would have been heavily affected. *The sword technique this man learned must have an extraordinary origin!* Fairy Qiuzhi narrowed her eyes and raised the Xuanhuang Greatsword to counterattack. *Rumble...* The Xun Wind Grand Formation clashed violently with Sin Abyss's defensive formation, violent winds raging and colossal waves surging to the heavens. Qin Sang and Fairy Qiuzhi fought for countless bouts, battling all the way into the depths of the grand formation. The combat between them lacked deafening clamor. In the dim void, undercurrents surged, punctuated by bursts of profound sword light. It looked more like two cultivators proficient in the sword dao sparring over swordcraft than a life-or-death struggle. Suddenly, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly sounded an alarm. Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. Flapping his thunder wings with urgent speed, his figure shifted dozens of zhang to the side in an instant. Even as Qin Sang dodged, the ground beneath writhed silently. Without the slightest warning, four clay puppets sprang high into the air from the earth, raising their greatswords. Four sword beams crisscrossed, sealing off all four directions to slash together toward where Qin Sang had stood. It was unknown what method Fairy Qiuzhi had used to conceal the clay puppets here, blending them seamlessly with the rock and mountain without the faintest fluctuation. Fortunately, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had been vigilant.