Rendezvous

In the void, iridescent light interwove and shone together, obscuring everything else from view. This was the manifestation of the restrictive spells' power; not only did it block vision, but its might was also not to be underestimated. Standing inside the restriction, Qin Sang felt as though he had stepped into a world of neon rainbows. "There!" Qin Sang pointed at a cluster of purple light ahead and steered his sword to strike. Swish! A mysterious pagoda flew over the purple light in response, conjuring the phantom image of a pagoda that slammed violently downward! Sword and pagoda struck in unison. The purple light shattered. The rainbow glow dissipated, and the scene before their eyes shifted drastically—they had broken through yet another layer of restrictions. At the same moment, a warning shiver ran through Qin Sang, and he dodged deftly about with practiced ease. An instant later, a tide of attacks predictably surged toward them. Gleaming blades, flashing swords, and myriad Daoist arts. Qin Sang would not have spared a glance for any single one of these attacks on its own, but with all of them arriving together under the grand formation's amplification, even he had to avoid the brunt of their force. Qin Sang summoned his tortoise shell shield, holding it before him. Thud! Thud! Thud! The tortoise shell shield vibrated, blocking every attack outside. Right then, Qin Sang and Qingjun simultaneously received a transmission from Old Daoist Zhenyi. Braving the enemy's onslaught, their figures flickered as they located Old Daoist Zhenyi within the formation. Demon Monarch Tongyou was already a step ahead of them. Once everyone had gathered, Old Daoist Zhenyi said hurriedly, "This poor Daoist just received a transmission. The hidden agent intended to assassinate the city defenders and shut down the grand defensive formation, but he was accidentally exposed and is now being pursued. The other Daoist friends will remain here to pin down the formation, while I ask you all to come with me to extract him. He occupies a high position and knows the Sin Abyss's deepest secrets like the back of his hand—he cannot be lost!" "Is the agent you planted in the Sin Abyss truly a Nascent Soul expert, Daoist Zhenyi?" Upon hearing this, Qin Sang could not help but ask. To pull off such deeds and still manage to escape intact after exposure could only be accomplished by a Nascent Soul cultivator. No wonder Old Daoist Zhenyi was so well-informed—to think he had even turned a Nascent Soul expert! Old Daoist Zhenyi nodded. "Things having reached this stage, there is no longer any need to conceal it. The one undercover in the Sin Abyss is none other than Fellow Daoist Qu Huan. Long ago, this poor Daoist secretly sent a batch of young boys into the Sin Abyss to join its various sects. The one who remained hidden the deepest was Fellow Daoist Qu. Even I never imagined that, bearing heavy burdens in enemy territory under immense pressure, he would actually manage to break through to the Nascent Soul stage." "It's him!" Demon Monarch Tongyou's brow furrowed deeply. "I never would have guessed he had such ties to you, old Daoist. One of my successors died miserably by Qu Huan's hands, his body and soul utterly destroyed!" Old Daoist Zhenyi's expression remained unchanged. "Fellow Daoist Qu had no choice either. His every move was watched by countless eyes; a single slip would have meant exposure. Unless absolutely necessary, this poor Daoist never contacted this hidden piece, or else he could never have remained undercover right beneath Old Demon Ye's nose until now. The intelligence Fellow Daoist Qu sent has been vital every single time. Take this occasion, for instance: had it not been for him, we might only just now be receiving ambiguous news and setting out from Caishi City." Demon Monarch Tongyou gave a cold snort. "This Holy Monarch naturally knows what takes precedence. If Qu Huan truly rendered great service, I will act as though that matter never occurred!" That successor had been the one Demon Monarch Tongyou valued most. Because of a momentary lapse of attention on his part, the disciple had perished on the battlefield, which was why Demon Monarch Tongyou still remembered it to this day. However, compared to the secrets Qu Huan held, this bit of grudge was not worth mentioning. After a brief discussion, the four flickered away, plunging deep into the spirit formation. *** Crack! His protective magic treasure shattered. Qu Huan's body swayed as an abnormal flush rose to his face, which he forced down. Paying no heed to the heartache over his destroyed treasure, he sped outward with an anxious expression, cursing inwardly that his backup was taking so long to arrive. Although he had made preparations, being hunted by so many people had brought him to the end of his tether. Whoosh! A gust of sinister wind swept in, sending a chill down Qu Huan's back. Daring not hesitate, he flung out a talisman from his hand. The talisman shattered and erupted in green light, transforming into a large green bell that enclosed Qu Huan entirely. An instant later, a skull materialized within the sinister wind. Opening its gaping maw, it clamped down savagely toward Qu Huan, only to bite directly into the green bell. With a resonant clang, the recoil made the skull shriek in agony, disoriented and reeling. Yet not a shred of joy appeared on Qu Huan's face. This was his last protective treasure; if the talisman's power ran out and his reinforcements still had not arrived, his situation would turn perilous in the extreme. Wailing, the skull flew into the sleeve of a tall, thin cultivator. "After him!" Just as Old Monster Feng and the others caught up and were about to surround Qu Huan, a ripple surged from above, followed by tens of thousands of silver threads raining down like a torrential storm. "Watch out! It's Old Daoist Zhenyi's Qianyu Whisk!" The tall, thin cultivator took fright and shouted a warning. At the same time, they heard the roll of thunder and the whistle of a sword. Then, Yin Thunder erupted violently on one flank, while a sword streaked across the sky on the other, its sword light flashing like a falling star. Amid the silver threads, the phantom outline of a pagoda loomed faintly. "The Five Directions Pagoda, the Yin Thunder Gourd, the ebony sword..." Old Monster Feng inhaled sharply. Through years of warfare, these magic treasures and their masters had long been household names to them. The four great experts of the Two Domains Alliance had arrived all at once! Witnessing this, they knew in their hearts it was impossible to kill Qu Huan in front of these four. Decisively abandoning the pursuit, their figures flickered as they turned back to defend the city. Swoosh! Swoosh! The threads twisted and coiled toward Old Monster Feng. Old Daoist Zhenyi wanted to seize the chance to detain one of them. Qin Sang and the others caught on immediately, aiming their magic treasures in unison at Old Monster Feng to assist the Qianyu Whisk in capturing him. Alarms blared in Old Monster Feng's mind, and his fiendish demonic body tautened. Immediately, a colossal fiend phantom tore out from his body, roaring to the heavens with extraordinary ferocity. The Qianyu Whisk had ensnared only the phantom. The others were not slow to react either; seeing this, they unleashed their magic treasures in counterattack, rescuing Old Monster Feng and retreating into Yucheng. "Huh?" Qingjun seemed to have noticed something, a flicker of doubt showing on her face. "What is it?" Qin Sang turned his head and asked. Qingjun kept her eyes fixed on Old Monster Feng's retreating back. "Something is off with Old Monster Feng. I've fought him before, and his cultivation seems to have regressed rather than advanced... He has gotten weaker." "Perhaps he was injured when they besieged Old Demon Ye," Qin Sang guessed. "It doesn't look like that." Qingjun shook her head slowly. In this clash, both sides parted almost the moment they touched, neither suffering meaningful losses, yet they knew well in their hearts that the cruelest battle was still to come. Having driven off the pursuers, Qin Sang and the three others immediately turned to meet Qu Huan. They had far too many questions and curiosities about this sudden turn of events, and only Qu Huan could provide the answers. "Many thanks to all of you, fellow Daoists, for your aid." Seeing that he was safe, Qu Huan breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands in gratitude. "Fellow Daoist Qu has rendered great service; naturally, we cannot allow our hero to come to harm! Welcome back, Fellow Daoist Qu!" Old Daoist Zhenyi stroked his long beard, a faint trace of pride in his tone. A hidden piece planted so many years ago—he had thought it was already lost to his control, yet the moment it was mobilized, it exerted such astonishing power. The group exchanged greetings with Qu Huan one by one. All were familiar faces who had even crossed swords on the battlefield, so there was no need for elaborate introductions. Now that they were on the same side, past grievances were naturally wiped clean. Without delay, they eagerly voiced the questions in their hearts.