Bai's Entrustment

The apparition looked down upon the battlefield. Its eyeballs, condensed from white light, shifted slightly, fixing its gaze upon the skeletal claw. Raising its right hand, it extended an index finger and lightly pointed toward the claw. At that exact moment, Daoist Zhenyi emerged from a shower of light. Gentle wind and fine rain created a hazy mist. His figure appeared somewhat ethereal, yet his movements were not a fraction slower than Daoist Canghong's. He swiftly formed a hand seal and crossed his hands, projecting a phantasmal formation diagram from his palms. Daoist Canghong's target was the skeletal claw itself. The instant the apparition pointed, the void shuddered, and a speck of white light struck the skeletal claw in the nick of time. *Crack, crack, crack...* The white light seemed packed with thousands of blades, furiously cleaving at the ghostly claw. Daoist Zhenyi, on the other hand, chose to shield Qin Sang from harm. The formation diagram flashed into view between Qin Sang and the skeletal claw. It unfurled and rose upright, its center facing the claw directly as it spun at high speed. The diagram churned the winds and clouds, runes flickering across its surface. Two top experts had struck at once, unleashing extraordinary secret techniques to halt the skeletal claw together! In the next instant, shock surfaced in all three men's eyes simultaneously! *Pfft!* The white light dimmed, and countless threads of radiance burst apart. *Boom!* A palm-shaped hole was torn right through the center of the formation diagram. Having forcibly breached both barriers, the skeletal claw slowed only slightly, its demonic qi still surging to the heavens! At this hairbreadth juncture, a dark shadow rushed forward, wedging itself just in time between Qin Sang and the skeletal claw—it was none other than the Nascent Soul talisman puppet arriving to save its master. The talisman puppet knew no fear. Facing the claw head-on, its expression remained as stiff as ever without the slightest change, and it lunged to attack. *Bang!* The puppet collided with the skeletal claw. In a flash, the dark figure flew backward and crashed hard against the ground. Shockingly, a claw print had been gouged into its chest, sinking deep into its ribcage. An ordinary mortal would have been disemboweled on the spot. The puppet rolled back to its feet, and the claw mark smoothed over at a speed visible to the naked eye. On the surface, it appeared completely unharmed, but the damaged puppet seals within its body proved that it had sustained injury. Jade Bone was somewhat surprised. Though it knew this was merely a puppet's body and that the blow could not have been fatal, the fact that it recovered so easily still caught the demon off guard; clearly, it had been refined from exceptional spiritual materials. However, its target was not the puppet. The soul fires in its sockets remained locked onto Qin Sang. With Daoist Canghong, Daoist Zhenyi, and the Nascent Soul talisman puppet joining forces to resist it, the skeletal claw was finally brought to a halt. Qin Sang retreated rapidly without stopping. His vigilance did not lessen in the slightest, for he knew all too well that Jade Bone had singled him out and would never rest until it achieved its goal! "Get lost!" Jade Bone's true form appeared. Its head turned, sweeping a glance across Daoist Canghong and Daoist Zhenyi as the soul fires in its sockets suddenly erupted. Alarm flared in Daoist Zhenyi's heart. He shifted dozens of zhang sideways in an instant, yet a jolt of pain hit him immediately afterward. To his horror, he found that his Thousand Jade Whisk had already reverted to its true form, engulfed in a ball of soul fire, and he hastily reeled it back. Daoist Canghong let out a muffled groan, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth as the apparition behind him shattered at the impact! *Whoosh, whoosh...* Beams of treasure light shot out from the blood clouds in succession, converging on Jade Bone in unison. During this time, the other Nascent Soul cultivators had finally regained their balance from the shockwave. Seeing the situation outside, they brought out their respective treasures to lend support. Suppressing their injuries, Daoist Zhenyi and Daoist Canghong struck once more. Jade Bone sneered in contempt, its figure vanishing from where it stood. All the Nascent Soul cultivators were battle-hardened veterans. Though they could not see through Jade Bone's movements, they could infer its trajectory from its relentless determination to capture Qin Sang, and they simultaneously redirected their magic treasures. *Boom!* Radiant light scattered in all directions. The collective attacks blasted a single spot, but regrettably, all they shattered was Jade Bone's afterimage. Purple light surged from Jade Bone like a tidal wave as it lunged straight for Qin Sang. *Bang!* As expected, the Nascent Soul talisman puppet was sent flying once again. Caught in the shockwave, Qin Sang shuddered violently. The Demon Binding Rope had remained in his grasp the entire time, yet he had never released it. Bai had secretly delivered the rope to him with the injunction that if he ever felt his life was in mortal danger, he should use it against Jade Bone. However, unless absolutely necessary, it was best not to use it, so as to buy Bai as much time as possible. *Jade Bone's strength is terrifying. I wonder how it compares to the Demon Sovereign's split soul on Yitian Peak?* Back then, Qin Sang had lacked the ability to face the Demon Sovereign's split soul directly, so he had no way to judge. One thing was certain, however: the Demon Lord and Lingzhuzi in the Canglang Ocean were definitely no match for it! *This monster has locked onto me...* Thoughts flashed through Qin Sang's mind as he maneuvered the ebony sword once more. *Bang!* This time, the sword array held for an even shorter duration. Daoist Zhenyi and the others did not dare hesitate, bringing out their respective trump cards to mount a rescue. Those present did not necessarily harbor any goodwill toward Qin Sang, but they certainly did not want to see him die at Jade Bone's hands, as their own situation would then become exceedingly dire. Seeming driven to his wit's end, Qin Sang made a final desperate bid. Flicking his sleeve with force, he sent the eighteen demonic banners spinning out into the air. The demonic fire broke its seal, taking the form of a fire dragon poised to strike. "Haha..." Jade Bone laughed wildly and unrestrainedly. It had been waiting for this very moment. Killing Qin Sang would have settled matters once and for all, of course, but even if it failed to kill him, forcing him to unleash the demonic fire had already achieved its aim. At the sight of the demonic fire, Jade Bone aggressively pressed its pursuit of Qin Sang. An inexplicable suction force manifested in the void. Soul qi permeated its source, and a pitch-black funnel materialized before everyone's eyes. The funnel was merely the size of a palm, yet the might it exhibited was immensely astonishing, warping and curling even the surrounding blood clouds. The funnel inverted, pointing toward Qin Sang. To be precise, it pointed at the eighteen demonic banners surrounding him. Driven by Qin Sang, the formation expanded, though the demonic banners did not grow several zhang tall; each remained shorter than a man, spinning in tight circles around him. The suction force descended. The banners swayed violently, instantly showing signs of instability. Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. Even after channeling his true essence with all his might into the banners, he could not stabilize them. *Rattle, rattle...* The banners shook harder and harder. From the demonic fire that had transformed into a fire dragon, clusters of flames began peeling away, drifting toward the funnel. Seeing this scene, everyone was shocked. Only now did they understand why Jade Bone had relentlessly pursued Qin Sang. It had set its sights on the demonic fire in his hands all along and possessed the means to forcibly seize it—a truly overbearing display! Even more alarmingly, Qin Sang could clearly sense that the remaining demonic fire sealed within the banners was growing restless as well, its flames dancing as if attempting to tear through the banners' seals. *Whir!* The banner cloth woven from soul threads flapped fiercely, giving the impression that it would be ripped apart at any moment. No matter how Qin Sang spurred the banners, he could not restrain the demonic fire, nor could he sever the funnel's pull on it. Forming a seal with one hand, Jade Bone pressed it forcefully toward the funnel. *Boom!* The demonic fire shaped like a fire dragon violently revolted, breaking free from Qin Sang's control and drifting uncontrollably upward. Qin Sang snapped his head up, looking coldly at Jade Bone, without the slightest trace of panic in his expression.