This scene took the experts of both races completely by surprise.
Hounded across the sea by the Rainbow Rat and critically wounded to the brink of death, the figure in white had been thought to be at his tether's end, a lamb to the slaughter. Yet he did not appear nearly as frail as they had imagined.
Gazing upon the figure in the snow, Qin Sang was secretly surprised.
He had assumed some treasure was concealed here—only to find it was a living person!
Just then, Qin Sang keenly noticed the eyes of the other humans and demons flare with fervent heat. His interest was piqued. *There must be a secret on this man.*
With the unexpected emergence of the figure in white, the battlefield seemed to freeze for a moment.
Glancing around, the corners of his mouth curled into a sneer. He raised his hand and said in a chilling voice, "Weren't you looking for this? Take it!"
Cupped in his palm was a square ice chest.
Carved from profound ice, the chest was adorned with depictions of dragons and phoenixes. Restriction light rippled across its surface, exquisite and extraordinary.
A treasure kept in such a chest was definitely nothing ordinary!
Before his voice even faded, the figure in white exerted a burst of force, hurling the ice chest high into the air.
*Whoosh!*
Cloaked in white light, the chest moved with astonishing speed, hurtling at a sharp, tricky angle directly toward Qin Sang and Bi Fang.
A stir rippled through the battlefield.
Not counting the figure in white, five Nascent Soul cultivators and six Demon Kings were gathered on this tiny deserted island.
Every last one was a cunning old schemer.
They suspected that the man in white was using a fake treasure to lure the tiger away from the mountain and create a chance to escape, yet they also feared that the chest held the real treasure and someone else would claim it.
Master Feng’s expression flickered erratically.
The little fox and frog-fish were already closing in on the deep valley.
They did not share Master Feng’s hesitation, immediately choosing to split their forces.
The ice chest had to be seized, and the man had to be kept!
The little fox let out a shrill screech, flicked its fluffy tail, and sprang violently into the air.
The frog-fish kept its eyes glued to the figure in white.
Not to be outdone, the others moved to contest the prize one after another.
For a moment, streaks of spiritual light crisscrossed midair.
Master Feng moved the fastest. His true body continued hurtling toward the deep valley, while a gentle flick of his left arm snapped an almost transparent thread into the air, shooting toward the ice chest with a swish.
The thread appeared gossamer-thin, yet moved with incredible dexterity. In the blink of an eye, it was about to touch the ice chest—even faster than the little fox.
A strange light flashed in the little fox's eyes. It opened its jaws wide; though no sound could be heard, ripples of invisible sound waves radiated outward, locking onto the thread!
The little fox seemed capable of congealing space itself. The thread suddenly plunged into what felt like a quagmire, its speed plummeting as it bogged down.
Back then, had Qin Sang not preemptively wounded the little fox, it likely would have caused him quite a bit more trouble.
Disrupted by the little fox, the thread failed to wrap around the chest. Master Feng was inwardly incensed. He frantically channeled true essence into the thread, and a whiplike blur violently snapped up, lashing toward the little fox.
The little fox dared not meet the strike head-on and was forced to dodge.
The ice chest, which the little fox had nearly seized, was caught in the shockwave. The white light around it shuddered, and it sharply altered course, hurtling toward Island Master Shen.
Annoyance flashed through the little fox's eyes. Just as it prepared to pursue the chest, a shuddering sense of dread suddenly seized it.
This feeling was all too familiar.
Its spirit trembled, and its body involuntarily paused.
*Crack!*
A bolt of heavenly lightning struck down right in front of the little fox.
The Thunder Command Art once more!
However, this time Qin Sang’s target was not an opponent, but the ice chest!
*Boom!*
The heavenly thunder struck the ice chest dead on. Seeing this, the hearts of everyone present skipped a violent beat, internally cursing Qin Sang for his sheer audacity.
If the treasure inside was fragile, this single blow could reduce everyone's efforts to naught.
The white light enshrouding the ice chest could not withstand the Thunder Command Art and was cleaved apart by lightning, exposing the chest itself. Amid the blinding glare of thunderbolts, the ice chest shattered into smithereens. Ice shards flew in every direction, revealing a jade-white object within.
"Snow-Veined Cold Jade..."
Qin Sang recognized it at a glance and was thoroughly disappointed.
Snow-Veined Cold Jade was a type of cold jade named for the snowflake-like patterns across its surface. It was indeed a rare treasure, and this piece was of exceptionally high quality, but it hardly justified so many powerhouses fighting over it with their lives on the line.
And just as Qin Sang broke open the ice chest, the deserted island suddenly shook violently.
Bone-chilling cold currents poured relentlessly out of the deep valley.
Standing outside the island at that moment, one could clearly see a white torrent of ice geyser up from the ground and detonate in midair, erupting into an arctic ice blast.
A terrifying shockwave radiated outward at the same time.
The frog-fish, closest to the deep valley, bore the brunt of it. Sensing danger, it hurriedly spat out green light that wove into a thin shroud to protect itself.
The frigid current poured out endlessly. The stone walls of the deep valley collapsed, revealing a dazzling white light within that vaguely outlined a spirit array.
Though it was the transition between spring and summer, the deserted island was plunged prematurely into dead winter.
The immense ice blast covered more than half the island, painting everything in sight a stark, blinding white.
Erupting alongside the frigid currents were dozens of identical ice chests, shooting in every direction like a celestial maiden scattering blossoms.
The figure in white vanished into thin air, dissolving into the ice blast.
The next moment, over a dozen figures in white appeared in everyone's sight, riding the frigid currents as they bolted in all directions.
The man in white had prepared his contingency long ago.
The first ice chest he threw was merely a feint. He hadn't expected it to fool many people either; it was only meant to muddy the waters further so he could slip away.
For a time, wind and snow danced across the battlefield in utter chaos.
The eagle, the snake, Island Master Shen, and the others could no longer spare attention for their duel, each lunging toward the frigid torrents.
If the man in white escaped, all their efforts would come to naught. What good would it do to fight each other to the death?
Bi Fang had originally intended to vie for the first ice chest. But upon seeing that it held only a piece of Snow-Veined Cold Jade, and that the man in white was attempting to flee, it immediately gave up on the jade.
Although it wasn't clear what the man had taken from Xuantian Palace, no matter how fallen the palace might be, it wouldn't treat a piece of Snow-Veined Cold Jade as a supreme treasure of its sect.
Qin Sang, on the other hand, showed no hesitation, sweeping the Snow-Veined Cold Jade into his hand.
*It seems the man in white has something far better on him...*
With a shift in thought, he gazed thoughtfully toward the frigid current. Showing no sign of panic, he commanded the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to push its divine ability to the fullest and see through the man's trickery.
The methods of the man in white were undeniably sophisticated.
Ice chests flew everywhere, some real and some fake, a mix of truth and deception.
The avatars were remarkably nimble as well, making it hard to tell reality from illusion.
If there had been only one or two pursuers, there would have been a high chance of falling for his ruse and missing their opportunity.
Unfortunately, too many powerhouses had gathered on this deserted island. Against such numbers, these tricks proved inadequate; in the blink of an eye, more than half of the illusions were shattered.
Qin Sang locked onto the true body of the man in white with absolute ease.
Bi Fang and the others lacked the direct insight of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, but their combat experience was exceptionally rich, leaving them only a half-step behind Qin Sang.
Just as Qin Sang was about to strike first and seize the initiative, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly suddenly warned him, detecting an anomaly at the edge of the battlefield.
While everyone scrambled and fought amidst the ice blast, throwing the battlefield into disarray—
—the Rainbow Rat poked its head out from a crevice. Seizing the chaos, it darted out, covered in what seemed like icicles to blend into the ice blast. Slinking soundlessly away from the deserted island, it actually slipped right past everyone's notice.
Yet no matter how brilliant its stealth technique was, before the Heavenly Eye divine ability, there was nowhere to hide.
Chapter 1387