A Bluff

Old Man Hunmo disdained to argue. Reaching into his mustard seed bag, he retrieved a silver bottle and tilted it, pouring out a single drop of silvery liquid. His fingers spun like a wheel, completing an incantation seal in an instant. He pressed a hand into the drop, turning it from silver to black, and lightly flicked his finger. *Whoosh!* The droplet tore through the air toward Qin Sang. Before Qin Sang could react, however, it suddenly burst apart high in the sky and vanished without a trace. Unable to discern Old Man Hunmo's scheme, Qin Sang grew secretly vigilant. He hastily spurred his demonic banners while stirring the fire seed within his purple palace. By now, the seed could no longer be called a fire lotus seed; it had begun to form a bud, gradually transforming into a fire lotus. *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* Demonic fire burst into the world. After merging with the fire lotus, its resistance toward Qin Sang had dropped to an absolute minimum. While it lacked the complete, seamless harmony of the demonic fire dwelling inside the fire lotus itself, he could wield it freely without the sluggish friction of the past. All the demonic fire converged into a single mass, transforming into a fiery dragon whose head bared fangs and claws directly at Old Man Hunmo. Just then, the weather abruptly shifted, and rain began to fall. This was no ordinary rain. The downpour was jet-black and exceedingly sinister, reeking of decay and rot. *Patter, clatter!* In a flash, the torrential deluge submerged the fiery dragon. All around them, everything else remained normal. Aside from the sea far behind them that had been affected by the Frigid Winter Talisman, clear skies stretched for ten thousand li in every direction. Qin Sang focused his senses on the fiery dragon. After a moment, the tension on his face relaxed, yielding to a faint smile. The Nine Nether Demonic Fire was originally a divine ability of the ancient demons. Whatever demonic methods Old Man Hunmo used might weaken other spiritual fires, but they were useless against Nine Nether Demonic Fire! The dragon of demonic fire swam with leisurely ease through the pouring rain, swallowing every last drop of the black water. Old Man Hunmo's expression darkened. While he had not placed much hope in this Corroding Yin Poisonous Water, seeing it fail to cause the slightest trouble for either Qin Sang or the demonic fire still startled him. Without lingering in hesitation, Old Man Hunmo caused black demonic light to surge from the tip of his staff. Twisting once, it transformed into a long spear, leaving a trail of afterimages in midair as it pierced toward Qin Sang at astonishing speed. Qin Sang felt a faint, prickling ache between his brows. He was no stranger to this demonic light unleashed by the black bamboo staff. They had already clashed in the golden Buddhist hall. Back then, however, Old Man Hunmo had struck in haste without his full power, and Qin Sang had also been preoccupied with snatching treasures while concealing his identity. Neither of them had been at their peak. Only now was Old Man Hunmo displaying his true prowess. Not daring to be careless, Qin Sang raised his hand and guided the fiery dragon to clash head-on against the spear of demonic light. *Rumble!* The spear of demonic light was incomparably sharp, piercing straight into the body of the fiery dragon. The next instant, the fiery dragon detonated. The earth-shaking boom caused everyone nearby to feel their hearts thump violently, shaken to the core by this terrifying display of power. The demonic fire dispersed and was instantly drawn back, whereas the demonic light had completely shattered, unable to gather again. At this sight, Qin Sang's confidence swelled. Back in the early Nascent Soul stage, he had already been able to threaten Old Demon Ye with the help of the demonic fire. Now, with both his cultivation and divine sense having made massive leaps, he ought to be even stronger. However, since his breakthrough, he had lacked the chance to face a great cultivator head-on, leaving him unable to gauge his strength accurately and forcing him to proceed with caution. Now Old Man Hunmo had caught up, forcing him into a direct confrontation. With two contingency plans held in reserve, Qin Sang held nothing back and finally verified his strength. Once the Jinchen Sword was completely re-refined, he would not be inferior to a great cultivator in any respect, apart from possessing less abundant true essence that could not sustain an extended battle of attrition! Old Man Hunmo snorted and gripped the black bamboo staff tightly. Starting from the handle, interwoven threads spread downward, crawling over the entire black bamboo staff. Then, hurling the drastically altered black bamboo staff forward, its physical form vanished in a flash, turning into an exceedingly swift black shadow. Qin Sang felt a ferocious wind rush toward his face and hastily urged the demonic fire to block it. *Bang!* The silhouette of the black bamboo staff took shape above the demonic fire. The fiery dragon was actually struck apart on the spot, countless flames tumbling and fluttering through the void. Old Man Hunmo had reclaimed the upper hand. Yet the demonic fire possessed an extraordinarily high grade; strong as Old Man Hunmo was, he could only disperse it, not extinguish it. Seeing the demonic fire begin to gather once more, Old Man Hunmo grew even more irked. Reaching sideways, he made a fierce grabbing motion, targeting none other than the Hunmo Token. The character for 'Token' flared with brilliant radiance. The surrounding sword threads abruptly froze. Sharp as a blade, the Hunmo Token forcefully broke through the blockade of the sword formation. Qin Sang sighed inwardly. He recalled the Jinchen Sword while silently calculating the distance. He had been fighting and retreating the entire time, and was no longer far from the Bewildering Array. With so many onlookers watching like tigers eyeing their prey, he had no desire to become entangled here with Old Man Hunmo. *That should be close enough!* Just as the thought crossed Qin Sang's mind, he saw the Hunmo Token pressing down horizontally. Under its crushing deterrence, the demonic fire fell sluggish, the speed of its reformation slowing drastically. Feigning defeat, Qin Sang allowed a look of panic to appear in his eyes. He forcefully drew back the demonic fire, slammed it against the black bamboo staff, and turned to flee. His fury far from appeased, how could Old Man Hunmo allow Qin Sang to escape? The black bamboo staff and the Hunmo Token locked onto Qin Sang immediately. Having suffered a setback in the Buddhist hall, he did not attempt to restrain Qin Sang with Daoist arts, knowing that strange divine light would dispel them and cause him to lose an opportunity instead. Within a certain period, the transposition ability could only be used once. If Qin Sang pulled away, he would never catch up again. *Whoosh! Whoosh!* Across the boundless sea, two figures flew in pursuit, treasures flashing incessantly in fierce clashes. Ahead, Qin Sang appeared battered and frantic, yet his eyes remained incomparably calm. Lowering his gaze, Qin Sang glanced at the submerged reefs beneath the sea, a faint curve tugging at the corner of his lips. At the same moment, Old Man Hunmo's spiritual sense detected an anomaly below. His heart tightened, and his expression shifted slightly. *A trap!* The word flashed through his mind, but though surprised, Old Man Hunmo did not panic, nor was he particularly astonished. Every Nascent Soul cultivator attending the Myriad Demons Assembly was a crafty old fox. Keeping contingency plans and staying prepared was the norm. Seeing Qin Sang fly south with single-minded focus, Old Man Hunmo had already anticipated something like this. However, his speed was inferior to Qin Sang's, and he could not secure an overwhelming advantage. His only choice had been to do everything in his power to hold his opponent back. Moreover, the Bewildering Array was concealed well enough that predicting its position was difficult, making stepping into the trap all but inevitable. A shroud of mist rose from nowhere, instantly blanketing the surrounding sea. Old Man Hunmo reacted with tremendous speed. Sensing the anomaly, he retreated instantly while recalling his magic treasures. With the Hunmo Token suspended high above his head, he was swallowed by the mist. Protected by the Hunmo Token, Old Man Hunmo was not worried about his own safety. He even hoped it was some sort of killing formation, which would allow him to break free even faster. That way, once his opponent lost his hidden card, Old Man Hunmo could rely entirely on his deep reservoir of true essence to grind him down to death. Yet what he discovered next left him thoroughly disappointed. Old Man Hunmo brought two fingers together and tapped heavily between his brows. His eyes turned pitch-black, becoming demonic pupils that flickered with deep dark light, seeming capable of piercing the mist. After a brief silence, Old Man Hunmo uttered three words with a somber tone. "A Bewildering Array!" A Bewildering Array, and a purely deceptive one at that! No wonder it had been concealed so seamlessly. Old Man Hunmo's thoughts raced. The good news was that his swift reaction meant he was likely on the outer edge of the array. Drawing on his rich experience, he remained in place rather than wandering blindly through the formation. If the layout shifted, he would certainly be able to sense it. The situation had not reached the worst possible state. As long as he found the right method, he might still make it in time. At the same time, behind the bewildering formation, Old Man Hunmo's disciple, the black-robed man, trailed behind along with the ghost spirit. It was not that he did not want to assist his master, but that his abilities were simply inadequate to keep up. He also had to stay on guard against others, lest someone harbor foul intentions toward the weakened ghost spirit. During this time, the Nascent Soul cultivators of Xuantian Palace had been arriving one after another. Possessing sufficient backing, they were also growing restless. The black-robed man was primarily wary of them. Although he had already sent word back to Hunmo Island, reinforcements could not possibly arrive so soon. He had originally expected to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight so as to reap the benefits, never anticipating that their own side would become one of the tigers. Seeing mist rise over the distant sea and envelop Old Man Hunmo, clearly signaling something amiss, the black-robed man grew anxious, worried for his master's safety. Just then, the ghost spirit beside him abruptly turned its head. The madness and sinister malice in its eyes seemed almost impossible to suppress as it glared at the black-robed man and rasped, "Blood..." The black-robed man felt a chill run through him. Recognizing immediately that this was his master's order, he gritted his teeth and forced out a globule of essence blood. The ghost spirit swallowed the essence blood in one gulp. The madness radiating from it thickened as it threw itself toward the sea mist, two beams of bloody light shooting from its eyes and piercing deep into the haze. Inside the Bewildering Array, Old Man Hunmo had not moved, his pitch-black demonic pupils locked onto the rear. Right then, Old Man Hunmo seemed to sense something. His expression shifted slightly, and his demonic pupils moved. Then, his figure suddenly drifted to the right before moving forward once more. For a moment, Old Man Hunmo seemed to have received clear guidance. His figure flickered like a phantom, shifting left and right, appearing now in front, now behind. This was one of the reasons he had left the ghost spirit in the rear. First, transposition took an immense toll on the ghost spirit, leaving it unable to contribute much in combat. Second, it served as a safeguard against traps like this. Relying on the connection between himself and the ghost spirit, combined with the divine ability of his demonic pupils, he could exit the Bewildering Array at the fastest possible speed. Before long, the edge of the sea mist rippled, and a silhouette emerged. Old Man Hunmo flashed into view. His aloof gaze swept over the Xuantian Palace cultivators pursuing from behind, before turning to look ahead, where he could still see the streak of light on the horizon. This alone proved how swift his actions had been! Meanwhile, Qin Sang sensed that Old Man Hunmo had already escaped the Bewildering Array. His eyelids twitched. This grand formation of his own meticulous design had only trapped the old demon for such a brief spell. Fortunately, he had prepared according to the precautions needed against Xuantian Palace, readying two contingency plans. Bypassing the ghost mist, Old Man Hunmo gave relentless chase. Though his flying speed was inferior to Qin Sang's and the distance between them gradually widened, Old Man Hunmo showed no sign of giving up. Seeing this, Qin Sang grew slightly uncertain, wondering whether Old Man Hunmo possessed another grand divine ability akin to transposition. Flipping his palm, he took out the Danding Token from the Qianjun Ring, held it in his grip, and steered his streak of light toward the southwest. If he truly could not shake Old Man Hunmo off, he would have no choice but to seek allies. For a time, the area southwest of Hunmo Island descended into chaos. Qin Sang and Old Man Hunmo flew one after the other, their extraordinary flying arts drawing gasps and awe from all who watched. Behind them, Xuantian Palace had still not given up. Trailing far behind with growing numbers, they had paradoxically become the strongest faction on the scene, though they had already been left far in the distance. Passing Nascent Soul cultivators were alerted by the commotion, filled with shock and suspicion. Most took one look and chose to steer clear, but a few bold and skilled figures stayed behind, peering from afar. *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* ... Old Man Hunmo proved exceptionally stubborn, refusing to let go, which kept Qin Sang from letting down his guard. After flying an unknown distance, Qin Sang sensed through the Danding Token that he was drawing closer and closer to Daoist Yinquan. *If I really lure Old Man Hunmo over, I'll probably have to bleed heavily to satisfy the Danding Association's appetite.* Qin Sang smiled bitterly to himself. Fortunately, Xuantian Palace lagged far behind and no longer posed a threat. Otherwise, the moment Daoist Yinquan saw such a spectacle, he would turn and leave immediately, no matter how many ancient formulas were offered. By this point, Old Man Hunmo knew he could no longer catch Qin Sang. The reason he refused to give up was that Qin Sang's abrupt change of direction made him suspect that the man had laid another trap, or perhaps had an ally waiting there. As an overlord of the Boundless Sea and one of the North Sea's preeminent great cultivators, Old Man Hunmo knew full well the origins and methods of the few troublesome old fiends in the Boundless Sea. Yet this man was not among them. He seemed to have popped out of a rock, appearing out of nowhere. Such figures were the most troublesome of all. Unfettered, with nothing to lose, and utterly uninhibited. Old Man Hunmo wanted to bluff him, ideally smoking out his helper so he could uncover his background. Once his origins were known, he could target him from other angles, without worry of running out of ways to deal with him. With this thought, Old Man Hunmo locked his divine sense firmly onto Qin Sang. Qin Sang could break free from the lock, but chose not to do so. The distance between them was still too short; even if he shook off the lock, he could not stop his flight and hide nearby. He would wait until they put more distance between them. Seeing that Old Man Hunmo made no further moves, Qin Sang gradually caught on. He began to suspect whether the old demon was merely putting up a front, and looked at the Danding Token in his hand with some hesitation. It was not that he was reluctant to pay the price. A trump card worked best when it remained unplayed. If he could shake off Old Man Hunmo by his own power and leave the old demon second-guessing, the man would only grow more wary of him. Each harbored their own schemes. There was no telling when this chase would end. Suddenly, the black light screeched to a halt. Old Man Hunmo's figure froze abruptly. Frowning deeply, he turned his head toward the north. On the distant horizon, a dark cloud had drifted in unnoticed. The dark cloud hovered quietly high in the sky. Immediately afterward, Old Man Hunmo perceived two gazes peering over, watching this direction without the slightest concealment. *That old monster hasn't left yet, and has been alerted as well...* Old Man Hunmo's gaze hardened. Then, realizing something, he glanced forward and backward. Now, an enigmatic top-tier expert stood ahead of him, Xuantian Palace blocked his retreat from behind, and a Demon Saint watched from the north. Without realizing it, he had fallen into an encirclement formed by three distinct forces. Every single one demanded his utmost caution. Although the odds of these three forces joining hands to deal with him were minuscule, he could not afford to be careless. After a brief contemplation, Old Man Hunmo flicked his sleeves. Meeting Heavenly Peng Grand Sage's gaze across the void without the slightest courtesy, he abandoned the pursuit and returned the way he had come. The dark cloud paused, then drifted slowly toward the north. The Boundless Sea was predominantly human territory after all. Heavenly Peng Grand Sage had merely come to take a look, and had not expected the old demon to be so prudent, leaving no opening. Before leaving, Heavenly Peng Grand Sage cast a peculiar look in the direction Qin Sang had fled. He had seemed to detect demon qi just now and thought it was one of his kin, but it had vanished before he could get a clear look. As Old Man Hunmo flew toward them, the members of Xuantian Palace exchanged glances, all looking toward Elders Mei and Lan. "What do we do now? The old demon seems to hold a grudge against that person. He might well be looking to join hands with us," Elder Mei whispered.