Encounter

After Wu Yuesheng departed, Qin Sang returned to the fork in the path, looking thoughtful. Even though Wu Yuesheng had remained hidden in the shadows without actually launching an ambush, his intentions were certainly far from innocent. Qin Sang mentally categorized him as dangerous. Qin Sang wished to join forces with others to weather this crisis, but he had no desire to bargain with a tiger. Traveling alone with Wu Yuesheng would not only mean facing the hazards that could arise at any moment, but also constantly guarding against Wu Yuesheng from behind—the cost far outweighed any benefit. Because he had hurried to evade the fireball's detection, Qin Sang had not seen with his own eyes which of the other four tunnels Wu Yuesheng had ultimately taken. Still, he had no intention of fighting Wu Yuesheng to the death anyway. Wu Yuesheng was stronger than him and skilled in concealment techniques. Unless Qin Sang could ambush him and kill him in a single blow, the situation would instantly grind into a stalemate. Moreover, the dangers lurking in the caverns were imminent; now was not the time for a life-and-death clash. Even if they crossed paths again later, Wu Yuesheng would have no idea that Qin Sang had already discovered his whereabouts. When that time came, the enemy would be in the light while Qin Sang remained in the dark, making it far easier to handle. With that in mind, Qin Sang returned to the tunnel he had originally chosen. His luck proved decent. Qin Sang encountered no baleful corpses blocking his path along the way. After traversing several stone passages in succession, he suddenly heard a burst of roars and clashing sounds ahead. *Someone is fighting a baleful corpse?* Qin Sang's heart stirred. Concealing his figure, he crept forward stealthily. Before long, he spotted two entangled silhouettes in a stone chamber. True to his suspicion, one was indeed a baleful corpse, while the other was Liu Jiang, the elder of the Liu brothers. Qin Sang swept up closer and glanced left and right, but found no trace of Liu Shan. It appeared the two brothers had also been separated. The baleful corpse's strength was roughly on par with the one Qin Sang had slain earlier, possessing formidable physical defense. A Foundation Establishment cultivator would find it troublesome at most, able to slay it after spending some time. However, Liu Jiang's cultivation was only at the thirteenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage. Lacking Liu Shan's cooperation, his strength was merely comparable to that of an ordinary thirteenth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator, making it quite difficult for him to hold his ground. Liu Jiang's magic tool was half of an iron lotus. Its petals were fully splayed open, resembling over a dozen sharp flying daggers bound together, incessantly attacking around the baleful corpse and unleashing streak after streak of blade shadows. The iron lotus's power was not weak, and each blade shadow left a deep wound upon the corpse. However, Liu Jiang could not suppress the baleful corpse and was unable to strike the same spot repeatedly. These wounds were swiftly mended by earth fiend qi, yielding meager results. Liu Jiang would have to exhaust the earth fiend qi within the baleful corpse before he stood a chance of slaying it. Qin Sang could see that Liu Jiang wanted to flee, but unfortunately, the escape route was blocked by the corpse. Furthermore, the baleful corpse was no slower than Liu Jiang and was extraordinarily agile. Its ghostly claws carried corpse poison, unleashing a bone-chilling wave of earth fiend qi with every swipe. Not daring to test that toxicity with his own body, Liu Jiang was forced to dodge arduously within the cramped stone chamber. The baleful corpse steadily gained the upper hand, and his expression grew increasingly frantic. Seeing this, Qin Sang quietly retreated back along the path he had come, revealed his figure, and swept forward. Casting his gaze over the stone chamber, he asked in a deep voice, "Which Brother Liu is this?" Upon seeing Qin Sang, Liu Jiang was filled with both surprise and joy. He called out repeatedly, "Liu Jiang greets Senior Qin! Forgive me, Senior Qin, for being unable to pay proper respects while entangled with this baleful corpse!" Qin Sang gave a slight nod, looked at the baleful corpse, and said, "Allow me to help you slay this fiend first, Fellow Daoist Liu." As he spoke, Qin Sang summoned the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword. The sword transformed into a swimming dragon, quickly suppressing the arrogant bluster of the baleful corpse. Seeing this, Liu Jiang secretly let out a sigh of relief. He hurriedly complied with Qin Sang's direction, directing his iron lotus behind the baleful corpse, where barrage after barrage of blade shadows shot forth in rapid succession, hacking into the back of its neck. The wound on the corpse's neck grew larger and larger. The earth fiend qi failed to regenerate in time, and Liu Jiang finally severed its head. Just like the baleful corpse Qin Sang had encountered before, once the earth fiend qi dispersed, it withered into a gaunt cultivator before crumbling into a heap of ash. Qin Sang thought to himself that the refined corpses in these caverns were likely all crafted from the corpses of cultivators. In this brief stretch alone, he had encountered dozens of refined corpses. How could legitimate sources provide so many cultivators' remains? There was no telling how many lives this demonic sect had claimed. "Thank you for your assistance, Senior Qin." Catching his breath, Liu Jiang bowed respectfully to Qin Sang. Qin Sang could sense Liu Jiang's restrained wariness, but found it hardly surprising. Had he been in Liu Jiang's position, he would also worry about whether the other party harbored ulterior motives. "Fellow Daoist Liu, were you and Liu Shan separated as well?" Liu Jiang gave a bitter smile and said, "The suction came too abruptly. Before we could react, we were dragged into the pit, and we nearly got torn apart right then. Later, when the Fire Crow Formation detonated, the shock wave broke our synergy, and we could no longer maintain our cultivation technique. I was fortunate enough to be blasted into a cavern. Liu Shan kept plummeting downward, and the last thing I saw was Senior Qingting seemingly reaching out to pull him. Because we cultivate the same technique and have shared a mental connection since childhood, I can sense that Liu Shan is still alive. I was just heading out to rendezvous with them when I ran into this troublesome baleful corpse." Qin Sang had acted early and was the first to flee into the caverns, so he had not witnessed Qingting rescuing Liu Shan. However, Qin Sang still recalled where everyone had been positioned when the Fire Crow Formation exploded. If Liu Shan had continued falling, he indeed would have been closest to Qingting. "Fellow Daoist Liu, can you pinpoint Liu Shan's location?" Qin Sang pressed. Liu Jiang nodded. "I can sense he is to our lower left, but it is very faint, separated by no small distance. He must be able to sense my position as well. Unfortunately, the stone passages twist and turn unpredictably, so we haven't managed to meet up yet. It might take quite a long time to cross paths." Qin Sang gave an acknowledging murmur. "You have likely noticed as well, Fellow Daoist Liu, that the deeper we go, the more these passages converge toward a central point. We will definitely cross paths with them. In that case, please lead the way, and we shall descend as much as possible. This is the demonic sect's lair, so refined corpses are bound to be numerous. While you and I can still barely manage them now, we might encounter even stronger baleful corpses further down. We should regroup with the other Daoists as soon as possible to face the dangers together." Although Liu Jiang was not as strong as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was still a capable helper who would make dealing with baleful corpses far easier. Even if he lacked that telepathic connection, Qin Sang had already intended to bring him along. Having just survived that fight, Liu Jiang also understood that he would not get far on his own. If he ran into a slightly stronger baleful corpse, he would lose his life. Furthermore, Qin Sang had just saved him. Hearing Qin Sang's proposal, Liu Jiang naturally raised no objection and agreed immediately. A rumbling roar echoed from the stone tunnel behind them; the earth fiend qi remained aggressive and threatening. Not daring to delay for long, they hurriedly set off once Liu Jiang had adjusted his breath slightly. With the two joining forces, dealing with baleful corpses became much easier. They encountered two more baleful corpses in succession. One of them was exceptionally strong—so formidable that even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would have found it difficult—yet they managed to slay it without mishap.