Amidst the rumbling collapse of the palace, Cave Master Qiling's shriek sounded exceptionally shrill, then cut off abruptly. A formidable overlord of a generation had fallen just like that.
The scar-faced man was utterly ruthless. Moments earlier, he had repeatedly professed his desire to cooperate with Cave Master Qiling, promising to help him reconstruct a physical body and seek Deity Transformation together. Yet the instant the situation changed, he executed him without the slightest hesitation!
This act severed any possibility of Qin Sang obtaining the secret technique for the Heavenly Linglong through any other channel.
If Qin Sang wanted the technique, he would have to agree to his terms first!
What answered him was the combined assault of the Sun God Birds and the ferocious beast Tengshe, which choked back whatever else the scar-faced man had intended to say.
The scar-faced man dodged in disarray, cursing furiously under his breath.
He could not fathom whether Qin Sang possessed absolute confidence in capturing him alive, or was merely putting on a ruthless front to devalue his bargaining chips. Regardless, he refused to believe that anyone could remain unmoved by the Heavenly Linglong.
...
The collapse of the ice palace grew increasingly violent, generating a ring of pulverized ice that expanded outward at tremendous speed. The palaces on the periphery were razed to the ground by the aftershocks vibrating from the banner array.
As though echoing the ice palace,
the battle in the woods had also reached its climax.
It could no longer be called a forest now.
Qin Sang had set fire with wanton abandon, reducing the entire expanse to scorched earth. Only the center of the woods still flickered with green light, but its momentum was utterly suppressed by the demonic fire.
Whoosh!
The ring of ice swept past the Qilin screen wall, leaving behind an expanse of stark white ruins.
The sky full of flying ash slowly drifted outward, only to be caught in the shockwave of the icy ring and rolled back inward at an even greater speed.
Above Bingyi Palace, a distinct line dividing black and white took shape.
Within the ring of ice, deep-blue celestial light bulged upward ceaselessly, resembling a precious jade embedded into the ground that was already on the verge of erupting.
By now, only a few intact banner projections in the hidden palace still struggled to hold on; the remnants of the broken banners had almost entirely been destroyed.
At last.
Crack!
Accompanied by a synchronized snap, the remaining treasure banners all shattered.
Boom!
The celestial light on the outside exploded!
A pillar of blue light, dense to the absolute extreme, shot straight into the clouds like a sharp arrow.
Whoosh!
Sweeping out at a speed even greater than the ring of ice, the blue light blasted across the eight directions!
...
At the rocky beach by the entrance to the Wuxiang Immortal Sect,
more and more puppets were awakening.
Crowding the beach, they formed a dense, dark mass.
Poison King, Master Huaiyin, and Old Demon Fan shook off the puppets and burst out of the rocky beach. Their trajectory differed somewhat from Qin Sang's group, however, as they emerged from the eastern side.
Taking in the sight deep within the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, they could not help hesitating over where they should head first.
Dishou Mountain was undeniably the most prominent landmark. Even without knowing its name or origins, they could tell it was the core of the ancient abode. Yet Dishou Mountain was currently tranquil, showing no sign of any unusual phenomena.
When they had first entered the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, disturbances had broken out near the precipice, as if someone were fighting over something, but that had quickly subsided. By the time they broke through the rocky beach, the summit of the precipice had long fallen silent.
Elsewhere, strange lights flickered from time to time, but it was impossible to tell whether cultivators were locked in combat or if the sect's ancient restrictions were merely fluctuating.
So many experts had entered ahead of them; where had they all gone?
The grievances between the Daoist sects and the Wuxiang Immortal Sect ran deep—surely they hadn't reached some tacit understanding to carve up the ancient abode's treasures together?
Just as the three were observing,
blue light suddenly soared into the sky from the direction of Dishou Mountain. Not even the killing array of dharma swords overhead could mask it. Striking in the extreme, it was plainly visible even from the entrance of the sect.
All three turned their gazes toward Dishou Mountain in unison.
"Let's go!"
Poison King took the lead.
Dishou Mountain was an objective that could not be missed in the first place, and now that an anomaly had appeared in its vicinity, there was no need to hesitate.
Master Huaiyin was a visitor from distant lands and trusted Poison King's judgment, following closely in his wake.
Old Demon Fan hesitated for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the entire ancient abode as if searching for something, before ultimately choosing to follow along.
...
In an unnamed valley,
a net of blood gradually drew inward, revealing Su Zinan and a demonic banner.
Swish!
The corners of Su Zinan's mouth curled slightly. With a wave of his hand, the Three Corpses God-Perishing Banner flew into his grasp.
He stroked the surface of the banner with fond delight.
The demonic banner vibrated ceaselessly in his grip.
Su Zinan gave a cold snort, gripping it tightly. Just as he was about to make a move, he too was startled by the soaring blue light. A look of surprise flashed across his face; hurriedly stowing the banner away, his figure flickered as he sped off.
...
In the northern region of the ancient abode.
Located behind the precipice, this had once been one of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect's forbidden grounds.
Now, it was impossible to tell what had once stood here, for the area had been reduced to rubble, devastated even more severely than Bingyi Palace. An unimaginably tragic and fierce battle must have taken place.
The ruins of the forbidden ground were thoroughly engulfed in darkness.
Within this pitch-black realm where one could not see one's own outstretched hand, remnants of broken restrictions drifted everywhere, fraught with deadly peril.
The darkness, which had endured for who knew how many years, finally welcomed an unfamiliar glow.
Three streaks of light burst out of the darkness one after another and converged at the edge of the forbidden ground. They were none other than Daoist Zilei, Daoist Hegao, and Yue Lingtian.
In their pursuit of Zhu Wudao, the three had chased him all the way into this forbidden ground.
Moments earlier, they had split up to scour the area.
"Daoist Brother, did you also fail to catch a flaw in Old Demon Zhu?"
Seeing Daoist Zilei return empty-handed as well, Yue Lingtian could not hide his disappointment.
Truth be told, it was humiliating: three great cultivators joining forces in an ambush, only to let Old Demon Zhu slip away. Even if the man had made clever use of the terrain, they had still lost considerable face.
Daoist Hegao glanced back at the forbidden ground and murmured thoughtfully, "Old Demon Zhu is definitely hiding within one of the restrictions here. Given enough patience, it wouldn't be difficult to flush him out. However, doing so wastes far too much time. Zhu Wudao is only one person, whereas no small number of experts have entered the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. If they were to join forces..."
Before his words fell, blue light shot into the heavens near Dishou Mountain.
Daoist Hegao recalled the layout and said in surprise, "That's Bingyi Palace! Someone is fighting for the Water Phase legacy."
He turned to look at Daoist Zilei.
There was another reason he had left unsaid.
If they still had nothing to show for themselves before external forces caught wind of the situation and arrived, his sect leader senior brother's grand plan would end in total failure.
From the moment the teleportation formation went dark, Daoist Hegao had been unable to calm his mind.
What consequences the severed path to the Immortal Hall would bring, Daoist Hegao hardly dared contemplate.
As the sect leader's junior brother, he had never needed to worry over the growth of their sect; sheltered behind it, he had lived carefree and at ease.
He had never imagined that even Bajing Abbey, the foremost power of the Daoist sects, could see a day of such turbulence and uncertainty.
Daoist Zilei's expression remained as calm as an ancient well, his eyes resolute as ever.
Even when the teleportation formation had extinguished right before his eyes, it seemed to have fallen within his expectations, failing to stir the slightest ripple.
"To Dishou Mountain!" Daoist Zilei decisively made his choice.
Shortly after the three departed,
shadows shifted at the edge of the forbidden ground, resolving into a blurry silhouette. Looking toward Dishou Mountain, the figure let out a few cold chuckles and vanished on the spot.
With Dishou Mountain in sight,
the trio did not fly straight toward it, but angled slightly to make a detour by Bingyi Palace to see what had happened.
Unexpectedly, after flying for a while, Yue Lingtian abruptly halted.
Noticing his movement, the two Daoists pulled in their flying light and turned to look.
Gazing into the distance east of Dishou Mountain, where rolling peaks made the terrain hard to discern, Yue Lingtian asked in a deep voice, "I recall Daoist Brother mentioning that the Earth Phase Palace lies east of Dishou Mountain."
"Indeed. Between Dishou Mountain and the Earth Phase Palace lies the Metal Phase Palace. Heading due east and crossing a great river will bring you there. Each branch has a prominent landmark, and it's said the Earth Phase Palace covers the most ground among the five lineages..."
Daoist Hegao answered, then realized something and said in astonishment, "Sect Master Yue, you..."
Yue Lingtian cupped his fists toward the two. "Now that the path to the Immortal Hall is severed, the Grand Elder has been barred outside the ancient abode. The Wuxiang Immortal Sect's legacies are limited, while those contending for them are many. As sect master, I bear the duty of bringing prosperity to my sect, and the opportunity at the Earth Phase Palace must not slip away. Once I obtain the Earth Phase legacy, I shall make haste to Dishou Mountain to rendezvous with you two, Daoist Brothers."
With that, giving neither man a chance to urge him to stay, Yue Lingtian swerved his light into a streak of profound-yellow radiance and shot toward the Earth Phase Palace, seemingly utterly uninterested in Dishou Mountain.
Daoist Hegao opened his mouth, only to find he could not bring himself to stop him.
Though Yue Lingtian had not stated it openly, it was clear he harbored a grudge against Bajing Abbey.
After all, Yue Lingtian had gambled his entire sect to cooperate with Bajing Abbey in staging this play, yet the outcome was a severed path to the Immortal Hall, rendering Bajing Abbey's promises mere empty illusions.
Had it been any other sect, Yue Lingtian likely would have turned hostile on the spot.
Anyone would suspect Bajing Abbey's motives. For Yue Lingtian to suppress his resentment without directly rebuking them was already extraordinarily restrained.
Pulling away under the pretext of seeking the Earth Phase legacy to wait and watch how things developed was completely understandable.
Bajing Abbey was already hard-pressed to look after itself; Daoist Hegao did not know how he could possibly console Yue Lingtian.
After a brief silence, Daoist Zilei let out a barely audible sigh.
"Let us go."
...
Bingyi Palace.
Heaven and earth were dyed a resplendent azure by the deep-blue celestial light.
The shockwaves rippled outward at an astonishing pace, engulfing the battlefield in the blink of an eye.
Through the protracted struggle, the scar-faced man had been driven into dire straits.
Numerous patches of his body were scorched black, and he hadn't even had time to regenerate his severed left arm. His room to maneuver was continuously constricted by the demonic fire, showing clear signs of impending defeat.
The moment the deep-blue celestial light erupted,
the earth-shattering surge of momentum and the blinding blue glow caused Qin Sang to reflexively narrow his eyes. His mind seemed shaken as well, experiencing a momentary lapse in concentration.
At this precise instant,
the scar-faced man, who had been fighting like a cornered beast, abruptly ceased resisting. Halting his glib persuasions, he froze eerily in place.
He had been waiting for an opening all along.
Deity Transformation opportunities, the Heavenly Linglong—all of it had been stalling.
Naturally, had Qin Sang shown interest, he wouldn't have minded striking a deal either.
What he had truly been waiting for was the exact moment the grand array collapsed!
A coarse, rattling clatter emerged from his throat, sounding like an eerie cackle. From his scarred trunk, brilliant bursts of green radiance shot outward.
The green light leaked through the fissures of his bark-like skin like countless emerald blades of light, cutting his entire body into innumerable fragments of various sizes.
His jade-green eyes stared fixedly at Qin Sang, deeply engraving the young cultivator's silhouette into his pupils.
The scar-faced man wanted to carve Qin Sang into his memory.
Being driven to this desperate brink was entirely Qin Sang's doing. He still did not know that Qin Sang and the incarnation were one and the same; thus, the one he loathed most was not the incarnation, but Qin Sang.
The green light intensified to the absolute limit.
The scar-faced man's spirit wood body detonated almost simultaneously with the deep-blue celestial light.
Boom!
Countless wooden shards shot outward.
Every single sliver was enveloped in a ball of green light.
All the emerald motes gave off identical fluctuations, scattering like a sky full of stars.
Qin Sang's pupils constricted. Just as the scar-faced man had waited for an opportunity to escape, had he not also been waiting?
The Tengshe whipped its tail, spewing cold fiend fire from its maw, effortlessly obliterating vast swaths of fragments. The Sun God Birds swooped down, joining forces with the Nine Nether Demonic Fire to wipe out countless more, yet none contained the scar-faced man!
However, the moment the scar-faced man detonated his body, Qin Sang mobilized his divine sense and the Heavenly Eye divine ability without holding back. At the same time, his true essence surged into his palm, pouring into the strand of fluff.
Planned long in advance, he finally struck at this very moment!
Snap!
The power of the Myriad Poison Mountain treasure sealed within the fluff was activated, instantly crumbling into a puff of white ash.
At the same time, the Jinchen Sword moved with his thoughts, suddenly lunging toward an empty patch of ground.
A tiny speck of light was fleeing toward that spot—unmistakably the core origin of the spirit wood body.
Though the scar-faced man had concealed himself amidst countless fragments and compressed his aura fluctuations with all his might, nothing could hide from the Heavenly Eye. Qin Sang's divine sense locked onto the mote of light in unison, discerning the fluctuations of an essence soul within it.
Just as the sword was about to strike the speck of light, the Jinchen Sword manifested the sword array once more. Having lost his physical body, the scar-faced man would bear the brunt of the Seven Po Killing Array; barring any surprises, he would be taken alive.
"Ah!"
The sword array appeared, and a scream rang out!
Unexpectedly, the shriek came from elsewhere!
At the same time, Qin Sang was astonished to find that the aura of the essence soul inside the speck of light belonged not to the scar-faced man, but to Cave Master Qiling!
The man had murdered Cave Master Qiling right in front of Qin Sang in a display of ruthless decisiveness, yet he had held a card up his sleeve all along. Decisively abandoning the core origin of his spirit wood body, he had fused Cave Master Qiling's remnant soul into it to deceive Qin Sang's senses—sacrificing the plum tree for the peach!
Yet he could never have anticipated that Qin Sang did not rely on divine sense alone; the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had instantly locked onto the origin's location.
Even less could he have anticipated that Qin Sang possessed a treasure gifted by Myriad Poison Mountain.
The power of the Myriad Poison Mountain treasure was triggered.
The lingering poison inside the scar-faced man erupted.
Over the years, he had gradually sealed away the residual poison within him, and the scars on his face had faded; at the height of his power, it was hardly a major concern. Now, however, he had no strength left to suppress it!
Qin Sang's eyes glinted fiercely, and he pointed with a finger.
Boom!
A cascade of heavenly lightning struck down, blasting a deep crater into the earth, where a bloody shadow flickered within.
Qin Sang cursed inwardly at the man's cunning.
The scar-faced man had actually attached his Nascent Soul to the Gu King, utilizing the Gu King's ability to flicker through points of light to drive the glow underground and use a divine ability akin to Earth Escape to slip outside the ring of fire.
The Gu King's backlash was real.
However, since the Gu King had been raised by his own hands and had reached maturity, the backlash had not necessarily been as crippling as the scar-faced man had made it appear.
Had the fluff not accomplished its goal, Qin Sang would still have quickly noticed something amiss, but eliminating this future threat once and for all would likely have cost him considerable effort.
Even the face of the scar-faced man's Nascent Soul bore a centipede-shaped scar; the virulent poison had penetrated his very soul.
With the residual poison erupting and lightning striking him,
the Nascent Soul was gravely wounded. Beholding the Nine Nether Demonic Fire that Qin Sang immediately sent surging forward, his face contorted in agony and terror as he strained with all his might to unleash the Teleportation technique.
Right at this moment, the Gu King fixed its gaze on the scar-faced man's Nascent Soul. The ferocious light in its eyes grew increasingly intense until, suddenly letting out a piercing shriek, it spat a blast of toxic radiance directly onto the Nascent Soul!
The Teleportation technique was disrupted.
Recovering his senses and seeing the Gu King right before him, the Nascent Soul was paralyzed with horror and shock.
In the next breath, a heart-wrenching scream tore through the air.
Qin Sang appeared above the crater in a flash. Looking upon the gruesome scene, he couldn't help clicking his tongue.
He had not expected the blood beetle to be so vicious; the instant the restrictions placed upon it weakened, it turned upon its master without hesitation. Qin Sang had had no chance to intervene.
Just how virulent was the Gu King's venom?
Having suffered successive heavy blows, the scar-faced man's Nascent Soul took the full brunt of the toxic light without any defense. Already at the end of his rope, the poison seeped into his core on the spot; his spiritual radiance scattered, and his life hung by a thread.
With quick eyes and agile hands, Qin Sang snatched up the mustard seed bag that tumbled from the Nascent Soul's dissipating radiance, then waved his hand to summon the demonic fire to suppress the blood beetle while attempting to salvage what remained of the scar-faced man's life.
Chapter 1639