Thunder rolled like war drums.
Through his Heavenly Eye divine power, Qin Sang "saw" purple light soaring into the heavens behind him, accompanied by endless lightning serpents streaking through the sea of clouds. It had turned almost entirely into a realm of thunder, punctuated by the occasional sky-shaking cry of a crane that echoed far across the wild expanse.
Daoist Zilei and Daoist Hegao's attacks shook heaven and earth right from the start.
Immediately after, the purple light abruptly dimmed as black lotuses continually materialized and dissolved amidst the thunderbolts. It appeared Old Devil Fan had entered the fray, persuaded by whatever terms Zhu Wudao had offered him.
Regardless of who prevailed, Qin Sang had no leisure to worry about anyone else; his immediate priority was figuring out how to shake off his pursuers.
Su Zinan and Mo Xingdao seemed fixated on him, pursuing him relentlessly.
Their escape arts were naturally inferior to Qin Sang's, and the gap between them steadily widened. However, Dishou Mountain was hardly an infinite expanse. The air-banning dharma swords patrolled without pause, and the peak was riddled with layers of restrictions.
Here, Qin Sang could not unleash his escape techniques to the fullest. Shaking them off would demand considerable effort.
Had it been Su Zinan alone, Qin Sang would not have minded finding a place to fight it out with him. Having just slain two Great Cultivators, his momentum was soaring like a rainbow.
Although his adversaries were two as well, the circumstances were entirely different from before.
Earlier, he had joined forces with his incarnation, capitalized on the remnant array of the Ice Palace to seize the geographical advantage, laid an ambush, and fought without any outside interference—only under those conditions had he succeeded.
He knew next to nothing about Dishou Mountain. Where would he find any terrain to exploit?
Moreover, his incarnation had not yet arrived.
Qin Sang could vaguely sense that the incarnation had seized the chance during the mountain's spatial shift to enter the grand array and was hurrying with all his might toward his true body. Yet even with Zhu Wudao's tampering, Dishou Mountain's grand array was no trifling matter; the incarnation could not be relied upon for the time being.
*I must find a way to shake them off first...*
A sharp glint flickered in Qin Sang's eyes. As thoughts raced through his mind, he noticed the mist ahead gradually thinning, finally revealing the scenery of the divine mountain.
The most striking feature was undeniably the heaven-reaching jade staircase thrusting straight into the firmament, resembling a ladder to the heavens.
According to Zhu Wudao, the Wordless Jade Wall was situated at the summit of these jade steps, which was also the very peak of Dishou Mountain.
Flanking the staircase were numerous waterside gazebos, pavilions, clear springs, and cascading waterfalls—a magnificent panorama of an immortal realm. Had the array not been disturbed and Dishou Mountain's serenity shattered, it would have been a sublime sanctuary for quiet cultivation.
Yet the heavenly ladder did not begin at the foot of the mountain; its base lay above the mountainside.
From Qin Sang's vantage point, even the vision of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly could not clearly discern where the ladder began. Between them lay a bizarre region where kaleidoscopic clouds and mists boiled and churned, forming a vibrant ring that girdled the peak and cut off all perception.
Below this region stretched a plaza of white jade. From the plaza radiated several flights of stairs that wound downward, each seemingly leading directly down the mountain.
Abodes and ancient halls stood among these stairways, but their grandeur was noticeably inferior to those above.
These flights of stairs were the ascension paths built to commemorate the past sages of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect. Each stairway corresponded to a jade gate, and a new one was carved out whenever a figure of great virtue emerged.
Not knowing the history, Qin Sang only found it strange that the Wuxiang Immortal Sect had constructed so many useless staircases. Still, he wasted no thoughts on the puzzle, turning his gaze instead to the bizarre zone between the plaza and the grand halls above.
The reason it was called "bizarre" was that even with Qin Sang's cultivation and breadth of experience, he could not accurately gauge the true extent of that expanse. Its boundary appeared distinct and well-defined, yet its interior seemed vast and boundless.
It was a contradictory impression, and Qin Sang knew it was no illusion.
*Whoosh!*
His escape light pierced through the sea of clouds and descended onto the plaza, resolving into Qin Sang's figure.
He swiftly swept his gaze across the bizarre area. Amidst the kaleidoscopic clouds, strange lights of every color clashed and shimmered, their qi auras exceptionally sharp and formidable.
Although the spiritual lights within shifted ceaselessly, careful observation revealed that in the depths of certain clouds, a single, uniform color lingered—profound, unfathomable, and certainly no safe haven.
A piercing whistling sound tore through the air behind him.
Qin Sang glanced back, his eyes locking directly onto Su Zinan's somber gaze.
Seeing Qin Sang's path obstructed, Su Zinan sneered sinisterly. "I would like to see just how much farther you can run!"
Qin Sang knitted his brows. "Fellow Daoist Su, there is no deep-seated enmity between us. Why must you press so aggressively?"
As he spoke, he channeled his divine sense and Heavenly Eye divine power to discern the shifting qi within the interplay of light and shadow.
"Hmph!"
Su Zinan snorted coldly, his murderous intent undiminished and overbearing. "Hand over the treasures you stole from the snowfield, and I might consider sparing your life!"
Inwardly, he only felt regret. Earlier, when Qin Sang had been cornered by the four of them, he had failed to seize the initiative, prematurely exposing his murderous design instead.
Qin Sang put on a show of sudden realization, laughing mockingly. "Does Luye truly consider that tomb its private domain? Back then, Qin entered the snowfield openly and aboveboard. Since you are not a descendant of the Wuxiang Immortal Sect, what right do you have to demand treasures from me? Besides, even if you want to kill and plunder, you have picked the wrong target. You should seek out Old Man Yanshan. He is the true heir to the Water Phase, having lurked and plotted near the snowfield for years. Back then, Qin was even schemed against by him, and the treasures in the tomb were swept away into his hands."
At these words, Su Zinan sneered repeatedly. "Back then, even Old Wu was no match for you. Old Ghost Yanshan is merely at the mid-Nascent Soul stage; would he not have been at your mercy? Enough drivel—hand over the treasures!"
"As expected of the foster son of a Deity Transformation cultivator, what formidable bluster!"
Qin Sang laughed out of sheer fury.
Before the sound of his laughter faded, Qin Sang transformed into thunder once more, streaking straight across the plaza and plunging headlong into that bizarre expanse of clouds.
Startled by his decisive action, Su Zinan's expression darkened abruptly. He called out to Mo Xingdao, intending to give chase, but to his surprise, Mo Xingdao halted at the cloud's edge.
"Fellow Daoist Mo?"
Su Zinan's gaze flashed like lightning as he turned with a frown.
Mo Xingdao stared into the clouds, his voice solemn. "The divine restrictions here are interconnected with the qi of Dishou Mountain's grand array. Judging by the outer appearance of these clouds, their peril far surpasses the tide of mist outside. This man is proficient in Thunder Escape and capable of suppressing Old Wu. Without Old Devil Fan's assistance, it will be impossible to pin him down. Are you certain you wish to pursue him further, Fellow Daoist Su?"
"I did not expect Fellow Daoist Mo to possess such profound mastery in arrays and restrictions," Su Zinan replied, his expression softening as he explained. "Like us, he has only just arrived and knows nothing of this place. Though his escape art is potent, there is little room for him to unleash it within these clouds; this is actually our best opportunity to eliminate him. Once he escapes from here, it will truly be releasing the tiger back to the mountain, beyond anyone's control. I will not act rashly and put you in harm's way. I will handle his divine powers myself; you need only stand by to deliver the fatal blow!"
Noticing the confidence in Su Zinan's tone, Mo Xingdao remained half-convinced at best. In the end, however, he joined Su Zinan in pursuing the direction Qin Sang had fled, vanishing into the luminous depths of the clouds.
The three departed in succession.
At the edge of the plaza, two figures from the Yutai Sect darted out from an abandoned abode.
"What astonishing speed!"
The white-robed Daoist wiped cold sweat from his forehead. They had crept up to this spot just moments ago, intending to enter the Five Elements Divine Restriction directly. Fortunately, their reactions had been swift enough to conceal themselves in time; otherwise, their presence would have been exposed to those three.
Had that happened, it was impossible to say whether the trio would have continued their clash or reached a tacit truce to capture and interrogate them first.
The female Daoist gazed toward the clouds, reading the signs according to her senior brother's guidance. An anxious look suddenly washed over her face. "Senior Brother, the direction they are heading seems to be the area of the Yang-Flame Divine Restriction! What should we do?"
Chapter 1650