Poison Curse

Having inquired about Qin Sang's purpose, the Roving Envoy left him where he was and turned to enter the rear hall. An incense stick's time later, the Roving Envoy returned. "It is feasible! The Sect Master of the Xuanji Sect and that senior are close friends. If Fellow Daoist presents the token at his door, the senior will write a letter requesting the Xuanji Sect Master to come out of seclusion." To happen upon a close friend of the Xuanji Sect Master was fortunate, yet Qin Sang was not surprised; alchemy grandmasters were generally well-connected. This would solve the matter once and for all. After fulfilling the dharma edict, he could focus entirely on secluded cultivation to achieve his breakthrough. Qin Sang calculated silently and cupped his hands. "This poor Daoist is willing to accept this dharma edict." He still did not know the specific details of the edict. Only after the candidate was confirmed would the Roving Envoy formally bestow it. Unexpectedly, the Roving Envoy did not confer the edict right away, saying indifferently, "When Fellow Daoist arrived, another fellow Daoist had already selected this edict. According to custom, one must be chosen between the two of you. Of course, the two of you may also consult and jointly accept the edict." Hearing this, Qin Sang frowned deeply. Fulfilling the edict together might be easier, but it meant splitting the reward, which was not what he wanted. Moreover, joining hands with a stranger whose background was unknown might not go smoothly. Qin Sang still trusted himself more. He asked in a deep voice, "May I ask how the Roving Envoy intends to make the selection?" Depending on the mission in the edict, the Daoist Court had corresponding methods to select the appropriate candidate. The Roving Envoy nodded. "Seeing that Fellow Daoist does not intend to join forces, that happens to coincide with his thoughts. You may face powerful enemies this time, so let strength decide the victor..." With that, the Roving Envoy made a welcoming gesture and led the way toward the rear hall. Qin Sang followed the Roving Envoy through the hall. His vision blurred, and an ocean of mist appeared ahead. Entering the sea of mist, his sight was obstructed, while an intangible pressure bore down on him. A few breaths later, the mist ahead parted to reveal an expansive open space forming a platform of mist, where a tall, thin Daoist was waiting. Seeing the two, the Daoist stepped forward briskly. He first bowed to the Roving Envoy and thanked him for his trouble, then turned to Qin Sang. "This poor Daoist is Yun Wei of Mount Lougu. Fellow Daoist looks somewhat unfamiliar; may I ask your Daoist moniker?" "Qingfeng." Qin Sang was brief and concise, quietly sizing up Yun Wei. Gauging his aura, though it was not as unfathomably deep as the Nine Heavens Roving Envoy beside him, he possessed the cultivation of the late Nascent Soul stage. Yun Wei was slightly taken aback, but his expression soon returned to normal as he said, "The one contending with me for the edict must be Fellow Daoist. I have an audacious request: could Fellow Daoist yield this opportunity to me? I will not let you leave empty-handed and am willing to offer a bottle of spirit pills." While Qin Sang was sizing him up, Yun Wei was also observing him, finding Qin Sang's aura seemingly elusive with a mysterious air that could not be seen through. Yun Wei's thoughts turned rapidly. If the other's strength were lacking, he could simply make a move and dismiss him, but a person like this was the most troublesome. If he could dissuade him with a bottle of spirit pills, it would naturally be to everyone's satisfaction. Yun Wei took out a porcelain bottle and spoke sincerely, "This opportunity to request Master Lingxu to refine pills is of vital importance to me. If Fellow Daoist can part with it, I would be endlessly grateful." Unfortunately, even if Yun Wei spoke with a tongue of lotus flowers, Qin Sang remained unmoved and did not even look at what pills were inside the bottle. "My apologies, but this poor Daoist also has reasons that cannot be set aside." Looking disappointed, Yun Wei put away the spirit pills. "It seems we must test our mettle with our hands then." ... The Roving Envoy clarified the rules for them and stepped aside, leaving the two in the arena. The duel practically had no rules; neither's methods were restricted. Whoever was forced off the mist platform or conceded defeat would be judged the loser. In principle, it was to stop short of bloodshed, but if both sides grew genuinely furious or the battle became too intense to hold back, injuries and deaths were not unheard of. Qin Sang walked to the center of the mist platform, took his stance, and watched his opponent quietly without making any further moves. Across from him, Yun Wei did not summon any troops. Tapping a finger before him, a dark yellow talisman materialized, followed by an Eight Trigrams Mysterious Shield emerging beside him and slowly revolving around his body. 'It seems this man cultivates the Golden Seal Altar...' Seeing that Yun Wei did not set up a troop formation, Qin Sang felt slightly relieved. He had not yet had the chance to cross hands with a Daoist cultivator of the Troop Altar, but from various sources of information, he could tell they were the most difficult to deal with. A Troop Altar Daoist at the Nascent Soul level was bound to have Transformation-stage great demons at their side, along with countless demon soldiers under their command; divine abilities unleashed by rallying the might of demon soldiers were extraordinarily potent. His delay in making a move was precisely to observe which faction Yun Wei belonged to before considering how to respond. The identity of Daoist Qingfeng was one he intended to keep using, and he had put considerable effort into cultivating it over the years. Whatever he displayed now before the Nine Heavens Roving Envoy would have to be maintained consistently in the future, best without contradictions. Relying solely on body-refining methods to disguise himself as a Dragon Tiger Altar Daoist was the easiest route. However, neither the Heavenly Demon Refining Form nor his two body-refining divine abilities had been cultivated to their utmost limit, so against a Troop Altar cultivator, he would not have complete confidence. Seeing Yun Wei condense three mysterious shields in succession and prepare to cast a spell, Qin Sang hesitated no longer. His figure blurred as he lunged straight at his opponent. As a battlefield, this mist platform was rather small after all. If all went smoothly, Qin Sang could charge right before Yun Wei in the blink of an eye. Sensing Qin Sang's overbearing aura, Yun Wei remained composed in the face of danger. With a flick of his wrist, a blue light pierced through the air. Whoosh... With the rush of flowing water, the blue light shattered before Qin Sang, and a colossal figure leapt out of the void. The giant stood a full thirty feet tall, possessing immense physical strength. Clad in armor from head to toe, its blue armor resembled a deep lake. "Seize him!" Yun Wei pointed at Qin Sang from afar with a cold shout. The giant looked down at Qin Sang as though looking at an ant. Receiving the command, it raised both arms, its cattail-leaf-fan-sized palms clapping violently together. Qin Sang was caught right between the two palms, feeling fierce gales howling against his face and astonishing pressure closing in from every side. Forming the Lotus Seal in his heart, his figure flickered and vanished into thin air from between the giant's palms. A shadowy gleam flickered in Yun Wei's eyes as he swiftly swept his gaze around the giant. Discovering Qin Sang's trail immediately, his face changed color. At the same time, the giant let out a roar, clenched its fists, and smashed them viciously toward its own glabella. In the next instant, Qin Sang appeared directly in front of the giant, single-handedly forming the Demon Quelling Seal and pressing it lightly against the giant's forehead. Boom! Water splashed violently in all directions. The giant tumbled backward, its body shattering into pieces in an instant—slain in a single strike by Qin Sang. Yun Wei had not expected the giant to be so fragile. Fortunately, he was no mediocre cultivator and did not lose his footing; a ball of origin qi flew out from the crown of his head, transforming into a vortex in midair. Immediately after, the mist surrounding the platform was drawn into the vortex, surging in waves. Converging mid-flight, it morphed into bizarrely shaped mist beasts, which tumbled onto the ground with spiritual light flashing in their eyes. In a breath's time, an army of mist beasts appeared out of thin air before Yun Wei. The mist beasts encircled Qin Sang tightly. Judging by their demeanor, they seemed not like rigid puppets, but genuine living creatures. "Bestowing Spirit to Array Generals!" Qin Sang's expression grew slightly solemn. Bestowing Spirit to Array Generals was also a renowned divine ability in this realm's Daoist sects, and he had long heard of its fame. By casting this art, one could create troops out of nothing, known as dharma soldiers, sharing an uncanny resemblance to another Daoist technique: talisman soldiers. Even without cultivating the Troop Altar, one could possess troops through Bestowing Spirit to Array Generals or talisman soldiers. Daoist talisman soldiers relied on spirit talismans, losing one with every death, whereas dharma soldiers consumed the caster's true essence; as long as true essence was sufficient, they could be summoned continuously. Legend had it that cultivating Bestowing Spirit to Array Generals to the pinnacle allowed one to directly manipulate humans, demons, ghosts, and monsters for one's own use, though Yun Wei clearly had not reached such heights. These dharma soldiers were inanimate after all, lacking the true intelligence of actual troops. Without hesitation, Qin Sang channeled the Lotus Seal, flitting like a ghost among the mist beast dharma soldiers. Wherever he passed, ranks of mist beast dharma soldiers crumbled and vanished, yet more poured in continuously to replace them. Before long, Qin Sang was heavily surrounded. The individual mist dharma soldiers were fragile, but combined, they possessed an invisible momentum. Once the formation took shape, no matter how many Qin Sang shattered, they could regenerate on the spot, possessing an unkillable nature. Yun Wei wore a faint smile; this divine ability of his was specifically meant to wear down demon cultivators and body-refining cultivators, and it had never failed him. Chanting under his breath, he was about to manipulate the dharma soldiers to trap and exhaust Qin Sang when his brow creased almost imperceptibly, his gaze locking onto Qin Sang. He sensed that some kind of change had come over Qin Sang, though he could not put his finger on what it was. At that moment, the encircled Qin Sang showed no sign of hurry. With a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, he strolled toward Yun Wei as if taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard. With every step Qin Sang took, the formation in that spot mysteriously ceased to exist. The mist beast dharma soldiers that could originally revive infinitely vanished completely once shattered, immediately tearing vast gaps in the great array. This was the first time Yun Wei had encountered a body cultivator capable of unravelling this formation so effortlessly, and he was thoroughly shaken. A sharp light flashed in the eyes of the spectating Nine Heavens Roving Envoy, re-evaluating Qin Sang. 'The Great Ease Seal—so that is how it is!' Qin Sang marveled inwardly. Today, he had finally comprehended a portion of the profundity behind the Vajra Great Ease Seal. If Qin Sang were to describe this seal with a single word, it would be "instinct." The moment he activated this seal, he seemed to enter an extraordinary state where nothing on the battlefield could escape his senses, and his opponent's flaws were laid bare at a single glance. His perception had reached a peak—a perception born not of spiritual sense from a powerful soul, but pure instinct. Combat was his instinct! Had Yun Wei clashed with him in person, there might not have been many flaws to exploit, but these mist beast dharma soldiers were not Yun Wei himself. Even if Yun Wei could command them through his will, an inherent gap remained. The seemingly seamless battle formation was riddled with flaws in Qin Sang's eyes; a single finger or palm strike was enough to sever its flow. 'This seal technique...' Immersed in this wondrous state, Qin Sang was amazed, elevating his estimation of the Seven Master Buddhist Seals yet another tier. He had originally assumed the seventh seal merely enhanced a specific aspect like the preceding six, but he had underestimated it. This seal brought an all-encompassing transformation, elevating the entire art to a whole new level. With this seal, even someone like Qin Sang, who lacked deep experience in close-quarters physical combat, felt confident facing top-tier experts in this path! 'If I execute the Vajra Great Ease Seal in my Spirit Wood Body...' The thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind, making him eager to try. Although there were no teeming trees in the immortal city and the Postcelestial Wooden Man Stele was constrained, the Spirit Wood Body itself granted a tremendous boost to his physical form. Meanwhile, Yun Wei cast spell after spell to shift the formation of the dharma soldiers, yet no matter what formation he formed, he could not impede Qin Sang's advance, causing his expression to grow increasingly grim. Seeing Qin Sang close in rapidly, Yun Wei finally steeled his resolve. A brilliant radiance shone from his glabella, projecting into the void. As if drawn by an invisible brush, an incomparably intricate rune took shape in the void in a single stroke. The mist beast dharma soldiers below seamlessly blended into the rune's aura, each beast serving as an acupoint. Their auras linked together, instantly forming an enormous spirit talisman! "Suppress!" Yun Wei bellowed fiercely. With a thunderous crash, all the dharma soldiers shattered simultaneously, turning into streams of pure mysterious qi that merged into the talisman. Sensing something amiss overhead, Qin Sang looked up to see a blue talisman shaped like a paperweight descending, bringing a terrifying pressure crashing down from the heavens. At this moment, both figures on the mist platform had vanished. The vortex above Yun Wei's head had expanded countless times, enveloping the entire platform. Qin Sang was undoubtedly at the center of the vortex. While unleashing the talisman curse, Yun Wei swiftly retrieved a bronze whistle and brought it to his lips. Just as he was about to blow it, he felt a tremendous tremor in the void. The source of the tremor was none other than his talisman curse. Riiip! The shaking grew increasingly violent, followed by the sound of tearing silk. A withered arm thrust through the vortex like a sharp sword. Flattening into a blade, the hand slashed downward, cleaving the vortex in two on the spot. Jets of water gushed from the crumbling vortex, revealing a towering treeman standing tall and erect, rooted there like a mountain. Gazing at the treeman, Yun Wei froze for a moment, then blew the bronze whistle by reflex. A shrill whistle sounded. The true essence within Yun Wei poured into the bronze whistle, which spat out a purple rainbow streak. The moment the purple ray touched the water in the air, it melted away invisibly. Immediately afterward, the seemingly harmless water currents underwent a bizarre transformation. Countless twisted runes resembling tadpoles swam everywhere through the water; as the runes contorted, faces resembling evil ghosts flickered continuously. Boom! Carrying countless evil ghosts, the torrential waters swept furiously toward Qin Sang. Unexpectedly, before reaching Qin Sang, the water abruptly dispersed, and the evil ghosts vanished into nothingness. At the same moment, a grey ghostly shadow suddenly appeared on Qin Sang's chest like a tattoo, flashing once before sinking directly into his body. Yun Wei broke into a smile. From the very start of the battle, he had laid trap upon trap, and at last he had succeeded! These currents of water seemed to be harmless aftershocks of the talisman curse, but in reality he had cast a secret technique upon them. Once the bronze whistle was activated, the two forces fused into a virulent poison rare in the world. Combined with his poison curse, it caught opponents off guard; before they could react to resist, they would be heavily poisoned, their combat prowess decimated. The next moment, Yun Wei's smile froze on his face. Qin Sang charged forward like crashing thunder, without the slightest sign of being poisoned. Boom! The staggering momentum rushing at him shook Yun Wei to his core, and he hurriedly raised the three Eight Trigrams Mysterious Shields in front of him. With a series of loud bangs, Qin Sang smashed through them with a flurry of strikes; the mysterious shields shattered and flew, failing to impede him in the slightest. Yun Wei's expression fluctuated uncertainly. Seeming to hesitate, he finally let out a long sigh, gritted his teeth, and shouted, "I concede!" He still had techniques he hadn't used, but most were related to poison curses; seeing his opponent's present display, it was hard to say how effective they would be. Master Lingxu was not the only alchemist in the world. Why risk his life here and expose all his trump cards? Whoosh! Carrying wind and thunder, the Demon Quelling Seal swept forward, halting barely an inch from Yun Wei's face. Qin Sang swayed slightly, took half a step back, dismissed his Spirit Wood Body, and cupped his hands. "A good match!"