Cooperation

Although this unexpected encounter had scared the other party away, it thoroughly threw Qin Sang's plans into disarray. Pushing the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner with all his might and feeling the spiritual power in his body deplete at an astonishing rate, Qin Sang inwardly sighed. Above his head, the Five-Colored Glaze suddenly burst with dazzling rainbow light. Countless threads of rain turned like steel needles, exuding lethal intent, instantly clearing away a vast swath of the surrounding flying monkeys. Unleashing the Five-Colored Glaze without holding back greatly reduced the pressure on Qin Sang. However, it could not last long, so he could only seize the opportunity to close the distance to the next stone platform as much as possible. After advancing some distance in this manner, Qin Sang heard a crisp cracking sound. The auspicious cloud formed by the Five-Colored Glaze shattered to pieces. Its remaining power turned into a violent squall, clearing one final path for Qin Sang before dispersing completely. Exhausting the Five-Colored Glaze's power in a single trial was truly a pity, but it had spared Qin Sang a great deal of trouble. When the outline of the stone platform emerged from the mist ahead, despite his severe expenditure of spiritual power, he did not have a single injury on him. With the flying monkeys blocked behind the barrier, Qin Sang landed on the stone platform in a somewhat disheveled state. Suddenly, his figure stiffened slightly—there was actually someone on the stone platform! This person kept their aura restrained and their form concealed, sitting cross-legged on the stone platform to regulate their breathing. Qin Sang had not noticed them at all earlier. Only after breaking free from the siege of the flying monkeys, stepping onto the stone platform, and drawing closer did he detect their presence. Fortunately, he had hidden the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner away in advance. Qin Sang stood at the edge of the stone platform, the ebony sword circling around him as he vigilantly watched where the person was hiding. A moment later, the figure revealed themselves, looking at Qin Sang with surprise written across their face. “Junior Brother Qin, it's you?” “Senior Brother Yu?” Qin Sang was also somewhat surprised. The person was actually Yu Daiyue. Yu Daiyue did not seem to be in good shape. His aura was noticeably erratic, and his left arm hung limply against his side, marred by countless wounds left by fire staves; the bones in that arm were likely entirely shattered. His body was covered in bloodstains as well, and from his battered appearance, this blood was all his own. It seemed Yu Daiyue had only recently passed the previous trial. He had not even had time to tend to his injuries and had been meditating to regulate his breathing—after all, in a place like this, recovering spiritual power was of the utmost urgency. Yu Daiyue was far worse off than Qin Sang. Seeing Qin Sang pass the trial without any visible wounds, he was greatly astonished. His eyes flickered as he spoke in a hoarse voice. “I didn't expect Junior Brother Qin's strength to have reached such a level, dealing with those terrifying flying monkeys with such ease. I was entangled by them and nearly lost my life, ultimately forced to cripple an arm just to barely escape. Compared to you, I am truly ashamed!” The person Qin Sang had encountered earlier was likely not Yu Daiyue, but probably one of those late Foundation Establishment cultivators. With these thoughts in mind, Qin Sang gave a helpless, wry smile at Yu Daiyue's words. “Senior Brother Yu thinks far too highly of me. Don't you know my limits? I only barely broke free from the flying monkeys by sacrificing a handy top-grade magic tool. Frankly speaking, I would have preferred injuring an arm instead. After all, an arm can always be healed, but who knows how much effort it takes to procure a top-grade magic tool? Especially in a place like this, losing one severely impacts my strength. I'm afraid the road ahead will be fraught with peril…” Qin Sang shook his head left and right, letting out a long sigh with an utterly dejected look. Hearing this, Yu Daiyue's expression eased slightly, and he agreed, “That is indeed a pity! However, this spirit sword of yours has an extraordinary aura—it must be your life spirit sword, right? With this sword, you will surely be fine… To be honest with you, Junior Brother Qin, thinking back on what I encountered in the first three trials still leaves me shaken. The trials in this ancient immortal's abandoned abode are far more difficult and dangerous than imagined. Who knows how many trials remain ahead; I have little confidence in passing them on my own. Since we happened to run into each other, why don't the two of us join forces? We should be able to go further together. What do you say, Junior Brother Qin?” “Nothing could be better. I will be relying on Senior Brother Yu from here on!” Qin Sang feigned delight as he agreed, having already weighed the pros and cons in his heart. Traveling with Yu Daiyue meant he could not use the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner, and it was best to avoid the Thousand Mechanism Sword Array as well, lest it trigger any associations. However, Qin Sang had not spent the past twenty years in vain. He had accumulated several decent magic tools; while their power was far inferior to the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner, they were sufficient for fighting enemies, not to mention he still had the jade ruyi talisman treasure. If the situation became dire to the point where he had to use them, he could simply find an excuse to part ways with Yu Daiyue. Each fleeing for oneself when disaster struck was the most natural thing in the world. He had worked with Yu Daiyue once before and they were sect brothers, making it easier to trust each other than strangers. Even if Yu Daiyue truly harbored ill intentions, Qin Sang was no pushover; his hidden methods would certainly give Yu Daiyue a bitter pill to swallow. Seeing Qin Sang agree so readily, Yu Daiyue smiled with satisfaction. “I still need to tend to my injuries. Junior Brother Qin, hurry and regulate your breathing as well. Once we have recovered, you and I will set out immediately. Those senior brothers with profound cultivation have likely already passed the trials and entered the abode. If we delay any longer, there won't even be any soup left for the two of us.” Qin Sang was already quite satisfied after scooping up those demonic tools and bringing the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner to great mastery, but he would not refuse further gains. He sat down right at the edge of the stone platform, settled his mind into meditation, and circulated his cultivation art. Yu Daiyue gave Qin Sang a deep look, swallowed a healing pill, and closed his eyes. The stone platform was dead silent. During their recovery, no one else arrived. Yu Daiyue suddenly awoke from meditation and said in a low voice, “Junior Brother Qin, my injuries have stabilized. We can set out.” Yu Daiyue propped up his left arm; there was some discomfort, but it was manageable. Qin Sang had long since returned to peak condition. Hearing this, he immediately rose and summoned the ebony sword. After a moment's thought, he also took out the Heavenly Poison Gauze obtained from the black-robed elder, secretly clasping a Profound Yin Thunder and the jade ruyi talisman treasure in his palm. The poisonous miasma shrouded Qin Sang, emitting waves of chilling cold and a bizarre odor. It was not unusual for a Foundation Establishment cultivator wandering the Ancient Immortal Battlefield to possess two or three top-grade magic tools. Yu Daiyue took a glance and did not inquire further. After a brief discussion, the two quietly stepped into the mist. Unexpectedly, after venturing some distance into the mist, they saw neither the familiar red clouds flying past nor the slightest trace of a fire spirit beast. It seemed there were no fire spirit beasts here at all. Qin Sang and Yu Daiyue exchanged glances, thoroughly puzzled, yet their vigilance only heightened. When things were abnormal, something wicked had to be at work! Perhaps there was something even more troublesome than the fire spirit beasts. Right then, Qin Sang suddenly felt an unusual sensation at the edge of the poisonous miasma, as if it had brushed against something. Yu Daiyue also noticed something was wrong and suddenly shouted, “Watch out!”