Escape

Old Man Dique needed to proceed with utmost caution, devoting most of his strength to blinding the spiritual talisman left behind by Daoist Xuan Yu. Yet even a tiny sliver of spiritual power diverted from the Tianyin Conch was enough to capture Qin Sang with ease! The conch shell hovered in the air, its opening trained squarely on Qin Sang. A whirlpool swirled within, deep as an abyss, radiating an immense, crushing pressure. Qin Sang instantly felt as if he had plunged into a quagmire. No matter how he shifted or maneuvered, tremendous pressure bore down on him from all directions, rendering him incapable of breaking free. Right then, a baleful corpse flew out and hurled itself toward the Tianyin Conch. But Old Man Dique seemed prepared. The moment the baleful corpse appeared, the Tianyin Conch trembled slightly, shooting forth a sonic wave that suppressed it just the same. Had Old Man Dique not been reluctant to kill Qin Sang so soon, that sonic wave would have been aimed straight at him instead. Qin Sang had timed his move impeccably. Most of Old Man Dique's strength was tied down by the talisman, requiring his vigilant guard; if the talisman were disturbed, Daoist Xuan Yu would immediately notice. Between him and Daoist Xuan Yu, who mattered more was plainly obvious. And indeed, Old Man Dique had mobilized only a fraction of the Tianyin Conch's power. Yet even so, Qin Sang was completely powerless to resist. The gap was simply too vast! Qin Sang smiled wryly to himself. Fortunately, he had anticipated this outcome long ago. Flipping his palm, a black bead that had been concealed in his hand was revealed. Profound Yin Thunder! Abandoning all resistance, he allowed the Tianyin Conch to bear down on him. Clenching his teeth, he channeled the spiritual power in his body without reservation into his palm and flung his hand forward with all his might. Right before Qin Sang's eyes... The Profound Yin Thunder detonated! The sheer destructive power made Qin Sang's scalp prickle with numbness. A scene reflected in his eyes: A sphere of black light expanded rapidly, swelling before his vision. Like a drop of black ink blooming outward, it carried a chilling, resolute beauty. At such close range, death was an absolute certainty! The blast of the Profound Yin Thunder was bound to be blindingly fast, yet to Qin Sang, everything seemed agonizingly slow, as though tens of thousands of years were passing by. Death was right before his eyes. Yet Qin Sang's expression remained exceedingly calm. Deep down, he knew that Old Man Dique would never allow the Profound Yin Thunder to detonate here. Upon the Tianyin Conch was a restriction placed by Old Man Dique to conceal their aura and presence. In such haste, that flimsy restriction could never contain the shockwaves of a Profound Yin Thunder's explosion. Although the blast radius of a Profound Yin Thunder was not vast, even the slightest leaked tremor would likely be detected by Daoist Xuan Yu, ruining everything. Before the stone hall. "Profound Yin Thunder!" Old Man Dique's face turned ash-gray, and he spat three words coldly: "Good! Good! Good!" Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine Qin Sang would break free from his control with such ruthless resolve. Yet what was the use? He was still an ant that could be crushed at any moment! "Since you're so eager to die, this old man will grant your wish!" Flustered and exasperated, Old Man Dique flew into a rage. "Draw!" The detonation of the Profound Yin Thunder happened in a flash; Old Man Dique did not even have time to kill Qin Sang first. With Old Man Dique's cold shout, the Tianyin Conch decisively abandoned Qin Sang. The vortex at its opening froze, reversed, and began spinning rapidly. The crushing pressure transformed into a powerful suction that enveloped the Profound Yin Thunder, pulling the branching black light completely into the Tianyin Conch before it could fully erupt, without letting a single speck escape. *Hum!* The next instant, the Tianyin Conch shook violently, its aura thrown into turmoil. Worthy of a magic treasure, it swallowed the Profound Yin Thunder and withstood the full force of the explosion head-on, appearing outwardly unscathed. At the same time, the pressure on Qin Sang abruptly vanished. He had been waiting for this exact moment. Like a streak of lightning, looking entirely as though he were throwing his life away, he charged into the flock of firebirds without hesitation. Yet halfway there, Qin Sang's body suddenly stiffened like a corpse. Relying solely on momentum, he flew into the flock of firebirds. The moment his "corpse" appeared, it was already encircled by the fiery birds. Old Man Dique turned to Ren Hong and asked coldly, "Are you certain one cannot use spiritual power or spiritual sense within the flock of firebirds?" Ren Hong was entirely oblivious to what Qin Sang had just done, not even having seen Qin Sang's "corpse." He had been wondering why Old Man Dique's aura had suddenly shifted so drastically. Taken aback by the question, he noticed the lingering murderous intent on the elder's face and shuddered violently, rushing to reply, "Reporting to Master, those firebirds are extraordinarily sensitive to fluctuations in spiritual power and spiritual sense. If even the slightest ripple appears, they will detect it and instantly go completely berserk. Master, please take utmost care..." "With the spiritual energy so chaotic here, any talisman would definitely be triggered. In that case, that old ghost Xuan Yu couldn't have left behind any other hidden marks within the flock either..." Old Man Dique nodded, his mind put at ease. Glancing upward, he saw that after a brief flurry of chaos, the flock of firebirds immediately returned to normal. It seemed they had already devoured Qin Sang's "corpse." Even if any remains were left, they would immediately be burned away completely by the endless fire elemental power. Not a single trace could survive. Old Man Dique sensed the Tianyin Conch and found a hint of sluggishness in it. To spend one's life hunting geese, only to be pecked in the eye by one. An insignificant ant he could have crushed at will had nearly caused him immense trouble. A wave of deep hatred surged in Old Man Dique's chest; he wished he could drag Qin Sang back from the Underworld just to tear him limb from limb with his own hands. "Let's go!" Old Man Dique subtly glanced at Ren Hong from the corner of his eye, determined to kill him the moment he outlived his usefulness. He could not afford to repeat the same mistake. Ren Hong remained blissfully ignorant. Inside the volcanic crater. Although immune to the impact of their cries, the fiery gales whipped up by the flapping wings of these firebirds were leagues beyond what the ones in the trial space could produce; their power was not to be underestimated. Qin Sang hid amidst the flock of firebirds. His robes were tattered, and his body was covered in dense burn wounds, every inch of him throbbing with pain. Yet he was alive, and his expression was exceptionally relaxed. He had finally forced Old Man Dique to detonate that wisp of Thousand Illusions Divine Sound within his origin soul space! The divine sound had transformed into a blade and slashed toward his origin soul, only to be devoured by the jade Buddha. The reason Qin Sang had not waited for Old Man Dique to order him to scout the firebirds before feigning death was precisely because of that wisp of Thousand Illusions Divine Sound. Unless this hidden trap was dealt with, his condition could never be hidden from Old Man Dique. Playing dead would have been impossible, and being able to withstand the firebirds' shrieks might have even exposed the jade Buddha. Qin Sang lacked the ability to unravel Old Man Dique's hidden trap on his own. His only option was to force Old Man Dique to act personally, which was why he had taken such a desperate gamble and detonated the Profound Yin Thunder right in front of him. It was a perilous move. From the moment he laid eyes on the firebirds, Qin Sang had begun plotting. He could never continue acting as a stepping stone. After clearing the stone hall, he had already begun to feel outmatched. Once they reached the ancient cultivator's cave dwelling, the restrictions inside would inevitably be even more dangerous. Even if he miraculously survived, Old Man Dique would very likely silence him. Qin Sang was not naive enough to believe Old Man Dique would actually take him on as a disciple. Old Man Dique was plotting against Daoist Xuan Yu, who had the backing of Shangyuan Qingjing Palace, one of the eight great immortal sects. Failing to eliminate every single witness would be tantamount to digging his own grave. Qin Sang understood this truth. Old Man Dique certainly understood it as well. Ren Hong understood it too, yet was powerless to resist.