Having lured the snake from its hole, Qin Sang proceeded with his original plan. He used the Spirit Concealment Art to disguise his cultivation as the early Foundation Establishment stage and feigned ignorance of being trailed, tempting Liang Yan to make a move.
He had not expected Liang Yan to possess such patience, holding back until now before finally striking.
Yet this had also given Qin Sang ample time to prepare.
He had feigned an injury to his origin soul to draw Liang Yan into the trap. First, the Yin-Yang Compass disrupted Liang Yan's Spirit-Binding Cord. Immediately afterward, the Ten Directions Yanluo Array unfurled, catching Liang Yan squarely within its boundaries.
How could Liang Yan fail to recognize the signature magic tool of the Kuiyin Sect? His face drained of color at once, and he cried out in terror, "The Ten Directions Yanluo Array!"
By now, how could Liang Yan not realize he had been thoroughly played?
Who was this man?
Why lay a trap for him?
And why had the Heart-Devouring Insect gu failed?
Thoughts raced through Liang Yan's mind, but he knew none of it mattered now.
He knew all too well how terrifying the Ten Directions Yanluo Array was. Only one thought remained: break out of this formation as quickly as possible. Escaping this ghostly array was his only chance to turn the tables and kill his foe; otherwise, death was certain!
"Cloud-Thunder Crown!"
Liang Yan barked a low shout, and blinding silver light erupted from his head.
Beneath his hood, he had seemed to wear only an ordinary band to bind his long hair. At this moment, the headband underwent a drastic transformation—it was, in truth, a magic tool!
The band morphed into an exquisitely crafted tasseled crown. The streamers hanging from it resembled miniature rainbows, flanked by billows of auspicious clouds.
It gleamed with shifting, radiant splendor, magnificent beyond measure.
*Crack!*
A sudden thunderclap erupted out of nowhere.
The mountains trembled.
The auspicious clouds grew grim and lethal, transforming into masses of thunderclouds that radiated the purest Yang cloud-thunder power.
*Sizzle!*
Lightning surged. Dazzling electric arcs cloaked Liang Yan, shielded completely by the Cloud-Thunder Crown as though he walked bathed in thunderbolts.
The Yin soul silk was actually repelled by the cloud-thunder power, unable to crash into his origin soul.
By now, Qin Sang had quietly surfaced from the bog. Witnessing the sight, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. This magic tool of Liang Yan's, the Cloud-Thunder Crown, was no ordinary treasure; the cloud-thunder power stored within was the natural bane of evil.
Upon encountering the cloud-thunder power, the Yin soul silk was battered by lightning and severed inch by inch, its power drastically reduced. It would likely fail to breach his defenses anytime soon.
In this way, the strongest measure of the Ten Directions Yanluo Array was neutralized.
Such a tailored magic tool had very likely been meticulously prepared by Liang Yan specifically to counter the Ten Directions Yanluo Array.
Qin Sang's eyes flickered. Without hesitation, he brushed his waist, and the baleful corpse refined from Yu Daiyue's companion flew out of the corpse puppet pouch.
In life, this man had been in the middle Foundation Establishment stage. Having been refined into a baleful corpse, he could still exert considerable force in this battle.
The baleful corpse charged into the Ten Directions Yanluo Array like lightning, closing in behind Liang Yan in an instant. Its fists, trailing bone-chilling earth fiend qi, drove straight for the back of Liang Yan's heart.
Sensing the violent gust bearing down from behind, Liang Yan swiftly turned sideways. He pointed toward the baleful corpse, and a black stone burst from his fingertip, spinning wildly through the air.
At first, the stone was no larger than a fingernail, but it swelled upon meeting the wind. In the blink of an eye, it expanded into a massive boulder, slamming down toward the baleful corpse with the crushing weight of Mount Tai.
Wrapped in fierce gales and rolling black smoke, the boulder truly resembled a ferocious black dragon—no wonder it was called the Black Dragon Stone.
Even standing outside the array, Qin Sang could feel the oppressive force rolling off the Black Dragon Stone. The claim that this magic tool weighed a thousand jin was no exaggeration.
Seeing this, Qin Sang did not dare let the baleful corpse take the blow head-on.
The baleful corpse retreated in haste, crossing its arms to block.
A dull crash echoed out as the corpse was knocked flying by the Black Dragon Stone, tumbling back so violently it nearly breached the perimeter of the Ten Directions Yanluo Array before barely regaining its footing. Deep grooves were left across both of its arms, which had nearly been snapped in two by the blow.
Refusing to let up, Liang Yan drove the Black Dragon Stone in pursuit. At the same time, he shifted his body, attempting to use the stone to clear a path and charge out of the array.
With the Black Dragon Stone in full momentum, the baleful corpse alone could never contain Liang Yan. Seeing this, Qin Sang adjusted his tactics immediately. He left a portion of the Yin soul silk to keep harassing Liang Yan while channeling part of the array's power to manifest a vicious, menacing evil ghost.
The evil ghost materialized and threw itself recklessly toward Liang Yan.
At the same time, earth fiend qi roiled over the baleful corpse, restoring its injuries in an instant, and it charged forward once more.
In a flash, Liang Yan fell under a pincer attack from the evil ghost and the baleful corpse.
Both the ghost and the corpse struck and immediately pulled away, avoiding any direct clash with the Black Dragon Stone.
Relying on just the Black Dragon Stone, agile though it was, Liang Yan found himself hard-pressed on both sides. Meanwhile, the Cloud-Thunder Crown upon his head continued to endure the relentless battering of the Yin soul silk, rapidly draining its cloud-thunder power.
Panic began to mount within Liang Yan. The power of the Cloud-Thunder Crown was not limitless. If he could not break free soon and allowed the cloud-thunder power to be exhausted and breached by the Yin soul silk, he would become a lamb led to slaughter!
Liang Yan let out a low shout, pushing his spiritual power to the limit to urgently recall the Spirit-Binding Cord.
*Swish! Swish!*
The Spirit-Binding Cord shot forth like lightning, weaving through the air to overtake the baleful corpse. The corpse dodged left and right but could not shake it off, and was snared squarely by the cord, bound fast.
At the same time, the Black Dragon Stone locked firmly onto the evil ghost and slammed down savagely.
Just as the stone was about to smash the ghost to pieces, Liang Yan's expression changed drastically.
Behind him, a sword shadow abruptly manifested. It had lain in wait for who knew how long, choosing this very moment to strike!
By the time Liang Yan noticed the ebony sword, it was already too late.
In sheer terror, Liang Yan did everything he could to protect his vital points, yet to his shock, the ebony sword's target was not him at all, but the thundercloud hovering above his head!
*Whoosh!*
A resounding crash rang out. The thundercloud blew apart, and the Cloud-Thunder Crown took the brunt of the shock. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface before it shattered to pieces.
"No!"
Liang Yan shrieked in horror, but Qin Sang turned a deaf ear. He drove the Ten Directions Yanluo Array without reservation. In the blink of an eye, the overwhelming sea of Yin soul silk snuffed out the lingering remnants of cloud-thunder power on Liang Yan and began battering his origin soul.
"Ahhh—!"
This time, the scream came from Liang Yan. Clutching his head in both hands like a madman, he made a final desperate struggle, sending the Black Dragon Stone crashing wildly around him.
Qin Sang flickered in succession, effortlessly dodging the stone's wild impacts, and glided to Liang Yan's side. With a flick of his wrist, the Heavenly Poison Gauze unfurled, transforming into a dense cloud of poisonous miasma that engulfed Liang Yan completely.
Subjected to the combined assault of the Yin soul silk and the Heavenly Poison Gauze, Liang Yan had no chance to resist.
The Black Dragon Stone and the Spirit-Binding Cord lost their efficacy almost simultaneously. Their spiritual glow dimmed, and they dropped toward the ground. Just as they were about to be swallowed by the bog, a strand of spiritual power swept down from above, gathering them up.
Qin Sang stowed the two magic tools away and glanced at the captured Liang Yan.
From the moment Liang Yan took the bait and was lured out of Fengcang Cultivation Market by the Heart-Devouring Insect, his fate had been sealed. The fact that Liang Yan had not brought Shi Hong along had also spared Qin Sang any hesitation, allowing him to strike with full force.
The only variable had been that Cloud-Thunder Crown, which had managed to hold off the Yin soul silk and cost Qin Sang a bit of extra trouble. Fortunately, it had done nothing to alter the final outcome.
Chapter 348