Breakthrough

Qin Sang's cultivation had not reached the False Core stage, but through the precious records preserved by his sect and discussions with his fellow disciples, he possessed a general understanding of it. Such was the advantage of belonging to a sect. Among cultivators of the same realm, strength varied. Setting aside external aids, in terms of cultivation alone, the gap would never be insurmountable. Having witnessed the drain of a magic treasure, Qin Sang could already guess part of Yu Hua's current state, and an audacious plan immediately took shape in his mind. "Recall!" Controlling the magic treasure, Qin Sang retracted the Nine Nether Demon Flame, rolled up the Ten Directions Yanluo Array, and summoned the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword. He rose, walked to the edge of the darkness, took a deep breath, and stepped inside to return to the side chamber! What the Flying Yaksha feared was the Nine Nether Demon Flame; suppressed by Yu Hua wielding the magic treasure, it had been unable to unleash its full might. Yu Hua would never imagine that Qin Sang would dare return now! Qin Sang counted the time silently in his heart. After a dizzying rush, the barrier appeared before him. At this moment, the scene inside the side chamber surprised even Qin Sang. Through some unknown method, Yu Hua had manifested a colossal cage out of the Nine Nether Demon Flame, trapping the Flying Yaksha inside. Within the fire cage, the Flying Yaksha's evasion techniques seemed to have lost all effect. The creature's terror of the Nine Nether Demon Flame exceeded even Qin Sang's imagination; it roared madly within the cage, not daring to take a single step across the fiery perimeter! However, the price Yu Hua had paid was steep. His right arm was severed at the elbow, and judging by the wound, it had not been torn off by the Flying Yaksha, but cleanly hacked through by a sharp blade. One could deduce that Yu Hua had likely been wounded by the Flying Yaksha, and with corpse poison invading his body, he had been forced to sever his own arm. Furthermore, Yu Hua's breathing was ragged and his stamina heavily drained. He was standing before the barrier, racing against time to unravel the restriction. The restriction was already on the verge of being broken. Qin Sang appeared! Separated by the barrier, their eyes met. "You dare come back?" Yu Hua had not expected Qin Sang to actually dare return. A flicker of astonishment surfaced in his eyes, accompanied by a sliver of vigilance. A wild, ferocious grin spread across Qin Sang's face as he abruptly drove the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword. This barrier, like the ice wall on the opposite side, was oriented outward. It seemed whoever left the restriction had intended to prevent stray beasts from blundering in and damaging the central teleportation formation. Breaching it from within was never difficult, not to mention that Yu Hua had already unraveled a portion of it. Borrowing Yu Hua's progress, the Five Elements spirit swords effortlessly shattered the barrier. Caught off guard, Yu Hua's first reaction was to retreat. Yet Qin Sang decisively abandoned the Five Elements Dharma-Breaking Sword and swept his arm. The Ten Directions Yanluo Array hidden behind his back materialized, its main soul howling as black demon flame surged forth, coalescing into a long arrow that shot out with explosive force. Yu Hua's pupils dilated abruptly, his face stricken with horror. "Nine Nether Demon Flame! You—" *Whoosh!* The hurtling demon flame choked back the rest of his words. Pale with shock, Yu Hua retreated at top speed, but Qin Sang had moved too fast; standing so close to the barrier, Yu Hua had no room to maneuver. Seeing the Nine Nether Demon Flame expand rapidly in his vision, Yu Hua grew frantic. He only had time to fling out a jade-bracelet magic tool from his hand. The bracelet was an exquisite magic tool that Yu Hua had kept ready to guard against unexpected mishaps while cracking the restriction—a seasoned, prudent measure. Yet against the might of a magic treasure, such a tool proved far too feeble. *Crack!* The bracelet was shattered effortlessly by the Nine Nether Demon Flame, but it fulfilled its duty, buying Yu Hua a fleeting breath of respite. Yu Hua fell back in wretched disarray. In this moment, aside from employing his magic treasure to recall the Nine Nether Demon Flame and counter Qin Sang, he could think of no other way to escape the predicament. Yet recalling the demon flame to resolve the crisis at hand... What would happen to the Flying Yaksha? Yu Hua did not know. Qin Sang understood well the necessity of weeding out evil completely. He pressed forward step by step, leaving Yu Hua no room to deliberate; the man could only take things as they came. Deep down, Yu Hua kept praying that the mindless Flying Yaksha, not being Qin Sang's refined corpse, would fail to distinguish friend from foe... *Boom!* The two plumes of demon flame collided. Qin Sang's body shuddered violently, but he gritted his teeth and held on. The outcome Yu Hua had hoped for did not materialize. The Flying Yaksha seemed completely blind to Qin Sang, keeping its deadly glare locked firmly on Yu Hua—as if he were the only living person in the side chamber! "Why?!" Yu Hua roared in bitter fury, madly driving his magic treasure to force Qin Sang back while simultaneously maneuvering the demon flame in a hair's-breadth block against the Flying Yaksha's ambush, seeking an opening to flee. Unexpectedly, a figure flashed before him—Qin Sang had blocked the exit from the side chamber before he could reach it. Yu Hua coveted the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid and would never let Qin Sang live. And Qin Sang wanted nothing more than to execute Yu Hua at every waking moment! Without an opportunity, survival naturally took precedence. Now that a chance had presented itself, he had to seize it firmly. Allowing Yu Hua to escape and stir up trouble would not merely expose his identity; the foundation Qin Sang had painstakingly built over decades in the Lesser Cold Domain and Shaohua Mountain would be entirely ruined, and he might even be forced to flee the Lesser Cold Domain as a refugee. To be constantly hunted by a demonic monster whose cultivation far exceeded his own, living with a thorn in his side—Qin Sang had no desire to experience such a nightmare. Thus, realizing an ambush could not kill Yu Hua outright, Qin Sang had shifted tactics at once, choosing to block the side chamber's exit and trap the turtle in the jar! The Flying Yaksha was the most dependable ally. Aside from the Nine Nether Demon Flame, it feared nothing. Qin Sang had no need to worry about betrayal. One man and one corpse—or rather, two "living corpses"—coordinated in seamless harmony. With Qin Sang keeping the Nine Nether Demon Flame occupied, the Flying Yaksha was finally able to unleash the full power of a Core Formation stage refined corpse, striking like thunder and moving like a phantom. Without his magic treasure, even Yu Hua at his peak would have been no match for the Flying Yaksha, let alone now when his stamina was heavily depleted. Within mere breaths, his defeat was all but sealed. Yu Hua attempted to break out, only to be driven back by the combined assault of Qin Sang and the Flying Yaksha. "You deserve to die!" Yu Hua's eyes were bloodshot, his hatred for Qin Sang bone-deep. With death beckoning, how could he care about obtaining the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid? Preserving his life was his only priority. Hesitating no longer, Yu Hua moved to awaken the Heart-Devouring Insect gu. Yet in the very next instant, a horrified expression seized his face. "You..." "Earlier, I was only faking." Standing completely unharmed, Qin Sang bared his white teeth in a grin at Yu Hua. In Yu Hua's eyes, he looked like a devil. Rattled by Qin Sang's smile, Yu Hua inadvertently exposed an opening. A punch from the Flying Yaksha slammed square into his chest, sending him flying backward with a wretched shriek. In a desperate bid for survival, Yu Hua urgently summoned the Nine Nether Demon Flame to repel the pursuing Flying Yaksha. Now was the chance! Qin Sang was decisive. In an instant, he overdrew all the spiritual power remaining in his body, leaving not a single drop in his sea of qi, and drove the Nine Nether Demon Flame with everything he had to pounce on Yu Hua. Yu Hua tried to recall his demon flame to fend off Qin Sang's attack, but in the heat of the moment, he could not mount an effective defense. Qin Sang seized the opening and broke through in one fell swoop! "Ahhh!" The Nine Nether Demon Flame possessed a bizarre nature, scorching the soul first. Before any external wounds could even appear on Yu Hua's body, he was already shrieking in agony as the aura of his origin soul withered at terrifying speed. Qin Sang's eyes brightened. Suddenly, he wheeled the Nine Nether Demon Flame around to block the Flying Yaksha.