A Bitter Stratagem

Qin Sang shifted his gaze between the fat chick and the thunder orb. The fat chick was formidable in its own right and could even command the thunder orb; attempting to barge through and seize the Boundless Blood Mulberry right under its eyes was definitely not an option. After a moment's contemplation, a bold plan took shape in his mind. He activated the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners. The Yin soul silk wove into a massive net, surging toward the fat chick in rolling waves of black flame. Confronted by the menacing Yin soul silk, the fat chick showed no fear. Its round eyes darted about, gleaming with lively excitement, like a child who had finally found a toy. Perched on the edge of the jade pool, as unyielding as a great general, it raised a tiny, fleshy wing and pointed toward Qin Sang. Silver light glinted across the fleshy wing as a burst of lightning shot forth. *Boom!* The lightning collided with the black flame. Even without tapping into the power of the thunder orb, its peak Demon Spirit stage strength was immensely formidable. Qin Sang poured everything into sustaining the array as the black flame flared, struggling bit by bit to swallow the lightning blast. By the time Qin Sang finally wore down the blast completely, he suddenly realized that the fat chick's figure had vanished from the edge of the jade pool. Startled but not panicked, Qin Sang redirected the Yin soul silk without a second thought, driving the black fire toward his left flank. *Crack!* A plump, roly-poly figure was knocked out of the void by the black flame, tumbling through the air and furiously flapping its tiny, fleshy wings before barely managing to regain its footing. Lightning coursed between the chick's plumage; its Lightning Escape had been discovered by Qin Sang before it could even fully finish preparing. The black flames surged in fury, continuing to pursue the fat chick. Forced into frantic rolls and dodges through the air by the black fire, the fat chick suddenly let out a shrill cry. Countless bolts of lightning abruptly shot out of the thunder orb—not to strike the black fire and rescue the chick, but blasting straight at the Ten Directions Yanluo Array, aimed directly at Qin Sang. *This fat chick isn't stupid; it knows how to besiege Wei to rescue Zhao.* Qin Sang sighed softly in his heart. Sneaking across under cover would not work. The lightning discharged from the thunder orb moved astonishingly fast, arriving in the blink of an eye. Qin Sang was no slower; he decisively abandoned his attempt to slip into the jade pool under the distraction, hurling his body back in rapid retreat. Having escaped danger, the fat chick tilted its little head, seemingly puzzled as to how Qin Sang had managed to discover its whereabouts. In truth, having watched the battle outside between the adult thunder-devouring falcon and the two Nascent Soul cultivators, Qin Sang already understood the falcon's capabilities intimately and had anticipated how the fat chick would react. Qin Sang's combat experience far surpassed the fat chick's, but unfortunately, the gap in their raw strength was too great. The chick's cultivation was indisputable, and endowed with the bloodline of a demon beast, its combat instincts were sharp as well. Moreover, with the thunder orb being a balance-shattering variable, no amount of superior battle experience could be converted into an advantage. The fat chick did not command the thunder orb to blast Qin Sang to death directly. Instead, it threw its head back and spat out a pillar of thunder, before its figure vanished once more. Qin Sang cursed under his breath. The fat chick was using him as a sparring partner to hone its fighting abilities. The crimson pellet in his hand burned ceaselessly like a death warrant; Qin Sang could not afford to keep dancing around with the chick indefinitely. With a shift in thought, Qin Sang stopped dodging, directly commanding the black fire to clash head-on with the fat chick. *Bang! Bang!* Loud booms echoed repeatedly throughout the cave dwelling. The fat chick appeared and disappeared like a phantom, truly living up to the name of a thunder-devouring falcon. Though merely a newborn fledgling, its mastery of thunder was already superb. Such natural talent filled Qin Sang with immense envy. The Ten Directions Yanluo Array shuddered violently. Standing firm in place, Qin Sang willingly served as a target, allowing the fat chick to batter away at him. The fat chick did not draw on the thunder orb, but its inherent strength was so formidable that after merely a few exchanges, the black fire thinned drastically. The core array banners faintly emerged through the haze, trembling incessantly, making the array appear on the verge of collapse. The chick had likely never experienced such exhilarating fun. Its chirping grew increasingly gleeful, and its tiny, fleshy wings flapped ever faster as it darted up and down around the Ten Directions Yanluo Array. Yet it remained cautious, keeping its body at a safe distance from Qin Sang at all times. Just as the fat chick was carried away by its excitement, an illusory sword shadow suddenly emerged from the void—the ebony sword! Qin Sang had quietly commanded the ebony sword to lie in ambush in the dark, finally waiting for an opportunity to strike from an exceptionally treacherous angle. The flying sword moved with astonishing speed, appearing behind the chick's neck in an instant. Sharp sword qi was on the verge of piercing the tender downy feathers. In this critical moment, the fat chick showed not the slightest panic. Its round eyes rolled, flashing with a glint of cunning. It abruptly whipped its head around, opened its little yellow beak wide, and unleashed a torrent of thunder that it had been storing up who knew how long. The fat chick's timing was exquisitely vicious; at such close range, the ebony sword had no room to evade and was submerged by the pillar of thunder. *Boom!* The ebony sword was blasted away by the pillar of thunder, the spiritual light upon its blade dimming sharply. Since the ebony sword was Qin Sang's life spirit sword, nurtured and bound to his mind and soul, he could not escape unscathed once the spirit sword was damaged. With a cry of agony, the already weakened black fire dispersed significantly, nearly extinguished. Qin Sang's figure was exposed through the black flames. His face was deathly pale and his aura in utter disarray, clearly suffering from the backlash of his life spirit sword. In this state, he appeared to struggle even to sustain the Ten Directions Yanluo Array. Stumbling on his feet, Qin Sang glanced at the fat chick with a look of sheer terror on his face. Gritting his teeth, he hurriedly gathered his remaining strength, swept up the Ten Directions Yanluo Array to shield himself, and scrambled to flee. Having not only foiled the sneak attack but turned the tables with a counterstrike, the fat chick was riding high on excitement from its triumph. How could it allow its toy to run away just like that? Without hesitation, it instantly transformed into a flash of Lightning Escape, hurtling ahead at a speed far exceeding Qin Sang's to block his path. Almost the very moment the chick emerged from the Lightning Escape, the black fire of the Ten Directions Yanluo Array suddenly parted on its own. Man and bird stood in close quarters, their gazes meeting. The fat chick suddenly realized that the terror on Qin Sang's face was gone, replaced by a playful smirk. His face seemed even paler, yet his aura showed not the slightest hint of disarray. The ebony sword was forged from material fit for a magic treasure and meticulously guided by Qin Sang; how could it be damaged so easily? It had all been nothing more than Qin Sang's bitter ruse. Its demon beast instincts warned the fat chick of imminent danger. Yet before it could react, a chorus of ghostly shrieks erupted from within the black fire, followed by a surge of Nine Nether Demon Flame—far darker and more profound than the black fire—which blasted boldly right in front of the chick. Feeling the terrifying aura of the Nine Nether Demon Flame, the chick's already round eyes went wide as saucers, and an uncontrollable look of panic washed through them. *Whoosh!* The Nine Nether Demon Flame engulfed the fat chick. The chick had only enough time to summon lightning to coat its body. How could a peak Demon Spirit stage chick withstand the Nine Nether Demon Flame, a fire that even a Flying Yaksha feared? The fat chick shrieked over and over, its cries tinged with what sounded like tears. Qin Sang, however, felt not the slightest pity, for as the chick shrieked, he sensed an unimaginably terrifying, violent power surging directly behind him, already right at his back. If struck by this power, Qin Sang had no doubt he would be effortlessly blasted into smithereens! Qin Sang was shaken to the core, but fortunately, he had prepared in advance, shifting sideways in a hurry to evade. Yet his hands did not pause for a second; at some point, the Heavenly Poison Gauze had appeared in his palm. With the window of opportunity fleeting in an instant, Qin Sang steeled his resolve. He channeled the spiritual power in his body without reservation into the Heavenly Poison Gauze, shattering the top-grade magic tool.