After pondering a moment, the silver-robed man raised his arm. Ten small, eerie ghost banners flew out from his palm, and with practiced ease, he prepared the Ten Directions Yanluo Array.
He set up the array with remarkable speed; the ten ghost banners crisscrossed repeatedly, bringing the grand array into being in a single breath.
The black flames had barely ignited before the silver-robed man pressed down with his hand, causing them to disperse with a rumble. The ten ghost banners floated in the empty air, and a terrifying darkness capable of devouring men permeated the array, yet every fluctuation was hidden away to perfection by the silver-robed man.
With a wave of his arm, the silver-robed man swept the Ten Directions Yanluo Array into his sleeve, melted into the shadows, and silently approached the mountain range.
Before long, he arrived at the foot of an isolated peak.
The solitary peak thrust upward like a sword, exceptionally steep and precipitous—a rare sight within this vast, gentle mountain range.
The spiritual energy here was not dense, but that was hardly surprising. In some places, spirit veins were deeply concealed, cloaking their treasures within; without a thorough, meticulous search, they were exceedingly difficult to discover.
Tightly suppressing every trace of his aura, the silver-robed man swept his gaze across the isolated peak, finally fixing it upon an inconspicuous slab of bluestone halfway up the mountainside.
The next moment, the silver-robed man appeared before the bluestone. He fixed his eyes upon it for a moment, a sneer curling onto his face. With a light flick of his sleeve, the Ten Directions Yanluo Array flew out in a spinning blur, the ghost banners swelling with the wind.
In an instant, the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners transformed into towering flags a zhang tall. They plunged straight into the mountain, encircling the bluestone. Their cloths fluttered as countless evil ghosts seemed poised to leap forth; Yin soul silk whipped up black flames, blotting out the sky and concealing the sun.
*Whoosh!*
The black flames erupted violently, rolling forward layer upon layer, madly surging toward the bluestone at the center.
A purple glow of restrictive warding flashed across the bluestone, but it failed to stir up the slightest wave, drowned out at once by the boundless black fire.
A muffled boom rang out.
*Bang!*
The bluestone shattered to pieces, revealing a dark, cavernous opening. Amidst the flying rock shards, one could even see the remnants of the restriction—it had been shattered by sheer brute force!
The silver-robed man did not charge in recklessly. He remained standing behind the array, letting out wisps of his spiritual sense to maintain constant vigilance over his surroundings.
Turning his gaze, he looked deep into the entrance of the cave.
Unexpectedly, at that very instant, a sudden change occurred!
The passage plunged into abrupt darkness, and then a black, fluid-like mass came surging out—it was black fire, identical to that outside.
Deep within the black fire stood another fully deployed Ten Directions Yanluo Array, and nestled inside it was a vaguely visible figure.
"The Ten Directions Yanluo Array!"
The black fire obscured his vision, preventing him from seeing the person's face clearly. However, the silver-robed man could clearly feel a gaze shooting out from within, locking onto him. The gaze carried a bone-chilling coldness that made his back prickle with dread, and his expression changed drastically.
A trap!
In a flash, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
To possess the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners—could it be one of his harboring-ill-intent 'fellow disciples' targeting him?
Which one?
Hardly anyone in their sect knew this poisonous gu art, and even fewer had survived until now.
The silver-robed man abruptly expanded his spiritual sense. Detecting no other ambushers, he felt a wave of relief. A savage sneer surfaced on his face, and without hesitation, he awakened the Heart-Devouring Insect gu.
"Kill!"
Unexpectedly, the figure opposite him remained standing there steadily. Far from letting out a scream of agony, he did not even flinch.
The silver-robed man's expression froze into a bizarre grimace.
He had anticipated that since this person had the audacity to lay a trap and lure him in, the man would surely have some means of restraining the Heart-Devouring Insect gu; the chances of killing him with the poisonous gu were slim.
Yet all he needed was for the poison gu to take effect and hinder the other's movements.
Even if one could dispel the gu, it was not something that could be done in an instant. As long as the other party revealed the slightest flaw, he could exploit it to turn the tables and strike back, leaving the schemer out of pocket.
What the silver-robed man never expected was that the poison gu had absolutely no effect on the other party—not the slightest influence at all!
At the same time, he suddenly noticed something amiss with the black fire flowing out from the passage. Behind the black fire lurked an even deeper flame, emanating an aura that made him tremble to the core!
Sensing that terrifying aura, a flash of insight struck the silver-robed man's mind. He suddenly recalled something, his pupils dilating violently as he cried out in horror:
"The Nine Nether Demon Flame! A magic treasure!"
Of the five Ten Directions Yanluo Banner magic treasures handed down by the Patriarch, apart from the one held by his master, the whereabouts of the rest were unknown. They had suspected that all of them had fallen into the hands of the Yuanzhao Sect, never expecting one to appear right here.
Just who on earth was this person!
The silver-robed man was bewildered, but he had no intention of seeking answers. At this moment, he was utterly certain that this was a trap laid specifically for him, and that the opponent held a magic treasure, possessing strength far exceeding imagination.
Fortunately, there was only one person!
The Nine Nether Demon Flame moved with astonishing speed, about to burst out of the cave entrance and surge right at him.
Connected by heart and soul, the silver-robed man could even feel his Ten Directions Yanluo Array trembling. The main souls inside the ghost banners were terrified, screaming wildly in dread.
The situation was critical.
The corner of the silver-robed man's eye twitched, a look of heartache flickering across his face. Decisive to the bone, he slammed his palm viciously toward the Ten Directions Yanluo Array. His sea of qi churned frantically, squeezing his spiritual power to its absolute limit and pouring it all into the array, causing the momentum of the black flames to surge violently. He forcibly dragged out the main souls and thrust them directly into the black fire.
Then, manipulating the black fire, he hurled it unreservedly toward the Nine Nether Demon Flame, like moths darting into a fire.
After doing all this, the silver-robed man turned pale. Without sparing another glance at the Ten Directions Yanluo Array, he chose to abandon this powerful formation. Twisting around, he kicked off hard from the ground, transformed into a streak of blood-red light, and sped away.
*Boom!*
The black flames manifested by the Ten Directions Yanluo Array were broken through by the Nine Nether Demon Flame, and all the main souls dispersed into nothingness. The ten ghost banners shuddered violently and shattered in unison, turning to dust.
As the Nine Nether Demon Flame dispersed, a figure swept out from the cave—it was Qin Sang.
He stood at the entrance of the cave, gazing into the distance. That streak of blood-red light moved at astonishing speed, on the verge of vanishing at the horizon.
The silver-robed man was clearly fleeing with every ounce of his strength.
His caution and decisiveness were unlike anything Qin Sang had ever seen.
Even with the advantage of the Heart-Devouring Insect gu, he had still prepared the array first, thwarting Qin Sang's ambush and sneak attack. When danger struck, he had abandoned the Ten Directions Yanluo Array without hesitation to buy himself time to escape.
No wonder this man had earned the favor of Daoist Jiupao, who took him as a personal true disciple, and no wonder he had not only survived the Yuanzhao Sect's manhunt unscathed, but had even successfully cultivated to the False Core stage.
Unfortunately, everything he did was in vain.
Watching the fleeing streak of light with a cold sneer, Qin Sang shifted his thoughts. A flash of green luster flew out from between his brows, circled in front of him, and came to a halt, revealing its true appearance.
It was an exquisitely crafted miniature sword.
This sword was none other than Qin Sang's life spirit sword—the ebony sword!
The ebony sword's form showed little change from before, save that its blade had become clearer and more translucent, devoid of the slightest impurity, looking just like colored glass.
Chapter 417