The spirit formation within the Peach Blossom Miasma held countless variations, but so long as one knew its underlying pattern, unraveling it was not difficult.
Still, Qin Sang did not throw caution to the wind. He crept toward the center of the miasma with utmost care, wary of any other traps Daoist Jiupao might have laid that could expose his whereabouts.
Upon entering the Peach Blossom Miasma, Qin Sang found that the peach trees bared their twisted branches like claws and fangs, exuding a menacing ferocity entirely devoid of their outwardly charming appearance. Resembling evil ghosts, they were an ominous breed of tree, creatures entirely different from Shaohua Mountain's ruby peaches.
The structure within the miasma grew increasingly distinct. It was a crude, square stone cottage, without the slightest touch of luxury.
The moment he got a clear look at the stone structure, Qin Sang froze in his tracks. Pushing his Spirit Concealment Art to the utmost, he darted behind a peach tree and peered forward with furrowed brows.
Sitting cross-legged before the stone cottage door was a person.
The man appeared around fifty years of age, clad in a gray robe whose hem was embroidered with patterns of black flames. He sat on the ground with his back to the cottage, eyes half-closed, his breathing steady and calm.
Perhaps never expecting anyone could stealthily infiltrate this place, he had made no effort to conceal himself, leaving his False Core stage cultivation completely exposed.
"It's him?"
Recognizing the man's face, Qin Sang immediately recalled his identity: Ink Flame, one of the Demon Flame Sect's Four Demon Flame Emissaries, originally a remnant of the Kuiyin Sect whose real name was Huang Shizhong.
With this, Qin Sang had encountered all four of Daoist Jiupao's Demon Flame Emissaries, two of whom had already fallen by his hand.
The other of the two had been captured alive by Qin Sang in the Luandao Waters. But because his cultivation was only at late Foundation Establishment, Qin Sang had been unwilling to waste a precious Heavenly Corpse Talisman on him. After capturing the Yellow-Armored Man alive, Qin Sang had killed him and refined him into a baleful corpse.
Huang Shizhong's presence here in the Peach Blossom Miasma, sitting motionless before the stone cottage without entering deep meditation to cultivate, made him look very much like a gatekeeper.
In the entire Demon Flame Sect, only Daoist Jiupao had the stature to make Huang Shizhong stand guard at the door!
By all appearances, Daoist Jiupao was indeed inside.
Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. He had come to the right place!
His gaze moved past Huang Shizhong to the stone cottage behind him. Its doors were tightly shut, the bluestone slabs carved with runes where the glow of restrictive wardings flickered faintly.
Blocked by the restrictions, there was no way to probe inside.
Observing closely, Qin Sang found that the restrictions on the cottage were exceedingly intricate. If he were to crack them himself, it would take considerable effort, but they posed no great trouble to the Flying Yaksha.
Where was Ji Wu?
Qin Sang scanned the surroundings, but found no trace of anyone else.
With only two of the Four Demon Flame Emissaries remaining, and even Huang Shizhong called upon to guard the gate, there was no reason for Ji Wu to be absent. In fact, Ji Wu's status was higher than Huang Shizhong's.
Daoist Jiupao held Ji Wu in high regard, grooming him as his successor. Qin Sang had learned from the captured emissary that Ji Wu was favored even more than Silver Flame had been.
Could Ji Wu be inside the stone cottage?
Concealed behind the tree, Qin Sang waited patiently for an entire hour. Still there was no sign of Ji Wu, and not a sound emerged from within the cottage.
He couldn't wait any longer!
Qin Sang thought to himself that Daoist Jiupao was likely at some critical juncture. The longer he delayed, the more unpredictable variables might arise; he could wait no further and had to act immediately.
To kill Daoist Jiupao, he had to dispose of Huang Shizhong first. Otherwise, facing a Core Formation stage Daoist Jiupao alongside two False Core experts, Qin Sang would have no choice but to flee for his life.
Qin Sang withdrew his gaze, deep in thought. Daoist Jiupao was his primary target, so Qin Sang had no desire to complicate matters by capturing Huang Shizhong alive.
He pondered how to eliminate Huang Shizhong with thunderous swiftness before Daoist Jiupao noticed, thus taking one opponent off the board.
It would be best if he could kill Huang Shizhong without alerting Daoist Jiupao at all.
With a turn of thought, Qin Sang settled on a plan.
...
Huang Shizhong sat as still as a statue.
The Peach Blossom Miasma was intensely toxic; birds and beasts dared not set foot inside the valley, and the surrounding area for ten li was a forbidden zone for living creatures.
Because of this, the valley was deathly quiet, allowing Huang Shizhong to easily catch even the faintest sound.
Right then, Huang Shizhong seemed to hear something. His ears twitched slightly, and he snapped his eyes open, staring fixedly at a nearby peach tree.
He saw a twig on that peach tree quivering faintly, as if stirred by the wind, sending several peach blossom petals drifting slowly downward.
Had he imagined it?
Doubt flickered in Huang Shizhong's eyes. Aside from those falling petals, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary; even the spirit formation within the miasma remained completely undisturbed.
He gave a small shake of his head. But just as his vigilance relaxed slightly and he was about to close his eyes to rest his mind, he sensed a fierce gust rushing at him from the left. His expression drastically changed!
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a black figure moving at astonishing speed, closing in on him in an instant.
An intruder!
Huang Shizhong was terrified. It hadn't been his imagination; there truly was an intruder.
The enemy had slipped through both the spirit formation and the toxic miasma without making a sound, closing within arm's reach before he had even noticed!
Though panic seized him, Huang Shizhong's battle experience ran deep, and he swiftly made the right call. Instead of fleeing, he immediately twisted his upper body to face his assailant head-on, snapping his fists together to strike back.
The moment he laid eyes on the masked Flying Yaksha, Huang Shizhong's heart sank. Its terrifying aura shocked him to the core, and knowing full well he was no match for it, he opened his mouth to cry out to Daoist Jiupao for help.
"Khh... khh..."
Huang Shizhong opened his mouth, but suddenly felt an icy chill pierce his chest. All strength drained from his limbs, rendering him unable to utter a sound, while a searing agony flared in his throat as ghostly claws locked ruthlessly around his neck.
Struggling to look down past the ghostly claws, he saw an emerald sword tip protruding from his chest. While defending against the Flying Yaksha's ambush, he had never anticipated another enemy lurking in the shadows—wielding such a razor-sharp flying sword.
Even the defensive robe he wore had been effortlessly pierced.
Chaotic sword qi surged wildly into his body, wreaking havoc and tearing away not only his strength, but his very life. The light in Huang Shizhong's eyes rapidly dimmed to gray.
Breath stopped; he was dead.
Only then did Qin Sang, wearing a mask of his own, reveal himself beside Huang Shizhong. He ordered the Flying Yaksha to release its grip and gently caught Huang Shizhong's corpse.
Though the assassination appeared straightforward, it had been mentally exhausting. Every split second had required flawless coordination; otherwise, Huang Shizhong would have found a chance to cry out for help.
Qin Sang pressed down on Huang Shizhong's wound to keep the scent of blood from spreading, thinking, *Falling to the pincer attack of a Flying Yaksha and a magic treasure—you died a worthy death.*
Tossing Huang Shizhong's corpse straight into his corpse puppet pouch, Qin Sang stood side by side with the Flying Yaksha, staring at the stone cottage door.
Huang Shizhong was dead.
There was no reaction whatsoever from within the stone cottage; Daoist Jiupao truly seemed unaware.
Regardless of whether Daoist Jiupao had some scheme underway, having come this far, Qin Sang had no way back. He ordered the Flying Yaksha forward while swiftly producing the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner, sending all ten ghost banners aloft.
As the grand formation took shape, Qin Sang glanced at the Flying Yaksha.
Chapter 489