Desperation

Looking at the sinister blood sword, a premonition of dread suddenly welled up in Daoist Jiupao's heart. *Whoosh!* The ebony sword was already inches away from the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner. The Blood Filth Divine Light flashed. The Ten Directions Yanluo Banner presented a broad target, and the Blood Filth Divine Light struck the magic treasure dead-on. The demonic fire dancing upon the banner cloth abruptly lost much of its momentum, faintly exposing the magic treasure's true body. The luster across the black banner rapidly dulled, its spirituality severely damaged. Qin Sang had tested the power of the Blood Filth Divine Light on the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner long ago. Once struck by the light, no magic treasure—no matter its grade—could remain exempt. However, the higher a magic treasure's grade, the briefer the light's effect lasted, and the degree of degradation would diminish accordingly. Against a top-grade magic treasure, Qin Sang estimated the Blood Filth Divine Light would hardly produce a noticeable effect—unless he raised the ebony sword to the rank of a top-grade magic treasure as well. Yet in a clash between masters, even a single instant could decisively shift the tide—especially now. *Whoosh!* With the divine ability of Sword Qi Thunderclap still active, the ebony sword seized the opening left by the banner's impairment, forcing its way through the barrier of Nine Nether Demonic Fire. Under Daoist Jiupao's terrified gaze, it closed in before his face in a split second. *Swoosh!* Not to be outdone, the Flying Yaksha closed the distance in an instant as well. A single Ten Directions Yanluo Banner was merely a low-grade magic treasure. With its spirituality severely damaged, its current power could not even match that of the ebony sword and fell far short of what was needed. The Nine Nether Demonic Fire tangling with the Flying Yaksha also waned drastically in strength, so the yaksha no longer feared it as much. The sudden turn of events threw Daoist Jiupao into disarray. Yet a veteran Core Formation expert was a veteran after all; even confronted with such a dire crisis, he managed a timely response. He violently swung the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner, slamming the magic treasure's physical body straight toward the Flying Yaksha. His eyes fixed rigidly on the ebony sword. Spiritual power surged furiously before his chest as he forcefully twisted his body, managing by a hair's breadth to evade a vital strike. A muffled groan escaped him. The ebony sword pierced through Daoist Jiupao's left chest, bringing forth a spray of blood. Before the sword qi lodged inside his body could detonate, Daoist Jiupao forcefully expelled most of it. What remained failed to inflict a fatal blow and was swiftly suppressed. On the other side, the battered magic treasure suffered a flurry of fierce blows from the Flying Yaksha, adding insult to injury. In the end, it was knocked flying away, its cloth torn open with a gash by the yaksha's claws, visibly ruined for immediate use. Daoist Jiupao's aura fell into disarray and his face turned deathly pale, though the injury was not fatal. "The Blood Filth Divine Light!" Recognizing the ebony sword's divine ability, Daoist Jiupao's eyes filled with venom and jealousy. He could not comprehend how a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator possessed so many rare treasures—not only a Flying Yaksha, but also a magic treasure crafted from Boundless Blood Mulberry, pushing even him into such a wretched state. Even among early Core Formation cultivators, few boasted such immense wealth. At this moment, any thought of turning the tables and killing Qin Sang had vanished entirely; he wanted nothing more than to break free and escape as fast as possible. Yet after waiting so long for this very moment, how could Qin Sang let him have his way? Qin Sang pressed aggressively, ordering the ebony sword to keep threatening Jiupao while coordinating with the Flying Yaksha in a pincer attack. Before long, Qin Sang sensed Daoist Jiupao's intention to retreat. He became all the more relentless, fiercely commanding the Flying Yaksha to brave the Nine Nether Demonic Fire and attack Jiupao with full fury. The onslaught came like a tidal surge. Fearless of death, the Flying Yaksha clung tenaciously to Daoist Jiupao without leaving the slightest gap. Now it was Daoist Jiupao who found his hands and feet tied. Deprived of his magic treasure and nursing an injury, he struggled to cope with the onslaught and found it overwhelming. Demonic energy and corpse qi collided and tangled into an indistinguishable mass, wreaking havoc across the valley with an aura of ruin. The valley was altered beyond recognition. The peach orchard lay completely devastated, its blossoms entirely destroyed. Qin Sang controlled the ebony sword to flank the fight, assisting the Flying Yaksha as much as possible in pinning Daoist Jiupao down. But as the battle grew increasingly vicious, Qin Sang began to feel outmatched facing Jiupao. He could sense that Daoist Jiupao had started fighting with reckless abandon. Daoist Jiupao was a genuine Core Formation cultivator after all. When such an expert cast all caution to the wind with the sole aim of carving out a path to survival, the combat prowess unleashed was terrifying. The tide of battle shifted in the blink of an eye. The ebony sword could only harry from the perimeter, unable to find an opening to attack for some time. Qin Sang shot a deep look at Daoist Jiupao. Suddenly, he raised a hand to recall the ebony sword. Redirecting his attention back to the Ten Directions Yanluo Array, he retrieved the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner magic treasure from his mustard seed bag. Forcing out his essence blood, Qin Sang's skin drained of color. The ten main souls materialized one after another, clamoring over Qin Sang's essence blood. Immediately afterward, their auras soared rapidly as they joined forces to hoist the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner. *Whoosh!* The aura of Nine Nether Demonic Fire erupted—only this time, the one wielding it was Qin Sang! He could not yet command a magic treasure as freely as Daoist Jiupao, so he could only draw upon the utmost power he could muster, driving a massive wave of Nine Nether Demonic Fire into the fray. "The Ten Directions Yanluo Banner?!" Amid the turbulence of demonic energy, Daoist Jiupao let out an incredulous shriek like a ghost. "Who are you?!" "Just who are you?!" "Who on earth are you?!" ... Daoist Jiupao yelled again and again, his cries fraught with indignation, shock, and fury, yet Qin Sang gave no reply. Deep within the demonic energy, the winds abruptly surged. Three tornadoes materialized in succession, scattering the Nine Nether Demonic Fire and hemming in the Flying Yaksha. By now, Qin Sang could only vaguely sense Daoist Jiupao's condition. Knowing the man was fighting for his life, Qin Sang could not allow him to break free under any circumstances. He had no time to worry whether the Flying Yaksha would be destroyed in this battle. Equally throwing caution to the wind, he held only one command: for the Flying Yaksha to attack! The earth shattered and the mountains shook! Even Hanshan City, separated by several grand mountains, shuddered violently as though an earth dragon were turning over, and colossal waves churned upon the river below the mountain. The mortals in the city had no idea what was happening. Thrown into panic, dread gripped their hearts. Within the City Lord's Estate, several figures stood atop the palace roofs, gazing in the direction of the valley. The highest cultivation among them was merely early Foundation Establishment, belonging to a white-haired elder advanced in years. They exchanged glances, their faces pale with terror. A young man could not help but ask, "Patriarch, it's from the forbidden area. What is in there? Why did it suddenly..." The white-haired elder gripped his cane tightly with both hands, veins bulging across his arms. He said not a word, his cloudy eyes brimming with profound worry and fear. Inside the valley. Qin Sang's eyes were red with bloodlust. Suddenly sweeping a hand over his waist, he released the only three remaining baleful corpses refined from late Foundation Establishment remains, sending them hurtling straight into the battlefield. Soon, his connection to the first baleful corpse snapped. The second! The third! In the blink of an eye, all three baleful corpses were obliterated. Qin Sang felt not the slightest ache of regret. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared fixedly at the center of the battlefield. He could feel himself nearing his limit. His essence blood had been devoured by the main souls once again, leaving him terribly feeble, almost unable to maintain control over the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner. Time and again, the Flying Yaksha was forced back, only to twist around and plunge back into the demonic energy once more. It, too, was fighting desperately, riddled with countless wounds deep to the bone, utterly battered.