Hiding in the shadows, Qin Sang overheard Wu Youdao's words and realized that if he did not seize this opportunity to leave the Qingyang Demonic Sect, he might never be able to leave again.
After giving his instructions to the others, Wu Youdao flew toward the inner sect alone.
Only after Wu Youdao's figure vanished did Qin Sang make his move. Darting out from the shadows, he crept toward the mountain gate.
Matters had reached a point where a peaceful resolution was impossible; he could only force his way out.
Qin Sang was prepared for a fierce battle against Wu Youdao. With his current strength, he stood a fighting chance against him, but they could not fight inside the Qingyang Demonic Sect—otherwise, he would not have the slightest chance of winning.
If he waited until Wu Youdao entered Divine Astral Peak and began dealing with the Ancestral Holy Fire, when the elder's attention was fully divided, his odds of escaping would be much higher.
Just as Qin Sang was calculating how and when to strike, he suddenly saw a flying boat tearing through the sky outside the Qingyang Demonic Sect. It was the pod-shaped flying boat from earlier, flying even faster than before it had left!
*So fast?*
Qin Sang had not expected the others to return so quickly. Right now, Wu Youdao definitely had not entered Divine Astral Peak yet. But knowing he could wait no longer, he made a decision at once.
Qin Sang circulated his true essence, deployed his movement technique, and concealed his aura as much as possible, racing toward the mountain gate against the clock.
In front of the stone tablet, the six people stood where they were, startled by the flying boat approaching from afar, and looked up into the distance. Once their fellow disciples on the flying boat returned, they would obey Wu Youdao's orders to reactivate the grand formation and seal the sect.
*Rumble!*
The flying boat sped through the high sky, drawing nearer and nearer, sending waves of roaring sound comparable to thunderclaps.
Right at this moment, the oldest cultivator with the highest cultivation among the six by the stone tablet seemed to sense something. He suddenly turned his head to look behind him, his eyes sweeping downward across the area below the stone platform.
Below the stone platform lay a precipitous, barren cliff without a single blade of grass.
Only halfway down the mountain did the slope flatten out; though green pines and emerald cypresses grew down below, everything remained in plain view.
All was normal.
The others noticed the old man's sudden movement and followed his gaze, but saw nothing. Surprised by the furrow in his brow, they asked one after another, "Senior Brother, what are you looking at...?"
The old man scanned the area again, shook his head in puzzlement, and said hesitantly, "Perhaps it was just my imagination. For some reason, just now..."
Before he could finish speaking, a sharp gleam suddenly erupted in his eyes. He abruptly threw a punch toward the edge of the stone platform, projecting a phantom fist, and roared, "Get out here!"
*Whoosh!*
The phantom fist instantly surged to the edge of the stone platform, only to be stopped cold in midair by an inexplicable barrier before shattering soundlessly.
"What is that?!"
Only then did the others see a figure with green skin and protruding fangs materialize out of thin air in front of the phantom fist. Resembling an evil ghost, it gave them quite a fright.
The monster had crept so close without any of them noticing in the slightest.
What was more, this monster had actually come from inside the sect!
Qin Sang was also quite surprised. With his skill in concealing his aura, he should not have been discovered so quickly.
At that moment, he noticed a faint, inexplicable connection between the old man who had seen through him and the stone tablet.
A thought struck Qin Sang, and he understood at once. It was not that his evasion technique was lacking; this man was likely the one controlling the formation, and he had relied on the stone tablet to perceive him.
Such a minor hiccup was not enough to shake Qin Sang's resolve.
Now that his tracks were exposed, Qin Sang said nothing. He tapped his foot hard against the stone platform and shot toward the mountain gate like lightning.
"Stop him!"
The old man reacted extremely quickly, shouting fiercely.
The others hurriedly summoned their magic tools.
Among the five men's magic tools, three happened to be identical bronze awls. Qingyang Demonic Fire burned across their surfaces, seeming completely integrated and harmonious with the weapons.
Yet they were still too slow. Qin Sang closed the distance in an instant. With a mere thought, his ebony sword shot out at an even greater speed, erupting with astonishing sword qi.
"A magic treasure?!"
Everyone was utterly horrified.
*Crack!*
The ebony sword sheared straight through one flying sword and left a deep sword mark on one of the bronze awls; both magic tools were virtually ruined on the spot.
This ferocious display drained the color from their faces. None dared face the ebony sword head-on, and all dodged out of the way.
Their courage shattered, Qin Sang had achieved his objective. Not pressing the attack, he focused solely on escaping, quickly recalling his sword and darting outward.
Unexpectedly, just as he was about to cross past the stone tablet, the tablet suddenly flared with brilliant light.
A dazzling pillar of light surged into the sky, creating a disturbance loud enough to be clearly heard for a hundred li. Then Qin Sang felt his vision blur as a thin barrier of light materialized out of nowhere ahead of him.
Qin Sang's heart sank slightly. Shifting his gaze, he saw the old man hiding behind the stone tablet, forming a strange hand seal and glaring at him darkly.
"Just who are you? What is your purpose in infiltrating our sect?"
Qin Sang sneered coldly to himself. Ignoring the old man, he gripped the ebony sword with one hand and thrust it viciously into the barrier of light with all his might.
Were this the complete grand formation, he naturally would have had no chance of breaking it.
At present, it was merely something the old man had raised in haste; the grand formation had not been fully activated yet, so its power could not be compared to the real thing. Moreover, Qin Sang was forcing his way from the inside out, whereas the stone tablet's primary function was to block outside intruders.
Immediately following, a long howl rang out from the inner sect. Without even looking, Qin Sang knew Wu Youdao had been alerted.
*Crack, crack...*
The barrier of light fractured under the strike of the ebony sword, fissures spreading across it.
After several successive sword strikes, it teetered on the brink of collapse.
Right at that moment, a streak of flowing flame fast as a startled swan arrived from the inner sect, traversing the mountains of the outer sect in the blink of an eye. At the same time, Wu Youdao's earth-shaking, murderous roar boomed out.
"What scoundrel dares trespass in my Qingyang Sect?!"
Though Qin Sang did not look back, he could clearly feel Wu Youdao's aura drawing closer and closer, the overbearing pressure making him feel as though needles were pricking his back.
Extremely tense, Qin Sang spurred his corpse core regardless of the cost, swinging his sword even faster.
Finally, the barrier of light could endure no more and shattered with a resounding boom.
Having broken through the barrier's blockade, Qin Sang felt a wave of relief. Without hesitation, he mounted his sword, intending to make a clean getaway.
Unexpectedly, right at that moment, Qin Sang felt a gust of fierce wind strike at him from behind.
Within the wind lay a sharp edge that was even fiercer than that of his ebony sword.
"Get back here!"
Wu Youdao roared in fury.
Qin Sang dared not be careless. His figure flickered repeatedly as he shifted several zhang sideways in the nick of time. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a plume of Qingyang Demonic Fire brushing past him.
Within the demonic fire, another bronze awl was encased.
However, Wu Youdao's bronze awl was a low-grade magic treasure, its surface wrapped with rings of golden threads. As it spun forward, the awl's body formed an eerie vortex that seemed capable of sucking in one's soul, traveling with extraordinary swiftness.
With a single glance, Qin Sang paid the bronze awl no further heed and continued his escape!
Now that he had left the Qingyang Demonic Sect, he no longer had to worry about his retreat being cut off. But he still needed to retrieve the treasure he had left outside before he could confidently contend with Wu Youdao and search for an opportunity to break away.
Chapter 531