By the time the five people on the other side of the light barrier noticed something was amiss outside, the fight between Qin Sang and the scrawny old man was already decided. The scrawny old man had perished in demonic fire, while Qin Sang stood completely unharmed.
When they rushed out, the battle was already over.
After killing his opponent, Qin Sang withdrew in a swift leap. The scrawny old man's corpse was swiftly consumed by the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, leaving behind only a patch of ash on the ground.
At this sight, everyone's expressions changed instantly. They brought out their magic tools one after another and aimed them at Qin Sang, staring at him as though at an arch-fiend.
"What are you doing? Why did you kill him?"
The plump cultivator barked harshly, glaring at Qin Sang.
The others were equally shocked. Cut off by the light barrier, they had not heard the exchange between Qin Sang and the scrawny old man.
On the one hand, knowing nothing of the circumstances, they were shocked that Qin Sang, who had been taciturn the whole time, would suddenly strike down a companion. Cultivators at their level all had blood on their hands to some degree, but for Qin Sang to kill someone without rhyme or reason while they were still outside the cave dwelling was something no one had expected.
On the other hand, they were also stunned by Qin Sang's strength—that he could instantly slay a cultivator of the same realm!
None of them, after all, had the confidence to reliably defeat the scrawny old man.
Did that not mean that if Qin Sang harbored murderous intent, not a single person present could escape unscathed?
Qin Sang widened the distance between them, his expression showing not the slightest ripple of emotion. Then, amid a surge of cold mist, two Flying Yakshas landed beside him like left and right protector deities, confronting the five cultivators opposite them.
Taking in the ferocious appearance of the Flying Yakshas, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air. They finally understood why the scrawny old man had died so quickly, barely able to strike back.
These two Flying Yakshas were terrifying.
The aura of one was hardly inferior to that of a genuine Core Formation stage cultivator, while the other, though somewhat weaker, was still capable of pinning an opponent down and could not be ignored.
Coupled with the bizarre demonic fire Qin Sang controlled, a sudden pincer attack from Qin Sang and the Flying Yakshas would likely force even a mid-Core Formation cultivator to choose retreat.
"Fellow Daoist Qin..."
The scholar in green robes swallowed hard and asked cautiously, "Just what happened? We are already at the entrance to a Nascent Soul cave dwelling and about to step inside. Whatever conflict there was, why couldn't we address it calmly before everyone instead of resorting to ruthless murder?"
Qin Sang did not say a word. His gaze was cold and austere as his eyes swept across their faces one by one.
If the scrawny old man had accomplices, the plump cultivator was the most likely candidate, but the other four were not above suspicion either. All of them were crafty, seasoned figures who concealed their thoughts well; Qin Sang could spot no obvious clues.
After seeing Qin Sang kill the scrawny old man, gripped by fear for their own safety, they had already come to view Qin Sang as their greatest threat. Words alone could never explain the truth or win their trust.
No matter how strong he was, Qin Sang dared not take on all of them at once.
The signal had already been sent. Remaining in the cavern would only leave him cornered. Explaining anything to them would be a needless waste of time.
He estimated that the scrawny old man's companions were likely not invincible, or else they would have had no need for such underhanded schemes.
However, for one, the cavern was cramped, leaving no room to deploy his secret talisman properly; for another, the cultivators distrusted one another, and there was no telling how many of them were accomplices of the scrawny old man. Unable to distinguish friend from foe, fighting it out alone was out of the question.
What worried Qin Sang most was the bizarre cold mist in the cavern.
In his estimation, the cold mist might be related to some formidable spiritual fire. If someone could command that spiritual fire, slaughtering them would be as easy as turning over a hand.
A wise person did not stand beneath a crumbling wall.
Leaving the cavern first and putting himself outside danger would give him far more leeway. Once the scrawny old man's accomplices arrived, he could assess the situation before deciding his next move.
Treasures were tempting, but one needed a life to enjoy them.
Besides, whether there were truly treasures in the cave dwelling remained uncertain. Qin Sang now felt this place resembled a sweet yet perilous lure—someone else's hunting ground!
At this thought, Qin Sang allowed a faint smile to touch his lips. To the others, however, it looked like the sinister sneer of an arch-fiend, and in an environment like this, it sent a chill down their spines.
The two female cultivators' hands gripping their magic treasures even began to tremble slightly.
"Fellow Daoist Lan, out of the loyalty demanded of an alliance, Qin will offer you a word of warning."
Qin Sang pointed at the scrawny old man's ashes. "This man took advantage of the chaos when the light barrier broke to secretly send out a signal, contacting who knows whom. Fortunately, Qin noticed it in time. If you are in league with him, take it as if Qin said nothing. But if not, you might want to think carefully about what our fate would be if, corroded by the cold mist and exhausting all our strength to break restrictions, we were cornered here..."
Qin Sang was composed, completely fearless.
Hearing Qin Sang's words, the faces of the scholar in green robes and the others shifted repeatedly, torn between belief and doubt.
Yet, almost instinctively, they turned wary of the plump cultivator.
After all, he was the initiator of this venture, and thus the most suspicious.
"Silence!"
The plump cultivator cut Qin Sang off with a harsh cry, shouting frantically, "Do not be deceived by this fiend! It must be that his own conspiracy was exposed, so he killed to silence a witness, and now he spreads malicious lies to divide us and claim the treasures for himself! Do not fall for his venomous scheme! Kill him first! There are five of us—we have no reason to fear him..."
Qin Sang gave a cold snort, disdaining to argue.
"I have said my piece. Farewell!"
Before the words had even faded, Qin Sang waved a hand to put away the Flying Yakshas. Then, as dragon roars echoed from within his body, he transformed into a streak of light and surged back the way he had come, vanishing into the depths of the cold mist in an instant and leaving the others staring at one another in dismay.
The cold mist churned as a figure broke through and landed lightly on the bough of an ancient tree at the edge of the hills. The moment he appeared, an azure shade manifested abruptly in the empty air before him, revealing the breathtaking form of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly.
A gentle smile appeared on Qin Sang's face. Extending a finger for the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to perch on, he stroked it softly with his other hand in encouragement.
"An insect silhouette?"
After communicating with his natal insect gu, Qin Sang obtained more precise information. What the scrawny old man had released seemed to be a spirit insect; its silhouette had flown high into the sky and then vanished.
"Passing signals to each other through spirit insects? That sounds very much like a technique of the Witch Clan. Somewhat like Qingfu coins, but not quite as concealed—it seems it needed to clear the interference of the cold mist first. All six of them are human cultivators. Could someone have colluded with the Witch Clan to harm their fellow humans?"
Pondering this with a contemplative look, Qin Sang raised his head to survey the surrounding waters.
Blue sea, azure sky, and drifting white clouds; everything appeared completely normal.
Soon, Qin Sang's gaze abruptly sharpened, fixing intently on the distant northern horizon, where a white cloud was drifting swiftly toward him.
This cloud moved through the sea of clouds, closing in on his location at astounding speed. Witnessing its velocity, Qin Sang's expression changed sharply.
Qin Sang suspected the scrawny old man's accomplices were inside that white cloud, though he could not tell how many there were. Knowing he could not linger here, he pushed off forcefully with his foot, activated his secret talisman once more, and sped away in another direction.
Chapter 706