Ruyi Shield

The man's hair hung loose and disheveled, his appearance unkempt, and the Daoist robe he wore was filthy, giving him the look of a slovenly Daoist. Judging by his looks alone, no one would have guessed he was not yet thirty years old. *Swish, swish...* The slovenly Daoist tapped lightly against the tips of the grass, covering tens of feet in the blink of an eye. There was no ripple of spiritual power from his body; it seemed to be a mortal lightness skill. This was normal. Many rogue cultivators did not know incantations and could only rely on mortal martial arts instead, which sometimes produced miraculous results. *What incredible speed.* It was likely too late to start preparing the ebony sword now. Unless the slovenly Daoist lingered on the peak for a while after surveying the surrounding terrain, he would just waste a spirit stone in vain. Qin Sang frowned. After a moment of thought, he decided that since he held every advantage and was launching a sneak attack, there was no need to deploy the ebony sword. Seeing the slovenly Daoist draw nearer and nearer to the summit, Qin Sang held his breath, his heart thumping rapidly. The moment the man stepped onto the peak, Qin Sang suddenly unleashed the Purple Soul Bell. *Ding-ring-ring...* Driven with all of Qin Sang's might, the crisp chiming echoed across the summit like demonic music. The slovenly Daoist had never expected someone to be lying in wait on the unobstructed summit. Panic flashed across his face, and his hand reached hurriedly toward his waist. But he was a step too late. Caught by the Purple Soul Bell, his mind was seized; his body froze where he stood, and pain and confusion welled up in his dull eyes. Seeing that the Purple Soul Bell had indeed worked, Qin Sang was overjoyed, yet he dared not relax. He swiftly chanted the Gui Water Yin Thunder Incantation under his breath. Moments later, a ball of faintly dark Yin Thunder gathered in his palm. This ball of Yin Thunder took the shape of flowing water, squirming in his palm, while blinding sparks of lightning flickered within from time to time, revealing its lethal power. At the same time, Qin Sang noticed that the confusion in the slovenly Daoist's eyes was gradually replaced by a look of ferocity and anxiety, and his body began to tremble. Seeing this, Qin Sang's heart sank. Only three breaths had passed, yet this man was already about to break free. *He is an immortal cultivator, after all!* Qin Sang sighed inwardly. Not daring to wait any longer, he abruptly ended his incantation and hurled the Yin Thunder power from his palm. *Boom!* The Yin Thunder was astonishingly swift. Almost the instant it left Qin Sang's palm, it struck the slovenly Daoist, its power tearing a dazzling bolt of lightning between the two of them. Yet at that moment, not only was there no joy on Qin Sang's face, but his expression turned exceedingly grim. Qin Sang had aimed only for a one-hit kill, targeting the slovenly Daoist's vital heart. Unexpectedly, right as the Yin Thunder was about to strike, a black shield materialized out of thin air before the Daoist's chest! The shield was only the size of a palm, slender and pitch-black, with three downward sword-shaped indentations converging at its pointed bottom edge, exuding a murderous aura. The Yin Thunder power struck the shield dead-on. Arcs of lightning surged and flared across its surface, but unfortunately, all of it was kept at bay by the shield, leaving the slovenly Daoist completely unharmed. *A magic tool with automatic self-defense!* Qin Sang cursed inwardly. Although this dark shield was merely a medium-grade magic tool, it possessed the exceptionally rare ability to protect its master automatically. Such magic tools required no activation from their masters; whenever danger struck, they would manifest on their own to defend, saving a life. Their value could not be measured simply by grade—even disciples of immortal cultivation sects dreamed of possessing one. Qin Sang had never imagined that the very first opponent he encountered would be so troublesome. Despite his destitute appearance, he actually possessed such a magic tool. To be safe, Qin Sang had even foregone the Ten Thousand Li Freeze—a spell he was more adept at, but which was slightly weaker—yet an unexpected snag had still arisen. Had he known, he would have been better off gambling and directly unleashing the ebony sword. The black shield was merely a medium-grade magic tool; it could never have blocked the ebony sword. *Bang!* As the Yin Thunder's power dissipated, an unexpected scene unfolded: the black shield suddenly lost all its spiritual qi as well, dropping like a severed kite, slamming onto the ground, shattering into three pieces, and rolling into a crevice in the rocks. It was only a medium-grade magic tool after all. Withstanding the Gui Water Yin Thunder Incantation was already its limit, but he had not expected it to be destroyed outright. This was a pleasant surprise. Qin Sang's resolve stirred, and he immediately abandoned any thought of retreating from the clash. Without hesitation, he raised his hand sharply, and a chill wind howled across the summit as the temperature plummeted. Wisps of pale blue-white frost formed before the slovenly Daoist, swirling with countless icicle shards and rapidly coalescing. Right then, however, the slovenly Daoist cried out sharply. His eyes flew wide as he broke free from the bell's toll. "Hoo... hoo..." The slovenly Daoist panted heavily, shaken to his core. The moment his senses returned, he noticed the frosty mist before him and the shattered Ruyi Shield at his feet. His face changed drastically, filled with utter horror. He had prepared this Ruyi Shield specially for this Ascension Assembly, competing against others at an auction and spending almost his entire fortune on it. He never dreamed he would have to use it so soon after entering. The slovenly Daoist's eyes darted around, and he finally spotted Qin Sang standing near the edge of the summit. Qin Sang had needed his spiritual sense to concentrate on chanting the incantation and could no longer maintain the Cloudfall Wings, so his form naturally could not remain hidden and had revealed itself. "Despicable scoundrel!" Gritting his teeth, the slovenly Daoist glared at Qin Sang with venomous hatred and cursed him out. Then, before Qin Sang could respond, the slovenly Daoist actually turned and fled, not even daring to pick up the Ruyi Shield on the ground. This move took Qin Sang completely by surprise, and he could not help but frown. If he let the slovenly Daoist escape, his efforts would all be for naught. More importantly, there was the jade token; having the chance to secure one, he could not give it up so easily. Qin Sang made his decision at once. He watched calmly as the slovenly Daoist fled. Just as the man stepped onto the edge of a boulder atop the peak to leap down, a thin layer of ice quietly crept over the rock's edge. The slovenly Daoist cried out in shock as his footing abruptly slipped. He instantly lost control of his body and plunged headlong down the mountain. The mountain was steep, and in his panicked flight, the direction he had fled led directly above a sheer cliff. At the base of the cliff grew ancient trees several arm-spans thick. The instant the slovenly Daoist slipped, the frosty mist finally condensed into several slender ice spikes, their tips gleaming with cold, razor-sharp light. "Go!" Qin Sang pointed a finger. The ice spikes moved like lightning, tracing an arc across the air like comets, catching up just as the slovenly Daoist was about to crash into the ancient forest beneath the cliff. Suspended midair, the slovenly Daoist had nowhere to dodge. He only had time to muster a clump of spiritual power to defend himself, but how could that block the ice spikes Qin Sang had prepared for so long? A bloodcurdling scream rang out. The ice spikes tore open a spray of blood before crashing into the forest along with the slovenly Daoist. *Crash, crash, crash...* Countless branches snapped and leaves flew through the air. After a brief commotion, the woods fell dead silent. *Dead?* Standing at the edge and peering downward, Qin Sang found his view blocked by foliage. He could not tell where the slovenly Daoist had landed, nor whether he was dead or alive. Only the splatters of fresh blood on the trees were strikingly vivid. He had timed his attack well. Even if the slovenly Daoist were not dead, he was likely grievously injured. Qin Sang could not help but smile with a touch of satisfaction.