Hearing these words, Qin Sang narrowed his eyes, a look of hesitation appearing on his face.
Thinking Qin Sang was swayed, Shen Jing pressed on urgently, "Junior Brother Qin, there are definitely quite a few people teaming up in the forbidden ground right now. You saw for yourself just how easily we took down that enemy together. If you're worried, why don't we make an agreement? After we kill an enemy, we take turns choosing the spoils. Once we've built mutual trust, we can make further plans."
Qin Sang pondered for a moment before suddenly looking up. Fixing an intent gaze on Shen Jing, he asked, "Senior Sister Shen, did you carve the secret mark on that mountain peak?"
Shen Jing froze, then realization dawned. She glanced back toward the faint silhouette of the solitary peak behind them. "So Junior Brother Qin came from that direction as well. Truth be told, after leaving the mark, I kept heading forward, only to run into a mountain crocodile deep in the mountains. It was coiled beside a deep pool, fortunately gnawing on a corpse, and luckily it only cast a glance at me without paying me any mind. Terrified, I stayed far away, but in my panic I lost my bearings and was intercepted by that man."
A trace of lingering terror and frail vulnerability surfaced in Shen Jing's eyes; she still seemed shaken.
"A demon beast?"
Since entering the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Ground, Qin Sang had not encountered any demon beasts. This was partly due to his caution—he never recklessly ventured into places that looked abnormal.
"That's right!"
Shen Jing suddenly clapped her hands together, saying in pleasant surprise, "Junior Brother Qin, that mountain crocodile only devours flesh—the jade plaque is bound to be completely intact! Besides, I've heard that wherever demon beasts make their lairs, rare spirit herbs are certain to grow, and the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Ground shouldn't be an exception. If the two of us join forces and combine the power of two top-grade magic tools, even if we can't kill it, we can still retreat unscathed. Why don't we..."
Shen Jing grew more excited as she spoke, but Qin Sang shook his head, cutting her off.
"If that mountain crocodile could easily kill a cultivator and scare you into fleeing with just a glance, I'm afraid it won't be that simple. Martial Uncle Yue once mentioned that the forbidden ground has no shortage of late-stage and peak Mortal Demon stage great demons. There are plenty of jade plaques; why take such a risk for just one? As for spirit herbs, only a few can be used directly to enhance cultivation. Neither you nor I are alchemists, so what use is snatching them now?"
Qin Sang knew very well how difficult opponents at the Ascension Assembly could be; even that impoverished, slovenly Taoist had held life-saving methods.
Yet the mountain crocodile had killed a cultivator without suffering a scratch. Its strength could well be imagined.
Shen Jing gave a dry laugh, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Junior Brother Qin is right. I was too rash."
Rash? It was nothing more than clear wine flushing the face and gold swaying the Daoist heart.
Cultivators were ultimately just mortals who commanded great power.
Qin Sang smiled faintly, taking no offense. Sweeping his spiritual sense into the conical-hatted man's mustard seed bag, he was pleasantly surprised to discover two jade plaques inside. Evidently, this man had already defeated an opponent, only to unluckily run into Qin Sang and Shen Jing.
Seeing the two jade plaques in Qin Sang's hand, Shen Jing looked on with immense envy, but a look of determination soon appeared on her face, and she said nothing.
Noticing this, Qin Sang gave an inward nod. He retrieved a low-grade spirit sword from the conical-hatted man's mustard seed bag and tossed it over. "Senior Sister Shen, use this magic tool for self-defense for now. We might have to face several tough battles ahead, so we must work together with one heart."
With that, Qin Sang switched to the conical-hatted man's Azure Wave Sword, activated his escape technique, and flew out of the ravine.
Catching the spirit sword, Shen Jing looked delighted. She was about to say something, but seeing Qin Sang's figure already drawing farther away, she hastily stomped her foot and gave chase.
One in front and one behind, Qin Sang consistently kept a distance between them.
Qin Sang's Cloud Escape Technique was somewhat superior to Shen Jing's escape technique, so he had Shen Jing travel openly while he concealed his aura and trailed behind.
Yet the people around seemed to have vanished without a trace; after traveling for a while, they didn't encounter a single soul.
Just as Qin Sang was frowning slightly, wondering whether to change direction, Shen Jing crested a high ridge ahead, suddenly stopped, turned around, and called out, "Junior Brother Qin, there seems to be a mountain up ahead."
Leaping a few times, Qin Sang landed atop a tree. Sure enough, at the edge of his vision stood a prominent mountain peak.
Now that he had Shen Jing as an ally, the sooner they encountered people, the better. Qin Sang wanted to head up to observe the surrounding terrain, so he said, "Senior Sister, wait for me at the foot of the mountain."
Shen Jing readily agreed. Moving at their fastest speed, the two arrived at the base of the mountain. Shen Jing found a place to hide, while Qin Sang cast his escape technique and scaled toward the summit.
Standing on the mountaintop, he realized they were already nearing the edge of the mountain range. Crossing a few more mountains ahead would lead to a vast plain overgrown with wild grass. The grass on the plain stood as tall as a man, undulating like ocean waves whenever the wind blew.
Unless one crawled on the ground within the grass, there was virtually no cover in sight.
This place was actually quite suitable for an ambush. Qin Sang felt a surge of anticipation. Just as he was about to head down and inform Shen Jing, a loud rumble suddenly sounded from the foot of the mountain, causing his expression to change slightly.
Darting to the edge of the peak, he looked down and saw rocks crumbling and dust rising at the base of the mountain. Amidst the swirling dust and fog, flashes of blade light and sword shadows flickered faintly, accompanied by Shen Jing's sharp cries, hurried and strained. Her situation looked precarious.
Seeing this, Qin Sang tapped his foot and was about to charge down the mountain to rescue Shen Jing, but after taking several strides, he suddenly halted.
Could it be a trap?
Doubt flickered across Qin Sang's face. After all, he had stood on the mountaintop for so long without spotting anyone passing by, yet Shen Jing, hiding in the dark, had abruptly run into an enemy.
Though Qin Sang felt the likelihood was small, the passing thought heightened his vigilance. Using the Cloudfall Wings to conceal his form, he silently approached the foot of the mountain.
Unexpectedly, just as Qin Sang reached halfway down the mountain and was about to sweep over a valley, an abrupt change occurred.
Several beams of eerie black mist shot violently out of the valley. The mist originated from a set of bronze mirrors arranged like a grand formation, positioned with meticulous concealment and almost impossible to detect.
The mist was ghostlike, sinister, bone-chilling, and fast as lightning. The Cloudfall Wings' concealment seemed utterly useless against it as it surged straight for Qin Sang.
These bronze mirrors...
Shock and fury washed over Qin Sang. Caught off guard, he had no time to dodge and swung the Azure Wave Sword in his hand with all his might.
*Whoosh!*
The Azure Wave Sword blazed with dazzling radiance, sending out concentric ripples of water light that spread swiftly around Qin Sang, colliding with the approaching black mist.
To Qin Sang's surprise, the sword light passed right through the mist without encountering the slightest resistance, having no effect whatsoever. Qin Sang barely had time to activate the Ice Silkworm Armor, forming a layer of protective frost over his body, before he was engulfed by the mist.
The mist produced no sound upon striking Qin Sang, nor did he feel any pain.
*Buzz...*
The bronze mirrors on the ground began to tremble simultaneously, slowly rising into the air. More and more mist poured out from the mirrors, enveloping Qin Sang in pitch-black fog from every direction.
Right then, a figure suddenly flickered into view within the valley—it was Shen Jing, completely unharmed!
Chapter 75