Ruined

Seeing this, both of their expressions darkened a bit. Qin Sang took a step forward. The youth in tight-fitting clothes immediately drifted backward, drew his bow, and shot another arrow, forcing Qin Sang to raise his sword once more to counter it. Above the rift valley, streak after streak of rainbow light flashed in unbroken succession, while the chilong formed of cold, blue-white qi dispersed and reformed again and again. Neither could gain the upper hand. Qin Sang had also seized opportunities to unleash two bolts of Yin Thunder and several ice spikes, but the youth in tight-fitting clothes easily dodged them. Even now, Qin Sang could not close the distance by a single step. Spiritual arrows came in a relentless barrage. The youth in tight-fitting clothes possessed superb archery skills, leaving Qin Sang without an opening even to flee. Furthermore, at such a distance, the Purple Soul Bell was utterly useless. Qin Sang could clearly feel the spiritual power inside his body draining at an alarming rate, yet he lacked the chance even to absorb a spirit stone and replenish his reserves. However, Qin Sang had long noticed that the speed at which the precious bow condensed spiritual arrows was also slowing down. The youth in tight-fitting clothes opposite him was one layer higher in cultivation realm, but continuously condensing spiritual power into arrows drew on spiritual power far more heavily than the Chilong Sword did. If the stalemate continued at this rate, the advantage would eventually shift to his side. Just as this thought crossed his mind, Qin Sang's eyes abruptly narrowed. After releasing another arrow, the youth in tight-fitting clothes gave him a cold sneer, swiftly fished a jade bottle out of his mustard seed bag with one hand, and revealed two medicinal pills inside that Qin Sang did not recognize. Without hesitation, the youth swallowed one. His face, originally pale from overtaxing his spiritual power, gradually regained its healthy color, and he stared mockingly at Qin Sang. Pills that restored spiritual power! Witnessing this, Qin Sang could not help cursing internally. This person's reserves were far too deep. That precious bow was undoubtedly an elite specimen even among top-grade magic tools, and he could produce two precious spiritual pills at once, swallowing one down without batting an eye or showing the slightest hint of heartache. Was this really a rogue cultivator? The youth shot arrow after arrow without pause, pressing him so relentlessly that Qin Sang could hardly extricate himself. Knowing there was no way he could gain an advantage like this, Qin Sang's gaze flickered uncertainly. Right then, the youth in tight-fitting clothes suddenly let out a low shout. Surging, boundless spiritual power frantically erupted from both of his hands, pouring completely into the precious bow. The bow blazed with blinding radiance. Raising it high, the youth glared fiercely at Qin Sang, veins bulging along his arms as he hauled back the bowstring with all his might, instantly condensing three massive spiritual arrows! "Die!" With an enraged roar from the youth, all three spiritual arrows shot forth together, tearing through the air before merging into one mid-flight. A howling gale whipped up by the spiritual arrow lashed against Qin Sang's face. The whistling of the arrow seemed imbued with the might of thunder, shaking the heavens. Its terrifying momentum far surpassed any of the previous shots, closing the distance in an instant. Alarm bells blared in Qin Sang's mind, and the hairs all over his body stood on end. This arrow was too fast—there was no time to dodge. Qin Sang gripped the Chilong Sword with both hands. Daring not divide his attention, he focused entirely on driving the Chilong Sword, slashing out with all his strength. The cold qi on the Chilong Sword was instantly drained dry. Like Qin Sang's face, the blade took on an unnatural, pale pallor. The chilong's body swelled to twice its previous size. Like a true flood dragon, it rose boldly without fear of any challenge! Opening its maw wide with an earth-shaking roar, the chilong swallowed the spiritual arrow in a single gulp. Within the chilong's body, a rainbow of seven colors suddenly flared, churning and vibrating ceaselessly as though battling the cold qi, yet unable to break free. It seemed the chilong had the upper hand. This development went far beyond the youth's expectations, causing his brows to furrow tightly. On the other side, however, Qin Sang's expression changed abruptly. He hurriedly held up the Chilong Sword with both hands, shielding his face. The very next instant, a thunderous boom erupted as the chilong exploded outright. The cold qi composing its body shattered into countless shards, and endless freezing gales raged in all directions, turning both sides of the rift valley into an instant winter as frost rapidly coated the plants and trees. Though the spiritual arrow was noticeably dimmer than before, it retained lingering force. In a flash, it appeared right before Qin Sang's face and struck the Chilong Sword dead on. Good thing I reacted in time, Qin Sang rejoiced internally. A colossal force slammed into him, jolting both his arms violently. The Chilong Sword let out a crisp twang—a sound that seemed slightly amiss. Qin Sang had no leisure to examine it. Borrowing the impact, he flew backward and immediately raised the Void-Traversing Wind, wheeling around to flee. Refusing to relent while holding the advantage, the youth raised his bow at Qin Sang again. Qin Sang dodged the first arrow. Just as the youth was about to fire a second, the spiritual arrow dissipated on its own before it could even fully form. He hurriedly turned the bow over to look: most of the gems set into it had lost their luster, and faint cracks had even begun to appear on several of them. The youth snorted in anger and swung his arm down in frustration. Glaring with resentment at the fleeing Qin Sang, he rolled his eyes in thought, stowed the precious bow into his mustard seed bag, retrieved a pair of slender twin swords, and then invoked a green leaf. The green leaf was shaped like a bamboo leaf, verdant as jade. It grew larger against the wind. Holding the twin swords, the youth leaped onto the green leaf and gave chase relentlessly, his speed not a bit slower than the Void-Traversing Wind. The mirror array was not far from the mouth of the valley. Riding the wind, Qin Sang shifted and darted several times, arriving before long. Suspecting nothing, the youth followed right on his heels. Seeing Qin Sang's speed drop, he assumed Qin Sang's spiritual power was depleted and that he could no longer drive his magic tool. Just as a flicker of joy surfaced on the youth's face, the bronze mirrors on the ground flipped over, spewing plumes of black qi. Filled with shock and fury, the youth plunged straight into the trap of the mirror array. The misty barrier formed by the mirror array banged and clattered repeatedly, and the bronze mirrors quivered incessantly, emitting crisp vibrations. Clearly, the youth trapped inside was counterattacking frantically. Qin Sang gripped the Soul-Bewildering Mirror with a tense expression. Only after he finally completed the mirror array and the bronze mirror flew above to cover it did the array settle down. Qin Sang let out a long breath of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Fortunately, he had prepared beforehand; otherwise, facing such a formidable enemy, his only choice would have been to run for his life. Leaving the youth to struggle inside the mirror array, Qin Sang suddenly recalled something and hurriedly brought the Chilong Sword before him for inspection. What he saw instantly made his face darken. Beside the Chilong Sword's guard, an eye-catching crack had actually appeared! He didn't know whether it was by coincidence or because the Chilong Sword was inherently fragile, but an esteemed top-grade magic tool had actually been damaged so easily. Qin Sang's eyes flickered with mixed emotions. The Chilong Sword did not appear completely ruined, but before it was repaired, he would not dare use it again. Ruining a sword was a small matter, but if it suddenly snapped mid-combat, he might lose his life. Stowing the Chilong Sword into his mustard seed bag, Qin Sang glared at the mirror array. Resentment welled within him at the thought of a fine top-grade magic tool being ruined at this person's hands. He promptly sat down cross-legged, gripped a spirit stone, and summoned the ebony sword.