Pursuit and Flight

Luo Daotong had no idea that an even greater conspiracy was at work. The enemy had already woven a pocket trap, waiting for his master to walk into the net. And he was still waiting for his master's rescue. *** Having sensed mysterious figures lurking on Liangqiu Island, Qin Sang did not dare tarry for a single moment, immediately deciding to leave this troubled ground. Compared to his own safety, Luo Daotong had to take a back seat. He was full of doubt, wondering what other faction had set its sights on Luo Daotong and the Nascent Soul Patriarch behind him, and for what reason. The enemy's strength was terrifying. He could only find a way to capture and kill Luo Daotong to determine what power stood behind him, whereas these people had laid an ambush aimed squarely at the Nascent Soul expert. *If I just had another half a month, I could find a way to break the array and kill Luo Daotong. But someone just had to butt in right at this moment. Luo Daotong sure has a lot of enemies.* Qin Sang did not know whether to laugh or cry. Two groups of people had crossed paths entirely by coincidence. Under such circumstances, he felt that even Nandu Island was no longer safe. Furthermore, remaining on Nandu Island served no purpose; he had no intention of returning. Luo Daotong was doomed to die. Whether the Nascent Soul expert behind him lived or died, the impact of the battle would certainly not stop there. It would inevitably stir up a huge uproar across Quheng Island, and their identities would be exposed sooner or later. He had only wanted to learn who stood behind Luo Daotong in the first place. Now that he could achieve his goal without lifting a finger, there was no need to get dragged into other disputes. He fled into the distance at high speed. Before long, however, he sensed something amiss. He spun around abruptly, only to see the empty expanse of the sea, rippling under the reflection of countless stars, with no one in sight. Qin Sang's gaze was sharp as lightning, and for some reason, alarms blared wildly in his mind. He immediately released the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Once the Heavenly Eye opened, everything was laid bare. On the surface of the sea, a concealed figure was pursuing him at an astonishing speed. The pursuer appeared to be merely a frail woman, yet her expression held an abnormal madness. The way she looked at Qin Sang was as though she were eyeing a delectable cut of meat, sending chills straight down one's spine. "A soul body!" Qin Sang's expression grew grim as he saw through her true nature. The Ghost Dao possessed soul-refining techniques capable of crafting this sort of soul body. Unlike refined corpses that possessed powerful physical bodies, its abilities were far more bizarre, capable of killing without a trace. In a sense, the Yanwang originally held within the Yanluo Banner magic tool was also a kind of soul body. Qin Sang's heart tightened sharply; he had been discovered. At such a great distance, before he had even seen the enemy, the other party had sensed his presence solely through the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's "gaze." That level of spiritual perception was exceptional even among Nascent Soul Patriarchs. The woman was clearly the other party's refined soul. Qin Sang had not expected to be exposed so easily, and the hairs on his body stood on end. The good news was that the enemy had only dispatched a single refined soul, evidently prioritizing the ambush on the Nascent Soul expert rather than acting personally; otherwise, his situation would be perilous indeed. He was still not far from Liangqiu Island and had no desire to tangle with the woman. He immediately exerted his evasion technique to the fullest and fled without looking back. Not only did he activate his secret talisman and the Sword Qi Thunderclap, but Qin Sang even invoked the Heavenly Demon Transformation, sprouting a pair of wings from his back in his haste to escape. His attainment in the Heavenly Demon Form Refining was modest, so the boost from the wings was limited, but it was better than nothing. Even so, the sudden burst of speed Qin Sang unleashed was far beyond what any other Core Formation stage cultivator could hope to match, leaving the woman momentarily stunned. Staring fixedly at Qin Sang, she opened her mouth wide and let out a piercing shriek. Her long hair flailed wildly, frantic and terrifying. Along with the scream, her body began to 'melt,' ultimately transforming into a cluster of pale white light that moved no slower than Qin Sang. Seeing this, Qin Sang's expression darkened. He had not expected the woman to be so relentless. With no better option, he could only push forward with all his might. In this game of chase and flight, Qin Sang could not shake the woman off, yet she was equally unable to catch up to him. *** Inside the mist on Liangqiu Island. Another triangular pennant formed and sank into the sand beneath them. In an instant, the entire patch of sand seemed gilded in gold, which faded just as quickly back to its original state. The two withdrew their hands, and the formation plate gradually faded from view. The black-robed man looked around, full of confidence. "With this array, capturing Old Demon Yin alive shouldn't be difficult. A pity it can only be used once before the plate destroys itself. They say the sect master paid quite a price to refine this formation plate. I wonder what value Old Demon Yin holds that makes him worth such great effort." "Since the sect master did so, there must be a deeper purpose. We only need to follow orders. When Old Demon Yin arrives, I will hold him off while you control the killing array..." Halfway through the sentence, the gray-robed person seemed to sense something, a look of surprise crossing his face. "The soul servant still hasn't caught up to that junior." "How is that possible?" The black-robed man was thoroughly surprised. "The soul servant is exceptionally skilled in evasion techniques, easily among the very best of Core Formation juniors. Not even able to catch him? Even the personal disciples of those old ghosts from the nearby sects shouldn't possess such ability!" The gray-robed person pondered for a moment. "Keep watch here. I'll go take a look." Before the words had completely left his mouth, just as the gray-robed person was about to move, a meteor suddenly streaked across the northern night sky. "He's here!" Both felt the surge in presence, exchanged a glance, and turned solemn. They had no time to worry about Qin Sang now. Splitting up, the black-robed man silently vanished deep into the sand, while the gray-robed person's figure flickered away, quietly slipping off the island. *** Meanwhile, Qin Sang had fled far into the distance, Liangqiu Island long gone from sight, yet the woman's soul body remained in hot pursuit. Resentment festered in his heart, turning into killing intent. He had to find a way to eliminate this soul body. Otherwise, once the ambushers captured or killed the Nascent Soul expert behind Luo Daotong, they would be free to deal with him. Just then, Qin Sang was jolted by a sword roar like a crack of thunder. Startled, he looked back and saw a dazzling sword ray burst into the night sky like an exploding comet, shining even brighter than the wondrous light on Liangqiu Island. At the same time, fierce waves surged across the sea, and a violent tremor could be felt faintly even from here. "The Nascent Soul has arrived!" Qin Sang was overjoyed; the two sides had clashed. He did not know the exact situation on Liangqiu Island, but judging from the commotion, a world-shaking battle had erupted the moment they met. One side had rushed over in haste to rescue someone, while the other was fully prepared. The battle likely would not last long, leaving him little time. With that in mind, Qin Sang promptly lowered his escape light. The ebony sword hovered before him as he stared coldly at the woman. The woman let out a bloodcurdling laugh, not slowing down in the slightest. Disregarding the ebony sword entirely, she pounced straight toward Qin Sang's face. *Whoosh!* Qin Sang waved his hand, and the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner flew out. Yet at that exact moment, the woman abruptly opened her mouth so wide it nearly tore open, yet no sound came out—an eerie sight. Immediately after, an odd white light rapidly took shape before her, transforming into a sharply spinning awl that shot forward with the speed of thunder, aimed directly between Qin Sang's brows. "This is..." Qin Sang's pupils constricted as he realized this awl was anything but ordinary; it was an attack that struck directly at the origin soul. The abilities of a refined soul were truly bizarre, but unfortunately for her, it was completely useless against him.