Yuan-Restricting Talisman

The small pagoda slammed forward furiously, and the pressure weighing on Qin Sang instantly multiplied. The Nine Nether Demonic Fire gathered and dispersed erratically; not only was it unable to close in, but it was also suppressed by the crimson haze radiating from the small pagoda. Relying on his extraordinary swordsmanship, Qin Sang blocked Xiang Yi, but the true essence within his body was draining away like flowing water. Xiang Yi's cultivation far exceeded Qin Sang's. Overwhelmed by sheer brute force against finesse, Qin Sang gradually showed signs of faltering. Although the two-headed hou joined in the encirclement, Xiang Yi's treasure garment was in no way inferior to Qin Sang's Gold Glow Armor. Aided by these two rare treasures, if Xiang Yi were truly determined to escape, it would be exceedingly difficult to keep him trapped. The failure of the Blood Filth Divine Light meant that Qin Sang's original ambush plan had fallen through. For now, he had to give his all to pin Xiang Yi down until Madam Liu activated the Yuan-Restricting Talisman. *Whoosh!* Xiang Yi suddenly waved his hand and tossed out a spirit talisman. The talisman shattered, bursting with dazzling, radiant light. Qin Sang was immediately on guard, only to see an unusual glow surge out as the talisman erupted. The vast open sea around them vanished, replaced by a lush forest. The forest was verdant, cloaked in an elegant, thin mist, and one could even smell the fresh fragrance of vegetation. Xiang Yi's figure had disappeared along with the sea. *An illusion talisman?* Qin Sang's thoughts stirred. Urging the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, his gaze swept across the area and saw right through the illusion's disguise, but to his surprise, over a dozen figures of Xiang Yi had appeared within the illusion, breaking out in every direction. The talisman's power was considerable, and Xiang Yi's method of creating avatars was peculiar enough to confound the false with the real. While this tactic of scattering avatars to break through might mislead others, it was completely laid bare under the Heavenly Eye of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Qin Sang effortlessly locked onto Xiang Yi's true body. He did not act rashly, instead contacting the two-headed hou through his spiritual sense in secret. The two-headed hou had also been bewildered by the illusion and the avatars, so Qin Sang pointed out the direction for it. Upon receiving the command, a look of reluctance crossed the two-headed hou's face as it let out a low growl, yet it dared not disobey. With a flicker of its form, it left behind an illusory afterimage to confuse Xiang Yi while its true body crept around, moving to cut off Xiang Yi's escape route. At the same time the two-headed hou moved, Qin Sang turned the ebony sword invisible. The moment it closed in on Xiang Yi, it abruptly erupted with radiant sword rays like a blooming sword lotus, exuding an aura of pure sharpness. Xiang Yi was startled to realize he had been exposed. He knew this method could not deceive his opponent for long, but he had never expected to be seen through so quickly. It was virtually all for nothing; he had still failed to shake off his adversary's pursuit. Decisive to the core, he immediately abandoned his other avatars and urgently summoned his life magic treasure back to his defense. *Bang!* The sword lotus collided with the small pagoda, spraying dazzling light in all directions. The turbulent true essence nearly tore the illusion to shreds. Though Xiang Yi had reacted in haste, he still relied on his profound cultivation to successfully force back the ebony sword. Unexpectedly, before Xiang Yi could even breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly sensed an inexplicable crisis, a prickling chill on his back that set off wild alarms in his heart. Immediately afterward, a dark shadow surfaced behind him. The two-headed hou appeared. It looked mostly unchanged, except for faint wisps of azure qi swirling around its fur—and it was precisely this azure qi that made Xiang Yi sense impending danger. *Whoosh!* The two-headed hou arched its back slightly and charged straight at Xiang Yi, its speed even greater than before. "Not good!" Xiang Yi's face changed drastically. Throwing caution to the wind, he frantically poured true essence into his treasure garment. Instantly, strange light gleamed as an illusory treasure garment manifested on the surface of Xiang Yi's body. It was clearly a gossamer-thin garment, yet the fluctuations it gave off were extraordinary. "Roar!" The two-headed hou roared toward the heavens, its cry laced with pain as the bones inside its body crackled loudly. The azure qi then coalesced into an azure silhouette that suddenly detached from its body, slamming violently toward Xiang Yi. After the azure silhouette separated from it, the two-headed hou panted heavily, looking severely exhausted. This azure silhouette was unlike the avatars the two-headed hou had used before; it was a wind-controlling divine ability the creature had comprehended during its attempt to break through. By stimulating the power of its bloodline, it condensed its full vitality and vigor into the azure silhouette to tear enemies apart—a lethal trump card. However, the price was heavy. Having failed its breakthrough, unleashing this divine ability was exceedingly forced, placing a massive burden on its flesh and bones. Not only was the pain excruciating, but its combat strength would also be significantly depleted afterward. This was why the two-headed hou had been so reluctant earlier. *Boom!* The azure silhouette collided with Xiang Yi's treasure garment, letting out a thunderous crash as blinding light erupted violently. Immediately followed by a sound like tearing silk, the azure qi and the treasure garment's strange light dwindled at the same time, as though canceling each other out. The azure silhouette was then revealed: its sharp claws and fangs had penetrated the treasure garment, actually ripping a tear right through it. Xiang Yi was sharp-witted. Sensing that something was amiss, he had activated the treasure garment in the nick of time. Although his true essence was heavily drained and his hair was disheveled, leaving him looking thoroughly wretched and bleeding from several places, his injuries were not severe. He hurriedly drove the small pagoda to shatter the azure silhouette, then checked his treasure garment, only to find that the magic treasure was damaged. Its luster had dimmed, and its power was vastly diminished. "Is this the confidence behind your ambush?!" Xiang Yi flew into a rage. Killing intent flared wildly in his eyes; he wished he could tear Qin Sang to shreds. That moment had been far too perilous. Caught off guard by the two-headed hou, waves of lingering chills still gripped his heart. Had he not been on guard and his life magic treasure unharmed, what was pierced by those sharp claws might very well have been his flesh rather than his treasure garment. Without a word, Qin Sang recalled the two-headed hou, sending it back to recuperate, and then continued attacking with his flying sword. Although the two-headed hou had failed to severely wound Xiang Yi, it had severely depleted Xiang Yi's true essence and ruined his defensive magic treasure. Xiang Yi's eyes turned sinister and cold. He judged that Qin Sang had exhausted all his tricks. The two of them had fought fiercely for so long without any other helpers appearing; perhaps he had worried over nothing before. With such formidable strength, the opponent had no need for helpers at all. Had it been anyone else who encountered such a terrifying ambush, they would likely be in grave danger by now. Yet, relying on his past experience, Xiang Yi knew he could not lower his guard at this moment. He still adhered to his earlier strategy: escaping was of utmost priority; once he left this troublesome place, he could find another opportunity for revenge. Right at that moment, ripples of shimmering light suddenly glinted across the sea's surface. A white illusory phantom of a spirit talisman shot out from beneath the water without any warning, streaking straight toward Xiang Yi. Seeing this, Qin Sang let out a huge sigh of relief. Madam Liu had finally prepared the Yuan-Restricting Talisman; otherwise, he would have had no choice but to use the Star Conch. Using the Star Conch, Qin Sang had an eighty percent certainty of severely wounding Xiang Yi, but doing so would mean playing his greatest trump card. If any unforeseen accident occurred, he would have nothing held in reserve. In the peril-fraught Demon Sea, he remained accustomed to keeping a card up his sleeve to handle whatever danger might arise. Just as the Yuan-Restricting Talisman shot out, Madam Liu's figure also appeared on the sea surface. Looking at Xiang Yi, the man who had murdered her husband, her eyes burned with bone-deep hatred. "It's you! You aren't dead!" Xiang Yi was dumbfounded, understanding everything in an instant. With a crisp *pop*, the Yuan-Restricting Talisman shattered, and interwoven golden patterns within it rapidly unraveled into threads, spreading toward Xiang Yi and coiling around his body. Once a golden thread clung to him, it was like maggots clinging to bone. Xiang Yi hurriedly brought his magic treasure to bear, but could not sever them. The next moment, the golden threads sank into Xiang Yi's body. To his horror, he discovered that the true essence within him had ground to a halt.