Beast King Banners

With only a few Beast King Banners, they could not form a grand array, and their power was likely limited. Qin Sang was not truly coveting the treasure; seizing these banners would only make the flaw in their grand array even larger, potentially causing them to fail against those mysterious figures. If both sides ended up mutually wounded, that would be ideal. As long as he could cause trouble for Black Snake Mountain, he was more than happy to do it. Qin Sang had already sensed what had taken place on the island. Chu Heng and the others had perished one after another, leaving him alone. Joining the camp of those mysterious figures was out of the question, and Black Snake Mountain possessed overwhelming numbers; taking revenge right now would be exceedingly difficult, so he might as well collect some interest before leaving. The Nine Nether demonic fire engulfed the Beast King Banners. Qin Sang was not entirely certain whether the Nine Nether demonic fire could sever the connection between the banners, but decided to give it a try. The black-robed man had controlled ten Beast King Banners in total. One had been destroyed by the Foul Blood Divine Light, and the remaining nine were trembling violently, attempting to break free of Qin Sang's restraint. Yet wrapped in the Nine Nether demonic fire, their struggles abruptly weakened. Having lost their master's control while the other banners were far in the distance, their connection was severed by the Nine Nether demonic fire, and they immediately grew docile. Without exerting much effort, Qin Sang swept all nine Beast King Banners into his grasp. From the distance came the furious shouts of the black-robed men. Qin Sang glanced over with a cold sneer. The dragon silhouette and sword light around him lit up simultaneously, coalescing into an escape streak that vanished into the wind and rain in the blink of an eye. The torrential rain poured through the dead of night, and dark clouds blotted out the sky, making it pitch-black. The other Black Snake Mountain disciples were in the middle of closing in on their targets; none had expected Fourth Senior Brother would not only fail but even lose his life, and none had clearly seen what had happened. By the time they realized something was wrong, it was already too late. Moreover, not a single one among them possessed an escape technique capable of matching Qin Sang's, and they could only watch helplessly as he made off in style. "Fourth Brother!" Second Senior Brother's eyes were practically splitting with rage. The others were utterly flustered, caught in a dilemma—they did not know whether to continue encircling their quarry or pursue Fourth Senior Brother's killer. Judging by the speed of that streak of light, they likely would not catch up even if they tried. They all looked toward Second Senior Brother in unison, yet another matter weighed even heavier on their minds. Eldest Senior Brother was still on the island. Struck by the blast of lightning, he had sent no word, and had not even appeared to intervene when Fourth Senior Brother was killed. Could something have happened to him as well? *Boom!* *Splash!* A colossal figure was sent flying from the island, crashing onto the sea and throwing up massive waves. Immediately afterward, the youth surnamed Fang flashed into view, plunging into the sea with a blood-colored sword in hand. The Kui Dragon howled madly, fighting fiercely against the youth. Unlike Chu Heng and the others, the youth surnamed Fang had a talisman protecting him, so his injuries were not severe; he had merely been hindered by the astral fiend power, which slowed his actions by a beat. The Kui Dragon had already been heavily wounded, so when the two clashed, the victor was decided almost instantly. The Kui Dragon had ambushed the youth surnamed Fang, only to be subjected to a vicious beating. Its furious roars grew increasingly hollow, finally turning into pathetic shrieks. "Eldest Senior Brother!" The Black Snake Mountain cultivators were overjoyed and clamored in excitement. "Eldest Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother is dead!" "Avenge Fourth Senior Brother!" "Kill that bastard, rip out his sinews and break his bones!" ... A giant hand formed of true essence gripped the Kui Dragon by the throat. The youth surnamed Fang hovered below the Kui Dragon's corpse like a mighty warrior subduing a dragon with a single hand, exuding immense authority. His face cold as frost, he did not glance at the Kui Dragon, his gaze fixed intently on the direction Qin Sang had fled. He already knew of Fourth Junior Brother's gruesome end. Yet hindered by that strange energy, he had been unable to arrive in time. Furthermore, there was one truth he was loath to admit: the enemy's escape technique was superior even to his own; catching up was now impossible. "First capture the Landou Sect outcasts. We will settle this blood debt with that man later!" The youth surnamed Fang had no choice but to make a concession, prioritizing the major task. Suppressing the Kui Dragon, he had finally slain the great demon. ... Qin Sang had made his escape, but he did not travel far. Once certain no pursuers were following, he concealed his escape light, circled briefly in the air, and landed upon a reef in the distance. Looking back toward the direction he had come, his eyes flickered. After pondering for a brief moment, he set up a concealment restriction, sat cross-legged upon the reef, and summoned the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. The situation had been dire earlier, leaving him no time to examine the Heavenly Eye Butterfly carefully, and he was now somewhat concerned. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly had suffered a great deal. Upon emerging, it circled endlessly around Qin Sang before clinging tightly to his wrist and staying still, its large wings quivering as if acting aggrieved and seeking comfort. Qin Sang stroked it gently, soothing the butterfly while examining its condition. "Fortunately, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly didn't absorb much, or it really would have been troublesome. The astral fiend power described in the *Heavenly Demon Form Refining* is terrifying; invading the origin soul causes immense problems. A spirit insect's origin soul is still too fragile, inferior even to demon beasts of the same realm. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly's own realm isn't very high either..." Qin Sang's expression eased slightly, replaced by a thoughtful look. "Is that power truly astral fiend power?" He was intimately familiar with astral fiend power. Such energy was eerie, sinister, and chaotic—how could it coexist with lightning? Was what the enemy cast a lightning-controlling Daoist art, or an array? What role did the astral fiend power play in it? The *Heavenly Demon Form Refining* utilized astral fiend power to temper demonic bloodlines. Qin Sang was no demon descendant, so he could only refine the astral fiend power out of his body, wasting all of it. If he could obtain this lightning technique, he might be able to put that waste to good use. The first priority was to determine the identities of those mysterious figures and why the Black Snake Mountain disciples had ambushed them. Qin Sang had not rushed to leave because he was confident his escape technique far surpassed ordinary cultivators, allowing him to come and go freely. He intended to linger and see if there was an opportunity to fish in troubled waters. Gently stroking the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, he thought of the ebony sword and the Star Conch. Both trump-card divine abilities had been expended and could not be recovered in a short time; he would have to tread carefully in subsequent actions. Then, he opened his palm and brought out the newly seized Beast King Banners. Bound by the Nine Nether demonic fire, the Beast King Banners remained exceedingly docile. Concerned that the connection between these banners might still linger, allowing the enemy to detect his movements, Qin Sang promptly mobilized his spiritual sense to inspect them. A moment later, Qin Sang's expression brightened as he discovered something. "Indeed, there are remnants of an imprint! Break!" The imprints inside the Beast King Banners were forcibly erased. Golden light flashed across the banners and vanished; their connection to the remaining banners was completely severed, bringing them under Qin Sang's control. "Locked within each Beast King Banner is the origin soul of a demon beast..." While erasing the imprints, Qin Sang also uncovered the inner workings of the banners and felt a wave of surprise. The quality of the banners was not high, and their materials were unremarkable, yet the refining technique was ingenious, and their primary might derived from the beast souls. "The Beast King Banners place exceedingly high demands on their user, requiring immense spiritual sense. Even a late Core Formation stage cultivator can only control around twenty banners. And if the number is too small, though an array can still be forced into place, its power is too weak to be of much use. A Nascent Soul Patriarch could certainly manipulate this entire set of banners, but its power would be far too underwhelming for them... Spending so much effort to forge them only to require joint operation with others. If used by sect disciples with close coordination between brothers, it is indeed quite a fine treasure for coordinated strikes. But for someone like me who is all alone, without a sect or disciples, it's rather like a chicken rib..." Qin Sang said with a hint of disappointment.