Caught in His Own Web

After seeing Zhao Yan off, Qin Sang stood in the desolate valley, gazing at the fading glow of the setting sun, motionless for a long time. Just now, Zhao Yan had issued a strict command: he had to activate the demonic eye and finish spying out every variation of the Huiyang Valley formations within two months. In other words, he had at most two months of peace remaining. Fortunately, he had never interrupted his practice of the Song Family Sword Art, and he was likewise on the verge of a breakthrough. Once he comprehended sword qi, it would be his greatest reliance. After standing blankly for a long while, Qin Sang suddenly retrieved the Azure Wave Sword from his mustard seed bag, flew out to inspect Huiyang Valley, and finally arrived at the river flowing through the valley floor. Leaping into the water, he swung his sword to carve into a concealed stone wall beneath the riverbed. Qin Sang planned to build himself a shelter beneath the river to hide from the fiercest wave of the battle once the formations were breached. He did not understand the various formations of cultivators, but he could employ mortal mechanisms combined with the concealing river water to hide the shelter. During his time in the Blood Cloak Tower, he had read countless secret manuals and learned several practical techniques in mechanism crafting. As long as a high-level cultivator did not scour the area inch by inch with spiritual sense, it would be very difficult to discover the mechanism's existence. Over the course of two months, Qin Sang revised his plans several times, perfecting every detail until the shelter was finally completed. The formation at the valley entrance was suddenly disturbed. Qin Sang flew out of his cave dwelling with a pensive look. Instead of opening the array immediately, he returned to his cave dwelling and laid out the Soul-Bewildering Mirror to guard against Zhao Yan discarding him once his usefulness was gone. Only after preparing his backup plan did Qin Sang act as though nothing were amiss and open the valley's defensive array. To his shock, it was Yu Hua, whom he had not seen in a long time. A chill could not help but rise in his heart—if Yu Hua wanted him dead, he would not possess the slightest ability to resist! "Qin Sang greets Martial Uncle Yu." Bowing to Yu Hua, Qin Sang forced down the unease in his heart. Yu Hua gave a slight nod and asked impatiently, "Is it finished?" Qin Sang nodded. "Fortunately, I did not fail your mission." When he summoned the demonic eye, Yu Hua grabbed it at once, probing inside with his spiritual sense. A moment later, he said in wild joy, "Haha... Nephew Qin truly did not disappoint!" Immediately after, Qin Sang felt the connection between himself and the demonic eye severed. His heart tightened in anxiety, but at the same time, he felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. Stowing the demonic eye, Yu Hua said to Qin Sang, "Nephew Qin, leave a transmission talisman to throw off suspicion and come with me. There is no need to stay in Huiyang Valley any longer." Qin Sang was stunned. He was relieved that Yu Hua had not turned hostile on the spot, but he had absolutely no intention of returning to the Kuiyin Sect. He had no deeply rooted notions of good and evil, but over the past year, aside from the threat of the Kuiyin Sect hanging over his head like a dangling sword, his life had been exceptionally peaceful. All he sought was to find a cultivation sect and cultivate in peace, rather than live in constant fear and trepidation. For the sake of his own life, he would rather become a rogue cultivator than return to the Kuiyin Sect. As this thought flashed through his mind, Qin Sang voiced his concern: "If I leave now, I'm afraid we won't be able to conceal it for long if Senior Brother Meng and the others come by..." Yu Hua sneered. "The Yuanzhao Sect will soon be no more. What is there left to conceal?" A chill ran through Qin Sang. Following Yu Hua's instructions, he returned to his cave dwelling to retrieve the Soul-Bewildering Mirror. Before leaving, he looked back at the shelter he had painstakingly arranged, a trace of self-mockery showing on his face. Yu Hua's cave dwelling was on Muyang Peak. Qin Sang followed behind him, and once inside, he discovered three other people present. One was Ruan Nanfeng, who had entered the Yuanzhao Sect alongside him; the other two were a man and a woman, unfamiliar faces Qin Sang had never seen before, both dressed in the robes of chore disciples. Those two had likely infiltrated the sect before he had. The manpower the Kuiyin Sect planted in the Yuanzhao Sect could certainly not be limited to this handful. Why were there only three people here? As Qin Sang wondered inwardly, something stirred in his mind. He covertly cast the Qi-Watching Technique and saw that the cultivation of all three was identical to his own—the eighth layer of the Qi Refinement stage! Yu Hua nodded to the anxious Zhao Yan, his gaze sweeping over the four of them as he said in a deep voice, "Wu Liuyue and the others have already been secretly escorted out of the Yuanzhao Sect. The reason you four were kept behind is that your cultivation is the highest, and there is one more task that requires you to assist Nephew Zhao. As long as you accomplish this, you will have performed an extraordinary service. Not only will you be rewarded with Foundation Establishment Pills, but the Sect Master has also promised to personally accept you as disciples." The four exchanged glances. Qin Sang was utterly dumbfounded. He had cultivated desperately just to gain a bit more power to protect himself while fleeing for his life, never expecting that he had woven a cocoon around himself, plunging straight into an even more perilous vortex. A Foundation Establishment Pill and becoming the disciple of a Golden Core Master were indeed tempting to Qin Sang, but he had to be alive to enjoy them. The Kuiyin Sect already understood all the variations of the Yuanzhao Sect's protective array, so all they needed was a frontal assault to shatter it. A Golden Core Master could turn him to ash with a snap of their fingers—what could someone like him possibly do? Yu Hua had no intention of explaining further and merely ordered them to sit quietly and cultivate. The night passed without incident. Late the next night, Yu Hua departed abruptly. Zhao Yan tossed a jade waist plaque to each of them, his tone frigid. "Follow behind me in a moment. Without my order, if anyone dares make a sound or move recklessly, I will kill them on the spot. Understood?" Qin Sang and the others looked at each other; none dared object. Zhao Yan gave a contemptuous smirk, his lips moving slightly. Immediately after, a string of agonizing shrieks abruptly echoed through the cave dwelling. Including Qin Sang, all four clutched their heads desperately, writhing and wailing on the ground. Qin Sang had already rehearsed this reaction countless times in private, and by now, he could mimic it with eighty to ninety percent accuracy without sustaining such severe injuries. Without a shred of color on their faces, the four rose unsteadily to their feet, their eyes filled with intense terror. Zhao Yan said indifferently, "I only wanted you to know that with a single thought, I control your life and death. We all hail from the same sect, so do not force my hand. As long as you obey honestly and follow my orders, you will not be deprived of your rewards." "Yes!" ... Fastening their waist plaques, the four followed submissively behind Zhao Yan, flying with him all the way before Yuanzhao Peak. To think they would come here at a time like this. Qin Sang followed behind with apprehension. He had been confined to Huiyang Valley, and the few times he had probed outward early on had all been blocked by Zhao Yan. This was his first time being this close to Yuanzhao Peak. The sky was overcast, devoid of stars or moon, dark enough that one could not see their own hand before their face. The mountain peak presented a massive silhouette in the darkness, its summit hidden from sight. A few spots on the mountain flickered with scattered lamplight. Qin Sang recalled that the summit was the seclusion grounds of the Supreme Sect Master, while the other areas were all forbidden sect grounds. At the foot of Yuanzhao Peak lay a great lake, flanked by three peaks standing in a protective posture. The Sect Master's hall stood atop one of them, known as Sect Master Peak. Just as they drew near Sect Master Peak, two streaks of escaping light lit up ahead and flew toward them, accompanied by a sharp bark: "Who goes there!" Zhao Yan signaled for them to halt immediately. The two streaks of light swept before them, revealing the figures of two young men.