Red Yuan Gauze

Two silhouettes collided and parted in a flash. One of them stumbled back, his footing somewhat unsteady. The other also seemed to find the clash strenuous. Pausing briefly, he spun back to attack once more, calling out at the same time, "Let's take him together." Having tested his current strength, Qin Sang had no desire to keep trading blows endlessly with the youth surnamed Fang. He summoned his incarnation and the two-headed hou, intending to combine their might and slay the man swiftly. The youth surnamed Fang was truly worthy of being a direct disciple of a Witch Clan Nascent Soul expert. He had an endless array of tricks up his sleeve, and with the insect armor formed from his thrice-metamorphosed spirit insect, ordinary attacks could barely harm his true body. Qin Sang had used the Foul Blood Divine Light to catch him off guard and ruin his blood sword, but without employing the Star Conch, he could only suppress him; taking his life remained difficult. By this point, their battlefield was no longer over the small island. The youth surnamed Fang had repeatedly tried to break away from Qin Sang, only to be effortlessly cut off every time. Once the two-headed hou and the incarnation entered the fray, the tide turned immediately. The incarnation already possessed late Core Formation stage cultivation and was similarly clad in armor. The two-headed hou's might was also not to be underestimated, and it was constantly watching for the right opportunity to unleash its green shadow divine ability. For a time, the situation turned completely in Qin Sang's favor. Facing enemies from three directions, the youth surnamed Fang was stretched thin trying to defend on all sides. His defeat was already a foregone conclusion. And before Qin Sang's top-tier movement techniques, he stood no chance of escape. Right then, a strange glint flashed through Fang's eyes. A dazzling light suddenly burst from one of his palms, within which lay a peculiar talisman that morphed into a sharp spike. Almost simultaneously, at the chest of the purple insect armor, a speck of blood suddenly bloomed like a blossom of fresh blood, spreading over his entire body in an instant. The phantom of the Amethyst Heavenly Beetle, which had been on the verge of shattering, miraculously recongealed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Like the insect armor, it transformed into an intensely eerie blood shadow. The crimson Amethyst Heavenly Beetle opened its massive eyes, and an exceptionally ferocious aura abruptly erupted. Qin Sang's expression shifted, alarm bells clanging in his mind. "Die!" the youth surnamed Fang roared. Clutching the spike, he charged straight at Qin Sang. The spike instantly drained the surrounding void of all spiritual energy, appearing unstoppable with an utterly terrifying momentum. Qin Sang could only see the vortex-like silhouette at the tip of the spike, which seemed capable of swallowing even his mind. At the same time, the crimson Amethyst Heavenly Beetle let out a deafening screech. Blood light surged from its form as it violently lurched forward, sending Qin Sang's external incarnation flying with a single crash. It then lunged ahead, merging with the youth surnamed Fang and locking onto Qin Sang. The youth surnamed Fang had resorted to a taboo secret technique of his sect to elevate his natal insect gu's strength, though at the cost of overdrawing its future potential. Yet in his current predicament, he could no longer afford to care about the future. He chose Qin Sang's true body as his target because he knew full well that so long as he killed Qin Sang, no one else could stop him, and the other two adversaries would collapse on their own. This was his desperate final gamble. Qin Sang looked solemn, but a sneer touched the corner of his lips. From the flank, the two-headed hou shook its head, arched its back slightly, and let out a low growl. A green shadow slammed fiercely into the youth surnamed Fang from the side. As if completely oblivious to the green shadow, Fang neither dodged nor parried. *Thud!* Taking a direct hit from the green shadow, the crimson Amethyst Heavenly Beetle let out a pained cry, and its blood shadow wavered violently. Straining with all his might to steady himself, the youth surnamed Fang kept his eyes fixed solely on Qin Sang. The next instant, Fang's expression changed drastically. A speck of blue light expanded rapidly before his eyes. Seizing upon the momentary opening when they were struck by the green shadow, it easily pierced right through the crimson Amethyst Heavenly Beetle. *Crack!* Following a dull boom came a crisp shattering sound. With a muffled grunt, the youth surnamed Fang was sent flying backward. The spike in his hand had nearly disintegrated, cracks covered his insect armor, and the blood-shadow Amethyst Heavenly Beetle stood rigid, paralyzed. His face turned pale as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Just as he tried to make another move, he felt a sudden chill on the back of his neck, followed by the strike of an immense force that shattered his insect armor completely. Qin Sang retrieved the Star Conch and flew forward. Working in tandem with his incarnation, front and rear, every strike targeted Fang's vitals. Before long, the youth surnamed Fang was held lifeless in Qin Sang's grasp, completely devoid of breath. *After dual-cultivating magic and body, using the sword wheel gives me combat power no lesser than that of a peak Core Formation expert. The wheel's power still has room for improvement, so passing the Sword Path shouldn't be a problem...* Qin Sang reviewed the battle. He had essentially dominated the fight from start to finish. Though a minor mishap had occurred at the very end, he had neutralized it easily. This was only natural. The youth surnamed Fang was, after all, the disciple of a Nascent Soul expert; how could he not have a life-or-death contingency? Flipping his palm, Qin Sang took out the star platform. He had originally hoped to search Fang's soul to learn the true method of activating this treasure, but things had not gone as planned. *It turns out this fellow didn't know the star platform's true origins either. The Old Ancestor of Black Snake Mountain claimed it was a supreme treasure of the Witch Clan. That's why the Landou Sect possessed it for so long without uncovering its real background, treating it merely as an aid for cultivating the Lightning Command Technique. A Witch Clan supreme treasure... just what kind of treasure is it to warrant such extreme measures from the Old Ancestor of Black Snake Mountain? Furthermore, its crescent shape is very odd. When I found that foolish Witch Clan cultivator in the Liefeng Archipelago to test it with divine patterns, there was likewise no reaction...* Qin Sang turned the star platform over and over in his hands. Over the years, he had tried countless times, yet he had never been able to unravel its secret. "Forget it! Helping me cultivate the Heavenly Demon Form Refining was already an unexpected boon." Qin Sang shook his head, put away the star platform, and summoned the items from the youth's corpse into his grasp. *What a pity the blood corpse bug was already taken back by the Old Ancestor of Black Snake Mountain! This blood sword is a precious middle-grade magic treasure, but it doesn't handle as smoothly as my life spirit sword, so I'll let my incarnation wield it for now. This Red Yuan Gauze, however, is rather intriguing; it isn't an item of the present era...* Qin Sang held a piece of soft red gauze, realizing that even as an artifact refiner, he could not identify the materials used to craft it. Not even the Old Ancestor of Black Snake Mountain had been able to repair it. This treasure had the ability to conceal one's presence. It was by relying on it that the youth surnamed Fang had concealed his identity and moved freely through the human territories back then. After turning it over in his hands for a moment, Qin Sang tossed the corpse to his incarnation. He then returned to the island, painstakingly erased every trace, gave a call, and swept away into the distance. Relying on the Heavenly Demon Form Refining, Qin Sang moved freely across the Demon Sea. Instead of returning to Haichan Island to board a treasure ship, he embarked on the journey back alone, deliberately avoiding contact with other cultivators. That way, even if the Old Ancestor of Black Snake Mountain came in person, finding any trace of his movements would be impossible. With this matter settled, Qin Sang needed only to quietly await the opening of the Hall of Seven Kills. Before that, helping his incarnation refine the blood pearls it had previously devoured would be enough to push it to the peak of the Core Formation stage. Since there was still time before the Hall of Seven Kills opened, Qin Sang found a deserted island in the Demon Sea, excavated an immortal's cave, and went into seclusion alongside his incarnation. During his seclusion, Qin Sang took inventory of his own capabilities. He had done everything within his power to make full preparations. Whether he could achieve his desires in the Hall of Seven Kills was now up to fate.