Chapter 1043: Success

Chapter 1043: Success

It was hard to imagine. Heavenly lightning could give one the sensation of being torn apart. A single palm imprint ripped the lightning asunder. Venerable Ye appeared, his expression dark and brimming with murderous intent.

The palm that tore through the lightning wore a white glove, as thin and delicate as silk, woven like gossamer threads. Galaxies were engraved on its back, and the sun and moon rested within its palm.

This was a rare treasure, most likely not of this world. Starlight revolved around his palm, sun and moon shining together. The lightning art had been broken, unable to get close to him.

His body was scorched black, the skin still bearing the marks of the

Lightning Control Technique

, though not as severely as one might expect. But that was only appearance.

Venerable Ye had broken the seal once again and forcefully wielded the strange treasure to survive, paying a price unimaginable to others, damage that could not be seen. His eyes were like blades, locking onto Qin Sang.

"This old bastard does have another trump card!" Qin Sang was both startled and furious.

Under Venerable Ye’s gaze, a chill ran down his spine. Seeing the dazzling evasion light flickering around Qin Sang, a strange glint flashed in Venerable Ye’s eyes. Seizing the last of his strength, he stomped down hard, and his speed instantly surpassed Qin Sang’s as he chased after him.

Within the secret chamber, another heart-stopping chase began. One side possessed an extraordinary evasion technique, bold enough to seize treasures from the hands of a Spiritual Infant grandmaster. The other, though seemingly lacking in refined evasion technique, was even faster.

The distance between them shrank rapidly. The wind roared behind him, and Qin Sang’s scalp tingled. At last, he managed to reach the cave entrance where Ming Wei was waiting inside. Without hesitation, he rushed in and swiftly formed a series of hand seals.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

A row of devilish banners shot out from the ground.

They had been lying in wait for this very moment. In an instant, the banners formed an array, and the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells surged forth, blazing violently with boundless fury.

"Go!" Before the devilish flames could fully condense, Qin Sang formed a hand seal and drew it backward.

Then, sweeping up all the banners, he darted deeper into the cave, where Ming Wei, face filled with anxious tension, awaited him.

Whoosh!

The Devilish Flames of Nine Hells burst from the cave mouth.

Venerable Ye, arriving right after, bore the brunt of it. When he saw the surging waves of black fire and felt its sinister aura, his expression froze for an instant before changing drastically. He cried out in alarm, "True Devilish Flames!"

He halted immediately, raising his gloved hand before him and urging the strange treasure with all his might, clearly terrified of the devilish flames.

Boom!

Flames and palm collided. Stone walls crumbled, devilish flames scattered wildly.

The radiant palm dimmed, the stars shattered, the sun and moon lost their brilliance. The treasure on Venerable Ye’s hand melted away like snow and ice. Having been used twice already, it was now nearly spent.

Amid the chaos came Venerable Ye’s furious, ragged roar. "It’s only appearance! Not the real True Devilish Flames!"

Ignoring the pain of loss, he forced out the treasure’s remaining power and tore through the blockade of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, only to find the cave empty.

Ming Wei had followed Qin Sang’s instructions, remaining at the entrance the whole time.

She had personally witnessed Venerable Ye’s attack, leaving no more doubt about Qin Sang’s words. Instead, worry filled her. Would he succeed? Could he secure the Soul-Cleansing Liquid, and split a bottle with her as promised? Then she saw Qin Sang strike without hesitation.

Lightning art, corpse refinement, spirit beasts, and evasion techniques followed one after another in perfect rhythm. He seized the Soul-Cleansing Liquid by force and nearly took Venerable Ye’s life in the process.

As expected, a Spiritual Infant grandmaster was no easy opponent. Knowing the gravity of her role, Ming Wei immediately retreated, activated her Life Talisman, and waited for Qin Sang’s return.

Their gazes met. Seeing that Ming Wei had not fled, Qin Sang felt a surge of relief and showed a faint smile. Then a wave of emptiness swept through his body.

Activating the nine-banner array had drained all the true essence he had just restored with spirit pills. Fortunately, that much was enough to unleash a single strike of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells. Otherwise, he would have been forced to consume another drop of the Jade Liquid of Three Radiances.

When Qin Sang arrived, Ming Wei could not hide the excitement in her eyes. She immediately activated the Life Talisman.

The talisman glowed softly, and an ancient sigil representing "Life" appeared on its surface. A gentle light spread outward, forming a halo that enveloped the two of them.

Finally, Qin Sang ordered the malevolent corpse to charge deeper into the tunnels while Ming Wei laid down several traps. Then the two vanished together.

***

Deep within the cave, the malevolent corpse and the puppets created chaos. The tunnels twisted endlessly, filled with overlapping auras impossible to distinguish.

Venerable Ye stood at the cave's entrance, searching to no avail. Just then, the long-bearded elder and the others finally caught up.

They had no idea what had just happened. All turned to Venerable Ye, hesitant to speak. Seeing their master’s expression, unease grew within them.

For their master to destroy a rare treasure and forcibly break his seal, yet still fail to stop the enemy, was beyond belief. Three bottles of Soul-Cleansing Liquid, taken right before their eyes.

"Master, what should we do now?" The long-bearded elder asked softly, gesturing behind him, worry flashing in his eyes.

Every cultivator in the secret chamber was shrewd. At first, they had been too terrified by the tragic deaths of the Blood Bat and the others to contend with a Spiritual Infant grandmaster. When Qin Sang struck, the situation had changed too swiftly for them to react.

Now, slowly, they began to realize that within the trial realm, perhaps a Spiritual Infant grandmaster was not so invincible after all.

The three bottles of Soul-Cleansing Liquid had been taken by Qin Sang, their whereabouts unknown. However, one bottle had fallen into the hands of the charming woman.

Several hostile gazes turned toward her group, and the cultivators around the cavern began to stir restlessly. Shadows flickered across the secret chamber as people slowly closed in from all directions.

Abandoning one bottle of Soul-Cleansing Liquid had been a decision Qin Sang made after discussing with Bai. If necessary, they were prepared to throw away another.

Helping them break through the encirclement was only part of the plan. If all four bottles of Soul-Cleansing Liquid were taken by Qin Sang, the others would have no reason to continue fighting.

Once the other cultivators realized they had no chance of obtaining the treasure, even if they saw through Venerable Ye’s situation, they would no longer trouble them. They might even turn their resentment toward a common enemy and join forces to track down Qin Sang instead.

If Venerable Ye continued his pursuit and truly discovered something, that would spell disaster.

Now that one bottle had been sacrificed, Venerable Ye and his followers had become the center of everyone’s hostility. Forcing this powerful enemy to retreat first would make Qin Sang’s escape much safer. It was well worth the price.

"Hand over the Soul-Cleansing Liquid." Venerable Ye’s voice was cold as he spoke to the charming woman.

She bit her lip, unwilling to part with it, but the moment her gaze met his, her heart trembled in fear. She quickly handed over the Soul-Cleansing Liquid.

"Let’s go!" Venerable Ye turned back for a glance, his eyes icy cold. The cultivators closing in around them felt their hearts tighten.

"Master, are we just letting this go?" The burly man was reluctant. The Soul-Cleansing Liquid was tied to the Spiritual Infant Realm, an opportunity that came only once in centuries.

"Hmph! The techniques that man used are not something ordinary people could possess. His plan was flawless. If not for me, every drop of Soul-Cleansing Liquid would have been his. Those secret techniques could not have been self-created out of nothing. Once the merchant alliance is mobilized, it won’t be hard to uncover his identity. When the time comes, I’ll make him pay back everything and more!" Venerable Ye’s tone was cold as he darted into one of the tunnels.

Su Nu was quietly curious, still unsure how Qin Sang and Bai had managed to shake off pursuit. At last, the tension in her heart eased a little.