Chapter 147: Ghostly Threads

On the desolate island, six enormous banners fluttered wildly in the wind. Billowing black mist surged from their surfaces, completely shrouding the island in darkness. Unnoticed, dense clouds had gathered in the sky, blocking out the bright moon entirely. Not a single ray of moonlight pierced through, and the area around the island instantly fell into pitch-black obscurity.

A chilling wind howled as the swirling black mist, intertwined with faint blue light, spread throughout the surroundings. Within the mist, ghostly figures moved, their wails rising in volume. The sinister aura here was far more intense than when they had dealt with Gu Tiannan in the Guyuan Kingdom.

Fortunately, this was deep within the Yuncang Marshlands, a place rarely visited by others. Had any other cultivators been nearby, they might have assumed some demon was wreaking havoc here.

To the naked eye, the black fog seemed impenetrable. Only cultivators could discern the countless black threads coiling within it, layer upon layer, like tangled strands of hair. These threads faintly glowed with a cold, eerie blue fire. The atmosphere was so chilling it made one’s scalp tingle.

These threads were Ghostly Threads, formed from the ghostly qi of the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions. Should a cultivator be ensnared by these threads, yin fire would invade their body, followed by malevolent spirits. Without means to protect their soul, they would inevitably suffer damage to their soul.

For those weaker in strength, their primordial spirit could even be torn apart by the Ghostly Threads, leaving them to be devoured by the malevolent spirits within the banners—a vicious and insidious fate.

This was the true power of the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions. Ensnaring someone was merely a minor tactic; the true lethal blow came from its ability to harm one’s soul.

Back in the Qi Refining Realm, Qin Sang's abilities had been too weak to fully unleash the array’s power. He couldn't control the yin fire on the threads and had to rely on the clumsy method of commanding the evil spirits in hand-to-hand combat. Only now could he effortlessly manipulate the six banners at will.

Suddenly, a furious beast’s roar echoed from within the array, like a thunderclap shaking the heavens.

The ghostly qi rippled violently, and even the edges of the array began to falter. At the center of the array, a towering wave surged upward, crashing ferociously against the densely layered Ghostly Threads.

Whoosh!

The giant wave slammed down with a deafening crash.

The desolate island quaked, and the banners of the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions, blown taut like sails caught in a storm, billowed violently, straining to their limits with a tearing sound.

Where the wave struck, the Ghostly Threads disintegrated into fragments, falling to the ground like scattered debris. But in the next moment, the fragments reformed, fusing with the intact threads, reconnecting into the array and swirling back toward its depths like layers of accumulated snow.

The wave’s aftershock rushed toward Qin Sang, but its power had already diminished. As it reached him, a shimmering barrier of light flashed around his body, repelling the water. This was the concealed power of the Heavenly Star Tear he had secretly activated.

Unexpectedly, just as the wave’s aftershock dissipated, several water arrows shot out without warning from the fading waves.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Qin Sang, unwilling to directly confront the arrows with the Heavenly Star Tear, swiftly moved, dodging the barrage.

He marveled at how the demonic beast employed such a cunning strategy, using deception to catch him off guard. Peering into the center of the array, he caught sight of the white rhino demon.

The beast was covered in a film of water, remarkably capable of fending off the Ghostly Threads and the soul-devouring attacks of the evil spirits.

Although the threads managed to partially penetrate the water barrier, infiltrating the white rhino demon's body and causing it immense pain, they were unable to inflict serious injury.

Even the primary souls of the banners, attempting to invade the beast's body, were repeatedly thwarted.

Had the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions consumed enough souls and sacrifices to reach its peak power, the array would have unleashed countless evil spirits, tearing souls and bodies apart. The white rhino demon's fate would have been far more miserable.

The demonic beast's soul was repeatedly assaulted by the Ghostly Threads. Although the damage was minor, the constant harassment drove it to fury. Its massive eyes glared menacingly at Qin Sang, burning with intense anger. A blood-red hue slowly spread across its pupils until both eyes turned crimson, a clear sign that it had plunged into a state of uncontrollable rage.

Roar!

Boom!

The white rhino demon let out a furious roar, and a flash of blue light appeared on its horn. Instantly, a circular wave of water rippled outward. Although it didn’t seem too powerful, the threads entangled around it were struck by the water and snapped one by one.

Seizing this opportunity, the white rhino demon raised its front hooves and charged several zhang forward before the threads wrapped around it again.

Seeing that the white rhino demon had found an advantage and was about to repeat its tactic, Qin Sang frowned slightly. It seemed that the threads alone would not be enough to trap the beast. Without hesitation, he commanded the six primary souls to merge into one, transforming into an evil spirit.

Boom!

The massive body of the white rhino demon, resembling a small mountain, made the evil spirit appear much smaller in comparison. However, the evil spirit, fearless and unflinching, faced the beast’s terrifying charge head-on, wrapping tightly around it.

Witnessing this, Qin Sang had a clearer understanding. This white rhino demon must have only recently broken through to the Demonic Spirit Realm. Its horn could unleash powerful water arrows, and its control over water was exceptional. But its true strength wasn’t overwhelming, and it probably hadn’t even found a suitable cave dwelling yet, which explained its obsession with the spiritual eye of the spirit stone mine.

Now that the situation had momentarily stabilized, Qin Sang seized the chance. While the evil spirit entangled the white rhino demon, a flash of sword light appeared at Qin Sang’s forehead. The ebony sword, which had been nurtured within his primordial spirit, shot out.

Qin Sang knew the purpose of this journey well. Whether he could kill the white rhino demon or not was irrelevant. His main objective was to comprehend the Dao of Slaughter and advance his art.

As Qin Sang’s thoughts guided it, the ebony sword transformed into a blood-red sword, its sword qi radiant and swift. It disappeared into the great array in an instant, reappearing above the white rhino demon's head, where its sword qi erupted violently.

Yet the demon was alert. The moment the ebony sword appeared, it sensed danger. With a sudden twist of its head, it knocked the evil spirit aside, aiming its horn at the ebony sword. Several water arrows shot out in rapid succession.

The ebony sword turned into a streak of light, destroying the water arrows one by one. However, this also gave the demon enough time to dodge, and the sword struck empty air, failing to land a fatal blow.

After this brief exchange, Qin Sang’s expression remained unchanged, though inwardly he wondered.

Why does it feel like this fight isn't helping me understand the Dao of Slaughter?

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Sang decided to directly visualize the killing symbol in the midst of battle. In an instant, murderous intent filled his chest. Though his mind remained clear, his gaze turned icily cold, staring at the demon as if it were already dead.

The ebony sword let out a long, resonant hum, and the blood-red sword qi surged, pointing directly at the demon with deadly resolve.

A trace of fear flashed in the demon’s eyes. It shook its head violently, breaking free from the oppressive aura of the killing intent, and glared viciously at the ebony sword before letting out an enraged roar toward the sky.

At the same time, its horn once again flashed with a circular water wave. But unlike before, this time the water wave condensed into a sharp blade the moment it appeared, stabbing fiercely toward the ebony sword.

Qin Sang’s focus was now entirely on the demon. He ordered the evil spirit to hold the beast in place, preventing it from escaping the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions. Meanwhile, he fully synchronized his mind with the ebony sword.

At that moment, he seemed to transform into a sword himself, prepared to cut down every enemy in the world!