The branches relentlessly pursued, leaving streaks of afterimages in their wake, shattering one after another. Yet, they never managed to catch Qin Sang.

Qin Sang’s movements were elusive, propelled by the power of the Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound, his speed astonishing. Initially, his steps were somewhat chaotic, as if he struggled tontrol the sudden surge in velocity. On several occasions, he was almost ensnared by the branches.

However, as time passed, his movements grew steadier. A closer look would reveal that the rhythm of his actions aligned perfectly with the shifting branches. Every time they attempted to encircle him, it was as though he had anticipated their moves, dodging in advance.

The afterimages multiplied, resemblinguntless clones of Qin Sang. The branches, swinging ever more wildly, gradually lost their ability to keep up, eventually tangling into a chaotic mass.

Yet, Qin Sang’s expression grew increasingly grim.

Moments later, his eyes suddenly lit up. His figure halted abruptly before he retreated at full speed.

Just as Qin Sang sprang back, a burst of black light erupted from the tangled branches, shooting out like spilled ink. It streaked toward him with lightning speed.

Thanks to Qin Sang’s quick reflexes, the black light never madentact. It eventually lost momentum and dissipated.

The two withered trees returned to their lifeless state.

Qin Sang lowered his gaze to inspect his robe. A thumb-sized black hole marred the fabric, emitting a foul stench. This was the result of the black light grazing him—a flaw he had deliberately allowed to test its effects.

This brief eunter gave Qin Sang a firsthand understanding of the black light’s power.

Highlyrrosive, it was the deadliest trap within the barrier.

Through this trial, Qin Sang had deciphered seventy to eighty percent of the barrier’s mechanisms.

Fortunately, he had the Heavenly Sound Conch in hand. Without it, he wouldn’t have dared such a reckless approach. On his own, simply observing the barrier from outside made understanding it nearly impossible, let alone breaking through.

Fixing his gaze on the branches hanging from the withered trees, Qin Sang pondered for a moment before setting his plan into motion.

The scene unfolded similarly to before.

Time and again, he was forced to retreat by the black light. Yet, with each eunter, thenfidence on Qin Sang’s face grew.

On his final attempt, Qin Sang faced the branches’ attacks with unparalleledmposure. His eyes remained locked on a spot deep within the withered trees. As the black light emerged, he suddenly activated the Heavenly Sound Conch at full power. The Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound's power enveloped his entire body. Then, Qin Sang performed an audacious move.

He ignored the oming black light and dove straight in!

Qin Sang plunged into the boundless darkness. Intense painursed through his body as an omnipresent forcempressed him from all directions, threatening to crush him into pulp. The Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound that was protecting his body distorted under the pressure but held firm.

The darkness obscured everything around him. In the next moment, his vision was restored.

Qin Sang landed steadily on the ground, panting heavily. Turning to look back, he saw that the black light had vanished.

The withered branches drooped lifelessly, like slain serpents, revealing a narrow path beneath them.

"Good! Let’sntinue!"

A voice echoed in his primordial spirit—Di Que. Qin Sang smirkedldly and turned back.

The dead forest seemed endless. Behind him lay a winding path, ready for retreat at any moment, but before him loomed yet another spectral domain.

Qin Sang had broken through layer after layer of the barrier, though not without danger. At one point, he inadvertently triggered a hidden trap within the barrier. A powerful suction nearly dragged him into a vortex.

At the time, the Heavenly Sound Conch had been pinned down, forcing Qin Sang to sacrifice an artifact and even one of his zombies to buy himself enough time to reverse the Heavenly Sound Conch and escape the vortex.

Calling it a perilous journey was no exaggeration.

Drenched in sweat, his energy drained, Qin Sang dared not let his guard down. Heuldn’t help but admire Daoist Master Xuanyu. Not only had the master effortlessly broken the barrier, but he had also left behind subtle markers along the way.

So far, Di Que had divered three spiritual talismans and ancealed trap.

Daoist Master Xuanyu was meticulous to an extreme.

One of the talismans was cleverly embedded within the barrier. Once the barrier activated, the talisman would immediately be triggered. Fortunately, Di Que had not been distracted, allowing him to notice it in time and seal it away.

Another layer of the barrier was broken. Qin Sang’s expression immediately relaxed, and the dead forest vanished!

At last, they had emerged. Qin Sang swept away the sweat from his body using spiritual power, but the exhaustion still clung to him, refusing to lift.

After Di Que and Ren Hong emerged from the dead forest, the three of themntinued their ascent. After a stretch of calm, they reached a small thatched hut. The wooden door was ajar, and the air inside shimmered with a yellowish light, making it impossible to see the furnishings within.

Qin Sang had already handed the Heavenly Sound Conch to Ren Hong, allowing him to familiarize himself with it.

As for the hut, it was naturally Ren Hong’s turn tonfront.

Taking a deep breath, Ren Hong reached out and pushed the wooden door open before stepping inside.

Qin Sang, drained of energy, took the opportunity to sit quietly and rver. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but suddenly, he heard Di Que let out ald chuckle.

"Quite a clever one!"

Before the words had even fully left his mouth, there was a loud

bang

!

Wrapped in the Heavenly Sound Conch, Ren Hong was forcefully thrown through the wooden door, his body stiff, crashing onto the ground. A narrow blade wound ran across his chest, and the sharp blade qi still twisted at the cut, causing further damage.

Ren Hong's face was ashen, clearly gravely injured, the wound reaching deep into his internal organs.

Di Que paid no attention to his injuries. With a wave of his hand, he tossed Ren Hong a jade bottlentaining healing pills andldly said, "Take one of these healing pills. I’ve prepared more than enough for you. Now, there are only two of you left with me, each facing their own trial. As long as you don’t die, neither of you can escape. The power of the barrier will only grow stronger, and the more injured you are, the faster you’ll die. Take the pill and go back in."

With that, Di Que shot a glance at Qin Sang, his eyes carrying a subtle warning.

Qin Sang understood that Ren Hong had likely injured himself on purpose, hoping to be seen through by Di Que. No wonder Di Que had laughed—despite the barrier separating them, Di Queuld see through every action they made.

Having experienced this, Ren Hong understood as well. He made no further objections and silently took the healing pill, rvering from his wound. He then pushed open the door and went back inside.

Before long, Ren Hong appeared at the back of the hut.

One by one, the layers of the barrier were being broken.

The three of them proceeded silently toward the mountaintop, gradually drawing closer to Daoist Master Xuanyu.

Qin Sang and Ren Hong grew more adept as time passed. Though they were still injured now and then, they managed to get through each trial unscathed. Di Que's words had proven true: his supply of healing pills was more than ample, and he gave them out generously, as though they were inexhaustible.

The clouds overhead grew heavier, pressing down on the mountain, as though the entire peak mightllapse.

As they drew nearer to the clouds, Qin Sang felt an ominous pressure on his heart, as if a layer of dark clouds had descended within him.

The power of the barrier grew ever more terrifying.

The barriers they had euntered so far had, at times, threatened their primordial spirits, but they always ampanied other forms of attack. Without the protection of the Heavenly Sound Conch, Qin Sang would undoubtedly have perished.

Only when facing simple illusion arrays or barriers that tested one’s mindsetuld he rely on the power of the Jade Buddha to find a sliver of room for movement.