Many years ago, the Saint Yuanjue left the Great Sui to travel the world, and since then, his whereabouts had remained unknown.

It was rumored that he went in search of opportunities to break through to the innate stage, while others whispered that he was nearing the end of his life and, unwilling to accept his fate, sought out immortality.

Who could have expected that the Saint Yuanjue would return to the Great Sui at this time, and that he would coincidentally run into him.

The roar just now was undoubtedly the famous

Lion’s Roar

of Xuanji Temple, a renowned skill in the martial world.

This was the first time Qin Sang had ever seen true qi take form, condensing into a fist that could shatter the air.

Qin Sang's figure flickered as he retreated swiftly, while the Reckless Monk snorted coldly, swinging his arm with sudden force.

Whoosh!

A chain of iron shot out, cutting through the air like a crystalline water line, swiftly heading toward Qin Sang under the moonlight.

Unexpectedly, just as the chain reached the midway point, it suddenly lost its force, flying a short distance further before it ran out of momentum and clattered to the ground. The Reckless Monk's eyes rolled back as he collapsed backward without warning.

Bang!

The Reckless Monk's corpse hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and a few scattered leaves, no longer breathing.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The Saint Yuanjue glanced at the Reckless Monk's corpse, then turned his gaze sharply to Qin Sang and the black banner in his hand, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"You are an immortal cultivator!"

Qin Sang, holding the Yan Luo Banner, stood at a distance with a cold gaze, speaking in a calm tone, "Old Monk, I had no desire to commit more killings. If you leave now, I'll spare your life."

Although his words were confident, Qin Sang was secretly distressed.

After killing the Reckless Monk, Qin Sang ordered King Yan to attack Saint Yuanjue, but King Yan refused to obey.

Usually, when King Yan encountered a living person, it was as if he had found a delicious meal. Without needing Qin Sang's orders, he would rush forward eagerly to savor the fresh soul.

But now, facing the old monk, he seemed afraid, cowering in the shadows, not daring to approach.

Although the old monk was aged, his qi and blood were extraordinarily vigorous, something Qin Sang had never encountered before. Additionally, the old monk’s true qi was peculiar, with his fist shadows burning red like fire, making him resemble a blazing sun—the bane of all evil spirits.

The black-clad villain was able to use the Yan Luo Banner to perish together with an immortal master who wielded a flying sword, yet now he was afraid of a mere mortal expert at the innate stage.

Qin Sang vaguely guessed the reason.

Even on the battlefield, Qin Sang never allowed King Yan to devour too many souls.

One reason was to avoid exposing his identity; another was the fear that if King Yan grew too powerful, he might turn against him.

Qin Sang had long discovered a peculiar trait of the Yan Luo Banner: if King Yan devoured enough souls, the holes in the banner would begin to repair themselves.

It seemed that when the Yan Luo Banner was fully restored, King Yan’s strength would return to its peak.

Qin Sang didn't know what realm the black-clad villain had reached in life, but it was certainly higher than his own. The black-clad villain could suppress King Yan at full strength, but the Jade Buddha might not be able to.

Out of caution, Qin Sang only allowed King Yan to devour a few dozen souls at a time before recalling him. This way, King Yan could provide three Soul Pills, enough for his use for a while.

He originally planned to wait until he broke through to the fifth stage of the

Netherworld Scripture

before gradually increasing King Yan's strength, but he hadn't anticipated that the vigorous qi and blood of an innate stage expert would frighten King Yan.

Qin Sang had heard Bai Jianglan tell stories of innate stage experts slaying immortal masters with sword light, and now it seemed that even immortal cultivators couldn’t underestimate mortals, especially someone like him who was only half-trained.

Voices and the sound of knocking came from outside the manor's gate, with someone loudly calling for the instructor, but there was no response from within. Soon after, the gate was forcibly broken open.

The old monk’s roar just now had drawn all the patrolling constables and militia from the county office.

At this point, Qin Sang could no longer afford to be cautious. He had to let King Yan devour souls to increase his strength, while he suppressed the panic in his heart, putting on a show in hopes of intimidating the old monk.

Unexpectedly, after hearing Qin Sang's words, the monk not only showed no fear but instead, his eyes sparkled with joy.

Qin Sang suddenly realized something.

If Saint Yuanjue left to seek immortality, what would he do when he encountered a real immortal cultivator bluffing in front of him?

Everything I have just said was completely unnecessary, revealing my weakness in front of the old martial world veteran!

Feeling the increasingly greedy gaze of the monk, Qin Sang couldn't help but deeply regret his actions.

Sure enough, the monk squinted at Qin Sang for a moment before suddenly sneering. "Playing tricks!"

Qin Sang immediately sensed danger, his instincts screaming at him. He stamped heavily on the ground, his body soaring into the air.

In an instant, the Saint Yuanjue appeared where Qin Sang had just been standing, a ball of fiery force gathering in his palm as he struck, breaking a large tree behind him in half.

Crack!

The tree trunk split in the middle, and the massive treetop crashed down.

What a terrifying innate stage expert!

Qin Sang felt his heart clench in fear, knowing he stood no chance against Saint Yuanjue. He turned and fled.

Seeing this, Saint Yuanjue was overjoyed, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he laughed wildly. "Where do you think you're going, young brat? Hand over the immortal cultivation methods, and I will spare your life!"

The first sentence still came from behind him.

The second sounded right by his ear.

By the time the last sentence echoed, a figure flashed before Qin Sang, and the monk, as if strolling leisurely, had already overtaken him and blocked his path.

A withered hand, seemingly slow but actually swift, reached out to grab him.

Qin Sang's hair stood on end. He desperately used the

Shadowless Steps

, darting left and right like a headless fly, but no matter how erratically he moved, that hand was always in front of him.

"Get back here, you damn thing!"

Qin Sang frantically recited the incantations of the Yan Luo Banner, cursing inwardly, but saw the hand rapidly enlarging before his eyes. His heart filled with bitterness and deep unwillingness.

"My life is over!"

Unexpectedly, the Saint Yuanjue didn’t snap Qin Sang’s neck but instead snatched the Yan Luo Banner from his hand.

Saint Yuanjue looked at the Yan Luo Banner, his eyes brimming with ecstatic joy. He gazed at Qin Sang as if he were a treasure trove, his fingers darting out like lightning, about to seal Qin Sang's acupoints, when suddenly his body stiffened.

Qin Sang was overjoyed. He let out a low roar, lunged forward, and slammed into the monk's arm, snatching back the Yan Luo Banner. With all his strength, he stabbed the banner's pole into the monk's throat, sinking it almost entirely.

Splat!

Blood sprayed all over Qin Sang’s face as a fountain of blood burst from the monk’s neck, and he fell backward.

Qin Sang collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily, like a bellows. He stared at the motionless monk, still shaken.

Saint Yuanjue was the most terrifying enemy he had encountered since arriving in this world; an innate stage expert was truly fearsome.

After the initial shock, Qin Sang couldn't help but reflect.

Over the past year, he had been invincible; no expert could withstand King Yan, and his mindset had inevitably shifted, making him dismissive of mortals, thinking he could roam the world freely.

This time, he had nearly lost his life, and only now did he realize the importance of caution. From now on, no matter who he faced, he must be careful.