Chapter 406: The Ruse of Self-Inflicted Pain

Qin Sang’s gaze shifted between the fat chicken and the lightning orb. The fat chicken’s own strength was formidable—and it could even control the lightning orb. Forcibly seizing the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood right under its nose was simply out of the question.

After a moment’s contemplation, Qin Sang conceived a bold plan.

He activated the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions, and the Ghostly Threads wove themselves into a vast net, as layer upon layer of giant waves of black fire surged toward the fat chicken.

Facing the aggressively advancing Ghostly Threads, the fat chicken showed no fear at all; its round eyes spun rapidly, instead sparkling with an eager gleam, as if it had finally discovered a new toy.

The fat chicken stood unmoving at the edge of the pool like a grand general, raised one of its small fleshy wings, and pointed at Qin Sang.

From the shimmering silver of that wing, a burst of lightning erupted.

Boom!

The burst of lightning collided with the black fire.

Even though the fat chicken had not resorted to the power of the lightning orb, its peak strength at the Demonic Spirit Realm was exceedingly formidable. Qin Sang exerted all his might to maintain the array as the black fire erupted and, bit by bit, arduously devoured the burst of lightning.

By the time Qin Sang finally had diminished the thunderstorm, he suddenly discovered that the fat chicken’s figure had vanished from the edge of the pool.

Startled yet composed, Qin Sang did not hesitate for a moment—he swiftly redirected the Ghostly Threads and commanded the black fire to surge toward his left side.

Snap!

A rotund figure was blasted out of the void by the black fire. It tumbled through the air, its small wings flapping wildly as it barely managed to regain its footing.

Lightning flickered among the fat chicken’s plumage, and before the Lightning Evasion could even be completed, Qin Sang had detected it.

The black fire blazed with intense fury and continued its relentless pursuit of the fat chicken.

Forced to roll chaotically in mid-air to dodge the black fire, the fat chicken suddenly let out a loud cry.

In that instant, countless bolts of lightning shot out from the lightning orb—not to attack the black fire and rescue the fat chicken, but instead to charge straight toward the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions, directly targeting Qin Sang.

The fat chicken was no fool; it knew how to use a diversion to rescue itself.

Qin Sang sighed inwardly, realizing that his covert maneuver was no longer viable.

The lightning from the lightning orb was extremely swift, arriving in an instant. Qin Sang, acting just as quickly, decisively abandoned his plan to sneak into the pool and retreated explosively.

The fat chicken evaded that peril, tilting its little head as if puzzled, seemingly wondering how Qin Sang had detected its whereabouts.

In truth, Qin Sang had already been well aware of the Lightning-Devouring Falcon’s capabilities from watching its fierce battle with the two Spiritual Infant cultivators outside. He had long foreseen how the fat chicken would respond.

Qin Sang’s combat experience far exceeded that of the fat chicken; however, the gap in their strength was too vast. The fat chicken’s cultivation was evident, and with its demonic beast bloodline, its innate combat prowess was formidable.

Moreover, with the disruptive presence of the lightning orb, even the highest levels of combat experience could not guarantee victory.

The fat chicken did not attempt to control the lightning orb; instead, it directly attacked Qin Sang. It tilted its head back, spewed forth a pillar of lightning, and then its figure vanished once more.

Qin Sang inwardly cursed that the fat chicken was merely using him as practice to hone its combat skills.

The Crimson Core in his hand burned like a death knell, and he knew he could not continue to spar with the fat chicken indefinitely.

With a sudden thought, Qin Sang ceased his evasions and directly commanded the black fire to engage the fat chicken head-on.

Bang! Bang!

Resounding booms echoed throughout the cave dwelling.

The fat chicken, elusive as its namesake the Lightning-Devouring Falcon, proved its worth even as a freshly hatched beast; it wielded lightning with an almost uncanny mastery—a talent that left Qin Sang immensely envious.

The Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions trembled as Qin Sang remained rooted in place, willing to serve as a target while the fat chicken battered it repeatedly.

Though the fat chicken had not employed the lightning orb, its strength was undeniable; after only a few strikes of black fire, even the core array flag was seen trembling as the entire array teetered on the brink of collapse.

The fat chicken appeared to have never felt such exhilaration. Its cries grew increasingly joyful, and its small fleshy wings beat more vigorously as it flitted wildly around the Yan Luo Array, all the while keeping its main body at a safe distance from Qin Sang.

Just when the fat chicken had become complacent, a sword silhouette suddenly emerged from the void—the ebony sword.

Qin Sang had secretly commanded the ebony sword to lie in wait, and at last, seizing the opportunity from an exceedingly insidious angle, he launched it.

The flying sword, moving with astonishing speed, appeared behind the fat chicken’s neck in an instant. One could see its sharp sword qi poised to pierce through the delicate down.

In that critical moment, the fat chicken exhibited not the slightest hint of panic. Its round eyes whirled erratically, a flash of cunning crossing its gaze; then, it abruptly turned its head, its small yellow beak agape, as a surge of lightning—seemingly stored up for who knows how long—erupted forth.

The timing was so deviously chosen that, with the distance so short, the ebony sword had no chance to evade and was overwhelmed by the lightning pillar.

Boom!

The ebony sword was blasted away by the lightning pillar, its spiritual radiance dimming for a moment.

The ebony sword was Qin Sang’s life-bound spiritual sword—the fruit of a deep communion of mind and spirit. With the sword damaged, Qin Sang himself was not spared. A cry of anguish followed, and the already feeble black fire dissipated almost entirely, nearly extinguishing.

Qin Sang’s figure was exposed from within the dwindling black fire. His face turned deathly pale and his aura became chaotic, clearly affected by the backlash from his life-bound spiritual sword. At that moment, it appeared he could barely maintain the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions.

Staggering, Qin Sang glanced at the fat chicken with an expression of utter terror. Gritting his teeth, he hurriedly mustered his remaining strength, reformed the Yan Luo Array as a protective shield, and made a desperate escape.

But the fat chicken was not merely content with repelling the ambush—it turned the tables with a counterstrike. Just as it carried out its self-satisfied move in a moment of exuberance, it refused to let its plaything simply flee.

Immediately and without hesitation, the fat chicken transformed into Lightning Evasion, dashing forward at a speed even greater than Qin Sang’s, and blocked his path.

Almost simultaneously with the fat chicken’s appearance via Lightning Evasion, the black fire of the Yan Luo Array suddenly dispersed, drawing the man and the bird into close proximity as their eyes locked.

The fat chicken suddenly noted that the terror on Qin Sang’s face had vanished, replaced instead by an expression of derisive amusement.

His face seemed even paler, yet his aura remained unruffled.

The ebony sword was an astra-grade treasure, and under Qin Sang’s meticulous control it would not be easily damaged—it had merely been a part of his ruse of self-inflicted pain.

The innate instincts of the demonic beast alerted the fat chicken to impending danger.

Before it could react, a ghostly wail erupted from within the black fire, and soon after a surge of the Demonic Flames of Nine Hells—flames even deeper than the black fire—charged boldly toward the fat chicken.

The fat chicken felt the terrifying aura of the Demonic Flames of Nine Hells; its already round eyes widened to the extreme, and an uncontrollable look of panic spread across its gaze.

Whoosh!

The Demonic Flames of Nine Hells engulfed the fat chicken.

The fat chicken only managed to muster a bit of thunderous power to cling to its body.

Even the feared flying yaksha would tremble before such flames—certainly not something a fat chicken at the peak of the Demonic Spirit Realm could withstand. The fat chicken cried out repeatedly in agony, its screams tinged with a wail.

Yet Qin Sang felt no trace of pity. At the very moment the fat chicken wailed, he sensed an incredibly fearsome, rampaging force emerging behind him, dangerously close.

If that force were to strike him, Qin Sang had no doubt he would be effortlessly reduced to rubble.

Horrified, Qin Sang was grateful that he had been prepared; he hurriedly shifted his figure to evade the oncoming menace.

Still, his hands never paused in their work, and before he realized it, the Sky Poison Veil had appeared in his palm.

In a fleeting instant, Qin Sang steeled his resolve and allowed the spiritual power within him to surge into the Sky Poison Veil without reservation, causing the top-grade artifact to shatter.