Chapter 731: Sword Technique That Startled the Enemy

Qin Sang could not be bothered to argue. His goal had already been achieved.

He had come alone. If he had directly declared his intention to drive Cui Ji away, the biggest concern would be that, after years of cultivation and influence, Cui Ji might have bought off members of the guild. In that case, Qin Sang would have faced a siege.

By keeping it framed as a personal grudge, the others would find it difficult to intervene.

Facing Cui Ji head-on like this was far simpler.

"Cui, there's no need for more words. You and I both know why I'm here. Today, let’s settle this with a duel. The winner stays, the loser gathers his people and leaves Five-Elemental Islands, never to set foot on the island again."

Qin Sang moved his lips slightly and sent a voice transmission directly to Cui Ji.

Cui Ji’s face shifted between blue and white. He couldn’t see through Qin Sang’s background. Although the man’s aura was clearly at the early stage of the Core Formation Realm, he had effortlessly captured his subordinate and left the others present too afraid to act.

Glancing around, Cui Ji knew he couldn’t count on anyone here.

His most trusted subordinate had fallen into the enemy’s hands, and now that the other party had a handle on him, uniting the full strength of the Nine-Star Guild to suppress the Qiongyu Merchant Guild was no longer possible.

The only choice left seemed to be accepting this wild Daoist’s proposal.

Without a word, Cui Ji turned around and swept into the hall with a flick of his sleeve.

Qin Sang instructed the Wang Sisters to watch over the man and then strolled in leisurely. As he passed through the crowd, he even nodded politely to several of them and received quite a few nods in return.

Bang!

The main doors slammed shut.

Everyone outside could more or less guess how this would be resolved, and none were willing to leave. They gathered around, waiting to see the outcome.

Inside the hall, Qin Sang and Cui Ji stood facing each other. Hidden in Qin Sang’s palm was the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions, already set into an array. Then, with a flick of his finger across his waist, the flying yaksha appeared silently behind him.

"Flying yaksha!"

Cui Ji’s eyes narrowed as realization struck. "So this heretic cultivator actually has a Core Formation Realm refined corpse. I didn’t expect Elder Zhou to value the Five-Elemental Islands this much. It seems I’ve misjudged the situation."

"Since you’ve realized that, just accept your bad luck," Qin Sang said calmly.

Cui Ji sneered coldly. "You speak as though the outcome is already decided. Don’t be too arrogant, heretic!"

Before he finished speaking, his hidden hand suddenly raised. Purple light surged in his palm as a lustrous orb, the size of a longan fruit, burst forth with brilliance.

"Heretic, taste the power of my Purple Nether Orb!"

With a fierce shout, the orb shone with a blaze of purple. In an instant, multiple streaks of purple radiance split off and shot toward Qin Sang with a shriek through the air.

The flying yaksha flickered and vanished from behind Qin Sang.

A moment later, the hall rang with the screeching of evil spirits.

Qin Sang glanced sideways. The flying yaksha had already been entangled by the purple streaks. They wrapped around it like ropes—soft yet unyielding, unusually resilient. Even when struck by the yaksha’s heavy punches, they showed no sign of breaking, only split open in a few places.

With a flick of Cui Ji’s finger, more purple streaks flew out, reinforcing the net and strengthening the entrapment.

It seemed the flying yaksha wouldn’t be able to break through in a short time, nor get close to Cui Ji.

Yet Qin Sang showed no hint of concern. With a flick of his long sleeve, three Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions floated slowly before him, forming a grand array. The aura of the astras radiated without concealment.

"A middle-grade astra!" Cui Ji’s face changed drastically as he cried out in shock.

Panic rose in his heart. He quickly tapped his fingers, making the Purple Nether Orb spin rapidly. Purple rays poured forth like a flood, blanketing the space. Even while partially focused on restraining the flying yaksha, the power it unleashed was still formidable.

Qin Sang ignored the purple rays entirely. He channeled his true essence into the Yan Luo Banners. With a sudden whoosh, the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells surged forth, gathering into a mass at the center of the array. At his command, they roared outward in a powerful counterattack.

Boom!

The hall trembled violently.

The purple rays collided with the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells.

In an instant, chairs and furniture were either shattered or turned to ash by the strange flames. The entire hall quaked, looking as though it might collapse at any moment.

Cui Ji’s eyes widened. The power of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells stunned him.

Sensing the aura of the flames, fear began to rise within him. He knew he could not let them get close. His gaze turned strange as he looked at Qin Sang. Regret began to creep into his heart. He had never imagined that the Qiongyu Merchant Guild would send someone with such deeply hidden strength.

"How could that old bastard bear to send someone like him here?"

Cui Ji cursed furiously in his heart, gritting his teeth. Suddenly, he shaped his true essence into a blade and sliced open his fingertip, forcing out a drop of blood and essence and dropping it onto the Purple Nether Orb.

He was actually willing to use his own blood and essence to power the astra, aiming for a swift victory.

Once fed with blood and essence, the purple rays thickened severalfold. Their momentum grew terrifying, bypassing the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells and charging straight toward Qin Sang.

Qin Sang’s eyes flashed as he abruptly retreated, but the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells remained in place.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The purple rays struck the ground, leaving deep craters with ease. Their destructive power was astonishing.

Qin Sang dodged clumsily, appearing battered and on the back foot.

Seeing this, Cui Ji was overjoyed and prepared to continue activating the Purple Nether Orb, when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a dark shadow. The Devilish Flames of Nine Hells launched a surprise assault.

Cui Ji thought the flames were targeting him and quickly evaded.

To his surprise, the flames shifted mid-air and lunged toward the Purple Nether Orb instead.

He froze. He knew the devilish fire was strange, but attempting to destroy his life-bound astra was nothing short of a delusion. The Purple Nether Orb was his life-bound treasure, refined over many years. Its power was in a completely different league and was nearly at the threshold of becoming a middle-grade astra, not much weaker than the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions.

But then, something unexpected happened.

Just as the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells neared the Purple Nether Orb, a flicker of red light flashed within them. It was strangely demonic and eerie.

Cui Ji had no time to see what the red light was before he suddenly felt his life-bound astra grow sluggish. The Purple Nether Orb, for some unknown reason, had suffered a massive loss in spiritual essence and was now unstable and faltering.

It was Qin Sang who had hidden the ebony sword within the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, waiting for a chance to corrupt the Purple Nether Orb.

The previously overwhelming purple rays instantly vanished.

Cui Ji’s expression changed dramatically. He was less concerned about the astra itself and more alarmed by his own precarious situation after losing his life-bound treasure.

Fortunately, his cultivation wasn’t low. He did not panic.

In haste, he slapped his Mustard Seed Pouch. A silver-white circular shield flew out and radiated with brilliant light, barely blocking the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells. At the same time, he sensed a sinister gust from the left. He knew the flying yaksha had broken free. He quickly tapped the shield again.

The shield shimmered, then split in two, intercepting the yaksha’s sharp claws.

He didn’t expect the shield to last long. His true essence had not yet been severely depleted, and as long as he could buy a bit of time to regain his footing, he still had a chance to turn the tide.

But Qin Sang would never give him that chance.

Thunder cracked through the air as a flash of sword light suddenly swept across Cui Ji’s vision. The sword light split in two, left and right, true and false, impossible to distinguish.

"Sword Qi Thunderclap! Sword Light Division!"

Cui Ji was stunned, feeling a piercing pain in his throat.

In that instant, he realized he had been outplayed. Any hope of turning the tables had vanished. His very life was now at risk. Not daring to take the gamble, he shouted aloud, "I concede!"

Swish!

The sword light brushed past his side.

Qin Sang frowned slightly but had no choice except to withdraw his attack.