Chapter 819: Pursuit and Escape

Luo Daotong had no idea that an even greater conspiracy awaited him.

The enemy had already woven the net, waiting for his master to walk right into it.

He was still waiting for his master’s rescue.

***

Qin Sang sensed a mysterious presence lurking on Liangqiu Island and dared not linger for even a moment. He immediately decided to leave this troublesome place.

Compared to his own safety, Luo Daotong could only be set aside.

He was full of doubts, unable to fathom which other faction, apart from himself, had set their sights on Luo Daotong and the Spiritual Infant grandmaster behind him, or for what reason.

The opponent’s strength was terrifying.

He could only think of capturing Luo Daotong to determine which faction stood behind him, while the ambush clearly targeted the Spiritual Infant grandmaster directly.

"As long as I have another half a month, I’ll be able to find a way to break the array and capture Luo Daotong. But of all times, someone has to step in now... Luo Daotong’s enemies really are far too many."

Qin Sang could only smile bitterly.

Two groups had crossed paths by sheer coincidence.

In such a situation, he even felt that Nandu Island was not safe.

Moreover, there was no point in remaining on Nandu Island, and he had no intention of returning.

Luo Daotong was destined to die. Regardless of whether the Spiritual Infant grandmaster behind him lived or died, the consequences would certainly go beyond this single event. When the time came, the entire Windy Archipelago would be thrown into an uproar, and their identities would inevitably be exposed.

He had originally only wanted to know who stood behind Luo Daotong. Now, without lifting a finger, his goal was already within reach. There was no need to become entangled in any other disputes.

He fled swiftly into the distance.

But soon, he sensed something amiss. Whipping around suddenly, he saw only the empty sea, where starlight shimmered on gentle waves. There was no one in sight.

Qin Sang’s gaze was as sharp as lightning, yet a sudden and intense premonition gripped his heart. Without hesitation, he released the Sky-Eyed Butterfly.

With the Sky Eyes opened, the scene became crystal clear.

On the sea’s surface, an invisible figure was hurtling toward him at astonishing speed.

Outwardly, the newcomer appeared to be nothing more than a weak woman, but her expression was unnervingly crazed. Her eyes, fixed upon Qin Sang, were like those of a predator staring at a succulent piece of meat, sending a chill deep into his bones.

"A soul body!"

Qin Sang’s expression turned solemn as he saw through her nature.

In the ghost path, there was the technique of soul refinement, capable of creating such a soul body. Unlike corpse refinement, which granted a powerful physical form, a soul body possessed far more bizarre and elusive abilities, able to kill invisibly.

In a sense, King Yan within the Yan Luo Banner was a type of soul body.

A sudden tightness gripped Qin Sang’s heart.

I have been discovered.

Even from such a great distance, before he had laid eyes on her, she had already sensed his presence solely through the Sky-Eyed Butterfly’s gaze. This level of spiritual perception was extraordinary even among Spiritual Infant grandmasters.

The woman was clearly the opponent’s refined soul.

Qin Sang had not expected to be exposed so easily, and the hairs on his neck stood on end.

The good news was that the other side had only sent out a single refined soul, clearly focused on ambushing that Spiritual Infant grandmaster and not acting personally. Otherwise, his situation would have been dire. He had not yet gotten far from Liangqiu Island, and he dared not engage with the woman at all. Without looking back, he poured his full strength into his evasion technique and fled.

Not only did he activate the secret talisman and Sword Qi Thunderclap, but Qin Sang even unleashed the Heavenly Demon Transformation, sprouting wings from his back in a bid for speed.

His mastery of the

Heavenly Demon Body Refinement

was not deep, and the boost from the wings was limited, but it was still better than nothing.

Even so, the speed he burst forth with was enough to leave other Core Formation Realm cultivators in the dust. The woman was momentarily stunned.

Her gaze locked tightly on Qin Sang, she opened her mouth in a shrill scream, her long hair whipping wildly as if in madness, her expression terrifying. With the scream, her body began to melt away, finally transforming into a mass of pale light that was no slower than Qin Sang.

Seeing this, Qin Sang’s expression darkened. He had not expected her to be so relentless, but there was nothing he could do except race forward on his own.

One pursued, one fled. Qin Sang could not shake her off, yet she also could not quite catch up to him.

On Liangqiu Island, within the fog...

Another small triangular flag took form and sank into the sandy ground beneath them.

In an instant, the entire sandy expanse seemed coated in gold before it faded and returned to its original appearance.

The two men withdrew their palms, and the array disk gradually vanished.

The black-robed man surveyed the surroundings with satisfaction. "With this array, capturing Old Devil Yin alive should not be difficult. Unfortunately, it can only be used once before the array disk destroys itself. I heard the sect leader paid no small price to create this array disk. I wonder what value Old Devil Yin holds that the sect leader would go to such lengths."

"If the sect leader has done so, there must be a reason. We only need to follow orders. Once Old Devil Yin arrives, I’ll entangle him while you control the killing array..."

Halfway through his words, the gray-robed man seemed to sense something, surprise flashing across his face. "The Soul Servant still hasn’t caught up to that junior."

"How is that possible?"

The black-robed man was stunned. "The Soul Servant is already exceptionally skilled in evasion, and among Core Formation juniors, it’s absolutely top-tier. Not even the true disciples of those old sect leaders nearby have such ability."

The gray-robed man pondered briefly. "Stay here and keep watch. I’ll go take a look."

Before the gray-robed man could move, a shooting star suddenly streaked across the northern night sky.

"He's here!"

The two of them felt the same tremor in their hearts. They exchanged a glance, their expressions solemn.

For the moment, they no longer concerned themselves with Qin Sang and split up. The black-robed man silently slipped into the depths beneath the sand, while the gray-robed man’s figure flickered and vanished, quietly leaving the island.

***

Qin Sang had already fled far enough that Liangqiu Island was no longer in sight, yet the soul body still pursued him relentlessly.

A surge of killing intent welled up in his heart.

He had to find a way to destroy this soul body. Otherwise, once the opponent captured the Spiritual Infant behind Luo Daotong, they would be free to turn their attention to him.

Just then, Qin Sang was startled by a thunderous cry of a sword.

His heart lurched. He turned abruptly to see a dazzling sword light erupt in the night sky, like a comet bursting apart, its brilliance even brighter than the strange glow above Liangqiu Island.

At the same time, towering waves rose across the sea, and even from here he could faintly feel the violent tremors.

"The Spiritual Infant has arrived!"

A spark of joy lit Qin Sang’s face. The two sides had engaged.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

He did not know exactly what was happening on Liangqiu Island, but judging from the sheer force of that display, the two parties must have clashed the moment they met. One side had rushed over to rescue someone, while the other was lying in wait. The battle would not last long, and the time left to him was limited.

With this in mind, Qin Sang instantly slowed his evasion light. The ebony sword floated before him as he stared coldly at the woman.

The woman let out a chilling, almost mocking laugh. Her speed did not falter in the slightest, and she ignored the ebony sword entirely, lunging straight for Qin Sang’s face.

Swish!

With a flick of his palm, Qin Sang released the Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions.

But at that moment, the woman suddenly opened her mouth unnaturally wide, as though it were tearing apart, yet no sound emerged. The sight was deeply unsettling. In the next instant, a strange white light rapidly condensed before her, shaping into a spinning spike that shot forward at lightning speed, aimed directly at Qin Sang’s brow.

"This is..."

Qin Sang’s pupils contracted. He immediately recognized that this was no ordinary spike. It was an attack capable of striking directly at the primordial spirit.

The abilities of a refined soul truly were strange, but unfortunately for her, they were useless against him.