Chapter 868: The Struggle

Yet he keenly noticed something unusual. He was not without a chance.

The enemy had not come for him in the first place. Their true targets were the mysterious figures who had unleashed the lightning technique. Only when one of the black-robed men recognized his identity midway did they suddenly change course, deciding to kill him first.

Because of that, their formation had not yet stabilized, leaving the others unable to support in time.

In truth, just as Qin Sang had guessed, the black-robed man had only by chance discovered the killer of his junior brother and sought to eliminate him along the way.

In their eyes, Qin Sang had first expended much energy manipulating the Heavenly Cold Wind Array to kill the beast, and afterward suffered a lightning strike. He was already gravely injured and at the end of his strength. To their fourth senior brother, killing him should have been as easy as turning a hand.

Compared to Qin Sang, those defectors of Landou Sect who had just cast a lightning technique, now at their weakest, mattered far more. They were the true goal of this operation.

If, because of one man, they allowed those Landou Sect defectors to escape and missed this golden opportunity, they would regret it forever. So the others still charged toward the defectors, only waving the Beast King Banner to provide their fourth senior brother with aid.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly expelled the stellar malevolence and returned to normal. At Qin Sang’s command, it activated its Sky Eyes.

The black-robed man swung his strange banner. Beast souls roared and leapt from its surface, pouncing forward.

A dazzling golden brilliance filled the front, like a massive wall pressing down with overwhelming momentum. The beast souls roared within, shaking the heart.

Qin Sang’s expression was solemn, yet in his eyes lingered hidden mockery.

Though the aura of the strange banner array seemed terrifying, nothing escaped the Sky-Eyed Butterfly’s gaze. The enemy’s formation was incomplete, riddled with flaws. Qin Sang easily found the weak point.

Instead of slowing, his speed increased, charging head-on into the beast souls.

That fourth senior brother thought Qin Sang had delivered himself into the beast souls’ jaws. A smile appeared on his face, only to freeze the next instant.

As the golden radiance engulfed him, Qin Sang suddenly halted and then shifted sideways several zhang in an instant, neatly dodging the beast souls’ pounce and slipping through the gap between them.

Trapped within the Beast King Banner Array, Qin Sang showed no trace of panic.

The beast souls lunged once again.

Hidden within the golden glow were strands of fine golden threads connected to the beast souls. Each was sharp as a blade. To be ensnared by them meant entrapment at best, severed limbs at worst.

But with the Sky-Eyed Butterfly’s aid, Qin Sang not only saw through the beast souls’ movements but also discerned the positions of the hidden threads.

If the array had been intact, it would indeed have been troublesome. Now, however, it could not hold Qin Sang.

With his body wreathed in the Jiao shadow, Qin Sang twisted and darted within the golden glow, fleeing several zhang in a flash.

The beast souls that chased struck nothing but air, and the golden threads that lashed toward him all missed their mark. Qin Sang emerged unscathed.

The black-robed man finally sensed something wrong. His opponent seemed deeply versed in arrays, spotting flaws with ease.

Furious and alarmed, the black-robed man frantically waved the Beast King Banner, but it was useless. Qin Sang drew ever closer. Worse still, Qin Sang dared to actively unleash his spiritual sword at him.

The ebony sword pierced through the golden glow with astonishing swiftness.

The black-robed man grew livid, still unwilling to believe Qin Sang could escape his grasp. He secretly transmitted to his other senior brothers, evolving a stronger variation of the array. The golden brilliance grew blinding.

One beast soul after another self-destructed, transforming into golden energy that merged with the threads. At once, countless more threads manifested, weaving into dense golden nets.

The black-robed man pointed at the ebony sword, and the nets lunged forward.

Bang! Bang!

The ebony sword shimmered repeatedly, shattering the nets.

Finally, one golden net enveloped the ebony sword, yet it split apart into fragments. What had been trapped was only a sword light.

"Sword Light Division!" The black-robed man stiffened, then erupted in rage as he resumed his search, at last locking onto the true body of the ebony sword.

Though many nets failed, within the Beast King Banner Array, their numbers were endless. No matter how agile the ebony sword was, it was eventually ensnared.

Just as it was about to pierce through the array, another net wrapped around it, followed by countless more.

"I'll seize your life-bound astra, and let's see how long you can struggle!" The black-robed man sneered, urging the array to suppress the ebony sword.

Yet at that very moment, a strange blood-colored radiance streaked across his sight. Before he could react, it struck one of the Beast King Banners.

On its own, the banner was not of particularly high grade. Hit by the Blood Defilement Divine Light, its glow instantly collapsed, and with a crisp crack it snapped apart on the spot.

The banner was destroyed! The black-robed man froze in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Inside the array, all the Beast King Banners were linked. The loss of even one weakened the entire array, enlarging its flaws. In Qin Sang’s eyes, the opening only widened.

A swath of golden nets vanished. Qin Sang shot forward unobstructed, closing the distance to the black-robed man at great speed.

Flustered, the black-robed man tried to patch the formation. But seeing Qin Sang rushing closer, he realized time was gone. He decisively prepared to summon his astra and fight.

But Qin Sang would not give him the chance.

The instant his identity was exposed, Qin Sang’s mind had already spun through countless escape plans.

Even without using the Blood Defilement Divine Light, breaking the array was not difficult. The problem was he would still be entangled, and more enemies would arrive to surround him.

Thus, he had to eliminate this roadblock with the fastest means possible. To do so, Qin Sang held nothing back. After unleashing the Blood Defilement Divine Light, he immediately summoned the star turban without hesitation.

A piercing sound of air being torn rang out. A nameless dread seized the black-robed man. To his horror, a brilliant point of blue light bloomed in his vision. Before he could resist, the star turban had pierced him through.

Poof!

A gaping transparent hole appeared in his chest. Only a moment later did blood gush forth. His body stiffened mid-air, eyes wide, face etched with disbelief.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

With the power of the array behind him, he had sought to avenge his junior brother by killing a weakened foe.

Instead, his vengeance remained unfulfilled, and his own life was forfeit.

Poof!

His corpse toppled into the sea.

The star turban, having claimed his life, wheeled back into Qin Sang’s palm.

Qin Sang darted out of the array, stowing the star turban. He then stretched out and seized the corpse. On close inspection, it was indeed a witch race cultivator. After stripping him of his belongings, Qin Sang was about to snatch away the Beast King Banners under his control when furious roars echoed from afar.

The black-robed man’s companions had noticed.

Qin Sang smirked coldly, ignoring them. His true essence surged, wrapping around the banners as he tugged. To his surprise, a strong force of resistance surged from within them.

"Hmm?" He instantly realized that their enemies were using the connection between the banners to contest ownership with him. And a treasure in hand was not one he would abandon.

After a brief thought, Qin Sang summoned the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions, releasing devilish flames to envelop the Beast King Banners.