Chapter 945: Escape from the Bird's Beak

Qin Sang felt a wave of lingering fear. This top-tier ferocious beast was most likely the leader of the beasts guarding the Purple Crystal.

Fortunately, the last time he had been wise enough to take only one piece of Purple Crystal before retreating. Otherwise, the outcome would have been grim.

"Don’t worry, you won’t miss out on food." Qin Sang offered some comfort.

The Purple Crystal was difficult to obtain, but within Seven-Kill Hall were two other poisonous lands, and Celestial Blossom Lake might even nurture spiritual herbs that could attract the fat silkworm.

The fat silkworm, knowing its place, sensed the oppressive might released by the ferocious beast. It trembled uncontrollably on Qin Sang’s shoulder, no longer daring to cry out.

***

The assault grew weaker. Old Devil Mou stood at the gorge's entrance. The great array looked tattered, with some dominoes already shattered. Yet he paid it no mind, his eyes locked firmly on the depths of the ghostly land.

No one emerged from within, and Old Devil Mou grew restless. His lips moved slightly, and a wisp of blue spiritual flame shot from between his brows. It was the Dongming Cold Flame. The cold flame gathered before him, reflected in his pupils like twin icy blades.

Lowering his gaze to the flame, he muttered, "Saint Dongming was about to break through the late-stage bottleneck of the Spiritual Infant Realm, becoming a great cultivator, yet perished to heavenly tribulations. His body lay hidden on a barren island in the Demonic Sea for centuries before discovery. Truly, fate toys with men. It is a pity this secret technique is so difficult to master. I spent decades, yet only achieved an intermediate mastery, failing to completely refine the Dongming Cold Flame. If I had, my strength would be no less than that of a great cultivator. I would not have been forced to suffer threats from the Devil Lord and that old bastard, wasting precious years. Enough! Let the devilish fire scatter if it must! Even if I managed to seize it, taming it would take who knows how long. But if I refine the Dongming Cold Flame, I might hope to break through the late stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm and shake two domains. As for reaching the Divine Transformation Realm, few can even imagine that hardship. Who knows if one might emerge within the next millenia..."

Despite such words, the thought of the devilish fire still pained him. He flashed to the entrance of the ghostly land. Inside lay wreckage and ruin.

Cautiously, he reset the domino array. Out of prudence, he even forced out several drops of his blood and essence, infusing them into the dominoes until the array’s power matched its former peak.

Next, he extended his spiritual consciousness in tentative probes, quickly discovering that the ghostly mist impeded him. Fortunately, since the spirits had been delivered and the barrier broken, the mist had continued to dissipate. At this point, little remained, and one could see more than ten zhang away with the naked eye.

His spiritual consciousness far surpassed those at the same realm, the hindrance negligible. With an incantation, he condensed the cold flame into several puppets and sent them scouring the ghostly land.

The puppets sped into its depths, leaving no corner unchecked. The ghostly land was limited in scope, so the puppets easily swept through, discovering traces of the broken altars. The altars and pillars of light had already collapsed when the spirits were delivered.

Old Devil Mou’s true body appeared above an altar, eyes flickering. The use of the altar was hard to discern, but it was clearly not of the mortal world. The anomaly had surely been triggered by it.

The altar had rested within the ghostly land for countless years without issue. Yet with the intruder’s arrival, an accident occurred. Clearly, someone had meddled. Unfortunately, only faint traces remained. No sign of the person could be seen. Apart from five altars, there was nothing unusual.

The mysterious figure had vanished completely. No sign of an ancient cultivator’s residence, no treasure of any kind. This place was the bleakest of all hidden realms within the Seven-Kill Hall.

Old Devil Mou frowned deeply, doubts surging.

Could the man have triggered some formidable barrier and been reduced to dust?

"No. Even if he died, there should be traces." He noticed, too, that the impacts suffered by the ghostly land seemed less severe than those he had encountered. "Something here has escaped my notice. Could it be—"

Before he could reason it through, a tremendous crash sounded outside, followed by a piercing avian screech. After listening for a moment, Old Devil Mou’s face paled. Without looking back, he rushed out of the ghostly land.

***

Qin Sang was in a wretched state, fleeing in panic. The aura of a top-tier beast filled the rift valley. How could he dare linger? He threw all his strength into his evasion technique, streaking upward toward the skies above the valley. No sooner had he departed than the beasts arrived.

The Purple Mist was thick, but with his Sky Eyes supernatural ability Qin Sang glimpsed their forms. On one side prowled a creature somewhat like a dog. On the other writhed a group of ferocious beasts resembling Jiao.

The two sides clearly bore old grudges, baring fangs and growling at one another. Fortunately, their focus was on each other and the disturbance within the ghostly land. They did not notice Qin Sang. But then the unexpected struck.

Above him, a terrifying aura descended. A gale swept down as a massive monstrous bird dropped from the heavens.

Warned in advance by the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, Qin Sang reacted instantly. He pressed himself against the cliff face, urged the fat silkworm to compress the Poison-Warding Armor, and summoned the Red Origin Gauze to shroud his aura. Yet the bird was preternaturally alert and sensed his presence.

Qin Sang had been able to deceive Old Devil Mou largely thanks to the Red Origin Gauze and Bai’s aid. Against ordinary Transformation Realm demons or even a Spiritual Infant cultivator, he might have hidden.

But these top-tier beasts had lived in the Purple Mist End for ages. Their strength rivaled that of Spiritual Infant grandmasters, and they knew this domain intimately, their senses razor sharp. Sure enough, he was exposed.

Whoosh!

A violent gust tore past.

The bird swooped down with a shrieking cry that pierced the ears, its beak unleashing a lance of black light like an arrow toward Qin Sang’s hiding place.

Qin Sang’s face was drained of color. He had thought escaping Old Devil Mou meant he could finally catch his breath. Never had he expected so many top-tier beasts in the rift valley, nor that one would roost upon the cliffs themselves. Not even Bai had foreseen this misfortune.

It was sheer luck he had not alarmed the bird earlier. Now the bird blocked the way forward, ferocious beasts lurked behind, and Old Devil Mou prowled nearby.

Qin Sang’s mind raced. In desperation, he kicked off from the cliff, barely dodging the bird’s strike. Even so, the aftershock caught him, slamming him against the rock wall with a muffled grunt.

Boom!

The black light crashed into the cliff, blasting stone into shards and carving a gaping crater. Qin Sang’s heart thumped in horror.

The bird shrieked, wings vibrating, preparing to finish him. But then a roar erupted from the valley floor, laced with warning and hostility, directed squarely at the bird.

The bird froze, savage eyes glaring downward, shrieking in challenge. Qin Sang, who had already begun to channel the

Lightning Control Technique

in grim resolve, eased slightly.

Just as he had expected, these top-tier beasts, though their intelligence exceeded that of ordinary monsters, could never coexist peacefully. Once they encountered mortal foes, their attention shifted immediately.

It was the chance of a lifetime. Feigning weakness, Qin Sang let himself tumble away, slipping from the bird’s sight and fleeing in another direction.