Chapter 95: Sword Qi

The moment his figure was revealed by the Cloud Flag, Qin Sang immediately shook the Purple Soul Bell.

Ring...

The crisp sound of the bell echoed throughout the underground cavern. Qin Sang was about to seize the moment to gather yin thunderbolt and strike Zhao Yan, aiming to snatch the Four-Clouded Divine Seal, when an intense sense of unease suddenly arose within him.

Frowning deeply, his gaze swept over Zhao Yan and finally fixed on his left hand.

Zhao Yan held the jade box containing the mysterious orchid in his right hand, while a transparent gem floated in front of his chest. However, his left hand was stealthily reaching for his Mustard Seed Pouch, and in the palm of his hand, a faint black bead could be seen.

Qin Sang had never seen this unremarkable bead before, yet it gave him an overwhelming sense of danger. The moment he saw it, his entire body broke out in goosebumps, and an indescribable fear surged from the depths of his soul, refusing to subside.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Something's wrong!"

Shocked, Qin Sang didn’t dare gamble with his life. Without any hesitation, he dispelled the Guishui Yin Thunder Spell, transforming into a violent gust of wind as he desperately fled toward the Soul-Devouring Array of Three Calamities.

Just then, Zhao Yan let out a furious roar, and something shot towards him with a

whoosh

.

Qin Sang felt his scalp tingle with terror. With no regard for his own life, he frantically channeled his spiritual power to control the Empty Wind, rushing toward the array. As he was about to break through, he hastily summoned the artifact he had acquired in the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Ground, a green silk canopy, and hurled it behind him. At the same time, he activated the Ice Silkworm Armor on his body.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion erupted behind him. Qin Sang’s ears went deaf as a terrifying force struck his back with great force. The ice armor formed by the Ice Silkworm Armor let out a brittle creak before shattering into pieces in an instant. The Ice Silkworm Armor itself also broke apart, and the green silk canopy artifact was reduced to nothingness.

Qin Sang was thrown by the immense force into the Soul-Devouring Array of Three Calamities, his back torn and bloodied, with bones visible through the gaping wounds.

The underground chamber shook violently, and brilliant white light lingered for a long time before it finally dissipated.

Zhao Yan clutched the jade box containing the mysterious orchid tightly in his arms. Supporting himself with one hand, he almost toppled over from the force of the blast that had swept toward him, but he barely managed to steady himself.

His face still bore traces of anger, and he glared viciously at the sudden crater that had appeared on the ground. The bodies of Ruan Nanfeng and the other two were reduced to dust, along with the surrounding debris.

Zhao Yan spat fiercely, his voice hoarse as he cursed, "Wasted one of my Profound Yin Thunderbolts!"

Then, his face showed a deep sense of confusion. He couldn't understand why the Heart-Devouring Insect, which had never failed him before, had been ineffective against Qin Sang. Summoning the Cloud Flag, he conjured a gust of wind, blowing away the rubble in the pit below, but there was nothing left.

Even the Mustard Seed Pouches of the others had been completely obliterated by the Profound Yin Thunderbolt.

Zhao Yan made a mental note to ask the sect leader about it when he returned.

Phew!

Zhao Yan let out a long sigh of relief, then took a look at the jade box in his arms, letting out two hearty laughs. He carefully stored it in his Mustard Seed Pouch before sitting down cross-legged to recover his spiritual power.

The unexpected turn of events had caught Zhao Yan off guard. His greatest fear now was attracting the attention of the Yuanzhao Sect’s Golden Core cultivators. Against them, even with more Profound Yin Thunderbolts, his life would not be spared.

It seemed, however, that the Yuanzhao Sect cultivators were all tightly stuck with the experts from his own sect.

Still uncertain about the situation outside, Zhao Yan decided it was best to leave this place as quickly as possible. The task given to him by the sect leader had been successfully completed, and he was sure to receive generous rewards upon his return. The breakthrough to the Foundation Building Realm was now within his grasp!

As Zhao Yan focused on circulating his cultivation art to restore his spiritual power...

Inside the Soul-Devouring Array.

Qin Sang lay motionless on the ground. The injuries on his back were ghastly. If he had been a mere mortal, he would have already been dead.

Suddenly, a faint groan escaped his lips. Qin Sang, clutching the ground with both hands, endured the excruciating pain in his back and struggled to sit up. The movement tugged at his wounds, causing him to gasp in pain.

Qin Sang hurriedly retrieved several spirit pills from his Mustard Seed Pouch. He had consulted Senior Brother Meng in Cloud Valley and learned that the spirit pills obtained from the man wearing the straw hat were all healing medicines, though their effects varied. Some were of high quality, like Water Dew Pills, while others were merely common medicines for mortals. Qin Sang didn’t have the luxury of choice at the moment, so he grabbed two pills and swallowed them.

A refreshing coolness immediately spread across his back, and some of the smaller wounds began to scab over, significantly alleviating the pain.

The destruction of his two defensive artifacts hadn’t been in vain, and Qin Sang couldn’t help but feel secretly relieved.

Recalling the perilous moments just now, Qin Sang was still filled with lingering fear and shock.

What exactly was that bead?

The shockwave from the explosion alone had destroyed both of his defensive artifacts and left him gravely injured. Luckily, he had reacted swiftly and fled with the Empty Wind when he sensed danger. Otherwise, he might have been vaporized like the green silk canopy.

Without waiting for his wounds to fully stabilize, Qin Sang began to scan his surroundings to assess his current situation.

The ground beneath him was cold, and the air around was filled with a gray-white mist. His visibility was extremely limited.

He was now inside the Soul-Devouring Array of Three Calamities, but his mind remained clear. There was no sign of mental confusion or demonic influences, indicating that the Jade Buddha was protecting his primordial spirit.

However, Qin Sang was now worried he might be trapped inside the array.

Without the Four-Clouded Divine Seal, it was impossible for him, at his current cultivation, to pass through the trials of the three calamities ahead. If he wanted to escape, he would have to seize the Four-Clouded Divine Seal, and his only reliable weapon was the ebony sword.

With this in mind, Qin Sang could no longer focus on healing. Enduring the pain, he climbed to his feet and cautiously took a step back. The gray-white mist around him didn’t change, and no danger appeared.

He walked a few more steps, and the mist in front of him suddenly thinned. He immediately stopped, fearing Zhao Yan might spot him and hurl another bead.

Activating the Falling Cloud Wings to conceal his presence, Qin Sang silently approached the edge of the array, where he caught a blurred glimpse of Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan was sitting cross-legged, restoring his spiritual power. He clearly hadn’t anticipated that Qin Sang was still alive, and had left himself unprotected.

Qin Sang quietly retreated back into the Soul-Devouring Array, touched the wounds on his back, and felt that they were no longer life-threatening. Sitting down cross-legged on the ground, he summoned the ebony sword and then pulled out a middle-grade spirit stone from his Mustard Seed Pouch—a treasure he had kept hidden for a long time. Grasping it with both hands, he took a deep breath and focused his mind.

The ebony sword hovered in front of Qin Sang, its blade flickering with a faint black glow, appearing rather unremarkable.

Qin Sang linked his spiritual consciousness to the spiritual sword, absorbing the spiritual power from the spirit stone at a frantic pace. As the spiritual power poured into his dantian, his previously stable Qihai suddenly became turbulent, and his meridians began to throb with agonizing pain.

This middle-grade spirit stone truly lived up to its reputation.

Qin Sang thought to himself.

Had this been a year ago, when he was still at the sixth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, he doubted he could have withstood the strain. If he continued to absorb spiritual power at this rate, he might have killed himself through self-detonation before he could even deal with Zhao Yan.

As time passed, the glow of the spirit stone grew dimmer, and at that moment, a trace of green sword qi appeared on the ebony sword, flickering at the tip of the blade and emitting a faint sword hum.

The sword qi was an embodiment of the sword’s material. The ebony sword had been refined from spiritual wood.

Gradually, the sword qi enveloped the entire ebony sword.