Chapter 982: A Ruthless Monster

A commotion broke out among the nearby shops.

Qin Sang’s expression changed sharply. "Attack!"

Before his words faded, a bright azure light flared from his body. Phoenix wings unfurled, and the shadow of a Jiao manifested behind him.

A sharp, thunderous burst split the air as he moved. The piercing sound of his evasion technique echoed through the street like a storm of lightning.

Qin Sang charged forward like lightning, heading straight for Vice Commissioner Zuo. Vice Commissioner Zuo’s pupils constricted violently. Everyone else was equally shocked, startled by the terrifying evasion speed of Qin Sang.

They had thought that with five people on their side, capturing the opponent would be an easy task, and that Vice Commissioner Zuo had been overly cautious to summon extra help.

Yet the strength of Qin Sang’s evasion technique was far beyond their expectations. If he had chosen to escape instead of fight, they doubted they could have stopped him.

At the same time, Bai and Fei You split up and charged at their respective targets. Qin Sang had ordered Fei You to hold down the young man in battle garb.

Bai finished off the captured Manager Liu and then lunged toward another late-stage Core Formation cultivator.

Vice Commissioner Zuo and his group reacted instantly. Seeing that Qin Sang had not fled but instead divided his forces to engage them directly was exactly what they wanted.

Vice Commissioner Zuo’s robe rippled as he raised his arm. A black stone staff carved in the shape of a dragon’s head appeared in his hand. It was made of an unknown spiritual material, dark and lustrous like jade, faint black light glimmering across its surface. When it vibrated, strange waves spread outward.

Gripping the dragon-headed staff, Vice Commissioner Zuo stared coldly at the onrushing Qin Sang. He made no move to dodge, swinging the staff down with crushing force.

The other four cultivators simultaneously summoned their own astras. The young man in battle garb met Fei You head-on. The late-stage Core Formation cultivator dashed toward Bai, confident that even if he could not suppress him outright, he could hold him off for a while. Their primary goal was Daoist Master Qingfeng. As long as Vice Commissioner Zuo and the others captured the main target, the rest was secondary.

Thus, the two remaining cultivators also unleashed their astras, flanking Qin Sang from left and right to assist Vice Commissioner Zuo in the assault.

Whoosh!

The air howled.

An ice-blue chain and a moon-white flying dagger streaked through the sky, while in the center, the black dragon-headed staff descended. The dark radiance it emitted covered the heavens like a falling black dragon, its pressure immense.

Rumble!

The ground shattered, ancient trees splintered, and the quiet autumn street was torn apart in an instant.

If not for the protection of the formation barriers, the surrounding shops would have collapsed under the shockwave.

Qin Sang’s gaze was cold and steady. He had already prepared for this. With a flick of his finger, the ebony sword appeared before him, bursting forth with dazzling light, its power not at all inferior to the dragon-headed staff.

The sword wheel reformed. The next instant, the black dragon plunged down.

Boom!

Bang! Bang!

Qin Sang’s face turned pale as his body halted abruptly. The ebony sword was knocked back through the air, the sword wheel fractured and dim.

Facing three opponents at once, one of them a top-tier expert, even Qin Sang’s strength was strained to the limit. He poured all his true essence into the sword again, forcing the weapon to recondense its sword wheel.

But Vice Commissioner Zuo and his men gave him no time to recover. Their astras pulsed together, gleaming with fierce brilliance as they unleashed their full power, striking directly at Qin Sang’s body.

It seemed like the battle was already decided. However, none of them noticed that during the clash, Qin Sang had secretly tossed out the Primordial Unity Ring.

The ring flashed in mid-air, and a massive figure emerged from within. It was the Two-Headed Hou. It twisted its body once and, without hesitation, charged toward Bai’s opponent.

"Be careful!" Vice Commissioner Zuo was the first to notice the Primordial Unity Ring, shouting a warning to his allies.

When he saw the Two-Headed Hou, his heart trembled.

This man even has a spirit beast of such strength. No wonder the merchant guild has warned us to exercise extreme caution and never act rashly.

Yet just as that thought formed, an even more shocking scene unfolded.

From the second floor of an inn beside the street came a loud bang as the window was smashed open. A figure burst out, heading in the same direction as the Two-Headed Hou.

After entering the market, Qin Sang had considered the coffin on his back too conspicuous, so he left his external incarnation at the inn.

He had always done the same before meeting Elder Zhou. He would settle the external incarnation elsewhere in case enemies tracked the identity of Daoist Master Qingfeng. Now, he had silently awakened the incarnation as his hidden trump card.

Vice Commissioner Zuo and the others initially thought the newcomer was one of their allies responding to his call. But when they saw the figure’s movements, their faces turned ashen.

"Retreat!" Vice Commissioner Zuo’s eyes bulged as he shouted in alarm. He hastily summoned a flying sword and slashed toward the Two-Headed Hou.

The late-stage cultivator who had been fighting Bai sensed danger at once. Even Bai alone had been difficult enough to handle. Now, with both the powerful spirit beast and another mysterious figure joining the fight, each exuding terrifying aura, dread gripped his heart.

Bai already knew Qin Sang’s plan. Following Qin Sang’s deliberate guidance, their opponents were completely unaware that they were being maneuvered into the most advantageous position for the ambush.

Three powerful cultivators striking together against one opponent left no suspense about the outcome.

Bai’s figure flashed like lightning as a surge of corpse qi erupted around him, enveloping his target. The Two-Headed Hou unleashed a storm of wind blades from its brow, while the incarnation descended from above.

The three attacks landed almost simultaneously. The targeted cultivator panicked, barely managing to throw out a few spirit talismans. They were instantly torn apart. His protective light shattered, and he was killed on the spot.

The incarnation tore through the man’s chest, its arm drenched in blood. It took in the metallic scent and licked the corner of its mouth, but unable to disobey its master’s command, it flung the corpse aside and turned its gaze toward the next target.

Bang!

Bai intervened just in time to block the flying sword aimed at the Two-Headed Hou. Man and beast moved seamlessly together, shifting their attack to Fei You’s opponent, killing him in the blink of an eye. Then, together with the incarnation, they surrounded Vice Commissioner Zuo.

Fei You stood frozen, staring blankly at the corpse of his fallen foe, still unable to comprehend what had just happened.

A moment ago, he had been filled with despair, certain that he would die here. Yet the situation had taken an abrupt and astonishing turn. Daoist Master Qingfeng had somehow summoned such powerful allies, turning the battle completely around in an instant.

"No wonder my parents and the Wang Sisters admire him so much." Fei You's heart surged with excitement.

He had made the right choice. All around the long street, the shops had fallen into utter silence.

When Vice Commissioner Zuo had shouted earlier, many had been tempted to intervene. Several of those shops were connected in various ways to the three major merchant alliances, some belonging to the Dongji Alliance. The merchant guilds under the Dongji Alliance did indeed have a mutual aid pact.

However, before they could decide whether to act, the situation had changed in the blink of an eye. The person whom the Qiongyu Merchant Guild had sought to arrest had revealed terrifying power, instantly slaughtering two of the guild’s Core Formation experts.

"

Gasp!

Three top-tier experts! The Qiongyu Merchant Guild has provoked a ruthless monster. Thank heavens I didn’t step in!" In one of the shops, a man gasped and wiped cold sweat from his forehead, terrified by what he had just witnessed.

"Don’t forget the spirit beast. Its strength is probably no less than that of a late-stage Core Formation cultivator," added a seductive woman beside him.

The woman peered toward the street, her eyes glinting with curiosity. "Did you notice? The last person who appeared seems connected to the cloaked man’s aura, as if they are one being."

The man’s expression changed. He fixed his gaze on the incarnation and, after a brief moment, exclaimed in shock, "It might be some kind of incarnation secret technique! Is that corpse cultivator exuding corpse qi his refined corpse?"

The two exchanged a glance, both utterly stunned into silence.