Chapter 1159: Turning Back
Yi Tianye coveted the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid and led Kuiyin Sect to attack Yuanzhao Sect.
Unexpectedly, the sect leader of Yuanzhao Sect acted with extreme decisiveness. He detonated his Golden Core, the sect’s grand array, and even the spirit vein, instantly shattering the offensive and wiping out Kuiyin Sect instead.
After the great battle, Yuanzhao Sect occupied the territory of Kuiyin Sect with the support of Wuji Sect.
Since Kuiyin Sect had initiated the conflict and Yuanzhao Sect had merely retaliated, the devilish factions found it difficult to interfere and ultimately acquiesced.
Passing north through Great Sui stirred many memories for Qin Sang. Back then, he had been nothing more than a minor figure in the immortal cultivation world. Even a Foundation Building cultivator could crush him with a single finger. After escaping the clutches of the devilish path amid the chaos, he had lived every day in fear.
Now, however, he had become someone capable of being called a grandmaster.
***
At the former site of Kuiyin Sect, which was now the headquarters of Yuanzhao Sect...
After occupying this place, Yuanzhao Sect had set up arrays to seal the yin qi of the Yin Malevolent Abyss. Without the corrosive influence of yin qi, the scenery on the mountain had become beautiful and entirely renewed.
The shadow of war loomed over the immortal cultivation world. A third-rate sect like Yuanzhao Sect was even more vulnerable to the storm, uncertain of its future. The sect-protecting array remained active at all times.
They also had to send disciples to the front lines. As a result, very few experts remained at the sect gate, and most of those present were new disciples who had only recently joined.
The sect leader of Yuanzhao Sect was already very old and remained within the sect to oversee matters.
At the summit of the mountain, in front of the sect leader’s cave dwelling, a streak of evasion light rushed over and landed before the entrance.
The newcomer was a young man at the Foundation Building Realm. With a respectful expression, he triggered the cave dwelling’s barrier. After receiving permission, he entered and met the sect leader.
Yuanzhao Sect's leader was a middle-stage Golden Core cultivator. Signs of decline had already appeared upon him, and his hair and beard were completely white.
"Greetings, Sect Leader!" The young man quickly bowed and presented a spirit talisman. "Sect Leader, these are the messages sent back by my master. He has already followed your instructions and made contact with a senior from Taiyi Core Sect, who has given them some care. My master and the senior brothers have only been assigned patrol duties. The battle situation at the front is relatively stable for now, and their lives are not in immediate danger..."
The sect leader drew the jade slip into his hand. After reading it, he nodded. "Send a message to your master and tell him to return to the sect after some time. I will personally go to the front lines."
The young man was greatly alarmed upon hearing this and hurriedly tried to persuade him. "Sect Leader, the battlefield is so dangerous. How can we let you—"
"Hmph!" The sect leader interrupted him. "It is precisely because it is dangerous that I must go personally! I already have one foot in the grave. Dying on the battlefield means nothing to me. It might even be a good thing if it can secure an opportunity for Yuanzhao Sect. You are the future of the sect! Earlier, I sent your master out so he could gain some experience. But I feel that after enduring for so long, Sin Abyss must be preparing something. Whatever scheme they are planning should soon reach its peak. It is time for your master to return—"
Before he finished speaking, a thunderous explosion suddenly sounded outside. The entire cave dwelling began to shake violently.
A cold light flashed in the eyes of the sect leader. He immediately flew out of the cave dwelling and hovered in mid-air. When he saw the scene outside, he could not help but suck in a sharp breath, his face filled with shock.
The entire Yuanzhao Sect fell into chaos. The sect's protective array shone with strange brilliance as it came under attack from outside, manifesting a multicolored light shield to resist the assault.
Beyond the barrier, a dazzling field of sword lights filled the sky. These sword qi were arranged in perfect order, clearly forming an immense sword array. Even through the grand array, the terrifying aura made the sect leader’s heart tremble.
"Sword force! A single sword forming an array!" the sect leader cried out in shock, fear flashing in his eyes.
Among Core Formation cultivators, those who can comprehend sword force and achieve the feat of forming an array with a single sword are extremely rare. The opponent has created such a massive display and caused the array to shake with just a single strike. The visitor is very likely a Spiritual Infant grandmaster! He thought.
"Who is it?!" The expression of the sect leader shifted repeatedly. He could not understand which Spiritual Infant had come to their door. Ever since the Wuji Sect incident, the entire Yuanzhao Sect had kept an extremely low profile under his strict restraint. There was no way they would provoke a Spiritual Infant grandmaster.
The sword array condensed another strand of sword qi and slashed fiercely at the array before the sect leader’s eyes.
Amid a deafening explosion, the light shield suddenly dimmed. It was impossible to know how long it could continue to hold.
Seeing this, the sect leader dared not delay any longer. Gritting his teeth, he flew to the barrier and called out loudly, "May I ask which senior has honored us with your presence? If I have shown any disrespect, I beg you to forgive me!"
A moment later, a voice came from outside, "You are the sect leader of Yuanzhao Sect? Come out and speak."
The Yuanzhao Sect leader’s expression changed drastically. But upon second thought, if this Spiritual Infant cultivator truly intended to kill him, he would have no way to escape anyway. Hiding behind the array would only implicate his sect.
He sighed bitterly and sent a voice transmission ordering all disciples to return to their cave dwellings. Then he opened the sect-protecting array and stepped outside.
The sword array flickered and withdrew, revealing a cloaked figure. That person was Qin Sang.
The ebony sword was still fusing together with the Soul-Nourishing Wood, so Qin Sang had used a low-grade spiritual sword he had obtained earlier to form the sword array. Even so, it displayed considerable power.
"I, Gu Zhi, greet you, Senior. If any disciples of Yuanzhao Sect have offended you, it is only because I failed to discipline them properly. I am willing to pay any price. Please don't be angry, Senior."
The sect leader did not mention Qin Sang’s attack on the sect-protecting array at all. Instead, he maintained extremely respectful etiquette.
"Offend me? You are not even qualified to offend me," Qin Sang said calmly.
Although Qin Sang had stolen the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid from Yuanzhao Sect, he did not hold a particularly good impression of the sect.
Under the name of the Ascension Conference, they had offered living sacrifices to a hidden realm. No matter how one looked at it, it hardly resembled righteous conduct.
This sect leader clearly had little lifespan remaining. Calculating the timeline, he should be the only surviving Golden Core from the incident years ago.
Back then, Gu Zhi had stood high above. Qin Sang had not even possessed the qualifications to meet him. Now, however, this same man stood before Qin Sang in utter submission.
Qin Sang sighed inwardly. Strictly speaking, he had no direct enmity with Yuanzhao Sect and had no interest in bullying them. He spoke bluntly, "I remember that this place once belonged to Kuiyin Sect, yet it is now occupied by your Yuanzhao Sect. In that case, the treasures of Kuiyin Sect should also have fallen into your hands, correct?"
Founder Kuiyin had refined ten devilish banners, seven of which had been scattered. Even if the banners had been destroyed, the banner poles must still remain.
The black iron column and the Devil-Binding Chain possessed similar barriers and might both be treasures meant to restrain ancient devils.
The ancient devil that had run rampant in Seven-Kill Hall, slaughtering Spiritual Infant cultivators, still haunted Qin Sang’s mind.
When Sin Abyss launched its attack, a devilish phantom with three heads and six arms had once appeared. Who knew how many ancient devils still lurked within the immortal cultivation world?
After Qin Sang finished refining the devilish flames, the banner poles themselves would become useless. Only by gathering all the poles could he find a way to repair the black iron column.
Once Bai advanced to become a corpse king, he would have the energy to study the array that worked together with the Devil-Binding Chain. Using that as a foundation, he might even create an array compatible with the black iron column.
At that point, Qin Sang would possess a treasure specifically meant to restrain ancient devils.
Even after splitting into banner poles, the black iron column could still easily suppress the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells. This alone proved that the treasure’s power was certainly far from weak.
