Chapter 688: Chapter 688

Qin Sang said nothing, as if he had not seen the man's actions, and continued flying forward.

The man became even more blatant, making no attempt to conceal his intentions. He trailed behind them from afar, always keeping a certain distance, never getting too close.

Suddenly, Qin Sang came to a halt, hovering above the sea’s surface, then turned around and locked eyes with the pursuer.

The man also stopped his evasion light at once, confronting them across the vast stretch of ocean. He showed no impatience. On the contrary, he seemed rather pleased.

"You go on ahead," Qin Sang instructed, then moved without warning. He activated Sword Merger as he reversed direction, chasing after the pursuer instead.

The man turned and fled without hesitation. His evasion light was no slower than Qin Sang’s, indicating he was at least a Core Formation Realm cultivator.

But Qin Sang was relentless. His sword light blazed brilliantly, dazzling and sharp. With a thunderous roar, it tore through the air like a bolt of lightning. He had unleashed the Sword Qi Thunderclap.

The distance between them closed rapidly.

The man panicked and tried to flee with all his strength, but still fell behind. In desperation, he took something from his pouch and slapped it onto his body. His speed surged, now matching that of Qin Sang's Sword Qi Thunderclap.

Seeing this, Qin Sang suddenly halted and narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

He had caught a clear glimpse earlier. Under pressure, the man had activated a talisman to boost his speed. Only by relying on the talisman had he kept up with Sword Qi Thunderclap. This meant his true cultivation could not be very high.

Qin Sang made his judgment, then deliberately acted as if the pursuit had failed. He turned his sword light and flew back to rejoin the elderly couple and the others.

"Senior, he must be waiting for reinforcements. They intend to surround and kill us," the old man said in a trembling voice.

Seeing Qin Sang return empty-handed while the man resumed his tailing, his heart grew cold. He had never encountered someone so brazen, daring to commit murder and robbery so close to Duyan Island.

Qin Sang had already considered this possibility.

But his thoughts went deeper.

The island master of Duyan Island was a Spiritual Infant grandmaster, the undisputed ruler of the nearby seas. No one dared defy the rules he had established. If something abnormal was happening now, it must have a cause.

Did something change while I was away? Has something happened on Duyan Island or in the nearby waters?

Qin Sang had focused entirely on cultivation these past years and had never returned to the island. Even if something had happened, Ran Luo would not have been able to reach him.

The island had remained peaceful for many years. The island master still had plenty of lifespan left. That something would happen at this time was completely unexpected.

If he rushed back now, he might walk straight into a hidden storm. Qin Sang was not about to take that risk.

As this thought flashed through his mind, he cast a sidelong glance at the figure still relentlessly following them. Perhaps he could get answers from the man himself.

But the five Foundation Building cultivators beside him would only be a burden. They were in no position to help. Even with the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman, Qin Sang would never risk putting himself in a position to be surrounded. He might not even have a chance to escape.

His enemies were likely nearby. If this dragged on any longer, things could spiral out of control.

Since the man had malicious intent, he had only himself to blame for what followed.

Without any change in expression, Qin Sang sent a voice transmission. "Take my illusion with you and continue flying. Don’t act suspicious. I’ll go face him. If you see us start fighting, return to the island and seek help. Or, if you get out of his sight, find a place to hide. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself."

After a quick exchange, the plan was set. The group abruptly surged forward at full speed.

The man behind them also accelerated at once. But he failed to notice that, at that very moment, Qin Sang used the others’ evasion light to shield his movements. He activated a Dao Technique and summoned a realistic illusion, then silently slipped beneath the sea.

Such illusions would not fool someone at the same realm, but the man was far behind. The illusion was enough to deceive him.

The others fled with the illusion of Qin Sang without looking back. Meanwhile, Qin Sang activated the Spirit Evasion Art and hid just below the water’s surface, lying in wait.

Before long, the man caught up. He wore a black robe with a strange design and looked to be in his twenties. His gaze remained fixed on the fleeing group, unaware of the danger waiting below.

Just as he passed over Qin Sang’s hiding spot, the calm water shattered like a mirror. A streak of sword light shot up like a lightning bolt from the fragments.

In a flash, thunder took form as a spiritual sword and lunged at the black-robed youth, its killing intent laid bare.

Qin Sang had confirmed again that the youth’s cultivation was similar to Du Han's, and he struck without hesitation.

But the youth showed no panic. Instead, he revealed a sinister smile and sneered coldly. "I saw you long ago."

"Golden Radiance Armor!"

With a low shout, his body erupted in a blinding golden light that formed a suit of golden armor, encasing him in an instant.

He seemed utterly confident in its protection. Instead of dodging the spiritual sword, he laughed. "Sword Qi Thunderclap... So you're one of the human elites..."

The moment the words were spoken, action followed even faster.

Just as the golden radiance burst forth, the ebony sword also shot forward like a dart.

But even swifter than the ebony sword was a strange and bewitching flash of blood-red light.

The golden armor was utterly useless before it. The blood light pierced through the armor and splashed directly onto the black-robed youth. Orıginal content can be found at novel✦fire.net

"What is this thing!" the youth cried out in alarm.

The moment the blood light touched him, the spiritual essence of his inner armor suffered severe damage. The golden armor, once so radiant and imposing, quickly dulled. Panic overcame him. No longer composed, he tried to dodge, but he was far too slow before the ebony sword.

The ebony sword followed close behind and shattered the golden armor. Just as it was about to strike the black-robed youth, it met resistance.

A sharp crack rang out. The sword qi shredded the youth's black robe into tatters, revealing a golden inner armor underneath.

A clear crack had already formed on the inner armor.

Even Qin Sang was somewhat surprised by how tough the armor was. Though the Blood Defilement Divine Light could corrupt the spiritual essence of an astra, it did not affect the physical durability of the object itself.

This inner armor had clearly been forged from an exceptionally sturdy spiritual material.

After being momentarily slowed, the ebony sword immediately thrust once more at the crack in the golden armor. This time, the blade quivered slightly and split into a second sword light, so real it could easily pass for the original.

Startled, the black-robed youth quickly retreated. At the same time, a surge of azure light suddenly erupted from his dantian, and a one-man-tall phantom of a spiritual insect manifested in front of him.

The spiritual insect had an enormous maw lined with rows of sharp teeth. As it opened its jaws wide, it bit down on both the ebony sword and the sword light in one go.