Chapter 755: Chapter 755

But if Cui Ji thought he could use the poisonous mist to kill him, that was nothing more than a delusional fantasy.

The fat silkworm was currently curled up inside the Golden Radiance Armor, trembling but diligently performing its duty, shielding Qin Sang. The moment the poisonous mist entered his wound, it was immediately sealed off by the Poison-Warding Armor.

Of course, none of this was visible to Cui Ji.

Clutching his wound with one hand, Qin Sang flipped upright and swiftly withdrew the badly battered flying yaksha.

The yaksha’s body was riddled with several translucent holes and lay motionless on the ground. Qin Sang had no time to assess its condition, so he put it away first.

The purple glow descended again.

Still gripping his bleeding shoulder, Qin Sang could only summon the ebony sword to fend off the attacks with great difficulty. He appeared entirely worn out, completely lacking the will to fight, and in a wretched state.

The ebony sword was already slightly inferior to the Purple Nether Orb, and Qin Sang was fighting an uphill battle, constantly pushed to the edge.

Blood gushed from his shoulder, soaking his entire body.

Saber qi lingered in the wound and rampaged through his body. Qin Sang could only suppress it using his true essence. It would take time to force it out.

Cui Ji remained cautious, keeping his distance. He had no intention of exposing the Bone Lotus or Purple Nether Orb, and wasn’t willing to use the flying saber lightly either. He was determined to wear Qin Sang down.

If only the Blood Defilement Divine Light could disable the Bone Lotus, the tide would instantly turn.

But based on Cui Ji’s actions, Qin Sang knew there would be no such chance. His condition was deteriorating rapidly. He was already planning to retreat, hoping to lure Cui Ji into pursuing him deeper.

Both Qin Sang and Cui Ji suddenly felt a jolt of unease and looked in the same direction.

The ground shook violently.

A deafening boom erupted out of nowhere.

The frenzied Purple Star Eagles let out terrified screeches, and flocks of them scattered in panic.

It was then that Qin Sang saw a pillar of blue light rise into the sky in the distance, dispersing the nearby poisonous mist. After the light faded, the Purple Mist slowly began to gather back together.

"What just exploded?"

Qin Sang was deeply alarmed. The explosion had come from somewhere near the stone hall.

Judging by the terrifying scale of it, its power must have been overwhelming.

None of the eight cultivators here could have caused that.

"What exactly is going on?"

Qin Sang grew increasingly uneasy and glanced at Cui Ji, noticing a faint furrow in his brow and a trace of concern in his gaze.

From his expression, it seemed Cui Ji knew something.

In that instant, countless speculations ran through Qin Sang’s mind. The change in ownership of the Bone Lotus, Cui Ji’s ruthless ambush, and this sudden explosion, along with Cui Ji’s demeanor, made Qin Sang realize that this mission likely had hidden layers.

It was not simply about retrieving treasure for the alliance.

Something had gone wrong.

The attack by the vicious beasts might not have been a natural disaster at all.

The Purple Star Eagles and the subterranean beasts had most likely been deliberately drawn here.

He recalled the identities of the eight participants. Aside from Xiang Yi, whose background was vague but seemed to have a close connection with the alliance leader, the rest were members from various merchant guilds.

Qin Sang himself had once been a guest cultivator of the Qiongyu Merchant Guild, and when purchasing entry rights, Elder Zhou had also required him to formally join the alliance. Thɪs chapter is updated by N0veI.Fiɾe.net

Unlike sects, the alliance was a coalition of guilds bound by interest. On the surface they advanced together, but behind the scenes, there were constant schemes and betrayals.

The Liu couple, the cultivator surnamed Pan, the sword-carrying youth...

These faces flashed through Qin Sang’s mind. From the time they met until now, none of them had shown any suspicious behavior.

He had no idea how many were hiding their true intentions. At this point, no one could be trusted.

Qin Sang’s heart sank. He abandoned the idea of regrouping with the others. He had only one goal now: kill Cui Ji, then flee as far away as possible, to avoid being caught in the turbulent currents within the alliance.

In matters involving the alliance leader and the major guilds, it was best to stay far away.

While fending off the purple radiance, Qin Sang split off a strand of sword light behind him to kill Purple Star Eagles and clear a path. Facing attacks from both the eagles and Cui Ji, his situation grew more dire.

His breathing became ragged, his spiritual energy grew weak, and the effects of his injuries became increasingly apparent. Even his life-bound spiritual sword began to dim. He was in terrible condition.

Cui Ji glanced at Qin Sang, then looked toward the site of the explosion, hesitation flashing across his face.

In the end, he poured all his true essence into the Purple Nether Orb, unleashing another wave of power no weaker than his first attack.

Facing the overwhelming force of the purple radiance, Qin Sang struggled immensely to defend himself. He was unable to block it completely, and his body suffered repeated blows. The wound on his shoulder tore open again, and blood gushed out like a spring.

The Golden Radiance Armor fared even worse, pitted with numerous dents and covered in a dense web of cracks.

Thankfully, it had not completely shattered and could still be salvaged, but restoring it to its original state would be no easy task.

The most severe damage, however, was to Qin Sang himself. In order to fend off the purple glow, his true essence had been rapidly depleted. Without the fat silkworm’s Poison-Warding Armor, he would not have been able to suppress the poisonous mist.

By now, the toxins would have reached his internal organs, leaving him clinging to life by a thread.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Qin Sang retreated swiftly and was soon on the verge of disappearing into the depths of the Purple Star Eagle swarm.

Cui Ji cast him a deep glance but, to Qin Sang’s surprise, did not continue the chase. Instead, he turned and rushed toward the location of the earlier explosion.

In Cui Ji’s eyes, Qin Sang was gravely injured, nearly depleted of true essence, tormented by both saber qi and poisonous mist, and his inner armor was nearly ruined. Falling into the eagle swarm without the protection of the Bone Lotus meant he would have no chance of survival.

Without that shield, he would have to constantly channel true essence to protect his body, and such fluctuations were far too conspicuous to escape the perception of ferocious beasts. It would be impossible to escape this deadly place.

To put it simply, Qin Sang was as good as dead.

Letting him wallow in despair before death was its own form of satisfaction.

A twisted smile curled at the corner of Cui Ji’s mouth. Though he wanted nothing more than to kill his enemy with his own hands, he feared his astra might be tainted by Qin Sang’s strange technique. He had been too hesitant, and in such a short time, it would be difficult to land the killing blow. In the end, the matter at the stone hall was more urgent.

Qin Sang came to a halt, his expression flickering uncertainly.

Cui Ji’s decision had caught him off guard.

This confirmed that the explosion must have had something to do with Cui Ji. The only question was, among the other six, who was working with Cui Ji and who had been betrayed. Up until now, no signs had revealed themselves.

Cui Ji’s sudden withdrawal had disrupted Qin Sang’s own plan.

He had intended to feign poisoning and lure Cui Ji closer, then release the Two-Headed Hou in a surprise attack to catch him off guard. If he and the Hou attacked in unison, there was a high chance of killing Cui Ji.

That would have avenged the ambush and allowed him to leave this treacherous place.

But now that Cui Ji had left, it would be unwise to pursue and reverse the roles.

Qin Sang sighed softly.

He would kill Cui Ji no matter what!

Even if Cui Ji hadn’t actually harmed him, just being targeted was an unbearable feeling. It was always wiser to eliminate danger at the source. Yet along the way, no opportunity had arisen. Instead, Cui Ji had held the upper hand the entire time.

Regrettably, in this situation, killing Cui Ji here was nearly impossible. He could only wait for another chance.

Qin Sang glanced toward the direction where Cui Ji had vanished.

There was no time to delay. He had to leave immediately.

He released the Two-Headed Hou and mounted its back. The fat silkworm intensified the protection of the Poison-Warding Armor, extending it to shield the beast as well.

"You clear the path. I’ll focus on expelling the saber qi from my wound..."

Qin Sang gave the Two-Headed Hou a few quiet instructions, then calmed his mind and turned his focus inward, using inner vision to examine his body. He fully activated his cultivation art.

His true essence gathered at the wound, gradually pushing the residual saber qi outward.

A hint of color returned to Qin Sang’s face, and he swallowed a healing pill.