Chapter 1285: Clay Figurine

## The Mortal Realm

The Tianmu Butterfly observed in secret.

There were no other Nascent Souls nearby; Fairy Qiuzhi was alone.

Qin Sang made no attempt to retreat or hide.

He knew that once his identity was exposed, Sin Abyss would not allow him to slaughter indiscriminately. They would either send experts to suppress him or opponents capable of restraining him.

Qin Sang was not surprised by Qiuzhi's appearance.

Besides, it was hard to say who would restrain whom.

Having already exceeded expectations by first killing Loose Cultivator Yue and then pinning down a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator from Sin Abyss, Qin Sang could now focus solely on Qiuzhi, leaving other battlefronts to others.

Thinking this, Qin Sang raised an arm and suddenly drew all the Nine Nether Demonic Flames into his sleeve.

With the demonic flames vanished, Qin Sang once again summoned the Ebony Sword. He continuously cast sword incantations, causing the sword glow to flicker erratically as the flying sword pointed remotely at Fairy Qiuzhi.

"You are Qin Sang!"

Fairy Qiuzhi said coldly, "Why aren't you using your demonic flames?"

Qin Sang's Demonic Flame Banner was rumored to be incredibly powerful, especially after Old Demon Ye self-detonated his Blood Fiend avatar, making it an object of terror among Sin Abyss cultivators.

However, Fairy Qiuzhi showed no fear; instead, she wanted to experience the power of the demonic flames for herself.

"Wouldn't it be boring to decide the victor instantly? Fairy, why don't you first try to block my flying sword?" Qin Sang said calmly.

The Ebony Sword shone brightly, dividing into numerous streaks of sword light that appeared in the void, sparkling and all pointing at Fairy Qiuzhi. Killing intent infused the sword essence, captivating and subtly sealing off the area.

Fairy Qiuzhi also had considerable achievements in swordsmanship, feeling the implications more deeply than others and clearly understanding the depth of Qin Sang's mastery. A hint of solemnity flashed in her eyes.

No wonder Loose Cultivator Yue lost his life so easily after falling into the sword formation. With his swordsmanship alone, this person could hold his own in the Northern Star Realm.

Fairy Qiuzhi scoffed disdainfully, "When you killed Loose Cultivator Yue, you didn't use the more powerful Demonic Flame Banner, but a sword formation instead. This shows you weren't confident the Demonic Flame Banner could trap and kill him. Either the demonic flames have a flaw, or you can't perfectly control them, leaving openings he could exploit to escape. Now it seems the limitations of the Demonic Flame Banner are not just that. While the power of your demonic flames is something I've never seen before, you only recently formed your Nascent Soul. I suspect you can't sustain the consumption of such a treasure, can you?"

Qin Sang's expression darkened.

This woman's cunning was extraordinary. Even without engaging in combat, she had easily deduced the flaws of his demonic banner simply from his previous actions.

This was precisely why he had abandoned the Demonic Flame Banner in favor of the Ebony Sword.

Unleashing all eighteen demonic banners consumed too much energy and was difficult to sustain. Previous uses were only in critical moments, against powerful enemies, or in situations where a kill was imperative.

Furthermore, it was hard to concentrate on other things while wielding the demonic banners. Being in an enemy formation now, he naturally had to conserve some energy to avoid being lured into a trap.

If he were to use fewer demonic banners, his Natal Spirit Sword and the Seven Souls Killing Formation were simply more convenient.

Seeing Qin Sang remain silent, Fairy Qiuzhi became even more convinced of her guess. It was too fantastical for someone who had just formed their Nascent Soul to kill a Blood Fiend avatar. No matter how powerful a magic treasure was, it was ultimately an external object; cultivation was the foundation.

The Battle of Blood Lake was ultimately forced by circumstances; if the Blood Fiend avatar had wanted to escape, he wouldn't have been able to stop it.

'Whoosh!'

Fairy Qiuzhi formed a sword incantation with her jade-like fingers, and a ball of yellow light flew from her palm, then transformed into a Xuanhuang Giant Sword before her, which she grasped in her hand.

Her slender fingers tightly gripped the giant sword's hilt, pointing it diagonally at Qin Sang.

Seeing the giant sword, comparable in size to a door panel, Qin Sang couldn't help but be startled.

Fairy Qiuzhi's petite figure contrasted sharply with the giant sword. Wielded by her, it exuded a peculiar beauty of violent power.

'Buzz!'

Fairy Qiuzhi's jade-like arm trembled slightly.

A rich yellow light burst from the Xuanhuang Giant Sword, not attacking Qin Sang but scattering onto the ground beneath her.

Simultaneously, Fairy Qiuzhi continuously pointed with her other hand, releasing streaks of light that turned out to be spiritual talismans. As the talismans merged with the yellow light, the ground beneath them began to writhe.

Then, earth golems one by one leaped out of the ground.

These earth golems were tall, their bodies formed from angular stones. Though seemingly clumsy, they were exceptionally agile. Each golem held a stone sword, a clear replica of the Xuanhuang Giant Sword.

'Swish!'

The earth golems raised their swords high, resonating with Fairy Qiuzhi's Xuanhuang Giant Sword, emitting a peculiar ripple.

"A sword formation!"

As a fellow sword cultivator, Qin Sang recognized it instantly.

The sight before him reminded him of the puppet sword formation he had encountered in the Seven Kills Hall. Fairy Qiuzhi seemed to have fused swordsmanship with the art of spiritual talismans to summon earth golems and create a unique sword formation.

How could Qin Sang let Fairy Qiuzhi succeed? Without hesitation, he activated the Ebony Sword, sending it darting forward!

Sword light rained down.

Fairy Qiuzhi stood unmoving, then suddenly plunged the Xuanhuang Giant Sword into the ground with a backhand motion.

'Boom!'

The earth trembled.

Xuanhuang sword light surged into the earth golems' bodies. The golems seemed to be coated in a golden aura, their momentum greatly increased. They abruptly turned, glaring angrily at Qin Sang, and slashed their giant swords swiftly!

The next moment, a thick, incredibly swift Xuanhuang sword light slashed towards the Ebony Sword. Simultaneously, a sword curtain appeared before Fairy Qiuzhi.

The Ebony Sword shattered the Xuanhuang sword light and pierced the sword curtain, immediately encountering immense resistance, as if countless spirit swords were continuously attacking it.

Qin Sang continuously changed his sword incantations.

The Ebony Sword, incomparably sharp, finally neared Fairy Qiuzhi. With a flicker of its blade, the void instantly dimmed, and even the Xuanhuang Giant Sword's brilliance faded.

Just as it seemed Fairy Qiuzhi was about to follow Loose Cultivator Yue's fate, she suddenly spun her giant sword. The earth golems appeared to merge with the Xuanhuang Giant Sword in her hand, and the sword formation was finally complete!

The two master sword cultivators clashed head-on.

All the earth golems were connected by their qi, coordinating their movements and surrounding Fairy Qiuzhi. Despite Qin Sang continuously shifting his formations, he couldn't harm Fairy Qiuzhi's true body.

Unbeknownst to him, Fairy Qiuzhi was also greatly astonished.

She had integrated her understanding of swordsmanship and talisman arts, and her cultivation was a level higher than Qin Sang's. Although she wasn't as helpless as Loose Cultivator Yue, she was temporarily unable to overcome the Seven Souls Killing Formation. Had her divine sense not been strong, she would have been greatly affected.

The sword techniques this person cultivated must be extraordinary.

Fairy Qiuzhi's eyes narrowed slightly, and she wielded the Xuanhuang Giant Sword in counterattack.

'Rumble...'

The Xunfeng Grand Formation and Sin Abyss's defensive formations clashed fiercely. Wild winds raged, and colossal waves surged.

Qin Sang and Fairy Qiuzhi battled for countless rounds, fighting deep into the grand formation.

Their battle lacked spectacular displays.

In the dim void, undercurrents surged, with bursts of mystic light and sword light appearing sporadically. It looked more like two master sword cultivators sparring than a life-and-death struggle.

Suddenly, the Tianmu Butterfly issued a warning. Qin Sang's expression subtly changed, his thunder wings flapped rapidly, and his figure instantly shifted dozens of feet sideways.

As Qin Sang flashed away, the ground below him silently writhed. Four earth golems, without the slightest warning, leaped high from the ground, raising their giant swords. Four streaks of sword light crisscrossed, sealing off all directions and collectively striking where Qin Sang had just stood.

It was unknown what method Fairy Qiuzhi used to conceal the earth golems here, making them merge seamlessly with the rocks without the slightest energy ripple.

Fortunately, the Tianmu Butterfly was alert.