Chapter 1390: Lost Nascent Soul

The Mortal World

The aura of tribulation lightning is exceptionally unique. Once unleashed, it is incredibly difficult to conceal. A spirit insect capable of manipulating tribulation lightning holds an unparalleled allure for any cultivator, even if the Heavenly-Eyed Butterfly currently offers little help with transcending tribulations. Once news of it spreads, it is bound to cause even greater trouble. Qin Sang rarely allowed the Heavenly-Eyed Butterfly to act, partly due to this very concern.

The white-robed man naturally understood this. Wielding tribulation lightning was unheard of. The white-robed man was shocked into losing his composure, but his greater concern was for his own predicament. If the opponent hadn't revealed the tribulation lightning, there might have been a chance for negotiation. Now, it was a fight to the death; the opponent would never let anyone who knew the secret of the tribulation lightning escape!

Just as the white-robed man had expected, after the Heavenly-Eyed Butterfly made its move, the Nascent Soul Puppet's attacks became even more ferocious, each strike lethal.

"Boom! Boom!"

The Heavenly-Eyed Butterfly was very excited, fluttering around the battlefield like a graceful, colorful butterfly. However, the tribulation lightning she unleashed was anything but gentle. She had been ordered by Qin Sang not to use tribulation lightning and had suppressed herself for too long. Finally, she could show off her skills!

Targeted by the Heavenly-Eyed Butterfly, the white-robed man's spirit body dared not show itself, and the Rainbow Rat's physical body he controlled was no match for the Nascent Soul Puppet, quickly becoming tattered and broken.

"Ah!"

A piercing scream suddenly erupted from within the Rainbow Rat. It sounded like two voices. Immediately after, the Rainbow Rat's body convulsed, its expression twisted, and its cries grew increasingly shrill and sharp, clearly indicating the Rainbow Rat's consciousness was fighting back.

The Nascent Soul Puppet was unaffected, its puppet seal power activated to the extreme, like a black demonic shadow, extending a giant demonic palm to seize the Rainbow Rat.

"Pfft!"

The Nascent Soul Puppet's five fingers pierced through the Rainbow Rat's body, and the puppet seal power surged in frantically, causing widespread destruction. Blood spurted, instantly swept away by the surrounding violent winds, vanishing completely.

"Crack!"

Bones shattered. The Rainbow Rat's eyes rolled back, and the light in them rapidly faded. Just then, a translucent figure suddenly floated out from the top of the Rainbow Rat's head—it was the Rainbow Rat's vital spirit. The figure shot like a phantom deep into the storm.

The next moment, a bolt of lightning struck the Rainbow Rat's vital spirit precisely. The vital spirit disintegrated on the spot. The Rainbow Rat was slain!

The Nascent Soul Puppet, grasping the Rainbow Rat with one hand, flew over to ensure no remnant soul had escaped before carefully examining the corpse in its hand. Inside the Rainbow Rat, there was no longer any life force. During the recent fierce battle, the white-robed man's spirit body, suffering from internal strife and external threats, had been annihilated. Strangely, however, the Nascent Soul Puppet and the Heavenly-Eyed Butterfly never detected the white-robed man's Nascent Soul throughout the entire encounter; it seemed to have vanished with his spirit body.

The Nascent Soul Puppet stared at the Rainbow Rat, its expression stiff, its eyes mechanically shifting. It then retracted its palm, holding an ice casket. The ice casket was identical to those the white-robed man had thrown on the desolate island. However, the restrictions on this particular ice casket were clearly extraordinary. This item was the only relic left behind after the white-robed man's spirit body dissipated. Everything else, including his physical body, had been discarded by the white-robed man. Only this item had been carried with him. It was clear, therefore, that the item inside the ice casket was very likely the treasured artifact from Xuan Tian Palace.

The Nascent Soul Puppet, clutching the ice casket, destroyed the Rainbow Rat's corpse, then looked around. The traces of battle had long been erased by the storm, leaving no lingering issues. The Heavenly-Eyed Butterfly landed on the Nascent Soul Puppet's shoulder. A butterfly and a puppet quietly departed. No one knew that a great battle had taken place here, resulting in the demise of a Demon King and a Nascent Soul cultivator.

***

On the desolate island, the experts from both races were completely unaware they had been deceived. Demonic flames spread across the sky, drawing the attention of the assembled experts. Bi Fang unleashed its divine ability, donning blood-flame feathers, adopting a stance of desperation to seize the treasure, forcefully charging through the demonic flames. Layers of demonic flames surged towards Bi Fang. The blood-flame feathers resisted the demonic flames, appearing very sturdy. For a short period, the demonic flames would be hard-pressed to melt the blood-flame feathers. Seeing this, Bi Fang's confidence soared, and it charged forward with all its might.

Little did it know, Qin Sang was distracted, sensing the Nascent Soul Puppet, and his primary focus wasn't here. After a few symbolic attempts to block, he no longer pressed the attack, his figure merging with the demonic flames as he also surged towards the white-robed man.

At the same time, Master Feng and the Frogfish were engaged in a chase, already mere inches from the white-robed man. During the pursuit, the white-robed man suffered successive injuries, now appearing utterly miserable. His white robes were stained crimson with blood, his wounds shocking to behold, and his steps faltered, yet he stubbornly persisted. Everyone present couldn't help but marvel at his incredibly tenacious will.

But this was the end! Master Feng seized an opportune moment when the Frogfish was unprepared, forcefully pushing it back with his scroll, then redirected his magic artifact, firing a pillar of wind that blasted towards the white-robed man's back.

"Thud!"

The white-robed man, completely unprepared, took the hit, lunged forward violently, fell to the ground, and lay motionless.

Master Feng's expression changed, and his ominous premonition grew stronger. The Frogfish dashed towards the ground, vying for the white-robed man's corpse. A sharp glint flashed in Master Feng's eyes, and he ferociously struck out with a palm.

"Bang!"

The greenish palm print hit the white-robed man. The white-robed man's physical body immediately split into pieces. The sight that followed, however, made the experts from both races change color. No Nascent Soul! No spiritual essence! Only scattered chunks of flesh. Even the dullest among them sensed that something was amiss.

"Pfft!"

A shriveled mustard seed bag flew out from the chunks of flesh. During the scramble, it was forcibly opened, revealing only worthless items—there was no valuable treasure whatsoever!

"We've been tricked!" This same thought flashed through everyone's mind simultaneously, and they were all furious. So many Demon Kings and Nascent Soul cultivators gathered on this desolate island, only to be played by a heavily injured individual. If this got out, the entire cultivation world of the Northern Sea would surely mock them.

At this very moment, the Nascent Soul Puppet was already intercepting and killing the Rainbow Rat. Qin Sang, learning the full story through the Nascent Soul Puppet, clicked his tongue in amazement. When he had noticed the Rainbow Rat leaving the desolate island alone, he initially suspected the Rainbow Rat might have pulled a trick and secretly stolen the treasure. He never expected it was actually the white-robed man's doing, who, even in such a desperate situation, managed to pull off such a grand deception.

Qin Sang hovered in mid-air, surrounded by demonic flames, quietly observing the developments. The experts from both races also stopped their fighting. Master Feng and Bi Fang, without hesitation, turned back and rushed towards the deep valley, only to find the remnants of four jade pillars. What perplexed the experts from both races was how the white-robed man's Nascent Soul had managed to escape and vanish into thin air right before their eyes.

Bi Fang looked around, fierce light flickering in its eyes, and suddenly remembered something, coldly demanding, "Where is the Rainbow Rat?" The Demon Kings exchanged glances. Only then did they realize. Just a moment ago, the Rainbow Rat had sent a telepathic message revealing the white-robed man's true location, but since then, there had been no further sound from it. The Rainbow Rat's divine abilities were profound; the mark it left on the white-robed man was not something that could be shaken off by merely a Nascent Soul escaping. As long as the Rainbow Rat was still alive, it could easily pinpoint the white-robed man. But the Rainbow Rat had also disappeared! The Demon Kings exchanged glances, and an absurd thought surfaced in their minds: could it be that they had all unwittingly served as a stepping stone for the Rainbow Rat?

"What excellent stratagems you all possess! Feng truly admires them!" Master Feng also misunderstood, sneering repeatedly.