Chapter 1454: Exposed

Bearing the Hunmo Token above his head, Old Man Hunmo stepped out from the ghost mist. Lightning struck the Hunmo Token, and electric light flowed across its surface, as if coating the token with a silvery-white sheen, blocking the strike. Because Qin Sang had not used his full power, and the Hunmo Token itself possessed extraordinary power, Old Man Hunmo remained unharmed.

At the same time, at the spot where Old Man Hunmo had been moments before, a wisp of ghost mist silently appeared. It appeared much more diffuse than before, and after a moment of writhing, it regained the form of a ghost spirit, its body now more transparent. Old Man Hunmo had astonishingly swapped places with the ghost spirit.

This method of refining the ghost spirit was derived from his comprehension of ancient demonic arts. It required countless rare treasures, along with his own vital essence and the souls of cultivators for nourishment. The effort he poured into the ghost spirit was no less than for any magical artifact. The ghost spirit and Old Man Hunmo were connected telepathically, akin to an avatar. Not only did it possess monstrous demonic power, but also incredible divine abilities like Form-Shifting and Shadow-Changing. This was akin to spatial displacement!

This scene made everyone, including Qin Sang, feel a chill down their spines. With such a divine ability, anyone who fell into Old Man Hunmo's clutches would be unable to escape.

Just now, Qin Sang had noticed that Old Man Hunmo's escape speed was indeed not as swift as his own. Coupled with his decisive withdrawal from the fight, he had already created some distance. His spiritual sense had greatly improved, so Old Man Hunmo's spiritual sense could no longer lock onto him from a distance, and he would be safe once he left Old Man Hunmo's sight. However, before he could feel pleased, Old Man Hunmo traversed the void, instantly closing in. This divine ability greatly astonished Qin Sang.

His mind flashed back to a previous question: When they were competing for treasures in the Golden Summit Buddhist Temple, he wondered why Old Man Hunmo hadn't released the ghost spirit. Otherwise, he would have faced Old Man Hunmo's true body, been forced to act, and been exposed then and there.

As his thoughts spun, Qin Sang noticed that the ghost spirit was now much weaker than before, hovering in the rear, hesitant to advance, and daring not to join the battle. Qin Sang's heart stirred. He guessed that the Form-Shifting and Shadow-Changing ability had significant restrictions and consumption, just like Chen Yan's peculiar divine ability, meaning it could not be used continuously. This eased his strained nerves slightly; otherwise, he would have doubted whether his two trump cards could stop Old Man Hunmo.

"Rumble..."

Thunderclaps reverberated across the lands. Old Man Hunmo emerged from the thunder. His cloudy eyes, devoid of emotion, gazed indifferently at Qin Sang, brilliant, dazzling sword light reflected in his pupils.

Seeing his formidable enemy, Qin Sang knew that things would not end peacefully today. Old Man Hunmo had come for him, not the Xuan Tian Palace, with whom he had a grudge, so he must have seen or guessed something. Once he made a move, it would be a devastating blow, and he would not rest until his goal was achieved. Qin Sang did not question him. Without a word, he controlled his sword to strike.

Old Man Hunmo remained expressionless. Without any visible movement from him, the Hunmo Token above his head flashed before him, emitting a strange wailing sound. The Hunmo Token stopped in mid-air, manifesting a hundred-zhang phantom image, like a colossal wall of light blocking the way.

"Pfft!"

The Golden Sinking Sword arrived instantly. Its sharp sword light pierced deep into the illusory wall of light, but the resistance it encountered grew stronger and stronger, forcing the sword light to retract. Just then, Old Man Hunmo let out a cold snort. The Hunmo Token leaped above the Golden Sinking Sword. The illusory wall of light rapidly condensed towards its center, seemingly carrying immense force, and pressed down fiercely, suppressing the Golden Sinking Sword.

A resonant hum...

The Golden Sinking Sword, being of a lower grade, could not bear the heavy burden, and its blade trembled. Feeling the terrifying pressure from his spiritual sword, Qin Sang's expression grew serious. While continuously retreating, he repeatedly cast sword arts, using his old trick to control the Golden Sinking Sword and set up a sword formation.

The next moment, the Golden Sinking Sword shifted from defense to offense. The sword formation enveloped the Hunmo Token and attempted to draw Old Man Hunmo into it. Unfortunately, Qin Sang's plan failed. Old Man Hunmo already had some understanding of Qin Sang's sword techniques. Exploiting the Golden Sinking Sword's lower grade and leveraging his own cultivation and the Hunmo Token's superior grade, he forced Qin Sang to prematurely use the sword formation for a counterattack. This way, Old Man Hunmo could leisurely dodge, avoiding being trapped by the sword formation.

He forcefully tapped the black bamboo staff in the air. Old Man Hunmo's figure flickered repeatedly, appearing dozens of yards away, successfully moving clear of the sword formation before it fully formed. Only the Hunmo Token remained within the Seven Souls Killing Formation. Old Man Hunmo turned his head to glance at the sword formation, and a strange syllable escaped his throat.

Immediately, the Hunmo Token shook violently, emitting sounds like bells and chimes. In an instant, ten thousand rays of brilliant light burst forth. Had it been any other sword formation or restrictive spell, it would likely have been completely disrupted by this power, leaving it full of flaws. Qin Sang dared not show the slightest slackness. The sword formation underwent endless transformations, countless sword threads continuously converged and dispersed, appearing chaotic but actually highly organized, extinguishing the rays of light.

On the surface, neither side seemed able to gain an advantage over the other. Only Qin Sang knew the immense pressure he was under. He felt more exhausted than when he had dealt with the Xuan Tian Palace earlier, and this was just the beginning. Facing an opponent like Old Man Hunmo, an upper-grade spiritual sword was still too inadequate. He resolved to re-refine the Golden Sinking Sword as soon as he returned.

Seeing this scene, Old Man Hunmo's eyes also showed a hint of solemnity. Judging solely by this sword formation technique, his opponent was formidable enough to make a name for himself across the Boundless Sea. Old Man Hunmo secretly wondered why, given his opponent's strength, obtaining a top-grade spiritual sword hadn't been too difficult. Otherwise, he would have had to treat the sword formation at its peak with far greater caution.

After testing the power of the sword formation, Old Man Hunmo no longer paid attention to it. His gaze shifted to Qin Sang. He lightly raised his black bamboo staff, and a stream of light shot out. Qin Sang slowly exhaled. The demonic flames forming his fire armor flowed back into his sleeves. He lightly shook his arm, and several small demonic banners flew out. Things had come to this; there was no need to hide anything further. It was a perfect opportunity to gauge the true strength of a Grand Cultivator!

"It's you indeed!" Without seeing the demonic flames, merely by seeing the demonic banners, Old Man Hunmo recalled that distinct, unforgettable aura. His furious shout escaped his lips, and his killing intent soared to the heavens!

Qin Sang let out a strange chuckle and retorted sarcastically, "Why are you so furious, fellow Daoist? Is it only permissible for you to launch sneak attacks, but not for this humble Daoist to retaliate?"

Before his words had fully faded, streaks of demonic flames flew out from the banners, transforming into a fiery dragon which devoured the stream of light without causing much disturbance.

At this moment, the cultivators from Xuan Tian Palace, who were far behind, widened their eyes in disbelief, unable to trust what they were seeing. The mysterious figure had toyed with them so terribly, yet had not even used his full strength. Even from such a distance, they felt a sense of dread.

The two elders exchanged glances, their faces alternating between pale and green. They had seen Old Man Hunmo make his move and were still worried about the sacred object falling into the wrong hands. Now they realized they had been overthinking. The Nascent Soul cultivator protecting Shi Xue and the other woman caught up. He swallowed hard and muttered, "Even if the Grand Elder were here, he might not be able to trap him, right?"

A moment of silence ensued. They were unwilling to admit that this might be the truth. The Grand Elder might be able to defeat him, but holding him was not easy. Unless they had prior knowledge of this person's strength, and made preparations before acting, leaving no openings.