Chapter 1498: Fear

Things took an unexpected turn!

Liu Li stared blankly at Qin Sang. Her previous negative thoughts vanished instantly, and her gaze regained its determination. Her lips parted slightly.

Qin Sang's expression flickered with a hint of surprise. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard Yin Changsheng's furious roar.

"A spirit treasure!"

"Where did you get a spirit treasure?!"

Yin Changsheng's sharp scream echoed from behind the storm.

"Damn you!"

"You deserve to die!"

"No! I can't kill you yet!"

"I'll refine you into a Blood Servant to help me reach the God Transformation stage!"

Another failed attempt seemed to have completely enraged Yin Changsheng.

Yin Changsheng was in a frenzy, his words somewhat incoherent, and his voice piercingly shrill, making those who heard it tremble. It was hard to imagine this was the formidable Grand Cultivator who commanded respect across the North Sea, the dignified leader of a sect.

Yin Changsheng's expression became even more contorted, his eyes gleaming with intense murderous intent, like swords ready to pierce Qin Sang. Then, he burst into maniacal laughter.

"Haha... so what if you have a spirit treasure? Let's see how many times you can use it!"

After the intense battle, Qin Sang's true essence was already greatly depleted. After unleashing another attack from the Sun Divine Tree, he had very little left.

His face was pale, and his body felt hollow, a condition Yin Changsheng quickly perceived.

"What else can you use to stop me now?"

Yin Changsheng roared with laughter. His cultivation far surpassed Qin Sang's, and the Hanging Sword Pagoda was his life-bound artifact, so he wouldn't exhaust himself so easily.

*Clang, clang, clang...*

The Hanging Sword vibrated violently.

The bell chimes reappeared, equally clear but more rapid than before.

The energy storm had not yet subsided, and chaos reigned throughout the cave. Thick layers of ice on the stone walls and ground cracked and crumbled into powder.

Only the Bloodbath Pool remained calm, its crimson contents completely still.

*Whoosh!*

Yin Changsheng struck again.

Accompanied by a roar, the Hanging Sword Pagoda pierced through the energy storm, then unleashed another identical ray of light.

He was employing the same tactic.

With his absolute power, there was no need for any flashy maneuvers.

Qin Sang's aura was chaotic due to his immense expenditure of true essence, and his eyes were unusually grave. Yet, his expression showed none of the despair Yin Changsheng had hoped to see.

At that moment, Qin Sang swept his hand across his waist.

*Whoosh!*

A phantom figure flickered into existence.

It was his outer avatar!

The outer avatar's expression was stiff, showing no fear even when facing the terrifying Hanging Sword Pagoda. Its eyeballs shifted, settling on the Sun Divine Tree, and it unhesitatingly took the artifact from the main body's hand.

*Whoosh!*

True essence surged wildly, half of it instantly devoured by the Sun Divine Tree.

The other three divine birds flapped their wings and soared.

Meanwhile, at the calyx from which the three divine birds had just departed, the boundless aura of the Southern Bright Dispersing Fire was rapidly condensing, and a new Sun Divine Bird would soon be reborn.

A familiar scene replayed itself.

*Boom!*

The lingering chaotic currents were swallowed by the new surge, forming an even larger and more destructive energy storm.

The cave, having been repeatedly ravaged by the terrifying storms, felt as if it were on the verge of collapse.

"An outer avatar?"

Yin Changsheng's face was filled with astonishment.

It wasn't entirely unexpected for a Nascent Soul cultivator to forge an outer avatar. What surprised him was that Qin Sang actually possessed an avatar with a cultivation level identical to his main body.

He had once practiced this secret art, but he couldn't achieve this level; it was more like a hindrance. Later, during tribulation avoidance, he had to streamline his practices, discard impurities, and consequently abandoned it.

Had it been the Old Devil of Chaos, he would already be his prisoner.

Yin Changsheng could never have imagined that Qin Sang, a mere mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, would be more troublesome than a Grand Cultivator, pushing him to such an extreme!

"A mere avatar, how many times can it block me?"

Yin Changsheng was furious.

Using his life-bound artifact twice and still failing to subdue Qin Sang was adding insult to injury for Yin Changsheng. He didn't realize that his tone was now imbued with an overwhelming madness.

*Clang, clang, clang...*

The identical bell chimes echoed through the cave, even more rapid, and... chaotic.

*Whoosh!*

The colorful light, like a rainbow lightning bolt, accompanied by Yin Changsheng's roar or mad laughter (it was hard to tell which), pierced through the energy storm and struck at extreme speed, its power not diminished in the slightest.

The three Sun Divine Birds soared forth once more.

*Boom!*

No trace of the vast, white cold air could be seen anymore.

Inside the stone cave, all that was visible to the naked eye were streaks of brilliant, crimson-tinged chaotic currents, sweeping across everything with astonishing destructive power.

Within these chaotic currents were two swirling centers, continuously gushing forth.

Although the outer avatar had once again successfully withstood the Hanging Sword Pagoda's attack, it was now completely exhausted. Its body trembled, its aura rapidly withered, and it was unable to fight further.

Qin Sang's expression changed drastically, a look of terror appearing on his face. Without hesitation, he abandoned both his outer avatar and Liu Li, whom he held in his arms, not even bothering with his artifacts. He then controlled his sword and shot towards the sky, seemingly making a final, desperate escape.

A husband and wife are like birds of the same forest, scattering when disaster strikes.

"Haha..."

Yin Changsheng laughed maniacally. After so many twists and turns, he finally achieved his goal. Yin Changsheng's state of mind had experienced such wild fluctuations that he was utterly ecstatic, unable to control himself. His original voice was almost indistinguishable within his laughter.

"Get back here!"

*Whoosh!*

The Hanging Sword Pagoda suddenly appeared overhead and plunged downwards.

Faced with the Hanging Sword Pagoda, the Seven Souls Killing Array only resisted for a moment before being broken. The Golden Sinking Sword let out a mournful cry and was immediately sent flying by the immense force.

Qin Sang was exposed before the Hanging Sword Pagoda, utterly defenseless.

However, Yin Changsheng's aim was not to kill, but to capture Qin Sang alive and refine him into a Blood Servant.

Just then, the fear in Qin Sang's eyes vanished, replaced by a sharp glint.

A sudden change occurred!

The Sun Divine Tree, which had fallen to the ground, suddenly stood upright. The newly reborn Sun Divine Bird flapped its wings and darted towards Yin Changsheng's main body.

Both Qin Sang and his avatar were exhausted, so it seemed the artifact was protecting its master on its own, which was extremely peculiar.

Little did they know, the true essence consumed this time belonged to Liu Li!

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Liu Li, who was inherently resolute, made a decisive choice. She voluntarily released the imprint within her body, willingly accepting servitude to become Qin Sang's Profound Maiden. Now completely under Qin Sang's control, her true essence could even be used by him.

However, this was not Qin Sang's own cultivated true essence after all, so other artifacts naturally couldn't be used in this manner.

Yet, Qin Sang's method of controlling the Sun Divine Tree was inherently simple and crude, barely qualifying as a proper command. Through Liu Li, he was astonishingly able to barely unleash the Sun Divine Bird.

*Whoosh!*

The Sun Divine Bird was as swift as lightning.

Yin Changsheng's face showed an expression of horror. His excited smile hadn't yet faded, but it was now terribly distorted, making him appear even more deranged, no different from a fiend.

"You dare!"

Yin Changsheng shrieked, ignoring Qin Sang, and frantically recalled the Hanging Sword Pagoda.

*Whoosh!*

*Whoosh!*

The colorful light and the Sun Divine Bird appeared almost simultaneously near the ice coffin.

*Boom!*

An extremely brilliant storm erupted once more, throwing the cave into absolute chaos.

Qin Sang stared intently at the center of the cave.

Just then.

From the center of the explosion, a non-human roar suddenly emanated, filled with overwhelming murderous intent, like a demonic sound from the netherworld.

"You all... deserve to die!"

Yin Changsheng had not fallen!

But he had already succumbed to demonic influence.

Before his words had even faded.

*Crackle!*

A bolt of lightning, without the slightest warning, descended from above, illuminating the cave.

Unlike ordinary lightning, it carried the might of the Heavenly Dao!

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly lightly settled on Qin Sang's shoulder, its delicate wings gently folding, electric threads flickering on their surface.

"Heavenly Tribulation!"

Yin Changsheng's frenzied shouts abruptly ceased, his voice filled with extreme terror, as if he had beheld the very object of his instinctive dread.