Chapter 1562: Senluo Withered Prison

The ground was riddled with cracks. Qin Sang charged wildly like a rampaging bull. After this battle, this area would likely collapse completely.

The strange-faced man and Qin Sang engaged in a cat-and-mouse chase, while the gray-robed man lagged behind. Several attempts to injure Qin Sang with his poison arts proved futile, so he focused solely on controlling the five-colored venomous spider, pursuing closely to help the strange-faced man track Qin Sang's movements. Wherever Qin Sang passed, saber energy crisscrossed, and snow fell like a deluge. Palm-sized snowflakes swirled around him, and vines surged from all directions. The seemingly light snowflakes effortlessly sliced through countless vines. However, this only offered temporary relief, and his predicament remained unchanged.

To Qin Sang's surprise, the strange-faced man merely pursued him relentlessly, without using more powerful supernatural abilities or magical treasures to block or kill him. This man's mastery of the Wood Element path was extraordinarily profound, unlike anything Qin Sang had ever witnessed. Even with just these simple attacks using his wooden bead, Qin Sang had to exert himself fully to counter them. Yet, the wooden bead's power was limited; the pressure it exerted on Qin Sang was far less than that from Yin Changsheng's Hanging Sword Tower. Throughout this chase, the strange-faced man had not deployed any pseudo-spiritual treasures.

However, the strange-faced man's jade beetle had instantly crippled Lu Zhang. If cultivated to full maturity, it would likely be more terrifying than an average pseudo-spiritual treasure. Qin Sang wondered if cultivators in Zhongzhou all practiced secret arts similar to the "Essence Sacrifice Art." Refining one's natal magical treasure into a pseudo-spiritual treasure, and gradually increasing its power, required cultivators to expend time and effort, yielding slow results. This process would inevitably encroach upon time dedicated to cultivation and practicing other supernatural abilities. Especially grand cultivators who had recently broken through to the late Nascent Soul stage had many things to do and might not be willing to dedicate time to this. Perhaps the strange-faced man had given up other pursuits to cultivate the jade beetle. Qin Sang's thoughts raced as he analyzed his opponent based on the information he had gathered. Since the strange-faced man wasn't aggressive, Qin Sang didn't mind engaging in a prolonged struggle, waiting for Lu Zhang to recover.

During his escape, Qin Sang tried various methods, cycling through all the supernatural abilities he had learned throughout his life, most of which were related to the path of ice. Behind Qin Sang, ice explosions, ice walls, and ice mirrors appeared dazzlingly, forming layers of roadblocks. At the same time, Qin Sang maneuvered deftly, frequently changing direction and summoning his Dark Ice Phantoms to try and mislead his opponent. But Qin Sang soon discovered that everything he did was futile. No matter what he tried, the strange-faced man could always accurately track his movements, yet Qin Sang himself felt no divine sense locking onto him. This detail made Qin Sang realize that before they found the stone toad, their opponent must have been tracking them for a long time, yet he and Lu Zhang had been completely unaware. All signs indicated that his opponent had a way to monitor them from a distance and possessed keen sensory abilities even within the miasma. If that were the case, trying to escape by using the miasma would likely backfire!

*Boom!*

The ice wall collapsed. The strange-faced man appeared behind him, riding a wave of vines. Whether intentional or not, he maintained a steady distance from Qin Sang, unhurried, as if toying with his prey and enjoying its desperate expression as it approached its doom. Qin Sang remained calm and composed, secretly observing the strange-faced man, but he could discern no clues. A layer of green light surrounded the strange-faced man, repelling the poisonous miasma, indicating that while he had cultivated a Gu King, he might not be proficient in poison arts himself.

"Could it be the other fellow?" A thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind: the gray-robed man. During the struggle for the stone toad, he had clashed with the gray-robed man, who seemed more like a cultivator specialized in poison arts. Qin Sang also recalled that when the light from the Treasure-Colored Bell shone on the gray-robed man, it seemed to reveal a five-colored venomous spider. Like the jade beetle, this venomous spider was beyond his knowledge, and very likely artificially cultivated. Amidst the chaos, Qin Sang spared a wisp of his attention to observe the gray-robed man behind the vine wave.

Just then, Qin Sang suddenly saw the strange-faced man make an odd gesture. He slightly closed his eyes, and a brilliant green light erupted from his palm. The wooden bead gradually turned transparent, then transformed into a mass of dense green light, which instantly shattered into countless luminous specks, scattering outwards. Witnessing this, Qin Sang's heart skipped a beat, and a strong sense of alarm rose within him. These green light specks floated down, easily penetrating the earth and stone they touched, then disappearing.

The next moment, the surroundings seemed to respond to some call, and the entire ground began to tremble violently. Qin Sang found himself at the epicenter of the tremors. Immediately after, cracking sounds came from all directions. Countless sounds merged, flooding into Qin Sang's ears like a tide.

*Rumble…*

Qin Sang watched as vines pierced through the stone walls, tearing them to shreds. They could no longer be called mere vines; they were thick, python-like lianas, like the dense root system of ancient trees thousands of years old. One after another, stone walls collapsed before him, revealing a shocking sight. The ground beneath had been hollowed out, and countless vines had grown there at some unknown time, completely sealing off Qin Sang's surroundings without leaving any gaps, making Qin Sang and his Snow-Treading Divine Saber appear so fragile. The strange-faced man had been setting up this trap, and now, at this moment, he unleashed it. His throat moved, and the strange-faced man uttered a low sound: "Myriad Dry Prison!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the vines abruptly stopped growing. Even those about to entangle Qin Sang froze eerily in place, their surfaces rapidly losing luster and becoming withered. All the vines simultaneously lost their vitality. Though the previous sight was terrifying, it was full of life. Now, death energy permeated the air. The transformation between life and death was chilling. As the word 'Prison' echoed, all the vines vanished as if a dream, perhaps never truly existing. What remained were only wisps of black aura, imbued with the scent of decay. Grayish-white auras merged, forming a black vortex above Qin Sang, spinning faster and faster as it rapidly descended.

Upon contact with this aura, Qin Sang's protective saber energy was astonishingly dyed black. Flakes of snow turned black, then silently melted, withering like the vines. Qin Sang's eyelids twitched. He commanded his Snow-Treading Divine Saber, unleashing a full-power saber energy. The saber energy cut through the air, piercing into the vortex, but it was corroded as it went deeper, eventually succumbing to the black aura and vanishing completely. The black vortex trembled and continued to approach. Qin Sang waved his hand above his head, and his Profound Qi transformed into a colossal hand, grasping the vortex. He clenched his fingers tightly, but with a "bang," the Profound Qi was also dispersed.

The strange-faced man's figure appeared above. The vine wave had vanished, and he stood mid-air, looking down from a commanding position. Only the black vortex was visible to the naked eye; Qin Sang's figure was obscured, appearing to have exhausted all his tricks. The gray-robed man caught up, a smirk playing on his lips, not sparing words of flattery: "With Master's Dry Prison unleashed, this man is surely dead!" However, the strange-faced man's brows suddenly furrowed. Immediately after, a strange roar, unlike any human sound, came from beneath the vortex. The black aura vortex suddenly vibrated, becoming sluggish. A crack astonishingly appeared at its center, and a beam of pure blue cold light pierced through the fissure. Below, a colossal creature faintly revealed itself—it was a Teng Snake.

"Roar!" The Teng Snake raised its head, opened its gaping maw, a mass of cold flame already brewing in its throat, which it violently spat out amidst a roar. The strange-faced man's eyes finally changed. He hastily extended his deformed right hand, making a grabbing motion towards the vortex. Green light specks vaguely emerged at the center of the vortex, just about to re-form into a bead, when the cold flame violently collided with it. The crack not only didn't shrink but instead rapidly expanded, with more cracks spreading out, instantly transforming into a sea of intertwined blue and black light. The cold flame, with unstoppable force, not only shattered the Myriad Dry Prison but also maintained its powerful momentum. Waves surged at the center of the light sea, and a blue column of fire shot out. The Teng Snake's true form burst forth from the void, opening its fangs and claws, pouncing towards the enemy. Its extreme coldness far surpassed that of the Snow-Treading Divine Saber. At that moment, both the strange-faced man and his disciple had the illusion that their blood had frozen.

The strange-faced man bore the brunt of the attack. With no time to re-form his wooden bead, he abruptly pulled back his right arm, and then a piece of rough, bark-like wooden armor flew out from his chest. The wooden armor flashed and disappeared. Simultaneously, faint ripples appeared in the surrounding void, subtly glowing green, and then the phantom of a towering ancient tree manifested. The strange-faced man was perfectly protected at the very center of the ancient tree. As the tree phantom materialized, the Teng Snake attacked, its long tail swiftly lashing out, enveloped in a sky-full of cold flames, violently striking the ancient tree.

*Thwack!*

The strange-faced man's body trembled violently, and he rapidly flew backward. The tree phantom shook violently, and the wooden armor flickered in and out of sight. The wooden armor was clearly an extraordinary treasure; the seemingly fragile tree phantom possessed powerful defensive capabilities, nearly toppling but not breaking.

Below, the Four-Phase Teng Snake Seal floated before Qin Sang, one of the Teng Snakes on its button missing. Qin Sang looked up at the sky. He was forced to use his spiritual treasure to counterattack. Though it was a surprise move, it wasn't the optimal moment. Knowing this attack wouldn't gravely wound the strange-faced man, Qin Sang's expression subtly changed, and his hand seals shifted. The Teng Snake roared, surprisingly abandoning its pursuit of the strange-faced man and turning its head to charge at the gray-robed man. The gray-robed man met the Teng Snake's bell-like gigantic eyes, a chill running down his spine, his face paling with fright. Fortunately, his master had blocked the initial attack. The gray-robed man shook his venomous whip, wrapped it around himself, and fully activated his poison arts, forming a five-colored barrier. The Teng Snake arrived immediately.

*Boom!*

The barrier disintegrated. The gray-robed man fared even worse, groaning as he and his magical treasure were sent flying by the Teng Snake's impact, spitting blood and looking severely weakened. Just then, Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly, focusing on a spot in the void. Under the impact of the battle's fluctuations, the five-colored venomous spider, hidden in the miasma, finally exposed its aura. Qin Sang made another decision, and the Teng Snake changed direction once more, directly pouncing on the five-colored venomous spider. Seeing this, the gray-robed man was about to let out a sigh of relief when a horrified expression appeared on his face again. The five-colored venomous spider was a Gu beast cultivated with his life's work. His cultivation had been forcibly enhanced by his master using secret arts. After that, he focused entirely on assisting his master in refining the Gu King, with almost no opportunity to cultivate other supernatural abilities or magical treasures. When dealing with ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, it wasn't an issue, but against Qin Sang, who could counter his poison arts, he had no effective methods, despite his cultivation. If the five-colored venomous spider were destroyed, he would effectively be half-crippled. Based on the gray-robed man's performance, Qin Sang seized this opportunity. Furthermore, having deduced that his opponent was tracking him through the five-colored venomous spider, he unhesitatingly shifted his target to it.

In his horror, the gray-robed man hastily bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood mist. The blood mist merged into the miasma. Transparent threads surprisingly emerged within the miasma. Each thread had one end connected to the five-colored venomous spider and the other extending to an unknown distance. Before materializing, these threads were invisible and insubstantial, extensions of the five-colored venomous spider's power, forming an invisible net. It was through these threads that Qin Sang and Lu Zhang had been monitored earlier.

*Whoosh!*

Just as it was about to be swallowed by the Teng Snake, the five-colored venomous spider embraced itself with its eight claws, its entire body glowing with a glaze-like luster, and it transformed into a mass of venomous liquid, instantly merging into the threads. The next moment, a thread trembled, and the venomous liquid gathered at the other end. The five-colored venomous spider surprisingly reformed itself there. Where the venomous spider had been, the Teng Snake struck empty air. The gray-robed man breathed a sigh of relief, about to rush over and grab it, when a cloud of white energy suddenly appeared before him. A large hand of Profound Qi had already seized the five-colored venomous spider.

*Swish!*

As the Profound Qi hand was about to withdraw, a strong gust of wind struck. The strange-faced man had, at some unknown point, retrieved his wooden bead and launched it directly. This was an enraged strike from the strange-faced man. Though not as grand in scale as "Myriad Dry Prison," the wooden bead's raw power was comparable. The Profound Qi hand vibrated, showing signs of dissipating. Fortunately, the Teng Snake arrived in time, leaping between the Profound Qi hand and the wooden bead, using its physical body to directly withstand the wooden bead's strike. With a "bang," the Teng Snake was knocked down, but showed no apparent injuries on its exterior, continuing to circle Qin Sang, lively and agile. The five-colored venomous spider had, astonishingly, already fallen into Qin Sang's hands, sealed by Dark Ice. Qin Sang toyed with the ice block in his hand, then looked up at his opponent, his face composed. The two stood, one high and one low, confronting each other across the air.

"A spiritual treasure!" The strange-faced man took a deep breath, pressing down on his anxious disciple, and exclaimed repeatedly, "Indeed, an age of chaos is upon us; even spiritual treasures are emerging! I shall see how long your true essence can last!" Qin Sang's lips curved slightly into a cunning smile, "Why should this humble Daoist tangle with you?" Before his words even faded, Qin Sang suddenly released his Meditation Bell. A grand chime echoed from the Meditation Bell, as if passing through myriad mountains, distant and desolate. Then, a burst of green light erupted, transforming into a colossal green bell that enveloped Qin Sang entirely.

Seeing this, the strange-faced man inwardly cursed. His wooden bead and wooden armor merged, and the ancient tree phantom, combined with countless vines, prepared to crush the green bell, but they were unfortunately blocked by the Teng Snake again. In just a moment, amidst the chaos, the Teng Snake vanished into thin air, and the green bell disappeared along with it.

The gray-robed man grew frantic at the sight. Not only had he failed to get the stone toad, but he had also lost his Gu beast. He rushed down, but to his surprise, the strange-faced man remained motionless.

"Master!" The gray-robed man cried out urgently, but saw his master remain silent, only looking down at his left hand. He paused slightly, then shifted his gaze, instantly gasping in a cold breath. No wonder his master's left hand had been clenched tightly, and he hadn't used the jade beetle. There was astonishingly a bloody hole in the palm of his left hand. The jade beetle was voraciously gnawing at the flesh, with bone already visible to the naked eye. As if sensing the gaze, the jade beetle lifted its small head, its eyes revealing a bloodthirsty glint. A layer of green glow covered the jade beetle. The strange-faced man was trying his best to suppress it, but with limited success.

"It is indeed an evil creature. Before reaching maturity, it is extremely prone to backfiring. I just didn't expect that even I would almost fail to suppress it. Using this item to kill the enemy in a moment of impulse was indeed a bit overconfident."