Chapter 1606: Back View

"What is this?"

Qin Sang followed Jiang You into the back hall of the outpost. On the ground, he saw a wooden stand as tall as two people, with a copper gong hanging from its crossbeam.

There were three such gongs.

Without anyone shaking them, the gongs swayed on their own, emitting a faint yellow glow.

Qin Sang looked around and sensed the subtle movement of spiritual energy from a nearby formation, with a portion of it converging on the gongs.

"This treasure is called the Seven Tone Gong. It's a special Buddhist artifact that the Hall Master acquired at great expense after the incident at the last Treasure Exchange."

Jiang You drew a '卍' symbol in the air and flicked it towards a gong. It flashed and disappeared into the yellow light. The gong hummed, then suddenly became still, its light receding, but its connection to the spiritual formation grew even more obscure.

"With a corresponding formation laid out nearby, this artifact is extremely sensitive to spiritual energy. It's to prevent malicious individuals at the auction and Treasure Exchange, and it's especially sensitive to demonic energy."

Qin Sang nodded in understanding, secretly chuckling at how Six States Hall was like someone bitten by a snake, fearing a well rope for ten years.

Having demonic creatures infiltrate the Treasure Exchange last time caused Six States Hall to lose face and become a laughingstock. If it happened again, they would truly become a joke.

Qin Sang wasn't in charge of the hall's daily affairs; he only needed to appear at the auction and Treasure Exchange.

After seeing Jiang You off, Qin Sang stayed in his cave for a while, then rose and left the Six States Hall branch, idly wandering through Rainbow City.

The first major auction was scheduled for the morning after tomorrow, divided into two sessions: one for Core Formation cultivators and another for Nascent Soul cultivators. The auction for low-level cultivators had already begun days ago in the southern city and had no limit on sessions.

Nascent Soul cultivators entering Rainbow City were all invited, and Qin Sang was no exception.

No item list had been released yet, but the sheer wealth of Golden Jade Gate filled everyone with great anticipation.

Rainbow City was bustling with people.

Unconsciously, Qin Sang walked towards the main peak.

Nascent Soul Grandmasters, rarely seen in the past, were encountered by Qin Sang several times shortly after he ascended the main peak. There were also a few cultivators whose auras were obscure, suspected to be above the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

Rainbow City was full of hidden masters. Rashly activating one's spiritual sense to probe could easily cause misunderstandings.

Qin Sang pretended to be sightseeing, not interacting with anyone, walking slowly until he reached the summit of the main peak, where he leaned on the railing and looked out.

The main peak was the center of all the peaks north of the river. To the west, it overlooked countless mountains; to the east, it faced the vast ocean, making all other mountains seem small.

At the peak's summit stood a nine-story building, constructed of gold and jade, towering above everything else, exuding extreme luxury. It was called the Golden Jade Pavilion.

Undoubtedly, the Golden Jade Pavilion was a property of Golden Jade Gate, and the major auction would be held there the day after tomorrow.

Qin Sang had little contact with Golden Jade Gate, but from various past rumors and his current firsthand impression, he always felt it didn't resemble an immortal sect. It seemed to care more about pomp and circumstance than even a merchant guild like Six States Hall.

Perhaps it was due to Golden Jade Gate's unique heritage.

Cultivation methods could alter a cultivator's temperament, thereby influencing the atmosphere of an entire sect.

Qin Sang passed by the Golden Jade Pavilion, glancing at it but having no intention of entering. Just as he was about to head in another direction, his brows subtly, almost imperceptibly, furrowed.

Just now, a probing gaze seemed to have fallen upon him.

Qin Sang's spiritual sense had greatly improved, and his intuition was sharp. He knew it was definitely not an illusion. This gaze was different from others; the other party was very focused on him!

He quickly took in the scene around the Golden Jade Pavilion.

To the right of the Golden Jade Pavilion, a Nascent Soul female cultivator walked towards him, arm-in-arm with a handsome young man.

The young man was only at the Core Formation mid-stage and seemed unaware of the female cultivator's true cultivation. His demeanor was frivolous and casual, and the female cultivator was very cooperative, charming and adorable, looking at the young man with admiring eyes.

Qin Sang could see the deep coldness in the female cultivator's eyes and recalled some rumors about the Demon Sect's Fuxi Valley. If the young man couldn't realize the danger in time, his fate probably wouldn't be good.

From inside the Golden Jade Pavilion emerged a Daoist, whose attire indicated he was a senior from Jingchan Mountain Villa. He glanced at the female cultivator but didn't interfere, his movements peculiar, blending into the crowd and disappearing.

Two flights of stairs down, there was a pair of Nascent Soul Daoist companions, whispering intimately.

Images of cultivators flashed through Qin Sang's mind, being eliminated one by one.

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly was also silently operating its divine abilities.

Everything was normal; there was nothing unusual!

"An illusion?"

Qin Sang didn't believe his intuition was wrong, but that person had indeed disappeared, or perhaps their disguise was so excellent that even he couldn't see through it.

His stride unchanged, he calmly walked past the Golden Jade Pavilion, explored the other peaks, and finally returned to the Six States Hall outpost. It was already nightfall, and that feeling never reappeared.

Qin Sang stopped thinking about it and began sorting through his Qianjun Ring.

Only one Spirit-Suppressing Incense remained. The two crocodile demon skeletons should fetch a good price. The formula for the Spirit-Suppressing Incense could also be sold, but valuable resources should be used wisely.

Based on his observations, even in the rich Central Continent, it was extremely difficult to gather all the spiritual materials for the Spirit-Suppressing Incense.

Those who could afford the price and were capable of refining the Spirit-Suppressing Incense were few and far between.

Qin Sang planned to wait until he had the energy to first gather the rarest spiritual materials, then consider selling the formula.

Moonlight, like a veil.

Qin Sang looked at the quiet courtyard outside the window, calculating silently.

Suddenly, a gong sound broke the silence!

'Dong!'

The three gongs chimed in unison.

The gong's clear sound was audible throughout the entire outpost.

The Seven Tone Gong!

Qin Sang's expression changed slightly, and he rose abruptly, appearing above the small courtyard the next moment.

At the same time, figures rushed out from all directions. The Six States Hall experts were startled awake, and everyone's gaze collectively turned towards the back hall of Six States Hall.

That was where Six States Hall's treasury was located, personally guarded by Vice Hall Master Jiang You!

From the back hall, a yellow light shot into the sky, and the gong sounds became urgent.

A white shadow silently appeared in the yellow light, fluttering like a swan, like a ghost.

A thunderous roar suddenly came from the back hall from Vice Hall Master Jiang You, "Stop him!"

At the same time, panicked shouts erupted from inside.

"Oh no! The Heavenly Vault has been opened!"

"The restrictions have been broken..."

The Heavenly Vault, Six States Hall's number one treasury, had been quietly infiltrated. The intruder was only discovered when the Seven Tone Gong sounded the alarm.

'Swish!'

The white shadow's movement technique was extraordinarily profound. With a flash, it escaped into the void outside the mountain.

Jiang You only then rushed out from the back hall, transparent threads clinging to his body, his Daoist robe torn in many places, his figure disheveled. He had clearly been held back by the opponent's divine ability.

Jiang You was furious and ashamed. Seeing the white shadow escape, he quickly looked towards Qin Sang's cave. Seeing no one there, he felt a sense of relief and quickly called out, "Chase! Go assist Elder Qin!"

Leaving Jiang Mu and most of the personnel to guard the treasury, Jiang You led the others in hot pursuit.

The commotion here alarmed cultivators from nearby peaks. Some curious individuals secretly followed.

Golden Jade Gate's patrolling cultivators also noticed the anomaly and quickly activated their jade talismans to contact their sect's experts, urging their spirit beasts beneath them to gather here.

At the very front.

Although the white shadow's escape technique was exquisite, shaking off Qin Sang was a fool's dream. Not long after rushing out of Rainbow City, Qin Sang caught up.

"Where are you going!"

Qin Sang roared.

A sword arc leaped out of the Qianjun Ring. The Golden Sinking Sword, swift as a shooting star, suddenly erupted with a thousand-zhang sword light. A river of sword energy tore through the air, descending directly.

The white shadow seemed to glance back at Qin Sang. Facing the sword light above, it flicked its sleeve. Without seeing any magical treasure being used, a fierce wind raged in the void. Streaks of visible gray wind gathered into a ball, instantly transforming into a vast, murky, eerie wind, covering the sky and earth.

'Boom!'

The river of sword energy ruthlessly plunged into the eerie wind, like a red-hot iron, breaking through with irresistible force. Brilliant sword light flashed within the eerie wind. The eerie wind boiled, and streaks of gray wind frantically rushed towards the sword light, transforming into substantial chains that continuously wrapped around it layer by layer.

"Late Nascent Soul!"

Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly, only then able to determine the opponent's cultivation.

While Six States Hall's treasury contained many treasures, priceless artifacts that could tempt a great cultivator would not be stored here.

It seemed somewhat absurd for a great cultivator to condescend to steal these few treasures and get caught in the act.

"The treasures our hall brought to Rainbow City were originally meant for auction. If fellow Daoist has a need, you only need to mention it, and it would be fine to give them to you for free. Why go to such trouble!"

Qin Sang shouted loudly.

For a mere few treasures, to befriend a great cultivator, he believed Hall Master Mu had the courage for that.

"What I want, I always take directly!"

The white shadow sneered.

The final laugh was somewhat distorted, because Qin Sang, seeing that the sword light failed to stop the white shadow, changed his sword art. The Golden Sinking Sword disappeared from the air, and the void became dim and murky, enveloping the eerie wind instead.

As soon as the Seven Souls Killing Array appeared, the eerie wind lost its target, wildly dancing like headless flies within the sword array, disintegrating under the sword threads' strangulation, dissipating in large swathes.

The sword threads suddenly flared, instantly strangling the last wisp of eerie wind. Just before the white shadow could escape, they covered this space, barely enclosing the white shadow within.

Qin Sang, taking a moment, glanced behind him.

This commotion had become quite large.

Besides Jiang You and the others, many other streaks of light flew together, illuminating the night outside Rainbow City, far behind them.

Qin Sang noticed several golden streaks of light among them, moving quite fast. These were the unique escape techniques of Golden Jade Gate. He secretly nodded, waiting for them.

With someone causing trouble in Rainbow City, Golden Jade Gate had an undeniable responsibility.

Qin Sang's action was merely fulfilling his duty as an honorary elder. He didn't want to fight to the death with a great cultivator for Six States Hall. Delaying the opponent and waiting for reinforcements to arrive was already a tremendous effort.

Furthermore, Qin Sang remembered the feeling of being spied on during the day.

That very night, a great cultivator infiltrated Six States Hall.

Was it a coincidence?

Qin Sang ordered the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to secretly guard the surroundings but found no anomalies for now.

"Your sword array is decent, but it's a pity you use it so poorly! Your swordsmanship is still not up to par!"

The white shadow, trapped in the sword array, showed no signs of panic. Instead, it let out a sneer, beginning to mock him.

Before Qin Sang could respond, a 'whoosh whoosh whoosh' sound of tearing air echoed within the sword array. Transparent threads shot out from the white shadow's body, identical to those clinging to Jiang You.

The white shadow had clearly not used its full strength against Jiang You.

The threads wove a peculiar sight around the white shadow: countless threads merged together, forming a lake suspended in mid-air.

The lake water was clear, just like a real lake.

'Splash!'

The water surface bulged, and a giant made of water climbed out of the lake. Its empty eyes stared at the countless sword threads. It roared to the sky, raised its arm, suddenly twisted its body, and swung a heavy fist, smashing it fiercely into the sword array!

The force of the punch was like thunder.

Instantly, the sword array vibrated, and chaos abruptly ensued.

Qin Sang's expression was grave. He quickly formed a hand seal, and the sword threads frantically contracted inward, compressing the sword array's power to mend the flaw caused by the punch.

The white shadow, however, had already seized the opportunity. It suddenly appeared above the water giant's head, rushing upward. Facing the strangling sword threads, it calmly pointed to another part of the sword array and said lightly, "This array shall be used by me!"

That was precisely the spot where the water giant had struck. The sword array's power had not yet recovered, and the sword threads were in disarray.

As soon as these words were spoken, Qin Sang was horrified to discover that these sword threads had completely broken free from his control, their connection severed. Although it wasn't the entire sword array, only that specific area, it was still a fatal flaw.

Even more astonishingly, with a flick of the white shadow's finger, those very sword threads were controlled by the white shadow and turned against their "companions."

The Seven Souls Killing Array fractured internally, and the sword threads began to fight each other.

The white shadow looked calm and collected.

"Full of flaws!"

The white shadow's sneering voice reached Qin Sang's ears.

Qin Sang was speechless, unable to retort.

After his sword array reached mastery, enemies trapped within it had always only been able to fend off attacks. This was the first time it had been broken by such an eerie method.

The water giant had a discernible trace, but Qin Sang simply couldn't tell what kind of divine ability the white shadow had ultimately employed.

It was unheard of!

'Whoosh!'

The white shadow rushed out of the sword array, completely unharmed.

Unexpectedly, it did not choose to continue fleeing. Instead, it turned around and stood in the void, staring at Qin Sang.

Qin Sang was momentarily stunned, then sensed something was wrong, thinking, "Not good!" His phoenix wings fanned rapidly behind him, transforming him into a bolt of lightning, instantly moving a thousand zhang away.

No sooner had he escaped than the white shadow appeared in his previous position.

Qin Sang had experienced such a scene once when fighting the Green-furred Rat Demon, but the white shadow's movements were more concealed and effortless, making them difficult to guard against.

'Roar!'

The water giant roared wildly.

It punched through the sword threads, one after another, with astonishing force.

The white shadow could only control the sword threads briefly.

Qin Sang forcefully regained control of the sword array, trapping the water giant, then focused on dealing with the white shadow. A black lotus flashed between his eyebrows, and the Demonic Flame Dragon reappeared, charging directly towards the void to Qin Sang's left.

With a 'boom,' there was a tremor.

Subtle ripples appeared in the void, revealing the white shadow's form. Struck by the demonic flame, the entire figure shattered like a mirror, then was swept away by the demonic flame and completely obliterated.

The white shadow attempted to use the same trick again but was exploited by Qin Sang.

However, Qin Sang's face showed no joy. The white shadow's divine abilities were too strange; it was impossible for him to kill it so easily.

His face full of vigilance, he scanned the surroundings.

The next moment, the small mountain below violently shook, and a massive footprint appeared out of thin air. The white shadow materialized above the footprint, its figure swaying slightly, then drifted back more than ten zhang, standing steadily, robes fluttering.

It had actually used some kind of divine ability to dissipate the force of the demonic flame's impact.

The small mountain suffered. The stones at its peak were crushed by the footprint, and the entire mountaintop cracked open from the footprint's center, a fissure extending straight to the base of the mountain, with spring water gushing up.

The two exchanged blows twice, all in an instant.

It seemed as if neither had gained an advantage, but Qin Sang knew the opponent's terrifying power. He was forced to use demonic flame but could only adopt a defensive stance, and thoughts of retreating began to emerge.

The white shadow stood still, glancing behind it.

The pursuers were approaching.

It seemed unwilling to continue entanglement with Qin Sang. It ceased attacking, raised a hand, and formed a hand seal. The water giant, which had been fighting the sword array, stiffened and melted into a puddle of water.

Then, the white shadow's facial features flickered and gradually became clear. It was a beautiful woman in palace attire.

The beautiful woman scrutinized Qin Sang from head to toe, staring at the jade pendant on his waist.

"You have some skill. No wonder you could pass through the storm and come from the North Sea."