Chapter 161: Wu Yuesheng

Several quick strikes landed successively on the malevolent corpse.

The malevolent energy couldn't replenish quickly enough, and the healing speed of its wounds drastically slowed. Although the malevolent corpse's physical defense was formidable and its wounds were not yet large, it was steadily losing ground and was inevitably doomed to be slain.

The malevolent corpse tried to counterattack, but Qin Sang, of course, wouldn't give it a chance to struggle. He immediately activated his Five-Element Law-Breaking Sword with full power, sending several sword lights to strike the same spot successively. It took him some time to finally kill the malevolent corpse.

With a crash, the malevolent corpse fell to the ground, the Earth Fiend Qi on its body dispersing with a roar. A foul stench assailed his nostrils.

Qin Sang frowned slightly and quickly moved far away. He watched as the malevolent corpse's massive body shriveled at a visible rate. To his surprise, it eventually transformed into the corpse of a middle-aged cultivator.

The man was gaunt, his face covered in a greenish-black hue, but his features were clearly visible. He only remained for a short time before completely decaying, eventually turning into a pile of black ash.

Qin Sang waved his hand, scattering the ashes. Seeing nothing inside, he then quickly moved to the heavy black iron door and extended his spiritual sense to examine the restrictions on it.

The restrictions on the heavy black iron door were trickier than those on the previous stone door. However, they weren't too difficult to break. He quickly found the weakness in the restrictions, and his Five-Element Law-Breaking Sword repeatedly stabbed at the black cloud beneath the ancient corpse's portrait.

Bang! The black cloud shattered, and the heavy black iron door violently trembled as a burst of black energy exploded outwards.

A grating, teeth-grinding sound echoed as the heavy black iron door, where the black cloud had been, slowly opened a crack. Qin Sang channeled his spiritual energy and pushed open an opening just wide enough for one person to pass through. He flashed inside.

Behind the grand hall, there was another branching path, splitting into five stone passages. The number was significantly less than before, and they clearly sloped downwards. If the subsequent terrain was similar, the spiderweb-like cave system would eventually converge at a certain point.

Qin Sang could now mostly confirm that this cavern was the mountain gate of a demonic sect proficient in corpse refining. For unknown reasons, perhaps having provoked a powerful enemy, not only were all its disciples slain, but its mountain gate was also sealed with restrictions, completely vanishing from the cultivation world.

The place where all the stone passages finally converged must be the core stronghold of this demonic sect!

After passing through the heavy black iron door, Qin Sang clearly felt the spiritual energy was several times denser than outside. These stone passages were much more regular than the previous ones, having been finely polished. On both sides of the passages, at regular intervals, there were stone chambers. The chambers were wide open, and most were empty.

There were similar stone chambers in the previous passages as well. Qin Sang had seen several skeletons inside them, guessing they might have been cultivation caves for the demonic sect's disciples.

From this, it was clear that the deeper one ventured into the cave system, the denser the spiritual energy, and the higher the quality of the cultivation caves.

Disciples who could cultivate here held a higher status than those in the outer areas. Further inside, a short distance away, should be the cultivation caves of Foundation Establishment stage disciples, right?

Qin Sang did not linger long after the heavy black iron door. He took a casual glance, then, without hesitation, activated his Falling Cloud Wings to conceal himself in the shadows. At the same time, he performed a hand seal for the Spirit Concealment Art to mask his aura and swiftly moved into one of the stone passages.

Not long after entering, Qin Sang made an unexpected move.

He suddenly turned and stared in the direction of the heavy black iron door. After a moment of thought, he quietly retreated a certain distance. As he approached the heavy black iron door, he slipped into a stone chamber and lay in ambush.

The stone passage was dark and silent. There was not a single sound.

Qin Sang seemed to have turned into a statue, standing motionless at the entrance of the stone chamber. His eyes constantly fixed on the intersection, as if the imminent Earth Fiend Qi didn't exist.

A hundred breaths passed like this. The stone passage remained as desolate as ever, and even this short time felt incredibly long. The doubt on Qin Sang's face grew deeper, and his heart began to waver. He secretly wondered, "Did I perceive it wrongly?"

Just then, a faint gasp suddenly echoed from the dark intersection. The sound was very subtle, but to Qin Sang's ears, it was like a clap of thunder.

Qin Sang's expression turned stern. He pushed his Falling Cloud Wings and Spirit Concealment Art to their limits and stared intently in the direction of the sound.

He saw the space behind the heavy black iron door twist. A moment later, the silhouette of a person appeared.

Upon seeing this person, a sharp glint flashed in Qin Sang's eyes.

Wu Yuesheng!

A moment ago, in the grand hall, just as Qin Sang was trying to test the malevolent corpse's abilities to better prepare for later encounters, he suddenly felt a subtle fluctuation, as if someone had intruded. Although it was fleeting, he still caught it.

Fully activating the Five-Element Law-Breaking Sword spell required drawing upon the spiritual energy of the space. Coupled with his strong spiritual sense, this allowed him to detect even the slightest changes in his surroundings.

Qin Sang remained calm and immediately changed his plan. He deliberately took out his blood saber and engaged the malevolent corpse in close combat, so that he could justifiably activate the Heavenly Star Tear for protection. Then, while fighting the malevolent corpse, he secretly investigated, but found nothing. Everything in the hall was normal, and the previous fluctuation seemed like an illusion.

However, in this eerie cavern and cave system, Qin Sang couldn't truly dismiss it as an illusion.

He was in the open, while the enemy was concealed.

He didn't know if the one hidden in the dark was human or ghost, or how strong they were. Qin Sang dared not rashly alert the other party, so he secretly remained vigilant. Pretending everything was normal, he opened the heavy black iron door, and only then did he make these subsequent moves.

Qin Sang wasn't sure if this would force the other party out.

He was only doing it to protect himself. If the other party didn't reappear, and they went their separate ways, he would accept it.

At this moment, seeing that the person in the shadows was actually Wu Yuesheng, Qin Sang wasn't too surprised. He had noticed Wu Yuesheng's unique aura-concealment technique before the Yin Wind Barrier.

What made Qin Sang vigilant was why Wu Yuesheng, upon seeing him, chose not to join forces, but instead lurked in the shadows, peeking?

Behind him, the Earth Fiend Qi hung like a sword over his neck; in front, the malevolent corpse blocked the way. Dangers were everywhere.

Joining forces to overcome the difficulties was the best option.

Even if he wanted to seize the opportunity to observe Qin Sang's strength, he should have revealed himself after Qin Sang killed the malevolent corpse and was breaking the heavy black iron door's restrictions.

Wu Yuesheng had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage earlier than him. His apparent strength was greater; it was impossible for him to be afraid of Qin Sang.

His thoughts raced. Qin Sang secretly observed Wu Yuesheng.

Wu Yuesheng stood at the intersection, looking at the five diverging paths ahead. An expression of surprise on his face, he murmured, "Junior Brother Qin is truly cautious. None of these five paths have any trace of aura. Which one did he take?"

After a moment of contemplation, Wu Yuesheng shook his head and casually selected a stone passage. Just as he was about to step inside, he suddenly remembered something. He raised his hand and abruptly pointed into the void. A fireball appeared out of nowhere, then expanded at an astonishing rate, exploding with a bang after reaching its limit.

Wisps of flame, like spirits, immediately drifted in all directions at an alarming speed, instantly filling the surrounding space.

Qin Sang had been vigilant all along. The moment Wu Yuesheng made a move, he decisively retreated violently backward, barely managing to avoid the flames' detection.

Seeing everything was normal, Wu Yuesheng gave a self-deprecating smile and vanished into that stone passage.