Chapter 169: Induced Killing

"Though Young Daoist Qin is youthful, he is more cautious than an old hand. To make my act convincing, I did not hesitate to damage my Dantian and seal my spiritual power, yet none of it escaped your notice. You are far superior to that fool."

Baiyun Shanren looked at Wu Yuesheng, who lay in a pool of blood, his face showing clear disdain. Qin Sang merely cast a sidelong glance, his expression unwavering, offering no comment on Baiyun Shanren's words.

The moment the anomaly occurred, he recalled his Five Elements Breaking Sword.

At that moment, Qin Sang, concealed within the vibrant sword aura, spoke with an unreadable tone: "Daoist Baiyun certainly knows how to choose a location. To strike now, are you not afraid of being entangled by the fiend corpse and dying here together?"

Baiyun Shanren chuckled softly, his eyes openly betraying his greed as he looked at Qin Sang. "They are mere dead things. This is a rare and excellent place to eliminate evidence... Both of you Daoists hail from esteemed sects. Once I have your treasures, why would I, an old man, fear this mindless creature?"

Before his words had fully faded, the previously benevolent Baiyun Shanren's expression abruptly turned savage. He raised a hand and pointed at Qin Sang, and with a whoosh, the Sky Trapping Pouch shot forward. The wind formation, now enveloping the fiend corpse, instantly shifted several feet. This revealed the true power of the Sky Trapping Pouch; the wind formation was no longer fragile and shaky as it had appeared before.

"Daoist Qin, you can entertain the fiend corpse for a while!"

Baiyun Shanren sneered, and with a slight mental command, the Sky Trapping Pouch vibrated violently. A gap suddenly opened in the wind formation in Qin Sang's direction, and the fiend corpse broke free once more.

The Sky Trapping Pouch, meanwhile, rotated its opening, aiming squarely at Qin Sang from afar.

While the fiend corpse had indeed developed some intelligence, it was not yet cunning like a demon. The moment it escaped its predicament, it would instinctively attack the first enemy it perceived. This was precisely how Baiyun Shanren had manipulated the fiend corpse to ambush Wu Yuesheng moments earlier, and it had proven effective.

In Baiyun Shanren's estimation, Qin Sang would be ensnared by the fiend corpse. All he needed to do was avoid attracting the corpse's attention, and then manipulate the Sky Trapping Pouch to impede Qin Sang a few times, thereby effortlessly securing his victory.

Unexpectedly, the situation did not unfold according to his expectations.

As soon as the Sky Trapping Pouch stirred, Qin Sang himself flew out from the protection of the Five Elements Breaking Sword and swiftly darted in an unexpected direction. Rather than seizing the initiative to counter-attack Baiyun Shanren, his target was surprisingly the skeleton in the corner of the main hall.

Qin Sang didn't believe a word of Baiyun Shanren's deceit. As a rogue cultivator, Baiyun Shanren had not only survived to this day but also successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage and gained a minor reputation among cultivators. He was undoubtedly a very shrewd individual.

Only with absolute certainty or the promise of immense profit would he be tempted to ambush two Foundation Establishment cultivators from Shaohua Mountain.

Baiyun Shanren wasn't even aware of what treasures the two possessed. This temptation was clearly insufficient for him to take such a desperate risk, as a single failure would result in irreversible ruin.

Therefore, the most conspicuous object in the main hall was the skeleton in the corner. The silver ancient token of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, the black pouch, and the cracked iron stake all seemed ordinary, yet at least one of them had to be an exceptional item.

Previously, when they had gathered and analyzed the situation, only Baiyun Shanren among the four present had claimed any knowledge of the Heavenly Corpse Sect. It now appeared he must have concealed a great deal then, as ancient texts on the Heavenly Corpse Sect surely wouldn't have been as brief as he suggested.

Witnessing Qin Sang's actions, Baiyun Shanren's expression subtly shifted. Though greatly surprised that Qin Sang had seen through his intentions, he wasn't overly panicked. He immediately activated the Sky Trapping Pouch to intercept Qin Sang.

Simultaneously, he dropped all pretense, immediately employing his movement technique and rushing towards the skeleton himself.

To avoid arousing the suspicion of Qin Sang and Wu Yuesheng, he had deliberately refrained from showing interest in the skeleton. Yet, he had been slowly nearing it, whether consciously or unconsciously. At this moment, he was significantly closer to the skeleton than Qin Sang.

Unexpectedly, at that very moment, something happened that utterly astonished Baiyun Shanren.

After bursting out of the wind formation, the fiend corpse astonishingly ignored Qin Sang, who was directly in front of it. It abruptly turned around, its savage, blood-red eyes locking onto Baiyun Shanren, and the next moment, its form vanished from its spot.

Baiyun Shanren's heart jolted, and his face paled dramatically. He couldn't comprehend why the fiend corpse had made such an illogical move, but clearly, there was no time to ponder.

The fiend corpse's escape technique was eerie, and its speed far surpassed his own movement.

Although Baiyun Shanren was confident in his ability to suppress the fiend corpse, he dared not allow it to get close. Apart from the Sky Trapping Pouch, his other few inferior defensive artifacts were utterly insufficient. Left with no alternative, Baiyun Shanren had to abandon his attempt to block Qin Sang and hastily recalled the Sky Trapping Pouch.

'Thud!'

With a muffled thud, the fiend corpse arrived in an instant, its spectral form materializing beside Baiyun Shanren.

The Sky Trapping Pouch narrowly flew back, intercepting the fiend corpse's surprise attack.

Baiyun Shanren, however, inevitably sustained a powerful impact. His body jolted violently, and his speed immediately plummeted. He hastily turned his head to look at Qin Sang, only to see Qin Sang, seemingly oblivious to the fiend corpse's unusual movements, ignoring him entirely and instead charging headlong towards the skeleton, appearing on the verge of claiming the treasure.

Witnessing this, Baiyun Shanren's heart lost all trace of ease, replaced by overwhelming anxiety. He hastily drew a wooden staff artifact and hurled it viciously at Qin Sang's back. Simultaneously, his spiritual power coalesced into a massive hand, reaching for the skeleton and its treasures, intending to disrupt Qin Sang.

The flustered Baiyun Shanren failed to notice that, as he frantically vied for the treasure, a phantom figure quietly materialized behind him—another Qin Sang!

At that moment, Qin Sang held two items: the Soul-Devouring Cone and the Profound Yin Thunder!

After so many rounds of engaging with the fiend corpse, Qin Sang had thoroughly understood its true nature.

What dictated the fiend corpse's actions and targets was not what it saw with its eyes, but rather the aura it perceived, born from its primal instincts. What most fueled its desire for slaughter was the vital essence of living beings!

Under the cover of the Five Elements Breaking Sword, Qin Sang quietly concealed himself using the Cloud Descent Wings and the Spirit Evasion Art. While it was impossible to perpetually evade the fiend corpse's senses, his intention was merely to cause the fiend corpse to shift its target, which was sufficient.

With the more conspicuous Baiyun Shanren behind him, it was obvious whom the fiend corpse would choose to attack.

As for the other 'Qin Sang,' it was merely a clone he had created using the Body Shifting Spell.

Under normal circumstances, such a simple clone trick would naturally not have deceived Baiyun Shanren. However, with the sudden shift in the situation, Baiyun Shanren under surprise attack from the fiend corpse, and his mind fixated on the ancient treasure, he was in no state to carefully discern.

'Thwack!'

The wooden staff artifact struck 'Qin Sang' squarely in the back, causing the illusion to shatter instantly. Simultaneously, the spiritual energy hand met no resistance and seized the treasures.

Upon seeing this, Baiyun Shanren's face showed no hint of joy; instead, it was filled with profound horror and fear. He spun around abruptly!

'Boom!'

The Soul-Devouring Cone exploded.

Intense blue light engulfed Baiyun Shanren's vision.

The extraordinarily violent water elemental power, surging like a roaring mountain and a crashing tsunami, enveloped Baiyun Shanren.