Chapter 170: The Poisonous Snake in the Dark

Amidst the surging waves of water energy, an unusually slender venomous needle rose and fell with the currents. The needle itself was a luminous green, but being extremely tiny, it was very inconspicuous, hidden by the vast water energy.

The violent spiritual water energy seemed intent on destroying everything. The Soul-Devouring Cone exploded right in front of Baiyun Shanren, its terrifying power making him feel the threat of death. In extreme panic, he recalled the Heaven-Trapping Pouch, which had been resisting the malevolent corpse.

At that very moment, the malevolent corpse coincidentally swiped a claw, striking the Heaven-Trapping Pouch.

*Rip!* Suddenly caught between the Soul-Devouring Cone and the malevolent corpse, the Heaven-Trapping Pouch trembled violently. A visible tear appeared, its spiritual light dispersed, and this top-grade magical artifact was thus destroyed.

Although most of it was neutralized by the Heaven-Trapping Pouch, the remaining water energy still possessed considerable power. Giving Baiyun Shanren no chance to dodge, it engulfed him.

Baiyun Shanren let out a muffled groan, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth; his injuries appeared severe. He hastily summoned several defensive magical artifacts to protect himself and retreated frantically.

However, he didn't notice that the moment the Heaven-Trapping Pouch was damaged, the venomous needle flashed past, easily piercing through his protective spiritual energy and deeply embedding itself in his abdomen.

Baiyun Shanren only felt a slight sting in his abdomen. Before he could see what it was, a sense of paralysis suddenly spread throughout his body, and potent snake venom erupted within him!

This venomous needle was added at Qin Sang's suggestion to Shopkeeper Wu; it contained ninety percent of the venom from the snake demon's two fangs.

Adding the venomous needle to the Soul-Devouring Cone wasn't just a matter of a few extra steps; it was a complex undertaking that required changing the entire refining process of the magical artifact.

Shopkeeper Wu initially thought the chances of success were slim. Qin Sang promised that if the refining failed and the spiritual materials were destroyed, he wouldn't seek compensation. Moreover, after observing the Chi Dragon Sword, Shopkeeper Wu had gained many new insights, significantly improving his refining skills, which was why he dared to accept the task. After days of diligent research, he actually succeeded, much to the delight of both men.

The Soul-Devouring Cone's explosion was already powerful, but with the addition of an inconspicuous venomous needle, it became even more insidious. Baiyun Shanren indeed fell victim to it.

Seeing the venomous needle successfully achieve its purpose, Qin Sang's expression brightened, and he secretly put away the Profound Yin Lightning.

The Profound Yin Lightning was originally meant to be a backup in case Baiyun Shanren didn't take the bait; now, it was naturally no longer needed.

That snake demon was a great demon of the Spirit Demon stage, and its snake venom was not to be underestimated. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator was poisoned by it, even if they didn't die immediately, it would cause immense trouble.

Being poisoned only further aggravated Baiyun Shanren's condition. He discovered with horror that not only was his body starting to become paralyzed, but even the remaining spiritual energy within him began to slow down.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

While Baiyun Shanren was being ambushed by Qin Sang, the malevolent corpse nearby chose not to pursue him. It sensed the power of the Soul-Devouring Cone's explosion and dared not advance further. Instead, it turned around and charged towards Qin Sang.

Just then, with several swooshing sounds, six Ten Directions Yama Banners flew out from Qin Sang's hand. They transformed into jet-black banners and plunged directly into the ground. The Ten Directions Yama Grand Array unfolded, its banners unfurling as black energy billowed and ghostly threads drifted out, completely surrounding Baiyun Shanren and the malevolent corpse.

While luring Baiyun Shanren earlier, Qin Sang had been constantly pondering a way to escape. Killing Baiyun Shanren didn't mean the end; he would still have to face the malevolent corpse alone. Only by dealing with the malevolent corpse and breaking the restrictions on the Black Iron Gate could he truly escape danger.

Therefore, while distracting Baiyun Shanren, Qin Sang had been simultaneously preparing the Ten Directions Yama Array, intending to catch both Baiyun Shanren and the malevolent corpse in one fell swoop.

Strike while the iron is hot.

Taking advantage of Baiyun Shanren's predicament, Qin Sang unhesitatingly fully activated the Ten Directions Yama Array. Amidst the pitch-black Yin energy, countless ghostly threads coiled, seizing the opportunity to surge wildly into Baiyun Shanren's body.

The ghostly threads directly scorched his spirit, inflicting a pain beyond what an ordinary person could endure.

"Ah!" Heart-wrenching screams echoed throughout the hall. Baiyun Shanren's primal spirit was damaged, his entire body covered in wounds. With disheveled hair, his facial features twisted into a ferocious expression, he screamed wildly, his voice hoarse and inhuman, utterly wretched.

Qin Sang watched coldly, his eyes betraying no emotion. Just then, a hint of surprise appeared on his face as he turned his gaze towards the malevolent corpse.

These ghostly threads, capable of harming cultivators' spirits, should have been ineffective against the malevolent corpse.

Unexpectedly, when the malevolent corpse encountered the ghostly threads, it roared repeatedly, seemingly enduring immense pain, and furiously charged towards the outside of the Ten Directions Yama Array, greatly surprising Qin Sang.

Qin Sang frowned slightly. With a flick of his finger, the Five Elements Breaking Law Sword swiftly entered the array, piercing straight through Baiyun Shanren's chest and instantly killing him. Then, without even glancing at Baiyun Shanren's corpse, he changed the formation of the Ten Directions Yama Array. The black energy transformed into ghostly beasts, which fiercely clashed with the malevolent corpse.

The malevolent corpse was trapped by the grand array. The pervasive ghostly threads left it no place to hide, rendering its elusive escape techniques useless. It could only engage in hand-to-hand combat with the ghostly beasts.

The ghostly beasts were at a disadvantage, unable to harm the malevolent corpse, and wouldn't be able to hold it back for long.

Qin Sang stood outside the array, urging the Five Elements Breaking Law Sword to rapidly attack a few times, but the results were equally limited. Strangely, he hadn't used the Ebony Sword at all.

At this moment, Qin Sang turned his head to glance at the stone path behind him. The path was deep, and a faint rumbling sound echoed from it, indicating that the Earth Fiend Qi had not yet reached its limits.

And they were first entangled by the malevolent corpse, then Baiyun Shanren harbored sinister intentions and ambushed Wu Yuesheng, which wasted a considerable amount of time. It was likely that the Earth Fiend Qi would soon catch up.

A hint of worry and impatience appeared on Qin Sang's face. He turned around, gazing at the malevolent corpse in silent contemplation. After some thought, he suddenly took out the lightning-struck spiritual wood from his mustard seed pouch and sat down cross-legged.

The lightning-struck spiritual wood contained the power of divine lightning, making it a natural bane for evil entities. When combined with the Guishui Yin Lightning Charm, its power would increase severalfold.

Qin Sang held the lightning-struck spiritual wood, pointing it at the malevolent corpse. He muttered incantations, seemingly concentrating on preparing a spell.

Soon, the spell was complete. The lightning power within the lightning-struck spiritual wood was drawn out, and a supremely potent ball of lightning energy slowly formed in front of Qin Sang. Thunder rumbled, mingling with the malevolent corpse's roars.

In the great hall, skeletons, ancient corpses by the iron gate, malevolent spirits, the malevolent corpse, demonic banners, ghostly arrays, and three fresh corpses created an eerie, demonic domain. The blood flowing from beneath Wu Yuesheng's body also seemed to shimmer with a strange luster.

*CRACKLE!* Amidst the thunder, an arm-thick bolt of lightning struck the malevolent corpse with great force. The dazzling electrical light instantly illuminated the dark hall as bright as day.

The moment the lightning appeared, a small spiritual sword quietly emerged in the pool of blood beneath Wu Yuesheng's corpse. It was actually Wu Yuesheng's Natal Spiritual Sword!

The spiritual sword quietly aimed at Qin Sang's undefended back, moving from stillness, it flashed and was gone.

Terrifying sword energy!