Chapter 1824: Sword Breaks Spiritual Insight

The Mortal Realm

The green-clad woman was leading her demon soldiers to retrieve the Five Elements Crown. Her back was to the palace gate, leaving her completely exposed.

Here, their only enemy was Xia Hou. For Xia Hou to breach their formation, she would first have to break through the demon fox avatar's seal and then overcome the Azure Fox Saint King.

They were entirely focused on defending against Xia Hou and hadn't anticipated any uninvited guests.

Furthermore, retrieving the Five Elements Crown was inherently difficult; any slip-up could trigger a backlash from its artifact spirit. The green-clad woman had to fully concentrate on controlling the demonic formation, and just as success was within reach, her vigilance naturally wavered slightly.

At that very moment, Teng She arrived, bringing with it an overwhelming chill!

Four Teng She writhed menacingly, filling the palace with an icy aura. The entire palace turned stark white, as if frozen solid!

The Nine Nether Demonic Flames transformed into a fiery streak, arriving simultaneously with the cold air.

Teng She attacked from above, the Nine Nether Demonic Flames from below. Ignoring Xia Hou and bypassing the Azure Fox Saint King, they struck directly at the green-clad woman.

Both attacks were incredibly fast, but another streak of light was even faster.

It was a bolt of lightning, moving with unimaginable speed.

Seeing Teng She and the demonic flames, the Azure Fox Saint King was astonished.

The Four-Coil Teng She Seal, the Nine Nether Demonic Flames... long-dormant memories resurfaced. After the battle at the Immortal Sect of No Form, she had thoroughly investigated Qin Sang's background.

The spirit treasures, the divine abilities—so similar, it couldn't be a coincidence!

When that bolt of lightning entered her sight, her expression changed completely.

Before this, she had never witnessed anyone capable of such incredible escape speed.

Even Xia Hou, powerful as she was, couldn't match it!

With a breakthrough in the 'Heavenly Demon Refinement' technique and the transformation of his Azure Luan avatar, Qin Sang, if he fully unleashed the Azure Luan's primal lightning power and executed his lightning escape technique at this moment, could rank among the top cultivators of both races in the late-stage Soul Transformation realm.

The moment that bolt of lightning appeared, it neared the demonic formation. In an instant, as it drew closer, the lightning dispersed, revealing a peculiar figure.

The figure was covered in green fur and exuded a poisonous aura. Through gaps in the fur, one could see rough, bark-like skin. It resembled a humanoid monster, or perhaps an ancient tree overgrown with moss, yet it bore a pair of beautiful, magnificent phoenix wings on its back.

The phoenix wings weren't fully spread, and the lightning escape earlier was merely the result of a single flap!

Qin Sang gazed at the green-clad woman's back, his body not pausing for a moment. With his flesh and blood body, he slammed fiercely into the demonic formation!

He had arrived a step ahead of the two demons. After receiving a warning from Mo Xingdao, he noticed the anomaly with the Five Elements Crown and guessed some of the Azure Fox Saint King's schemes. He then withdrew from the palace and waited outside, conserving his strength.

He had originally intended to wait for the two demons to fight, and then profit from their mutual destruction.

Unexpectedly, Xia Hou had hidden her strength so deeply that she instantly reversed the tide of battle. The Azure Fox Saint King was even more decisive, immediately withdrawing.

Seeing that the Azure Fox Saint King had the upper hand and the Five Elements Crown was about to be taken by her, while Xia Hou was not yet free and might not be able to stop her, Qin Sang had no choice but to act.

‘Boom!’

Qin Sang, like a humanoid beast, his vital energy surging, his body a heavy hammer, slammed into the formation alone.

This impact came not only from his spirit wood body but also incorporated the power of the Buddhist Seal.

In an instant, the ritual altar violently shook, and the demon soldiers collectively stumbled forward, spitting blood and screaming continuously.

The fine net enclosing the Five Elements Crown immediately shattered.

The demon soldiers had been warned by the green-clad woman and knew the formidable power of the Five Elements Crown, so they dared not relax their guard. However, they hadn't expected the attack to come from behind, and so suddenly.

‘Crack!’

Only now did the thunderous crack resound, echoing through the palace, deafening everyone.

The demonic formation fell into disarray.

Teng She arrived!

The four Teng She soared above the demonic formation, looking down upon it. Their eight glowing, malevolent eyes simultaneously locked onto the green-clad woman.

‘Roar!’

The Teng She roared in unison, opening their cavernous mouths, from which dazzling blue light burst forth.

Four incredibly condensed balls of frigid flames, like four eerie blue suns, descended from above, bringing with them an infinite chill!

The Four-Coil Teng She Seal was a true spirit treasure. Although Qin Sang didn't cultivate the Grand Dao of Ice, which somewhat hindered its full power, it was still far beyond ordinary pseudo-spirit treasures.

In terms of the artifact's inherent power alone, the Gray Oriole Sword was certainly no match for the Four-Coil Teng She Seal. Qin Sang didn't use it often simply because it wasn't as convenient as his sword arts.

Once the spirit treasure was unleashed, its fierce power became evident.

‘Whoosh!’

In an instant, the spot where the green-clad woman stood was engulfed by the frigid flames.

Amidst the eerie blue, the frigid flames churned, emitting 'cracking' sounds, as if to freeze the green-clad woman into an ice sculpture.

At that moment, the green-clad woman felt a terrifying chill.

The biting cold pierced her bones, invading her entire body, as if her flesh, and even her primordial spirit, would be frozen.

Even at this point, the green-clad woman hadn't even seen her attacker's face, and didn't know who it was.

Only one thought remained in her mind: the enemy was too terrifying. She had to fight with all her might for her benefactor to have a chance to save her.

The green-clad woman's expression contorted into a grimace. Fine scales, shimmering with a green luster, appeared on her neck. She desperately resisted the biting cold and the frigid flames, struggling to charge forward.

But Qin Sang gave her no chance to resist. The Nine Nether Demonic Flames followed Teng She closely, a fiery streak like an arrow aimed at the green-clad woman's back. While she was fighting the frigid flames, it pierced straight through.

‘Thump!’

The green-clad woman coughed up blood, her face turning pale. She felt an intense pain erupting in her chest.

‘Boom!’

The demonic flames surged, and the green-clad woman instantly became a ball of fire.

The demonic flames and frigid flames almost merged, engulfing the green-clad woman.

Whether from the fierce impact of the cold or the searing of her primordial spirit by the demonic flames, she felt a moment of daze in her crisis. Quickly, she gritted her teeth, her body twisting like a snake, becoming unusually supple. Before she could make any further move, she suddenly felt a tightening around her neck.

Qin Sang had appeared behind the green-clad woman at some unknown point, his right arm plunging directly into the flames. His hand, like a vice, gripped the green-clad woman's neck.

‘CRACK!’

Bones shattered.

A destructive force surged into the green-clad woman's body, erasing all her vitality.

Amidst a flickering of light and shadow, the corpse in Qin Sang's hand transformed into a green snake, its eyes lifeless, its breath gone!

The Nine Nether Demonic Flames originated from the Fire Lotus and were controlled by his primordial spirit.

Spiritual energy controlled the Four-Coil Teng She Seal.

Combined with Qin Sang's own physical cultivation, comparable to a mid-stage Soul Transformation cultivator,

the power of his simultaneous cultivation of primordial spirit, spiritual energy, and physical body was on full display. The three forces unleashed together instantly slew the green-clad woman!

‘Whoosh!’

A burst of demonic flames erupted from the demon snake's body, its impact transforming the surroundings into a sea of fire. The remaining flames were still astonishingly powerful, killing countless demon soldiers.

Even if some demon soldiers survived by using the demonic formation for protection, they were severely wounded. Mo Xingdao, with hatred in his eyes, charged into the formation and began a brutal slaughter.

The real opponent was next. Qin Sang wouldn't waste time on them. With a casual flick, he unleashed the remaining flames and used the opportunity to hand the remaining soldiers over to Mo Xingdao. He then turned his body, looking at the Azure Fox Saint King behind him.

From the moment he appeared until he slew the green-clad woman, less than a breath of time had passed.

The Azure Fox Saint King instinctively moved to save her, but before her attack could even be unleashed, she saw the green snake's corpse.

She met Qin Sang's gaze and saw the cold smile that spread across his lips. There was no hatred or mockery in his eyes, only indifference, as if he were looking at a dead person.

The impression of that gaze was etched in her mind.

Darkness descended.

The Azure Fox Saint King felt as if she had been stripped away from the palace. The Five Elements Crown, the well platform, the palace itself, and even the roar of the black dragon, the sound of Xia Hou breaking the formation, and the howling of the chaotic currents—all vanished.

Complete silence enveloped her, and an endless loneliness washed over her.

Only starlight illuminated the darkness. She felt herself pulled into the boundless void, with nothing to support her above, below, or to her sides.

“It's him after all!”

How could the Azure Fox Saint King not know of the Immortal Sect of No Form's renowned Seven Mansions Sword Array?

On Mount Di Shou, when she had attacked Qin Sang, she had already seen that he was adept at using the Seven Mansions Sword Array.

When she had investigated Qin Sang's background, she had tried to find this sword array within the Golden Aspect Hall's legacy, but found nothing.

He was actually here!

How did he achieve Soul Transformation? How did he come to this world? And when did he conspire with Mo Xingdao?

The Azure Fox Saint King had no time to ponder these questions, for she knew that the greatest crisis of her life was upon her.

She had used almost all her strength to deal with Xia Hou, and now her three avatars were still forming an array to trap Xia Hou.

She had risen from a common demon fox to the peak of power, step by step. She relied not only on strategy and ruthlessness but also on keen insight and precise timing.

Precisely because of this, she understood how devious Qin Sang's chosen timing was, and how merciless his attack.

Qin Sang instantly killed the snake demon, disrupted the demonic formation, completely severing her ability to use external power. Then he pulled her into the sword array, preventing her from turning back to Xia Hou.

At this moment, she was isolated and helpless.

However, Xia Hou's escape was only a matter of moments. The Azure Fox Saint King didn't believe Qin Sang would abandon such a precious treasure due to hatred, willingly letting Xia Hou take the Five Elements Crown.

Mo Xingdao was almost half-crippled, only able to slaughter the demon soldiers, and utterly incapable of retrieving the Five Elements Crown. She still had a chance!

A fierce glint flashed in the Azure Fox Saint King's eyes.

Countless sword-stars flickered across the sky.

All seven mansions burst forth with dazzling starlight, especially their leading stars, which shone the brightest.

The seven leading stars grew increasingly bright, and then illusory human figures emerged from them.

All seven figures were Qin Sang, his seven sword souls. They gazed at the Azure Fox Saint King beneath the starry sky, their eyes somewhat vacant, but the endless killing intent emanating from their sword souls was impossible to ignore.

Seeing the seven sword souls, the Azure Fox Saint King grew increasingly uneasy.

Qin Sang being able to set up a complete sword array by himself was beyond her expectations, but it wasn't the source of her unease.

The Seven Mansions Sword Array could seal off heaven and earth, serving as a trapping formation.

If Qin Sang merely wanted to trap her, he should have concealed the seven sword souls within the sword-stars, making it exceedingly difficult to break the array.

Yet now, the seven sword souls had openly revealed themselves.

The seven sword souls simultaneously formed sword seals, and all the sword-stars immediately burst forth with brilliant starlight.

The Gray Oriole Sword's true body, hidden within the sword array, seemed to sense its master's killing intent and resonated with a metallic hum.

The night sky became as bright as day!

Between the constellations, starlight converged, and the seven mansions resembled seven colossal, magnificent swords, unleashing astonishing sword intent.

The sword intent locked onto the Azure Fox Saint King, and stars suddenly descended.

‘Swish!’

The Azure Fox Saint King's pupils constricted. In her eyes, the myriad stars vanished, leaving only seven divine swords.

No, wait. At the center of the seven divine swords, there was yet another sword!

That sword contained the power of the seven divine swords, serving as the core of the entire sword array. Endless starlight was drawn to this sword, and an earth-shattering tiger's roar emanated from it.

In an instant, the starlight twisted, truly transforming into a white tiger, descending with unparalleled ferocity!

At the same time, a bolt of lightning, no less brilliant than the starlight, tore through the void and rushed into the great array.

Qin Sang, his green fur fluttering, rapidly approached. His astonishing aura, combined with the white tiger's malevolence, locked onto the Azure Fox Saint King, his killing intent completely undisguised.

Her mind reeling, the Azure Fox Saint King hastily threw up a silver ring.

The ring of light vibrated slightly, rising as a stream of light to meet the ferocious white tiger. The moment it touched the white tiger's ferocity, the ring of light suddenly expanded, actually encasing the white tiger within it.

The Azure Fox Saint King continuously formed hand seals, her breath rapid, her face suddenly devoid of color. The ring of light immediately tightened, coiling around the white tiger's neck.

She was clearly intent on delaying the ferocious white tiger at any cost.

Since Qin Sang intended to kill her, there had to be a flaw in the sword array. As long as she could block this fatal blow and escape the sword array, she might still have a glimmer of hope.

At the same time, the Azure Fox Saint King shifted, revealing her true Azure Fox demon form.

The Azure Fox's body size was not much different from an ordinary fox, petite and delicate, inexplicably evoking a sense of pity.

She raised her fox head high, uttering unintelligible incantations, and a white light appeared between her brows.

Within the white light was a fox emblem.

The emblem detached from the Azure Fox and flew up, like a bright moon. Within the moon, a demon fox could be clearly seen.

Simultaneously, the Azure Fox sent out a ball of warm jade, which was actually soft jade, fluid as water. It melted into the bright moon and was immediately absorbed by the demon fox within.

That demon fox instantly transformed into a blood fox, exuding an astonishing ferocity. With a single step, its body swelled, and it let out a sharp hiss, rushing towards Qin Sang like a blood-red sword.

At the same time, the Azure Fox's eyes fixated on Qin Sang, her enchanting eyes radiating an intense charm.

Her charm technique had failed against Qin Sang before, but that was when his avatar had acted.

Now it was her main body, unleashing her full power without reservation. If she could charm Qin Sang for even an instant, she could escape, or even turn the tide of battle in her favor!

However, Qin Sang's gaze remained indifferent, completely calm and unaffected.

The next moment, an even more astonishing sight appeared before the Azure Fox.

As the blood fox approached, Qin Sang neither dodged nor retreated. A faint, clear, and pure treasure light suddenly appeared on his body.

Under the illumination of the treasure light, even his green fur seemed to become transparent, transparent inside and out, clear as glazed jade.

The Vajra Glazed Body!

Qin Sang's eyes were like crystal, showing no ripple of emotion. His speed, instead of decreasing, increased, and he charged straight towards the blood fox, gently raising his right arm and striking with a palm.

‘Smack!’

Directly hitting the blood fox's face.

The glazed treasure light gathered in his palm, with subtle ripples appearing. An incredibly potent force burst forth, resembling a seal yet not a seal, or rather, a fusion of all seals, no longer bound by their individual forms.

Under the Azure Fox's shocked gaze, the blood fox let out a mournful shriek. Its ferocious aura was suppressed by an even mightier presence; it couldn't even pierce Qin Sang's palm. Amidst a roar, it burst apart into a bloody mist, and Qin Sang emerged from the mist!

The lightning instantly closed in.

For the first time, the Azure Fox showed terror. Her entire body's fur danced wildly, connecting via strange threads to form a soft armor, making her final stand.

What awaited her was another simple palm strike.

The Azure Fox's soft armor shattered, and she was sent flying back, spitting blood. Before she could regain her footing, she suddenly felt an infinite killing intent descend upon her, her mind greatly shaken.

The Gray Oriole Sword had appeared above the Azure Fox's head at some unknown point, its seven sword souls forming the Seven Souls Killing Array.

In an instant, the sword struck!

‘Swish!’

Sword lights crisscrossed, and killing intent surged sky-high.

Broken armor pieces scattered like fallen leaves, blood splattered, and the Azure Fox's eyes became rigid. A horrifying wound, almost cleaving her entire body, caused her to fall backward.

Outside the palace.

Amidst the chaotic currents, a flash of green light appeared, revealing an illusory azure fox, which was indeed the Azure Fox Saint King.

Even though she had just faced a near-death crisis and was exceptionally weak at this moment, her eyes remained resolute. She turned to flee without looking back, but a gleam of sword light appeared from nowhere, and an overwhelmingly powerful sword intent suddenly erupted between her brows.

She instantly stiffened, her vitality cut off!

Inside the palace.

Qin Sang slowly turned, and coldly gazed outside the hall.

This sword strike was precisely the sword art he had comprehended from the Shadow-Bearing Sword.

Within a certain range, the sword could lock onto spiritual energy. Anyone who harbored killing intent towards him could be sensed by him. Once his opponents were locked onto by his sword heart, they could not escape, regardless of transfer techniques or shadow transformation, unless they instantly moved beyond his perception.

Based on his understanding of the Azure Fox Saint King, if there was even a sliver of hope, she would cling to it desperately.

Similarly, if death was certain, she would undoubtedly self-detonate, determined to take a piece of her enemy with her in death.

There was still a powerful enemy remaining, so Qin Sang needed to finish quickly, but he didn't want a mutual destruction.

Therefore, Qin Sang deliberately left a flaw when unleashing the Seven Souls Killing Array.

A path to life was also a path to death!

(End of Chapter)