Chapter 1828: Surprised Retreat

## The Human World

It was difficult to gauge Hongyuzi's intentions. Mo Xingdao's true body had died too quickly, so Qin Sang wasn't clear about the outcome of Hongyuzi's battle with the two demons, nor did he know how much strength Hongyuzi still possessed.

Qin Sang was now on the verge of exhaustion. The floral dew within his body was nourishing his true essence, but even if his true essence fully recovered, it wouldn't be enough to salvage the situation. He had slain three demons relying on his physical cultivation; now severely wounded, he was suppressing his injuries solely with the Inner Lion Seal. Qin Sang was confident that even if Hongyuzi's army formation was broken, he would be unable to fight another late-stage Spirit Transformation expert.

As thoughts flashed through his mind, Qin Sang immediately made a decision. He took out several jade bottles, hastily poured the floral dew into his mouth, turned around, spread his hand wide, and continued to press towards the Five Elements Crown. The firelight gradually dimmed, leaving only the Five Elements Crown's ethereal glow in the palace, its five-colored radiance pulsating like a heartbeat.

The aura's fluctuations were incredibly gentle, seemingly harmless, yet Qin Sang's mind remained tightly strained. Mo Xingdao had already passed on the method of controlling the Five Elements Crown to Qin Sang. It wasn't a standard Spirit Treasure Control Art, but rather a simplified Five Elements Restriction derived from the Five Elements Divine Restriction of Emperor's Grant Mountain, which used Five Elements spiritual energy to manipulate the treasure. In essence, this *was* the Five Elements Crown's Spirit Treasure Control Art.

Now, this method of control was clearly no longer suitable. The Five Elements Crown's artifact spirit was more like a chaotic consciousness, devouring itself, sensitive and frenzied, devoid of any reason. Any force attempting to control it would be seen as an enemy and immediately counterattacked. Qin Sang couldn't immediately think of a control method. He could only follow his previous plan: take the treasure first and then figure out a way to control it gradually.

Back then, Saint Huiguang and the other two had to imprison the artifact spirit and take turns wielding it to resist the invasion of demonic thoughts. Qin Sang didn't have this concern. He carefully controlled his spiritual sense to enter the Five Elements Crown, allowing the waves of demonic thoughts to wash over him. The madness within the demonic thoughts was terrifying, causing ordinary people to fear it like a tiger, yet he actively embraced it, completely unafraid of its impact on his mind.

At first, the artifact spirit seemed to sense something, showing subtle signs of agitation. Under the influence of the demonic thoughts, the fluctuations emitted by his wisp of spiritual sense gradually changed, nearing the artifact spirit's aura. The artifact spirit's unusual movements indeed subsided, and its hostility towards Qin Sang's spiritual sense gradually diminished. Taking this opportunity, Qin Sang dispersed that wisp of spiritual sense, silently enveloping the Five Elements Crown to form a thin barrier. This barrier could, to some extent, cut off the artifact spirit's perception of the outside world and confuse its judgment.

The spiritual sense barrier formed. Qin Sang clenched his five fingers, and the Five Elements Crown trembled slightly, about to be drawn up, but the well platform suddenly began to vibrate. The vibration was sudden. Qin Sang's expression changed slightly; he immediately cut off the drawing force and frowned, looking at the well platform. The well platform's vibration almost awakened the artifact spirit.

After staring for a moment, Qin Sang reached for the Five Elements Crown again, his movements much gentler. The Five Elements Crown slowly rose and was smoothly caught in his hand. After placing the Five Elements Crown into his Qianjun Ring, Qin Sang glanced at the well platform again. A strange power enveloped the Five Elements Crown within the well platform. The well platform had pulled it into this place back then, likely due to this power. Fortunately, the well platform's power was currently dormant, and Qin Sang's actions didn't trigger any special reaction.

The situation was critical, and Qin Sang had no time to delve deeper. He took the Five Elements Crown, looked around, and found the antlers that had fallen into a corner of the palace. The antlers were divided into two pieces, one black and one white, like black and white jade, emitting a crystalline luster. They were the only relic left by Xia Hou. Qin Sang retrieved the antlers and saw several cracks on them, where the luster was dull. They had been damaged when the demon core self-detonated.

Holding the antlers in his left hand, a flash of light in his right brought forth the corpses of the fox and the snake. The snake's corpse appeared to be the most intact, while the fox's corpse had gruesome injuries, almost dismembered. Carrying the remains of the three demons, Qin Sang swept his spiritual sense outside the hall, his expression shifting slightly. Then, a point of green light flew before him. It was precisely the green jade bead that Saint King Qinghu had taken out earlier, used in conjunction with his three Dharma Bodies to besiege Xia Hou.

"Is this the spirit treasure you mentioned?" Qin Sang asked Mo Xingdao, who was beside him. He sensed the fluctuations of a spirit treasure from the green jade bead. No wonder Saint King Qinghu could force out Xia Hou's innate divine ability. But because of this, he was held back by Xia Hou and couldn't recall it in time, giving Qin Sang an opportunity.

Mo Xingdao nodded. "This bead might have had hidden damage before. Saint Huiguang helped her refine it. That demon fox relied on this bead for protection many times, and it eventually almost shattered into two halves." Qin Sang rotated the green jade bead and indeed found a faint white mark. Putting away the green jade bead and the Kingfisher, Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then concealed the Phoenix Wings. Without hesitation, he swept out of the palace.

Two black dragons regrouped and attacked. Qin Sang smashed open a path with powerful punches, breaking through like a hot knife through butter. Inside his body, the floral dew was being frantically refined into toxic essence, but Qin Sang knew he couldn't wait any longer. The more he hesitated, the more easily his opponent would see through his outward strength and inner weakness. Moreover, even if he wasn't Hongyuzi's match, Hongyuzi would find it difficult to stop him with just his Lightning Escape!

Above the mirror surface.

Although Hongyuzi was trapped by the Seal-Severing Array, there were no visible external injuries on him. Overlooking the mirror surface, he waved his hand, sending out streaks of yellow wind and smoke. Some brushed over the mirror's surface like a breeze, while others stirred ripples on it. Having just suffered a great loss, Hongyuzi was extremely cautious. The Nine Reversion Pearl remained suspended above his head, ready to strike.

'Bang! Bang! Bang!' The mirror surface rippled repeatedly as Hongyuzi tested its mysteries. His eyes flashed, and he chopped down with his palm, heavily striking the mirror surface. Immediately, the surface shimmered, and a narrow portal was split open. Hongyuzi flicked his sleeve and stepped inside.

Unexpectedly, shortly after entering the mirror surface, he suddenly sensed a powerful aura surging up from the depths of the mirror space, rushing fiercely towards him. The intensity of that aura caused Hongyuzi's expression to change, but it didn't belong to the two demons who had ambushed him earlier. The opponent's aura was formidable. Hongyuzi was surprised. He made a snap decision and immediately retreated.

Then came a thunderous roar as a strange figure burst out of the mirror surface and appeared in his sight. Their eyes met. Hongyuzi gazed at Qin Sang in astonishment and suspicion, seemingly racking his brain to figure out the origin of this strange monster. Except for the absence of Phoenix Wings, Qin Sang's appearance was no different from what Xia Hou had seen—an image even demon cultivators found bizarre.

Then, Hongyuzi's pupils contracted, and his expression suddenly changed, as he saw what was in Qin Sang's hand. He hadn't seen the demon snake before, but judging by the corpse's aura, it must have been a demon marquis-level expert in life. What shocked him even more were the fox corpse and the antlers; the aura emanating from them belonged precisely to the two demons who had ambushed him earlier. The fox corpse's death was gruesome to behold. Although Xia Hou's corpse wasn't seen, and even the antlers were lost and cracked, Xia Hou's fate was easily imagined. Could all three great demon marquises have been slain by this person? Observing this person's aura, it was still incredibly powerful, as if he had expended no effort at all!

Hongyuzi gasped, unable to conceal the shock in his heart. Subconsciously, he retreated several steps to the edge of the mirror. Qin Sang's eyes were emerald green, like deep pools, flickering with fierce light. Under the effect of the Inner Lion Seal, his wounds had already healed. He stared intently at Hongyuzi, breathing slightly heavily, seemingly hesitant, weighing something. Hongyuzi retreated to the very edge of the mirror. The Nine Reversion Pearl shimmered with a precious light, and his face showed vigilance.

Finally, Qin Sang made his decision. He gave Hongyuzi a deep look, then turned and flew towards one end of the mirror. The mirror surface connected to another illusion, which was filled with dark grey smoke and dust. The thick dust obscured the sky and sun, like a realm of grey sand, forming a grey wall. Seeing Qin Sang about to enter the grey sand realm, Hongyuzi hesitated, opened his mouth, "Fellow Daoist..."

'Swoosh!' Qin Sang stopped and abruptly turned around. A ferocious glare erupted from his eyes, piercing like two sharp swords. Hongyuzi couldn't help but pause. With his mental fortitude, he naturally wouldn't be scared by a mere gaze, but this person's battle record was truly terrifying. Even if this person had used some external force, slaying three demons consecutively was something ordinary people could hardly imagine. While he hesitated, Qin Sang stared at Hongyuzi and slowly retreated into the grey sand realm, his figure swallowed by the dust. In the end, Hongyuzi chose not to intercept him.

Cutting off Hongyuzi's perception, Qin Sang immediately turned, summoned his Phoenix Wings, and with a flash of lightning, fully activated his Lightning Escape, soaring away. The mirror space wasn't far from the trap he had set. Qin Sang dared not pause for a moment, passing through illusion after illusion, until he finally returned to the 'Cage Illusion'. The Heaven Eye Butterfly continuously watched behind him, detecting no pursuers. It seemed Hongyuzi had indeed been deterred by his bluster.

Qin Sang breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately sat cross-legged in the central cage. The Inner Lion Seal had reached its limit; the Buddhist seal's power was dissipating, his old injuries instantly worsened, and a sense of weakness permeated his entire body. His injuries were more severe than before. Qin Sang waved his hand and took out more jade bottles, swallowing all the healing elixirs regardless of their type, trying every possible method to heal. This place offered no concealment and was not suitable for a long stay. Suppressing his injuries and restoring his true essence as quickly as possible, Qin Sang then stood up from the cage.

Before deciding to ambush Hongyuzi, Qin Sang had already prepared for retreat, so he returned to the flower field along the predetermined path. Even so, Qin Sang moved very cautiously to avoid encountering Hongyuzi. The journey was smooth. He safely returned to the flower field, activated the grand array, and only then felt truly safe.

Inside the cave dwelling.

The two cultivated in silence. The grand array of the flower field isolated them from the outside world; no matter how much turmoil the battle caused externally, it wouldn't affect them here.

Three months later.

Qin Sang slowly awoke, exhaling a mouthful of murky air. He inwardly examined himself. Due to the Inner Lion Seal exacerbating his injuries and affecting his foundation, he had only recovered 60%, but his foundation was now stable, and the subsequent healing speed would be very fast. After so long, he hadn't yet properly inspected his spoils of war. He glanced at the quiet room. Within his cave dwelling, Mo Xingdao's every move couldn't escape his notice. For so long, Mo Xingdao had also remained motionless, presumably cultivating some profound art.

Retracting his gaze, Qin Sang opened his Qianjun Ring, and several items floated out. The most striking were the green jade bead and the antlers. Qin Sang drew the green jade bead into his hand, and his spiritual sense probed it. Moments later, he showed a look of regret. Spirit treasures required a Spirit Treasure Control Art to manipulate. This treasure had no such art within it. Unless he found someone compatible with it to trade, it would be useless to him.

Secretly sighing in regret, Qin Sang then looked at the antlers. The antlers, having been refined by Xia Hou for many years, though damaged, were still a rare and unusual treasure. To prevent Ghostfang Nation and Hongyuzi from finding clues, the antlers couldn't be exposed to light; it was best to use them himself. Qin Sang mused internally. The Wind-Returning Armor had been destroyed, and he would need to refine a new set of protective spiritual armor in the future. However, the antlers were sharp and exposed, most suitable for refining a lethal weapon. Perhaps they could be used to re-refine his gauntlets. The fox and snake corpses would be handled similarly.

Next were the storage artifacts of the snake demon and Saint King Qinghu. Saint King Qinghu's family fortune wasn't as rich as imagined. Qin Sang recalled what Mo Xingdao had mentioned earlier about his experiences in the Return to the Void. Within the Return to the Void, fierce beasts, disturbed by the demonic sounds of the Heavenly Dao, became ferocious and roamed everywhere, making it far more dangerous than before. The Five Elements Crown alone wasn't enough. Especially that final path of ascension, fraught with peril. Saint Huiguang and Saint King Qinghu destroyed several precious treasures. If it weren't for Mo Xingdao still needing to share the artifact spirit's pressure, his fate would have been far worse than just destroying his life-bound puppet. Qin Sang selected usable spiritual materials from the two demons' relics, which indeed constituted a considerable income.