Chapter 1853: Baku

Mortal Realm

‘Clang!’

The moment the sword light touched the white net, it tightened tautly, letting out a sharp ringing sound. Simultaneously, the edges of the white net began to draw inward, attempting to ensnare the Cloud Roaming Sword.

Billowing white smoke rose, engulfing the sword light and making the Cloud Roaming Sword almost invisible.

The next moment, with a ripping sound.

The smoke instantly dissipated.

The white net, torn in half, spun and flew away. The Cloud Roaming Sword, having cut through the obstruction with a single stroke, shone with a sharp, chilling light.

Accompanied by the whistling hum of the sword, the Cloud Roaming Sword transformed into a rainbow of light. Its momentum was earth-shattering as it swiftly struck towards Marquis Dingxiang!

This strike did not utilize the Seven Souls Killing Array; solely based on Qin Sang's profound understanding of the Way of Slaughter and the Way of the Sword, its power was already beyond ordinary imagination.

Marquis Dingxiang's expression darkened. He hadn't expected the white net to completely block this sword. Having tested the Cloud Roaming Sword's power, his vigilance heightened further, and he unhesitatingly opened his mouth to spit out a ball of white light.

Wrapped within the white light was a jade pot.

The jade pot was quite small, barely fitting in a hand. Its shape was identical to an ordinary teapot, entirely made of pure white jade, flawless and without any impurities or patterns.

The jade pot tilted slightly forward, and as white light flashed from its spout, wisps of smoke began to pour out.

"Shh shh shh..."

The smoke seemed incredibly heavy, producing a soft sifting sound as it poured forth.

The white smoke resembled tea mist, instantly morphing into dozens of astonishing scenes, dazzling the eyes.

The vast expanse of white smoke suddenly condensed, forming a circular smoke ring that floated ethereally towards the Cloud Roaming Sword. This was an illusion; the smoke ring's speed was astonishingly fast, no slower than the sword light, and it was certainly not as easily dispersed as it appeared.

"Spirit Treasure!"

Qin Sang's gaze was drawn to the jade pot, recognizing it as a Spirit Treasure without a doubt. He was not surprised by this; Marquis Dingxiang was a trusted confidant of Spirit Nether King. It was said that he had been highly regarded by the King since he first became a Demon Marquis, having followed him for many years. It would have been truly bizarre if he didn't possess a Spirit Treasure.

However, with the opponent's formidable strength and a Spirit Treasure at his disposal, the difficulty of seizing the Spirit Tree increased significantly.

Spirit Treasures had no superior, middle, or inferior grades; before a true clash, no one could tell which side's Spirit Treasure was stronger or weaker.

‘Swish!’

The smoke ring, without deviation, perfectly encircled the sword light, immediately tightening to become a restrictive band around the sword.

The sword light dimmed slightly, but only for an instant before bursting forth with a dazzling radiance, suppressing the smoke ring's power and turning it into a fragile white hoop.

A tearing sound was heard as the white hoop, where it clung closest to the sword's edge, cracked open. The sword light was like a roaming dragon about to break free from its reins.

This unadorned clash between the Spirit Treasures seemed to indicate a slight advantage for the Cloud Roaming Sword.

Marquis Dingxiang's expression flickered. He urgently urged the jade pot, and its spout poured out thick white smoke again, which swiftly drifted away.

‘Whoosh!’

As the Cloud Roaming Sword cut through the white hoop, it was immediately obstructed by the dense mist.

The jade pot tilted, continuously pouring out white smoke as if the smoke within it was inexhaustible. The smoke billowed, no longer merely smoke, but forming a vast river of cloud mist out of thin air, surging forward majestically. Waves of mist rose high, sweeping past the sword light.

The Cloud Roaming Sword was like a boat struggling against the current. Qin Sang, connected by mind with the Cloud Roaming Sword, felt the sword body become incredibly heavy. The white mist was like ten thousand tons of water cascading down, or mountains toppling, all their force pressing heavily upon the spirit sword.

Even with the Cloud Roaming Sword's sharpness, cutting through these waves was by no means easy!

‘Hum!’

This hum of the sword sounded somewhat muffled. Yet, the earth-shattering sword intent that erupted at that moment caused Marquis Dingxiang's pupils to suddenly contract.

In an instant, sword light shot skyward, carrying boundless killing intent within its world-shaking sword aura.

The Seven Souls Killing Array, the sole sword array from the "Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter"!

The Cloud Roaming Sword, a Natal Spirit Sword!

Although this sword strike was unleashed by a sword shadow, the power it unleashed in that instant still made Marquis Dingxiang pay close attention.

‘Swish!’

The sword's momentum was like a dragon. Visibly, a brilliant sword light surged upstream through the river of white mist. Wherever it passed, the white mist split in two and could not close again for a long time.

Just as the two Spirit Treasures were contending.

Simultaneously, Marquis Dingxiang had been continuously retreating. He did not wish to directly confront Qin Sang. While such an opponent was indeed rare, and a fierce battle to verify one's divine abilities would be exhilarating, this was a life-or-death struggle, not a game.

As long as the Spirit Nether King arrived, victory would be assured for them. Therefore, from the very beginning, Marquis Dingxiang had resolved to adopt a defensive stance.

Marquis Dingxiang retreated, Qin Sang advanced. The battlefield, encompassing one human and one demon, rapidly shifted within the sea of light. His figure moved like lightning, but failing to widen the distance from Qin Sang, he was instead rapidly approached by him. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and his aura was subtly changing.

Qin Sang keenly detected the change in Marquis Dingxiang's aura, an aura he was not unfamiliar with.

"Dharma Idol?"

He hadn't expected Marquis Dingxiang to have comprehended a Dharma Idol. It seemed a fierce battle was inevitable.

Qin Sang sighed inwardly. The phoenix wings on his back flapped furiously, and his escape speed abruptly soared. Azure lightning tore through the waves of light.

Marquis Dingxiang stared intently at Qin Sang, the aura around him intensifying its transformation, as a faint white light appeared behind him. Within the white light, a peculiar phantom of a demonic beast slowly materialized. The phantom's height was dozens of times that of Marquis Dingxiang's human form.

With an elephant's trunk, rhinoceros eyes, a bear's body, and an ox's tail, it was a strangely shaped demonic beast. The Dharma Idol was the manifestation of Marquis Dingxiang's true demonic form. Qin Sang, seeing this type of demonic beast for the first time, was secretly astonished, as various ancient texts and records he had encountered swiftly flashed through his mind.

"Baku? Could it be a Baku demon?"

Qin Sang recalled having seen descriptions and some information about this demonic beast in an ancient text. Baku demons were rare, and even within the Baku demon tribe, there were subdivisions, each with different divine abilities. Merely by looking at the Baku Dharma Idol, it was impossible to discern which type of Baku demon this one belonged to.

As the Baku Dharma Idol materialized, Qin Sang felt a majestic pressure emanating from it. To Qin Sang, this pressure was not particularly strong; the Baku Dharma Idol was merely a phantom image, incomparable to his Azure Luan Dharma Idol.

Marquis Dingxiang's comprehension of the Dharma Idol was still in its shallow stage. However, for this demon to have comprehended the Way of the Dharma Idol at the Soul Transformation stage without cultivating the "Heavenly Demon Refinement Form" technique was truly remarkable. Even Xiahou was inferior to it.

‘Whoosh!’

The Dharma Idol, having taken shape, immediately transformed into white light and merged into Marquis Dingxiang's body. Evidently, he had only comprehended the Dharma Idol and, like Qin Sang, only understood its superficial application by integrating it into himself.

The next moment, Marquis Dingxiang's aura drastically changed. A layer of white mist obscured the surface of his eyes, almost concealing his pupils. His gaze, devoid of any emotion, coldly fixed on Qin Sang.

A majestic pressure enveloped the battlefield, causing Qin Sang to pause involuntarily, his momentum subtly weakened. This was the Suppression of Heavenly Might! With his comprehension of the Way of the Dharma Idol, only a few exceptional geniuses could surpass him; other opponents would be constrained before him.

A sinister smile appeared on Marquis Dingxiang's lips, but it immediately froze, replaced by an expression of disbelief. He saw Qin Sang instantly return to normal with just a flash of azure light. Immediately after, an aura burst forth from within Qin Sang's body, an aura Marquis Dingxiang was familiar with: the aura of a Dharma Idol.

He had long known that Qin Sang had also comprehended a Dharma Idol. However, Spirit Nether King's words had unexpectedly come true: the opponent's Dharma Idol power not only surpassed his Baku Dharma Idol but the difference was far greater than he had imagined!

‘Rumble...!’

The void here vibrated, and the surrounding light waves subtly showed signs of stagnation.

‘Swish!’

The phoenix wings spread wide, each feather unfurling fully, radiating dazzling azure light. Electric arcs crackled between the feathers, and a profound divine essence circulated. Qin Sang's hair and beard whipped wildly. His entire body enveloped in azure light, he seemed to have transformed into a true Azure Luan divine beast. His pair of azure eyes, equally devoid of emotion, bore down on Marquis Dingxiang.

Marquis Dingxiang's expression completely changed. In that moment, the feeling of being in complete control, brought by his Baku Dharma Idol, vanished. This part of the world was seized by his opponent, and he was reduced to the suppressed party.

Though the gazes of the human and the demon were level, Marquis Dingxiang had a distinct feeling that his opponent was looking down on him. The opponent hadn't uttered a single word, yet a sense of insignificance had already taken root in his heart. Those with weaker mental fortitude would have already had their minds shaken, even their fighting spirit eroded. With a collapse of mental fortitude, defeat was not far off!

Marquis Dingxiang's shock was unconcealable. Even after Spirit Nether King self-crippled his cultivation, the power of his Dharma Idol was merely on par with this. In all his years of cultivation, he had never seen a Demon Marquis who had comprehended the Dharma Idol to such an extent!

Facing such a formidable enemy, Qin Sang unreservedly unleashed the power of his Azure Luan Dharma Idol. Beneath the dense azure light, translucent glazed light also emanated from his body.

‘Whoosh!’

Marquis Dingxiang felt his vision blur as a colossal azure divine bird rapidly expanded before his eyes. The Suppression of Heavenly Might became even more pronounced. Marquis Dingxiang felt extremely uncomfortable. He had almost forgotten this sensation; Heavenly Might Suppression meant being restricted in all aspects, with the opponent gaining every advantage.

Faced with impending crisis, Marquis Dingxiang fiercely threw a punch. Where his fist passed, white smoke left a trail. A sharp roar emanated from the smoke, and then a white Baku demon condensed onto Marquis Dingxiang's fist.

This Baku demon's appearance was similar to the Baku Dharma Idol, only smaller in size, formed from the condensation of the Baku's vital energy and blood. The fist-manifested Baku demon had bloodshot eyes and an incredibly ferocious expression, as if it wanted to devour someone. It roared and charged towards the approaching enemy.

Qin Sang's eyes flashed. Without haste, he struck out with a palm, seemingly slow but actually swift, hitting the Baku demon directly between its brows.

‘Bang!’

Buddhist light burst forth from the Baku demon's glabella. The Baku demon's entire body stiffened, forcibly halted by the palm strike. Qin Sang grunted, then forcefully pressed forward. The translucent glazed light in his palm flared, and the power of a Buddhist seal circulated, enveloping the Baku demon. In an instant, the Baku demon's entire body disintegrated and dissipated into thin air.

Witnessing this, Marquis Dingxiang became even more shocked. If he had previously thought that tangling with the opponent for a while would not be difficult, now he was only thinking about how to preserve his treasures and his life.

He dared not hesitate. With a flick of his long trunk, he again sprayed out two streams of white air. Unlike before, these two streams of white air intertwined and transformed into two flying knives made of white gas, one from the left and one from the right, swiftly striking towards Qin Sang's face.

While Qin Sang was fending off the flying knives, Marquis Dingxiang's figure flickered, and a series of bone-cracking sounds echoed from within his body. First, his elephant trunk rapidly lengthened, his face protruded, his body swelled, and his two hands and two feet transformed into four hooves, manifesting his true demonic form!

A Baku demon identical to his Dharma Idol appeared before Qin Sang. The Baku demon's fur was pure white all over, and its small eyes were exceptionally bright. After manifesting its demonic form, the Baku demon's aura became somewhat stronger, but it still could not contend with Qin Sang's Heavenly Might Suppression.

‘Bang! Bang!’

The two flying knives made of white gas were struck away by Qin Sang. Amidst crackling thunder, Qin Sang charged directly at Marquis Dingxiang, but what he saw next was an unexpected scene.

"Bellow!"

Marquis Dingxiang let out a bellow, ignoring Qin Sang, and actually lay down in the void. Its four hooves tucked beneath its belly, its body curled into a ball, head and tail connected, eyes tightly shut—it was a serene sleeping posture.

In a flash, Marquis Dingxiang's breathing became steady; he had truly fallen into a deep sleep on the battlefield. This scene left Qin Sang stunned. He couldn't fathom what Marquis Dingxiang was plotting; surely, he hadn't given up resisting.

"Could it be...?"

Qin Sang suddenly remembered a type of Baku demon from legends—the Dream Baku! Baku demons were rare, and Dream Baku even rarer. It was said that this demonic beast specialized in the rare Dream Path divine abilities, hence its name.

Marquis Dingxiang was snoring deeply on the battlefield; was he about to unleash a Dream Path divine ability? This divine ability was incredibly strange. Qin Sang secretly shook his head. The vast world was full of wonders.

He didn't know what kind of Dream Path divine ability it was. If it involved dragging people into dreams, at its core, it probably affected the mind. Qin Sang believed that with the protection of the Jade Buddha, he wouldn't get lost. However, Dream Path divine abilities were unprecedented, so Qin Sang dared not let his guard down and remained vigilant.

While contemplating, Qin Sang showed no intention of retreating. Blood light surged in his palm, and the Palm Sword flew out, transforming into a streak of crimson light that shot towards Marquis Dingxiang. He wondered if Marquis Dingxiang could still sleep after being pierced by the Palm Sword.

The moment the spirit sword left his hand, Qin Sang suddenly noticed that the surrounding scenery had changed. Unbeknownst to him, a large area around him had been enveloped in white smoke. The swirling mist created a hazy sensation, as if he had truly been pulled into a dream.

Qin Sang quickly scanned his surroundings, focusing on Marquis Dingxiang, only to find that Marquis Dingxiang was gone, replaced by a mountain. His spiritual sense indicated that Marquis Dingxiang's true body was within the mountain. But the scene before his eyes was entirely different.

Halfway up the mountain was a cave. Inside, a white, juvenile Baku demon cautiously peered out, its eyes filled with curiosity. In the blink of an eye, the Baku demon grew up, dragging other wild beasts back into the cave from outside to feast.

Later, the Baku demon learned to absorb the spiritual energy of moonlight, embarking on the path of cultivation. Until it reached adult cultivation, it was crowned with a treasure, achieving the status of a Demon Marquis, highly valued by the Demon King, and becoming his trusted right-hand man.

Scene after scene flashed before Qin Sang like a rapidly moving scroll, all depicting crucial milestones in the Baku demon's growth. The scenes flashed by very quickly, in mere instants. Each time a scene passed, the Baku demon from that moment in time would be left behind on the mountain.

In a flash, seven Baku demons stepped out from the mountain, staring intently at Qin Sang. These Baku demons, some juvenile, some adult, some in demon form, some in human form, were in essence one entity, their auras interconnected and indistinguishable.

"So this is what kind of Dream Path it is..."

Qin Sang understood. This kind of dream illusion, projected from a dream into reality, was similar to divine abilities like avatars or clones. Even if the illusion was destroyed, it wouldn't harm the true body, making it an excellent method for stalling. He just didn't know how strong they were.

Just as Qin Sang had guessed, Marquis Dingxiang, in cultivating the Dream Path, had also researched the art of drawing enemies into dreams to silently kill them. He later discovered that this path was extremely difficult. After much study, it only worked against opponents weaker than him in cultivation or with unstable mental fortitude. Thus, he decided to abandon it and instead cultivate the Way of Dream Manifestation. It was fortunate that he hadn't tried to draw Qin Sang into a dream; otherwise, he would likely have encountered a natural predator.