Chapter 2067: Polluted Land

Yuan Miu was momentarily stunned. Previously, Qin Sang had always maintained a defensive posture, which was perfectly normal. When facing the relentless attacks of the Zhuyan clan, most people could only barely fend them off; it wasn't that they didn't want to counterattack, but rather that they had no opportunity to do so.

Unexpectedly, his opponent had been holding back the entire time!

As the last word left Qin Sang's lips, his voice seemed to echo right by Yuan Miu's ear. Only then did Yuan Miu sense the impending danger. A streak of azure lightning appeared in his vision, incredibly swift, as if it had pierced through the void in an instant and bore down on him. He reacted immediately, bringing his crimson magic staff horizontally across his chest. The next moment, he felt a fierce impact, as if struck by a mountain, his body trembled, and his vision went black.

The spirit tablet in Qin Sang's hand was like a massive stone slab, pressing down on him, firmly propped up by the crimson magic staff. The two spirit treasures collided with immense force, causing the arena to tremor once more and strange lights to flash across the battlefield.

Yuan Miu, with his extensive combat experience and keen spiritual senses, reacted with almost instinctive speed, managing to parry the blow just in time. Had it been anyone else, though they might not have been instantly defeated, they would likely have lost the initiative with a single strike.

He channeled all his qi and blood, shaking his arms forcefully to push the spirit tablet back slightly. He then retreated rapidly, trying to create space to adjust, but before he could stabilize himself, pressure descended from above. Left with no choice, Yuan Miu could only raise his staff with both hands to block.

With a loud bang, Yuan Miu was slammed heavily to the ground. His body remained stable, but his feet were firmly embedded in the arena floor. The Zhuyan clan held their arena in high regard. It was constructed from incredibly hard spiritual materials, inscribed with restrictions, and bolstered by the power of a grand formation. Despite the intensity of the previous fight, it hadn't suffered the slightest damage, yet now there were two footprints.

Just as Yuan Miu was about to repeat his tactic, he felt the spirit tablet separate from him almost instantly, followed by a threat from behind. With no time to move his feet, he had to forcefully twist his magic staff to block the attack.

The next scene gave Si Lu and the other spectators a sense of déjà vu. They had just witnessed it, but the roles had been reversed. Now it was Yuan Miu's turn to take the beating. Facing Qin Sang's relentless, storm-like assault, Yuan Miu seemed only able to parry. His feet were so deeply embedded in the ground that he didn't even have a chance to pull them out, as Qin Sang relentlessly hammered him, pushing him deeper and deeper until his calves were almost submerged.

In that moment, Yuan Miu felt incredibly stifled. This was precisely the fighting style he excelled at, yet now his opponent was using it against him. Qin Sang's combat abilities were richer than he had anticipated. It was one thing to be skilled in escape arts, but combining escape arts with combat was another entirely. Especially when two cultivators specializing in physical strength fought in close quarters, changes sometimes occurred within inches. Even excellent escape arts might not be very effective. If applied improperly, they could even cause one's own coordination to falter, allowing the opponent to seize an opening. Yuan Miu had been waiting for just such an opportunity.

However, judging by Qin Sang's performance, the opponent had no such concerns. Qin Sang hadn't even used any advanced magical combat techniques; he had simply suppressed Yuan Miu in place using his Thunder Escape art and that spirit tablet. When Qin Sang unleashed the Great Vajra Wheel Seal, Yuan Miu had sensed it, but he hadn't imagined it possessed such power.

"Thud!"

Yuan Miu knew he had sunk another inch. He felt like a piling, and Qin Sang was the one driving him in. This situation had to change! Yuan Miu found no opportunity, so he had to create one himself. With a shift of his thoughts, the blood flames enveloping his body suddenly erupted. He suddenly threw his head back, his hair standing on end, as if he had transformed into a raging inferno.

Within the blood flames, specks of crimson light appeared. These lights merged at his brow, blossoming into a blood flower, which then underwent a strange transformation, finally becoming a small blood seal that flickered and merged into Yuan Miu's forehead. A low roar echoed across the battlefield, like the cry of an ancient demonic ape reaching the present world.

Both Ji Hong and the Zhuyan clan master felt their hearts pound upon hearing the roar, their fighting spirit stirred. The Zhuyan clan master leaped up, squatted in his seat, scratching his ears and cheeks, watching the arena eagerly, wishing he could take Yuan Miu's place. Fortunately, he hadn't lost his wits entirely. He turned to look at Ji Hong, his eyes full of combativeness, eager to fight. Ji Hong sensed the danger and quickly hid beneath Si Lu's collar.

By this time, the battlefield had changed. Yuan Miu suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils blazing crimson, radiating ferocity, as if he had truly become a demonic ape. He pointed the crimson magic staff in his hand towards the sky. A wisp of enchanting blood light floated on its surface, then dissolved, instantly splitting into thousands of staff shadows.

Qin Sang's expression was solemn. In his eyes, all other staff shadows vanished, leaving only a single crimson magic staff hurtling directly towards his face. This strike was extraordinarily profound. Qin Sang couldn't tell how Yuan Miu had managed it—whether he had predicted Qin Sang's landing spot in advance, or if Qin Sang would have faced this blow no matter where he appeared. In any case, as soon as Qin Sang had appeared, the crimson magic staff was already upon him, with no way to dodge!

He made a decisive choice, immediately aborted his attack, flapped his phoenix wings forcefully, and withdrew from the battlefield. A fierce gust of wind swept past him. Yuan Miu had failed to hit Qin Sang, but his objective was achieved: his body shot up from the ground, freed from the pit, and he executed a flip in mid-air, carrying his momentum into a counterattack.

Facing the crimson magic staff slashing towards him, Qin Sang again chose to retreat, but this time only to create distance from Yuan Miu. He then transformed into a streak of lightning again, approaching Yuan Miu's side from an extremely tricky angle.

"Boom!"

Their weapons clashed, and both figures jolted. Qin Sang narrowed his eyes slightly; Yuan Miu's response was clearly much calmer now. Before the power of that blood seal waned, suppressing Yuan Miu as he had done before would likely be difficult. As he pondered, Qin Sang's afterimage shattered beneath the magic staff, and he reappeared elsewhere, once again wielding his spirit tablet in attack.

With each successive clash, the two resumed their fierce combat, but this time they were no longer confined to one spot; their figures appeared all over the arena. Were it not for the spiritual formation restraining them, they might have fought beyond the heavens. Qin Sang still appeared to be circling and launching fierce attacks, but his strategy had shifted. He was no longer trying to suppress his opponent but was maximizing the advantage of his escape arts, seeking openings in his opponent during their agile combat. Yuan Miu, too, met him head-on. He might not be able to catch Qin Sang, but Qin Sang would always come to attack. As long as he made the perfect response at the moment of engagement, Qin Sang would be helpless against him.

To the north of the arena, there was a high peak, only slightly shorter than this one, with a smaller arena atop it. At some unknown point, the formation on that arena had also been activated, but there was no combat, only a single figure. This person was clad in white robes, and beneath the robes were golden eyes. He stood there with his hands behind his back, his eyes gleaming with golden light, observing the opposite side. Even the grand formation could not obstruct his gaze. As he watched the two fierce combatants, a strange light flickered in his eyes.

Qin Sang and Yuan Miu seemed unaware, their eyes focused solely on their opponent. After a prolonged battle, neither had managed to suppress the other or gain a decisive advantage, but both were seeking opportunities.

"Bang!"

Another collision, as evenly matched as before, and their figures immediately separated. Just then, a sharp glint flashed in Yuan Miu's eyes. An opportunity! He had finally waited for it!

At the same moment, Qin Sang inexplicably sensed something amiss, as if he had missed something. He couldn't help but look at Yuan Miu, who was bathed in blood flames as usual, yet that strange feeling persisted. He was certain that the blood flames had undergone some change, though he didn't understand why. The next moment, his gaze abruptly sharpened as he was astonished to discover that two new heads, identical to Yuan Miu's, had grown from Yuan Miu's back. Not just heads, but also arms, and even the crimson magic staff had split into three.

"Three heads and six arms?" Qin Sang immediately thought of this legendary magical technique and finally saw it with his own eyes. The newly grown parts were clearly somewhat illusory, not yet fully solidified, but Yuan Miu's aura had undeniably risen to another level.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Without giving Qin Sang a chance to ponder the magical technique, the three magic staffs simultaneously attacked him. Three streaks of bloody light ripped through the void, their momentum capable of destroying mountains and collapsing land. Finally, they converged before Qin Sang, transforming into a single colossal staff shadow capable of devastating the world. In that moment, the staff shadow enveloped every corner of the arena. Under the magic staff, everything would turn to dust; even with Qin Sang's god-like escape arts, there was nowhere to hide!

As the magic staff crashed down, Qin Sang's expression darkened. He instantly formed a hand seal, and golden light shot skyward, with a golden sun appearing behind his head. The Sun Wheel Seal was a secret transmission of the Vajra lineage of Buddhism. Its original essence was to manifest techniques through the physical body, but Qin Sang, cultivating both spiritual and physical arts, had elevated its power to another level. Even without activating his Dharma Body, simply by channeling his physical strength cultivation into this seal, its power was not to be underestimated.

The golden sun shone brightly, causing the overwhelming blood qi to retreat. Yuan Miu's mind tightened, and a warning flared within him, but the arrow was already on the string; there was no possibility of holding back now. It was simply a matter of who was superior! The golden sun happened to block the magic staff, and the two immense powers collided in an instant.

"Whoosh!"

A dazzling golden wave of light swept across the entire arena. Qin Sang, Yuan Miu, and even the golden sun and the magic staff were engulfed by the golden light. The arena was bathed in brilliant golden light. The next moment, a crimson staff shadow suddenly appeared in the center of the golden light, looking like a crack on the golden sun. Suddenly, both the golden sun and the staff shadow shattered simultaneously. The aftermath remained vast, waves of energy constantly crashing against the grand formation.

Only a transparent light barrier separated the viewing platform from the grand formation. Under the impact of the aftershocks, the light barrier trembled, appearing as if it could shatter at any moment, with golden waves of energy spilling out dangerously close. Ji Hong tucked his small head back into Si Lu's collar, while the Zhuyan clan master shrank his neck, his fighting spirit completely gone.

The mighty aftershocks took a long time to subside, but within them, loud thudding sounds resumed, clearly indicating that the battle had restarted. Yuan Miu's three heads and six arms remained, wielding his magic staffs flawlessly, giving Qin Sang no opportunities, but he also couldn't do anything to Qin Sang.

After a few more exchanges, Yuan Miu suddenly withdrew his magical technique, tapped his foot, and leaped out of the combat zone, shouting, "No more fighting! No more fighting!" Qin Sang was startled. His spirit tablet reverted to palm size, and his phoenix wings folded, as he slowly descended to the ground.

"I can't hurt you, but you might be able to hurt me! This time, you win! No more fighting! No more fighting!" Yuan Miu waved his hands repeatedly, his expression somewhat dejected. Indeed, continuing the fight might still result in a stalemate, but as he said, Qin Sang had the potential to injure him, and he still hadn't found a way to counter Qin Sang's escape art. Thus, it wasn't unreasonable to say he was slightly inferior. The Zhuyan clan was warlike, but once they recognized the situation, a loss was a loss, and a win was a win; they wouldn't stubbornly cling on.

Qin Sang smiled, "My friend, you've yielded." He had hidden his strength, but this was certainly not Yuan Miu's full power either. Some techniques were simply not suitable for use in an arena, as this was not a fight to the death.

"I'll find a way to counter your escape art eventually!" Yuan Miu huffed, still unwilling to admit defeat, glaring.

Qin Sang smiled faintly; he didn't dislike this temperament. He cupped his hands and said, "I await your esteemed presence, fellow Daoist."

"You just wait!" Yuan Miu uttered a defiant remark, then waved his sleeve, dispelling the spiritual formation.

Si Lu flew over, looking at Qin Sang with a hint of admiration. He knew that Qin Sang's strongest aspect was actually his Dharma Body, yet he had surprisingly defeated Yuan Miu using only his physical strength divine abilities. Ji Hong's eyes, too, sparkled with light, his small face full of adoration. "Guard Qin, you're so strong!"

"I am a man of my word. From now on, except for a few forbidden areas of our clan, the three of you may come and go freely. No one will trouble you..." Yuan Miu shook his sleeve, and three streams of light flew out, transforming into three crimson jade tablets.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Yuan." The three felt Yuan Miu's aura on the crimson jade tablets, cupped their hands in thanks, and put them away.

Yuan Miu glanced outside the mountain. "We had an agreement. There are dangerous places near our clan that even tribes residing nearby dare not easily approach. If you venture in and die there, don't blame anyone else."

"Thank you for the warning, fellow Daoist. We understand the risks," Si Lu said, cupping his hands.

Seeing their expressions, Yuan Miu knew they hadn't taken his words seriously. He huffed, "Don't think I'm being alarmist. Our clan is different from other places. To the east, there's a place where turbid qi gathers. Do not go near it."

Upon hearing this, Ji Hong and Si Lu didn't react yet, but Qin Sang's eyes flashed. "Turbid qi?"

Yuan Miu nodded. "The origin of this qi is unknown, but it can corrupt all things, leaving nothing untainted, making it extremely dangerous for cultivators like us. It ebbs and flows; don't be fooled by its apparent calm when it recedes. Once the turbid qi surges, it devours everything. Even a powerful expert might not fare well if they enter!"

Corrupts all things, leaves nothing untainted... The more Qin Sang listened, the more he felt that this turbid qi was very similar to the Six Heavens Ancient Qi from the Sin River. Having been in the Grand Thousand World for so long, Qin Sang had traversed several heavenly states but had never heard rumors of the Sin River appearing. He suspected that the Sin River might exist in another form, usually hidden from the world and unseen by common people, only discoverable by powerful experts. Could it be that a section of the Sin River was manifesting here? Qin Sang had always suspected that the Storm Realm's Great Abyss might be located above the Sin River. If so, the Storm Realm's manifestation, being repelled by the Sin River and ending up here, would make sense.

"I have said all I can. Please make yourselves at home!" Yuan Miu waved his sleeve, indicating their departure.

Qin Sang and Si Lu exchanged a glance. It wasn't appropriate to press for more details, so they cupped their hands and bid farewell. Once the three figures disappeared into the mountains, Yuan Miu withdrew his gaze, looked at the nearby peak, and with a flicker of his body, vanished into it, asking, "When did Brother Yuan arrive?"