Chapter 2074: Dirty Land

Yuan Miao was slightly taken aback. Previously, Qin Sang had consistently maintained a defensive stance, which was quite normal. When confronted by the relentless assault of the Zhu Yan clan, most people could only barely parry; it wasn't that they didn't want to counterattack, but that they had no opportunity.

Unexpectedly, the opponent had always been fighting with ease!

As Qin Sang uttered the last word, his voice seemed to echo right beside Yuan Miao's ear.

Only then did Yuan Miao perceive the impending danger. A streak of incredibly swift azure lightning appeared in his vision, seemingly piercing through the void in an instant and closing in on him. He reacted immediately, holding his crimson demon staff horizontally across his chest. He then felt a fierce impact, as if he had been struck by a mountain; his body trembled, and his vision went black.

The spirit tablet in Qin Sang's hand, like a massive stone slab, pressed down on Yuan Miao, firmly braced by the crimson demon staff. The two spirit treasures collided with immense force, causing the arena to shake once more, and strange lights flickered across the battlefield.

Yuan Miao, experienced in combat with keen spiritual senses and incredibly fast, almost instinctive reactions, had managed to parry the blow just in time. Had it been anyone else, they might not have been defeated instantly, but they would have likely lost the initiative right away.

He circulated his vital energy with all his might. With a powerful shake of his arms, he pushed the spirit tablet away slightly and flew backward, attempting to create space to adjust. However, before he could stabilize himself, pressure descended from above.

Left with no choice, Yuan Miao raised his staff with both hands to block.

With a resounding crash, Yuan Miao was slammed forcefully to the ground. His body remained relatively stable, but his feet were conspicuously sunken into the ground.

The Zhu Yan clan placed particular importance on the arena, which was constructed from extremely hard spiritual materials, inscribed with prohibitions, and bolstered by the power of a grand formation. Despite the intense battle between the two earlier, it hadn't suffered the slightest damage, yet now there were two footprints.

Just as Yuan Miao was about to repeat his tactic, he felt the spirit tablet detach instantly upon contact. Immediately afterward, a threat emerged from behind him. With no time to move his feet, he could only forcefully twist his demon staff to block the attack.

The following scene evoked a sense of familiarity in observers like Si Lu; they had just witnessed it, only the roles of the two individuals had been reversed.

Now it was Yuan Miao who was being struck. Faced with Qin Sang's relentless, storm-like assault, Yuan Miao seemed only capable of parrying. His feet were sunken into the ground, and he didn't even have a chance to pull them out. He was repeatedly slammed by Qin Sang, sinking deeper and deeper, almost up to his shins.

At this moment, Yuan Miao felt incredibly stifled. This was originally his most proficient fighting style, yet now his opponent was replicating it on him.

Qin Sang's combat abilities were richer than he had anticipated. It was one thing to be skilled in evasion techniques, and another to seamlessly integrate them with combat.

Especially when two strength-cultivators engaged in close-quarters combat, where changes sometimes occurred within inches, even excellent evasion techniques might not be very effective. If applied improperly, they could even lead to a lack of coordination, allowing the opponent to seize a weakness. Yuan Miao was precisely waiting for such an opportunity.

However, judging by Qin Sang's performance, his opponent had no such concerns. Qin Sang didn't even use any profound divine abilities or combat techniques; he simply relied on his thunder evasion technique and the spirit tablet to suppress Yuan Miao in place.

Yuan Miao had sensed it when Qin Sang activated the Great Vajra Wheel Seal, but he hadn't imagined this seal possessed such power.

"Thump!"

Yuan Miao knew he had sunk another inch. He was like a pile, and Qin Sang was the pile driver.

This situation had to change!

Yuan Miao couldn't find an opportunity, so he had to create one himself. With a shift in his thoughts, the blood-red flames enveloping his body suddenly erupted.

He suddenly tilted his head back, his hair standing on end, appearing to transform into a raging inferno.

Specks of blood-red light emerged from the blood-flames, converging at his brow and blooming into a blood-red flower. After a series of strange transformations, it finally became a small blood-red seal that flashed and merged into Yuan Miao's brow.

A low roar echoed across the battlefield, like the roar of an ancient demon ape reverberating into the present.

Upon hearing the roar, both Ji Hong and the Zhu Yan clan expert felt their hearts pound, their fighting spirits ignited. The Zhu Yan expert leaped up, squatting in his seat, scratching his ears and cheeks, his face eager as he stared at the arena, wishing he could take Yuan Miao's place.

Fortunately, he hadn't lost his senses. He turned his gaze to Ji Hong, his eyes full of fighting spirit and eagerness.

Ji Hong sensed the danger and quickly hid beneath Si Lu's collar.

At this moment, the battlefield had transformed. Yuan Miao suddenly opened his crimson eyes, which exuded ferocity, and he seemed to have truly transformed into a demon ape.

He pointed the crimson demon staff in his hand skyward. A wisp of enchanting blood-red light surfaced on its surface, then vanished, and in an instant, it split into thousands of staff afterimages.

Qin Sang's expression was grave. In his eyes, all other staff afterimages ceased to exist; only one crimson demon staff came directly at his face.

This staff strike was exceptionally profound. It was unclear how Yuan Miao achieved it: had he predicted Qin Sang's landing spot in advance, or would Qin Sang face this strike no matter where he landed?

In any case, Qin Sang had just evaded to this spot when the crimson demon staff was already right before him, leaving no room to dodge!

He made a decisive decision, immediately stopping his offensive. His phoenix wings flapped powerfully, and he disengaged from the battle.

A sharp gust of wind sliced past him. Yuan Miao failed to hit Qin Sang, but his objective had been achieved: his body shot up from the ground, exiting the pit, flipped in mid-air, and counterattacked with renewed momentum.

Faced with the crimson demon staff striking at him, Qin Sang once again chose to retreat, but this time only to create distance from Yuan Miao. He then transformed into a streak of lightning again, approaching Yuan Miao's side from an extremely tricky angle.

"Boom!"

In close combat, both figures jolted. Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly. Yuan Miao's current responses were clearly much more relaxed. Before the power of that blood seal faded, it would likely be difficult to suppress Yuan Miao as he had done just now.

As he pondered, Qin Sang's afterimage shattered beneath the demon staff. He had already appeared elsewhere, once again swinging the spirit tablet to attack.

With repeated collisions, the two once again engaged in battle. However, this time they were no longer confined to one spot; their figures were seen everywhere on the arena. Had they not been restricted by the spirit formation, they would likely have fought their way into the heavens.

It appeared Qin Sang was still engaging in hit-and-run tactics and fierce attacks, but his strategy had changed. He no longer sought to suppress his opponent but rather maximized the advantage of his evasion techniques, seeking weaknesses in his opponent during their skirmishes.

Yuan Miao countered directly. 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 stood a high peak, only slightly shorter than the current one, with a smaller arena on its summit.

At some unknown point, the formation on that arena had also been activated, but no one was fighting; there was only a single figure.

This person was clad in white robes, and beneath them were a pair of golden eyes. He stood with his hands behind his back, his golden eyes fixed on the opposite side.

The grand formation could not obstruct his gaze. As he watched the two fighting intensely, strange light flickered in his eyes.

Qin Sang and Yuan Miao seemed unaware, their eyes focused only on their opponent. After a fierce battle, neither had managed to suppress the other or gain the upper hand, but both were searching for an opportunity.

"Bang!"

Another collision, equally matched as usual, and their figures immediately separated.

Just then, a sharp glint suddenly flashed in Yuan Miao's eyes.

An opportunity!

He had finally found it!

At the same moment, Qin Sang inexplicably sensed something amiss. He felt as if something was not right with him. He couldn't help but look at Yuan Miao, who was bathed in blood-red flames, everything appearing normal, yet that peculiar sensation lingered.

He was certain that the blood-flames had undergone some kind of change, though he didn't understand why.

The next moment, his gaze suddenly sharpened. To his astonishment, he found that two new heads, identical to Yuan Miao's, had grown from Yuan Miao's back. Not only heads, but also arms, and even the crimson demon staff had split into three.

"Three heads and six arms?"

Qin Sang immediately thought of this legendary magical technique, having finally witnessed it with his own eyes.

The newly grown parts were clearly somewhat illusory, not yet reaching the realm of complete solidification, but Yuan Miao's aura had distinctly reached a new level.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Without giving Qin Sang a chance to ponder the divine ability, the three demon staves simultaneously attacked him.

Three streaks of blood-red light tore through the void, their momentum capable of destroying mountains and collapsing lands. They finally merged into one colossal staff shadow before Qin Sang, a force capable of destroying heaven and earth.

At this moment, the staff shadow enveloped every corner of the arena. Beneath the demon staff, all things would turn to dust; even if Qin Sang's evasion techniques were divine, there was nowhere to hide!

As the demon staff smashed down, Qin Sang's expression grew serious, and he swiftly formed a hand seal in his mind. Instantly, golden light shot skyward, and a golden sun rose behind his head.

The Sun Wheel Seal was a secret transmission of the Vajra lineage of Buddhism. The original profound meaning of this seal was physical body cultivation, but Qin Sang cultivated both dharma and physical bodies, raising the power of this seal to another level.

Even without activating his dharma body, purely activating this seal with his strength cultivation, its power was still not to be underestimated.

The golden sun illuminated, and the surging blood energy receded in avoidance.

Yuan Miao's mind tensed, and a warning sign arose. But with the arrow on the string, it had to be shot; there was no possibility of holding back. Now, it was a matter of who was superior!

The golden sun happened to block the demon staff's path, and the two great powers collided in an instant.

"Whoosh!"

Blinding golden waves of light swept across the entire arena, engulfing Qin Sang, Yuan Miao, and even the golden sun and demon staff.

The arena was bathed in brilliant golden light.

The next moment, a crimson staff shadow suddenly appeared at the center of the golden light, looking like a crack on the golden sun.

Suddenly, both the golden sun and the staff shadow shattered. The aftermath was still immense, with waves of energy continuously impacting the grand formation.

Only a transparent light curtain separated the viewing stands from the grand formation. Under the impact of the aftermath, the light curtain trembled, seeming as though it could shatter at any moment, as the golden waves burst forth, almost within reach.

Ji Hong tucked his small head back into Si Lu's collar. The Zhu Yan clan expert recoiled, his fighting spirit completely gone.

The vast aftermath lingered for a long time, unable to subside. Yet, loud thumping sounds came from within, indicating that the battle had clearly resumed.

Yuan Miao's three-headed, six-armed form was still active. He wielded the demon staves impeccably, giving Qin Sang no opportunity, but he still couldn't do anything to Qin Sang.

After several more exchanges, Yuan Miao suddenly withdrew his divine ability, tapped his foot, and leaped out of the combat zone, loudly declaring, "I'm not fighting anymore! I'm not fighting anymore!"

Qin Sang was startled. The spirit tablet reverted to palm-size, his phoenix wings folded, and he slowly descended to the ground.

"I can't hurt you, but you might hurt me!" Yuan Miao exclaimed. "This time, you win! I'm not fighting anymore! I'm not fighting anymore!"

Yuan Miao repeatedly waved his hand, his expression somewhat dejected.

Indeed, if the fight continued, neither might be able to defeat the other. But as he said, Qin Sang could potentially injure him, and Yuan Miao still hadn't found a way to counter Qin Sang's evasion techniques.

Thus, it wasn't unreasonable to say he was slightly inferior.

The Zhu Yan clan was fond of fighting, but once they recognized the situation, a loss was a loss, and a win was a win; they wouldn't stubbornly cling to a losing battle.

Qin Sang smiled faintly and said, "Fellow Daoist, you concede."

Qin Sang had hidden his strength, but this was certainly not Yuan Miao's full strength either. It was just that some methods were not suitable for use in the arena, as this wasn't a life-or-death battle.

"I'll find a way to counter your evasion techniques sooner or later!" Yuan Miao huffed, still unwilling, glaring.

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

"Just you wait!"

Yuan Miao uttered a challenge, then waved his sleeve, deactivating the spirit formation.

Si Lu flew over, his gaze towards Qin Sang tinged with astonishment. He knew that Qin Sang's strongest aspect was actually his dharma body, so he hadn't expected Qin Sang to defeat Yuan Miao solely with strength-based divine abilities.

Ji Hong's eyes, even more, shone brightly, his small face filled with adoration. "Guard Qin, you are so strong!"

"This old man keeps his word," Yuan Miao said. "From now on, apart from a few forbidden areas of our clan, the three of you may come and go as you please; no one will trouble you..."

Yuan Miao flicked his sleeve, and three streaks of light flew out, transforming into three crimson jade tokens.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Yuan."

The three of them felt Yuan Miao's aura on the crimson jade tokens. They cupped their hands in thanks and each put away their token.

Yuan Miao glanced towards the outside of the mountains. "We have already said this," he warned. "There are also dangerous places not far from our clan's territory. Even the tribes residing nearby do not dare to approach them easily. If you venture in and die there, you can't blame anyone else."

"Many thanks for the reminder, Fellow Daoist; we understand the danger," Si Lu said, cupping his hands.

Seeing their expressions, Yuan Miao knew they hadn't taken it to heart. He snorted, "Don't think this old man is alarmist. Our clan's territory is not like other places. To the east, there is a place where defiled energy gathers; do not approach it under any circumstances."

Upon hearing this, Ji Hong and Si Lu hadn't reacted yet, but Qin Sang's eyes flashed. "Defiled energy?" he asked.

Yuan Miao nodded. "The origin of this energy is unknown," he explained, "but it can defile and taint all things. It is extremely dangerous for cultivators like us. It ebbs and flows; do not be deceived by its seemingly calm state when it recedes. Once the defiled energy surges, it devours everything; even mighty cultivators might not fare well if they enter!"

Defiles all things, taints everything...

The more Qin Sang listened, the more he felt that this defiled energy resembled the Six Heavens Ancient Qi in the River of Sin.

Having been in the Grand World for so long, Qin Sang had traveled through several Heavenly Continents, yet he hadn't heard any rumors of the River of Sin appearing.

He suspected that the River of Sin might exist in another form, usually not visible to the world, and only mighty cultivators could detect it.

Could it be that a section of the River of Sin was manifesting here?

Qin Sang had always suspected that the Ruins of the Storm Realm might be situated above the River of Sin. If so, it would make sense that the Storm Realm, when it appeared, was expelled by the River of Sin and landed here.

"This old man has said all he needs to say. Please feel free to go!"

Yuan Miao waved his sleeve, adopting a posture to see them off.

Qin Sang and Si Lu exchanged glances; it was inappropriate to press further, so they cupped their hands and took their leave.

After the three figures disappeared into the mountains, Yuan Miao retracted his gaze, looking at the nearby peak. His figure flickered, and he evaded into it, asking, "When did Brother Yuan arrive?"