Chapter 216: Unexpected Encounter

The Fire Jade Centipede is born from fire and fears no intense flames. It is extremely sensitive to spiritual objects rich in fire elemental energy; the more abundant the fire energy, the more excited the Fire Jade Centipede becomes.

The illustrated guide stated that this peculiar creature is extremely rare in the current cultivation world, even suspected to be extinct. It was unknown where Yin Xingge obtained it; perhaps it was a gift from that Golden Core cultivator.

Only after understanding the Fire Jade Centipede's characteristics did Qin Sang realize Yin Xingge had originally intended to use it to locate a Pure Yang Crystal. Unexpectedly, he unearthed a demonic overlord instead, losing his life in the process.

Raising the Fire Jade Centipede was not difficult, though the cost was significant. It required spiritual objects rich in fire essence, similar to Pure Yang Quartz, each type being quite expensive.

Fortunately, the Fire Jade Centipede did not have a large appetite. Qin Sang secretly kept some Pure Yang Quartz, which was enough to feed it for a long time.

Qin Sang held the Fire Jade Centipede captive in his palm, cut off a small piece of Pure Yang Quartz, and tossed it to the creature. The centipede immediately coiled around it and began gnawing with crunching sounds.

The Fire Jade Centipede possessed unique abilities that might prove useful in the future, so Qin Sang decided to keep it.

Once the Fire Jade Centipede had eaten its fill, Qin Sang returned it to his spirit beast pouch. He then pushed open his cave dwelling, greeted the secret realm's guards, and departed the Heavenly Crystal Secret Realm, preparing to venture out himself.

The Ancient Immortal Battlefield knew no seasons; sometimes, even day and night were indistinguishable.

Time flowed like water.

In the blink of an eye, twenty years had swiftly passed.

On an nameless tall mountain, countless Cloud Beasts were entrenched.

Upon seeing such a sight, cultivators would typically turn and flee. However, at this moment, a figure lay hidden among the jumbled rocks, staring motionless at a deep cave at the foot of the mountain.

Nearly a thousand Cloud Beasts circled above the cave entrance, their incessant roars filling the air and causing irritation. Time slowly ticked by; a full incense stick's worth of time passed, yet the dark figure remained completely still.

Finally, about a dozen Cloud Beasts, seemingly tired from flying, folded their wings and descended to the ground.

Just then, the dark figure suddenly stood up and silently retreated. Once it stood, its appearance became clear: human-like in form, but terrifying in visage, with a green face and fangs.

It was a zombie!

Hidden by the jumbled rocks, the Cloud Beasts circling overhead could not see the zombie's movements. However, the Cloud Beasts that had landed on the ground noticed this 'living creature.'

Yet, this 'living creature' did not emit the aura of living beings that they most detested. The Cloud Beasts did not go into a frenzy; instead, they watched it curiously, perhaps thinking it was just a moving rock.

"Crack!"

Seeing that the Cloud Beasts weren't taking the bait, the zombie stamped its foot forcefully, causing a slight cracking sound from the stone shard beneath it.

At this, the Cloud Beasts immediately became alert. Two of them couldn't hold back and flew over to investigate, followed closely by a dozen more Cloud Beasts.

Having achieved its objective, the zombie immediately accelerated. It seemed very familiar with the area, retreating rapidly, yet still concealed by the jumbled rocks, making it completely invisible to the Cloud Beasts overhead.

Finally, after moving some distance away from the foot of the mountain, the zombie stopped hiding. It turned and fled, its unrestrained manner infuriating the dozen or so Cloud Beasts, who flapped their wings furiously in pursuit.

The wilderness was boundless, offering no place to hide. The zombie ran at full speed, but the Cloud Beasts were even faster, and the distance between them rapidly diminished.

It didn't take long for the Cloud Beasts to catch up to the zombie. Amidst furious screeches, they swarmed down from the sky, eager to tear apart this annoying little intruder with their sharp claws and beaks.

Unexpectedly, just as they swooped low, about to seize the zombie, demonic energy suddenly surged across the previously empty wilderness. Six enormous ghost banners "grew" from beneath the ground, perfectly encompassing the Cloud Beasts within the array's range.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice that these ghost banners were not identical. Four of them were significantly sturdier, their flagpoles covered in dense, intricate evil markings that emitted an eerie glow. The banner surfaces depicted countless demonic specters, crowded together, terrifyingly vivid and exceptionally sinister.

They appeared to have emerged from the Nine Netherworld, ready to break free from the banners at any moment.

Compared to these four banners, the other two appeared much weaker and more fragile.

"Whoosh!"

The pitch-black demonic energy instantly obscured the entire area, making it impossible to see one's own hand. Countless malevolent spirits roared loudly within the demonic mist, lunging at the Cloud Beasts trapped inside.

Beside the banner array, a figure solidified from an illusory state; it was Qin Sang.

He waved his hand, summoning the zombie he had used as bait to his side, and calmly observed the battle unfolding within the Ten Directions Yama Array.

For the past twenty years, apart from three shadow guard missions, he had mostly stayed within or near the Heavenly Crystal Secret Realm, simultaneously hunting Cloud Beasts to comprehend kill runes and cultivating.

He had performed this kind of luring and killing of Cloud Beasts hundreds, even thousands, of times and was extremely proficient at it.

Twenty years seemed to have left no obvious marks on him. His most significant change was that his aura had become far more composed and substantial than before.

Although he had not yet broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, Qin Sang was close to fully comprehending his second kill rune. Once he grasped it, breaking through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage would merely be a matter of time, provided he accumulated enough spiritual power.

Watching the Ten Directions Yama Banners annihilate the Cloud Beasts, Qin Sang secretly nodded.

He had continuously commissioned the black market to collect soul-refining demonic artifacts. For twenty years, most of the spoils obtained from hunting Cloud Beasts, such as spirit-attaching evil artifacts, had been exchanged for these demonic artifacts.

His finances were tight, but he managed to get by, successfully upgrading four of the Ten Directions Yama Banners to the Grandmaster level.

Even with only four banners upgraded, the power of the Ten Directions Yama Array had surged to a new level. Among the dozen or so Cloud Beasts, two possessed strength comparable to early Foundation Establishment cultivators, yet they could only struggle in vain against the array's destructive power.

With the Ten Directions Yama Array deployed, combined with his other methods, Qin Sang was confident that even opponents at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage would not fare well against him.

Seeing that the Cloud Beasts were almost all killed, Qin Sang dismissed his thoughts. With a mental command, his Ebony Sword plunged into the array to finish off the Cloud Beasts, while Qin Sang quietly contemplated the true meaning of the kill rune.

Soon, all dozen Cloud Beasts were annihilated. Qin Sang repeated his tactic, sending the zombie to lure more Cloud Beasts.

It wasn't until late into the night that all the Cloud Beasts circling above the cave entrance were finally eliminated. Seizing the opportunity, Qin Sang personally snuck into the mountain cave.

Within the cave was a small Fire Elemental Stone ore vein, discovered with the help of the Fire Jade Centipede.

Fire Elemental Stones, when purified for fire essence, could assist in alchemy. While not as valuable as Pure Yang Quartz, they were still quite rare. Fortunately, the existence of this ore vein allowed Qin Sang to sustain his cultivation expenses.

With his interspatial bag filled with Fire Elemental Stones and spirit-attaching evil artifacts, Qin Sang set off that very night, heading straight for Changyang Market.

Emerging from the small courtyard, Qin Sang sighed inwardly. The black market was able to procure fewer and fewer demonic artifacts; this time, there was only one. It seemed it would take a very long time to upgrade all six Ten Directions Yama Banners.

Qin Sang shook his head and approached the branch of the Taiyi Pill Pavilion. Just as he was about to enter to sell his Fire Elemental Stones, an elderly man with white hair walked out of the shop, directly towards him.

Upon clearly seeing the old man's face, Qin Sang felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Immediately afterward, a long-forgotten memory suddenly surfaced.

Qin Sang's heart jolted violently!