Chapter 2171: 策役 Heavenly Emperor Talisman

The two women from Langxian Pavilion were also their competitors. Qin Sang was naturally pleased to be able to deal with them ahead of time.

Qin Sang agreed. The next step was to locate the palace-dressed woman and her spirit beasts.

"Do you know when they will separate?"

Liu Li said, "Previously, one of them controlled the beast array, while the other, usually the woman, personally engaged us under its cover."

Qin Sang understood. Liu Li's plan was for them to act as bait, intentionally exposing their aura to draw out the palace-dressed woman. At the same time, Liu Li would use the Heavenly Emperor Edict to strip the woman of her control over the spirit beasts. Qin Sang would then launch an ambush when the beast array developed a flaw and became stagnant.

The problem was that Li Chen was severely injured. Although Liu Li relied on the power of a spiritual talisman, her own cultivation was still too low. It was uncertain how much strength she would have left after casting the Heavenly Emperor Edict. If anything went wrong, they would be in serious trouble.

"You don't need to lure the enemy yourselves. I have a Corpse Puppet..."

Qin Sang's mind raced, and he altered the plan, intending to use Min Zhuo as bait instead of Liu Li and the others.

He had a trace of Li Chen's essence blood. By injecting it into Min Zhuo's body, he could mimic Li Chen's aura.

Hearing this, both were naturally delighted. Their original plan carried significant risk because they could only target the woman first, with a more powerful opponent still remaining. Although True Master Ning had said Qin Sang had an extraordinary background and remarkable strength, they couldn't be certain he would defeat the enemy, as there was still a minor cultivation realm difference between them.

Using a Corpse Puppet to lure the enemy provided them with buffer time, making it undoubtedly much safer.

Next, Qin Sang asked a few more questions, finalized the detailed plan, and began preparations.

Their first task was to identify which spirit beasts belonged to the palace-dressed woman. This wasn't difficult, as the Sky-Eyed Butterfly could discern flaws in the beast array.

Much like a hidden crack in a flawless jade, these "cracks" were caused by spirit beasts belonging to two different individuals being forcibly combined into an array. By following these "cracks," they could separate them into two beast groups. Given the disparity in the two women's cultivation levels, it would be easy to determine which group belonged to the palace-dressed woman.

At the same time, Qin Sang ideally needed to find the core of the beast array. That way, even if the palace-dressed woman suddenly took over control of the array, he could change his plan and strike directly at its heart.

It wasn't that Qin Sang didn't want to attack the other woman. However, fighting a late-Void Refinement cultivator within an established beast array, aiming for a quick kill, would be challenging. Even with the element of surprise, Qin Sang wasn't very confident.

Heirs of such major powers were sure to possess powerful protective treasures. If the opponent fought desperately, they might not be able to handle it, and Qin Sang also had to consider Liu Li and Li Chen. It was better to first incapacitate one, then focus on the other. If they could kill her, they would; if not, they could still retreat calmly.

The three fire cranes continued flying forward. Qin Sang quietly withdrew and began moving among the 'cracks.'

On the surface, the spirit beasts on either side of the cracks appeared normal and indistinguishable, with similar cultivation levels and identical species, likely demon soldiers raised by their sect. Qin Sang keenly noticed that while the energy of these spirit beasts was interconnected, some connections were loose, and some were tight.

Furthermore, Liu Li had already fought the enemy and personally witnessed how they set up the beast array, providing a general understanding. Qin Sang's observations allowed them to pinpoint the target more accurately.

Soon, Qin Sang identified the spirit beasts belonging to the palace-dressed woman. He then returned to his original position and found the fire crane controlled by Liu Li.

"Once the Corpse Puppet is exposed, you must take control of the beast group in this area..."

Qin Sang conveyed this thought to Liu Li. He judged that this location was a crucial node in the beast array, and its disruption would significantly impact the entire array.

After communicating with Liu Li, Qin Sang's eyes flickered, and he glanced up at the sky.

He then quietly moved deeper into the grand array, finding that the heavily sealed area had shrunk considerably again.

He reached the edge of this area and waited for a moment. With a slight thought, he summoned Min Zhuo. At the same time, he rubbed his fingers, and the trace of Li Chen's essence blood suddenly dispersed into a blood mist, merging into Min Zhuo's body.

Inside a mountain cavern.

In the cave, both Liu Li and Li Chen sat cross-legged with their eyes closed.

A dense gray aura floated around them, like a dark cloud. This was the transformed Wuyang Dou, helping them conceal their auras and deceive the enemy's senses.

Li Chen's face was ashen, his complexion very poor. The golden silk cassock he wore, a protective spiritual treasure, was dim in many places, with faint cracks appearing.

Liu Li, in a white robe, exuded an aura comparable to an early-Void Refinement cultivator under the blessing of the Heavenly Emperor Talisman.

She seemed to be listening intently. Then, she lightly nodded her head and whispered, "Fellow Daoist Qin, be careful!"

She then opened her eyes, pondered for a moment, said something to Li Chen, and closed her eyes again, entering meditation.

A moment later, Liu Li's aura suddenly changed, and a spiritual light appeared behind her head.

The 'Heavenly Emperor' mentioned in the talisman refers to Gouchen Shanggong, the Heavenly Emperor of the North Star, one of the Four Imperial Sovereigns of Daoism!

Legends of the Four Imperial Sovereigns belong to Daoism as a whole, not exclusive to the Talisman Sect. The Talisman Sect created its divine court based on Daoist classics and legends.

However, in both the Pill Cauldron Sect and the Talisman Sect, the Four Imperial Sovereigns hold extremely high status in legends.

Qin Sang had witnessed the power of the Four Imperial Sovereign Talisman Spirits in the Talisman World. They helped Heavenly Master Zhang directly enter the Mahayana realm, possessing Mahayana-level power!

That this talisman was named 'Heavenly Emperor' implied invoking the decree of Emperor Gouchen. Even if the inheritances of the Pill Cauldron and Talisman Sects could not be combined, this talisman was certainly not simple. Therefore, Qin Sang had no doubt when Liu Li claimed she could forcibly seize control of the palace-dressed woman's spirit beasts.

Within the spiritual light, various phenomena emerged: sometimes a vast and profound starry sky, other times majestic and mysterious immortal palaces.

Amidst these overlapping phenomena, a faint phantom appeared, like an emperor seated on a throne, exuding supreme majesty that compelled one to prostrate in worship.

Above the beast array.

A patch of white cloud floated here, offering a wide view from above, allowing them to overlook the grand array.

On the cloud were two women: one was the palace-dressed woman Qin Sang had seen, and the other was a spirited young girl, seemingly only sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a playful and charming peach-pink wide-sleeved long dress.

The palace-dressed woman stood respectfully beside the young girl, her hands clasped.

The red-dressed girl sat cross-legged on the cloud, her hands flat on her knees. Her fingers seemed to dance, as invisible threads connected to the spirit beasts, manipulating them.

The enemy was clearly trapped within the beast array, yet despite searching for so long, they had found nothing. This situation was uncommon, but neither woman showed signs of impatience.

The palace-dressed woman occasionally cast cautious glances around. The enemy could not escape, so the only concern was other cultivators. Fortunately, apart from the solitary Si You clansman, no other foreign cultivators had passed through this area.

The sacred land trial was a struggle for the Great Dao; there was no room for deference here. Disagreements often led to immediate fights, and foreign cultivators would show no courtesy to outsiders like them.

In the past, disciples of Langxian Pavilion entering the sacred land would try to avoid the vortex of conflict, focusing on their own tasks and abiding by rules.

Just then, the red-dressed girl's expression shifted slightly. Her eyes suddenly opened, flashing with a sharp glint.

"Finally found them!"

The palace-dressed woman also sensed it, and a look of delight appeared on her face.

The aura was fleeting, but within the beast array, it could not escape their perception.

The enemy had finally exposed themselves. Although only one person's aura was detected, the two were certainly together.

Without hesitation, the palace-dressed woman's figure flickered and vanished from the cloud. The red-dressed girl's fingers suddenly spread wide, like swords, shooting out ten crimson rays that descended towards the beast array, resembling falling fire from the heavens.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

At this moment, the entire beast array erupted. Ten thousand beasts roared in unison, their cries like thunder, shaking heaven and earth.

Rumble...

From high above, one could see crimson winds sweeping between heaven and earth, soul-shattering and bone-corroding.

Above and below, countless spirit beasts wildly rushed towards the source of the aura. They converged into terrifying currents capable of shattering the earth and reversing rivers. Having been brewing for too long, they finally erupted!

The power of the beast array surged between the two mountain peaks, turning the world crimson.

Whoosh!

The wind blew.

The two mountain peaks instantly turned into quicksand, scattering with the wind.

The original valley was laid bare. Suddenly, violent fluctuations appeared in the void, and a figure faintly emerged, struggling fiercely as if trapped in a cage, with a great mountain pressing down on it.

The palace-dressed woman stepped out of the crimson wind, a smile on her lips, ready to strike. But upon seeing the figure, her expression suddenly changed.

The one trapped in the crimson wind was not either of the people they were looking for!

Who was this person?

The palace-dressed woman sensed a faint death aura from Min Zhuo, like a Corpse Puppet. It was likely used by the enemy, knowing they had been exposed, to divert attention.

A Buddhist eminent monk also cultivating the Corpse Dao was simply preposterous, and she had never seen him summon one before.

The palace-dressed woman suddenly had an ominous premonition, which quickly came true.

At the very moment the palace-dressed woman appeared, inside the mountain cavern, Liu Li performed an incantation. The emperor's phantom within the spiritual light seemed to open its eyes at that instant, its gaze piercing through the spiritual light, through the mountain, and out into the mundane world!

In an instant, all the spirit beasts in the area Qin Sang had designated stopped abruptly, creating a stark contrast with the bustling activity elsewhere and appearing completely out of place in the beast array.

The spirit beasts seemed to turn into statues, heads tilted back, staring fixedly at the sky, utterly motionless and incredibly eerie.

"Oh no!"

Both women's faces turned pale with fright.

The palace-dressed woman felt that many of her spirit beasts had lost control, while the red-dressed girl reacted to the anomaly in the beast array.

She was not the owner of these spirit beasts; she could only control them with the palace-dressed woman's permission. Now that the spirit beasts had changed hands, she naturally couldn't control them either, creating a massive flaw in the beast array.

She had fought countless battles throughout her life, and had even seen large numbers of spirit beasts destroyed in a single blow, forcing a hurried retreat. But these situations always had clear signs, allowing them to react accordingly.

Spirit beasts were the foundation of the beast array. Directly seizing control of them was akin to pulling the rug out from under them, and without any warning, this was an unprecedented situation, beyond their comprehension.

How could this be possible?

No matter how unbelievable it was to the two women, the truth was right before them.

The palace-dressed woman reacted quickly. Sensing something was wrong, she immediately tried to activate the beast array's power to escape, but golden light stung her eyes.

A figure appeared, clad in a Daoist robe, with a golden sun disk floating above his head, its golden light dazzling and its power boundless.

Just moments ago, they had used the beast array's power to trap Min Zhuo.

Now, to her horror, the palace-dressed woman found herself also locked down by a terrifying force. With the beast array compromised and stagnant, she not only failed to escape but was also isolated within this space by the golden light.

The one who appeared was none other than Qin Sang. The Sun Wheel Seal above his head was to counter the beast array, but the true instrument of death was the Gray Oriole Sword!

The palace-dressed woman paled with fright. She only managed to activate her treasured robe before her vision darkened. The golden light vanished, the crimson fire aura of the beast array disappeared, replaced by a deep void.

In the void, without any bearings above or below, the palace-dressed woman felt a chill in her heart. She looked up and saw stars hanging high.

The stars here were much more tightly arranged than outside, because Qin Sang had used his Overlapping Array Technique!

Liu Li could not maintain this indefinitely. This situation would not last long; the main array controller would react quickly, and the opportunity was fleeting.

Dragon roars and tiger growls mingled with a clear, sharp cry.

The stars vibrated, transforming into three Starfiends, finally coalescing into a brilliant ray of starlight, imbued with powerful sword intent, that descended abruptly!

Whoosh!

A burst of clear radiance erupted from the palace-dressed woman. Even under the starlight, this radiance shone brightly, manifesting as a series of tightly linked hexagonal patterns, like a turtle shell.

Boom!

The clear radiance was engulfed by the starlight, flickering violently a few times before suddenly dimming.

In an instant, a figure burst out from the starlight. The palace-dressed woman's hairpins were askew, and her hair disheveled, her face filled with absolute horror.

Her magical robe was dim, and a small azure shield hovered in front of her. A deep sword mark was clearly visible on the shield's surface, almost splitting it in two.

This was the Nine Gang Treasure Shield, a protective treasure she had specifically requested from her sect for her journey to the sacred land.

Sometimes, the weakest link for cultivators of the Beast Taming Dao was themselves, as enemies would try every means to attack their main body. Therefore, they paid great attention to self-protection. The Nine Gang Treasure Shield, able to spontaneously protect its wielder when sensing danger, was a coveted protective treasure among fellow cultivators.

If not for this treasure saving her, she might already be a spirit under the sword. What terrified her even more was that a single sword strike from the opponent had almost destroyed this treasure!

Both the Overlapping Array Technique and the Four Symbols Sword Array had their strengths, emphasizing killing power, but their trapping ability was significantly reduced. If an enemy wasn't killed by a single sword strike, they might escape the sword array.

The palace-dressed woman, having narrowly escaped death, had no will to fight. She discovered the sword array's weakness and seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

Unexpectedly, the sword array disintegrated on its own the next moment, and the palace-dressed woman immediately saw a flash of sword light.

It was a sword light beyond description.

The palace-dressed woman watched helplessly as the Nine Gang Treasure Shield was pierced by the sword light, then penetrated through the existing sword mark, losing all its power and falling from in front of her.

Next, her treasured robe flared with spiritual light but only lasted for a brief instant.

Finally, it was herself.

She stared blankly at her chest, which had been pierced by the sword light!