Chapter 2175: Great Dragon Curse

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" As Qin Sang and his companions sped through the air, bursts of shimmering light continued to erupt around them, exploding one after another like fireworks.

The gray figures relentlessly pursued them. Fearless, these entities proved impossible to kill or destroy.

Qin Sang avoided using his most powerful techniques, skillfully employing the Gray Warbler Sword to its full extent. He occasionally used lightning talismans, not just to fend off the gray figures targeting him, but also to protect Chan and Liuli, making their situation appear constantly perilous.

Fortunately, Chan's injuries had partially recovered, and his insight and experience remained sharp, allowing him to seize critical opportunities with every move.

Through this constant engagement, their coordination grew increasingly seamless.

"Swish!" The Gray Warbler Sword cut horizontally. The gray figure entangling Qin Sang was about to be bisected and attempted to recall its sword for aid. At that precise moment, Chan's eyes widened in a wrathful Vajra-like glare, and he roared, "Halt!"

The sword light wielded by the gray figure abruptly froze, as though pinned in place by an immense force, unable to budge.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!" The sword light struggled wildly, but to no avail.

The opportune moment was fleeting. As the Gray Warbler Sword approached, the gray figure manifested armor identical to the Bright Mountain Armor and flicked out a lightning talisman, the Taiyi Thunder Talisman.

The talisman conjured heavenly lightning, striking towards the Gray Warbler Sword.

"Boom!" Lightning met sword. The impact occurred directly in front of the gray figure, and the resulting shockwave blasted it backward. Though protected by its Bright Mountain Armor and other defensive techniques learned from Qin Sang, it appeared severely disheveled despite being unharmed.

After the collision with the lightning, the Gray Warbler Sword's projection instantly redirected. With a flash, it appeared above another gray figure.

The spirit sword descended, incredibly sharp!

Simultaneously, a sudden gust of cold wind swept past, causing a thin layer of ice to form on the gray figure's body. Liuli had made her move.

During this time, Qin Sang had been observing Liuli. Although she had shifted to cultivating the Dao of Supreme Forgetfulness, her techniques primarily involved ice-element divine abilities. These were now more refined and profound than before, capable of integrating the power of Ice Soul Divine Light into various Daoist spells.

The gray figure currently under attack was the one targeting Chan, and it was also the strongest of them.

Bathed in Buddha's light, with a faint halo flickering behind its head, the figure's body creaked as the ice shattered into fragments. It calmly raised its palms, forming a thunder seal, and advanced to meet the Gray Warbler Sword.

Meanwhile, Chan attacked the last gray figure, which mimicked Liuli and was the weakest of them all. It was quickly forced back by Chan's Sumeru Palm techniques.

Their actions were carefully planned. In a blink, the three gray figures were herded together. Two of them were unsteady, and the third was fully occupied defending against the pincer attack from Qin Sang and Liuli, leaving them momentarily immobile.

At this point, Chan suddenly sat cross-legged, bathed in golden light. He resembled an ancient Buddha statue, weathered by time, radiating an aura of profound antiquity.

Immediately after, incantations echoed around him, their sound like thunder shaking heaven and earth, yet also like relentless crashing waves. Accompanied by bursts of dragon roars, it seemed as though real dragons were being summoned.

These were indeed genuine dragon roars. Above the battlefield, vast currents of energy surged, and under the illumination of Chan's Buddha light, they transformed into two golden dragons, pouncing on the gray figures with bared fangs and claws.

As the golden dragons moved, they left shimmering golden trails and emitted peculiar fluctuations, resembling golden ropes. Weaving back and forth, they formed a colossal cage, trapping all three gray figures within.

This was the "Great Dragon Subjugation Incantation," a true transmission from Purple Cloud Mountain. The profoundness of this incantation lay in its dual ability to both trap and attack. If it were solely a confinement technique, even a flawless one, the gray figures could still escape by perishing and regenerating.

Chan had previously used this incantation in front of the gray figures, so there was no longer any concern about revealing it. Therefore, he was chosen to make the move.

"Roar!" The two golden dragons soared high before plunging into the fray. The next instant, the golden light became blindingly bright, and the indistinct shadows of the dragons could be seen flipping and colliding violently.

Qin Sang and Liuli launched several fierce attacks. The trio seized the opportunity to retreat, putting distance between themselves and the gray figures.

Fighting and retreating in this manner, they were finally on the verge of escaping the most densely concentrated area of shimmering light.

Qin Sang gazed into the distance and finally spotted an opening. He informed the others, and they all exhaled in relief. With Qin Sang present, there appeared to be no immediate danger, but any unexpected event could shatter the balance. If the gray figures possessed Qin Sang's full strength, the situation would be unimaginable.

If the sea of light continued to expand and the shimmering aura persistently affected the Sacred Land, their concern would no longer be the Heart Lake, but rather how to preserve themselves amidst the anomalies of the Sacred Land.

"To the right!" Qin Sang spotted an opening and immediately ordered a change of direction. Soon after, Liuli and Chan also perceived the gap ahead.

Confronted by the clinging gray figures, they focused entirely on defense, planning to eliminate them once they were clear of the shimmering light.

As the opening was just ahead, Qin Sang's brow furrowed slightly, an inexplicable sense of unease washing over him. Before he could voice a warning, Chan's escape light abruptly stopped, and a speck of blood-red light emerged on his brow.

Qin Sang instantly noticed Chan's unusual state. The blood-red light writhed like a living thing, yet it was distinctly ethereal, eventually transforming into a bloodworm that attempted to burrow into Chan's body.

The unforeseen shift occurred without warning, and the attack was incredibly bizarre. Before anyone could react, Chan was struck.

Qin Sang recognized it immediately: a secret technique targeting the soul. He scoffed, and his spiritual sense surged forth.

He did not employ any divine abilities or secret arts, merely using pure spiritual sense to rush at the bloodworm. Unfortunately, he was a step too late, watching helplessly as the bloodworm burrowed into Chan's glabella.

He couldn't recklessly force his spiritual sense into Chan's body, so he had to give up.

Chan himself failed to repel the bloodworm's intrusion. His face abruptly turned ashen, and a faint, eerie blood-red glow flickered in his golden eyes.

As he acted, Qin Sang scanned his surroundings. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly had been secretly on alert, yet someone had managed to attack Chan right under his nose.

Finally, Qin Sang noticed a subtle clue: on a piece of rock that had been blasted away by the shimmering light, there was a blood speck. As tiny as a speck of dust, it clung to the fragment of earth, its color blending in perfectly, making it almost impossible to detect.

The blood speck itself emitted no fluctuations. Only when Qin Sang witnessed the bloodworm's emergence did he realize the speck was abnormal, likely an egg incubating a bloodworm.

If there were two blood eggs, there would be a third, or even more.

Qin Sang quickly discovered over a dozen blood eggs, scattered across various locations, some near, some far, and some even outside the shimmering light.

"Crack!" Qin Sang silently invoked a lightning spell. Silver serpents descended from the sky, striking towards the blood eggs.

The instant the first blood egg was struck by lightning, Qin Sang's eyes flashed, finally revealing the enemy's trace!

However, before Qin Sang could strike again, a blood egg just outside the shimmering light burst into a mass of sanguine radiance, forming a crimson figure. This individual's body seemed composed of blood mist, their features obscured, and their aura indistinct. Only a pair of wings on their back was visible.

The blood shadow let out a soft "hmm," its cold gaze falling upon Qin Sang, remarking, "Good eyesight!"

Its gaze then shifted to Chan, hardening slightly.

The blood shadow chanted a strange incantation. Immediately, Chan's eyes glowed fiercely with blood-red light, and he let out low roars, his face contorted in agony. Expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and delight flickered across his features, making him unable to control himself.

Witnessing this scene, Qin Sang could largely surmise the situation.

Surrounded by shimmering light and pursued by gray figures, they had no way to conceal the commotion of their battle.

The opponent, noting their lower cultivation levels and Chan's existing injuries, harbored malicious intent. They chose to set an ambush here, striking Chan precisely when he saw a glimmer of hope and his guard was down, achieving a successful strike! It's worth noting that Chan's soul had initially suffered severe damage, which was why his injuries were so grievous and recovery so difficult.

Another reason for the ambush here was that the opponent entering the shimmering light would inevitably attract gray figures, thus exposing their own whereabouts.

Within the Sacred Land, it was merely a struggle for opportunities, devoid of right or wrong. Even if both parties were strangers with no prior grievances, if one saw an opportunity, they would still attack.

Judging by the techniques displayed by the blood shadow, it was likely also a late-stage Void Refinement realm expert, highly proficient in soul arts.

"Whoosh!" A piercing sound of air being torn echoed from within the shimmering light.

They had reached the edge of the shimmering light. The moment the blood shadow appeared, Qin Sang immediately led Liuli and Chan in a desperate dash out of the shimmering light.

Finally breaking free from the shimmering light, the Gray Warbler Sword instantly flashed out, targeting the gray figures and obliterating two of them in a blink.

The last figure possessed strength comparable to Chan's and could not be resolved quickly. Qin Sang sent a telepathic message to Liuli, instructing her to protect Chan and entrusting her with this gray figure.

Chan had inadvertently exposed his weakness. If Liuli adopted a defensive stance, she could still engage the gray figure for a time, and if absolutely necessary, she could unseal the Imperial Heavenly Talisman of Command.

Meanwhile, Chan's face grew increasingly pale, and his aura became unstable. The blood shadow stared intently into Chan's eyes, uttering eerie murmurs, which were mixed with another incantation sound.

The incantation originated from a jade pendant at Chan's waist, likely a Buddhist artifact. Were it not for this treasure, Chan's condition might have been far worse.

At this moment, however, Qin Sang did not prioritize saving Chan.

His gaze, sharp as a sword, remained fixed on the blood shadow in the sky. Having finally dispatched the gray figures and eliminated his immediate concerns, a sword hum suddenly drowned out all other sounds, and the sword's projection flew through the air, piercing forward.

Since the blood egg had been struck by lightning, the void had been suffused with a faint blood mist, imbued with a viscous quality. When the spirit sword pierced through it, it felt like thrusting into a swamp.

However, Qin Sang cultivated the path of sword formations; he would not be so easily obstructed.

Darkness enveloped the battlefield, with scattered stars twinkling above.

Amidst the twinkling starlight, Star Fiends instantly materialized. Three Star Fiends merged, then crashed down with a thunderous slash!

"Hm?" The murmurs abruptly ceased. The blood shadow glanced upward, sensing the power of the layered formation, its voice tinged with surprise.

"Whoosh!" A blood-red handkerchief flew from the blood shadow's grasp, transforming into a blood cloud above its head. All the surrounding blood mist was instantly absorbed by this cloud.

"Puff!" The sword light struck the blood cloud directly. The blood cloud violently churned, a sword mark appearing at its center as the blood cloud on both sides surged wildly inward.

Before the sword light could fully descend, the blood shadow vigorously flapped its wings, its form scattering with a bang, instantly creating countless afterimages in the air.

Unlike with the previous blood eggs, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine ability finally proved effective against these afterimages. Qin Sang immediately pinpointed the true body's location.

He had already secretly activated the talisman altar, and a rumble of thunder filled the air. A green thunder seal appeared directly above the blood shadow's true body, instantly unleashing green lightning, giving the blood shadow no chance to breathe.

In that instant, the power Qin Sang unleashed far surpassed the blood shadow's expectations. Caught off guard, the blood shadow stiffened slightly, feeling the might of the green lightning. It then shook its wings, sending out a dark light.

Wrapped within the dark light was a long feather, its origin unknown, but clearly from some spiritual bird. Its barbs were distinct, its luster flowed, and it emitted peculiar fluctuations.

The long feather spontaneously combusted, revealing flames of obsidian black.

The next moment, the long feather burned away, and a clear, prolonged cry echoed from the flames as a phantom spiritual bird flew out.

The spiritual bird, composed entirely of obsidian flames, spread its wings and soared high, actively meeting the green lightning. Facing the strike, the bird raised its neck, opening its beak wide as if to swallow the green lightning whole.

"Boom!" In the fierce collision, the spiritual bird reverted to a mass of obsidian flames. Green lightning and black fire permeated the sky, each consuming the other's power.

Below the clashing lightning and fire, the shimmering light began to spread.

The battlefield lay at the edge of the continuously expanding shimmering light. Although the crimson figure had dodged one attack, it was caught by the expanding light, unable to evade it in time.

As it became imbued with the shimmering light, gray figures began to materialize around the blood shadow.

"Impressive techniques! This old man truly underestimated you. We shall meet again someday! Ha ha..." The blood shadow shattered the gray figures with a backhand, then left with a few wild laughs, choosing to retreat.

Qin Sang watched the blood shadow coldly, a silent regret in his heart. Forcing the blood shadow into the shimmering light had been his deliberate act; effectively utilizing the battlefield environment was often crucial for victory.

Unfortunately, the blood shadow had not revealed much of its strength to the gray figures beforehand. Otherwise, a pincer attack from him and the gray figures would surely have made the assailant pay a steep price.

Furthermore, Qin Sang and his companions had only just emerged from the shimmering light and were still far from a safe zone. The surrounding light would soon close in. If they continued the fight, Qin Sang would inevitably be affected by the shimmering light, exposing his true strength to the gray figures.

For long-term considerations, Qin Sang had no choice but to cease his attack, watching as the blood shadow made its escape.

Fortunately, after the blood shadow departed, Chan's condition gradually improved.

Qin Sang recalled the Gray Warbler Sword and, teaming up with Liuli, eliminated the last gray figure. He then took Chan and rushed through the opening just before the shimmering light converged.

More openings appeared ahead. They maneuvered through, and the surrounding shimmering light gradually thinned out.

Qin Sang concealed their auras, leading them to a safe location. "How are your injuries, Revered Monk?"

Chan shook his head slightly, his expression bitter. His injuries were still unhealed, and he had been targeted by a powerful expert skilled in soul attacks. Fortunately, with Qin Sang's assistance, he would have likely faced a grim fate today.

Wrapped in Qin Sang's true essence, he swallowed several pills. After refining the medicinal power, he barely managed to prevent his injuries from worsening and awoke to see Qin Sang and Liuli still flying, occasionally glancing behind them.

The shimmering light's intensity was gradually weakening, but a more terrifying development occurred: the sea of light absorbed the aura, consuming the earth, and instantly expanded to reach directly behind them.

It appeared the Heart Lake no longer existed. Where should they go now?

"Regarding the Heart Lake's whereabouts, I have a theory," Qin Sang said, looking at the two of them.