Chapter 2197: Please Entrap the Guest

"That trick again!" a cold snort echoed from within the insect cloud, tinged with annoyance. The distance between them and the streak of blue lightning ahead was rapidly closing when the lightning suddenly changed direction, plunging into the nearby mud and vanishing from their sight in an instant.

This mud was not ordinary mud; it was clearly an unusual phenomenon manifested by the power of restrictions, its contents unknown, and likely harboring danger. The streak of lightning was naturally Qin Sang, who had been chased all the way to this point. Though not weak, he found it difficult to fight off multiple opponents simultaneously, and without Liuli to help him withstand the Nine-Revolution Embergone Wind, he gradually showed signs of fatigue.

Unexpectedly, whenever Qin Sang was about to be caught, he would bravely rush into nearby secret realms or ancient prohibitions, preferring to risk injury inside rather than being ensnared by them.

For Qin Sang, this was a life-or-death crisis, a desperate struggle for survival, where he would stop at nothing to stay alive. For his pursuers, however, it was different. The man in green, unlike the Immortal Child who was eager for revenge, was merely there to assist and naturally wished to avoid serious injury. He was inevitably cautious. Opportunities were fleeting, and even a brief hesitation allowed Qin Sang to shake them off again, gaining precious time to recover.

Seeing Qin Sang resort to his old trick again, they had no choice but to follow him into the mud. At this point, they had no better option than to stick close to Qin Sang, preventing him from using the cave's complex terrain to escape.

Upon entering the mud, a suffocating pressure squeezed in from all directions. The ambient spiritual energy here was also vastly different from elsewhere, heavier than mountains, making it extremely difficult to manipulate. They sensed Qin Sang's speed drop sharply ahead, but unfortunately, the pressure here affected all intruders equally, forcing them to slow down as well.

"Why haven't we heard from Brother Qi yet?" the man in green asked in a deep voice. The chase wasn't fruitless; Qin Sang's injuries were worsening. If this situation continued, they would eventually corner and kill him. However, a cornered beast still fights. It was uncertain whether Qin Sang would resort to some mutually destructive tactic before his death. It would be foolproof only if they waited for the black-robed cultivator to join the encirclement. Unexpectedly, there was still no sign of the black-robed cultivator.

"Brother Qi might want to kill that female cultivator first to eliminate future trouble," the Immortal Child surmised. With his enemy so close yet his revenge delayed, he couldn't help but feel agitated, forcing himself to remain calm.

"That woman's cultivation isn't strong, but the spiritual talisman she has is not simple. Injuring her is easy, but killing her might not be so straightforward. Perhaps we should gravely wound and scare her off, then kill the main target first. She won't be able to cause any trouble later..." The man in green had the deepest appreciation for the power of the Imperial Strategist Talisman, and his thoughts coincidentally aligned with the black-robed cultivator's earlier idea. He never imagined that with Brother Qi's strength, he would instead be trapped by the opponent.

The Immortal Child frowned upon hearing this. In his view, killing Qin Sang for revenge was the most urgent matter. However, if Brother Qi believed that killing Qin Sang would earn the female cultivator's lasting enmity, and letting her escape would become a hidden danger, then it was understandable that he would want to resolve it here.

The mud contained not only immense pressure but also other hidden dangers, such as countless strange fish-like creatures that lived there, yet lacked any signs of life, appearing and disappearing mysteriously. Qin Sang unfortunately encountered one, was immediately entangled, and only managed to escape by using his Void-Profound Divine Light. Some of his injuries came from these encounters; sometimes they were unavoidable, but others were deliberate on his part, aiming to conceal his knowledge of the Coiling Dragon Cave from his enemies. So far, he had managed well, and it seemed his enemies harbored no suspicions. He was also getting closer to his first objective.

After passing through the mud, Qin Sang's hopeful gaze suddenly froze. The scene before him was completely different from what he had expected. There had originally been a secret realm here, filled with countless intersecting threads of light. These threads, like zither strings, would emit musical notes when touched. Both the light threads and the notes could damage a cultivator's soul and vital essence; the more an intruder struggled, the more severe the damage. Here, he could have leveraged the Jade Buddha's advantages. Now, all the light threads were gone. The situation he most dreaded had still come to pass.

Not disheartened, Qin Sang continued his escape without hesitation. Soon after, he paused at the edge of a new area. Ahead, it was utterly silent, eerily quiet—a rare occurrence in the Coiling Dragon Cave at this time. It wasn't completely dark; faint, shimmering light floated in the vast emptiness, dreamlike.

After only a brief pause, Qin Sang rushed in, instantly stirring up massive disturbances. This place was riddled with ancient prohibitions, teetering on the brink of eruption. Qin Sang's entry was like throwing a large stone into a lake, abruptly causing chaos. Qin Sang paid no heed, swiftly navigating through the ancient prohibitions. His pursuers arrived shortly after, observed for a moment, and then charged in as well.

As he fled, Qin Sang suddenly looked back. Seeing no enemies in sight, he quickly scanned the surrounding ancient prohibitions, mused for a moment, then abruptly removed the Thousand-Jins Ring from his hand and threw it forcefully. The Thousand-Jins Ring flickered with spiritual light as it fell deep into the ancient prohibitions, while Qin Sang had already vanished into the distance, without a backward glance. Since Qin Sang had obtained the Thousand-Jins Ring, it had been inseparable from him for nearly two thousand years; this was the first time he had discarded it.

Not long after, the Immortal Child and the insect cloud caught up, one after the other. The more intruders there were, the more violent the disturbances became. The Immortal Child sped past, noticing nothing unusual, but the insect cloud that followed seemed to detect something. It suddenly paused, and a gigantic face, that of the man in green, materialized from the cloud.

The man in green looked into the depths of the ancient prohibitions, seemingly sensing something. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. After a slight hesitation, he didn't stop; instead, his speed increased. Then, the man in green transmitted a message to the Immortal Child: "Fellow Daoist Si, it's getting more chaotic ahead. We almost lost him before. Chasing him like this isn't sustainable."

The Immortal Child sighed. He naturally understood this truth and asked, "Does Brother Tang have a good strategy?"

"I do possess a secret art which, if successfully deployed, might trap this person. However, this art is rather cumbersome and creates a grand display when cast, making it very easy for the opponent to notice and evade. The chaotic energy here, however, can perfectly conceal the art's presence. I could attempt it, but..." The man in green's tone shifted, "This secret art cannot be completed instantly; I will need some time."

"How long will Brother Tang need to prepare?" The Immortal Child frowned.

"Not too long. Once the art is ready, I can immediately catch up to you! Fellow Daoist Si, just keep a close eye on him from now on. Even if this art fails, it will only be a waste of some time," the man in green said. Seeing the man in green's confident tone, the Immortal Child hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed to his suggestion.

The swarm of insects halted, then receded like a tide. In an instant, the insect cloud returned to its previous location, rapidly contracted, and transformed into the appearance of the man in green. All the spiritual insects he had left behind had vanished from his senses, apparently destroyed by the ancient prohibitions here.

Time was pressing. The man in green stepped forward, disappearing into the depths of the ancient prohibitions. Looking at the empty void ahead, a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes as he exclaimed, "There's actually a minor grotto-heaven here!"

A shimmering point of light floated in the void, appearing and disappearing, emitting unique fluctuations—it was a Gate of Coordinates! This Gate of Coordinates had clearly been agitated by the surrounding chaos, only recently revealing itself and thus being detected by him.

If it were an ordinary minor realm, he wouldn't pay it much mind. With their cultivation levels, treasures produced in common minor realms were hardly appealing; it would likely just be an extra cultivation ground. Most minor realms were in their early stages of evolution, their value further discounted. However, this was a holy land, and it was where the omens first appeared! What did the appearance of a minor grotto-heaven here signify?

Thinking of this, the man in green's breathing quickened slightly. Just as he was about to leap into the minor grotto-heaven, he suddenly paused, raised an arm, and watched as it transformed into a spiritual insect that flowed into the Gate of Coordinates. He could sense everything the spiritual insect saw and heard.

"So much fog!" This thought flashed through the man in green's mind. The spiritual insect had encountered dense fog upon entering the minor grotto-heaven. However, this location was within the Heart Lake, so it was normal.

Just as he was about to control the spiritual insect to explore, the man in green suddenly trembled, for he had sensed a peculiar aura.

In an instant, the man in green's face was filled with shock. There were many theories about the origin of the holy land, but for some cultivators within it, it was no secret. He knew that his clan's holy land was connected to an Immortal Mountain, and there were four other Immortal Mountains of equal renown! Such Immortal Mountains contained unique vital energy, and it was said that there were places within the holy land to collect this energy, though it was certainly not for juniors like them. Legends claimed that refining this vital energy from Immortal Mountains benefited one's Dharma Domain. He had once seen his ancestor take out a bottle of Immortal Mountain vital energy to appreciate while playing chess with another Saint Realm powerful being.

Following this aura, the spiritual insect detected a mountain shrouded in mist, which greatly shocked the man in green's mind.

"This mountain... this mountain... could it be..." The man in green murmured, an unbelievable possibility coming to mind, which was instantly replaced by ecstasy.

His first thought was to claim this mountain for himself. His second was that absolutely no one, not the Immortal Child nor the black-robed cultivator, could know about this! Even a fragmented mountain would be of immeasurable value! Furthermore, this mountain appearing here might be connected to the previous omens.

"Quick! Quick! Quick!" The man in green no longer hesitated, merging his body with the Gate of Coordinates and passing through it, ready to immediately claim the Immortal Mountain. Any further delay would arouse the Immortal Child's suspicions.

Light and shadow intertwined before his eyes. The man in green had already appeared inside the minor grotto-heaven. The smile on his face suddenly froze. Before him, a small Daoist child had appeared, he knew not when. The Daoist child had clear features and eyes, with a composure in his expression that belied his youthful appearance. He looked calmly at the man in green and said, "Yunyou has been waiting for Fellow Daoist here for a long time!"

At the same time, two figures suddenly materialized behind the man in green. One was Qin Sang's Dharma Body, and the other, wreathed in lightning, was none other than the Thunder Beast War Guard!

Ever since the Wandering Cloud Sword had advanced to a Post-celestial Spirit Treasure, Qin Sang had been pondering how to use it. Keeping it constantly idle would be an immense waste.

Once the Wandering Cloud Sword was deployed, the fluctuations of the Killing Talisman Mark could not be concealed, which would expose his identity as a Ziwei successor. This was the primary reason he dared not use the Wandering Cloud Sword. But if the fluctuations could be confined to a specific location, ensuring no leakage, could it then be used?

Qin Sang did not trust the spiritual arrays and prohibitions that could isolate inside from outside, but the Thousand-Jins Ring was different. A minor grotto-heaven formed its own world, making it impossible for outsiders to perceive what happened within. As Qin Sang's understanding of the minor grotto-heaven deepened, he realized he could temporarily revert the Thousand-Jins Ring into a Gate of Coordinates. Furthermore, the minor grotto-heaven itself was gradually recovering, allowing him to act here without causing destruction, as long as he didn't exceed certain limits. This idea gradually gained viability.

If he failed, his secret would be exposed. Therefore, the timing had to be precise, and there was no room for error. The Thousand-Jins Ring did not possess the ability to forcibly absorb, so compelling an enemy into the minor grotto-heaven was impossible; he could only wait for them to walk into the trap. Qin Sang regarded this as his ultimate trump card, not to be used unless absolutely necessary. Now, the time had come when he had no choice but to use it. Fortunately, through careful layers of preparation, he had successfully lured his enemy in. After all, who would have thought that a mere Void Refinement cultivator could carry a minor grotto-heaven with him?

Greed is one of humanity's greatest weaknesses, and even cultivators are not immune to it.

*Crack!*

Along with them, a strike of heavenly lightning, possessing world-shattering might, appeared and cleaved towards the man in green. High above, a butterfly shadow flickered into and out of view.

"Tribulation lightning!" The man in green was startled, his mind reeling. What terrified him even more was that the child before him transformed into a streak of sword light. He felt an unprecedentedly terrifying sword might suddenly descend upon him! In an instant, the man in green's eyes and mind were entirely consumed by this sword light. He had the illusion that everything—heaven and earth, all directions, all things—had vanished, leaving only this streak of sword light. Anyone locked onto by this sword light had nowhere to escape!

And the danger he faced was far from just that. Behind the man in green, the Thunder Beast War Guard's entire body erupted with lightning. Its aura abruptly surged to its peak, and from within the lightning, a massive, incomparably powerful thunderous palm struck out fiercely.

*Rumble...*

Thunder roared, shaking the entire minor grotto-heaven uncontrollably. A massive burst of lightning erupted within the grotto-heaven, precisely where the man in green was located. Even such dazzling lightning could not obscure that streak of sword light. At this moment, the sword light dominated the scene, piercing through the thunder, slicing across the void, and gently landing beside Qin Sang.

Yunyou appeared, a rare flicker of excitement on his usually composed young face. This was the first time, after taking human form, that he had helped Qin Sang slay a powerful enemy.

The lightning dissipated. The man in green stood frozen, a sword mark starkly visible between his brows. Inside his skull, his life-bound spiritual insect, shaped like a hummingbird, also bore a sword mark, split cleanly in two.

*Whoosh!*

The man in green's body suddenly disintegrated, transforming into countless insect corpses that rained down, rustling softly. With his life-bound spiritual insect severed, the man's aura completely vanished, and all his spiritual insects perished!

Outside the grotto-heaven.

After the man in green entered, a centipede-like spiritual insect had been circling nearby. This centipede's body was transparent, bearing no aura, clearly possessing an innate concealment ability. Just then, its body trembled, and it turned to fly away swiftly. Suddenly, a hand appeared above its head, reached down, and effortlessly grasped it. The transparent centipede struggled fiercely for a few moments but to no avail, finally stiffening into stillness.