Chapter 2274: Confronting the Fusion

Wuxia Xianxia

Hidden by the Thunder Robe of Heavenly Awareness, the others were completely unaware of Qin Sang's approach until the Bone Luans appeared, startling them.

They had prepared well, and though caught off guard, they didn't panic. However, the enemy's strength and numbers far exceeded their expectations. Seeing the Bone Luans so close, and feeling the powerful aura they emanated, Xi Rui and the others turned pale with fright.

They had originally speculated that the person frequently destroying the dream seeds might be one of their own. This individual, fortunate enough to uncover the secrets of this place, was using these tactics to buy time, eliminate competitors, and rescue their allies. Such a strategic advantage would ultimately lead to complete victory and the capture of the dream seeds.

If so, this person's own strength wouldn't be too exceptional, nor would they have rescued too many allies. Their temporary alliance of five should be able to stop this person from further destroying the dream seeds and reclaim the initiative.

To their dismay, the opponent hadn't even shown their true form, yet the strength displayed was already unparalleled among the heroes! Six Bone Luans plus one small Azure Luan meant at least seven Void-Refining level combatants. Aided by a sophisticated battle formation, even if the Mermaid Queen arrived in time, it would likely be difficult to stop them.

After all, before growing to a certain extent, the dream seeds themselves had little defensive capability; one who slipped through could shatter them. Moreover, at this moment, their concern wasn't the dream seeds, but their own safety!

The Bone Luans shrieked. The gazes from their hollow eye sockets were like sharp swords piercing their minds. The deathly intent and coldness emanating from their eyes made their hearts pound. It was clear these Bone Luans were no different from dead objects, completely unafraid of death. Even if they exerted their full strength to destroy one or two, they were merely expendable tools of the opponent, whereas they themselves were different.

Those present here had already dealt with their demonic shadows. If demonic shadows were continuously slain, they would be completely annihilated. After slaying a demonic shadow, the main body would also undergo significant changes. For example, after the demonic shadow's death, they faintly felt a mysterious power returning to their bodies. If they diligently comprehended it, there might be unexpected benefits, but their minds were currently on the dream seeds, with no time to spare.

Furthermore, whether possessed by a demonic shadow or slaying one, it was essentially a process of the main body merging with the demonic shadow. The difference was that the former would be trapped on the divine mountain, while the latter would be able to eliminate the illusion's influence on the main body, remaining clear-headed even when leaving this realm and returning to the illusion. To some extent, it could be considered the main body recovering its true self.

It was precisely because Xi Rui and the Feathered Race Prince connected in the illusion that they could tacitly set an ambush on the divine mountain to prevent Qin Sang from destroying the dream seeds. This was good, but it also had drawbacks. Before slaying the demonic shadow, if they died, they wouldn't truly perish, but would be sent into the next cycle of reincarnation, with a chance to awaken later. However, after slaying the demonic shadow, Xi Rui had a premonition that if they were killed in the future, they might truly die!

In any case, they had to cherish their lives and dared not be reckless.

"Retreat quickly!" Xi Rui and the Feathered Race Prince shouted almost simultaneously. Yuan Jian's movements were even faster; he decisively retreated outwards before the two could even give a warning.

Everyone scattered and fled, as the Bone Luans' aura directly impacted the dream seeds. Just then, feathers, black and white, not real but formed from some restrictive power, appeared around the dream seeds. To protect them, Xi Rui and the others had set up a defensive grand formation in advance. The feathers fluttered like snowflakes, countless and dense, forming a thick black-and-white barrier to protect the dream seeds. However, facing the impending attack, this barrier seemed somewhat weak.

"You were quick to run!" Qin Sang coldly glanced at Yuan Jian. He didn't know about the changes in Yuan Jian and the others, but if he had the chance, he wouldn't mind giving Yuan Jian a hard time.

The small Azure Luan charged ahead, followed closely by the six Bone Luans. Blinding azure lightning emanated as the battle formation finally transformed into a giant lightning cone, violently thrusting into the feathered barrier. Boom!

Heaven and earth shattered. The divine mountain trembled violently, on the verge of collapse. Countless feathers were instantly dispersed, covering the sky, followed by the collapse of the cloud and mist vortex. Xi Rui and the others watched, wide-eyed, as the Bone Luan battle formation crashed into the dream seeds, both shocked and enraged. Unfortunately, even as their expressions froze and they perished along with this realm, they couldn't force Qin Sang's true form to appear.

Qin Sang gasped, jolting awake. After he calmed down, he summoned the Bone Luans and saw that all six were unharmed, concluding this battle with another complete victory for him. However, Xi Rui and the others would only gather more helpers, and Qin Sang didn't know how long his advantage could last.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Sang began to call upon the mysterious Azure Luan. Soon, with the Azure Luan's power, he pinpointed the location of Liuli's reincarnated body.

By the great river. On the mountainside. Qin Sang stood before a stone pavilion, with a maid kneeling beside him, burning paper money and weeping.

"Master and Madam used to dote on Young Miss so much, building such a beautiful pavilion for her. I don't know why they became so cruel..."

"Not only did they force Young Miss to her death over a marriage, but they also forbade anyone from mourning her. If not for the county magistrate's intervention, even this pavilion would have been torn down!" "I only dare to secretly come and visit Young Miss..."

Through the maid's narration, Qin Sang learned about the life of the stone pavilion's owner. As he shattered the ultimate treasures repeatedly, with increasingly shorter intervals, Liuli's current life could be considered an untimely death. Liuli's reincarnated self, though initially lonely, could still live a full life. Later, however, she either fell ill from sorrow or was forced, fighting back with the most drastic methods, ultimately dying by her own hand.

In each of her lives, she chose to spend her entire existence waiting for and searching for one person, without exception, unwavering! Qin Sang's mind flashed with that serene yet stubborn face. Once she made up her mind about something, she would steadfastly pursue it, unwavering due to any person or external force.

The Liuli after becoming Venerable Ning's disciple felt unfamiliar to Qin Sang; now, that familiar person seemed to have returned. The mastermind could manipulate his and Liuli's destinies, but they could not control Liuli's heart. Before this, Liuli's greatest concern was simply that her feelings weren't genuine but influenced by the evil art, fearing she might become a puppet of the art. Although she eventually made a decision, believing that even if she became Qin Sang's Dao companion, a lingering trace of doubt would remain in her heart, impossible to shake off. Even Qin Sang couldn't be sure if Liuli's feelings were entirely from her heart.

Perhaps, the answer was now clear: if Liuli were still controlled by the evil art, how could she have been so steadfast through countless lifetimes! She had endured reincarnation without giving up; how could he let her down?

"Take this silver, leave your employers, and find a good family to marry into. You were your Young Miss's only friend; come visit her often in the future. Her spirit in heaven will surely be comforted to see you happy."

Qin Sang handed the maid a bag of silver coins, then turned and left amidst her surprised gaze. In each life, before leaving, he would help Liuli's friends and relatives. There was no particular reason; even though he knew these people weren't real, he simply wanted to do it.

"...You need to use... essence blood... to smear all over the Bone Luans... and let them devour the essence blood..." The mysterious Azure Luan instructed Qin Sang on what to do next. Only by continuously refining the Bone Luans with his essence blood and deepening his connection with them could Qin Sang control the Bone Luan battle formation to unleash greater combat power, and even bear the more powerful divine abilities passed down by the mysterious Azure Luan.

Qin Sang looked at the Bone Luans lined up in front of him, his expression somewhat strange. He mused, "My talent lies in cultivation, not in artifact refinement. I fear I may not be able to achieve the required speed in refining the Bone Luans, and thus disappoint you, Senior."

"Just do your best!" The mysterious Azure Luan paused, a hint of temptation in its tone. "Once the Bone Luans are fully formed... you might... have a chance... to scheme for the Sacred Object!"

Hearing this, Qin Sang's eyes immediately blazed with excitement. He said with renewed vigor, "I will certainly give my utmost!"

With that, Qin Sang immediately began, silently activating his cultivation art to force out his essence blood. A moment later, a ball of crimson light floated before Qin Sang's chest. The blood within emanated an incredibly pure vital energy, appearing alive and capable of self-movement. In fact, when a body cultivator reached Qin Sang's level, they could achieve the legendary feat of rebirth from a single drop of blood. However, Qin Sang's strongest path was arcane cultivation, and the "Heavenly Demon Refining Form" focused on Dharma Idols, so he had no opportunity to demonstrate this.

Qin Sang gazed at his essence blood, an ethereal image of an Azure Luan appearing in his pupils, shining into the blood's interior. The essence blood writhed frantically, then split into six. The transformation continued; eventually, the essence blood became six miniature blood-luans, their features distinct, every feather clearly defined. Vibrating their tiny blood-wings, each flew towards a Bone Luan.

The Bone Luans lay prostrate, motionless. The blood-luans pounced onto the Bone Luans' foreheads, immediately drilling in. Then, crimson lines appeared, starting from the skull, rapidly spreading between the bones until they covered the entire Bone Luan, forming a blood-net. Qin Sang's movements accelerated. The crimson lines on the Bone Luans shifted erratically, slowly being absorbed by the Bone Luans. During this process, the Bone Luans became imbued with Qin Sang's aura, establishing an invisible connection between them. Until the last crimson line was completely absorbed, the Bone Luans gained a touch of vitality, while Qin Sang's demeanor became extremely listless. Clearly, this action was highly draining for him, and this method could not be performed continuously.

Qin Sang entered meditation to recover, taking a long time to regain his strength. Before he could perform the second essence blood refinement, the ultimate treasure was about to emerge.

"Too fast!" Qin Sang lamented, "Next time, I'll need to gather some nourishing spiritual herbs first, otherwise I won't be able to sustain such a large expenditure."

The mysterious Azure Luan had no other choice but to comfort Qin Sang and transmit a divine ability, advising him to first overcome this challenge.

"I'm back again."

Sent back in again, Qin Sang dared not waste a moment, immediately taking action. Any skirmishes along the way were swift and decisive, as he quickly rushed to the divine mountain. Looking at the divine mountain from afar, there was no one in sight. It seemed Qin Sang was the first to arrive, but perhaps the others were lurking in the shadows.

Qin Sang observed as he approached the divine mountain. Not far in, his expression suddenly shifted, a hint of joy flashing across his face. "Mount Daiyu... it seems to have stopped devouring the immortal mountain's essence!"

Qin Sang changed direction and drew closer, confirming that Mount Daiyu had indeed stopped devouring. Either the immortal mountain's essence here was depleted, or Mount Daiyu had recovered to a certain extent, reaching its current limit. Venerable Ning had said that Mount Daiyu was now extremely fragmented and heavily burdened. Restoring it to its original state was almost impossible unless it encountered another fortuitous opportunity. However, by devouring the immortal mountain's essence and recovering some of its immortal aura, it could be infinitely beneficial to Qin Sang. Mount Daiyu could finally be used by him; Qin Sang's mind was greatly settled!

At this moment, he felt he could recall Mount Daiyu at any time, but Qin Sang considered it and decided against it. Firstly, he didn't need it yet, and secondly, the emergence of Mount Daiyu might cause a huge commotion, difficult to conceal. It was better to leave it here for now and retrieve it when needed.

Thinking this, Qin Sang flew towards the divine mountain again. He flew near the divine mountain without any obstruction or finding traces of others, yet for some reason, Qin Sang felt a persistent unease. He frowned slightly, scanned his surroundings, and secretly thought it might be better to ask the mysterious Azure Luan to impart a detection divine ability.

As he thought this, Qin Sang flew to the front of the divine mountain, and suddenly, his unease reached its peak!

"Hmph!" A cold hmph came from the void. The voice was familiar; it was Xi Rui. But Qin Sang couldn't see him.

At the same time, from the void, a piece of animal skin floated out from an unknown place. The yellow hide was covered with runes. "A talisman!" Qin Sang couldn't discern the origin of the animal skin, but he recognized at a glance that it was a talisman, and the hide had been refined into talisman paper!

As the animal skin appeared, a figure also emerged above it. This person was not Xi Rui, but the Feathered Race Prince. He wore armor, a set of precious armor never seen before, and held a white longsword, dancing in the high sky. His dance was strong and powerful, agile as a startled dragon—clearly a battle dance!

His premonition came true. Qin Sang didn't hesitate, immediately releasing the six Bone Luans and the small Azure Luan, which charged directly at the Feathered Race Prince. The animal skin trembled, shooting out beams of light. The beams converged in mid-air, forming a sea of light, blocking the path between Qin Sang and the Feathered Race Prince. Simultaneously, the sound of a conch horn came from behind the mountain. Its sound was like ocean tides, one wave higher than the last, and indeed, a water tide appeared within the sea of light. Under the continuous assault of the water tide and light waves, the speed of the Bone Luan battle formation immediately slowed.

However, they could only delay; the power wasn't enough to break the Bone Luan battle formation. Qin Sang's expression grew increasingly solemn as he stared fixedly at the Feathered Race Prince dancing high in the sky. The Feathered Race Prince, armed with his sword and armored, danced gracefully, his head held high, as if praying to the heavens. Qin Sang had a premonition that this person was the greatest threat and would bring him extraordinary danger!

The void suddenly trembled violently. Qin Sang's heart skipped a beat, and his face changed drastically. The tremor wasn't from the earth or the sky, but the entire world was shaking! No one or anything in this realm could escape it.

Rumble...

Immediately afterward, as if responding to the Feathered Race Prince's prayer, the sky was suddenly torn apart by a powerful force. Colorful spiritual light spread across the air, and chaotic energy transformed the sky into a haphazardly painted canvas. A terrifying aura descended with it!