Chapter 2323: The Art of Gu Poisoning

Qin Sang traversed the bloody cloud silently, oblivious to the hidden observer. An inexplicable sense of oppression weighed on him, but as this forbidden area was always shrouded in the blood-red mist, such a feeling wasn't unusual.

"How much longer until we reach the Insect Tomb?" the Vermilion Bird yawned.

"I didn't expect it to be more boring out here than inside. Nothing but bugs."

"Soon..."

Qin Sang looked ahead, a slight frown on his face, finally sensing something amiss.

The spiritual insect presence nearby was noticeably sparser than elsewhere. These spiritual insects also felt less ferocious or bloodthirsty than those he had encountered before. While they still attacked him, displaying predatory instincts, their nature seemed different.

Communication with the spiritual insects in the forbidden area was impossible; this was just Qin Sang's intuition, lacking concrete proof, yet he was confident it was accurate.

Was it possible that approaching the Insect Tomb was influencing the spiritual insects?

Qin Sang knew almost nothing about the Insect Tomb. He couldn't visualize its appearance, but his intuition suggested it would be unlike its surroundings.

This slight abnormality wasn't enough to slow his flight; he continued forward, but with heightened vigilance.

*Pop!*

A wasp-like spiritual insect exploded and died.

Simultaneously, a buzzing sound rapidly approached him from both directions. With a flick of his hand, he heard two distinct "slaps," and two other identical spiritual insects met the same fate.

What appeared to be a casual wave actually contained the might of the Great Vajra Seal.

Deep within the forbidden area, under external pressure, Qin Sang continuously maintained the Great Vajra Seal and Phoenix Wings to keep up his speed.

After annihilating the three spiritual insects, a sharp glint appeared in Qin Sang's eyes as his sense of unease intensified. The three spiritual insects had just attacked him from three directions, seemingly employing encirclement tactics—a behavior he hadn't witnessed until now.

Clearly, the forbidden area had undergone an unknown transformation at this point.

Meanwhile.

After Qin Sang slew the three spiritual insects, the two figures beside the golden platform immediately sensed it. They exchanged grave glances.

"This person should be at the late-stage Void Refinement realm!" one of them said gravely.

The spiritual insects were specifically bred for this formation. Lacking masters, they functioned as components of the array, their sentience erased, leaving only instinct. They were akin to runes or formation artifacts.

Awaiting orders and wary of alerting their target, they hadn't activated the formation, so they were unaware of what had befallen the spiritual insects. Nevertheless, the insects gained enhancements when within the formation.

The individual had effortlessly dispatched all the spiritual insects in his path, maintaining his speed without hindrance. This allowed them to deduce his formidable strength.

The other person hummed in acknowledgment, about to speak again, when a flash of fiery light shot forth, merging into the golden platform.

Understanding implicitly, both men's eyes gleamed with killing intent. One instantly appeared on the golden platform, while the other vanished on the spot.

The command was simple, just one word: Kill!

Even if the intruder was a late-stage Void Refinement expert, they didn't believe failure was possible, as they had the formidable assistance of the formation!

At this moment, the remaining person's figure flickered. A dark shadow rose behind him, transforming into a humanoid shape over a hundred zhang tall. Its black face had no discernible features, only two enormous eye sockets.

The next moment, the shadow's entire body lit up with streaks of white light, shimmering with a metallic luster. These crisscrossing, dazzling lights covered its form, as if armoring the dark figure.

These were divine runes. As they grew brighter, the runes on the shadow's feet connected to the golden platform, appearing as an extension of it. The individual's aura completely merged with the platform.

*Swish!*

Brilliant divine light shot forth from the dark eye sockets.

Meanwhile, Qin Sang's heart suddenly tightened, followed by an urgent warning from the Heaven's Eye Butterfly.

After entering the bloody cloud, Qin Sang and the Heaven's Eye Butterfly had continuously maintained the Heaven's Eye divine ability, avoiding numerous dangers.

At this moment, through the Heaven's Eye Butterfly's vision, he saw intricate, extremely subtle lines on the ground. Even with the Heaven's Eye divine ability, they were only vaguely discernible. The nodes where these lines connected were precisely the spiritual insects!

"This is..."

A formation!

Qin Sang's expression shifted. He immediately realized this was no natural occurrence of the forbidden area but a formation deliberately laid out by someone.

Using spiritual insects as a formation was clearly the work of Shaman Clan cultivators!

"How could someone be setting up a formation here?"

Qin Sang subconsciously commanded the Heaven's Eye Butterfly to retreat to his Qi Sea.

He didn't know who had laid this formation; even with its concealing divine ability, the Heaven's Eye Butterfly might still be discovered.

Having exposed the Heaven's Eye Butterfly to the Shaman Clan, he could easily be traced through this connection.

Qin Sang hadn't expected to encounter others here, but he had always been cautious. He had long since put away the Grey Oriole Sword and the Bright Mountain Armor, primarily using demonic arts and strength-based divine abilities, intending to keep his two identities separate to avoid implicating 'Elder Qin'.

Simultaneously, Qin Sang flapped his Phoenix Wings rapidly, retreating backward.

He hadn't yet seen the formation's master, nor did he know if they were friend or foe, but one thing was certain: remaining within the formation was unwise. The array had been dormant until now; its sudden activation likely indicated hostile intent.

"Has he already found out?"

The person on the golden platform, now the formation's master, sensed Qin Sang's swift retreat and inwardly commended his acute spiritual perception!

The formation had only just activated, yet his opponent had already detected it. He couldn't help but feel fortunate his companion had stopped him from rashly activating the formation to observe earlier.

Meanwhile, the other person had already infiltrated the formation, ready to seize an opportunity to strike. He hadn't expected Qin Sang's reaction to be so swift; a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes as he rapidly closed in on Qin Sang with successive flashes.

*Whoosh!*

The formation triggered a disturbance in the bloody cloud. The subtle lines simultaneously illuminated, forming a vast net that intricately mapped out a complex array diagram across the ground.

Countless spiritual insects formed the nodes of the array diagram. After the diagram appeared, the spiritual insects bathed in spiritual light, and the bloody cloud aura clinging to them was instantly cleansed away. Their bodies became transparent, merging into the formation.

Qin Sang's expression grew increasingly grim. He wasn't attacked by the spiritual insects; as the formation activated, the insects disappeared, and the bloody cloud moved away from him. However, a greater crisis was approaching.

*Whoosh...whoosh...*

A fierce gale erupted.

The silvery-white wind was almost tangible, like countless sharp blades emanating a chilling gleam, boundless and omnipresent.

This was a formation he had never seen before, prompting extreme vigilance.

Suddenly, Qin Sang seemed to sense something. He stared intently into the depths of the silver wind, where a mysterious figure clad in a black robe and wearing a mask flickered into view.

"Two demon cultivators! And a Vermilion Bird?"

Both this person and the formation's master were greatly surprised. When they saw the Vermilion Bird on Qin Sang's shoulder, they were even more startled.

In this day and age, sacred beast bloodlines like the Vermilion Bird were rarer than even dragons or phoenixes. How could one appear here?

Seeing that the Vermilion Bird was only at the mid-stage Void Refinement realm, they felt a slight relief, secretly thinking they had been somewhat reckless.

They truly hadn't expected demon cultivators to enter the Gonggong Platform.

As demon cultivators, they likely weren't here under orders to scout, making their fate initially uncertain. However, since they had already been exposed, they could not be allowed to leave; they absolutely could not be permitted to reveal this secret.

Thinking of this, both men's eyes flashed with killing intent, and the formation became imbued with a chilling aura.

"Fellow Daoist, I am headed for the Insect Tomb and have inadvertently trespassed upon this precious land. I harbor no ill intent. I hope Daoist will be accommodating; I shall depart immediate—"

Over the years, Qin Sang had witnessed a variety of Shaman Clan divine abilities, some bizarre, some sinister. It wasn't difficult to deduce that this was a Gu poison art, a fusion of shamanic curses and insect manipulation.

This type of Gu poison art was relatively common among mortals, but when wielded by Shaman Clan cultivators, it became far more terrifying.

With a shift in thought, Qin Sang's body suddenly gleamed with lustrous light. He fully unleashed the Great Vajra Seal, instantly transforming his body to resemble radiant glass. The pain immediately subsided, as he suppressed the Gu poison with Buddhist Dharma, the effect instantaneous.

The black-robed figure hadn't expected Qin Sang to find a way to suppress the Gu poison so quickly. His gaze sharpened, but then he sneered. This particular Gu poison art was a killing move he had meticulously refined for many years. If an opponent believed it only targeted the physical body, their demise was near.

If the insect Gu infiltrated the soul, the victim would suffer madness at best, and at worst, their soul would wither, leading to complete death.

Little did he know, a mere Gu poison could hardly breach the Jade Buddha's protection; even if Qin Sang offered no resistance, the Gu poison would be unable to penetrate.

The black-robed figure continued to unleash the Gu poison, feeling an inexplicable unease for some unknown reason.

As he made his move, the formation's master also activated the array.

Streaks of silver wind transformed into countless silver blades, sweeping towards Qin Sang, a boundless, overwhelming assault.

These silver blades were incredibly sharp; even demon cultivators with powerful physiques would suffer severe injuries if struck, while those significantly weaker would be instantly dismembered.

The assault was a relentless tide, silver blades arriving in continuous succession, denying the enemy any respite. Yet, Qin Sang achieved the impossible, transforming into a streak of azure lightning, expertly weaving through the countless silver blades with breathtaking precision and perilous grace.

Even when evasion was impossible, Qin Sang could strike out to deflect the silver blades.

Despite the formation's fierce assault, Qin Sang remained unharmed, even while under the Gu poison's harassment.

Witnessing this, the smile on the black-robed figure's face gradually stiffened.

Then, seeing the silver blades fail to breach his defense after a prolonged assault, the formation's master sent a voice transmission, triggering another transformation of the array.

In an instant, all the silver blades ceased their attack.

Time seemed to stand still as the silver blades hung motionless in the air. With a deafening 'bang,' all the silver blades simultaneously shattered.

Silver light permeated the void, as if the space itself had been cast in molten silver. The streak of lightning that Qin Sang had transformed into encountered immense resistance, instantly solidifying into a single point of thunderous light.

"Void Domain!"

Qin Sang's heart chilled; this formation could actually manifest a Void Domain!

None of the Shaman Clan cultivators he had encountered before had comprehended the Void Domain divine ability. This was his first encounter with a Void Domain among the Shaman Clan.

Seeing Qin Sang trapped and immobilized by the Void Domain, an indescribable profound light suddenly flowed through his entire body.

It was the Heaven's Eye Butterfly's Profound Void Divine Light!

Previously, Qin Sang had relied on the Profound Void Divine Light to resist the Sky-Trapping Golden Lock. Now, he once again commanded the Heaven's Eye Butterfly to unleash it. Like a slippery fish, he instantly broke free from the Void Domain's lock. Furthermore, as the Heaven's Eye Butterfly cast the Profound Void Divine Light, Qin Sang also activated the Azure Luan True Thunder, performing the Heaven's Perception Thunder Robe technique.

This was a secret escape technique of the Azure Luan Clan. The black-robed figure only saw the azure thunder solidify, and then Qin Sang vanished from his sight.

His face filled with shock. He swept his gaze around, having completely lost Qin Sang's trace. The unease in his heart intensified, and he urgently called out to the formation's master.

"Brother Hong, this demon cultivator..."

Before he could finish, he heard his companion's urgent shout, "Look out!"

Although the black-robed figure didn't know what had happened, his reaction was incredibly swift. A silver pearl immediately appeared before his chest.

The silver pearl shone brightly, and a powerful repulsive force swept out with the light waves.

A distortion appeared within the light waves, revealing a figure directly in front of him.

The black-robed figure gasped, completely bewildered as to how Qin Sang had escaped the Void Domain and appeared before him.

Qin Sang eyed the black-robed figure coldly, holding a mountain in his hand. He had directly summoned the Daiyu Immortal Mountain.

*Boom!*

The immortal mountain trembled and then crashed down.

"No!"

The black-robed figure cried out in alarm, his face pale with fright. A treasure mirror appeared behind his head, its light shining upon him like silver armor, causing his speed to surge as he attempted to flee.

His companion's warning had been timely, and his reaction swift, yet he had overlooked the Vermilion Bird on Qin Sang's shoulder.

The Vermilion Bird raised a wing and pointed at the black-robed figure. Ferocious red flames erupted beneath the black-robed figure's feet, and chains of crimson fire shot out from the flames, instantly binding him tightly.

*Boom!*

A cloud of blood mist exploded.