Chapter 255: Small Cleverness

The branches relentlessly pursued him, and afterimages shattered one after another, but they never managed to catch Qin Sang.

Qin Sang's movements were erratic; aided by the power of the Thousand Illusions Divine Sound, his speed was extraordinary. At first, his steps were somewhat chaotic, as if he struggled to control the sudden surge in speed, and there were even a few instances where he was nearly ensnared by the branches. However, as time passed, Qin Sang's movements became steadier. A closer look would reveal that the rhythm of his actions perfectly matched the changes in the branches; each time they attempted to surround him, he seemed to anticipate it and dodged in advance.

More and more afterimages appeared, like countless clones of Qin Sang. The branches swung more violently, gradually unable to keep up with Qin Sang's movements, becoming entangled and messy. Yet, Qin Sang's expression grew increasingly grim.

A moment later, Qin Sang's eyes suddenly lit up, his figure stopped abruptly, and he swiftly retreated. The instant Qin Sang darted back, a black light erupted from the entangled mass of branches, shooting out like lightning. It pursued Qin Sang relentlessly, similar to ink splattering from a bottle. Because Qin Sang reacted extremely quickly and retreated in time, the black light never managed to touch him. Eventually, it lost its power and slowly dissipated.

The two withered trees returned to normal once more. Qin Sang looked down at the corner of his magic robe; there was a thumb-sized black hole emitting a foul smell. This was caused by the black light's impact, a vulnerability Qin Sang had deliberately created. This allowed Qin Sang to gauge the black light's power. The black light was highly corrosive, representing the greatest lethal move of this restriction. After this probing, Qin Sang had gained about 70-80% understanding of the restriction. Fortunately, he had the Heavenly Sound Conch with him; otherwise, he wouldn't dare test the restriction in this manner. Relying solely on himself, observing from outside with his naked eye, the chance of comprehending the restriction would be minuscule, and breaking it would be an impossible task.

Gazing at the branches on the withered trees, Qin Sang pondered for a moment. With a plan already formed in his mind, he set off again. The situation was similar to before. Several times in a row, he was forced back by the black light, but Qin Sang's confidence only grew.

On the final attempt, Qin Sang calmly faced the encirclement of the withered branches, his gaze fixed on their depths. The moment the black light first appeared, he suddenly activated the Heavenly Sound Conch with all his might, enveloping his entire body in the power of the Thousand Illusions Divine Sound, and then performed an astonishing act: ignoring the oncoming black light, he turned and charged right into it!

Qin Sang plunged into boundless darkness, his body racked with intense pain. An omnipresent, immense force relentlessly squeezed inward, threatening to crush him into a pulp. The power of the Thousand Illusions Divine Sound enveloping his body was compressed and deformed, yet it remained resilient and unbroken. Everything before him was shrouded in darkness, but in the next instant, his vision returned. Qin Sang stood steadily on the ground, taking a sharp breath, and looked back. The black light had vanished. The withered branches hung limp, like dead snakes, revealing a small path beneath them.

"Excellent! Continue!" the Old Man of Earth's Rift's voice echoed from the primordial spirit space. Qin Sang sneered inwardly and turned back around.

The dead forest seemed boundless. A winding path now lay behind Qin Sang, offering a retreat at any time, but before him remained a ghostly domain. Qin Sang successfully deciphered layer after layer of restrictions, but it was not without danger. During this process, he inadvertently triggered a hidden restriction and was almost pulled into a vortex by a powerful suction force. At that moment, the Heavenly Sound Conch was restrained, and Qin Sang lost a magic artifact and sacrificed a zombie. Only then did he barely gain enough time to reverse the Heavenly Sound Conch and escape the vortex. It was no exaggeration to say that every step was perilous.

Qin Sang was drenched in sweat, his energy rapidly depleting, and he dared not relax even for a moment. He secretly admired Daoist Master Xuanyu, who not only effortlessly broke the restrictions but also had enough reserve energy to leave behind secret marks. Along the way, the Old Man of Earth's Rift successively discovered three spirit talismans and a hidden restriction. Daoist Master Xuanyu was exceptionally cautious. One of them was ingeniously embedded within a restriction; if the restriction were to activate, the talisman would instantly be triggered. Fortunately, the Old Man of Earth's Rift was not distracted, allowing him to detect and seal it in time.

With another layer of restriction broken, Qin Sang's expression suddenly relaxed; the dead forest had vanished! Finally emerging, Qin Sang used spiritual power to wipe away the sweat on his body, but the profound weariness was difficult to shake off. He turned to look down; the Old Man of Earth's Rift and Ren Hong were only just setting off to enter the dead forest.

After they exited the dead forest, the three continued their ascent. After a period of calm travel, they arrived before a thatched hut. The wooden door of the hut was ajar, yet it was filled with Xuanhuang light, obscuring any view of the interior furnishings. Qin Sang had already handed the Heavenly Sound Conch to Ren Hong, allowing him to familiarize himself with it. Naturally, Ren Hong was to challenge the hut.

Ren Hong took a deep breath, pushed open the wooden door, and entered. Qin Sang's energy was severely depleted, so he seized the opportunity to meditate and recover. After an unknown period, Qin Sang suddenly heard the Old Man of Earth's Rift let out a cold laugh. "Quite cunning!"

Before he finished speaking, the wooden door slammed open with a 'bang.' Enveloped by the Heavenly Sound Conch, Ren Hong crashed stiffly out of the wooden door and fell heavily to the ground. A narrow, long blade wound marred his chest, and sharp blade energy writhed at the cut, wreaking havoc. Ren Hong's face was extremely pale; his injury was clearly severe and had already affected his internal organs.

The Old Man of Earth's Rift ignored Ren Hong's injuries, tossing him a jade bottle containing a spiritual elixir. He said coldly, "Take a pill and consume it yourself. I've long prepared enough healing elixirs for you! Now, only the two of you are by my side. Each of you will face a trial; as long as you don't die, no one can escape. The power of the restrictions will only grow stronger; sustaining injuries that greatly diminish your strength will only lead to a quicker death! Take the elixir, then go back in."

After speaking, the Old Man of Earth's Rift glanced at Qin Sang, his gaze containing an implicit warning. Qin Sang knew that Ren Hong might have intentionally injured himself and that the Old Man of Earth's Rift had seen through it, which explained the cold laugh. Even with the restriction between them, none of his or Ren Hong's actions could escape the Old Man of Earth's Rift's notice. After this incident, Ren Hong also understood this. Without arguing, he silently took the spiritual elixir, healed his blade wound, and pushed open the door to re-enter. Before long, Ren Hong's figure appeared at the back of the thatched hut.

In this manner, they successively broke through restriction after restriction. The three moved silently towards the mountain peak, slowly approaching Daoist Master Xuanyu. Qin Sang and Ren Hong became increasingly skilled. Although injuries were inevitable, they managed to pass each trial without fatal mishaps. The Old Man of Earth's Rift had spoken truly; the healing elixirs in his possession were extraordinarily abundant. He gave them pill after pill without hesitation, as if his supply were endless.

Dark clouds pressed down, threatening to topple the mountain. As they drew closer to the clouds, Qin Sang's heart felt as if it were shrouded in a layer of gloom. The power of the restrictions grew more terrifying. The restrictions they encountered along the way, while some directly attacked the primordial spirit, were all accompanied by other terrifying assaults. Without the protection of the Heavenly Sound Conch, Qin Sang would surely die. Only when encountering simple illusions or restrictions that tested one's state of mind could he use the power of the jade Buddha to gain a slight margin for maneuver.