Chapter 257: Escape

Old Man Dieque had to proceed with extreme caution, dedicating most of his power to masking the spiritual talismans left by Daoist Xuan Yu. Yet, even a small fraction of the Celestial Sound Conch's spiritual energy was sufficient to effortlessly capture Qin Sang.

The conch shell hovered, its opening pointed directly at Qin Sang. A vortex, deep as an abyss, swirled within it, emanating an incredibly powerful oppressive force. Qin Sang instantly felt as though he had plunged into a quagmire. Powerful pressure pressed in from all sides, and no matter how he tried to maneuver, he found himself unable to break free.

Just then, a Corpse Devil flew out, hurtling towards the Celestial Sound Conch. However, Old Man Dieque seemed prepared; the moment the Corpse Devil materialized, the conch vibrated slightly, unleashing a sound wave that suppressed it as well. Had Old Man Dieque not wished to kill Qin Sang so soon, that sound wave would have been directed at him.

Qin Sang had chosen his moment perfectly. Most of Old Man Dieque's power was constrained by the spiritual talismans, forcing him to be meticulously careful; otherwise, if the talismans were activated, Daoist Xuan Yu would surely detect it. The priority between him and Daoist Xuan Yu was self-evident. This was precisely the case; Old Man Dieque had only deployed a small fraction of the Celestial Sound Conch's power. Yet, even so, Qin Sang remained utterly helpless. The difference was too great!

Qin Sang smiled bitterly to himself. Fortunately, he had long anticipated this scenario. With a flip of his hand, he revealed a black bead, which had been hidden in his palm the entire time: Profound Yin Thunder! Abandoning all resistance, he allowed the Celestial Sound Conch to press down on him. Gritting his teeth, he channeled all the spiritual energy in his body into his palm without reservation, then forcefully flung his hand.

Right in front of Qin Sang, the Profound Yin Thunder was detonated! The sheer destructive power made Qin Sang's scalp tingle, and a scene was reflected in his eyes: a mass of black light rapidly magnified and expanded, like a spreading drop of ink, possessing a cold, resolute beauty. At such close range, he would surely die! The Profound Yin Thunder's explosion was undeniably instantaneous, yet to Qin Sang, everything seemed to unfold in slow motion, as if millennia had passed. Death was imminent.

Yet, Qin Sang's expression remained remarkably calm. He knew perfectly well that Old Man Dieque would never permit the Profound Yin Thunder to detonate in this location. The Celestial Sound Conch bore a restriction placed by Old Man Dieque to conceal auras and forms. In such a hasty situation, this fragile restriction could not possibly contain the fluctuations from the Profound Yin Thunder's explosion. While the Profound Yin Thunder's blast radius was not large, even the slightest leak of its aftershocks could be detected by Daoist Xuan Yu, thereby nullifying all his efforts.

In front of the stone hall, Old Man Dieque's face turned deathly pale. "Good! Good! Good!" he uttered coldly. He had never imagined Qin Sang would break free from his control with such desperate resolve. "But what use was it?" he thought. "He was still just an ant that could be crushed at any time!"

"Since you're so eager to die, I shall grant your wish!" Old Man Dieque exclaimed, seething with rage. "Contain!"

The Profound Yin Thunder exploded in an instant, and Old Man Dieque didn't even have time to kill Qin Sang beforehand. With Old Man Dieque's cold command, the Celestial Sound Conch decisively released Qin Sang. The vortex at its opening ceased, reversed, and then began spinning furiously. The oppressive force instantly morphed into a powerful suction, engulfing the Profound Yin Thunder. Just before the Profound Yin Thunder could fully erupt, every last wisp of its nascent black light was completely absorbed into the Celestial Sound Conch.

'Buzz!' The next moment, the Celestial Sound Conch vibrated violently, its energy in disarray. True to its nature as a magic treasure, it swallowed the Profound Yin Thunder, absorbing the full brunt of the explosion, yet appeared outwardly unharmed.

Simultaneously, the pressure on Qin Sang abruptly vanished. He had been waiting for this exact moment. His figure, like lightning, darted into the flock of firebirds without hesitation, appearing to rush straight to his doom. But midway, Qin Sang's figure suddenly stiffened, becoming motionless like a corpse. Carried by inertia, he drifted into the flock of firebirds; the instant his 'body' appeared, it was already enveloped by the birds.

Old Man Dieque turned to Ren Hong and asked coldly, "Are you certain that one cannot use spiritual energy or divine sense within the flock of firebirds?"

Ren Hong knew nothing of Qin Sang's actions, nor had he even seen Qin Sang's 'corpse.' He was perplexed by Old Man Dieque's sudden shift in demeanor. Startled by the question, he noticed the lingering killing intent on Old Man Dieque's face. He stiffened, then quickly replied, "Reporting, Master, those firebirds are extremely sensitive to fluctuations in spiritual energy and divine sense. Even the slightest ripple will be detected, causing them to immediately become incredibly frenzied. Master, you must be extremely cautious..."

"With such chaotic spiritual energy, any talismans would surely be triggered. This implies that Old Ghost Xuan Yu couldn't have left any other secret markers within the bird flock..." Old Man Dieque nodded, relieved. He glanced up, observing that the flock of firebirds, after a brief period of disarray, instantly returned to normal, apparently having finished devouring Qin Sang's 'corpse.' Any remains would also be instantly incinerated by the continuous influx of fire elemental energy, leaving no traces behind.

Old Man Dieque sensed that the Celestial Sound Conch felt strangely sluggish. After years of hunting geese, he had finally been pecked in the eye by one. A tiny ant he could easily crush had nearly caused him significant trouble. Old Man Dieque was filled with intense resentment, wishing he could drag Qin Sang back from the underworld and personally dismember him.

"Let's go!" Old Man Dieque subtly cast a sidelong glance at Ren Hong, resolving to kill him once he was no longer needed, utterly determined not to make the same mistake again. Ren Hong remained blissfully unaware.

Inside the volcano, though unaffected by their cries, the fiery hurricanes generated by these firebirds flapping their wings were far more potent than those in the trial space, their power not to be underestimated. Hidden among the flock of firebirds, Qin Sang's magical robe was in tatters, and his body was covered in dense burn marks, aching all over. Yet, he was alive, and his expression was surprisingly relaxed.

He had finally forced Old Man Dieque to detonate the wisp of Thousand Illusion Divine Sound in his soul space! The divine sound transformed into a blade, striking his soul, but it was swallowed by the jade Buddha. Qin Sang hadn't waited for Old Man Dieque to command him to enter and test the firebird flock, or to feign death later, precisely because of that wisp of Thousand Illusion Divine Sound. As long as this hidden maneuver remained unresolved, his true state would be transparent to Old Man Dieque. Feigning death was not an option, and he might even expose the jade Buddha if he could withstand the firebirds' cries.

Unable to dismantle Old Man Dieque's hidden trap, Qin Sang could only force him to act directly, hence his desperate gamble of detonating the Profound Yin Thunder right in front of himself. This was a risky move. From the moment he saw the firebirds, Qin Sang began to formulate his plan. He absolutely could not continue to be a pathfinder. After passing through the stone hall, he already felt his limits. Upon reaching the ancient cultivator's cave, the restrictions within would undoubtedly be even more perilous. Even if he somehow survived, Old Man Dieque would likely silence him.

Qin Sang was not naive enough to believe that Old Man Dieque would genuinely take him as a disciple. Old Man Dieque had conspired against Daoist Xuan Yu, who was backed by the Shangyuan Pure Palace, one of the Eight Great Immortal Sects. Failing to eliminate all witnesses would be tantamount to digging his own grave. Qin Sang understood this principle. Old Man Dieque certainly wouldn't be ignorant of it. Ren Hong understood it too, but was powerless to resist.