Chapter 304: Flawless Pearl

The scholar in white robes shook his head and sighed. "The Yin-Yang Compass... that's how Sheng Yuanzi died."

However, no one felt sympathy for Ge Yuan. When disaster struck, everyone was for themselves. If Ge Yuan had simply wanted to flee for his life, no one could have blamed him. But to save his own life, he chose the precise moment the Human-Headed Owl attacked. His clear intention was to use others as shields to buy himself time to escape. Among those he betrayed was Yun Youzi, who had previously saved his life. Had Yun Youzi failed to perfect the formation in time, Ge Yuan's sudden departure would have caused the Golden Ring Formation to collapse, leading to everyone's demise under the Human-Headed Owl's sharp claws!

Ge Yuan's timing was impeccable, but he never anticipated Luo Xingnan targeting him. Luo Xingnan used the Yin-Yang Compass to first draw him in, then fling him, manipulating him with ease before ultimately throwing him in front of a Hooked Serpent King. The snake's maw was alarmingly close, its breath intensely foul. Yet, amidst the pungent stench, a hint of intoxicating sweetness, originating from the red mist, lingered. Having long experienced the red mist's potency, Ge Yuan shivered violently. He quickly held his breath, fearing to inhale it.

Ge Yuan's most trusted magical artifact was a pair of Wu Hooks, one larger, one smaller, representing male and female. At that moment, a crimson snake tongue emerged from the serpent's mouth, barely an inch from his eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, Ge Yuan hastily invoked his artifact and struck forcefully at the snake's maw. Two sword beams, one green and one red, shot forth swiftly, piercing directly into the serpent's mouth. The Hooked Serpent King reacted with lightning speed, its head whipping back sharply. Although it avoided the unfortunate fate of having its brain pierced by the Wu Hooks, it lost its tongue. The severed tongue flew a considerable distance, and blood immediately gushed from the Hooked Serpent King's mouth. The Hooked Serpent King, writhing in pain, flew into a rage, its fierce eyes locked onto Ge Yuan.

Little did it know, Ge Yuan's actions played right into Luo Xingnan's hands. The Hooked Serpents were significantly weakened and not numerous, but these two Hooked Serpent Kings were extremely formidable and coordinated their attacks closely. Luo Xingnan hadn't found an opportunity to prepare his talisman treasure, leaving him trapped, covered in injuries, and nearing the end of his strength. Fortunately, Ge Yuan had delivered himself. Ge Yuan was, of course, no match for the Hooked Serpent King. However, merely drawing its attention, delaying it for a moment, and disrupting its encirclement would be sufficient. This was an opportunity not to be missed.

Luo Xingnan gasped, pouring all his spiritual energy into the compass. A black light shot out, forcing back the other Hooked Serpent King slightly, allowing him to seize the opportunity to escape. Shangguan Lifeng, who had been diligently fending off the Hooked Serpents and was already considerably injured, immediately sheathed his saber and pursued them. Unexpectedly, seeing the Hooked Serpents still relentlessly pursuing him, a ruthless expression appeared on Luo Xingnan's face. He suddenly reversed the Yin-Yang Compass, aiming it at Shangguan Lifeng, who was right behind him.

*Whoosh!*

Shangguan Lifeng looked stunned, seemingly unable to believe that after upholding his promise and faithfully dedicating himself to Luo Xingnan, this was his ultimate fate. Shangguan Lifeng then managed a bitter, resigned smile. He raised his saber and unleashed saber energy to block the black light, but his movement was forcibly halted. By the time the black light dispersed, the Hooked Serpent King was already upon him.

The events unfolded with lightning speed, the situation shifting dramatically in moments. Luo Xingnan abandoned two lives and, astonishingly, escaped with his own. At this point, concern for exposure was irrelevant. Qin Sang was about to open his storage pouch and retrieve the Ten Directions Yama Banner for a desperate fight.

Just then, Yun Youzi looked at Qin Sang with a solemn expression and said in a deep voice, "Brother Qin, the rest is up to you!"

Qin Sang's heart jolted. "Senior, you..."

Then, light gathered before Yun Youzi, and the Flawless Pearl slowly ascended from it. The phenomena of wind and thunder, yin and yang cycles, became even more vivid, every detail appearing with uncanny clarity and mystery. Yun Youzi had previously stated that activating the Flawless Pearl would overdraw his Sea of Qi, a claim that was clearly no exaggeration. The spiritual energy within his body surged wildly into the Flawless Pearl, its intense fluctuations visible to the naked eye. However, this time was vastly different from when they were in the underground magma. While Yun Youzi's spiritual energy was completely drained by the Flawless Pearl, it wasn't just his spiritual energy; his vital essence also appeared to be vanishing!

Yun Youzi, already appearing very old, now had a deathly pale face, utterly devoid of color. The wrinkles on his face deepened further, and his aura was rapidly decaying, leaving him extremely weak. Describing his breath as a mere wisp would not be an exaggeration. But accompanying this was a colossal transformation in the Flawless Pearl. Even Luo Xingnan, from a distance, noticed the unusual phenomenon. In the midst of his hurried escape, he glanced back, his face etched with surprise.

This was Qin Sang's first time witnessing Yun Youzi unleash the Flawless Pearl's full power. The precious pearl shone brilliantly, emitting dazzling azure light in all directions, almost resembling a cerulean sun. An intensely violent aura radiated from the Flawless Pearl. This aura was highly peculiar, bearing a surprising resemblance to demonic qi. Sensing it, both the Human-Headed Owl and the Hooked Serpents became subtly agitated. The scholar in white robes was utterly astonished, murmuring, "This aura seems to be demonic qi. Could it be an artifact refined from a demon core?"

Demon cores are only formed within demonic beasts that have advanced to the Demon Core stage, similar to the Golden Cores of human cultivators. Demonic beasts possessing demon cores wield power comparable to Golden Core stage cultivators, and they are just as rare. However, neither demon cores nor artifacts refined from them were within the grasp of cultivators at their Foundation Establishment stage. Qin Sang was also unsure if demon cores could be used to refine artifacts and couldn't precisely determine what the Flawless Pearl truly was. He even wondered if the Flawless Pearl might be a genuine magical treasure. But Qin Sang quickly dismissed the idea. If the Flawless Pearl were indeed a genuine magical treasure, Yun Youzi, not being a Golden Core stage cultivator, couldn't possibly wield it. The authentic Ten Directions Yama Banner in Qin Sang's storage pouch was also a genuine magical treasure. He had attempted to use it multiple times, always without success. The Primordial Concentric Ring, acquired from the Earth Rift Old Man's relics, was no different. Nevertheless, even if the Flawless Pearl wasn't a genuine magical treasure, its immense power was undeniable. He wondered if the Ten Directions Yama Array, assembled from all ten Ghost Banners, could rival the Flawless Pearl.

*Screech!*

The Human-Headed Owl's cry was laced with intense agitation. It suddenly flapped its colossal wings, transforming into a streak of black light that shot forth, its target clearly Yun Youzi. Seeing this, Qin Sang immediately teleported to shield Yun Youzi, activating his talisman treasure's power without hesitation. All the jade ruyi shadows converged into Qin Sang's palm, forming a seemingly genuine ruyi crafted from the purest jade. With a flick of Qin Sang's wrist, the jade ruyi trembled slightly, then transformed into a streaking white light. Simultaneously, the Golden Ring Formation, which had been entrusted to the scholar in white robes, was activated.

This was not a sneak attack; the Human-Headed Owl was prepared. The significantly weakened Golden Ring Formation was torn to shreds by its sharp claws, utterly destroying the set of forbidden artifacts. During the struggle, due to Qin Sang's exhausted spiritual energy, the talisman treasure reverted to a simple talisman paper, fluttering to the ground. It was covered in countless cracks, likely usable only one more time at most.