Chapter 478: Ambush

Even though he couldn't refine the living corpse, the gains were still substantial. After this experience, Qin Sang had a thorough understanding of the pseudo-core realm, which would make him more confident when refining corpses in the future.

Once the earth fiend qi dissipated, Qin Sang carefully erased any lingering traces of his aura before leaving the square and stepping onto the stone path. So many unexpected events had occurred, and now less than two quarters of an hour remained before he had to leave Finger-Pointing Peak.

With so little time remaining, Qin Sang decided to retrace his steps. He had no intention of seeking out the Heavenly Alliance cultivator; instead, he planned to quickly leave this heavily restricted area, return to the canyon's outer reaches, and then collect more Star Origin Stones. The Snow Spirit Lotus and Iris were his top priorities; they absolutely could not fall into anyone else's hands.

The surrounding restrictions had also been affected by the spatial storm caused by the Star-Wielding Elder, undergoing slight changes. Fortunately, these alterations were minor and remained under his control.

After walking some distance, Qin Sang found a sea of fire created by a restriction. He threw all the handsome young man's belongings into it and watched them being consumed by the intense flames.

Back on the path, Qin Sang finally had a moment to assess his own condition. He had fought the handsome young man with relative ease and hadn't sustained any injuries. However, because Qin Sang had heavily relied on his Cold Gold Sword, using it to directly clash with the handsome young man's artifacts several times, the flying sword's spiritual essence was damaged, and its luster had dimmed. The damage wasn't severe; it could be fully restored with a day of cultivation.

After a moment's thought, Qin Sang put away his Cold Gold Sword and retrieved the long-unused Ten Directions Yama Banner. These ghost banners had been gathering dust for years; ever since the war in the Chaotic Isles region began, Qin Sang had set them aside and never used them again. Now, after several years, as he reactivated them and held them in his hand, he could sense the main souls of the ghost banners conveying feelings of eager anticipation and excitement.

Qin Sang smiled faintly, channeled his spiritual power, and activated the Ten Directions Yama Banner. His cultivation was far superior to what it once was, making this set of artifacts much easier to wield. They were more than sufficient to provide defense until he left Finger-Pointing Peak. Ten small ghost banners rotated around Qin Sang. The rising yin qi was suppressed, forming a shroud of ghostly mist around his body.

Soon after, Qin Sang reached the end of the stone path. He glanced back, a hint of emotion in his expression, then continued onward, his pace steadily increasing. He passed through the heavily restricted zone without incident. Ahead, two massive black stones emerged, resembling two imposing black tigers crouching like guardian deities.

Qin Sang had a vivid memory of these two black stones; their appearance signaled that the path ahead was less dangerous, and it was time to begin collecting Star Origin Stones. Qin Sang looked up at the pitch-black sky, which was dotted with over a dozen points of light. Most of the Star Origin Stones had already merged with the surrounding restrictions, leaving only a few that could still be collected.

'I'll go a bit further,' Qin Sang thought, quickening his pace towards the black stones.

Just as Qin Sang was about to pass between the two 'black tiger' stones, a sudden jolt of alarm shot through him, followed by an exceptionally fierce gust of wind descending from above. Qin Sang's expression changed drastically. He abruptly looked up to see a colossal stele plummeting from the top of the black stone on his left!

The massive stele descended from the sky with immense weight, intending to crush him. The colossal stele was perfectly square, inscribed with the three characters 'Mountain-Shaking Stele.' It emanated a profound, earthy-yellow aura of immense weight; though it appeared ponderous, it moved with astonishing speed. In a blink, Qin Sang's figure was engulfed by the earthy-yellow aura, and the colossal stele completely filled his vision.

Even before the stele reached him, its earthy-yellow aura exerted a terrifying oppressive force, firmly locking onto Qin Sang. Qin Sang was suppressed by an immense force, driven directly into the ground, his feet sinking into two deep pits. His eyes wide, his bones crackled throughout his body, and his frame trembled uncontrollably. He was utterly unable to move, barely able to maintain a standing posture, and nearly flattened by the stele.

A talisman artifact! Qin Sang cried out inwardly; only a talisman artifact could possess such formidable power.

The stele's earthy-yellow aura obscured Qin Sang's vision, preventing him from seeing his attacker's face. However, he was almost certain it was the Heavenly Alliance cultivator he had encountered previously. Qin Sang was surprised that he hadn't sought out trouble, yet the other party had come to him first. It seemed the attacker had anticipated his arrival, preparing a talisman artifact for a sneak attack. When they had encountered before, Granny Jing had helped conceal his aura; he shouldn't have been discovered, right? Doubt arose in Qin Sang's mind, but the situation didn't allow for much thought. Fortunately, he had always been cautious and had already prepared the Ten Directions Yama Banner for protection.

Whoosh!

The Mountain-Shaking Stele was mere inches away; Qin Sang could even discern the intricate patterns etched upon its surface.

Swish!

Yin qi surged. The Yama Banners unfurled and grew, instantly transforming into colossal ghost banners nearly two people tall. The ten ghost banners plunged into the ground, forming a banner array. In an instant, the space between the black stones transformed into a ghostly domain, filled with dense ghastly energy and the wails of spirits. Then, yin qi roiled at the center of the banner array, and black ghost fire surged skyward. This exceptionally potent ghost fire directly dispersed the overwhelming earthy-yellow aura, then condensed into a single, formidable force that firmly resisted the Mountain-Shaking Stele.

Boom!

The Mountain-Shaking Stele collided with the ghost fire. The Ten Directions Yama Banner merely trembled, holding its ground firmly. The Mountain-Shaking Stele remained suspended in mid-air, unable to descend a single inch.

Qin Sang finally got a clear look at his attacker. Perched atop the black stone, a man clad in earthy-yellow battle armor stood at the edge, looking down. He wore a large helmet of the same color, with only his facial features visible.

The Mountain-Shaking Stele was thwarted. The armored cultivator's eyes widened in utter astonishment. He clearly hadn't anticipated that his meticulously planned sneak attack, for which he had even resorted to a talisman artifact, would be so easily repelled.

"It's you!" Qin Sang scoffed, finally recognizing the man.

This individual was a master dispatched by the Heavenly Alliance just a year prior. In less than a year, he had amassed impressive battle merits, with many experts from the Lesser Cold Region falling at his hands. His true name was unknown, but Qin Sang and others always referred to him as the 'Yellow-Armored Man.' Qin Sang had never directly engaged the Yellow-Armored Man in combat, which was why he hadn't recognized him initially. However, the Yellow-Armored Man had left a deep impression on him as one of the few masters he deeply feared. If he encountered him outside, he would try his best to avoid a confrontation.

"So, it's the renowned Shadowless Sword," the Yellow-Armored Man remarked, his voice laced with a hint of mockery as he spoke Qin Sang's moniker. "No wonder you caused such a commotion and still emerged alive."

Qin Sang suddenly realized the full extent of the spatial storm's impact, which was evidently greater than he had imagined. It must have disturbed the entire canyon's restrictions, drawing the Yellow-Armored Man to this location. He wondered what reward the Heavenly Alliance had promised; it surely wouldn't be much less than what Star-Gazing Island offered. Attempting to collect Star Origin Stones one by one with a Spirit-Locking Bracelet was an unpromising endeavor, especially in such a dangerous place as this canyon, where it would severely restrict one's movements. The quickest method was undoubtedly to ambush an opponent and seize their Star Origin Stones. No wonder the Yellow-Armored Man had been tempted.