Chapter 480: The Snake Woman’s Praise

Qin Sang captured the yellow-armored man and landed. His skin appeared very pale due to excessive blood loss, but he had already prepared elixirs. After taking one, his recovery speed significantly increased.

The black flames dispersed.

Beneath the sea of fire, four dark figures were surprisingly lurking. They were all top-tier fiend corpses, created from the bodies of late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. This was one of Qin Sang's backup plans. If his magical artifact were to fail, he would use the Void Thunder without hesitation, even at the cost of a few fiend corpses, to prevent the yellow-armored man's escape.

Qin Sang placed the yellow-armored man on the ground. Discovering that the man's primordial spirit was severely injured by the Nine Nether Demonic Flame, Qin Sang had no time for anything else. He quickly treated the man's injuries, then sealed his primordial spirit with a Heavenly Corpse Talisman before placing him into the Corpse Puppet Bag.

This time, Qin Sang would not act rashly. He would definitely wait until he broke through to the Pseudo-Core realm before attempting this again. With Yu Hua, he would have two living corpses. Even if things went poorly, he should at least succeed in creating one.

Qin Sang stopped in time, allowing the yellow-armored man's mustard seed bag to survive. While there were no supreme treasures like the Void Thunder that could pleasantly surprise Qin Sang, it still contained an astonishing amount of wealth.

There was also a pocket containing Star Essence Stones. It held only a shallow layer of them, roughly estimated to be about a hundred pieces.

Qin Sang held the pocket, deep in thought.

The yellow-armored man's strength ranked among the top tier of the sixty-six individuals who entered Heaven-Pointing Peak. Despite diligently collecting Star Essence Stones with his Spirit-Locking Bracelet, he had only managed to gather this small amount.

Qin Sang already had over three hundred pieces in his pocket. Adding these, he now possessed an amount equivalent to what four people might collect.

On the vast Heaven-Pointing Peak, everyone was scattered across different locations. Unlike Granny Snake, who possessed formidable strength to easily discern the weaknesses of restrictions and move freely through dangerous ones, others, even with the best luck, would at most encounter a couple of viable sources, and they might not even be able to win the fight for them.

"These should be enough," Qin Sang thought to himself. "Any more would be overdoing it."

With that in mind, Qin Sang was no longer in a hurry. He proceeded cautiously, only casually collecting some Star Essence Stones along the way to reach around five hundred. By the time he left the canyon, it was almost time.

Qin Sang looked around, moving away from the canyon until he found an open space. He gazed up at the sky, where ubiquitous chaotic suction currents, like fierce gusts of wind, raged overhead.

In an instant, these fierce winds eerily halted, as if time itself had stopped.

"Now!"

This phenomenon was very short-lived; once missed, there would be no way to leave Heaven-Pointing Peak.

Qin Sang immediately conjured his Cold Gold Sword, becoming one with it, and flew towards the sky at top speed.

At this moment, dozens of multicolored escape lights burst forth like fireworks across Heaven-Pointing Peak, from its summit to its base. They were everywhere, scrambling to rush towards the sky.

These fierce winds began to roll back, transforming into suction forces emanating from above.

Having experienced this upon his initial entry, Qin Sang skillfully navigated through the chaotic suction, maintaining his sword light. Before long, he saw an endless white light ahead, as if a colossal hole had opened in the sky, forming a giant celestial aperture.

Whoosh!

Rushing into the white light, all the chaos simultaneously dissipated.

His vision was suddenly filled with dazzling white light. Then, his sight returned, and boundless lake water came into view.

Gentle sounds of waves reached his ears, gradually calming Qin Sang's tense mind.

Qin Sang had not yet fully stabilized when he suddenly felt a strong gust of wind from behind. He hastily dodged sideways and, upon a focused look, discovered it was a master from the Spirit-Taming Sect who had emerged from Heaven-Pointing Peak almost simultaneously with him.

The two nodded to each other and flew side by side towards their respective camps.

Granny Snake and Deputy Island Master Xiao were still waiting at their original position.

Nearly twenty people had already emerged before them, standing orderly behind the two Island Masters. Senior Brother Rong was also among them, his brows tightly furrowed and his expression serious, as if something weighed on his mind.

Upon seeing Qin Sang, Senior Brother Rong's face revealed a slight smile, and he nodded in acknowledgment.

Qin Sang glanced around as he walked, surprised to find that so many people had survived.

However, on second thought, it was quite normal. Everyone who entered Heaven-Pointing Peak was a top-tier master; unless they were truly unlucky, survival should not have been difficult.

Just then, Qin Sang suddenly felt his waist lighten as Granny Snake retrieved the pocket containing Star Essence Stones.

"Oh?"

Granny Snake weighed the pocket in her hand, then glanced at Qin Sang in surprise. She nodded slightly and said, "I recall you're a disciple of Mount Shaohua, aren't you? You've done exceptionally well!"

Swish!

Instantly, everyone's gaze fell upon Qin Sang. Among all those present, he was the only one to receive praise from Granny Snake.

Granny Snake tossed the pocket into the air and pointed. The pocket opened on its own, and Star Essence Stones cascaded out with a whoosh.

One hundred, two hundred...

Each Star Essence Stone reflected a dazzling, crystal-like light under the sun. The pocket seemed to contain an endless supply, as more Star Essence Stones continued to pour out.

At this sight, not only the cultivators from the Minor Cold Domain but also those from the Skyfaring Alliance had their attention drawn.

The cultivators present displayed varied expressions. Their gazes shifted back and forth between Qin Sang and the pocket, revealing shock, envy, and apprehension.

Qin Sang stood with his head bowed before Granny Snake, his expression calm, showing neither joy nor sorrow.

At this moment, however, he was thinking about something else entirely.

Ji Wu was not among these twenty people!

If Ji Wu hadn't emerged and had perished in Heaven-Pointing Peak, that would indeed be a good thing. However, he couldn't draw conclusions yet, as more cultivators were still emerging from Heaven-Pointing Peak.

Finally, the pocket was empty.

Over five hundred Star Essence Stones piled into a small heap, as if possessing an immense attraction that made it impossible to look away.

The golden-armored general from the Skyfaring Alliance's gaze turned exceptionally grim. He actually glared at Qin Sang, who felt as if he had been struck hard. His face turned even paler, and his heart skipped half a beat.

"What a terrifying gaze, what a terrifying aura!"

Qin Sang was secretly horrified. Fortunately, Granny Snake intervened, smilingly waving her snake staff to help Qin Sang block that gaze.

"What? The Skyfaring Alliance scoundrels can't even admit defeat, and now they want to bully the weak?" Granny Snake scoffed with a hint of sarcasm.

"It's not yet certain who won or lost!" the golden-armored general said coldly, ignoring Granny Snake's sarcasm, and turned his head to look at the exit of Heaven-Pointing Peak. He continued to wait.

Granny Snake looked at Qin Sang and said gently, "Among those who have emerged so far, you have collected the most Star Essence Stones. In fact, in all previous gambles, few have been able to compare with you. You are indeed a talented disciple of Mount Shaohua."

Qin Sang cupped his hands and bowed, giving his prepared response. "Senior, you flatter me. It was merely my good fortune to encounter a large patch of scattered Star Essence Stones..."

Qin Sang didn't know if Granny Snake believed him, but she didn't probe further. Her gaze shifted to the entrance of Heaven-Pointing Peak, and she waited quietly.

As time passed, the beam of light began to shrink, becoming increasingly narrow, and the mirrored surface at its end changed accordingly. Once the beam of light completely disappeared, Heaven-Pointing Peak would close and hide itself once more.

Qin Sang's gaze swept around. He noticed that on the Minor Cold Domain's side, including himself, there were twenty-eight people, with only five failing to emerge. The Skyfaring Alliance, meanwhile, had twenty-seven.