Chapter 490: Guardians of the Gate

The spirit array within the Peach Blossom Miasma had countless variations, but it wasn't difficult to break as long as one understood its patterns.

Qin Sang, however, did not act recklessly. He cautiously approached the center of the Peach Blossom Miasma, wary of Daoist Jupao having left other traps that might expose his presence.

Upon entering the Peach Blossom Miasma, Qin Sang saw the peach trees as gnarled and menacing, completely unlike their beautiful outward appearance. They seemed like evil spirits, a type of ominous tree, and were entirely different beings from the Red Jade Peaches of Shaohua Mountain.

The building within the Peach Blossom Miasma became increasingly clear. It was a simple, square stone house, devoid of any luxury.

The moment he clearly saw the stone house, Qin Sang's figure suddenly froze. He activated the Spirit Evasion Art to its maximum, flashed behind a peach tree, and frowned as he looked ahead.

In front of the stone house, a person was unexpectedly sitting cross-legged.

The person appeared to be around fifty years old, wearing a grey long robe with black flame patterns embroidered on its hem. He sat cross-legged on the ground, his back to the stone house, eyes slightly closed, and breathing steady.

He likely didn't expect anyone to quietly sneak in, as he had made no attempt to conceal himself. His False Core stage cultivation was completely exposed.

“Is it him?”

As Qin Sang saw the person's appearance, he immediately recalled his identity: Mo Yan, one of the four Demon Flame Envoys of the Demonic Flame Sect, a former remnant of the Kuiyin Sect, whose real name was Huang Shizhong.

By now, Qin Sang had encountered all four of Daoist Jupao's Demon Flame Envoys, two of whom had already fallen into his hands.

One of them had been captured alive by Qin Sang in the Chaotic Islands waters. This individual, a yellow-armored man, was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage in cultivation, so Qin Sang didn't want to waste a precious Heavenly Corpse Talisman on him. He subsequently killed him and made him into a Fiendish Corpse.

Huang Shizhong was now in the Peach Blossom Miasma, sitting motionless in front of the stone house. He wasn't meditating in cultivation, but appeared to be guarding the entrance.

The only one in the Demonic Flame Sect with the authority to have Huang Shizhong stand guard was Daoist Jupao!

It seemed Daoist Jupao must be inside.

Qin Sang's expression stirred slightly. He had come to the right place!

His gaze passed over Huang Shizhong and landed on the stone house behind him. The stone house's main door was tightly shut, with runes carved on the bluestone door and the flickering light of a restriction.

Due to the restriction, it was impossible to discern anything inside the stone house.

Qin Sang scrutinized it carefully, finding the restriction on the stone house to be extremely intricate. While it would take him some effort to break it himself, it wouldn't pose a significant problem for the Flying Yaksha.

“Where is Ji Wu?”

Qin Sang surveyed the surroundings but found no trace of anyone else.

Only two of the four Demon Flame Envoys remained. Huang Shizhong had been called to guard the door, and it was impossible for Ji Wu not to be here, as his status was higher than Huang Shizhong's.

Daoist Jupao highly valued Ji Wu, cultivating him as his personal successor. Qin Sang had learned from the Demon Flame Envoy he had captured that Ji Wu was even more favored than Silver Flame.

“Could Ji Wu be inside the stone house?”

Qin Sang remained hidden behind the tree, patiently waiting for an hour. Still, he didn't see Ji Wu, and there was no movement from within the stone house.

He couldn't wait any longer!

Qin Sang thought to himself that Daoist Jupao might be at a critical juncture. The longer he waited, the greater the uncertainties would become. He couldn't delay any longer; he had to act immediately.

To kill Daoist Jupao, he first needed to deal with Huang Shizhong. Otherwise, with Daoist Jupao at the Core Formation stage and two False Core stage experts, he would only be able to flee for his life.

Qin Sang withdrew his gaze and pondered silently. Daoist Jupao was the top priority, so he didn't want to create unnecessary complications and had no intention of capturing Huang Shizhong alive.

He was thinking about how to eliminate Huang Shizhong quickly, using swift and decisive methods to achieve a quick victory and remove one opponent before Daoist Jupao noticed.

It would be ideal if he could kill Huang Shizhong without alerting Daoist Jupao.

With a shift in his thoughts, Qin Sang already had a plan in mind.

Huang Shizhong sat motionless as a statue.

The Peach Blossom Miasma was highly toxic. Birds and beasts dared not enter the valley, and even within a ten-mile radius around it, the area was a forbidden zone for life.

Precisely because of this, the area was exceptionally quiet, and Huang Shizhong could easily detect any subtle sound.

Just then, Huang Shizhong seemed to hear something. His ears twitched slightly, and he suddenly opened his eyes wide, staring intently at a peach tree nearby.

He saw a branch on that peach tree trembling slightly, as if disturbed by the wind, and a few peach blossoms slowly drifting down.

“Was it his imagination?”

A trace of doubt flickered in Huang Shizhong's eyes. He found that other than the falling petals, there was nothing else unusual; everything, including the spirit array within the Peach Blossom Miasma, was as usual.

He gently shook his head. Just as his mind relaxed slightly, and he was about to close his eyes to rest again, he was startled by a strong gust of wind attacking from his left. His expression immediately changed drastically!

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a black figure moving at an astonishing speed, which instantly closed in on him.

“Someone!”

Huang Shizhong was greatly alarmed. His earlier feeling had not been a misconception; there really was an intruder.

The opponent had actually passed through the spirit array and toxic mist silently, approaching him. They were already so close, yet he had only just realized it!

Huang Shizhong was experienced. Though terrified, he still reacted swiftly and correctly. Instead of fleeing for his life, he immediately twisted his upper body to face the approaching enemy directly, bringing his fists together to counterattack.

Seeing the masked Flying Yaksha with his own eyes, Huang Shizhong's heart sank. The Flying Yaksha's strength was terrifying, leaving him immensely shocked. Knowing well that he was definitely no match, he opened his mouth to call for help from Daoist Jupao.

“Gasp… Gasp…”

Huang Shizhong's mouth was open when he suddenly felt a chill in his chest. His whole body became powerless, and he couldn't utter a single sound. At the same time, his throat was in excruciating pain as a ghostly claw gripped his neck tightly.

He barely managed to lower his head and, through the ghostly claw, saw an emerald-like sword tip protruding from his chest. He had been reacting to the Flying Yaksha's sneak attack, but hadn't expected another enemy to be lurking in the shadows, wielding such a sharp flying sword.

His magical robe had been pierced so easily.

Chaotic sword qi surged madly into Huang Shizhong's body, causing widespread destruction. It took not only his strength but also his life, and the light in Huang Shizhong's eyes rapidly faded.

He breathed his last and died.

At this moment, Qin Sang, also wearing a mask, finally appeared beside Huang Shizhong. He ordered the Flying Yaksha to stop and gently supported Huang Shizhong's corpse.

This assassination, seemingly simple, was actually very mentally taxing. Every timing had to be precisely controlled; otherwise, Huang Shizhong would have had a chance to call for help.

Qin Sang pressed down on Huang Shizhong's wound to prevent the scent of blood from spreading. He thought to himself, "To die under the pincer attack of the Flying Yaksha and a magic treasure, you can be considered to have died a worthy death."

He immediately tossed Huang Shizhong's corpse into a Corpse Puppet Bag. Qin Sang and the Flying Yaksha stood side by side, looking at the stone house's door.

Huang Shizhong was dead.

There was no reaction from inside the stone house. Daoist Jupao truly seemed unaware.

Regardless of whether Daoist Jupao had some hidden scheme, having reached this point, there was no turning back. He ordered the Flying Yaksha forward and quickly took out the Ten Directions Yama Banner, activating the ten ghost banners.

As the grand array began to form, Qin Sang glanced at the Flying Yaksha.