Chapter 494: Too Long

Perhaps sacrificing the three fierce corpses had an effect.

Qin Sang was pleasantly surprised to find that Daoist Jupao's resistance was weakening, and the demonic energy showed signs of dissipating. Qin Sang finally caught a glimpse of Daoist Jupao's true form.

His condition was even more pitiful than the Flying Yaksha's. His aura was weak, and facing the aggressive onslaught from Qin Sang and the Flying Yaksha, he was clearly exhausted. His defeat was only a matter of time.

But before Qin Sang could breathe a sigh of relief, a sudden change occurred.

Daoist Jupao roared loudly as the overwhelming demonic energy suddenly collapsed inward at an astonishing speed. In the center of the demonic energy, a black whirlwind rapidly formed, brewing a terrifying storm.

The whirlwind swept up the vast demonic energy, and Qin Sang sensed an incredibly violent aura emanating from within, its power truly astonishing.

Even on the periphery of the battlefield, Qin Sang felt a shiver. A sense of unease rose in his heart, realizing this had to be Daoist Jupao's final desperate move.

Qin Sang was just about to order the Flying Yaksha to launch a fierce attack.

To his surprise, the Flying Yaksha, without his prompting, fearlessly forced its way into the storm.

"Bang! Bang!"

Inside the storm, earth-shattering crashes continuously echoed.

The valley floor collapsed, and rocks crumbled.

A hint of surprise flashed in Qin Sang's eyes. At this critical juncture, the power of the corpse core within the Flying Yaksha erupted, allowing it to endure the terrifying storm and persist.

Like a divine sea-calming needle, it stood firm within the demonic storm, forcefully suppressing Daoist Jupao and denying him any opportunity. No matter how Daoist Jupao struggled, he couldn't shake off the Flying Yaksha, and his roars grew increasingly anxious, even desperate.

Despite his excitement, Qin Sang also felt a pang of heartache.

The price of the Flying Yaksha's immense power display was its inability to dodge, forcing it to absorb every one of Daoist Jupao's counterattacks.

This was a heavy price to pay. The Flying Yaksha, already severely injured, was in an increasingly dire state. Its body was a mangled mess, with a deeply sunken palm print on its abdomen, almost completely pierced through.

All its limbs sustained varying degrees of damage. Only because the Flying Yaksha lacked consciousness and possessed an incredibly robust physical body could it persevere and display formidable combat power under such circumstances.

Its internal corpse core was continuously being drained of power, already showing clear signs of depletion.

The corpse core's luster dimmed, and its operation became sluggish.

After this battle, Qin Sang had no idea what the Flying Yaksha would ultimately become.

Even if it could recover, it would likely not be an overnight process.

However, Qin Sang dared not let the Flying Yaksha relent. As long as he could obtain Daoist Jupao's Golden Core, he would not hesitate, even if it meant the Flying Yaksha's destruction here!

"Die!"

Daoist Jupao suddenly let out a loud roar.

It was like the final desperate roar of a trapped beast, filled with monstrous hatred and utterly inhuman.

Qin Sang's heart jolted as he saw the demonic energy storm suddenly halt.

The next moment, it suddenly exploded!

"Boom!"

In an instant, the valley plunged into darkness, as if eternal night had fallen.

Violent demonic energy impacted all directions. Qin Sang's mind was taut as he stared intently at the center of the battlefield, finally spotting two black figures that had been blasted away.

The Flying Yaksha slammed hard into a nearby mountain, becoming deeply embedded in the mountainside.

Qin Sang didn't look at the Flying Yaksha for long, immediately shifting his gaze to the other black figure.

He saw Daoist Jupao crash into the ground, creating a deep crater. Surprisingly, his body then abruptly bounced, leaping out of the crater and stumbling away.

"Not dead yet?"

Qin Sang secretly frowned. Without waiting for the Flying Yaksha, he immediately manipulated the Ten Directions Yama Banner to move forward and intercept him.

Unexpectedly, Daoist Jupao hadn't flown far when his body suddenly stiffened, and he fell heavily to the ground.

He tried to crawl but couldn't get up, as if someone were wrestling control of his physical body from him. His body convulsed, completely beyond his control.

Daoist Jupao began to shriek frantically.

"What do you want to do!"

"I am your master!"

Upon seeing this, Qin Sang's heart stirred.

"Bang!"

Daoist Jupao's abdomen suddenly exploded, his body splitting into two, flesh and blood flying everywhere. A flash of light shot out from his Dantian. He had, astonishingly, abandoned his physical body once more, attempting to manipulate his Golden Core to escape.

And that wasn't all. As soon as his Golden Core emerged, a ghostly soul shadow suddenly materialized from the severed part of his body, desperately entangling and tearing at Daoist Jupao's primordial spirit, pulling at his Golden Core.

Qin Sang flashed, blocking his path, and with a wave of his hand, summoned the Nine Nether Demonic Flame, which descended and enveloped Daoist Jupao's Golden Core.

Suddenly, piercing screams rang out from within the demonic flame.

"Who are you! I have no grievance with you, why are you killing me!"

Torn by Ji Wu and reduced to a mere remnant soul, Daoist Jupao couldn't even self-detonate his Golden Core, yet he continued to shriek in defiance.

Qin Sang looked at him coldly. "Do you remember the thousands of wronged souls beneath the Yin Fiend Abyss? They've been waiting for you in the netherworld; you've lived far too long!"

With that, Qin Sang let out a cold snort and clenching his hand, allowed the Nine Nether Demonic Flame to completely devour Daoist Jupao's remnant soul.

"Pop!"

"Clink!"

With these two crisp sounds, peace finally returned to the valley.

However, the once beautiful scenery was gone, leaving only ruins behind.

Qin Sang put away his magic treasures and the Ten Directions Yama Formation. He felt a wave of weakness wash over him but forced himself to perk up, took two pills, and looked down at the ground. To his surprise, he found a dark iron ring beside Daoist Jupao's Golden Core.

The iron ring was similar in shape and size to an archer's thumb ring, very inconspicuous, as if forged from an ordinary piece of profound iron. It even had a few rust spots.

A quick scan with his spiritual sense revealed nothing special about this thumb ring; it was easy to overlook.

However, for it to have survived such a major battle, always kept by Daoist Jupao, and even remembered during his escape, this thumb ring was certainly not as simple as it appeared.

Qin Sang walked over, just about to squat down for a closer look, when he suddenly felt a faint gaze upon him. He looked up and found that Ji Wu was, astonishingly, still alive.

His body was broken in two, nearly drained of blood, which stained the ground red, a gruesome sight.

His aura was also extremely faint, but he still struggled to widen his eyes, staring at Qin Sang, clinging to life solely through sheer willpower.

Seeing Qin Sang notice him, a flicker of pleading appeared in Ji Wu's eyes. His lips twitched slightly, but he no longer had the strength to utter a sound.

His gaze became extremely urgent.

Qin Sang and Ji Wu exchanged glances for a moment. Understanding the meaning in his eyes, Qin Sang sighed softly and said, "Don't worry, I have no grievances with Cold Mountain City and will not harm the Ji family."

The light in Ji Wu's eyes rapidly faded. He finally closed his eyes, took his last breath, and died.

Qin Sang looked at Ji Wu's corpse, lost in thought, standing still for a moment before finally squatting down to focus his attention on the two spoils of war.

The Golden Core was vastly different from a demonic core; both were exquisitely beautiful, but the Golden Core lacked the intimidating demonic aura.

However, the oppressive aura of a Golden Core stage master was still present.

Moreover, with Daoist Jupao's recent death, the Golden Core shimmered with unparalleled luster, incredibly dazzling and full of spiritual vitality, truly captivating.