Chapter 71: Ruyi Shield

## The Mortal Realm

This person had disheveled hair and an unkempt appearance. His Taoist robe was also filthy, making him look like a slovenly Taoist. Judging by his looks alone, no one would have guessed he was under thirty.

The slovenly Taoist's feet barely touched the tips of the grass, and in the blink of an eye, he covered several zhang. There was no spiritual energy fluctuation around him, suggesting a mortal light-body martial art. This was not unusual; many rogue cultivators who couldn't use spells often resorted to mortal martial arts, which could sometimes yield surprising results.

"What speed!" There wasn't enough time to prepare the Ebony Sword now. Unless the slovenly Taoist lingered on the mountaintop after surveying the surrounding terrain, a spirit stone would be wasted.

Qin Sang frowned. After some deliberation, he decided that since he had the advantage and was launching a sneak attack, there was no need to deploy the Ebony Sword.

As the slovenly Taoist drew closer to the summit, Qin Sang held his breath, his heart pounding rapidly. The moment the man reached the peak, Qin Sang suddenly activated the Purple Soul Bell. Under Qin Sang's full activation, the clear ringing of the bell resonated sharply across the mountaintop, like an enchanting melody.

The slovenly Taoist had not expected anyone to be lurking on the exposed mountaintop. His face registered a flash of panic, and he hastily reached for his waist, but it was too late. His mind was seized by the Purple Soul Bell, his body stiffened in place, and his vacant eyes revealed pain and confusion.

Seeing that the Purple Soul Bell had indeed worked, Qin Sang was overjoyed but dared not relax. He quickly chanted the Gui Water Dark Thunder spell, and moments later, a slightly dim dark thunder materialized in his palm. The dark thunder resembled a flowing mass, wriggling in Qin Sang's palm, occasionally flashing with dazzling sparks of electricity, revealing its formidable power.

At the same time, Qin Sang noticed that the confused expression in the slovenly Taoist's eyes was gradually replaced by a fierce and anxious look, and his body began to tremble. Seeing this, Qin Sang's heart sank. In just three breaths, the man was about to awaken. After all, he was a cultivator!

Qin Sang sighed inwardly, no longer daring to wait. He quickly stopped chanting and unleashed the dark thunder energy from his palm with a wave of his hand. The dark thunder was incredibly swift; it struck the slovenly Taoist almost simultaneously as it left Qin Sang's palm, drawing a dazzling bolt of lightning between the two.

But at this moment, Qin Sang's face showed no joy; instead, it looked exceptionally grim. Qin Sang's only aim was a fatal blow, naturally targeting the slovenly Taoist's vital heart. Unexpectedly, just as the dark thunder was about to strike him, a black shield materialized out of thin air on his chest!

The shield was palm-sized, slender, and entirely black. Three downward sword-shaped indentations converged at its pointed lower end, giving it a menacing appearance. The dark thunder energy struck the shield directly. Bolts of lightning flickered on its surface, but unfortunately, all were blocked, leaving the slovenly Taoist completely unharmed.

"It was an automatic guardian artifact!" Qin Sang cursed inwardly. Although this Profound Shield was only a mid-grade artifact, it possessed the extremely rare ability of automatic self-preservation. Such artifacts do not require the master's activation; they automatically appear for defense when danger arises, serving as a life-saver. Their value cannot be solely measured by their grade, and even disciples of immortal cultivation sects covet such artifacts.

Qin Sang never imagined that his first opponent would be so formidable, appearing impoverished yet possessing such an artifact. For safety, he had even foregone the more familiar but slightly weaker Thousand Miles of Ice Seal spell, yet an unexpected turn of events still occurred. If he had known this, he might as well have taken a gamble and directly unleashed the Ebony Sword. A black shield, being only a mid-grade artifact, definitely couldn't have blocked the Ebony Sword.

The dark thunder energy dissipated, and an unexpected scene unfolded: the black shield suddenly lost its spiritual energy, like a broken string, and shattered into three pieces upon hitting the ground, rolling into a rock crevice. After all, it was only a mid-grade artifact; being able to block the Gui Water Dark Thunder spell was its limit. He just hadn't expected it to be destroyed directly.

This, however, was an unexpected bonus. Qin Sang's heart stirred, and he immediately abandoned the thought of temporarily retreating. Without hesitation, he sharply raised his hand, and a cold wind suddenly howled across the mountaintop, the temperature plummeting. Streaks of bluish-white frigid air, carrying countless ice shards, formed before the slovenly Taoist and rapidly coalesced. But just then, the slovenly Taoist suddenly cried out, his eyes snapping open wide, and he actually broke free from the bell's enchantment.

The slovenly Taoist gasped for air, still shaken. Immediately after regaining consciousness, he noticed the frigid air in front of him and the shattered Ruyi Shield at his feet. His face drastically changed, filled with shock. This Ruyi Shield was something he had specifically prepared for this Immortal Ascension Convention, having fiercely competed for it at an auction and spent almost all his life savings. He hadn't expected to use it so soon after entering.

The slovenly Taoist's eyes darted around frantically, finally spotting Qin Sang standing at the edge of the mountaintop. Qin Sang had to focus his divine sense entirely on chanting the spell, making it impossible to maintain the Cloud Falling Wings. Thus, his figure naturally became visible. "Despicable wretch!" The slovenly Taoist gritted his teeth, glaring at Qin Sang with intense hatred, and cursed loudly. Then, without waiting for Qin Sang to respond, he surprisingly turned and fled, not even daring to pick up the Ruyi Shield on the ground.

This action greatly surprised Qin Sang, causing him to frown. If he let the slovenly Taoist escape, all his efforts would have been in vain. More importantly, there was a chance to obtain a jade token, and he couldn't give up so easily.

Qin Sang immediately made a decision. He calmly watched the slovenly Taoist flee. Just as the Taoist stepped onto the edge of a large rock on the mountaintop, about to leap down, a thin layer of ice quietly spread over the rock's jagged edge.

The slovenly Taoist cried out in alarm as his foot suddenly slipped. His body instantly lost control, and he plummeted violently down the mountain.

The mountain was steep, and the slovenly Taoist, in his haste, chose a path that led to a high cliff. At the bottom of the cliff were ancient trees, their trunks thick enough for several people to embrace. The moment the slovenly Taoist slipped, the mass of frigid air finally coalesced into several slender ice spikes, their tips gleaming with a sharp, cold light.

"Go!" Qin Sang raised his hand and pointed. The ice spikes moved like lightning, arcing through the air like comets, catching up to the slovenly Taoist just as he was about to fall into the ancient tree forest at the base of the cliff. The slovenly Taoist was airborne, with no means of evasion. He only had time to gather a ball of spiritual energy to resist, but how could it block Qin Sang's long-prepared ice spikes?

A scream pierced the air as the ice spikes, accompanied by a spray of blood, crashed into the forest along with the slovenly Taoist. Countless branches snapped, and leaves scattered everywhere. After a moment of chaos, silence fell over the forest.

Dead? Qin Sang stood at the edge, peering down. His view was obscured by leaves, so he couldn't tell where the slovenly Taoist had landed or if he was dead. Only the splattered blood on the trees was strikingly vivid. He had chosen his moment well. The slovenly Taoist was likely either dead or severely wounded, Qin Sang thought, a faint smile of self-satisfaction appearing on his face.