Chapter 765: Spirit Talisman

Suddenly, the tables turned.

Within the dense purple mist, the two figures chased each other at high speed, one leading, one following. Inside the purple mist, losing track of the young man meant potentially losing him altogether. Qin Sang disregarded the drain on his true essence, continuously activating his Nine Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman, relentlessly pursuing.

While his true essence was rapidly depleting, the young man's was even more so. The young man, with the virulent poison invading his body, was now in serious trouble. The fierce toxins not only caused intense pain but also caused his true essence to stagnate. Furthermore, like a persistent malady, they spread towards his internal organs, proving incredibly difficult to eradicate.

His failure to subdue Qin Sang in one go had placed him in an extremely disadvantageous position. Qin Sang pressed too hard, forcing the young man to fight while retreating. The exit of the Purple Mist Dead End was still a long distance away.

Qin Sang and the Two-Headed Ferret launched successive fierce attacks, giving the young man no chance to rest. The Nine Nether Demonic Flames and the Ebony Sword also appeared alternately, soon leaving a sword wound on the young man. Soon, wounds appeared one after another. The young man was bleeding profusely, his movements becoming disorganized; the power of the poison mist was truly terrifying.

The moment his jade bracelet was destroyed, he realized that if he couldn't kill Qin Sang and was worn down like this, defeat was inevitable. And indeed, it proved to be true! Qin Sang was an anomaly among Core Formation cultivators; his evasion technique was unmatched even by Nascent Soul cultivators he had encountered. There was no way he could escape Qin Sang's pursuit. Unfortunately, he had failed. His surprise attempt to self-detonate his magic treasure had also proven ineffective.

A short, sharp shriek abruptly ceased.

As the commotion subsided, Qin Sang slowly emerged from the purple mist, gazing indifferently at the corpse on the ground. Mindful of the lesson from the Battle of Duyan Island years ago, Qin Sang dared not hold back against any enemy. Finding no opportunity to capture the young man alive, he could only finish him off in one swift attack.

The young man's final attempt to self-detonate his Golden Core failed as his soul was incinerated by the Nine Nether Demonic Flames. Alas, his Golden Core had already shattered, rendering it useless. Qin Sang flashed to the young man's side, retrieved his belongings, then waved his hand to conjure a flame, incinerating the body completely, leaving no trace.

His greatest gain, naturally, was the golden ring magic treasure. Qin Sang extended his spiritual sense into the treasure, erasing the young man's imprint. As expected, the golden ring indeed possessed binding abilities. Named the Golden Jade Lock, it was a magic treasure refined from a unique metal, capable of changing size and imbued with peculiar restrictive power. This ring could not only affect other magic treasures but, surprisingly, could also directly bind an opponent. Only magic treasures like the Ten Directions Yama Banner, relying on the Nine Nether Demonic Flames, could not only stand fearless but also suppress the Golden Jade Lock. Most ordinary magic treasures would become hesitant when facing it.

“Cough, cough…”

Qin Sang's body swayed, and he quickly sat down cross-legged. The impact from the gray sword's self-detonation had left him with considerable injuries, which he had been suppressing. Now, they finally flared up. Qin Sang surveyed his surroundings, realizing he was nearing the canyon. He had pursued the young man all this way. Fortunately, he hadn't encountered any fierce beasts or other cultivators blocking his path. Qin Sang instructed the Two-Headed Ferret to guard the area, allowing him to confidently meditate and recover.

Before long, Qin Sang's breathing stabilized. He concluded his meditation, stood up, looked at the Golden Jade Lock, and placed it into his Dantian for nurturing, intending to subdue it as quickly as possible. A mid-grade magic treasure could provide significant assistance. If his Golden Radiance Armor had been intact, this battle wouldn't have been so difficult.

Qin Sang then opened the young man's mustard seed pouch, finding that the pills, talismans, and other items inside had already been depleted by the young man before his death. Qin Sang was most curious about the young man's identity, but after searching through everything, he found no items that could prove the young man's sect. There were a few jade slips, but these contained only cultivation techniques and Daoist arts with no indicated origin.

“Since he didn't deny it, he should be from the Western Nether Alliance, but it's unclear which merchant guild. However, since he dared to oppose the Eastern Extremity Alliance Leader, perhaps he, like Xiang Yi, was one of the Alliance Leader's trusted subordinates. I just wonder what his purpose was in following me here…”

Qin Sang flipped his palm, producing a spirit talisman. This spirit talisman was very unusual, inscribed with patterns Qin Sang couldn't comprehend, exceptionally complex. When Qin Sang attempted to infuse it with true essence, the talisman showed no reaction. It seemed it wasn't due to Qin Sang's lack of true essence, but rather that it required specific conditions to activate.

“What is this thing? This is the only item I don't understand. Is it related to the Ancient Divine Platform?” Curious, Qin Sang examined the talisman but could find no clues. He eventually put it away, intending to study it later.

“This trip has been full of unexpected events,” Qin Sang mused with a wry smile. Then, recalling a scene from their previous fight, he hastily summoned the Ten Directions Yama Banner once more. The Nine Nether Demonic Flames surged forth, but this time, there was no sensation. “It's probably due to insufficient distance. This means the purple mist and the mysterious spiritual flame should be unrelated.”

Qin Sang mused to himself. Without putting away the Ten Directions Yama Banner, he took the magic treasure and returned the way he came. He wanted to test what effect the spirit talisman had on the Ancient Divine Platform, but when he returned to its location, he was stunned. The Ancient Divine Platform had vanished at some unknown time! The ground had closed up, perfectly seamless, leaving only the traces of his battle with the young man, with no sign that the Ancient Divine Platform had ever been there.

“The Ancient Divine Platform clearly rose from underground. Xiang Yi must have done something to the three stone halls to awaken it. I can't even open the ancient restrictions outside the stone halls, let alone awaken the platform myself.” Qin Sang walked to where the Ancient Divine Platform had disappeared, making a final attempt. He took out the spirit talisman and tried repeatedly, but there was no reaction. He knew he had missed his chance.

“So, the young man's eagerness to self-detonate his magic treasure wasn't just to kill me; it might have also been related to the Ancient Divine Platform. With the Ancient Divine Platform gone, his mission must have failed.” Qin Sang had too little information to do anything but speculate. Ultimately, Qin Sang gave up, tossing the spirit talisman into his Qianjun Ring and deciding to forget about the matter.

Qin Sang had no desire to get involved in the open and secret struggles between the two Alliance Leaders. If there were immediate benefits, it would be worth the risk, but since he couldn't even open the Ancient Divine Platform, there was no point dwelling on it.

It was somewhat regrettable; Qin Sang had originally placed great hope in the Divine Platform, which was why he had resolved to eliminate the young man at all costs. Such a peculiar divine platform, originating from ancient times, would undoubtedly yield supreme treasures if any appeared. Having used the Blood Filth Divine Light, the only spoils of war worth mentioning seemed to be the Golden Jade Lock. It was hard to say whether he had gained or lost from this encounter.

Qin Sang shook his head, casting aside distracting thoughts, and once again summoned the Nine Nether Demonic Flames. The sensation reappeared, pointing clearly towards the depths of the purple mist. Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, silently calculating the time. It was still ample, so he decided to make the trip now. He mounted the Two-Headed Ferret, commanding it forward, while he focused on subduing the Golden Jade Lock, aiming to master this magic treasure as quickly as possible.

Before long, they arrived in front of the third stone hall. Qin Sang attempted to open the ancient restrictions but found it impossible alone, so he continued onward. They walked for some distance, the terrain remaining gentle. Suddenly, the Two-Headed Ferret stopped, letting out a low growl to alert Qin Sang. Qin Sang jumped to the ground, took a few steps forward, and stood at the edge of a canyon.