Chapter 796: Star Conch

Body-refining cultivators were extremely rare, and those as powerful as the hooked-nose man were even more so. Most body-refining cultivators Qin Sang had encountered before possessed low cultivation levels, trying to carve out a different path. Yet, top-tier body-refining techniques were incredibly difficult to acquire and master, often resulting in practitioners being mediocre in all respects, thus wasting their time.

Qin Sang periodically glanced back to observe his pursuer, noticing that the hooked-nose man had not used any magical artifacts throughout their chase. This suggested he was likely a pure body cultivator.

The pair of wings, opening and closing like a streak of green light, unleashed astonishing speed. They were a perfect complement to the hooked-nose man's formidable physical body.

Consequently, Qin Sang couldn't shake off his pursuer, and the distance between them was rapidly diminishing.

The hooked-nose man harbored a killing intent towards Qin Sang and pursued him relentlessly.

Qin Sang knew he couldn't continue like this. His opponent showed no signs of exhaustion, making escape almost impossible, and he would soon be caught. He had to devise a plan to get away.

With this thought, Qin Sang scanned his surroundings, then abruptly changed direction, deliberately flying towards the area where the hurricane force was most concentrated.

There, countless solidified grey currents floated in the air; these almost tangible hurricanes possessed terrifying power.

The dense hurricanes left little room for maneuver.

Only in such a chaotic environment could Qin Sang find an opportunity.

The hooked-nose man immediately saw through Qin Sang's intentions, yet he showed no fear, changing direction without hesitation and continuing his close pursuit.

As one pursued and the other fled, the distance between them dwindled.

Qin Sang could almost feel the hooked-nose man's chilling gaze, a palpable presence at his back. The opponent's arrogance and recklessness ignited a fierce resolve within Qin Sang. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he suddenly halted, turning to glare defiantly.

The next moment, a bolt of lightning shot forth from between his eyebrows.

The lightning struck first, followed by a faint, rumbling sound of thunder.

The Ebony Sword materialized, demonstrating astonishing power as it shot directly towards the hooked-nose man.

He saw the flying sword rapidly expand in his vision, then it surprisingly split into three beams—two solid, one slightly ethereal—before merging back into a single, even more formidable strike.

A peculiar glint flashed in the hooked-nose man's eyes. Then, his radiant wings abruptly folded, and a dazzling green light suddenly surged from within his body, causing his wings to glow even more intensely.

The man's body subtly twisted, his fists vanishing as they integrated into his radiant wings. Facing the Ebony Sword, he neither dodged nor evaded, instead abruptly flapping his wings to strike the sword with immense force.

Boom!

The sword energy and green light collided, erupting in an explosion.

The Ebony Sword was sent flying backward.

The hooked-nose man's wings dimmed slightly. He retracted his fists, flexing his fingers, having been forced to a halt by the Ebony Sword.

This sword strike did not harm the hooked-nose man at all, but it did disrupt his momentum.

This combined sword light attack was a technique Qin Sang had learned from the swordsman in the Sword Path. Though he was not yet proficient, its power, demonstrated for the first time, left him quite satisfied.

The hooked-nose man regarded Qin Sang with interest, sizing him up. He then revealed a bloodthirsty smile. "Your escape techniques and swordsmanship must be quite rare among humans, wouldn't you agree?" he said. "In all these years, you're the first I've encountered. It seems today I'll have the pleasure of personally eliminating a human genius!"

The man's voice was sharp and somewhat grating.

Qin Sang was surprised by his words.

A faint demonic aura emanated from the man, indicating he had consumed a Demonic Core Pill during his Core Formation. What puzzled Qin Sang was that despite being human, and clearly not of the Witch Tribe, he spoke such strange words.

Without a word, Qin Sang commanded his sword to attack again.

The hooked-nose man, as if having merely made a casual remark, slightly darkened his expression and once again swung his fists to meet the attack.

Qin Sang fought as he retreated.

The hooked-nose man's strength was overwhelming. Using only his fists and wings, he proved too much for the Ebony Sword, utterly unstoppable. Qin Sang was steadily forced back, and signs of his impending defeat soon became apparent.

Left with no choice, Qin Sang secretly activated the Ten Directions Yama Banner. With a flick of his wrist, the banner spun rapidly, and a stream of Nine Nether Demonic Flame shot forth, lashing out towards his opponent's face.

Sensing the Nine Nether Demonic Flame's aura, the hooked-nose man's expression subtly changed. His wings violently flapped, instantly shifting him dozens of feet sideways as he eyed the demonic flame with surprise and uncertainty.

The demonic flame missed its target, but Qin Sang's spirits lifted at the sight.

The hooked-nose man must have misunderstood something. Although the Nine Nether Demonic Flame only wielded a fraction of its true power, it was still formidable enough to intimidate. It was entirely normal for someone unfamiliar with it, seeing it for the first time, to react as the hooked-nose man did.

However, once engaged in combat, the flame's true power could be easily discerned. Nonetheless, the hooked-nose man, relying solely on his bare fists, dared not rashly make contact with the Nine Nether Demonic Flame.

As long as the Nine Nether Demonic Flame's true nature remained unexposed, he could stall for some time.

Qin Sang immediately maneuvered the Ebony Sword and the demonic flame to launch a pincer attack.

Initially, the hooked-nose man was cautious, but he quickly detected a subtle hint. He used his radiant wings to probe the demonic flame, eventually confirming it was not as terrifying as he had imagined. His expression turned to one of frustrated anger.

Through this back-and-forth exchange, Qin Sang had successfully retreated deeper into the storm.

Although the hooked-nose man was unafraid of waves, he had to keep a respectful distance from the hurricanes, which were manifestations of cosmic power, not daring to be swept into their vortex.

Consequently, under the interference of the hurricanes, even though the hooked-nose man was clearly superior to Qin Sang in strength, quickly slaying him proved difficult.

The two continued their struggle within the hurricane's turbulent currents.

Once the hooked-nose man saw through his tactics, Qin Sang's situation grew increasingly perilous, with signs of defeat already emerging.

The hooked-nose man, radiating powerful momentum, punched the Ebony Sword away. Immediately, his internal organs resonated with power as he flapped his radiant wings, sending a streak of green light to violently smash into the Nine Nether Demonic Flame. With a resounding 'boom', the demonic flame was completely dispersed.

Qin Sang's expression flickered. Just as he was about to re-activate the Ten Directions Yama Banner to conjure a new demonic flame, a sudden, strong sense of alarm surged within him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a point of blue light abruptly shooting out from the green streak after it dispersed the Nine Nether Demonic Flame, hurtling directly towards his true body.

"A magical artifact! This person was indeed holding back!"

The blue light moved with astonishing speed. Though only fist-sized and devoid of a soul-stirring aura, it made Qin Sang's hair stand on end.

Qin Sang abruptly threw out the Golden Jade Lock. Immediately after, with a flick of his wrist, the Two-headed Hou leaped out from the Primordial Concentric Ring.

He had initially planned to deploy the Two-headed Hou as a surprise weapon, but upon seeing the blue light, he released it without hesitation.

An astonishing sight unfolded: after being struck by the blue light, the Golden Jade Lock only held for a moment before letting out a wail. Its golden light flickered violently, and to Qin Sang's shock, the lock shattered into countless fragments, dissolving into dust.

A respectable mid-grade magical artifact was thus effortlessly destroyed right before Qin Sang's eyes.

Simultaneously, Qin Sang finally saw the blue light's true form: it was a blue conch shell.

The conch shell itself was actually jade-white, but it was speckled with tiny blue points of light, resembling beautiful stars. The intense blue glow emanated from these very points.

This Star Conch spun rapidly, its pointed tip aimed at Qin Sang. It appeared to be a natural formation, yet it displayed astonishing destructive power. After obliterating the Golden Jade Lock, it continued its relentless advance.