Chapter 868: Contestation

He sharply noticed something unusual, realizing he wasn't entirely without a chance.

His opponents weren't initially targeting him; their objective was the mysterious individuals employing lightning magic. It was only when one of the black-robed figures discovered his identity that their target abruptly shifted, intending to eliminate him first. Consequently, their formation was unstable, and the others couldn't provide immediate support.

Indeed, just as Qin Sang had surmised, they had stumbled upon the murderer of their junior martial brother and were taking the opportunity to eliminate him. From their perspective, Qin Sang had already expended significant energy manipulating the Heavenly Chill Wind Array to hunt demons, and then he was struck by lightning. They believed he was severely wounded and at the end of his strength, making it effortless for their Fourth Senior Martial Brother to eliminate him.

Compared to Qin Sang, the Lan Dou Sect renegades, who had just used lightning magic and were currently weakened, held greater importance for their mission. It would be deeply regrettable if focusing on one person allowed the Lan Dou Sect renegades to escape, thus squandering a prime opportunity. Therefore, the others continued directly towards the Lan Dou Sect renegades, merely brandishing their Beast King Banners to aid the Fourth Senior Martial Brother.

The Celestial Eye Butterfly dispelled the stellar malevolence and returned to normal. At Qin Sang's command, it activated its Celestial Eye.

The black-robed figure brandished a peculiar banner. Beast souls roared, leaping from the banner's surface and charging forward. A brilliant golden expanse appeared before him, like a towering wall of gold, pressing down with overwhelming momentum. The furious roars of beast souls reverberated, shaking the heart.

Qin Sang's expression was grave, yet a hint of mockery lurked in his eyes. The intimidating aura of the peculiar banner appeared formidable, but under the Celestial Eye, it held no secrets. The opponent's formation was incomplete, and the banner array was inherently riddled with flaws, allowing Qin Sang to easily identify a point of breakthrough. Far from slowing down, his speed accelerated, meeting the charging beast souls head-on.

The Fourth Senior Martial Brother smiled, seeing Qin Sang willingly throw himself into the maw of the beast souls, but his smile abruptly froze.

The instant he was engulfed by the golden light, Qin Sang had anticipated this. His figure abruptly halted, then he swiftly shifted several *zhang* sideways, effortlessly evading the beast souls' attack and passing directly between two of them. Trapped within the Beast King Banner array, Qin Sang's face showed no trace of panic.

The beast souls lunged once more. Within the golden light, numerous golden threads were hidden, connected to the beast souls. These threads were as sharp as blades; those entangled by them would be trapped, or worse, have limbs severed. However, with the aid of the Celestial Eye Butterfly, Qin Sang not only possessed perfect knowledge of the beast souls' movements but could also easily discern the hidden positions of those threads. A complete grand array would indeed be exceptionally challenging, but in its current state, it was incapable of trapping Qin Sang.

His body, wreathed in a draconic shadow, weaved up and down amidst the golden light, vanishing several *zhang* in the blink of an eye. Not only did the pursuing beast souls miss their mark, but the strangling golden threads also struck empty air, easily dodged. Qin Sang remained completely unharmed.

The black-robed figure finally sensed that something was amiss. His opponent appeared remarkably proficient in the art of formations, effortlessly pinpointing its weaknesses. In a mix of shock and fury, the black-robed figure frantically waved the Beast King Banners, but to no avail. He watched helplessly as Qin Sang rapidly closed in. What further infuriated him was Qin Sang's audacious move: actively summoning his spirit sword to attack.

The Ebony Sword pierced through the golden light, moving with extraordinary speed. The black-robed figure's face contorted in rage. He still didn't believe Qin Sang could escape his grasp. He transmitted a message to his fellow martial brothers, initiating another, more potent transformation of the array. The golden light grew even more dazzling. One after another, beast souls self-destructed, transforming into golden energy that merged into the threads. In the next moment, an even denser network of threads materialized, forming expansive nets.

The black-robed figure gestured towards the Ebony Sword, and golden nets surged forward in quick succession. *Bang! Bang!* The Ebony Sword flashed repeatedly, shattering the golden nets. At last, one golden net enveloped the Ebony Sword, but to his surprise, the sword shattered into countless fragments. The black-robed figure focused his gaze, realizing it was merely a sword phantom.

"Sword Ray Replication!"

Startled and then enraged, the black-robed figure resumed his search, soon pinpointing the true Ebony Sword once more. Although the golden nets repeatedly missed, they were within the Beast King Banner grand array, where golden nets were innumerable. No matter how agile the Ebony Sword was, it was eventually ensnared. Just as the Ebony Sword was on the verge of breaking free, it was enveloped by a golden net, followed by even more nets surging to ensnare it.

"Once I seize your Natal Artifact, let's see how long you can possibly struggle!" The black-robed figure sneered, activating the grand array to forcefully suppress the Ebony Sword.

At that precise moment, an eerie crimson light flashed before his eyes. Before he could react, it lunged onto one of the Beast King Banners. A single Beast King Banner was not an artifact of exceptionally high quality. Struck by the Blood Filth Divine Light, its spiritual radiance instantly vanished, followed by a sharp *crack*, as it shattered on the spot.

The Beast King Banner was utterly destroyed!

The black-robed figure stood dumbfounded, still trying to process what had just happened. Within the grand array, all Beast King Banners were interconnected by their Qi. Any incident involving a single banner would impact the entire formation. From Qin Sang's perspective, this merely meant the array's vulnerabilities had widened.

A vast expanse of golden nets vanished without a trace, leaving Qin Sang unhindered. He surged towards the edge of the array, rapidly closing the distance to the black-robed figure. The black-robed figure frantically attempted to mend the grand array, but seeing Qin Sang's advance, he realized there was no time. He decisively chose to abandon the repair, preparing to summon his magical artifact and engage Qin Sang in battle.

But Qin Sang would not grant him that opportunity.

The moment his identity was exposed, Qin Sang's mind raced, formulating a plan for escape. Even without resorting to the Blood Filth Divine Light, breaking the array wasn't particularly difficult. However, after doing so, he would likely be tied down by the black-robed figure and possibly even draw the encirclement of other opponents. Therefore, he had to eliminate this obstacle as quickly as possible and then escape. To achieve this, Qin Sang spared no expense. After employing the Blood Filth Divine Light, he unhesitatingly unleashed the Star Conch, an artifact he rarely used.

A piercing whistle of air rent through the air beside him. An inexplicable dread welled up in the black-robed figure's heart. To his horror, a point of intensely brilliant blue light materialized in his vision. He offered almost no resistance before the Star Conch pierced straight through him.

*Pfft!*

A transparent, gaping hole appeared in the black-robed figure's chest, from which blood only began to spurt moments later. His body stiffened in mid-air, eyes wide and filled with disbelief. He had sought to leverage the grand array's power to slay a weakened individual and avenge his junior martial brother. Yet, with his great vengeance unfulfilled, he had lost his own life instead.

*Plop!*

The black-robed figure's corpse plunged into the sea. The Star Conch, having claimed the man's life, returned to rest in Qin Sang's palm.

Qin Sang swept out of the array, retrieved the Star Conch, and with a gesture, seized the black-robed figure's corpse. Upon closer inspection, he confirmed it was indeed a member of the Wu Clan. After collecting the man's belongings, Qin Sang was about to claim the Beast King Banners he had controlled when he heard enraged roars echoing from a distance. The black-robed figure's companions had already noticed.

Qin Sang sneered coldly, ignoring the approaching figures. His true essence surged forth, enveloping the Beast King Banners, and he pulled them back with force. To his surprise, a strong resistance emanated from the banners themselves.

"Hm?" Qin Sang realized that the others were using the inherent connection between the Beast King Banners to fight him for control. There was no reason to abandon treasures already within his grasp. After a brief deliberation, Qin Sang activated the Ten Directions Yama Banner, unleashing demonic fire to engulf the Beast King Banners.