Chapter 904: Strong Kill

**The Mortal Realm**

"What's that!" a Human Race Golden Core cultivator shouted, pointing at the ground.

Everyone saw the stone steps exposed on the ground, which were clearly not newly built. They coexisted with the Landou Sect on Landou Island, and their ancestors had even discovered Dongming Island together with the Landou Sect. Yet, no one knew the island held other hidden secrets.

"What did those Witch Clan members take?"

Everyone exchanged glances and shouted in unison, "Pursue!"

The two sides pursued each other through the jungle. Sword light and saber energy flashed continuously, assaulting them like a storm, but all were repelled by the Beast King Banner.

Soon, they emerged from the Dark Thunderwood forest. Seeing the flag formation intact, the Witch Clan cultivators relaxed their guard. Simultaneously, the Human Race Golden Core cultivators spotted the flag formation at the edge of a large array and the rolling black smoke.

"No good! They infiltrated from there! That person is trying to escape; stop him quickly!" someone pointed at the black-robed figure and shouted urgently.

However, with the Beast King Banner and the Witch Clan cultivators still between them, it was impossible to destroy the flag formation and stop the black-robed figure.

The black-robed figure turned his head, glanced back, and sneered. The flag formation was close at hand. As long as he entered it, exited through the passage corroded by black smoke, then retracted the outer flag formation to sever the passage, they would easily shake off their pursuers. It might not be a bad thing that these people were lured here; their Senior Brother could easily escape. By the time their pursuers circled around to the Dongming Island exit, they would have long since made their escape. Their only exposure this time was the Beast King Banner, but many Witch Clan sects possessed such items. The Landou Sect would have no leads for an investigation.

The black-robed figure planned their next moves, confident of success, and swiftly descended, heading straight for the flag formation. Just then, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

Beside the flag formation, a seemingly ordinary Dark Thunderwood suddenly burst forth with an incredibly dazzling sword light, without the slightest warning. After a slight tremor, the tree split open down the middle and toppled to either side. The sword light rapidly expanded in the black-robed figure's pupils, like a harbinger of death, exuding a chilling aura.

Caught off guard by this sudden sight, the black-robed figure was both shocked and enraged. He had never imagined someone would be lurking here in advance, undetected by any of them. "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!" This thought flashed through the black-robed figure's mind, but he couldn't fathom how their perfect plan, which had proceeded so smoothly, could have possibly gone awry. However, this was not the time for such thoughts.

"Senior Brother, look out!" A cry of alarm erupted from behind him, from his junior brothers.

The black-robed cultivator, a veteran of countless battles, remained outwardly calm despite his inner shock and fury. He swiftly chanted an incantation, then opened his mouth and spat out a stream of blue light. The stream of light enveloped a command arrow. The command arrow clanged, flickered, and in the nick of time, intercepted the sword light.

Unexpectedly, the sword light shimmered, splitting into over a dozen dazzling sword beams. Each beam was exceptionally sharp and indistinguishable from the others, easily bypassing the command arrow and streaking towards him.

"Sword Light Splitting!" The black-robed figure was furious, yet a chill ran down his spine. Only human sword cultivators of exceptional talent could master Sword Light Splitting. He had encountered the greatest adversary of his life!

Remaining calm in the face of danger, the black-robed figure's mind stirred. a Gu worm flew out from his body; it turned out the dragonfly-shaped Gu worm he had used earlier was his very own Natal Gu.

"Thud!" The moment the Gu worm appeared, the black-robed figure's face paled. He then spat out a mouthful of vital blood, which splattered onto the Gu worm. The Gu worm emitted a piercing buzz, its body shimmering with blood-red light. It then manifested a colossal phantom figure, easily twice a man's height, completely shielding the black-robed figure behind it.

Simultaneously, the black-robed figure swiftly retreated. He knew clearly that as long as his Natal Gu held off the attacker, allowing him to retreat into the Beast King Banner formation, that person would never be able to harm him again. The only drawback was that his Natal Gu might be injured in the process. He had already forcibly stimulated his Natal Gu's potential with his vital blood; if it sustained further severe injuries, it would likely require decades of careful nurturing to recover. But compared to his own life, such considerations were insignificant.

The sword beams were about to be intercepted by the phantom figure. The next moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded. An inconspicuous blue light suddenly appeared, yet its speed was astonishing. It shot forth from behind, outstripping the sword beams, and hurtled straight towards the phantom figure. It was the Star Conch!

Before the black-robed figure could react, a 'thud' echoed from within the phantom, and the colossal insect figure shattered instantly. His Natal Gu, too, could not escape its doom, perishing on the spot under the Star Conch, leaving only a cloud of blood mist with no trace of its corpse.

With the demise of his Natal Gu, the black-robed figure felt a searing, tearing pain rip through his primordial spirit, forcing a scream from his lips as his face turned deathly pale. Since a Natal Gu is connected to its master's spiritual essence, its death inflicts severe spiritual damage upon the master.

"It's... you..." The black-robed figure, eyes wide with fury, pointed at the figure beside the flag formation. He recognized it: this was the very artifact that had struck down his Fourth Junior Brother that day!

"It is I!" Qin Sang sneered.

Having killed the Gu worm, the Star Conch moved parallel to the sword light, bearing down on him. The black-robed figure was no easy opponent; even in such dire circumstances, he refused to give up, still struggling for survival. His figure shot backward with extreme speed, his hair disheveled, appearing frenzied as he mumbled incantations, seemingly casting a life-saving Taoist spell.

Just then, another unexpected development occurred. As the black-robed figure was about to pass a Dark Thunderwood, an exceptionally beautiful butterfly suddenly materialized. With a flutter of its wings, countless incredibly fine yet remarkably potent lightning bolts shot out, targeting the black-robed figure's back. Although the Heavenly Eye Butterfly was small, it was still a Three-Transformation Spirit Insect. Under its full assault, even the powerful black-robed figure dared not take it head-on.

The black-robed figure was already at death's door, having focused all his energy on countering Qin Sang's surprise attack to save his life. He had no way of anticipating another ambush from behind. Furthermore, who could have imagined that this butterfly possessed such an extraordinary ability to conceal itself, trailing them all along, only to deliver a fatal blow at the last possible moment?

The black-robed figure's protective spiritual light was shattered by the lightning, his body stiffened, and in the next instant, the Star Conch pierced through his flesh, killing him instantly. The black-robed figure struggled to twist his head, wanting to see who had delivered the fatal blow, but he only saw the silhouette of a butterfly.

"A Heavenly Eye Butterfly! No, that's not right... it doesn't look like one..." This was his final thought.

The Heavenly Eye Butterfly rapidly flapped its wings, brushed past the black-robed figure's waist, grasped his Mustard Seed Pouch, and then darted into Qin Sang's embrace. Finally reunited with its true master, it displayed extreme joy, as if wanting to dance.

Meanwhile, the black-robed figure's junior brothers were desperately rushing to his aid. The distance between them was actually quite short, but Qin Sang acted with extreme decisiveness and thunderous speed. Victory was determined in an instant, giving them no opportunity for rescue.

Qin Sang soothed the excited Heavenly Eye Butterfly, then extended his hand to recall the Star Conch. He then activated the Ebony Sword, savagely unleashing a burst of sword energy forward, before retreating into the flag formation amidst the stunned and enraged gazes. With a tap of his foot, he turned and entered the black smoke passage.