Chapter 77: A Graceful Smile

The Human World

The activity within the mirror formation gradually diminished, finally ceasing completely.

The two exchanged a glance. Shen Jing said, "Senior Brother Yang, I will open the Soul-Enticing Mirror now. We must not let him escape."

Yang Yuanzang nodded indifferently. The Hornless Dragon Sword in his hand suddenly let out a powerful dragon's roar, and the cold qi of the hornless dragon coiled around its blade raised its head, glaring furiously at the sky, its roar like thunder.

Shen Jing took a deep breath. With a gentle wave of her hand, the topmost bronze mirror flew through the air and landed in her palm. She held it, pointing it towards the mirror formation, and lightly commanded, "Gather!"

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

All the bronze mirrors flew back simultaneously, stacking one on top of another until they merged into a single entity.

The mist, no longer sustained by the mirror formation, instantly collapsed. The dense fog exploded like boiling water, unleashing a violent surge. Within the tumultuous waves, it seemed as if an evil dragon was sealed, on the verge of breaking free.

"Whoosh!"

The biting cold wind, sharp as a knife, cut through the black mist. Pale blue cold qi enveloped countless ice shards, and then even more shards shredded the black mist, almost obscuring the sky and sun, with a momentum that threatened to tear everything in the valley to shreds.

Shen Jing's expression immediately changed. She cried out, "Senior Brother Yang, attack now!"

Yang Yuanzang's eyes narrowed slightly. He stomped heavily on the ground, his figure shooting into mid-air. The Hornless Dragon Sword in his hand easily sliced through the obstructing ice shards, and the cold qi on its blade gathered, forming an even larger ice sword, shimmering with cold light, imposing and unrivaled.

Just as he was about to swing his sword towards the center of the cold qi, Yang Yuanzang suddenly had a thought. He glimpsed a figure fleeing outwards without looking back, concealed by the ice shards on the other side of the valley.

Yang Yuanzang held back the Hornless Dragon Sword, letting out a cold laugh. A fierce wind suddenly erupted beneath his feet, dramatically increasing his speed. His figure vanished in a flash, instantly reappearing behind the fleeing figure, and he swung his sword down without hesitation.

Just as Qin Sang was about to be sliced in two by the Hornless Dragon Sword, and a faint smile had just appeared on Yang Yuanzang's lips, he heard Shen Jing shout from behind, "Senior Brother Yang, be careful!"

The moment Yang Yuanzang gave chase, a dark light shot out from the center of the cold qi.

Within the dark light was unmistakably a small flying sword!

The flying sword's speed was astonishing; the moment Shen Jing noticed it, it was already too late to come to his aid.

Yang Yuanzang's heart jolted with alarm. He had already felt an incredibly sharp aura behind him. He suddenly twisted his upper body and saw a black wood flying sword heading straight for his chest, already at close range.

Yang Yuanzang cried out, veins bulging on his arms, as he forcefully pulled back the Hornless Dragon Sword he had just swung, positioning it horizontally across his chest.

In the nick of time, though the Hornless Dragon Sword barely managed to block the black wood sword's momentum, his strength was spent. After being struck, the sword immediately bounced back from his hand, violently hitting Yang Yuanzang before falling to the ground.

With a muffled groan, Yang Yuanzang felt as if he had been struck by an incredibly terrifying force. His body bent like a shrimp, and he was sent flying like a rag, crashing into a large rock.

The black wood sword, still holding its advantage, showed no mercy. It paused in mid-air for a moment, then immediately resumed its relentless pursuit.

Yang Yuanzang's face was filled with profound horror. In his haste, he only managed to forcibly lift his body a few inches with the aid of the Ethereal Wind.

"Swish!"

The black wood sword, incredibly sharp, pierced directly through Yang Yuanzang's abdomen, and only then did blood begin to seep from the wound.

Yang Yuanzang, in extreme pain, let out a heartbreaking scream. Just then, Shen Jing's figure flashed before him, and a deep look of hope appeared in his eyes.

"Junior Sister, save me..."

Unexpectedly, Shen Jing smiled sweetly at Yang Yuanzang, then raised a hand and plunged it directly into his abdomen. Blood spurted all over Shen Jing. When she pulled her hand out, it was blood-soaked, clutching a wisp of gray smoke.

Next, the black wood sword, having reversed course, pierced through the back of Yang Yuanzang's head.

Yang Yuanzang's face was filled with horror and disbelief as he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Shen Jing waved her hand, seizing Yang Yuanzang's mustard seed pouch. A swirl of wind and smoke appeared beneath her feet, and she rapidly retreated, having clearly refined Yang Yuanzang's Ethereal Wind.

Shen Jing's figure instantly darted dozens of feet away, rushing to the mouth of the valley. She watched the black wood sword with a wary expression as a golden ring flew from her wrist, shielding her head.

"Junior Brother Qin, how about we stop here?" Shen Jing shouted loudly towards the center of the valley.

"Whoosh..."

The cold wind in the valley gradually dissipated, revealing Qin Sang's figure.

He sat cross-legged on the ground, secretly holding two spirit stones in his hand. His face was extremely pale as he stared at Shen Jing, saying in a hoarse voice, "Senior Sister Shen truly has formidable methods! Senior Brother Zhao likely died with his eyes open in disbelief."

Qin Sang hadn't expected Shen Jing to be so ruthless; she unhesitatingly killed her ally and seized his inheritance, and Qin Sang had no time to stop her.

Now that Yang Yuanzang's wind-smoke magical artifact was in Shen Jing's hands, it would likely be difficult to stop her if she were determined to escape.

Moreover, controlling the black wood sword to maneuver had almost depleted Qin Sang's accumulated spiritual power, forcing him to replace it with two new spirit stones.

If he pursued too far, both his spiritual power and divine sense would be difficult to sustain.

"I was merely trying to save my life; Junior Brother Qin, you truly hide your strengths well! I had already warned Senior Brother Yang not to underestimate you, but he was so overconfident, so this calamity was bound to befall him. But I never expected Junior Brother Qin to possess such a powerful flying sword. Is it a Talisman Treasure?"

Shen Jing gazed at the black wood sword, a hint of shock flashing in her eyes.

Qin Sang's gaze flickered. During Yue Wu's lecture, he had heard fellow disciples mention the name "Talisman Treasure."

It is said that a Talisman Treasure is a type of talisman containing a portion of a magic treasure's power. Only cultivators above the Core Formation stage can refine it by expending their true-name magic treasure for their descendants' self-defense. In the hands of a Qi Condensation stage cultivator, its power can be slightly stronger than a top-grade magical artifact.

Qin Sang had no Core Formation stage elders, nor the financial means to purchase a Talisman Treasure, so he had never seen what one looked like.

Shen Jing misunderstood the black wood sword as a Talisman Treasure, and Qin Sang saw no need to explain. He said in a deep voice, "Since Senior Sister Shen wants to turn hostility into friendship, why haven't you left yet?"

Shen Jing smiled charmingly. "Junior Brother Qin, have you forgotten our previous agreement?"

Qin Sang glanced at Yang Yuanzang's corpse and snorted, "I have no desire to follow in Senior Brother Yang's footsteps!"

Shen Jing's eyes reddened slightly, and her voice became pitiful as she said, "Junior Brother Qin, you misunderstand your Senior Sister. Your Senior Sister has always preserved her purity, but she was coerced by that Yang fellow..."

"Enough!"

Qin Sang interrupted, saying coldly, "I heard everything Senior Sister and Senior Brother Yang said just now from within the formation clearly. There's no need to feign sympathy in front of me."

"So, Junior Brother Qin's winged magical artifact can indeed resist the Soul-Enticing Mirror's enthralling effect."

The pitiable expression on Shen Jing's face instantly vanished. She feigned confusion and said, "Now that we both know each other's true capabilities, why can't we continue to cooperate? I don't have anything that can threaten you. What are you still afraid of, Junior Brother? The jade tokens from the three of us total nine. If we seize one more, we'll collect all the jade tokens and find the entrance to the core area. At that point, we just need to ambush and kill one person at the entrance, and then you and I can join the Yuanzhao Sect together. Think of how much time that would save; why wouldn't we do it?"