Chapter 34

Many years ago, Master Yuanjue went out to travel, leaving the Great Sui, and his whereabouts have been unknown since.

It is said that he went to seek the opportunity to break through to the innate realm, and there are also rumors that Master Yuanjue was nearing his end, feeling不甘, and went in search of immortals.

Who would have thought that Master Yuanjue would return to the Great Sui at this time, and coincidentally be encountered by me.

That roar just now must have been the famous "Lion's Roar" of the Xuanji Temple, well-known in the martial world.

True qi forming shapes, fists breaking through the air—this was the first time Qin Sang had witnessed such a scene.

Qin Sang's figure flickered, retreating gracefully, while the burly monk let out a cold snort and swung his arm violently.

*Whoosh!*

A chain of fine iron shot through the air, appearing like a crystalline line under the moonlight, speeding towards Qin Sang.

Unexpectedly, the chain lost momentum halfway, flew a bit further, and then exhausted its force, *clattering* to the ground. The burly monk's eyes rolled back, and he fell straight backward without any warning.

*Bang!*

The burly monk's corpse stirred up a cloud of dust and a few fallen leaves on the ground, and there was no more sign of life.

All of this happened in a flash. Master Yuanjue glanced at the burly monk's corpse, then turned to stare intently at Qin Sang and the black banner in his hand, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"You are a cultivator!"

Qin Sang, holding the Yama Banner, stood at a distance, his gaze cold and his tone calm. "Old monk, I did not wish to cause more killing. If you leave now, I will spare your life."

While his words sounded noble, Qin Sang was secretly troubled.

After Yama killed the burly monk, when Qin Sang ordered him to kill Master Yuanjue, Yama actually disobeyed.

Usually, when Yama encountered strangers, he would rush forward eagerly to taste their souls, like seeing tempting food, without needing Qin Sang's command.

Now, facing the old monk, he seemed to be afraid, cowering to the side, unwilling to step forward.

Although the old monk was old, his qi and blood were astonishingly vigorous, something Qin Sang had rarely seen in his life. Moreover, the old monk's true qi was very peculiar, his fist shadow as red as fire, making him seem like a blazing sun, a natural enemy of ghosts.

The black-robed demon could use the Yama Banner to fight to the death with a sword-wielding immortal master, but now he was afraid of a mere innate expert among mortals.

Qin Sang vaguely guessed the reason.

Even on the battlefield, Qin Sang did not let Yama devour too many souls.

First, he was afraid of exposing his identity, and second, he was worried that if Yama became too powerful, he might turn against him.

Qin Sang had long discovered a characteristic of the Yama Banner: if Yama devoured enough souls, the holes on the banner would heal on their own.

It seemed that when the Yama Banner was fully restored, Yama's strength would also be fully recovered.

Qin Sang did not know what realm the black-robed demon was in before his death, but it was definitely higher than his own. The black-robed demon could suppress the fully restored Yama, but the Jade Buddha might not be able to.

Out of caution, Qin Sang only let Yama devour a few dozen souls each time before recalling him. At this point, Yama could provide three soul pills, enough for him to use for a while.

He originally planned to at least break through to the fifth level of the "Netherworld Scripture" before gradually enhancing Yama's strength, but he did not expect that the vigorous qi and blood of an innate expert could make Yama afraid.

Qin Sang had long heard Bai Jianglan tell stories of innate experts using sword beams to kill immortal masters. It seemed that cultivators should not underestimate mortals, let alone someone who was a half-baked novice like himself.

Voices of shouting and knocking came from outside the mansion gate. Someone loudly called for the drill instructor, but no one responded inside. Then the gate was forcibly broken down.

The old monk's long howl earlier had attracted the patrolling constables and militiamen around the county office.

At this point, there was no time to be cautious. Qin Sang could only abandon his usual prudence, let Yama go out to devour souls, and enhance his strength. He tried to maintain a composed demeanor to intimidate the old monk, suppressing the panic in his heart.

However, after hearing Qin Sang's words, Master Yuanjue's face did not show any fear; instead, his eyes flashed with a look of joy.

Qin Sang suddenly realized something. If Master Yuanjue had gone out to seek immortals, what would he do when he really saw a cultivator putting on a show in front of him?

The words he had just spoken were completely unnecessary, revealing his fear to the old hand!

Feeling Master Yuanjue's gaze becoming increasingly greedy, Qin Sang could not help but deeply regret it.

Sure enough, Master Yuanjue squinted his eyes, stared at Qin Sang for a while, and then sneered, "Fooling around!"

Qin Sang suddenly felt a sense of foreboding, his heart filled with alarm. He stomped the ground heavily, and his body rose gracefully.

In an instant, Master Yuanjue appeared where Qin Sang had been standing, a ball of fiery energy condensed in his palm, which he fiercely slapped out, directly breaking a nearby old tree.

*Crack!*

The tree trunk snapped in half, and the massive canopy fell.

What a terrifying innate expert!

Qin Sang felt his heart race, knowing he had no chance against Master Yuanjue. He turned and ran.

Seeing this, Master Yuanjue was greatly delighted, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He laughed maniacally, "Where did you come from, you brat? Hand over the cultivation method, and this poor monk will spare your life!"

The first sentence was still behind him.

The second sentence was right by his ear.

When the last sentence sounded, a figure flashed in front of Qin Sang, and Master Yuanjue, as if taking a leisurely stroll, took a step and surpassed Qin Sang, blocking his path.

A withered hand, seemingly slow but actually fast, reached out to grab him.

Qin Sang's hair stood on end, and he used the "Invisible Step" to the fullest, dashing left and right like a headless fly. But no matter how he darted around, that hand was always in front of him.

"Come back, you dog!"

Qin Sang frantically chanted the Yama Banner spell, cursing in his heart, but saw the hand rapidly enlarge in front of his eyes, feeling a deep bitterness and intense unwillingness.

"I'm done for!"

Unexpectedly, Master Yuanjue did not directly snap Qin Sang's neck but instead snatched the Yama Banner from his hand.

Master Yuanjue looked at the Yama Banner, his eyes flashing with joy, and regarded Qin Sang like a treasure trove. His fingers shot out like lightning, about to seal Qin Sang's acupoints, but suddenly his body stiffened.

Qin Sang was overjoyed, let out a low roar, and charged forward, pushing away Master Yuanjue's arm, snatching back the Yama Banner, and fiercely stabbing it into Master Yuanjue's neck, using all his strength, almost burying the entire banner pole.

*Plop!*

Blood splattered Qin Sang's face, and a gush of blood spurted from Master Yuanjue's neck as he fell backward.

Qin Sang plopped to the ground, panting heavily, and looked at the motionless Master Yuanjue on the ground, still feeling a lingering fear.

Master Yuanjue was the most terrifying enemy he had encountered since coming to this world. Innate experts were indeed formidable.

After the panic, Qin Sang could not help but reflect.

In the past year, everything had gone smoothly for him, and no matter how high the expert, none could withstand Yama. His mindset had inevitably changed, and he no longer took mortals seriously, thinking he could go anywhere in the world.

This time, he almost lost his life, and he suddenly became alert. From now on, he must be cautious no matter who he faces.