Chapter 77

The commotion inside the mirror array gradually diminished, until it was completely silent.

The two exchanged a glance, and Shen Jing said, "Senior Brother Yang, I will now open the Confusion Mirror. Don't let him escape."

Yang Yuancang nodded indifferently, and the Chi Dragon Sword in his hand suddenly emitted a powerful dragon's roar. The Chi Dragon coiled around the sword raised its head and glared at the sky, roaring like thunder.

Shen Jing took a deep breath, gently waved her hand, and the topmost bronze mirror flew through the air and landed in her palm. She held the mirror and pointed it at the mirror array, shouting, "Collect!"

*Whoosh, whoosh...*

All the bronze mirrors flew back simultaneously, stacking one on top of another, and finally merged into one.

The mist, no longer sustained by the mirror array, instantly collapsed. The dense fog exploded like boiling water, suddenly surging and churning like a fierce wave, as if a fierce dragon was sealed within, about to break free.

*Whoosh!*

The cold wind cut through the black mist like a knife, and a bluish-white cold aura enveloped countless icicles. More icicles shattered the black mist, almost blocking out the sky, with a momentum that seemed to tear everything in the valley apart.

Shen Jing's face changed instantly, and she shouted in alarm, "Senior Brother Yang, act quickly!"

Yang Yuancang's eyes narrowed, and he stomped the ground, his figure shooting into the air. The Chi Dragon Sword in his hand easily cut through the obstructing icicles, and the cold aura on the sword converged into a much larger ice sword, shining with a cold light, unstoppable and invincible.

Just as he was about to strike the center of the cold aura, Yang Yuancang suddenly sensed something. He glimpsed a figure on the other side of the valley, fleeing under the cover of the icicles.

Yang Yuancang reined in the Chi Dragon Sword, sneered, and a gust of wind suddenly surged under his feet, increasing his speed. His figure flashed and instantly appeared behind the fleeing figure, swinging his sword without hesitation.

Just as Qin Sang was about to be cut in half by the Chi Dragon Sword, Yang Yuancang's lips curled into a slight smile, but he heard Shen Jing shouting from behind, "Senior Brother Yang, be careful!"

At the moment Yang Yuancang rushed forward, a black light shot out from the center of the cold aura.

The black light revealed a small flying sword!

The flying sword was incredibly fast, and by the time Shen Jing noticed it, it was too late to come to his aid.

Yang Yuancang was startled. He could already feel the sharp aura behind him. He suddenly twisted his upper body and saw a black wooden flying sword heading straight for his chest, just inches away.

Yang Yuancang shouted, his veins bulging, and forcibly retracted the Chi Dragon Sword, holding it horizontally in front of his chest.

At the last moment, the Chi Dragon Sword barely blocked the black wooden sword, but due to the force used, it was hit back into his hand and then flew out, striking Yang Yuancang and falling to the ground.

With a muffled groan, Yang Yuancang felt an overwhelming force hit him, his body bending like a shrimp, and he was thrown like a rag doll, crashing into a boulder.

The black wooden sword, not letting up, paused in the air and immediately pursued him.

Yang Yuancang's face was filled with shock and disbelief. In a hurry, he managed to lift his body a few inches with the help of the wind.

*Whoosh!*

The black wooden sword, incredibly sharp, pierced through Yang Yuancang's abdomen, and blood gushed out from the wound.

Yang Yuancang screamed in agony, and at that moment, Shen Jing's figure flashed in front of him, her eyes filled with hope.

"Junior Sister, save me..."

To his surprise, Shen Jing smiled at Yang Yuancang and raised a hand, directly inserting it into his abdomen. Blood splattered all over Shen Jing, and when she pulled her hand out, it was covered in blood and held a wisp of gray smoke.

Then, the black wooden sword, which had returned, pierced through Yang Yuancang's head.

Yang Yuancang's face was full of fear and disbelief as he fell to the ground, lifeless.

Shen Jing waved her hand, grabbing Yang Yuancang's storage bag, and a gust of wind surged under her feet, propelling her back. It was clear she had mastered Yang Yuancang's wind technique.

Shen Jing's figure instantly shot out dozens of feet, reaching the valley entrance, her face alert as she watched the black wooden sword, and a golden ring flew from her wrist to hover above her head.

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

*Whoosh...*

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

He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, holding two spirit stones in his hand, his face extremely pale. He stared at Shen Jing and said in a hoarse voice, "Senior Sister Shen, you are truly cunning! Senior Brother Zhao must have died with regret."

Qin Sang hadn't expected Shen Jing to be so ruthless, killing her ally without hesitation and taking his belongings. Qin Sang had no time to stop her.

Now that Shen Jing had Yang Yuancang's wind technique, it would be difficult to stop her if she decided to flee.

Moreover, controlling the black wooden sword had almost depleted Qin Sang's accumulated spirit power, forcing him to replace the spirit stones.

If he pursued her too far, his spirit power and divine sense would not be able to sustain him.

"I only did it to save my life. Unlike you, Junior Brother Qin, who hid your true abilities so well. I had warned Senior Brother Yang not to underestimate you, but he was too arrogant. He deserved this fate. I didn't expect you to have such a powerful flying sword. Is it a talisman treasure?"

Shen Jing gazed at the black wooden sword, a trace of fear in her eyes.

Qin Sang's eyes flickered. During the lecture on martial arts, he had heard his fellow disciples mention talisman treasures.

It was said that talisman treasures were a type of talisman containing part of a magical treasure's power, which could only be crafted by cultivators at the Core Formation stage or above, using their named magical treasures, to be passed down to their descendants for protection. In the hands of a Qi Condensation stage cultivator, they could exert power slightly stronger than that of a supreme magical treasure.

Qin Sang had no Core Formation stage elders and lacked the financial means to purchase a talisman treasure, so he had never seen one.

Shen Jing's misunderstanding about the black wooden sword being a talisman treasure, Qin Sang decided not to correct her, and said in a deep voice, "If Senior Sister Shen wants to make peace, why don't you leave now?"

Shen Jing smiled seductively, "Has Junior Brother Qin forgotten our previous agreement?"

Qin Sang glanced at Yang Yuancang's corpse and snorted, "I don't want to end up like Senior Brother Yang!"

Shen Jing's eyes reddened, and she said in a pitiful tone, "Junior Brother Qin has misunderstood me. I have always been chaste, but I was forced by that Yang..."

"Enough!"

Qin Sang interrupted, coldly saying, "I heard everything you and Senior Brother Yang said in the array. No need to pretend in front of me."

"So, Junior Brother Qin's winged magical treasure really can resist the soul-confusing effects of the Confusion Mirror."

The sorrow on Shen Jing's face vanished instantly, and she feigned confusion, "Now that we know each other's true abilities, why can't we continue to cooperate? I have nothing that can threaten you. What are you afraid of? Together, we have nine jade tokens. We only need one more to gather all the tokens and find the entrance to the core area. Then, we just need to ambush and kill one person at the entrance, and we can both join the Yuanzhao Sect, saving a lot of time. Why not?"

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ps1: The concept of talisman treasures is also borrowed from the world of *The Ordinary Expert*. I'm not sure if it was first introduced there, as my reading is limited. If you know, please let me know.

ps2: Thank you to the reader 160723112424030 for the tip. It's the first time I've received a tip, and it feels like a wonderful experience. I'll cherish this moment.