Chapter 82

Not long after, Qin Sang opened his eyes, and the blackwood sword, which had been still, suddenly moved and flew to the edge of the mirror array.

At this moment, there was no more movement inside the mirror array. The young man in the tight-fitting clothes seemed to have fallen under the spell of the Enchanting Mirror.

Qin Sang made the blackwood sword hover before the mirror array, took a deep breath, and reached out to retrieve the Enchanting Mirror. Then, with a thought, before the mist had dissipated, the blackwood sword immediately darted forward.

Immediately, a crisp "ding" echoed through the mist.

As the mist slowly dissipated, it became clear that the blackwood sword was being firmly held back by a crescent-shaped scimitar. The two were evenly matched, neither able to advance.

The young man in the tight-fitting clothes was full of shock and anger, exclaiming, "You have a talisman treasure too? No, why is your talisman treasure so strange?"

Qin Sang looked at him coldly without speaking, but he was also secretly frightened. He hadn't expected this person to be able to resist the Enchanting Mirror's spell. The young man wore a gray cloth cap on his head, something he hadn't seen before, which must be the effect of this magical artifact.

What surprised Qin Sang even more was the scimitar. From the young man's tone, it seemed to be a talisman treasure.

This was the first time Qin Sang had seen a talisman treasure. The scimitar was crescent-shaped, slightly larger than the blackwood sword, and emitted a cold, icy light, incredibly sharp. No wonder it could match the blackwood sword.

He had prepared the blackwood sword outside, while the young man in the tight-fitting clothes had pretended to be enchanted, actually preparing the talisman treasure inside the mirror array. They had thought along the same lines.

Qin Sang now deeply regretted it. Using the blackwood sword hadn't killed the other person. If he had known the young man would be so difficult to deal with, he would have definitely avoided him.

Now, with the blackwood sword locked against the crescent scimitar, neither could afford to back down, or they would die on the spot. If they continued to stalemate, it was hard to say who would come out on top.

The young man in the tight-fitting clothes also realized this, his face turning very grim. He certainly didn't want to die here for no reason, and mutual destruction was out of the question. His life was far more valuable than that of a mere wandering cultivator.

Thinking this, the young man clenched his teeth and poured all his spiritual energy into the crescent scimitar. The scimitar's cold light intensified, and the blackwood sword was forced back step by step.

Qin Sang's face changed slightly, and he didn't hesitate, urging the blackwood sword to forcefully hold back the crescent scimitar.

At this moment, both of their spiritual energies were being consumed at a furious rate.

Soon, a crisp sound came from Qin Sang's palm, and the spiritual stone in his hand shattered, becoming useless. He immediately replaced it with a new one. The young man in the tight-fitting clothes did the same, but compared to the rapid consumption, the spiritual stones provided only a drop in the bucket.

The young man's expression changed, and he suddenly shouted, "You're definitely not a wandering cultivator. Who are you, from which family?"

Qin Sang's heart stirred, and he said in a deep voice, "I am a wandering cultivator!"

The young man snorted in dissatisfaction, "A wandering cultivator could never have such a rich background. A talisman treasure isn't something a wandering cultivator can possess. I can guess even if you don't admit it. You didn't come here to join the Yuanzhao Sect; you just want to train and collect a few handy magical artifacts."

Hearing this, Qin Sang was surprised and countered, "Is that your goal?"

"Exactly!"

The young man didn't hide it, saying proudly, "I'll tell you, I am the most talented descendant in my family. I certainly won't become a miscellaneous disciple of the Yuanzhao Sect. This is my second time participating in the Yuanzhao Sect's Ascension Conference. This Green Leaf magical artifact was obtained last time, and it's very useful. But you are the most troublesome opponent I've ever encountered. Since our goals are the same, there's no need to fight to the death. Let's shake hands and agree to leave each other alone in the future. What do you say?"

Qin Sang laughed coldly, "You're wrong. I joined the Ascension Conference to join the Yuanzhao Sect. But if you put away your talisman treasure first, I can agree to stop."

"Are you taking me for a fool?"

The young man was full of anger, flipped his palm, and took out a jade bottle containing spirit pills, making a show of swallowing them.

Qin Sang couldn't afford to lose face and, without hesitation, took out a mid-grade spiritual stone from his reserves, showing a willingness to go all out.

The young man's face stiffened, his eyes flickering, and after a while, he said resentfully, "Fine! I admit defeat today! You want to join the Yuanzhao Sect, right? I have four jade tokens, all of which I'll give you. Can you buy my retreat?"

As he spoke, the young man took out the jade tokens and threw them on the ground, looking as if he didn't care about them.

Qin Sang glanced at the jade tokens on the ground, his face showing deep thought. Then he suddenly stared intently at the young man, "With your strength, if you're here for training, why don't you actively seek out opponents? Instead, you set a trap in such a remote place, waiting for someone to fall into it. Unless you're certain that someone will definitely pass by here and be strong. Either you have more than four jade tokens, or you already knew that anyone going to the core area must pass through here. Am I right?"

The young man's face changed slightly, and he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Qin Sang, "Don't tell me you coincidentally ended up in the same area twice. That's a lie to fool a fool."

The young man was speechless for a moment, then laughed bitterly, "You came too quickly. I really only have four jade tokens."

Qin Sang's gaze sharpened, "So..."

The young man nodded, "Yes, I have a map of the Eight Trigram Forbidden Zone. Although the Eight Trigram Forbidden Zone is occupied by the Yuanzhao Sect, before the treasures were completely plundered, it was jointly controlled by several forces. This map is from that time. If you agree to stop, I can give you a copy of the map. The map has a shortcut that can guide you to avoid the dangers ahead, ensuring you secure a spot. But you must swear not to reveal it!"

Qin Sang said, "Even if I swear, you won't believe me. I can only tell you that I won't do anything that doesn't benefit me. You're just taking advantage of the chaos at the Ascension Conference. The Yuanzhao Sect is a major orthodox sect; would they really chase you for a trivial matter?"

"Major orthodox sect?"

The young man sneered, "You really think highly of them. Have you ever considered why, when a tournament could be held, they go to such lengths to hold the Ascension Conference in the forbidden zone, causing so many deaths each time?"

Qin Sang asked curiously, "Why?"

"The restrictions of the Eight Trigram Forbidden Zone were on the verge of collapse two hundred years ago, but the Yuanzhao Sect found a secret method to extend its life. Since then, the Ascension Conference has been moved to the forbidden zone, and the rules have become increasingly cruel... What is right? What is evil?"

The young man's face was full of ridicule as he took out a jade slip, "This is the map. We'll both put away our talisman treasures, and I'll give it to you."

Qin Sang shook his head lightly, "Wait..."

The young man was suddenly furious, "Do you really think I'm afraid of you? If you push me too far, I'll take you down with me even if I die!"