Qin Sang focused his gaze on the silent and eerie forest below. After a moment of contemplation, he decided not to descend immediately. Instead, he pretended to search the surroundings for a path down the mountain.
As he passed a spot where the rocks protruded, he quickly created a clone using his spiritual power. Hiding his real body at the mountain's peak, he cast the Airborne Technique on his clone, controlling it to glide toward the base of the cliff.
The clone leaped swiftly between the rocks and trees on the cliffside. Just as it landed on the branch of an ancient tree, an unexpected change occurred.
Without warning, a beam of green light shot out from the forest. Within the light, there was a vibrant green vine.
The vine twisted like a snake, coiling and extending, and in an instant, it shot toward Qin Sang’s clone. The vine swiftly wrapped around the clone, binding it tightly.
"Haha!"
A burst of wild laughter echoed from within the forest. A scruffy Daoist, his hair disheveled, flew up to the treetops. His entire body was drenched in blood, covered with rotten grass and leaves. Broken ice spikes protruded from his arms and legs, making him appear very battered, but his injuries were far less severe than Qin Sang had expected.
The scruffy Daoist glared fiercely at the clone bound by the vine and said viciously, "Dare to ambush me? Let me show you the power of the Spirit Binding Technique!"
Then, the Daoist raised his head and looked toward the mountaintop, chanting something under his breath. Suddenly, a whistling sound came from the peak, and three beams of black light shot out—they were fragments of the Wishing Shield.
Qin Sang, who was hiding on the mountaintop, looked furious and shocked.
Had he not been so cautious, if he had boldly gone down to loot the corpse or greedily tried to pick up that shield fragment, he would have undoubtedly fallen into the Daoist’s trap and faced a grim fate.
"Sword transformation!"
The Daoist shouted, and with two sharp bang sounds, the Wishing Shield fragments merged in mid-air like three sharp swords.
The Wishing Shield was no longer in its original shield form but had transformed into a strange three-edged black sword, each with ferocious blood grooves, making one’s heart tremble at the sight. The sword tips gleamed with a chilling light, as if they were imbued with sword energy. There was no trace of damage anymore, and instead, the shield was now unleashing power far exceeding that of a middle-grade artifact.
Looking at the transformed Wishing Shield, the Daoist’s face was full of pain. His eyes showed even deeper hatred as he glared at Qin Sang's clone. With a wave of his hand, the black sword immediately changed direction, piercing straight into the clone’s body.
Splash...
Without rushing to inspect the contents of the pouch, Qin Sang swiftly moved to the side of an ancient tree. He dug out the deformed Wishing Shield from within the tree trunk and then flew up to the treetops, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
The battle between him and the Daoist had caused quite a commotion. He wasn’t sure if anyone else had been drawn over. Having used several spells and artifacts in succession, more than half of his spiritual power was already depleted. If he encountered another formidable enemy, he was certain he wouldn't stand a chance.
Seeing no signs of anyone approaching, Qin Sang used an evading method, fleeing a great distance in one go and finding a hidden spot to take refuge.
He placed the two jade tokens together, but there was no reaction at all. After examining them for a moment, he put them back into the Mustard Seed Pouch.
Aside from that, the Daoist’s Mustard Seed Pouch contained nothing of value—just a foundational wood-based cultivation art and a few mundane martial arts techniques. There wasn’t even a single beast-taming method, nor a single spirit stone.
What caught Qin Sang’s attention the most, however, were a dozen large pouches of blood stored in the bladders of some unknown animal. The bladders were washed spotlessly clean, without a trace of stench.
Blood packs...
Staring at these items, Qin Sang was speechless for a long time.
In his previous life, Qin Sang’s family background wasn’t good. He worked hard to finish his studies, and his first job was very demanding. He worked tirelessly without allowing himself any slack, and when he could no longer bear the stress, the only way he could unwind was by watching action-packed movies. That was one of his few ways of relaxing.
Now, seeing props that looked like something out of those movies, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia.
There was also a jade slip that contained information about the Wishing Shield. After reading it, Qin Sang’s expression shifted, and he silently cursed for quite a while.
He had thought that apart from the jade token, the biggest reward was the Wishing Shield. But to his surprise, the shield was already destroyed!
It turned out that, besides its ability to automatically protect its owner, the Wishing Shield had another feature: it could change form and transform into a flying sword, instantly concentrating the power of the three shield fragments to unleash an attack with the sharpness of a high-grade artifact.
This transformation could happen in a split second, catching an opponent off guard—a truly strange and unpredictable ability.
But there was only one chance for this transformation. After becoming a sword, all three fragments of the Wishing Shield would shatter.
Upon examining the shield closely, Qin Sang saw that the three black fragments were indeed covered in cracks and could no longer be used.