Upon hearing these words, Qin Sang's gaze narrowed, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.
Shen Jing, thinking that Qin Sang was tempted, hurriedly urged, "Junior Brother Qin, right now, there are definitely quite a few people cooperating within the Forbidden Ground. You just saw how easily the two of us handled our enemies together. If you’re concerned, we can make an agreement—after defeating our foes, we’ll take turns choosing the spoils. Once we build trust, we can plan further."
Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then suddenly lifted his head. His eyes, sharp and bright, locked onto Shen Jing as he asked, "Senior Sister Shen, was it you who carved the mark on that mountain peak?"
Shen Jing was startled at first, but then it dawned on her. She glanced back at the faint silhouette of the solitary mountain peak in the distance and said, "So you came from that direction as well. To be honest, after leaving the mark, I kept moving forward. I didn’t expect to encounter a mountain crocodile deep in the forest. It was perched by a deep pool, luckily devouring a corpse. Fortunately, it only glanced at me and didn’t pursue. In my terror, I kept a wide distance but, in my panic, I lost my way and was stopped by this man."
Fear and frailty flickered in Shen Jing's eyes, as if she was still shaken by the memory.
"A demonic beast?"
Since entering the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Ground, Qin Sang hadn’t encountered a demonic beast yet, likely due to his caution in avoiding places that seemed abnormal.
"That’s right!"
Shen Jing suddenly clapped her hands, exclaiming in surprise, "Junior Brother Qin, that mountain crocodile only devours corpses, so the jade token should still be intact! Moreover, I’ve heard that where demonic beasts dwell, there are always precious spiritual herbs, and the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Ground must be no exception. If the two of us join forces, combining the strength of our top-grade artifacts, even if we can’t kill it, we should at least be able to retreat safely. Why don’t we—"
The more Shen Jing spoke, the more excited she became, but she was abruptly interrupted by Qin Sang’s shaking head.
"If that mountain crocodile could easily kill an immortal cultivator, and it scared Senior Sister Shen away with just one glance, it won’t be that simple. Senior Uncle Yue once said that the Forbidden Ground is home to many late-stage and peak Ordinary Demon Realm beasts. There are plenty of jade tokens available, so why take the risk for just one? As for the spiritual herbs, only a few can directly enhance one’s cultivation, and neither of us is an alchemist. What’s the point of seizing them now?"
Qin Sang knew well how difficult the participants of the ascension conference could be to deal with. Even the scruffy Daoist had his own methods of survival.
That mountain crocodile had killed an immortal cultivator without a scratch, clearly indicating its formidable strength.
Shen Jing gave a dry laugh, her face flushing with embarrassment. "You are right; I was too reckless."
Reckless? More like being swayed by the allure of treasure and power.
After all, immortal cultivators were still humans, merely wielding immense power.
Seeing this, Qin Sang made to rush down the mountain to rescue Shen Jing but hesitated as he took a few steps.
Could it be a trap?
Qin Sang’s face was uncertain. After all, he had been on the mountaintop for some time and had seen no sign of anyone passing by. Yet Shen Jing, who had been hidden, suddenly encountered enemies.
This thought crossed his mind. Although he deemed it unlikely, he remained cautious and used his Falling Cloud Wings to conceal his presence, approaching the base of the mountain silently.
Unexpectedly, as Qin Sang reached halfway down the mountain and was about to pass over a valley, an unusual change occurred.
Suddenly, several strands of eerie black mist shot out from the valley. The source of the mist was a series of copper mirrors arranged in a formation, hidden and carefully placed, making them difficult to detect.
These mists were ghostly and chilling, moving with lightning speed. The concealment of the Falling Cloud Wings seemed ineffective against them as they headed straight for Qin Sang.
These copper mirrors...
Qin Sang’s face was a mix of surprise and anger. In his haste, he couldn’t avoid the attack and swung his Emerald Wave Sword.
Swish!
The sword light from the Emerald Wave Sword surged like concentric ripples, spreading rapidly around Qin Sang and striking the advancing black mist.
To Qin Sang’s surprise, the sword light passed through the mist without any obstruction, proving ineffective. He barely had time to activate his Ice Silkworm Armor, forming a layer of frost around him before the mist enveloped him.
The mist made no sound upon hitting Qin Sang, and he felt no pain.
Buzz...
The copper mirrors on the ground began to vibrate simultaneously, slowly rising into the air. More mist poured out from the mirrors, completely surrounding Qin Sang in a thick, pitch-black haze.
A figure suddenly appeared in the valley—it was Shen Jing, unharmed!