Before long, Qin Sang opened his eyes, and the ebony sword stirred from its stillness, flying to the edge of the mirror array.
By now, the mirror array had become completely silent, and it seemed the young man had already fallen under the Bewitching Mirror's charm.
Qin Sang ordered the ebony sword to hover before the array, took a deep breath, and reached out to fully withdraw the Bewitching Mirror. Without waiting for the mist to clear, the ebony sword shot forward in a flash.
Immediately, a crisp ding rang out from within the fog.
As the mist gradually dispersed, Qin Sang saw that the ebony sword had been tightly blocked by a crescent-shaped machete. The two weapons were locked in a stalemate, suspended mid-air, neither able to advance.
The young man’s face was filled with shock and fury as he cried out, "You have a talisman astra too? No, why is your talisman astra so strange?"
Qin Sang looked at him coldly, saying nothing, but inwardly, he felt a wave of fear. He hadn’t expected the young man to resist the Bewitching Mirror’s charm. Atop the young man's head was a gray cloth cap, something Qin Sang hadn’t seen before, likely the reason he was immune to the mirror’s effect.
What surprised Qin Sang even more was the crescent-shaped machete. Judging by the young man’s words, it was also a talisman astra.
This was the first time Qin Sang had ever seen a talisman astra. The scimitar, shaped like a crescent moon, was slightly larger than the ebony sword, its blade emitting a cold, sharp light. No wonder it could match the ebony sword in strength.
While Qin Sang had prepared the ebony sword outside, the young man had pretended to be ensnared by the charm while preparing his talisman astra inside the array. Both had anticipated the other’s moves.
Qin Sang now deeply regretted not being able to kill the young man, even after using the ebony sword. If he had known how difficult this opponent would be, he would have avoided him entirely.
Now, with the ebony sword locked against the machete, neither dared retreat, as doing so would mean instant death. Yet continuing this stalemate would make it hard to determine who would emerge victorious.
The young man realized this as well, his face darkening. He certainly didn’t want to lose his life here over something so trivial, nor was he willing to die alongside Qin Sang. His life was far more precious than that of some mere rogue cultivator.
Gritting his teeth, the young man channeled all his spiritual power into the machete. The machete gleamed coldly, forcing the ebony sword to retreat bit by bit.
With that, the young man tossed out four jade tokens onto the ground, as if he truly didn’t care about them.
Qin Sang glanced at the jade tokens on the ground, his face showing a pensive expression. Then, he suddenly fixed his sharp gaze on the young man. "With your strength, if you’re here for experience, why not seek out opponents proactively? Why set a trap in such a remote area, waiting for someone to stumble upon it? Unless you're certain that someone powerful would pass through here. Either you have more than just four jade tokens, or you already know that anyone going to the core area has to come through this place. Am I right?"
The young man’s expression shifted slightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but Qin Sang cut him off. "Don’t try telling me that you just happened to end up in the same area twice by coincidence. That kind of lie might fool an idiot."
The young man was left speechless for a moment before finally offering a bitter smile. "You arrived too soon. I really only have four jade tokens."
Qin Sang’s eyes narrowed slightly. "So that means..."
The young man nodded. "That’s right, I have a map of the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Ground. Though the Yuanzhao Sect now controls it, before all the treasures were completely plundered, it was co-managed by several factions. This map was lost during that time. If you’re willing to stop here, I can give you a copy. It shows a shortcut that will allow you to bypass the dangers ahead, ensuring you secure a spot. But you must swear not to reveal it to anyone!"
Qin Sang responded, "Even if I swear, you wouldn’t believe me. All I can tell you is that I won’t do anything that doesn’t benefit me. You’re just trying to stir up trouble in the ascension conference. Do you really think the Yuanzhao Sect, a great righteous sect, would go out of their way to hunt you down over such a trivial matter?"
"A great righteous sect?"
The young man sneered. "You really think so highly of them. Have you ever wondered why, when they could easily host the ascension conference in an arena, they go through all the trouble to hold it in a forbidden ground, where so many people die each time?"
Qin Sang asked curiously, "Why?"
"The barriers on the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Ground began crumbling two hundred years ago. But the Yuanzhao Sect discovered a secret art to prolong them. Ever since then, they moved the ascension conference into the Forbidden Ground and changed the rules... What is truly righteous? What is demonic?"
The young man wore a mocking smile as he pulled out a jade slip. "Here’s the map. Let’s both withdraw our talisman astra at the same time, and I’ll give it to you."
Qin Sang gently shook his head. "Wait..."
The young man’s face twisted in anger. "Do you think I’m really afraid of you? If you keep pushing, I swear, even if I die, I’ll make sure you come down with me!"