Gateway of Immortality
Chapter 402: The Nest

Chapter 402: The Nest

Demonic beasts' pedigrees and bloodlines were exceedingly complex.

Not every demonic beast could transform into a human during the Transformation Realm, yet among those at the same realm, those unable to take human form were by no means any less powerful than those that could.

It remained uncertain whether the Lightning-Devouring Falcon could assume human form; even if it were capable, having to reveal its true self in a face-off against two Spiritual Infant cultivators was entirely natural.

Fighting one against two without showing any disadvantage, the Lightning-Devouring Falcon had proven to be the strongest demonic beast Qin Sang had ever witnessed.

This battle was also the first time he had seen, with his own eyes, the combat of mighty experts in the Spiritual Infant Realm—making the earlier scene of the two black-robed figures breaking through barriers seem like the antics of novices in comparison.

In the tumultuous sea of azure-white wind, turbulent waves moved in unpredictable patterns. The skies shifted in hue and trembled in fury.

Three figures had appeared intermittently in the raging wind, and Qin Sang could not clearly discern how they were dueling; only when the Malevolent Frost Wind shuddered and briefly revealed their silhouettes could he glimpse a hint of their arcane techniques.

One of the black-robed men commanded the black tortoise shell, which, like a shield, manifested as a huge spectral tortoise. Though only slightly smaller than the Lightning-Devouring Falcon, it emitted a mournful roar as it crawled across the heavens, its head held high as it glared fiercely at the falcon.

Meanwhile, the Wuji Sect's leader casually swung his sword, unleashing a sword qi that stretched for a thousand zhang and effortlessly cleaved through the wind sea—leaving a gap that had taken an eternity to mend.

Qin Sang watched in awe, his heart pounding and his spirit utterly captivated.

Compared to the two Spiritual Infant cultivators, the Lightning-Devouring Falcon had not been any less formidable—in fact, it might even have held the advantage. Its cry was piercing, laden with both warning and fury; with a single outburst it unleashed a column of lightning, and when it flapped its wings, thunderstorms erupted. The wild torrents of thunderbolts radiated an aura of utter destruction that, even from afar, made Qin Sang’s heart tremble.

Each time a Spiritual Infant expert struck, they drew upon the very forces of heaven and earth, their power far exceeding what one could imagine. Even if the battlefield lay at the far reaches of the sky, its aftershocks made the frozen plains tremble.

Every tremor in the ice cave before resulted from the collisions in their battles.

Qin Sang was convinced that if the battleground was near the ice cave, this place would have long shattered into pieces—with cracks already splintering through it.

Gradually, Qin Sang pieced things together.

It appeared that the true objective of the Wuji Sect's leader and the mysterious black-robed man was not merely to exterminate the Lightning-Devouring Falcon.

They coordinated with precision, and their roles were clearly defined, as if they pursued an ulterior motive. One attempted to bind the falcon while the other tried to bypass it, yet every time the falcon forced them back, leaving them utterly helpless.

Possessing such formidable power and a remarkably keen intellect, the Lightning-Devouring Falcon saw through their intentions; instead of attacking, it simply repelled them and then swiftly retreated, steadfastly guarding its territory and leaving no opening for its foes.

Although the falcon’s strength might not have surpassed the combined might of the two, its overwhelming anger drove it to fight with reckless abandon, while the Wuji Sect's leader and his companion, cautious and reluctant to risk even mutual injury, acted timidly.

As a result, it appeared that the Lightning-Devouring Falcon held the upper hand.

What are the two after?

Qin Sang recalled a scene he witnessed before: after the two jointly shattered an ancient barrier, one of them ventured off in search of something, only to leave disheartened shortly afterward.

What compelled two Spiritual Infant cultivators to join forces and enter the Endless Valley, even to the point of waging a fierce battle with the Lightning-Devouring Falcon? Is it a celestial herb or an ancient treasure?

With that thought in mind, Qin Sang withdrew his gaze and emerged from behind a block of ice. He stood at the edge of the ice cave to survey his surroundings.

Thanks to the chaos wrought by the Malevolent Frost Wind, the local spiritual qi were in complete disarray; as long as he remained concealed, even the Spiritual Infant cultivators would find it difficult to detect his presence.

The ice cave in which he stood seemed to be part of an enormous iceberg, a mountain riddled with countless similar ice caves that resembled a giant beehive—a bizarre landform whose origins defied explanation.

Wind and snow gushed inside, producing a constant, eerie howl.

At the base of the mountain lay a bottomless chasm of vast proportions.

The sea of wind overhead pressed so low that it formed a giant funnel connected to the chasm, and at its center, a striking white column of wind coalesced—Malevolent Frost Wind condensed like a Jiao, as if the very heavens had unleashed it.

After careful observation, Qin Sang discovered that the chasm was, in fact, the source of the Malevolent Frost Wind.

An endless torrent of the wind surged out from the chasm and gathered high in the sky.

After countless tens of thousands of years of accumulation, everywhere his gaze reached filled with an unbroken expanse of azure-white Malevolent Frost Wind—a monotonous, boundless scene.

Is the nest of the Lightning-Devouring Falcon lying within that chasm?

Qin Sang thought to himself in astonishment. No wonder.

The growth place of the Night Lily was so close to the falcon’s lair that, without the sealing of a spiritual array, once the Night Lily matured even the most chaotic spiritual qi found it difficult to mask the alluring aura exuded by such a precious treasure.

It was likely that the Night Lily had been eaten by the Lightning-Devouring Falcon long ago.

It made sense why the senior who discovered the Night Lily was so cautious; not only did he employ a teleportation array at great expense, but every barrier he set up served primarily to conceal.

In particular, the spiritual array that sheltered the Night Lily was extraordinarily secretive, and it locked away its aura so that not a trace escaped.

No extraneous measures were done, for fear that any misstep would backfire and alert the Lightning-Devouring Falcon.

It appeared that the true aim of the two Spiritual Infant cultivators was the chasm itself.

Qin Sang’s gaze moved back and forth between the deep chasm and the horizon. He clenched his fists tightly, and his eyes shifted in uncertainty as his heart wavered between hesitation and struggle.

On the battlefield, the two cultivators and the beast locked in a stalemate, and the situation remained deadlocked.

Although Qin Sang could not discern the true strength of the Spiritual Infant cultivators, he could tell from their outward appearance that it would be difficult for them to decide a victor in a short time.

But that did not give him a chance to act.

The deep chasm was the source of the Malevolent Frost Wind, and its interior proved to be incredibly perilous.

It appeared that the Malevolent Frost Wind had coalesced into a single current that occupied only the central area of the chasm. However, the entire chasm suffered from the influence of the Malevolent Frost Wind, and it brimmed with a cold far more fearsome than that here.

Qin Sang did not fear that the cold would erode his primordial spirit, but his flesh was extremely fragile. Whether the Crimson Core could function at such close proximity to the Malevolent Frost Wind remained unknown.

What terrified him even more were the three Spiritual Infant forces in the sky.

The situation could change at any moment.

Whether the two cultivators would find an opportunity to break through the Lightning-Devouring Falcon’s blockade and enter the chasm, or whether they would decide to withdraw and let the falcon return to its nest, Qin Sang would find himself trapped in a desperate predicament.

Qin Sang hesitated, though the decision was not exceedingly difficult.

The fighting spirit of the two Spiritual Infant cultivators did not seem very strong, and they might withdraw at any time. Their demeanor kept Qin Sang from acting impulsively.

This was an opportunity that might cost him his life at any moment, and he did not even have half a chance of success. The rewards remained uncertain.

Qin Sang quickly made up his mind. He decided to stay in the ice cave and observe the battle between the powerful Spiritual Infant experts. He planned to learn as much as he could from their fight.

But just as Qin Sang resolved to remain in place, the situation changed once again.