Gateway of Immortality
Chapter 408: Escaping

Chapter 408: Escaping

Although the grand array was not yet complete, within it a vast, desolate aura had been brewing.

The raging wind sea was forced back by the array, revealing a huge opening.

This aura was beyond what the black tortoise bloodline could possess, and it made one wonder whether the array's final shape might evolve into the legendary divine beast, Xuanwu[1].

The Lightning-Devouring Falcon, having sensed danger, grew even more frenzied. The lightning on its body, intermingled with a faint trace of blood and qi, burned its vital blood and essence.

It spread its wings wide, its entire plumage bristling as it bathed in lightning, and transformed into a lightning bird. With its wings controlling lightning, it even managed to move the boundless Malevolent Frost Wind.

As the Malevolent Frost Wind and lightning merged in an unpredictable, ever-changing display, countless slicing gusts and lightning blasts rained down like wind knives and tempest storms, pelting the two cultivators.

The man in the black robe had expended all his strength preparing the array and was left utterly immobile.

Unable to evade the assault, the Wuji Sect's leader raised his sword across his chest, and his sword qi formed a gigantic wall to block the onslaught.

Yet that barrier held only for a brief moment before it was blasted apart; although he continued to gather new layers of sword qi, they grew increasingly thin and could not endure for long.

Fortunately, the black-robed man’s grand array was nearing completion.

The battle had spread over a vast area, and the full-force clash of the Spiritual Infant cultivators was terrifying.

The very earth trembled, especially on the iceberg, where countless cracks spread visibly, growing denser as the iceberg shuddered violently and ice blocks of all sizes tumbled and crashed down.

Qin Sang reluctantly withdrew his gaze, though he had longed to witness firsthand the awe-inspiring confrontation between the meticulously prepared array of the Spiritual Infant cultivators and the Lightning-Devouring Falcon burning its essence.

He was even more curious to see who would ultimately prevail.

But he dared not linger any longer; even though the iceberg had not yet been destroyed, it was surely doomed, and his escape route would soon be severed.

Swiftly climbing upward through the myriad fissures, Qin Sang eventually found the ice cave through which he had come, only to see that its entrance had already collapsed.

Glancing back toward the battlefield, he wore an expression of envy as he committed the scene to memory before turning away.

Inside the ice cave, riddled with massive cracks, Qin Sang maneuvered through its labyrinthine passages. He passed by the area where the Night Lilies grew and saw that the spiritual array had been shattered, with the Night Lilies already harvested by Wandering Man, who had since vanished without a trace.

Continuing his flight, he finally reached the ice wall sealed by a barrier.

As the iceberg teetered on the brink of destruction under the crushing pressure of heaven and earth, even the barrier on the ice wall revealed itself, its light flickering unpredictably—a final testament to its fate, destined to perish with the iceberg.

Thoroughly familiar with the barrier, Qin Sang effortlessly dismantled it and dashed into the ice hall, only to find it empty; Wandering Man had not lingered here for rest.

He surmised that Wandering Man must have sensed the ice cave’s abnormality and, unwilling to stay, had chosen to leave this place in search of a more secure location to refine the Night Lilies.

That suited Qin Sang just fine—it meant one less explanation to offer.

Just as he was about to step into the teleportation array, a thought struck him. He paused and suddenly invoked the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword, thrusting it toward a few weak spots in the barrier on the ice wall.

Crack!

A fissure suddenly appeared in the ice wall, and Qin Sang withdrew his sword before stepping into the teleportation array.

Once he departed, the cold wind eventually demolished the ice wall, sweeping in and destroying the teleportation array along with it.

By that time, Qin Sang’s figure had already appeared in the side chamber.

After leaving the flying yaksha’s moving zone, he did not hurry to depart; he sensed no tremors here, which indicated that the battle was far away.

Moreover, within Endless Valley the ancient barriers were manifold and the space was so bizarre that it defied conventional logic.

He wondered what methods that senior cultivator had used to leave behind a teleportation barrier here—one that could span the inner valley of Endless Valley, infiltrate the concealed lair of the Lightning-Devouring Falcon, and even pilfer the natural treasures.

Seated cross-legged on an icy path, Qin Sang circulated his cultivation art to restore his Qihai. Once his Qihai had recovered and he emerged from meditation, he eagerly opened his Mustard Seed Pouch and retrieved the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood for inspection.

As his spiritual consciousness probed into the pouch, Qin Sang’s expression suddenly froze.

Along with the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood, several pieces of spiritual wood had been drawn out—items he had purchased at great expense from Yinshan Stronghold, which the ebony sword had not yet devoured.

These pieces of spiritual wood had originally been varied in form and flaunted a dazzling array of colors.

Yet now, two of them had been stained blood-red, their original azure hue all but obliterated.

Not only had they become crimson, but their very spiritual essence had been utterly destroyed, rendering them nothing more than worthless scrap.

Earlier, when Qin Sang had hurriedly stolen the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood, he had barely managed to toss it into his Mustard Seed Pouch, and it had landed between these two pieces of spiritual wood. In that brief moment, the spreading blood-red light had already corroded them.

Qin Sang was astonished—though his losses were heavy, he was equally delighted by the capabilities of the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood.

Spiritual power then enveloped the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood.

After examining it carefully, Qin Sang suddenly unleashed a series of barriers to contain the blood-red light, and only then did he feel at ease storing it in his Mustard Seed Pouch.

He dared not rashly let the ebony sword devour the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood; once the ebony sword refined it, the wood would undergo a metamorphosis into an astra, and unknown changes might occur, slipping out of his control.

He resolved to wait until he was settled, study it carefully for a while, and plan his next move properly.

After stowing away the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood, Qin Sang inspected his Mustard Seed Pouch and a bitter smile crossed his face.

He had never expected that, in aiding the Wandering Man this time, he would encounter one mishap after another—full of twists and severe losses.

Several useful artifacts had been destroyed, his pills were nearly spent, and the Mustard Seed Pouch was left empty and meager. Even the Corpse Puppet Pouch had been emptied.

Yet his gains were astonishing.

He had learned to command the astra, thereby acquiring a formidable means of self-defense.

This piece of Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood had eased his lingering worries; at least until he reached the Core Formation Realm, he would not have to expend resources or search in vain for spiritual wood to enhance the ebony sword.

Of course, the letter left by Wu Shang was also very important. Whether this method succeeded or not, under Wu Shang’s guidance, Qin Sang now knew at least one path to Core Formation.

Recalling Wu Shang’s letter, Qin Sang also remembered the Heavenly Corpse Talisman that still resided within his primordial spirit.

In his primordial spirit space, the area around his primordial spirit still shimmered with a faint yellow light, and the Heart-Devouring Insect lay quietly, settled into silence.

His primordial spirit itself did not seem to have changed.

After observing for a while, a thought flashed in his mind. Suddenly, a Buddha-like silhouette appeared as bright yellow light burst forth from his primordial spirit. In the next moment, wisps of gray qi were expelled from it, completely swept away.

The Heavenly Corpse Talisman had been driven out by the Jade Buddha!

Qin Sang withdrew his spiritual consciousness from the primordial spirit space, released the barriers on his body, opened his eyes, and raised his right hand, clenching it firmly.

He had already sensed that his body was undergoing changes—the transformation into a corpse had come to a halt.

The bloodthirsty impulse gradually faded as well; although a faint urge still lingered, he was able to suppress it easily.

Because the duration had been brief, the degree of his corpse transformation was minimal. According to Wu Shang, he would only need to find a few common spiritual herbs rich in yang qi and ingest them to recover, and these herbs were plentiful.

After thoroughly examining his physical body and finding no unsolvable issues, Qin Sang exhaled deeply, truly relieved, stood up, and swiftly soared away into the outside world.

1. Xuanwu is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations, representing the north and the winter season. It is usually depicted as a tortoise entwined together with a snake. ☜

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