Gateway of Immortality

Whoosh! A figure came hurtling through the air. It was none other than Old Freak Feng, who had sensed the disturbance.

His speed was astonishingly fast as he rapidly closed in.

His appearance had changed drastically. He no longer looked human. Eagle wings sprouted from his back, snake scales covered his body, deer antlers rose from his head, and a leopard’s tail lashed behind him. Though his facial features remained, they had twisted into something grotesque and terrifying.

At the sight of Old Freak Feng’s ghastly form, many cultivators blanched in shock, horrified and unable to tell whether he was human or demon.

What they did not know was that this was one of Old Freak Feng’s secret suturing techniques. From the very beginning of cultivation, he had fused parts of demons into his own body, forging himself into a demonic physique.

As his cultivation advanced and he reached the Spiritual Infant Realm, the demonic parts fused within him had transformed as well, making that demonic body even more powerful.

His true name was Feng Xuegan, and it was precisely because of this secret technique that he had earned the title Old Freak.

After transforming into his demonic body, Old Freak Feng seemed to gain an extra layer of savagery. His eyes turned vicious, and overwhelming killing intent poured from him as he stared fixedly at Qu Huan.

"Old Freak Feng’s demonic body has become increasingly bizarre. Its power is formidable, but he’s probably fused too much trash into his flesh, which is why his cultivation has been unable to advance for so many years. No wonder he swallowed so many Withered Origin Pills. Unfortunately, he’ll have to pay them all back now." Qu Huan watched Old Freak Feng rush closer and let out a soft laugh, his tone full of mockery.

Even as two Spiritual Infant experts were about to surround him, he showed no fear at all, looking utterly confident.

A trace of suspicion flashed through the eyes of Daoist Qi. He stared at Qu Huan for a moment, then inwardly cried out in alarm. He abruptly raised his hand and unleashed a claw shadow.

The claw shadow tore straight toward Qu Huan without hesitation. Wherever it passed, the air twisted violently. It radiated scorching heat, glowing fiery red throughout, as though molten lava flowed within it.

A blazing gale swept forward. Qu Huan dared not meet the claw head on and retreated swiftly.

The rapidly approaching Old Freak Feng vanished into thin air. In the next instant, he suddenly appeared behind Qu Huan, raised his claws, fused with unknown demonic beasts, and viciously plunged them into Qu Huan’s body!

Rip! His sharp claws violently tore out a spine.

Qu Huan’s eyes instantly lost their light. His body stiffened, then Old Freak Feng ripped him apart on the spot.

For a moment, chunks of flesh and shattered bones flew everywhere.

By all appearances, Qu Huan was dead beyond saving. Yet neither Old Freak Feng nor the Daoist Qi looked pleased. Instead, fury rose in both of them.

"Hmph!" Old Freak Feng opened his mouth and spat out a mass of black light, sweeping away Qu Huan’s corpse fragments, along with the Formless Poison lingering in the void. Then his demonic body leaped lightly, swift and agile as a hunting leopard, landing atop the city wall as he stared fixedly at the lotus array.

Just then, figure after figure descended from the sky, landing beside them. They were the other Spiritual Infant cultivators who had returned.

They had lost track of Old Devil Ye. Canghong and Fairy Qiuzhi still had the strength to continue pursuing him, but the others could only return.

Like Old Freak Feng, they had come up empty-handed and failed to intercept Qu Huan’s true body.

"With disaster looming over your heads, you still schemed and fought among yourselves. A pack of fools too blind to see death coming!" Qu Huan’s arrogant laughter rang out from beyond the city.

It turned out that before making his move, Qu Huan had already prepared a path of retreat. When his sneak attack on Daoist Qi failed, he immediately sensed something was wrong and decisively fled Yu City.

Fortunately, he had reacted quickly enough. Had he been even a moment slower, he would have been surrounded by the Spiritual Infant cultivators. No matter how capable he was, escape would have been impossible.

Qu Huan shouted wildly in triumph.

"Kill him!" Everyone was enraged. Several immediately chased out of the city, including Old Freak Feng.

Qu Huan knew far too many of Sin Abyss’s secrets. If the Two-Domain Alliance learned all the inside details from him, Sin Abyss would be placed in an extremely passive position.

Daoist Qi was even more humiliated and furious.

Old Devil Ye’s betrayal and murderous rampage had turned the situation upside down, bringing Sin Abyss to its most critical moment. Under such circumstances, traitors absolutely could not be tolerated.

They had only laid a small trap, yet unexpectedly drew out a high-ranking mole, only to let him escape.

"The man surnamed Qu hid himself for so long and climbed so high. That alone proves how cunning he is. It was never going to be easy to keep him here. Exposing the traitor is already a success. Daoist Qi, do not belittle yourself. Quickly arrange the city’s defenses and stabilize morale. If we stand united, we can survive this crisis!" A beautiful female cultivator stepped forward and comforted Daoist Qi in a gentle voice.

He nodded, his expression calming, then asked in return, "Daoist Canghong and Fairy Qiuzhi haven’t returned? You still failed to catch Old Devil Ye?"

The woman’s expression darkened as she sighed. "Even gravely wounded, Old Devil Ye’s escape speed still far exceeded ours. We were quickly left behind. Moreover, several fellow Daoists suffered worsening backlash that they could no longer suppress. Fearing Old Devil Ye might exploit that weakness, Daoist Canghong ordered us to return while they continued the pursuit."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted toward several Spiritual Infant cultivators seated nearby in meditation. Among them, one handsome young man stood out the most.

His black hair and beard were visibly turning white, while wrinkles gradually spread across his face. His skin lost its luster, and in this short span of time, he seemed to have aged decades.

During the process, his aura fluctuated violently, while his qi, essence, and spirit all steadily weakened.

Their conditions resembled Old Freak Feng’s earlier backlash, though the severity varied from person to person.

Even though he had already witnessed Old Freak Feng suffer backlash before, seeing such a scene again still made Daoist Qi’s hair stand on end. He silently thanked fortune that he had never taken a Withered Origin Pill.

"Where exactly is Old Devil Ye trying to flee?" Daoist Qi steadied himself and pressed on.

"Before we turned back, we saw Old Devil Ye fly into Heavenly Scar. If nothing unexpected happens, his destination should be Abyssal Ruin," the woman said gravely.

"Could it be..." A flash of realization struck Daoist Qi, and his face filled with shock. "He can open Sin God Palace?"

Ever since Sin God Palace had been discovered, it had always remained synchronized with Ziwei Palace.

It was certain that now was not the time for Ziwei Palace to emerge, unless Old Devil Ye intended to forcibly open Sin God Palace.

"The root of all this began with that devilish monster Old Devil Ye and Daoist Canghong killed together inside Sin God Palace. Though I cannot understand how Old Devil Ye accomplished all this, or what he intends, everything he has done is undoubtedly tied to Sin God Palace. His understanding of it surpasses everyone else’s." The woman seemed to remember something, and a trace of regret flashed across her face.

"Old Devil Ye is severely wounded. After committing such monstrous acts, only by fleeing into Sin God Palace can he possibly survive. Since he dared to do this, he must have been planning it for a very long time and was confident in his escape. Sadly, all of us were blinded. For so many years, we noticed nothing at all."

Between the lines, it was clear that she did not believe Canghong could stop Old Devil Ye.

Sensing her unease, Daoist Qi reassured her, "These are still only our guesses. Old Devil Ye may not possess such heaven-defying means. Daoist Canghong will soon send word back. For now, holding Yu City is what matters most."

***

Meanwhile, Qin Sang and the others were fighting their way through the array.

Within the array, each lotus petal formed a layer of barrier. To enter Yu City, they had to break through layer after layer of barriers.

By now, they had already realized how empty Yu City had become. This was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. No one held back any longer. Each unleashed their greatest abilities, and in a very short time, they had already broken through half the barriers.

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