Gateway of Immortality

Within the void, seven-colored radiance interwove and eclipsed everything else. It was the manifested power of the barrier, capable not only of obscuring sight, but also possessing formidable might.

As Qin Sang moved within the barrier, he felt as though he had stepped into a world of neon light.

"There!" Qin Sang pointed toward a cluster of purple light ahead and drove his sword straight at it.

Whoosh! A mysterious tower descended in response, appearing directly above the purple glow. It cast down a towering phantom and slammed downward with crushing force!

Sword and tower struck in unison. The purple light shattered.

The light dispersed, and the scene before them abruptly changed. They had broken through yet another layer of the barrier. At the same moment, Qin Sang’s instincts flared with warning, and with practiced ease, he darted evasively in every direction.

The next instant, a tide of attacks came crashing toward him. There were saber lights, sword shadows, and countless Dao Techniques.

Any one of those attacks alone would not have concerned Qin Sang in the slightest, but when they all came together under the amplification of the array, even he had to avoid them.

He summoned the tortoise-shell shield and placed it before himself.

Dong, dong, dong... The shield trembled violently, blocking every attack.

Both Qin Sang and Qingjun received a transmission from Zhenyi. Enduring the barrage, they flashed through the array and found him. Devil Lord Tongyou had arrived even faster than they had.

Once everyone had gathered, Zhenyi said urgently, "I just received word. That spy of ours originally intended to assassinate the defenders and shut down the city-guarding array, but he was exposed by accident and is now being hunted down. The others will remain here to hold the array in check. Please come with me and reinforce him. He occupies a high position and knows the secrets of Sin Abyss inside and out. He cannot be lost!"

After hearing this, Qin Sang could not help but ask, "The spy you planted within Sin Abyss is a Spiritual Infant cultivator?"

To have accomplished all this, and still escape alive after exposure, only a Spiritual Infant expert could have done it. No wonder Zhenyi’s intelligence network was so extraordinary. He had even managed to recruit a Spiritual Infant cultivator!

Zhenyi nodded. "At this point, there is no need to conceal it any longer. The one who infiltrated Sin Abyss is Daoist Qu Huan. Back then, I secretly sent a group of children into Sin Abyss, placing them in the various sects there.

"Among them, the one who buried himself deepest was Daoist Qu. Even I never expected that, while enduring humiliation in enemy territory and bearing unimaginable pressure, he would actually break through to the Spiritual Infant Realm."

"It was him!" Devil Lord Tongyou’s frowned deeply. "Back then, I never suspected he had this connection to you, Daoist. One of my successors died at Qu Huan’s hands, body and soul utterly destroyed!"

Zhenyi’s expression remained unchanged. "Daoist Qu had no choice. Countless eyes watched his every move. One misstep would have exposed him. Unless absolutely necessary, I would never have contacted this spy. Otherwise, he could never have remained concealed beneath Old Devil Ye’s nose until now. Every report he sent was of critical importance. Take this time, for instance. Without Daoist Qu, we likely would have received only vague news by now and would only just have departed from Caishi City."

Devil Lord Tongyou snorted coldly. "I naturally know what matters most. If Qu Huan really rendered great service, then I’ll consider that old matter settled!"

That successor had been the one Devil Lord Tongyou valued most. Because of a moment’s negligence on his part, the disciple had fallen on the battlefield, which was why he had remembered it to this day. But compared to Qu Huan’s secret, such a grudge was insignificant.

After a brief discussion, the four figures flashed away and plunged deep into the array.

***

Crack! The protective treasure shattered.

Qu Huan’s body swayed, and an unnatural flush surged across his face before he forcibly suppressed it. He had no time to mourn the loss of his astra. With anxiety written all over his face, he sped outward, inwardly cursing that his reinforcements still had not arrived.

Though he had prepared himself, being hunted by so many people had nearly exhausted every trick he possessed.

Whoosh! A gust of yin wind swept in. A chill ran across Qu Huan’s back. He dared not hesitate and immediately threw out the spirit talisman in his hand.

The talisman shattered. Azure light erupted and transformed into a great azure bell that enveloped Qu Huan’s entire body.

The next moment, a skull materialized within the yin wind, opened its jaws wide, and viciously bit down at Qu Huan, only to crunch into the great bell instead.

Dong! A tremendous clang rang out. The rebounding force made the skull release a miserable shriek, leaving it dazed and reeling.

Yet there was no joy on Qu Huan’s face. This was his final protective treasure. Once the talisman’s power ran dry, if reinforcements still had not arrived, his situation would become extremely perilous.

Wailing miserably, the skull flew back into the sleeve of a tall, gaunt cultivator.

"Pursue him!" Old Freak Feng and the others arrived and were just about to encircle Qu Huan when a disturbance suddenly rippled overhead. Then countless silver threads poured down like torrential rain.

"Careful! It’s Zhenyi’s Thousand-Treasure Fly-Whisk!" the gaunt cultivator cried out in alarm.

At the same time, thunder roared, sword cries rang out, yin thunderbolts erupted from one side, and from the other, a sword streaked across the sky, its sword light swift as a meteor.

Amid the silver threads, a tower phantom flickered in and out of view.

"The Fivefold Tower, the Yin Thunderbolt Gourd, the ebony sword..." Old Freak Feng sucked in a sharp breath. After years of warfare, they knew these treasures and their masters all too well.

The four great experts of the Two-Domain Alliance had all arrived!

At that sight, they knew there was no chance of killing Qu Huan before those four. Without hesitation, they abandoned the pursuit, flashed away, and prepared to retreat to Yu City.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The silver threads twisted and lashed toward Old Freak Feng.

Zhenyi still wanted to seize the opportunity to leave one behind. Qin Sang and the others instantly understood his intent. Together, they aimed their astras at Old Freak Feng, coordinating with the Thousand-Treasure Fly-Whisk to capture him.

Alarm bells blared in Old Freak Feng’s heart, and his demonic body tensed to the limit. Then a massive demonic phantom burst out from his body, threw back its head, and roared savagely. The Thousand Jade Fly-Whisk only ensnared that phantom.

The others reacted just as quickly. Seeing this, they immediately unleashed their astras in a counterattack, rescued Old Freak Feng, and withdrew back to Yu City.

"Hmm?" Qingjun seemed to notice something, and a trace of puzzlement appeared on his face.

"What is it?" Qin Sang turned and asked.

Qingjun stared at Old Freak Feng’s retreating back. "There’s something wrong with him. I fought him before. His cultivation seems not to have advanced, but instead regressed... He’s weaker."

"Perhaps he was injured during the siege against Old Devil Ye," Qin Sang guessed.

"Doesn’t seem like it." Qingjun slowly shook his head.

This clash had ended as soon as it began, and neither side had suffered much loss. Yet everyone understood one thing clearly.

The cruelest battle still lay ahead. After driving off the pursuers, Qin Sang and the other three immediately turned to meet Qu Huan. They had far too many questions about this sudden upheaval, and only Qu Huan could answer them.

"Daoists, thank you for your aid." Seeing that he was finally safe, Qu Huan released a breath of relief and gave a fist-and-palm salute in thanks.

"You rendered great service, Daoist Qu. Naturally, we could not allow a hero to be harmed! Welcome back!" Zhenyi stroked his long beard, unable to hide a trace of pride in his voice.

A spy he had planted many years ago, one he had thought was already beyond his control, had revealed astonishing power.

The group exchanged greetings with Qu Huan one by one. They were all familiar faces. Some had even crossed hands on the battlefield before, so no lengthy introductions were needed.

Now that they knew they were on the same side, their previous grudges naturally vanished like smoke.

Then, unable to wait any longer, they asked the questions weighing on their minds.

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