Gateway of Immortality

Wu Youdao didn't believe a word of Qin Sang's nonsense. Enraged, he roared, "You skulking, treacherous rat! You dared trespass into my sect's territory, and in front of me, no less, killed one of our disciples. Today, I will see you dead!"

Qin Sang let out a low chuckle. "If it were you in my shoes, would you really have surrendered without a fight? Besides, Wen Yanjie and I already had an old grudge. I simply hadn't had the time to deal with him before. If you investigate him when you return, you'll learn what kind of person he truly was. I've done you a favor by cleaning your house and saving your Qingyang Sect the trouble of making enemies you can't afford."

"You dare twist logic to justify your crime!"

Wu Youdao flew into a furious rage, though inwardly, a trace of doubt crept into his heart.

Qin Sang had spoken Wen Yanjie's name outright, and his tone didn't sound the least bit fabricated.

Did they truly have a prior connection?

Core Formation cultivators and Foundation Building disciples live in entirely different worlds. Unless Wen Yanjie had been blindly reckless and provoked someone he shouldn't have, why would a Golden Core expert ever bother to notice him?

Even as the thought crossed his mind, Wu Youdao showed no sign of slowing his assault—on the contrary, his attacks grew fiercer.

Qin Sang snorted coldly. "It seems there's no avoiding a fight with you today, Daoist Wu. Let's see what capabilities you truly possess, whether you have what it takes to stop me."

Wu Youdao wasn't an old, seasoned Golden Core cultivator. The reason he wielded two astras was because he had benefited from the legacy left behind by predecessors of the Demonic Qingyang Sect. Many cultivators who had formed their core around the same time were still painstakingly gathering materials to forge their life-bound astras.

After such an extended clash, Qin Sang had mostly figured out the capabilities of Wu Youdao's life-bound astra. Unless Wu Youdao had some hidden technique yet to reveal, Qin Sang was confident he wouldn't be overpowered before his true essence ran out.

In the process, he had even secretly picked up several fire-controlling techniques from Wu Youdao's methods.

The Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions suddenly expanded, towering several zhang high, standing straight in front of Qin Sang. The banner fluttered wildly as the Demonic Flames of Nine Hells surged, nearly blanketing half the sky in black fire.

The other half burned with Wu Youdao's Demonic Qingyang Fire.

Two seas of flame clashed and raged, crashing into one another with violent force.

Each wave roared louder and higher than the last, and in the heart of this inferno, a colossal volcano of intertwining blue and black flames began to rise.

The aura of the demonic fire swept across the mountains, scattering birds and beasts in all directions in frantic retreat.

...

Demonic Qingyang Sect.

Li Qing emerged from the restricted area and flew straight toward Divine Gale Peak.

His eyes carried a trace of doubt.

Upon returning to Divine Gale Peak, he found his fellow disciples gathered around the vortex but making no move to save those trapped within. Sweeping his gaze around, he spotted an elder and asked, "Senior Brother Ji, why haven't you rescued them yet?"

"Junior Brother Li, you're back," the elder surnamed Ji quickly stepped forward, asking with concern, "How's the situation inside the forbidden ground? Did that thief manage to steal any of our treasures?"

Li Qing responded hesitantly, "I followed Senior Uncle Wu's instructions and conducted a careful inventory of every part of the forbidden ground. I found no signs of intrusion. The key locations and the treasures within are all intact. E-Even the protective array wasn't breached in the slightest."

Hearing this, Elder Ji also looked astonished. He turned to glance at the vortex swirling with wind and clouds. "I've already dispatched people to patrol the surroundings. They found nothing unusual either. For a dignified Core Formation cultivator to sneak in just to steal a piece of Gale Jade... That makes no sense. Had he simply come up the mountain and asked, Senior Uncle Wu likely wouldn't have refused him. Why go to such trouble and risk?"

"Not necessarily."

Li Qing shook his head. "Not long ago, I overheard the sect leader discussing with Senior Uncle Wu that the Ancestral Sacred Flame will soon enter another period of dormancy. When it reawakens, it'll become even harder to calm and will require more Gale Jade. For us cultivators above the Fake Core Realm to refine our demonic fire, we must absorb the pure Gale Qi from the jade. As this balance shifts, the day will come when the Ancestral Sacred Flame becomes impossible to suppress."

Elder Ji sighed. "To think, the sacred flame left by our ancestors to protect their descendants would one day become a dire threat..."

As they spoke, a sudden cry of alarm rang out nearby.

The vortex suddenly surged and expanded, swelling to twice its size in an instant. Lightning within the vortex flared wildly, lashing out like claws, and the raging aura surged to new heights.

The surrounding disciples were nearly pulled into the vortex and hurriedly retreated.

The two of them immediately moved closer to inspect. Seeing that the vortex had stopped expanding, they both let out a sigh of relief.

Elder Ji's expression turned grim. "The two junior brothers have been trapped inside for too long. The wind and lightning surrounding the vortex have built up to a terrifying degree. Thankfully, the Ancestral Sacred Flame at the center hasn't yet lost control. If it had, their fate would've been sealed. We can't use the Azure Flame Banner Array to force our way through. Without control over the flame's power, we might end up killing them instead of saving them. If they are to be rescued, Senior Uncle Wu must act personally. And if we delay any further, a chain reaction could be triggered. Should another piece of Gale Jade shatter under the pressure, the consequences would be disastrous!"

Li Qing trusted Elder Ji's judgment. He made a decisive call. "Repair the flying boat immediately and gather all junior brothers who possess azure banners—"

Elder Ji looked at Li Qing and said thoughtfully, "Junior Brother Li, in my opinion, perhaps it's best to report the situation to Senior Uncle Wu first before taking further action."

Li Qing frowned. "What do you mean by that, Senior Brother Ji?"

Elder Ji transmitted his voice directly. "Junior Brother Li, I just had a few of our junior brothers assist Junior Brother Yang in repairing the flying boat, but they reported back that the damage is severe. It can't be repaired in the short term."

Li Qing snorted coldly, his expression instantly darkening.

Elder Ji raised a hand. "That scene where Junior Brother Wen had his skull crushed in a single palm strike, blood spraying through the sky, left a deep psychological impact on everyone who witnessed it. Even I still feel uneasy just thinking about it. You can't blame them. But that's not the main issue. Think about it, Junior Brother. If that man had truly stolen some great treasure from the forbidden ground, would we allow him to get away with it? We'd mobilize the entire sect to kill him. But now that we've confirmed the only loss is a small piece of Gale Jade..."

Here, Elder Ji paused, seeing that Li Qing was deep in thought. He changed his tone and continued, "Of course, whether he lives or dies is for Senior Uncle Wu to decide. Our duty is to make the proper preparations. That's why I say, it's better to report everything to Senior Uncle Wu first. Only with the full picture can he give precise orders."

With that, Elder Ji stepped aside and ordered others to investigate nearby areas for any abnormalities with the Gale Jade.

Li Qing lowered his head in thought for a moment, then turned and descended the mountain alone.

...

The wilderness.

The fierce battle between Qin Sang and Wu Youdao raged on.

The Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions and the Fire Gourd clashed head-on, neither side willing to yield.

They had already fought across more than a dozen mountain peaks, leaving a scorched wasteland in their wake.

Even Qin Sang was starting to feel helpless.

No matter what he said, Wu Youdao acted as though he heard nothing, relentlessly attacking without the slightest intention of stopping. It was as if he had seen through something.

While fighting, Qin Sang carefully calculated the consumption of his true essence, estimating he could last another half an hour.

If he still couldn't force Wu Youdao to retreat within that time, then he would have no choice but to consider using the Xutian Thunder.

He only had one chance.