Gateway of Immortality

Whoosh!

The Sky-Trapping Pouch plummeted down, covering everything, while fierce winds swept through, grinding shattered stone columns and debris into dust.

The malevolent corpse, having just broken free of the restraining talismans and vine artifact, had no time to use its evasion technique before it was drawn into the swirling wind. The eight-trigram-shaped gusts closed in tightly, morphing into an ice-blue tornado that rose up, spinning and compressing the malevolent corpse within.

A thick cloud of dust billowed up, forming a gray-blue veil that revealed nothing inside, completely obscuring the malevolent corpse’s figure. The deafening roar of the wind echoed through the great hall, mixing with the strange howls of the malevolent corpse.

It appeared that the Sky-Trapping Pouch had indeed trapped the creature.

Seeing that the Sky-Trapping Pouch had worked, the three of them eased slightly. Hermit Baiyun’s face lit up as he said, "I’ll keep it suppressed. Fellow Daoists, focus your attacks on the center of the array…"

Before he could finish, a dull rumble echoed from within the array. The entire array trembled violently as if struck by an immense force, cracking in several places as tendrils of icy blue wind scattered.

Suspended above, the Sky-Trapping Pouch also shook wildly, swaying unsteadily.

Soon, the thuds grew louder, rapid as a storm, and the array's cracks multiplied, threatening to collapse.

Hermit Baiyun’s face paled as he infused spiritual power into the Sky-Trapping Pouch. Still, he could only manage to hold the wind array together. Gritting his teeth, he urged, "This fiend’s malevolence is too intense. The Sky-Trapping Pouch won’t hold it for long—strike with all you have, both of you!"

Sensing the urgency, Qin Sang and Wu Yuesheng didn’t hesitate. They each summoned their artifacts and attacked the center of the wind array with full force.

Trapped with no escape, the malevolent corpse was completely exposed to their attacks. The Five-Elemental Breaking Sword and Wu Yuesheng’s spiritual sword unleashed their full power, with streams of vibrant sword qi slicing through the air, like colorful arcs endlessly piercing the wind array.

To their shock, the sword qi didn’t subdue the malevolent corpse’s aggressive aura; instead, it seemed to enrage it further. The rumbles from within grew, and the wind array shook more violently. Hermit Baiyun, forced to drain his spiritual power to sustain the Sky-Trapping Pouch, turned even paler.

Hermit Baiyun’s face showed his growing desperation as he cried out, "Don’t hold back! The Sky-Trapping Pouch requires too much energy, and I can’t maintain it for much longer. Even if you aren’t seeking revenge for Daoist Liu, you should think of your own survival. The Earth Malevolent Qi is closing in, and if this fiend escapes, we’ll be trapped here without a chance to break the barrier on the black iron door and will all die!"

Prod by Hermit Baiyun’s words, Wu Yuesheng's expression hardened. "Daoist Baiyun, there’s no need for such words. The malevolent corpse brutally killed Daoist Liu, and the rage Junior Brother Qin and I feel is no less than yours. Besides, my life-bound spiritual sword was damaged by that fiend—I can’t let it get away! Daoist Baiyun, stay calm. I’ll activate the Thousand-Mechanism Sword Array, which should end this fiend."

With that, Wu Yuesheng gestured for his spiritual sword to momentarily halt its assault. He focused, immersing his mind into the blade while chanting under his breath, his hand seals shifting rapidly.

Seeing this, Hermit Baiyun’s face lit up. "Daoist Wu, it’s good you’re taking action!"

Yet a glimmer of doubt surfaced in Qin Sang’s eyes.

They’d been attacking relentlessly, coordinating their strikes to focus on a single point. By now, even with the protection of the Xuanhuang Armor, the malevolent corpse should have shown signs of weakening or damage. Instead, the wind array grew increasingly unstable.

Qin Sang shot a sidelong glance at Wu Yuesheng, who seemed oblivious, following Hermit Baiyun’s instructions with single-minded focus as he readied a powerful sword array. Hermit Baiyun, on the other hand, appeared to be barely hanging on.

Seeing this, Qin Sang frowned slightly, and after a moment’s thought, a flash of insight sparked in his eyes. He nodded subtly at Hermit Baiyun and then pretended to cast a slew of talismans, releasing dozens of them in a grand display. The talismans transformed into various attacks that flooded into the wind array, concealing his actions.

Under the cover of these talismans, he discreetly withdrew part of his spiritual consciousness, causing the power of the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword to drop noticeably.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuesheng’s hand seals grew faster, forming a dizzying blur as his spiritual sword hovered in midair. Suddenly, the sword emitted a resonant hum, and the sword qi erupted with red-hot intensity. In the frigid, eerie hall, the temperature spiked sharply.

Immediately, the sword qi gave a slight tremor and split into two. Then, each of those sword qi split further, and in the blink of an eye, a dozen sword qi of identical size filled the air.

"Form an array!"

At Wu Yuesheng’s command, the sword qi moved in unison, forming a circular sword array that spun continuously around the wind array. All of the sword qi pointed directly toward the core, exuding an intense, razor-sharp aura.

Wu Yuesheng’s eyes widened as he shouted, "Kill!"

Qin Sang looked up and saw the Thousand-Mechanism Sword Array whirling rapidly, like a giant millstone. He hadn’t seen the jade slip of this array back at Treasure Tower Peak—perhaps Wu Yuesheng had obtained it elsewhere. The array appeared formidable, but what kind of true power did it hold?

Just as the Thousand-Mechanism Sword Array was about to unleash its force, Hermit Baiyun’s figure suddenly wavered, his aura weakening drastically. It seemed he had exhausted his spiritual power, his legs giving out as he collapsed to the ground with a despairing cry. With no one sustaining it, the Sky-Trapping Pouch fell from midair.

Almost simultaneously, a shrill scream erupted from Wu Yuesheng.

Qin Sang whipped his head around to see that the malevolent corpse had somehow escaped from the Sky-Trapping Pouch, appearing right where Wu Yuesheng had stood. Wu Yuesheng, caught off guard while concentrating on the sword array, was struck in the chest by the corpse’s deadly claw. He was thrown violently, crashing into the stone wall of the great hall.

The sword array scattered.

With a resounding crash, Wu Yuesheng’s body crumpled like a rag doll, sliding down the wall as a pool of blood quickly soaked the ground, a horrific sight.

Lying in the blood, Wu Yuesheng was deathly still, without a trace of life.

"Daoist Wu!"

Hermit Baiyun cried out in anguish, eyes brimming with tears, his face contorted with guilt. Seeing the malevolent corpse approaching Wu Yuesheng’s body to drink his blood, he frantically shoved a handful of spiritual pills into his mouth and managed to summon the Sky-Trapping Pouch once more, trapping the corpse again. In a weakened shout, he called out, "Daoist Qin, I am at my limit and can’t hold it for long! Strike now with everything you have, avenge our fallen companions!"

Qin Sang observed the entire scene, his gaze indifferent. From the moment Hermit Baiyun collapsed to Wu Yuesheng’s brutal blow, his expression remained unchanged.

At Hermit Baiyun’s urging, Qin Sang glanced at him, responding coolly, "Daoist Baiyun, are you truly at your limit? I don’t believe it."

"You…"

Hermit Baiyun stared at Qin Sang in astonishment for a moment, then suddenly chuckled. His aura recovered in an instant, his face regaining color, with no sign of exhaustion left.