Gateway of Immortality

Upon seeing Zhao Yan, the expressions of the two men eased slightly. One of them asked, "Oh, it’s Junior Brother Zhao. What brings you to the Sect Leader Peak at this hour?"

Zhao Yan bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Senior Brothers. Senior Uncle Yu sent word that there are some menial tasks at the Sect Leader’s Hall that require additional hands. I’ve been asked to bring a few junior brothers up the mountain, and we’ll leave by dawn tomorrow."

"Menial tasks?"

The two men exchanged puzzled glances. However, upon seeing the jade waist tokens hanging from Qin Sang and the others, they did not probe further. "Junior Brother Zhao should be aware of the mountain’s regulations. Be sure none of the junior brothers violate any rules, or we will have trouble explaining."

Zhao Yan quickly assured them, "Rest assured, Senior Brothers. I will keep a close watch on them."

The two men nodded and cleared the way.

Zhao Yan led them to the base of the Sect Leader Peak and then walked up the stone steps leading to the summit. Instead of heading directly to the sect leader’s hall, he took a side path, and Qin Sang and the others followed closely.

Along the way, they encountered a few senior brothers. Zhao Yan had his excuses ready to deflect any questions, and eventually, the five of them arrived at a secluded wooden building. The building looked old and dilapidated, showing signs of neglect, but there was no hint of decay.

The wooden building was located at the rear of the Sect Leader Peak. From below, it provided a clear view of Yuanzhao Peak and the large lake at its base.

Zhao Yan peeked outside and then closed the door. From his Mustard Seed Pouch, he took out four small triangular flags and distributed one to each of the four, saying, "These are Cloud Flags personally crafted by the sect leader. They are artifacts of the forbidden art Four-Clouded Divine Seal. We need all five of us to jointly control them. Each of you will refine one now, as they will be needed shortly."

Qin Sang took the triangular flag and noticed that each flag had different patterns.

His flag was adorned with water-blue cloud patterns. Holding it, he felt a surge of water-based vital energy, as if immersed in rivers and seas.

Ruan Nanfeng’s flag had red cloud patterns, while the other two had yellow and green patterns respectively.

Qin Sang was unfamiliar with the Four-Clouded Divine Seal, but he knew that the reputation of forbidden artifacts was significant. It was said that skilled cultivators, based on their understanding of arrays, could craft unique artifacts to form a set of forbidden artifacts.

By arranging these forbidden artifacts in specific positions, they could exert part of the array's power, consuming far less time than setting up an actual array.

Qin Sang held the flag and, following Zhao Yan’s instructions, probed into it with his spiritual consciousness. His vision shifted, revealing an endless water surface within the flag, with flashes of silver light in the water, as if countless lightning bolts were swimming within.

As Qin Sang wondered about this, he suddenly saw a figure standing with his hands clasped behind his back on the water’s surface—it was Yi Tianye, the Sect Leader of Kuiyin Sect!

Qin Sang was taken aback and hurriedly said, "Qin Sang pays respects to the Sect Leader!"

Yi Tianye remained silent and expressionless, standing there unmoving.

Seeing this, Qin Sang gave a self-deprecating smile. It was unlikely for Yi Tianye to actually be here. He realized he was overreacting. However, since these forbidden artifacts were crafted personally by Yi Tianye, could it be that he had left some of his power within them?

Uncertain, Qin Sang followed Zhao Yan’s instructions and began refining the flag.

The other three did the same, and the wooden building fell into silence.

Before long, all four flags exhibited unusual phenomena. Puffs of clouds emerged from the flags, with electric serpents darting through the clouds and faint thunder rumbling.

Zhao Yan held up a transparent gem to absorb the lightning from the clouds, and the wooden building immediately returned to silence.

Time passed quickly.

Qin Sang and the others had completed refining the forbidden artifacts and sat in the wooden building, waiting in silence. They had not seen any sign of Yu Hua and did not know where he had gone. Under Zhao Yan’s watchful eye, Qin Sang found no opportunity to prepare the ebony sword and had no choice but to endure.

After an indeterminate period, the ground suddenly trembled.

A thunderous roar echoed from the Sect Leader Peak, "Who's there?!"

Zhao Yan’s face lit up with joy. He quickly opened the wooden door, revealing a massive yin-yang symbol hovering above Yuanzhao Peak, slowly rotating in the night sky. It was the manifestation of Yuanzhao Sect’s protective array.

Above the symbol, endless black flames roiled, obscuring the sky and sun.

A chilling wind howled, and ghostly shadows flickered within the infernal flames. The terrifying screams of the spirits made it seem as if a legion of evil spirits was assaulting the sect’s protective array, advancing relentlessly.

A sinister voice laughed derisively. "Old Ghost Ji, did you ever think this day would come when you ambushed me on the Ancient Immortal Battlefield?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The combined cries of countless ghosts shook Yuanzhao Sect’s mountains, and huge waves surged in the lake below.

At that moment, a deafening bell rang from Yuanzhao Peak, reverberating through the heavens.

The ringing of the bell signaled impending disaster for the sect!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Yuanzhao Sect was thrown into chaos. Rays of light shot up from various locations within the inner sect, and the disciples looked up in panic at the terrifying scene above, unsure of what was happening.

Zhao Yan closed the wooden door and said in a deep voice, "Form the array! Execute the evasion technique!"

Qin Sang’s heart tightened. The four of them moved swiftly, each holding a flag and positioning themselves around Zhao Yan—front, back, left, and right.

Zhao Yan held a precious jade in his hand. Following his command, Qin Sang and the others raised their flags, chanting incantations.

Qin Sang felt as if the flag in his hand were a bottomless pit, greedily devouring his spiritual power. Fortunately, this did not last long.

The four flags rustled as clouds of various colors burst forth, enveloping the five of them. From the outside, it appeared as though they had vanished from their original location.

Zhao Yan whispered, "Move!"

The five of them silently left the wooden building and headed downhill.

…

At the entrance to the supreme sect leader's cave dwelling on Yuanzhao Peak.

The stone door was tightly shut. Xuan Chengzi, the current sect leader of Yuanzhao Sect, paced anxiously outside the cave dwelling. He alternated between looking up at the sky and staring at the cave dwelling’s door, clearly distressed.

Rays of light streaked towards him from below, landing around Xuan Chengzi. The arrivals were the heads of various halls.

"Sect Leader, the enemy’s forces are immense, and the Evil-Striking Bell has already been rung. Has the Supreme Sect Leader not emerged yet?" an old man with a red face asked urgently.

Xuan Chengzi’s face showed a pained expression. He opened his mouth to speak, but the stone door suddenly opened, and a deep voice came from within, "Come in and speak."

The group’s faces brightened, and they entered in an orderly fashion.

"We pay our respects to the Supreme Sect Leader!"

Everyone bowed, and Xuan Chengzi looked up, speaking urgently, "Master, the demon’s attack came suddenly and without warning. I only managed to activate the great array. I still do not know the demon’s origin. Outside is engulfed in demonic flames. Please, Master, make a decision…"

The supreme sect leader of Yuanzhao Sect, with white hair and beard yet a youthful face, kept his head slightly raised, staring intently at the sky. His gaze seemed to pierce through the cave dwelling to see beyond the array.

"I am aware. The enemy is that Old Demon Yi of Kuiyin Sect, and three Golden Core Realm demons from Kuiyin Sect have arrived."