Gateway of Immortality

A sudden gust of cold wind arose.

The Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions fluttered violently, continuously releasing black clouds of yin qi that sealed off the narrow passage completely. The underground chamber became pitch black, filled with the sound of ghostly wails and eerie sobs, making it seem like a realm of the dead.

After acquiring Sun De's Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions, Qin Sang refined it and made it his own, but he didn’t further enhance its grade.

To raise all six banners to top-grade artifacts would require an immense amount of sacrificial souls and blood offerings. Countless mortals would have to die for that, and even seeking a war-torn nation wouldn’t yield enough.

If he were to slaughter innocent mortals to refine artifacts, he would be no different from the demonic cultivators.

Nevertheless, even without further upgrades, the power of the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions was formidable.

Once the array was activated, the six Yan Luo Banners would complement each other, and the increase in power was far more than just doubling.

After sending the cat demon away, Qin Sang engaged Gu Tiannan in conversation to buy time and prepare the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions.

As the banners whirled, the black qi swirling on their surfaces formed vortexes that grew larger, eventually transforming into black holes. More black qi surged out, making the cave bone-chillingly cold.

Six evil spirits surrounded Gu Tiannan. They were hunched, their twisted features making them appear humanoid, yet not quite human. Their consciousness had been consumed by the demonic banners, leaving them with only the instinct to kill. They glared at Gu Tiannan, their eyes filled with an insatiable hunger for flesh.

Whoosh!

A fierce wind howled as the ghostly fog condensed into weapons—swords, spears, halberds—that fell into the hands of the evil spirits. At Qin Sang's command, the primary souls raised their weapons and charged fearlessly at Gu Tiannan.

"What kind of demonic artifact is this?!"

Gu Tiannan was both shocked and furious. As the three evil spirits lunged toward him, he moved swiftly, his hands slicing through the air like blades, cold light flashing. His entire body seemed to transform into a storm of blades.

Despite the onslaught, the evil spirits showed no signs of retreat, fearlessly advancing toward him.

Bang! Bang! Bang…!

A series of explosive sounds echoed as Gu Tiannan struck the evil spirits, their bodies dispersing into clouds of black qi, easily shattered.

Seeing this, Gu Tiannan paused in surprise, then burst into wild laughter. "So it’s nothing but a paper tiger…"

Before he could finish speaking, the clouds of black qi twisted and reformed into the shape of evil spirits, once again charging at him ferociously. At the same time, the black qi transformed into countless black threads that sought to entangle Gu Tiannan.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

His laughter abruptly stopped, and a trace of seriousness appeared on his face.

Boom!

The black qi surged as Gu Tiannan continuously dispersed the evil spirits, only for them to regenerate again and again.

Gu Tiannan finally realized just how troublesome these evil spirits were. After being dispersed, they would instantly reform, as the endless flow of black qi from the Yan Luo Array served as their nourishment. As long as the black qi continued, the evil spirits seemed incapable of death.

Moreover, the continuous black threads that wound toward him radiated a bone-chilling yin qi that could not be ignored.

Gu Tiannan knew that if this continued, he would eventually be worn down and defeated. He let out a furious roar toward the sky, "Break!"

The Five-Elemental Breaking Sword shot out from his Mustard Seed Pouch, transforming into a streak of light as it stirred the surrounding spiritual qi, heading straight for the core of the Yan Luo Banners.

Qin Sang was well aware of the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword's effectiveness in breaking arrays and had long been prepared for this. As soon as he saw Gu Tiannan summon the sword, he immediately activated his ebony sword, sending it into the array to intercept the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword before Gu Tiannan could complete his incantation.

The ebony sword's sword qi clashed fiercely, taking on five at once.

Several streaks of sword light intertwined in the air like agile dragons, accompanied by the constant sound of clashing metal. Despite the power of the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword, its quality was far inferior to the ebony sword, and it was gradually suppressed. One of the blades even sustained a strike from the ebony sword, causing fine cracks to appear on its surface.

Seeing that even the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword couldn't help him escape, Gu Tiannan grew increasingly agitated. Qin Sang sharply noticed that Gu Tiannan's rationality was being slowly overtaken by madness, and his body began to undergo a strange transformation. It was as though countless worms were wriggling under his flesh, causing his skin to bulge. His body swelled grotesquely, an unsettling sight that churned the stomach.

The sanity in Gu Tiannan's eyes continued to fade, leaving only an endless bloodlust.

Once the transformation was complete, Gu Tiannan's speed surged dramatically, and his attacks became even more ferocious. The claws that had transformed into blade-like beams rained down like waterfalls, tearing apart the evil spirits as soon as they reformed, while the black threads failed to even get close.

Witnessing this, Qin Sang dared not delay. He fully activated the spiritual power within his body and poured it all into the Yan Luo Banners.

This action took a considerable toll on Qin Sang, his face turning pale. He quickly retrieved a pill that restored his spiritual power from his Mustard Seed Pouch and swallowed it without hesitation.

With the replenishment of Qin Sang's spiritual power, the six Yan Luo Banners trembled, emitting a dazzling black light. Countless streams of black qi surged forth once more, flooding into the evil spirits' bodies, making them even more solid and vicious. However, instead of directly attacking Gu Tiannan, they charged toward each other, ultimately merging into one!

This newly formed evil spirit was just as large as Gu Tiannan. Seeing Gu Tiannan charging toward it, the spirit rushed forward fiercely, engaging him in close combat.

The two clashed like wild beasts, shaking the underground chamber with constant tremors. Despite the evil spirit's power, Gu Tiannan's strength was even greater. With a single claw strike, he left deep, gruesome wounds on the spirit’s body. If not for the continuous supply of black qi, the evil spirit would have been completely dispersed by now.

Qin Sang hadn’t expected Gu Tiannan's true strength to be so terrifying. He was likely among the elite even within the thirteenth stage of Qi Refining Realm. Fortunately, after his transformation, he lost his rationality and couldn’t use any artifacts, relying only on the brute strength of his body. Otherwise, the Yan Luo Array might not have been able to trap him.

Qin Sang didn’t dare hesitate any longer. He swallowed another pill and, once his spiritual power had recovered, immediately activated the Zhixuan Sword Art.

Whoosh!

The ebony sword's sword qi surged, joining the evil spirit in attacking Gu Tiannan.

Though the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword was powerful, it couldn’t fully withstand the might of the ebony sword. Gu Tiannan’s formidable body began accumulating wounds, blood pouring out as his qi weakened. The evil spirit gradually gained the upper hand.

The evil spirit roared to the heavens and, finding an opening, flipped Gu Tiannan over and pinned him to the ground. Qin Sang’s eyes lit up as he seized the opportunity, channeling all his power into the ebony sword.

A blinding streak of sword light shot down from above, striking Gu Tiannan's heart with perfect precision.

Blood gushed out.

Gu Tiannan, who had been struggling violently, suddenly froze. The madness in his eyes gradually faded, and his body deflated like a punctured balloon, returning to its original form.

Gu Tiannan's eyes were wide open in death, filled with disbelief, as the evil spirit devoured him.

Qin Sang retracted the Yan Luo Banners and the ebony sword, his gaze falling on the Mustard Seed Pouch at Gu Tiannan’s waist. With a wave of his hand, he summoned it into his grip and used his spiritual consciousness to search through it. Before long, he found a jade slip.

After reading the contents of the jade slip, Qin Sang's brow furrowed deeply. After a moment of thought, he moved swiftly toward the depths of the cave. It seemed Gu Yuan had yet to escape the white cat. He needed to capture someone alive if possible.