Gateway of Immortality

The commotion within the mirror array grew smaller and smaller until, at last, it completely fell silent.

The two exchanged glances, and Shen Jing said, "Senior Brother Yang, I will now open the Bewitching Mirror. Do not let him escape."

Yang Yuanzang casually nodded, and the Chi Dragon Sword in his hand suddenly emitted a deep dragon roar. The cold qi surrounding the sword transformed into a Chi dragon, raising its head, glaring at the heavens with fury and roaring like thunder.

Shen Jing took a deep breath and waved her hand gently. The topmost bronze mirror soared through the air and landed in her palm. She held the copper mirror toward the mirror array and softly shouted, "Gather!"

Swoosh! Swoosh!

All the copper mirrors flew back simultaneously, stacking on top of each other until they merged into one.

The fog, sustained by the mirror array, instantly collapsed. The thick mist exploded as though it had been boiled, violently surging like waves. Within the tumultuous tide, it seemed as if a ferocious dragon was sealed inside, ready to break free.

Whoosh!

A cold wind, sharp as a blade, sliced through the dark mist. The blue-white cold qi carried countless ice shards, followed by even more shards that shredded the black mist into pieces, covering the sky and nearly blotting out the sun. The scene was so powerful it seemed as though it would tear everything in the valley to shreds.

Yang Yuanzang's gaze sharpened. He suddenly stomped the ground, propelling himself into the air. With a swift motion, the Chi Dragon Sword easily cut through the ice shards in his path. The cold qi on the sword coalesced into an even larger ice sword, its glint sharp and menacing, unstoppable.

Just as Yang Yuanzang was about to slash toward the center of the cold qi, he felt a sudden change in his heart. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a figure concealed within the ice on the other side of the valley, slipping away without a backward glance.

Yang Yuanzang halted his strike, sneering coldly. A fierce wind rose under his feet, propelling his speed to new heights. In an instant, he appeared behind the fleeing figure and, without hesitation, swung his sword down.

Just as Qin Sang was about to be sliced in two by the Chi Dragon Sword, a faint smile crept across Yang Yuanzang's lips. But then, from behind, he heard Shen Jing shout, "Senior Brother Yang, be careful!"

At that very moment, a streak of black light shot out from the center of the cold qi.

Within the black light was a small flying sword!

The speed of the flying sword was astounding. By the time Shen Jing noticed it, it was too late to provide assistance.

Yang Yuanzang's heart was gripped by terror. He already sensed the razor-sharp qi approaching from behind. Twisting his body with all his might, he saw the ebony flying sword hurtling toward his chest, mere inches away.

Yang Yuanzang let out a desperate cry. His arm bulged with veins as he forcefully pulled the Chi Dragon Sword back, positioning it in front of his chest.

At the very last moment, the Chi Dragon Sword barely blocked the trajectory of the ebony sword. However, due to the waning force, the ebony sword struck the Chi Dragon Sword, sending it flying from Yang Yuanzang's grip. It smashed into his body before falling to the ground.

With a muffled grunt, Yang Yuanzang felt an overwhelming force hit him, his body curling up like a shrimp. He was flung away like a rag doll, crashing into a large boulder.

The ebony sword, relentless, paused in the air for a moment before resuming its pursuit.

Terror filled Yang Yuanzang’s face. In a panicked rush, he managed to raise his body by a few inches with the help of the Empty Wind.

Whoosh!

The ebony sword, sharp and unstoppable, pierced straight through Yang Yuanzang’s abdomen, leaving a trail of blood that slowly seeped from the wound.

The pain was excruciating. Yang Yuanzang let out a heart-wrenching scream. Just then, Shen Jing’s figure flashed before his eyes, and hope filled his gaze.

"Junior Sister, save me..."

But to his shock, Shen Jing smiled sweetly at him and raised her hand, plunging it directly into Yang Yuanzang’s abdomen. Blood sprayed all over Shen Jing as she withdrew her hand, grasping a wisp of smoke. Ȑ

In the next instant, the returning ebony sword pierced through the back of Yang Yuanzang’s skull.

His face was filled with terror and disbelief as he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Shen Jing waved her hand, snatching Yang Yuanzang's Mustard Seed Pouch into her grasp. A gust of wind and smoke swirled beneath her feet as she swiftly retreated, clearly having mastered Yang Yuanzang's Empty Wind.

In an instant, Shen Jing’s figure flashed more than ten zhang away, rushing toward the mouth of the valley. Her face was filled with vigilance as she glanced at the ebony sword, and a golden ring flew from her wrist, hovering above her head.

"Junior Brother Qin, how about we stop here?" Shen Jing called loudly toward the center of the valley.

Whoosh...

The cold wind within the valley gradually dissipated, revealing Qin Sang’s figure.

He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, secretly clutching two spirit stones in his hands. His face was deathly pale as he gazed at Shen Jing, his voice hoarse. "Senior Sister Shen, you truly have remarkable methods! I’m afraid Senior Brother Yang won’t die in peace."

Qin Sang hadn’t expected Shen Jing to be so ruthless, killing her ally without hesitation and stealing his belongings. He hadn’t had time to stop her.

Now, with Yang Yuanzang’s artifact of wind and smoke in her possession, it would be difficult to stop Shen Jing if she intended to flee.

Moreover, after controlling the ebony sword in that intense maneuver, Qin Sang had nearly exhausted all of his spiritual power. He had been forced to replace his depleted spirit stones with two new ones.

If he pursued her too far, both his spiritual power and spiritual consciousness would be drained.

"I was only acting in self-defense. Junior Brother Qin, you certainly hid your strength well! I warned Senior Brother Yang not to underestimate you, but he was too overconfident and brought this disaster upon himself. I didn’t expect Junior Brother Qin to possess such a powerful flying sword. Could it be a talisman astra?"

Shen Jing stared at the ebony sword, a flicker of fear passing through her eyes.

Qin Sang’s gaze flickered. During Yue Wu’s teachings, he had heard his fellow disciples mention talisman astra.

It was said that a talisman astra was a type of talisman imbued with a portion of the power of an astra. Only cultivators at or above the Core Formation Realm could sacrifice their own astra to forge one, intended as protection for their descendants. In the hands of a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, it could display a power slightly stronger than that of top-grade artifacts.

Qin Sang had no elder at the Core Formation Realm, nor the financial resources to purchase a talisman astra, and he had never seen one before.

Since Shen Jing had misunderstood the ebony sword to be a talisman astra, Qin Sang had no reason to correct her. He responded in a low voice, "Since Senior Sister Shen wishes for peace, why haven’t you left yet?"

Shen Jing let out a charming laugh. "Junior Brother Qin, have you forgotten our previous agreement?"

Qin Sang glanced at Yang Yuanzang's corpse and scoffed, "I don’t want to follow in Senior Brother Yang’s footsteps!"

Shen Jing's eyes reddened slightly, and her tone turned pitiful. "Junior Brother Qin, you misunderstand me. I have always kept myself pure, but I was forced by that vile Yang—"

"Enough!"

Qin Sang interrupted coldly, "I heard everything you and Senior Brother Yang discussed while I was inside the array. Don’t pretend in front of me."

"So, Junior Brother Qin’s winged artifact can really resist the Bewitching Mirror’s mind-altering effects."

The sorrowful expression on Shen Jing's face vanished without a trace, replaced by a look of feigned confusion. "Now that we both know each other’s abilities, why can’t we continue to cooperate? I have nothing on me that could threaten you, so what are you afraid of? Between the three of us, we already have nine jade tokens. If we seize just one more, we can gather all the tokens and find the entrance to the core area. Once we ambush one person at the entrance, you and I can join the Yuanzhao Sect together, saving so much time. Why not?"