Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 257: Escape

Di Que had to be cautious, using most of his power to conceal the spirit talisman left by Daoist Master Xuanyu. However, even with a small portion of spiritual power siphoned off from the Heavenly Sound Conch, it was still more than enough to easily capture Qin Sang.

The conch floated in the air, its mouth aimed directly at Qin Sang. A vortex formed within, deep and unfathomable, exuding an intense oppressive force.

Qin Sang felt as though he had fallen into a mire. No matter how he moved, powerful pressure surrounded him from all sides, trapping him with no means of escape.

At that very instant, a malevolent corpse shot out, charging toward the Heavenly Sound Conch. But it seemed that Di Que had anticipated this. As soon as the corpse appeared, the Heavenly Sound Conch emitted a light tremor, releasing a sound wave that immediately suppressed the corpse.

Had Di Que not been intent on delaying Qin Sang's death, this sound wave would have targeted him instead.

Qin Sang had chosen his timing perfectly. Di Que's main focus was on the spirit talisman, which required his full attention. He had to be vigilant, as any disturbance to the talisman could alert Daoist Master Xuanyu.

Between him and Xuanyu, it was clear which mattered more.

And indeed, Di Que had only used a fraction of the Heavenly Sound Conch's power.

Even so, Qin Sang still had no means to resist.

The disparity was overwhelming!

Qin Sang secretly grimaced. Thankfully, he had anticipated such a situation. With a swift motion, he flipped his palm, revealing a black pearl that had been hidden in his hand all along.

The Profound Yin Thunderbolt!

He completely abandoned resistance, allowing the Heavenly Sound Conch to continue its suppression, gritting his teeth as he poured every ounce of his spiritual power into his palm, and with a forceful flick of his wrist...

Right before him...

The Profound Yin Thunderbolt detonated!

The sheer destructive power of the explosion made Qin Sang's scalp tingle. In his eyes, a scene unfolded.

A black orb of light rapidly expanded within his vision, swelling like a drop of ink spreading, carrying a cold, decisive beauty with it.

At such close range, his death was inevitable!

The explosion of the Profound Yin Thunderbolt would be almost instantaneous, but to Qin Sang, everything seemed agonizingly slow, as if it had stretched over thousands or even tens of thousands of years.

Death was right before his eyes.

Yet, Qin Sang’s expression remained calm. Deep down, he understood that Di Que would never allow the Profound Yin Thunderbolt to explode here.

The Heavenly Sound Conch had a barrier left by Di Que to conceal his aura and form. In such a hasty moment, this thin barrier could never contain the shockwave of the Profound Yin Thunderbolt's explosion.

Though the range of the blast would be limited, even a tiny bit of residual energy leaking out could undo everything Di Que had worked for.

Before the stone hall.

"Profound Yin Thunderbolt!"

Di Que's face turned ashen as he coldly spat out three words, "Good! Good! Good!"

He never expected Qin Sang to break free from his control with such a resolute attitude.

But what use was it?

He was still nothing more than an ant that could be crushed at any time!

"Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll grant your wish!" Di Que snarled, enraged.

"Retrieve!"

The explosion of the Profound Yin Thunderbolt was almost instantaneous. Di Que didn't even have time to kill Qin Sang first.

With a cold shout from the elderly Di Que, the Heavenly Sound Conch decisively abandoned Qin Sang. The vortex at its opening stilled and reversed, then began spinning rapidly. The oppressive force immediately transformed into a powerful suction, enveloping the Profound Yin Thunderbolts and drawing in the split black light without leaving a trace before the thunderbolt could fully detonate.

Buzz!

In the next instant, the Heavenly Sound Conch trembled violently, its energy in chaos.

As expected of an astra, the conch had devoured the Profound Yin Thunderbolts, swallowing the entire explosion's force. On the surface, it appeared completely undamaged.

At the same time, the pressure on Qin Sang disappeared in an instant. He had been waiting for this moment, and his figure shot forward like lightning. It seemed as though he was rushing to his death, but without hesitation, he charged into the Firebird swarm.

Yet, halfway through, Qin Sang’s body suddenly stiffened, as if he had turned into a corpse. Driven by inertia, he flew into the Firebird swarm. The moment his "corpse" appeared, he was already surrounded by the fiery creatures.

Di Que turned his gaze to Ren Hong and coldly asked, "Are you certain that spiritual power and spiritual consciousness cannot be used in the Firebird swarm?"

Ren Hong, unaware of Qin Sang's actions, hadn’t even seen Qin Sang’s "corpse."

He was still puzzled by the sudden shift in Di Que’s demeanor. At the question, he froze for a moment, noticing the lingering killing intent on Di Que's face. He jolted, realizing the gravity of the situation, and quickly responded, "Master, those Firebirds are highly sensitive to changes in spiritual power and spiritual consciousness. Even the slightest fluctuation will be detected, and they will immediately go into a frenzy. Master, please be careful..."

"With such chaotic energy, if there were any talismans, they would surely be triggered. In that case, Daoist Xuanyu couldn’t have left any hidden marks in the bird swarm..."

Di Que nodded, feeling reassured. He looked up, and after a brief moment of turmoil, the Firebird swarm quickly returned to normal. It seemed they had consumed Qin Sang’s "corpse."

Any remains would be immediately incinerated by the continuous fire-elemental energy, leaving no trace behind.

Di Que sensed a subtle stagnation in the Heavenly Sound Conch.

The hunter had been bitten by the prey.

The tiny ant, which could have been easily crushed, nearly caused him a great deal of trouble.

Di Que’s heart burned with anger. He wished he could drag Qin Sang back from the underworld and personally tear him to pieces.

"Let’s go!"

Di Que nonchalantly glanced at Ren Hong, making up his mind to kill him once he was done, ensuring there would be no repeats of this trouble.

Ren Hong remained oblivious.

Inside the volcano.

Though the Firebirds were not a concern in terms of their shrill cries, their fiery hurricanes created by the beating of their wings were another matter. These flames were far more powerful than those in the trial space, and their might could not be underestimated.

Qin Sang, hidden among the Firebirds, was in tatters, his body covered in burns. Every inch of him ached, yet he was still alive, and his expression was unusually calm.

Finally, he forced Di Que to trigger the Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound within the primordial spirit realm!

The divine sound transformed into a blade, slicing toward the primordial spirit, only to be consumed by the Jade Buddha.

The reason Qin Sang didn’t wait for Di Que’s order to enter the Firebird swarm and fake his death was because of this hidden hand—the Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound.

As long as this threat remained unresolved, Di Que would certainly sense his true state. Faking death wasn’t an option, as it might even reveal the Jade Buddha due to his ability to resist the Firebirds' shrieks.

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Qin Sang had no means of dealing with Di Que’s hidden scheme; he could only force Di Que to act himself. That was why he had taken the risk and detonated the Profound Yin Thunderbolts.

This had been a dangerous gamble.

From the moment he saw the Firebirds, Qin Sang had started planning.

He could not continue being a test subject. After crossing the stone hall, he began feeling the pressure. Once he reached the ancient cultivation cave dwelling, the barriers inside would be even more dangerous. Even if he managed to survive, Di Que might silence him permanently.

Qin Sang would not naively believe that Di Que would actually accept him as an apprentice.

Di Que had schemed against Daoist Master Xuanyu, who had the backing of the Shangyuan Tranquility Palace, one of the Eight Major Sects. If Di Que didn’t eliminate everyone who knew of this, it would be tantamount to digging his own grave.

Qin Sang understood this logic.

And Di Que certainly understood it as well.

Ren Hong also understood, but was powerless to resist.