Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 470: Spell Battle

After exchanging blows for dozens of rounds, Qin Sang had more or less grasped the handsome young man's capabilities.

His cultivation was on par with that of Senior Brother Rong, Miao Xinglan, and the others. However, his combat experience was sorely lacking, worse even than those mediocre Fake Core Realm cultivators Qin Sang had encountered on Stargazing Island.

But what he lacked in skill, he made up for in equipment. After the talisman astra, he unleashed a string of artifacts in rapid succession, dazzling to the eye, each one extraordinary in power and difficult to defend against.

Together, they forced Qin Sang to stay alert and handle the situation with caution.

Qin Sang figured this young man likely came from an unusual background.

Unfortunately, the youth was still too inexperienced. No matter how many artifacts he threw out, he failed to convert his advantage into a winning edge, even more so since Qin Sang hadn’t yet used the ebony sword.

As the battle dragged on, Qin Sang handled things with increasing ease, to the point he could spare attention to observe the other battlefield.

Granny Jing was fighting two enemies at once.

Only now did Qin Sang realize that the Luan was far more than just a mount. It possessed terrifying strength, matching Yu Shanting, who commanded an astra, with blow for blow, holding its own without the slightest disadvantage.

With the Luan’s help, Granny Jing was able to divide the enemies, allowing her to focus solely on the Star-Controlling Elder.

Yu Shanting understood well that Granny Jing was the true threat. He didn’t want to remain stuck with the Luan and repeatedly tried to force it back so he could team up with the Star-Controlling Elder. But every attempt ended in failure.

Dong!

A loud bell rang out, deafening and unending.

Violet qi swirled thick in the air, at times condensing into blades and swords that were lightning-fast and sharp as razors. At other times they morphed into savage beasts—dragons, phoenixes, lions, and tigers, all kinds—all exuding fierce, terrifying auras...

Yet whether blade or beast, none proved a match for the Luan. They were quickly torn apart by its claws and beak.

The bronze bell was powerless against the Luan. After several failed attacks, Yu Shanting nearly got pecked more than once. His calm expression began to crack, his eyes now blazing with fury.

Dong!

This time, the bell’s toll was different—deep and sonorous.

The bronze bell trembled violently. Amid the lingering hum, it left Yu Shanting’s head, rising high into the air before crashing down upon the Luan.

Endless violet qi burst forth, blotting out the sky.

In that moment, the bronze bell resembled a towering mountain, crashing down with unstoppable force. Wind and lightning surged together, as if it meant to trap the Luan, suppress and refine it, and crush it to dust.

Though the bell’s actual size wasn’t any larger than the Luan’s body, its massive shadow engulfed everything below. The pealing sound grew louder and louder, shaking the soul, as though an avalanche of sound was bearing down upon the earth.

A human-like solemnity flickered in the Luan’s eyes, making Qin Sang question more and more whether this creature was truly a wood carving or a living Luan.

The Luan was an ancient divine beast, a creature of legend on par with dragons and phoenixes. No matter how strong Granny Jing was, could she truly have found and subdued one?

If it was a spirit puppet, just how advanced did the puppet technique have to be to imbue a wooden sculpture with such divine presence?

Faced with the overwhelming pressure of the bronze bell...

The Luan let out a sharp cry, its fighting spirit flaring.

It didn’t call out to Granny Jing for help. Instead, its wings spread wide, azure feathers shimmering with a deep azure glow. As the light intensified, the feathers appeared to melt, igniting into blue flames.

The Luan became a true divine bird reborn in fire.

Screech!

Its melodious cry overwhelmed even the bell’s resonance.

The Luan glared furiously at the bronze bell as a pillar of azure flame surged skyward, striking it head-on.

Boom!

A thunderous roar echoed as the bell was engulfed by the azure fire.

Yet within the flames, one could faintly make out a trace of violet. The violet qi had not dissipated. It held fast, resisting the searing fire.

Yu Shanting’s hand seals changed rapidly as the bronze bell shuddered endlessly.

The Luan refused to yield, unleashing wave after wave of azure flame.

Man and beast both went all out, locked in a stalemate. It seemed unlikely either could gain the upper hand any time soon. Qin Sang couldn’t tell who would emerge victorious, so he turned his gaze toward Granny Jing.

But to his surprise, her battle with the Star-Controlling Elder was even more mysterious—no smoke, no fire, no visible clash—far harder to decipher.

He could still make some sense of Yu Shanting’s fight with the Luan, but when it came to Granny Jing and the Star-Controlling Elder, all he could do was watch. He couldn’t even tell who was gaining the upper hand.

The night sky, the bright moon, the countless stars...

Beneath the illusionary starry dome conjured by their astras, Granny Jing and the Star-Controlling Elder floated suspended in midair.

The moon now seemed even brighter than before, like a silver disc hanging high above.

Granny Jing hovered in the air like a living Guanyin[1], seated cross-legged with her eyes closed. Behind her floated the unfurled Hidden Moon Landscape Scroll, but the bright moon that once graced the painting had vanished.

The vast rivers and mountains stretched endlessly, tinged with hues as dark as ink. The sea of clouds within the scroll actually shifted, its waves of mist rising and falling, as if the painting itself had come alive.

The Star-Controlling Elder likewise didn’t look directly at Granny Jing. Both his hands were raised high, and true to his title, his palms left afterimages as he stirred the starry river.

He could pluck the stars but not the moon.

Countless stars became chess pieces in his hands. One deadly array after another took shape, each woven from radiant starlight, launching toward Granny Jing or the bright moon with lethal intent.

These arrays morphed rapidly, each possessing formidable power. The astra wielded by the Star-Controlling Elder left Qin Sang in awe.

Every starry assault that approached the moonlight was blocked entirely by the moon’s glow.

Those that targeted Granny Jing met an even worse fate—they were all devoured by the Hidden Moon Landscape Scroll. Apart from stirring the sea of clouds within the painting into greater turbulence, they seemed to inflict no harm on Granny Jing herself.

Soon, Qin Sang made another discovery.

One by one, the stars on the edge of the starry sky began to dim and vanish, as if swallowed by the moonlight. Once they disappeared, they never returned.

Each time a star vanished, that portion of space plunged into darkness, creating strange ripples—within which faint, almost imperceptible cracks seemed to flicker.

As the Star-Controlling Elder continued forming killing arrays to assail Granny Jing, he also diverted stars from the galactic river to the edges, patching the darkened gaps, as though only by doing so could he prevent the starry sky conjured by his astra from collapsing altogether.

Qin Sang shifted his gaze and studied the Star-Controlling Elder closely.

Beneath the ever-brightening moonlight, the elder stared at the night sky without blinking, his expression grim. A layer of sweat appeared to coat his face, reflecting the starlight and giving his features a flushed sheen.

It was a sharp contrast to Granny Jing’s serene composure.

Judging by the behavior of the two and their astras, Qin Sang felt that Granny Jing had likely gained the upper hand but he couldn’t be certain.

Before he could continue observing, he was forced to refocus, because the handsome young man’s assault suddenly intensified.

Realizing that Qin Sang had been splitting his attention, the young man felt utterly humiliated, as though he'd been treated with contempt. His fury soared.

What infuriated him most was that, despite having thrown out every last trick, he still couldn’t suppress this opponent who not only had a weaker cultivation than him but even dared to be distracted mid-battle.

"You’re courting death!"

The young man shouted furiously, consumed by hatred. He unleashed the full power of his talisman astra without holding anything back.

The black light conjured by the talisman astra darted through the air like lightning, impossible to track, yet in Qin Sang’s eyes, it was as clear as day.

The black hammer never managed to break through the barrier of the blue mirror. It couldn’t even touch the corner of Qin Sang’s robe.

1. Guan Yin (also spelled Kwan Yin) is the Chinese name of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva and incarnation of compassion and mercy. ☜

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on fre𝒆web(n)ovel.co(m)