Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 774: Failure

The man approached the devilish flames and activated a secret art to examine them closely.

Though the other party had been cautious and wiped away all traces upon leaving, it was still impossible to hide from his eyes. He managed to uncover subtle clues.

"I tried every possible method before, and nearly got burned alive by these flames. Even a late-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator would only be able to stare helplessly from afar. Who could it have been?

"Among those who entered Seven-Kill Hall this time, the two late-stage Spiritual Infant experts, the Devil Lord and the grand witch priest, went into the Sky Tower together and haven’t been seen since. The other old devils have cultivation levels similar to mine at most, unless one of them carries some ancient treasure or cultivates a unique devilish art.

"These flames are no ordinary fire; they were not born naturally but are the supernatural ability of an ancient devil. If someone had cultivated a similar ancient devilish art, it might be possible. I thought I knew everything about these old monsters. Could I have overlooked something..."

The blackness in his eyes slowly faded, returning to normal. He paced back and forth, guessing at the stranger's identity.

"Could the flames have mutated and lost some of their power?"

Still uncertain, he suddenly flashed forward and moved closer to the flames.

As he stepped into the area covered by the devilish flames' power, a layer of faint blue flames emerged on his body. Though thin, it was extremely resilient and formed a protective layer around him.

With the blue flames shielding him, he stepped forward cautiously, drawing closer to the core of the devilish flames one step at a time.

But just as he entered the flame's range, his expression suddenly darkened. His eyes grew unfocused, and a dazed look appeared on his face, as if his mind was about to slip away.

He bit the tip of his tongue hard. The intense pain jolted him back to awareness, and he quickly retreated in panic.

Breathing heavily after retreating from the flames, he still felt lingering fear.

The power of the flames remained unchanged. The origin force had not yet erupted, yet he had already nearly lost himself. The bizarre and terrifying nature of ancient devilish cultivation was something modern cultivators could hardly comprehend.

Even someone at my level cannot withstand it. How has that mysterious person managed to survive?

Shaking his head, he stared at the main body of the devilish flames. "Enough. I'll try to subdue the flames first. Even if someone else took the treasure inside, as long as I can make these flames mine, ruling Canglang Sea will only be a matter of time. I might even gain a chance to break through to the Divine Transformation Realm. And once I do, what treasure would I not be able to obtain?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Resolving himself, he sat cross-legged at a distance from the devilish flames.

A faint blue light shimmered between his brow. Then, a small blue flame flew out from his brow and hovered in front of him.

The blue flame was crystal clear, swaying gently in the air. It looked stunningly beautiful.

Maintaining the flame clearly required great effort. His face flushed red, and sweat dripped from his temples.

"Go!"

He whispered softly, sending his spiritual consciousness forward.

The blue flame trembled slightly, then drifted gently toward the main body of the devilish flames.

His eyes widened with anticipation. When he saw the flame cross the distance and approach the main body without being torn apart by the aura, he was overjoyed.

The blue flame hovered just in front of the devilish flames. Its fluctuations became even more intense.

He knew that the flame would not last long under such pressure, so he immediately activated his cultivation art and began attempting to subdue the devilish flames.

He formed a series of hand seals. Soon, a powerful suction emerged from the blue flame, aiming at the devilish flames and trying to draw out a wisp for the blue flame to devour.

The art began to work. The devilish flames showed no signs of resistance. A tiny flame seemed to detach from the main body and drift toward the blue flame.

A smile formed on his face.

Suddenly, something went wrong.

As the devilish flame approached, the blue flame began to shudder violently. It curled inward, showing signs of fear and avoidance.

Startled, the man poured all his strength into stabilizing the flame with his spiritual consciousness. But without warning, the blue flame exploded.

Boom!

Like a firework, the blue flame shattered completely.

Its fragments scattered in the air, beautiful and mesmerizing.

The small flame returned instantly to its main body, and the devilish flames remained unchanged.

A bloodcurdling scream followed.

The man let out a sharp cry, collapsed to the ground, and clutched his head with both hands. His body curled up tightly as he trembled violently in pain.

After a long while, he finally managed to sit up, trembling. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were bloodshot. Blood trickled from all seven orifices.

Covered in dust, he looked utterly wretched.

But he paid no attention to that. He quickly entered meditation to stabilize his condition. Only after a long time did his breathing finally calm down. He opened his eyes slowly.

"It still didn’t work. Unless I can find more spiritual fires to strengthen my fire seed, I won’t succeed. Spiritual fires of this level are unbelievably rare. I only learned of this one by pure luck..."

He let out a long sigh.

Another failure.

The blue flame was so fearful of the devilish flames that it shattered on its own before even making direct contact.

As for directly using a cultivation method to refine the devilish flames into a fire seed, he didn't even dare to imagine it. The moment he attempted such a secret art, he would likely be the first to burn himself alive before the art was even complete.

He tried a few more methods afterward, but each attempt ended in failure.

In the end, he gave up. Rising to his feet, his gaze shifted toward the gap beside the devilish flames’ main body, flickering with thought.

"What exactly did that person use to resist the devilish flames’ power and move through them freely? If I could obtain that... Outside, the flames already block the way, and the barriers inside must be even more terrifying. He might not have gotten the treasure. And when faced with such a top-level devilish flame, how could he not be tempted? There's a good chance he’ll come back someday..."

A sharp light flashed in his eyes. He then carefully erased all traces he had left behind and vanished into thin air.

The canyon once again fell silent.

The devilish flames danced gently, and the poisonous mist drifted on.

***

At the edge of the forest, Qin Sang stepped out from behind an ancient tree, his face filled with caution as he looked toward the vast wilderness.

He had changed his appearance. This time, he didn’t even bother wearing his cloak.

As long as Cui Ji and Xiang Yi remained alive, he could no longer appear as Daoist Master Qingfeng. He wasn’t afraid of Cui Ji, but Xiang Yi’s background was too mysterious. If that man had powerful forces behind him, he might send someone to assassinate Qin Sang in secret.

Xiang Yi and the others had long since left the area. Qin Sang had no idea where to find them, so he decided to carry on with his own matters first.

The wilderness stretched endlessly ahead, without a single soul in sight.

Qin Sang moved along the forest's edge, heading toward the mountains.

Before long, he reached the foot of the first mountain.

It wasn’t particularly tall, but it extended endlessly, acting as a natural barrier that cut off both the forest and the wilderness. Like a towering wall, it created a distinct boundary.

Beyond this mountain lay a vast stretch of undulating peaks, filled not only with countless hidden realms but also lurking dangers at every turn.

Some areas were so infamous that their reputation rivaled even the Purple Mist End.

In such places, the Poison-Warding Armor would be of little use. Qin Sang could only rely on his own vigilance to stay safe.

The Sky Tower was located deep within the mountain range. After crossing a few peaks, one could catch sight of its distant silhouette. There was no fixed path from here to the Sky Tower, but certain treacherous areas could be avoided with foresight.

Qin Sang took out a simple geomantic map, located his current position, and found that entering the mountains from here was actually a fairly optimal choice. After plotting a rough route, he immediately set off.