Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 792: Vengeance

The moment Madam Liu shouted, Cui Ji immediately grew alert. Better to believe it was true than to assume it was not.

Even so, he did not halt his pursuit. With his flying saber working in tandem with the Purple Nether Orb, his attacks surged like a tide. Madam Liu was left scrambling to defend herself, and signs of defeat were already showing.

"Daoist Master Qingfeng!" Madam Liu shouted.

"It’s you!" said Cui Ji, shocked.

Qin Sang stepped out from the shadows, and two voices rang out simultaneously. One was filled with joy, the other with disbelief.

Cui Ji looked like he had seen a ghost.

He had witnessed Qin Sang's astra destroyed, his body grievously wounded and swallowed by a tide of ferocious beasts. Survival had been impossible, yet here Qin Sang was, standing right before him.

Madam Liu remembered the enmity between Qin Sang and Cui Ji. When she saw the look on Cui Ji’s face, she immediately understood that Qin Sang’s disappearance in the Purple Mist End had been anything but simple. Something had happened behind the scenes.

"Daoist Master, you..."

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind, and her face lit up with wild delight.

Qin Sang nodded and cut her off. His tone was calm as he said, "Thanks to Daoist Cui, I nearly perished in the Purple Mist End. But I was fortunate enough to escape with my life. Madam Liu, since you came for revenge as well, why not join forces and eliminate this man first..."

Before he even finished speaking, Qin Sang pointed his sword at Cui Ji. The ebony sword flashed and shot past Madam Liu, slashing directly toward Cui Ji.

In Qin Sang’s eyes, Cui Ji was already a dead man. There was no need for pointless words.

Madam Liu instantly understood and a flicker of hope lit up in her eyes. She stopped fleeing and hastily retrieved a small bell. It was an astra once used by her husband.

The moment she saw the bell, sorrow covered her face, and her hatred for Cui Ji deepened.

A cold gleam passed through her eyes as she poured her true essence into it without reservation.

The bell trembled lightly between her fingers, and a crisp chime rang out. Rippling waves of sound spread outward, aimed directly at Cui Ji’s flying saber.

But these were no ordinary sound waves. Each ripple glowed with brilliant red light, taking on the form of fiery rings that condensed into tangible force.

Each ring radiated intense heat and carried rich fire-elemental energy. As they expanded, they turned the surrounding tens of zhang into a sea of flame.

The flying saber, caught off guard, was surrounded by the sound waves.

Cui Ji’s expression changed. The moment he saw Qin Sang, he sensed danger. He hurriedly tried to recall his flying saber.

Silver light surged as the saber unleashed waves of sharp, deadly slashes.

Yet this bell was clearly no common astra. Even though Madam Liu’s cultivation was weaker, by channeling her full strength into it, she was able to entangle the flying saber for a time.

She fought with everything she had to restrain the saber, buying Qin Sang a critical opportunity.

During their first encounter, Cui Ji had been just a step away from a breakthrough, yet had shown clear fear of Qin Sang, clearly indicating that Qin Sang’s strength was far deeper than it appeared.

Now, the overwhelming presence of the ebony sword confirmed her suspicion.

The ebony sword had already reached Cui Ji.

Cui Ji had been about to open his mouth to spout some threats, but to his surprise, Qin Sang and Madam Liu coordinated seamlessly and turned to attack him at once. The situation suddenly became tense.

Though his cultivation had greatly advanced, Cui Ji remained calm in the face of the siege by two people. He even believed he still had a chance to win. His only real concern was Qin Sang’s method for corrupting astras.

As he controlled the flying saber in an attempt to break free, he also activated the Purple Nether Orb to block the ebony sword.

But at the first clash, his expression changed drastically.

The ebony sword and the Purple Nether Orb collided directly. The blade danced through the purple light, at times like a tiger roaring through a mountain forest, at times like a drizzle in the breeze. Its movements shifted unpredictably.

The assault never let up, flowing like mercury, leaving Cui Ji breathless.

Before, although he knew Qin Sang practiced the Sword Dao, he had never witnessed such a suffocating sword art. One flying sword alone stirred fear deep within his heart.

What Cui Ji did not know was that the old Qin Sang had indeed lacked such power. His so-called Sword Dao had merely been an empty frame granted by his cultivation art. Only now had he truly become a sword cultivator in both name and substance.

As the saying went, "Strike while the enemy is weak."

Qin Sang gave Cui Ji no chance to recover. He darted forward and flung out his palm. The Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions flew into the air, spinning overhead, while the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells roared forward under Cui Ji’s horrified gaze.

The flying saber finally broke free of the bell’s interference. Though Cui Ji feared it might be corrupted, he had no time to hesitate. He forced the saber forward to block the incoming flames.

The strength Qin Sang displayed filled him with dread. A desire to flee arose in his heart.

Madam Liu had failed to restrain the flying saber. Seeing Cui Ji’s intention, she grew anxious and quickly flew in to stop him.

"Daoist Master, you must not let that villain escape..."

Before Madam Liu could finish her sentence, a deafening beastly roar suddenly rang out.

To her shock, a beastly figure emerged from within the devilish flames. Taking advantage of the clash between the flames and the flying saber, it charged directly at Cui Ji with savage force.

The beast's speed was astonishing. The moment it pounced, it split into multiple shadows, surrounding Cui Ji in an instant. It became nearly impossible to distinguish which one was real.

"A spirit beast at the Demonic Core Realm!" Cui Ji was terrified.

He thought he figured out how Qin Sang had survived. He actually possesses such a powerful spirit beast, one he has never revealed until now.

By this point, Cui Ji had lost all will to fight, but the situation was already beyond his control.

While Cui Ji scrambled to fend off the Two-Headed Hou, Qin Sang seized the opportunity. With Madam Liu’s assistance, he focused entirely on his sword. Driving back the purple light, his flying sword shot forward like a rainbow piercing the sun, effortlessly breaking through Cui Ji’s protective true essence.

Cui Ji’s face twisted in terror. In a panic, he could only summon the Purple Nether Orb to slam against the oncoming attack.

The orb’s core seemed unexpectedly fragile. Clashing directly with the ebony sword, its glow dimmed at once, and Cui Ji’s face turned ghostly pale.

Though the ebony sword was knocked slightly off course, a streak of sword light split off and pierced Cui Ji’s body, causing blood to spray into the air.

Cui Ji let out a miserable cry, his face ashen.

The new wound, layered atop his existing injuries, spelled his end. His flying saber froze for a brief instant, giving Qin Sang enough time to seize the chance. He summoned his devilish flames, striking the weapon aside, then unleashed his astra in tandem with the Two-Headed Hou, showing no mercy as they executed Cui Ji with ruthless precision.

Seeing her chance for vengeance, Madam Liu threw herself into battle with wild abandon. Her eyes were bloodshot, her behavior bordering on madness, to the point that even Qin Sang cast her a sidelong glance.

At last, Cui Ji let out one final, desperate scream as the flying sword pierced through his chest, ending his life.

Qin Sang swallowed a pill and quickly restored his true essence. His Qihai felt somewhat hollow. The continuous battle, despite his dominance, had taken a heavy toll, but it had also been exhilarating.

With one final push, he had slain Cui Ji without suffering so much as a scratch. His breakthrough in the Sword Dao had significantly elevated his strength. After some refinement, his swordsmanship alone would be more than enough to overwhelm someone like Cui Ji.

Qin Sang flickered forward and arrived beside Cui Ji’s corpse. Without hesitation, he looted all of Cui Ji’s belongings and stowed them away.

Cui Ji had died with eyes wide open. Just after breaking through his bottleneck, he was cut down before he could enjoy the fruits of his advancement.

As Qin Sang sorted through the spoils, Madam Liu stood frozen, watching silently, saying nothing.

When he turned back around, he saw tears streaming down her face. Her expression now was nothing like the crazed fury she had shown moments earlier. Cui Ji’s chest and abdomen were a mangled mess of flesh and blood, almost entirely ripped apart by Madam Liu herself. His organs mixed with blood had soaked the ground, the stench of gore thick in the air.