Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 836: Panther Demon

Demonic beasts surrounded the island.

The waters around Yuheng Island had become a paradise for them.

Strangely enough, this situation had already lasted for more than three months. The beasts had neither attacked nor dispersed. Yet the cultivators on the island felt no relief.

As time passed, more and more demonic beasts gathered without pause, until now they filled a vast area of sea around the island in terrifying numbers.

At first, the island’s immortal cultivators had chosen caution over aggression, adopting a defensive stance. By custom, if the beasts could not breach the island’s protective array, they would lose interest and leave in a matter of days.

By the time they realized something was wrong, it was too late. Trapped inside by such numbers, no one could remain at ease.

Beyond the outer edges of the horde...

A ring of demonic beasts surrounded a few larger, unusual great demons at the center.

One was a fish demon with four limbs, the pale, tender skin of its arms and legs like that of an infant.

Another was an elegant celestial crane, its feathers pure as snow, its eyes arrogant and defiant as it surveyed the surroundings.

But the most striking of all was a panther demon. Its appearance was strange. It had no fur, but instead was covered in fine scales, with a sharp horn on its forehead and a majestic bearing.

Their eyes were clear, their gaze intelligent, their wit far beyond that of the beasts around them.

Astonishingly, these few demons could all speak fluently. They were not Transformation Realm great demons, yet they could converse with ease.

There was only one explanation: They had consumed the rare Imperial Elixir, awakening their intelligence ahead of time.

Such elixirs only appeared when a demon was about to transform; each of these beasts therefore had a Transformation Realm demonic beast backing it.

Some floated in the air, others swam at the surface. The lesser beasts kept a wide berth, the area around them utterly silent.

From within came the sound of an argument. The panther demon faced the others alone.

"I give you two months to rally all your forces and attack this island. Disobey, and you die!" The panther demon’s voice was cold and sharp, its gaze like a blade as it swept over the others.

The other demonic beasts looked at each other, some clearly displeased.

Their strength was no less than the panther’s, and though they feared its identity, they did not truly cower before it.

The crane demon gave a shrill snort. "Our king ordered me to harass the human cultivators, keep them busy, and draw their attention. He never ordered us to assault a major human stronghold, especially one guarded by a Spiritual Infant cultivator. Without our king here, we do not know how many of us will have to die before we even have a chance of breaking the array. And even if we do, what then? If the Spiritual Infant cultivator chooses to flee, we cannot stop him. If he finds an opening, killing one or two of us would be easy!"

The others voiced their agreement, each saying their king had given similar orders, and none willing to risk their lives for the panther demon.

They tried to invoke their own kings’ orders as authority over the panther, but it only sneered. "I am here under orders from the Jiao King. Even your kings must obey the commands of our Jiao Clan. Anyone who dares defy me makes an enemy of the Jiao Clan itself. Let us see how many heads you have to spare!"

The sight of a panther claiming the name of the Jiao Clan was absurd, but none dared laugh.

Its scales and horn, so unlike those of an ordinary panther, might truly be the mark of a Jiao bloodline.

Hearing this, the others paused, their auras shrinking slightly.

They suspected the panther might be bluffing, but the weight of the Jiao Clan’s name was too great. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

And part of its claim was true. Their own kings would not dare offend the Jiao Clan.

"Uhh..." the fish demon said hesitantly. "Our king said this matter is of the utmost importance, the Jiao King having gathered the strength of nearly half the Demonic Sea. If we act on our own and the human cultivators discover our king’s absence, it could ruin the Jiao King’s great plan..."

Seeing the others’ spirits falter, the panther demon’s tone eased. "How could a single place like ours affect such a grand plan? Besides, what we do here still serves to distract and mislead the human cultivators. My aim is not to slaughter, but to find a man. He is of great importance to our Jiao Clan, having committed a grave crime that enraged the Jiao King himself. The Jiao King once named him for death. Remember his aura. If you sense it, kill him at any cost. Removing him will earn you great merit."

The man it spoke of was Qin Sang. That day, Qin Sang had fled decisively. The panther had pursued him for a long stretch without success, but had remembered his aura.

"And if you see anyone wielding a treasure shaped like this, it must be that man..." the panther continued, lowering a forepaw into the water. A shimmering curtain rose, forming the image of a conch-shaped object flecked with starlight.

It bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to Qin Sang’s star turban.

The demonic beasts studied the image carefully, none seeming to know what was special about it.

With that, they scattered, vanishing into the depths of the Demonic Sea to muster their forces.

The panther, satisfied, watched them go with a sly glint in its eye. Then it turned back toward Yuheng Island, greed flickering in its gaze.

***

The mood on Yuheng Island was grim. Every time the cultivators looked upon the suffocating demonic qi and dark clouds, worry tightened in their chests, fear showing in their eyes.

Qin Sang was leading a patrol of Foundation Building cultivators, tasked with outposting and patrolling.

By nightfall, the patrol was done, and he finally had a moment to rest. Returning to his temporary cave dwelling, he was surprised to find Madam Liu and Jin Ying there.

Ever since Xiang Yi’s death, Jin Ying had treated Qin Sang with greater respect.

Though Madam Liu had sworn never to reveal the details of that battle, Jin Ying was shrewd enough to guess much of it.

"When did the two of you arrive? Has something happened?" Qin Sang invited them to sit.

They too had duties and scarce time for cultivation, so they rarely crossed paths.

"Must there be some urgent matter before we can visit you, Daoist Master?"

With her enemy dead, Madam Liu had finally stepped out of the shadows.

After a brief exchange, her smile faded, and she delivered startling news. "The island master is considering abandoning the island to break out."

Qin Sang froze, looking at Jin Ying.

Her expression was equally grave, and she nodded heavily. The news had come to her through the Nine-Star Guild, from the merchant alliance itself.

"Has the situation grown that dire?"

Qin Sang found it hard to believe. Abandoning the island would mean the island master giving up a foundation built over centuries and abandoning most of the cultivators on the island to their fate.

Without the protective array, how many would survive?

Jin Ying said in a low voice, "The merchant alliance only learned today. The island master has also lost all contact with the outside world. No messages can be sent or received. We are already an isolated island. Just two days ago, a massive number of demonic beasts gathered, far more than before, and they are restless. This does not look like a bluff. They may be about to strike."