Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 852: The Chase

Qin Sang watched the Two-Headed Hou depart, then halted abruptly and turned, coldly fixing his gaze on the enemies rushing toward him.

In truth, doubts still weighed heavily on his mind. He could not fathom why the other side valued Su Nu so highly.

He was no stranger to the devilish path. The very first sect he had joined upon stepping onto the path of immortality had been a devilish sect.

The devilish cultivators of this era did not place much importance on true devilish qi.

Not only was true devilish qi exceedingly rare, but even if one found it, it could not be absorbed or harnessed. On the contrary, it might backfire and claim the cultivator’s life.

For that very reason, the strange attitude of these two toward true devilish qi and Su Nu made Qin Sang all the more suspicious. The connection between the merchant alliances and true devilish qi seemed deeper than he had imagined.

What secrets lay hidden within?

Moreover, during their escape from the demon-filled island, Su Nu had been obedient and quiet. She did not appear to be an unreasonable person. Yet she could not restrain herself against a few offensive glances, which further aroused his suspicion.

Was this simply her temperament, or had she done it on purpose?

If it was intentional, then her motives, as well as her relationship with Granny Yue, became even more intriguing.

Of course, these were only Qin Sang’s suspicions. His time with Su Nu had been short, and they had barely exchanged a few words. He knew little of her disposition. Protected so well by Granny Yue, perhaps she had simply been spoiled.

Qin Sang’s task was to keep Su Nu safe. He did not want to be entangled in storms that had nothing to do with him, so such thoughts flashed through his mind only briefly before he dismissed them.

"I have no intention of being your enemy. Why must the three of you press me so hard?"

He stood in their way and questioned loudly.

"We only wish to exchange cultivation insights with the young lady. Why must you act so guarded, Daoist? The Demonic Sea belongs to the beasts now. If we cultivators do not join forces, how many more days can we survive?"

The mustached man spoke earnestly, but his eyes hid killing intent. Upon seeing the Two-Headed Hou, he immediately transmitted his voice to the squire. "Junior Brother, that man even has a Demonic Core Realm spirit beast. No wonder he could move freely in the Demonic Sea. He is not simple. Killing him will not be easy, and we may pay a heavy price. Let us let him be for now. Our priority is to capture the girl alive at all costs..."

The three exchanged messages using sound transmission and quickly devised a plan.

The mustached man took out a talisman. As he activated it in secret, his true body vanished, leaving behind an illusory figure identical to him.

The other two maintained calm expressions, flanking the phantom as they pressed forward with ferocity.

Meanwhile, the real mustached man slipped into the shadows, circling around Qin Sang in silence.

But Qin Sang had long been on guard. He had already awakened the Sky-Eyed Butterfly and opened the Sky Eyes, scanning his surroundings. It was easy to pierce through the illusion and locate the true body.

Feigning ignorance, he launched his sword forward as if unsuspecting.

Only when he drew near did his sword light suddenly twist.

In an instant, endless sword light surged forth like a galaxy overturned, accompanied by thunderous roars that shook the soul. From his hand, a forest of swords poured down, enveloping the mustached man hidden in the dark.

The man was alarmed, shaken by the astonishing sword art. He abandoned concealment and hastily summoned his life-bound astra.

A crystalline square seal shot out of his dantian, dazzling with silver light. Runes surfaced upon it, merging into a glowing silver character, "Suppress."

Sword light struck the seal.

The enormous silver character burst forth, spinning rapidly. Sword light shattered along its path, yet the character itself began to blur, and the seal flickered violently under the immense strain.

"Such strong swordsmanship!"

Forced into the open, the mustached man’s face grew solemn. He stared at Qin Sang. "I truly misjudged you. Strength such as yours is rare even within the merchant alliances, yet I have never heard of you."

"I am but a humble rogue cultivator. Not worth mentioning."

Qin Sang replied coldly, but his strikes showed no mercy. The ebony sword flitted unpredictably, and the sword techniques he had comprehended on the path of swords poured forth in full force. The silver character was shattered beneath his assault.

Sword light cascaded like a waterfall, unstoppable.

But before the ebony sword could close in, the seal flew back, reforming another silver character. The mustached man clutched his astra, retreating swiftly.

The other two arrived.

Instead of helping him withstand the sword, they unleashed their own astras, aiming directly at Qin Sang to force him to defend.

A saber and a spear struck at once.

Qin Sang sighed inwardly. His chance was gone.

When he had feigned ignorance to launch a surprise attack, he had already prepared the Blood Defilement Divine Light and the star turban, ready to kill the mustached man at his moment of weakness. After that, the other two would have been easy to handle.

But the man was still a late-stage Core Formation expert. Though caught unprepared, he defended in time, and Qin Sang found no opening before the others closed in. Outnumbered three to one, facing opponents of such strength, he had to abandon thoughts of killing them and instead focused on stalling.

Their astras pressed in. Qin Sang’s figure flickered rapidly. Around him, his devilish banner spun, forming an array. A wisp of Devilish Flames of Nine Hells gathered in his palm, lashing back at the incoming weapons.

Qin Sang knew well he could not keep this up. Once the mustached man regained composure and the three formed a joint formation, they would suppress him. His true essence was depleting fast, and the spirit pill he had swallowed earlier was little more than a drop in the bucket.

So, after a brief clash, he deliberately revealed a flaw.

The mustached man, desperate to seize the girl, ordered his companions to hold Qin Sang back while he went after the Two-Headed Hou.

Qin Sang ignored him, recalled the ebony sword, and unleashed the Blood Defilement Divine Light at just the right moment. It struck the squire’s life-bound astra head-on.

"Senior Brother, save me!"

As the ebony sword and the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells bore down, the squire lost his astra and stood utterly defenseless, panic overwhelming him.

The Liu-surnamed cultivator rushed to help, barely managing to block the devilish flames.

The mustached man, seeing this, turned back in fury. But by then, sword shadows had already engulfed his junior brother.

Boom!

Another silver character blasted apart the sword qi, saving him at the last instant.

Qin Sang stood with his sword, gazing at the squire, now covered in blood. He felt some regret. At the final moment, the man had used some unknown method to preserve his life.

Still, he was gravely injured. Sword qi riddled his body, rendering him powerless for the time being.

The Blood Defilement Divine Light, born of the Ten Divine Woods, once again proved decisive.

Even the mustached man was shaken. Holding his grievously wounded junior brother, he could scarcely believe what had happened. He had thought that, even if they could not win, his two companions would at least hold the enemy at bay. Yet they had been crushed so swiftly and miserably.

What is that blood light? What supernatural ability is it?

"If you dare pursue me again, this will be your fate." Qin Sang sneered, pointing at the bloodied squire, and turned to depart.

"Kill him!" The mustached man was seething, killing intent boiling in his chest, but he remained calm. "That wretch is only a middle-stage Core Formation cultivator. To fight us three with astras unleashed, his true essence must already be nearly exhausted. He is bluffing! Do not be deceived!"

He ordered his junior brother to refine the sword qi within him, then took Liu along as they launched themselves in pursuit once more.