Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 985: Crisis Approaches

"Resonance..." Qin Sang was startled.

The runes of the Fire Curse flared up once again. The fluctuation they released seemed even stronger than before.

Qin Sang’s expression changed drastically. He spun around abruptly, but the sea behind him was empty.

***

Dayuzhou...

To the north of the market, the towering mountains were occupied entirely by a single sect. The market itself was one of its holdings. Clouds and mist veiled the deep mountains.

A streak of light pierced through the sky and vanished into the mountain gate. Moments later, a young man clutching a spirit talisman hurriedly rode his sword toward the main peak.

Before long, he descended before a grand hall atop the main peak. From within came a deep, resonant voice. "What’s the matter? Why such panic?"

The youth immediately bowed deeply. "Reporting to the sect leader, an urgent message from the market."

Inside the hall, an elderly man of imposing presence held a black chess piece between his fingers.

Thud! The piece fell onto the board.

He lifted his head slightly and gestured. The spirit talisman flew into his hand, and he closed his eyes to read its message.

The man sitting opposite him, also playing chess, glanced over curiously. "Third Junior Brother personally oversees the market. What could happen that he cannot handle?"

After reading, the old man let out a faint sound of surprise. "It says that Vice Commissioner Zuo of the Qiongyu Merchant Guild under the Dongji Alliance ambushed an unknown cultivator in the market but was defeated and killed instead. Including Manager Liu, six Core Formation cultivators in total are all dead without exception."

The other man was shocked. "How many enemies were there to overpower them so completely?"

"It’s said there was likely only one person. The rest were incarnations or refined corpses. That person alone slew Vice Commissioner Zuo and his group without suffering the slightest injury..." The elder’s tone turned grave.

The other man gasped. "Even if you and I joined hands, we might not be able to subdue Vice Commissioner Zuo, much less his helpers. Could they have offended a Spiritual Infant grandmaster without realizing it? The Qiongyu Merchant Guild won’t take such a loss lightly. Is Third Junior Brother perhaps planning to invite our master to intervene?"

The old man shook his head firmly. "The dead are from the merchant guild, not righteous cultivators. It’s just dogs biting dogs. How can we disturb our master over such a trivial matter? Before the guild even came knocking, that man surnamed Zuo already shouted in public that he would take full responsibility and even called for aid in the name of the Dongji Alliance. As expected of a wealthy merchant guild, truly extravagant. I had originally planned to rebuild the market. Now that someone else will foot the bill, we’ll simply send someone to demand compensation."

***

Far southwest of Dayuzhou. The skies were clear. Across the vast, open sea, a streak of evasion light suddenly appeared.

The light streaked forward like a meteor, so fast that even Qin Sang would have had to admit inferiority.

Swish! The light stopped abruptly, revealing a figure. It was none other than Old Devil Mou, the master of Tianfeng Island.

He had been deploying traps across the region and, upon receiving news, had rushed here at full speed. He was drawing closer and closer to Dayuzhou.

Sensing something, he halted his flight and turned toward the northeast. A faint blue glow flashed at his brow, and a small blue flame emerged.

Under the sunlight, the flame shimmered dreamily as it flickered gently.

Old Devil Mou’s lips moved as his hands shifted through seals. Countless runes sank into the blue flame. The flame quivered, becoming denser, then suddenly leaned toward the northeast.

Seeing this, Old Devil Mou’s eyes narrowed slightly. "The Qiongyu Merchant Guild’s vice commissioner in the Eastern Sea shouldn’t be weak. He’s one of the top experts among Core Formation cultivators. Even if he lost, he shouldn’t have caused the Fire Curse to miss its mark..."

Thinking this, Old Devil Mou’s face brightened. He turned his palm over and took out a strangely shaped small drum. The eerie drum was a top-grade artifact.

Old Devil Mou let out a raspy laugh. "Daring to refine artifacts with devilish fire! If I hadn’t found this artifact while searching a man’s soul, you really might have escaped me."

When Qin Sang had first arrived in the Demonic Sea, the Qiongyu Merchant Guild had recruited him and asked him to refine artifacts for them. Back then, his skills were far inferior to what they were now. To gain their trust and status, he had used the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells to refine a few top-grade artifacts, and this strange drum was one of them.

Because it contained a trace of devilish fire's aura, a Core Formation cultivator who had accidentally discovered it believed it to be a hidden treasure and bought it from the merchant guild. Later, realizing it was nothing special, he discarded it. By coincidence, the drum eventually fell into Old Devil Mou’s hands.

Putting the drum away, Old Devil Mou extended his hand, drawing the blue flame into his palm. Then, with a thought, the flame tilted once more. He gave another strange laugh, raised his evasion light, and shot through the air.

***

When Qin Sang had first entered the Seven-Kill Hall and learned that it contained the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, he had worried about being exposed. From that point on, he never used those flames for refining and even during battles, he would suppress their aura as much as possible to avoid drawing attention.

The batch of artifacts he had refined using the devilish flame was actually very small. Moreover, they were merely artifacts, not astras. The devilish flame's aura hidden within was faint, and most high-level cultivators would never bother to examine a mere artifact in detail. Yet somehow, those very artifacts had caused trouble.

Over the boundless sea, Qin Sang transformed into a streak of azure light, fleeing northward at top speed.

Since the Fire Curse had latched onto him, nearly half an hour had already passed. Just then, the Fire Curse flared up again. Qin Sang’s gaze darkened as he stared at the glowing runes on his arm.

Sensing the fluctuation emanating from the Fire Curse, the shadow in his eyes grew heavier, and his heart was filled with fury and dread.

Just as he and Bai had predicted earlier, Vice Commissioner Zuo must have sent word to Old Devil Mou before his death. The repeated activations of the Fire Curse were clearly the work of Old Devil Mou.

After the first two bursts, the interval between each activation varied from as long as a quarter-hour to as short as a few dozen breaths.

And every time it erupted, the Fire Curse’s power grew stronger. It meant Old Devil Mou was quickly closing the distance.

Through the Fire Curse, Old Devil Mou could sense Qin Sang’s location, but likewise, Qin Sang could also use the same fluctuations to roughly determine Old Devil Mou’s direction. Comparing the changes each time, Qin Sang was certain the man was drawing nearer and nearer.

The only good news was that Qin Sang still had not seen any trace of Old Devil Mou’s figure.

Yet even separated by such a distance, Old Devil Mou could still trigger the Fire Curse remotely. The strangeness of the curse and the terrifying might of a middle-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator filled Qin Sang with both anxiety and horror.

Since the enemy could sense his position at all times, changing direction was meaningless. With the crisis closing in, Qin Sang could only flee northward with all his strength.

His pursuer was a middle-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator. Even if Qin Sang used every technique at his disposal, it would be nearly impossible to harm him, but surrendering and handing over the eighteen devilish banners was out of the question.

He had no doubt that once Old Devil Mou seized the eighteen devilish banners, he would not spare his life.

A devilish sect grandmaster like that was never short of ways to torture someone. Falling into Old Devil Mou’s hands would mean an ending worse than death.

"Daoist Bai, have you remembered anything yet?" Qin Sang glanced at the Corpse Puppet Pouch and could not help but ask.

During his flight, he had tried countless methods, but none could restrain the Fire Curse. His only hope now lay with Bai.