Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 901: Breaking the Array

On the night they besieged the Kui Dragon, the mysterious cultivators had been desperate to save it. From afar they unleashed the lightning art, and the raging bolts nearly drove their enemies to the brink.

Qin Sang had first escaped under the thunder, then, after his identity was exposed, had been ambushed by Black Snake Mountain cultivators. With crises piling up, he could only flee with single-minded focus. He had no way to approach the mysterious group and never saw their true faces.

Now he wondered whether the cultivators who wielded the lightning art were in fact the expelled disciples of Douniu Peak from Landou Sect. Otherwise, why were they just as secretive and unknown?

Back then, that mysterious cultivator had been tricked by Daoist Fang into revealing his lightning art and was then trapped and slaughtered by the Black Snake Mountain’s Beast King Banner. The outcome could not have been good. It was even possible they had been wiped out or captured alive.

***

Qin Sang’s thoughts churned as he linked everything he had experienced recently. These were still only guesses; he needed to see those people’s faces to confirm them. If it really is Black Snake Mountain, what is their goal?

His doubts grew as he recalled the pond the Sky-Eyed Butterfly had discovered while tracking the gu insect.

He also worried about the Sky-Eyed Butterfly’s tribulation state, so he concealed his presence and slipped silently into the Dark Lightning Wood grove.

By the time Qin Sang arrived, the flag array Zhao Songqiao had set was still corroding the great array of Dongming Island.

Within the black, uncanny smoke, the silhouette of a gu insect flickered in and out as it plunged into the white mist, attempting to open a passage.

Meanwhile, outside Dongming Island...

On the other side of the entrance, the sea surface looked calm, with only slight ripples.

If a cultivator of sufficient cultivation approached, they would sense that what they saw was not real, but a disguise woven by an illusion. Inside that illusion stood several strangely dressed cultivators.

A mirror hovered above their heads, and the illusion was the transformation of that treasure. Their minds were clearly not on perfecting the disguise, so the illusion was crude, sufficient only to hide their tracks and avoid being discovered.

They controlled black flags identical to those Zhao Songqiao had planted within, but far more powerful, and they were assaulting the great array of Dongming Island with full force.

The black flag arrays seemed to resonate with one another. Their inside-outside coordination was highly efficient, and the power they produced was anything but ordinary.

Within the black smoke, it was as if ferocious beasts bared their fangs and hurled themselves fearlessly against the white mist.

The nearby space was tainted by the smoke. Countless strands of it flowed and turned into the sharpest of weapons, tearing through the white mist and shattering the dense runes within the array.

"Faster!" the black-robed man, their second senior brother, urged anxiously.

No one dared utter a word of complaint. Their eldest senior brother had gone in with only two blood Jiao to face so many Core Formation cultivators alone. No one knew how long he could hold. If Abbot Lu broke free, all their plans will fail.

Sss... The black smoke grew denser, its might increasing, changing into sabers, spears, swords, and halberds in rapid succession as it hammered the white mist without pause. At last the white mist thinned. Runes shattered. A passage was about to form.

Within the array, Zhao Songqiao looked up, hands twisted tightly together, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He seemed torn and afraid, his inner struggle written across his face.

In the end, he chose to stay. He had come too far to turn back.

Boom! A muffled sound made Zhao Songqiao start and snap his head up.

The white mist was finally pierced by the black smoke. Several figures filed through and dropped before him in swift succession.

Zhao Songqiao’s heart lurched. The terrifying aura rolling off these people filled him with dread.

Then the one he knew appeared at last, and hope lit Zhao Songqiao’s eyes. Without daring to look at anyone else, he hurried forward, knelt, and said, "I pay respects to Senior Xue and the other seniors."

The man was none other than the shopkeeper surnamed Xue from Tianxing City.

Xue glanced at the black-robed man. The black-robed man surveyed the surroundings and nodded. "This is indeed the Dark Lightning Wood grove. The Lightning Cave is beneath our feet. You did well."

Shopkeeper Xue smiled slightly. "Rise. It seems you truly put your heart into this. Take these and wait outside. Cultivate well in the future. I once shared brotherhood with your ancestor and have no wish to see his line end."

As he spoke, he tossed a jade bottle to the black-robed man, and inside were several pills.

Radiance bloomed in Zhao Songqiao’s eyes. He trembled with excitement as he gripped the bottle tight.

"Enough. Get to the Lightning Cave. Tenth Junior Brother cannot maintain the flag array for long. Though we obtained the jade talisman from the abandoned disciples of Douniu Peak, no one knows whether Landou Sect modified the Lightning Cave’s barriers. We may still have to work at it..."

Pressed by the black-robed man, the group followed the gu insect straight toward the pond.

Shopkeeper Xue looked back and saw Zhao Songqiao departing through the black-smoke passage.

Sensing his glance, the black-robed man said coolly, "Rest easy, Junior Brother Xue. I already instructed Tenth Junior Brother. Zhao Songqiao has rendered great merit. We will only erase his memories of this period and not take his life. After all, Master said this object is extremely important and may be a witch race's rare treasure. If word spreads, it could bring calamity upon our Black Snake Mountain. I trust Junior Brother understands."

A pang struck Shopkeeper Xue’s heart, and he hastened to explain, "I understand. I was only feeling sentimental, remembering the years I supported his forebear and he supported me."

The black-robed man made no comment and continued, "Clear rewards and punishments are Master’s rules. It applies not only to Zhao Songqiao but to you as well. Although Fourth Junior Brother was met with misfortune, I know well the credit you have earned for the sect and have long reported it to Master. When we return, he will reward you as promised."

"Thank you, Second Senior Brother!" Some of the worry in Shopkeeper Xue’s eyes faded.

Although the Dark Lightning Wood grove covered a wide area, at the speed of Core Formation cultivators it was nothing. While the two spoke, they arrived at the pond.

The gu insect buzzed once and flew into the black-robed man’s chest. He flashed to the pond’s edge. Divine light flared in his eyes as he peered into the depths.

A delicate jade talisman appeared in his palm at some point. He murmured a few inaudible syllables, then flicked the talisman into the pond. When it entered the water, a whirlpool abruptly surfaced.

Whoosh! The whirlpool grew larger. Joy had just appeared on the black-robed man’s face when it froze.

The stone steps that should have appeared at the bottom did not.

"It has indeed been altered!" His gaze sank.

The others gathered around, staring at the pond. Someone said, "The talisman still works, which means the original barrier remains. They only added another layer."

The black-robed man nodded. "It seems we cannot avoid alerting them. We can only break the barrier by force. Bring out the Beast King Banners and form the array. Move quickly."

"Yes!" They obeyed at once, each producing their Beast King Banners.

Their cultivations varied, as did the number of banners they could command. Together they had fewer than eighty-one, yet their combined might was still nothing to scoff at.