Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 929: Spiritual Cicada Cave

"I came for myself, not at your invitation." The Withered-Leaf Cicada, yet addressed as Old Devil Fang, transmitted his cold voice.

The grand witch priest did not take offense at Old Devil Fang’s attitude. She said, "With Daoist Fang here, your presence alone is a deterrent to them. It will make my work much easier. As for what you intend to do inside Seven-Kill Hall, I will not interfere. I only hope that during this time, Daoist Fang can put on the act with me in front of Lingzhuzi."

Old Devil Fang fell silent for a moment. He did not reply, but his silence carried a tacit approval.

Seeing this, the grand witch priest’s face lit with joy. "Your timing is perfect. This Thousand-Sword Array is already a strain for me to control alone. With your aid, it will be much easier."

She paused, then tried once more.

"Would Daoist Fang not consider cooperating with me this time? If we can find the ancient witch inheritance, it would be a great blessing to my witch race and leave merit for ages to come. You and I would both benefit, perhaps even glimpse the chance to reach the Divine Transformation Realm. Perhaps you could even hope to recover your human body. After all, the cultivation arts of the human race do not fully suit us witches, and the higher the realm, the clearer the incompatibility becomes. Otherwise, why has our witch race never produced a single Divine Transformation cultivator? I imagine Daoist Fang realized this back when you were forming your Spiritual Infant..."

Before she could finish, Old Devil Fang cut her off. "My cultivation is shallow. I can only look after myself. I do not share the grand witch priest’s lofty compassion for the ages. What you’ve offered is not enough to convince me that an ancient witch inheritance would be hidden in a human holy land. That is absurd! Spare me the useless words. I will cooperate in this act, but once inside Seven-Kill Hall, I will not be bound by you."

The grand witch priest sighed faintly. "I am already exhausted dealing with Lingzhuzi. How could I have the strength to constrain you? In that case, thank you Daoist Fang!"

Their exchange was brief, inaudible to outsiders. All anyone saw was the grand witch priest personally welcoming him back into the ranks with warm courtesy.

The witch Spiritual Infants all greeted Old Devil Fang with solemn bows, their reverence evident.

It seemed as though this had been arranged long beforehand. The human Spiritual Infant cultivators' faces darkened at the sight. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"So Daoist Fang has emerged from the Spiritual Cicada Cave as well? That makes me even more curious. Seven-Kill Hall, apart from the inner hall that opens every few centuries, has already been scoured cun by cun by countless masters of our human race. What could possibly remain that is worthy of two exalted figures to come in person?"

Lingzhuzi’s half-closed eyes narrowed, his voice calm yet sharp as he stared at the grand witch priest and Old Devil Fang. Old Devil Fang remained silent.

The grand witch priest answered with a faintly mocking tone. "Will Daoist Lingzhuzi follow me step by step, as the Devil Lord did last time? If so, you will naturally see what I am seeking. Why waste words?"

"I indeed plan to follow the grand witch priest, to broaden my horizons. Perhaps when you face difficulty, I may lend a hand. After all, we face the demon race as our common enemy. I would not want misfortune to befall you."

Lingzhuzi admitted it openly, then changed his tone. "But my greatest worry is that too many Spiritual Infant cultivators enter Seven-Kill Hall. The Thousand-Sword Array might fail to conceal our auras completely. When breaking the array, it could trigger backlash from the celestial array, endangering us all."

"Is that all?"

The grand witch priest sneered, then turned to an elder. "Elder Feng?"

The elder understood at once. He produced a jade talisman and offered it to Old Devil Fang. "Daoist Fang, this is a protective talisman. I shall await you and the grand witch priest beyond the storm."

The talisman resembled the one Qin Sang held, but the inscriptions were several times more intricate.

Old Devil Fang accepted it gladly. The elder then departed, vanishing into the storm in a few flashes.

The grand witch priest turned back. "Daoist, are your worries eased now?"

Lingzhuzi pressed no further. After a moment’s thought, he transmitted a message to the human Spiritual Infant cultivators. "Old Devil Fang’s sudden arrival means we must adjust our plan..."

The Spiritual Infant cultivators each reacted differently. Several devilish cultivators looked especially grim, clearly displeased with Lingzhuzi’s arrangements. Old Devil Mou in particular looked the most sullen.

"Do this properly, and afterward you may seek treasure as you wish. But if anyone defies me and jeopardizes the greater plan, then even without my hand, the Devil Lord himself would not forgive you..."

Lingzhuzi’s eyes flashed cold light as he swept a glare over the devilish cultivators. His snort left them silent. They exchanged glances, their expressions shifting, but in the end none spoke further.

Old Devil Mou, however, could not hide a trace of unease in his eyes. He watched the other Spiritual Infant cultivator, then lowered his gaze toward the Golden Core cultivators outside, sinking into thought.

Qin Sang and the others naturally knew nothing of these turbulent undercurrents among the Spiritual Infant grandmasters.

Since the appearance of the Withered-Leaf Cicada, the Golden Core cultivators had been whispering in awe.

"That’s the infamous Fang... The one said to have failed his Spiritual Infant breakthrough and fused with his fourth-metamorphosis life-bound insect gu?"

"It’s him! I thought it was only a rumor, but here he is in the flesh!"

Even human cultivators felt shaken, some even admiring his audacity. One asked a nearby witch cultivator, "Surely no one else in history has ever done this?"

The witch cultivator nodded. "In our witch race, many have conceived the idea of fusing their primordial spirit with their life-bound gu, but only Senior Fang has ever succeeded. After his success, countless cultivators who had lost hope of forming a Spiritual Infant tried to imitate him. Without exception, they perished miserably. Some even perished alongside their gu, body and soul destroyed, losing even the chance at reincarnation."

"A ruthless man indeed..."

Qin Sang edged closer, listening with astonishment. He murmured, "So it is really him!"

Back when he had first arrived in Canglang Sea and landed on the Witch God Continent, he had already heard of Old Devil Fang’s legend.

His deed was truly earth-shaking, even in remote Xijiang his story was told. What was more shocking was that he had succeeded, transformed into a spiritual insect, and still lived. The grand witch priest herself welcomed him, clearly valuing him highly.

It seemed not only had he used this path to break the bottleneck of the Spiritual Infant Realm, but his cultivation had not stagnated. He now stood as an equal to the grand witch priest.

"Senior Fang is also a late-stage Spiritual Infant master?" Qin Sang could not help but ask.

The witch cultivator glanced at him. Hearing Qin Sang also call him senior, his tone softened. "Senior Fang’s case is unique, unmatched. No one can say what his exact realm is. But his fame is no less than the grand witch priest’s. I imagine his strength is not far behind."

Qin Sang listened to more tales of Old Devil Fang, though no one dared say too much with the man present.

For Old Devil Fang bore not only fame but infamy as well. He was a figure both righteous and evil, cruel and ruthless.