Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 306: Separation

The Hook Snake was actually assaulting the barrier.

Though the disturbance was still minor, under the persistent attacks of the Hook Snake, the barrier's fluctuations would intensify, possibly to the point of breaking. If that happened, it would inevitably attract the attention of others, and the secret of the grand hall would be exposed to the world.

If people entered and discovered the spiritual herbs inside had been harvested and detected the residual aura left by the deaths of Yu Kong and his group...

Luo Xingnan turned and left without hesitation.

Shangguan Lifeng, too, dared not stay to heal his wounds. He swiftly sat up from the ground and cleaned the blood from his body.

Qin Sang erased the lingering aura in the grand hall, reinforced the barrier to delay intrusions as much as possible, and feigned normalcy as he fled down the mountain. He soon arrived at the entrance of the protective array, relieved that he had not alerted anyone along the way.

Several locations of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion were far from tranquil, with skirmishes breaking out frequently.

No one had yet noticed the unusual events within the Grand Hall of Offerings.

Qin Sang and Luo Xingnan exchanged glances and entered the protective array almost simultaneously.

It was the same wind array they had encountered when entering. Both Shangguan Lifeng and Qin Sang were familiar with its mechanisms. Before the array's full power unfolded, they easily located the wind tunnel symbolizing the exit.

"What are your plans once you leave?"

As they sped toward the wind tunnel, Qin Sang asked the white-robed scholar.

The scholar, understanding what Qin Sang was implying, hesitated briefly before replying, "I’m accustomed to traveling alone. I won’t be accompanying you all. Farewell."

This answer was entirely unexpected for Qin Sang. He hadn't anticipated that, under Luo Xingnan’s watchful eye, the scholar would choose to go off on his own.

Unless this person was confident in evading Luo Xingnan’s pursuit.

Qin Sang recalled that Wandering Man had previously mentioned the scholar’s exceptional skill in evasion techniques. It seemed he truly had his methods.

Frowning silently, Qin Sang listened as Shangguan Lifeng spoke in a grave tone, "Do you not fear that Luo Xingnan will kill you for your treasures? You’ve seen his nature firsthand. Do you believe he’ll just let this go? If we don’t unite against him now, won’t we just be at his mercy?"

The scholar countered, "Unite? How? The Golden Ring Array is destroyed, the Daoist Master is drained, and you are gravely injured without time to recover. How many more strikes can you manage? I’m not skilled in combat, and even with Daoist Master Qingfeng, we’d still be at his mercy."

Shangguan Lifeng was momentarily speechless. "But Luo Xingnan is also injured, and Daoist Master Qingfeng has a talisman astra..."

"Luo Xingnan also has a talisman astra."

The scholar sighed softly. "Let me offer a word of advice: If you’re not confident in escaping, consider your options carefully. Surrendering to Luo Xingnan isn’t the only choice. With so many late-stage Foundation Building experts in this cave dwelling, surely someone can provide protection."

As he spoke, the wind tunnel loomed ahead, and wind spheres began forming around them.

"With that, I’ve said all I’ll say. Farewell!"

The scholar clasped his hands in a gesture of parting and suddenly accelerated, darting into the wind tunnel ahead of the others.

Outside Qiuhong Market...

The severed limbs of Cloud Beasts littered the area, but no figures were visible. Everyone had entered the cave dwelling in search of treasure.

A streak of evasion light emerged from the cavern—it was the scholar. Without pausing, he retrieved a spirit talisman from his Mustard Seed Pouch, activated it with a gentle tap of his spiritual power, and shattered it.

A wisp of breeze emerged from the talisman, wrapping around the scholar.

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A pair of ethereal wings then appeared on his back.

With a light flap, the wings propelled him forward, his speed surpassing even Luo Xingnan’s.

However, before the scholar could get far, a meteoric streak of dazzling evasion light flew past him, overtaking him with astonishing speed.

Inside the evasion light, a bamboo boat was revealed.

During this time, Qin Sang hadn’t been idle. Holding a spirit stone, he had consumed countless spiritual pills, restoring most of his spiritual power. Now, he could sustain the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat for a while.

Unfortunately, that time would be limited.

The scholar stood in stunned disbelief. He had seen Wandering Man use the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat before, and while it was slightly faster than most early-stage Foundation Building cultivators, he had never imagined its full-speed burst would be this astonishing.

Suddenly, realization dawned on him. His expression changed drastically as he slapped his Mustard Seed Pouch, summoning a palm-sized incense burner.

The ancient bronze incense burner was intricately carved with dragon motifs, its three dragon heads converging at the top, emitting a wisp of curling smoke from their mouths.

Spat!

The scholar opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood and essence directly onto the incense burner.

The blood and essence was instantly absorbed by the burner, leaving no trace. A blood-red sheen spread across its surface, and dense smoke gushed out, twisting erratically in the air. Faint dragon roars echoed as the three dragon carvings seemed to come to life.

With his essence drained, the scholar's face turned pale, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes. Gritting his teeth, he uttered a single word, "Explode!"

Boom!

The incense burner shattered.

The smoke within surged forth, transforming into a colossal dragon.

At that very moment, Luo Xingnan revealed himself. The Yin-Yang Luopan in his hand spun rapidly, emitting beams of white light. Just as the light was about to land on the scholar, the dragon-shaped smoke let out a silent roar and lashed out, shattering the white light and sparing the scholar from being captured by the Yin-Yang Luopan.

The scholar, without glancing back, directed the dragon-shaped smoke toward Luo Xingnan and flapped his ethereal wings, fleeing in the opposite direction of Qin Sang and the others.

By the time Luo Xingnan dispelled the smoke, both the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat and the scholar had gained a significant lead, heading in opposite directions.

Luo Xingnan's expression darkened, but after a brief moment of hesitation, he chose to abandon pursuit of the scholar. Instead, he unleashed his full speed, chasing after the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat.

Although he couldn’t immediately catch up, Luo Xingnan was in no hurry. The area was wide and open, allowing him to keep a distant tail. He was confident that Qin Sang, burdened with two wounded individuals, wouldn’t be able to maintain such speed indefinitely.

As expected, it wasn’t long before the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat, speeding across the horizon, suddenly dimmed and faltered, swaying as if it could no longer continue. The boat then shifted direction, diving into a nearby mountain range.

This was a clear sign of someone exhausting their spiritual power while operating an artifact.

Luo Xingnan’s eyes lit up as he accelerated in pursuit.

The mountain range ahead was jagged and perilous, with peaks resembling blades, steep and treacherous.

Qin Sang, suppressing his evasion light, quickly surveyed the area and spotted a mountain cave. Retracting the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat, he turned to Shangguan Lifeng and asked, "Daoist Shangguan, are you willing to make a stand against Luo Xingnan?"

"This man avenged my master’s death, and I repaid the debt as agreed. Later, he betrayed me, so we can consider the score settled," Shangguan Lifeng replied resolutely, his tone unwavering.

"You, Daoist Master, saved my life by fleeing with me instead of abandoning me. For that life-saving grace, I am profoundly grateful. If there is anything I can do to repay you, just say the word. Though my strength is limited, I will give my all!"