Gateway of Immortality

Dongyang Bo had no objections and led his group to the other end of the jade ruyi.

Once everyone was seated, Daoist Master Chongyi activated the jade ruyi. In an instant, the white ruyi was enveloped in a dense azure glow. The glow rapidly expanded until it wrapped around everyone present.

The jade ruyi trembled lightly, then surged forward toward the barrier.

Daoist Master Chongyi shouted, "Open!"

A crack split through the barrier, and chaotic spiritual qi flooded in. Without hesitation, Daoist Master Chongyi drove the jade ruyi straight into the Spirit Tide.

Boom!

A massive, sky-shattering wave surged toward them.

The jade ruyi twisted and darted with remarkable agility, managing to avoid a direct hit. Even so, the shockwave still swept across them. The jade ruyi gave a violent shudder, its azure light dimming briefly, and Qin Sang and the others were thrown into disarray, swaying side to side.

"Stabilize!"

Daoist Master Chongyi and Dongyang Bo acted in unison to stabilize the trembling jade ruyi.

It flicked its tail like a carp and deftly avoided another surge of the Spirit Tide. Then, all of a sudden, it shot forward, its speed surging as it charged deeper into the turbulent tide.

Winds howled, and the waves raged.

The jade ruyi resembled a lone boat in a hurricane so fragile that it seemed it might capsize at any moment.

Everyone's faces turned pale. They were stunned by the terrifying power of heaven and earth, overwhelmed with fear.

And this, it was said, wasn't even the Spirit Tide at its most violent. Even with two Spiritual Infant powerhouses aboard, both wore solemn expressions, not daring to relax in the slightest.

Qin Sang knew that if he left the jade ruyi's protection now, he would be utterly annihilated. He sat cross-legged obediently and remained motionless.

Beside him were Qiu Mubai and the others. The five of them formed a tight circle in the very center.

Chenyan, Iron Crown, and Fengming stood along the outer edges, forming a defensive formation. Dongyang Bo stood alone at the very tail of the jade ruyi, utterly unmoved no matter how fiercely the vessel shook.

Chenyan sat quietly not far from Qin Sang, extremely low-key. She emitted no trace of true essence; even Daoist Master Chongyi had failed to see through her cultivation.

Qin Sang recalled what Granny Jing had told him: Chenyan had already survived the Spiritual Infant Tribulation and was a true Spiritual Infant powerhouse. Yet she had deliberately concealed her identity, likely with hidden intentions.

After flying for some time, the jade ruyi gradually stabilized. The azure glow held steady around them, and the group slowly began to relax. Some even took the time to glance at their surroundings, including Qin Sang.

Looking around, all he saw was the wild and violent Spirit Tide. The chaotic spiritual qi had gathered into dense clusters, some of which resembled giant serpents roaming recklessly through the sky.

Even the smallest of these clusters was as large as a giant whale. The largest stretched across the horizon, their full forms impossible to discern.

Unstable and restless, they constantly shifted in shape and size, scattering and coalescing with startling speed. Some leapt hundreds of zhang in the blink of an eye, perfectly avoiding them was an impossible task.

There was little room to maneuver. Even with two Spiritual Infant cultivators controlling the jade ruyi, it still suffered occasional strikes from the Spirit Tide. Fortunately, the jade ruyi was extraordinarily durable, and no serious harm was done.

"Look! Over there!"

A startled cry rang out as someone pointed into the distance.

Everyone followed the direction of the finger and saw, far to the northeast, a pillar of blazing red light erupting into the sky. It pierced the heavens like a sword, clearly visible even amid the chaos of the Spirit Tide.

"A hidden realm!"

The group's spirits soared.

The sudden emergence of such a light could mean only one thing: the barrier of a hidden realm had been triggered by the Spirit Tide.

The cultivators of the major sects exchanged information swiftly. It turned out that the site didn't belong to any known faction, suggesting that a new hidden realm had just emerged!

Unfortunately, the hidden realm lay far away, and even the two Spiritual Infant cultivators dared not traverse the Spirit Tide recklessly. What's more, Ziwei Palace was the main objective, so there was no chance they would veer off-course to investigate.

Several among them made a mental note of the hidden realm's location, agreeing to return and explore it after their journey to Ziwei Palace. Judging by the anomaly alone, that hidden realm was undoubtedly extraordinary. There could very well be a great treasure inside.

But before they could finalize their plans, the pillar of light suddenly rippled and collapsed with a thunderous roar.

In an instant, the red glow vanished, and the anomaly disappeared without a trace.

Sigh!

Everyone sighed in disappointment, regret heavy in their voices.

There was a ninety percent chance that the protective barrier around that hidden realm had failed—shattered by the Spirit Tide.

Even if the hidden realm hadn't been completely destroyed by the tide, very few treasures could have survived.

Such occurrences were not uncommon in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, and there was little anyone could do about it.

Still, the incident served as a reminder for Qin Sang. He stopped meditating, widened his eyes, and began scanning the surroundings in all directions, hoping to spot another hidden realm like it.

Having achieved Core Formation, he had embarked on a new chapter of his journey. If he could locate one or two unexplored hidden realms to plunder, he would undoubtedly gain a sizable harvest.

What was beneath the notice of Spiritual Infant cultivators was still of great value to him.

Even within the Spirit Tide, unable to travel at full speed and often forced to maneuver evasively, the speed of a Spiritual Infant cultivator's evasion technique was still astonishing.

According to Granny Jing, they needed to first reach a predetermined location to rendezvous with the others.

The deeper one ventured into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, the stronger the Spirit Tide became. Only by joining forces could the Spiritual Infant cultivators dare to breach the inner region and enter Ziwei Palace.

The Ancient Immortal Battlefield was lit brilliantly by the light of the Spirit Tide, blurring the distinction between day and night. No one knew how long they had been flying—the jade ruyi had not paused for even a moment. Even the mighty Spiritual Infant cultivators were beginning to show signs of fatigue.

They had just broken free of yet another entanglement of chaotic spiritual qi.

Suddenly, a massive black shadow loomed ahead.

It stretched from east to west, with no end in sight in either direction, spanning the entire field of vision like a colossal dragon lying prone across the earth. Upon closer inspection, it was actually a majestic mountain range. It was towering and imposing, like a natural fortress.

What was most striking, however, was the scene atop three of its peaks, where three distinct auras of light flickered.

On the easternmost mountain, black demonic qi surged wildly, blotting out the sky. Nothing could be seen within the swirling darkness.

Atop the central peak stood a resplendent golden palace, its halls glittering with grandeur. Through the haze, faint human silhouettes could be seen moving within.

The western summit was shrouded in a crimson cloud, completely covering the mountaintop.

The three mountains formed a triangular arrangement, clearly distinct in aura, yet strategically positioned to support one another. Together, they formed a defensive formation that resisted the relentless assault of the Spirit Tide. Among them, the demonic qi and crimson cloud surged with the most vigor, while the golden light appeared slightly dimmer by comparison.

As the jade ruyi approached the base of the mountains...

Four figures flew out from the red cloud. The leader among them was none other than the red-haired grandmaster, sect leader of the Cunyang Sect.

"Haha! So the two of you have finally arrived. We've waited long enough!"

His booming laughter rolled across the skies.

Aboard the jade ruyi, Dongyang Bo and Daoist Master Chongyi exchanged a glance before responding loudly, "We encountered delays along the way. Apologies for keeping everyone waiting. Have the others already arrived?"

The red-haired grandmaster called back, "That's right! The demonic sects and rogue cultivators from Yinshan Stronghold are all accounted for. We're just waiting to link up with the folks from Heavenly Demon Hill, then we'll send word to those old fossils in the Tianxing Alliance!"

Dongyang Bo narrowed his eyes slightly. "Have none of you managed to locate the ancient teleportation array used by the Tianxing Alliance, even after all this time? Otherwise, we wouldn't have needed to come all this way."

"No!" the red-haired grandmaster snapped impatiently, "That old bastard was extremely cautious; he even stayed behind to cover the retreat personally when they left. There was no trail to follow. We have nothing to go on."