Gateway of Immortality

Aside from the Lightning-Devouring Falcon, no outsiders should have been able to spy on that place under normal circumstances. The two cultivators likely never imagined that someone would dare set up a teleportation array right under the falcon's nose, and thus made no further effort to conceal themselves, unleashing their full strength to slay the beast.

At this thought, Qin Sang cast a sidelong glance toward the demons from Heavenly Demon Hill. The absence of the Lightning-Devouring Falcon suggested that, despite also being demons, Heavenly Demon Hill and the Endless Valley were clearly not aligned.

Even if those two had failed to kill the Lightning-Devouring Falcon, they didn't need to worry about their identities being exposed.

A surge of thoughts rushed through Qin Sang's mind. Instinctively, he glanced toward Wandering Man, only to find Wandering Man looking straight at him, a rare seriousness in his expression.

Qin Sang parted his lips slightly, hesitating over whether to inform Dongyang Bo of the matter.

First, it would be hard to explain why, as a mere middle-stage Foundation Building cultivator at the time, he had ended up in the deepest part of the Endless Valley, and how he'd seen the two cultivators from Wuji Sect without being discovered.

Second, all of this was mere speculation without any solid proof. Recklessly accusing Spiritual Infant cultivators might only result in reprimand and severely damage Dongyang Bo's impression of him.

Hopefully, he was just overthinking.

As Qin Sang wrestled with his thoughts, Wandering Man's voice suddenly came through via transmission.

"Brother Qin, are you certain it was him?"

Qin Sang paused, realizing that Wandering Man was asking him to confirm whether the other black-robed man was truly the Wuji Sect's leader.

Wandering Man had not witnessed the battle between the two Spiritual Infant cultivators and the Lightning-Devouring Falcon, so he couldn't identify the Wuji Sect's leader.

Qin Sang wasn't sure why Wandering Man would ask him of all people, but after a brief thought, he replied simply, "Yes."

He didn't elaborate.

Wandering Man didn't press further. "If it's hard for you to explain, I'll speak on your behalf."

Qin Sang felt a wave of relief and nodded.

Wandering Man then walked over to Daoist Master Chongyi, bowed respectfully, and whispered a few words.

Daoist Master Chongyi responded by activating a faint glow from his jade ruyi, which enveloped Wandering Man. He listened quietly for a moment, gave a slight nod, and remained expressionless. With a casual wave, he dismissed Wandering Man.

Qin Sang observed for a while longer, but seeing no further action from Daoist Master Chongyi, he let the matter rest.

A short time later, all the Spiritual Infant cultivators had finished their preparations.

The red-haired grandmaster and Daoist Zhenyi acted in unison, opening a gap in the star chart, and shouted, "Those holding the Ziwei Secret Talisman, enter the array at once!"

No one dared hesitate. The talisman holders had already gathered together in advance, and upon hearing the order, they scrambled toward the Small Polaris Array.

Once they entered, the grand array sealed shut, and the star chart began to rotate, slowly drifting forward as it spun.

All present were protected within the array, advancing together toward the eye of the storm.

The star chart suppressed the vortex.

Despite the storm's powerful impact, the star chart remained firmly intact, though visibly strained, still shielding them completely and allowing the group to press forward in confidence.

They encountered no obstacles and soon approached the area the Feathered Demon King had indicated earlier. There, a faint cloud mist drifted about, with no visible trace of the celestial array.

At the very front, the red-haired grandmaster and Daoist Zhenyi raised their palms and struck the Small Polaris Array in unison.

The Polaris flared brightly and suddenly shot forth a beam of starlight.

Like an arrow, the beam pierced through the sea of stars and shot straight into the void.

Boom!

Mysterious runes reappeared, and the vast celestial array manifested once again before everyone's eyes.

The starlight struck the array, rippling across the runes, but failed to break through, only causing waves of disturbance.

Yet the red-haired grandmaster and Daoist Zhenyi were undeterred. They kept activating the Small Polaris Array, releasing increasingly larger and denser beams of starlight to hammer at a single point on the celestial array.

With each blast, thunderous booms echoed through the air.

The array's fluctuations grew increasingly violent, and at last, cracks began forming across the runes.

Crack!

The celestial array was finally breached, revealing a dark, deep passage within. The surrounding runes rushed to patch the gap, but couldn't fully cover the breach in time.

The red-haired grandmaster's eyes lit up. With a sweeping gesture of his arm, he shouted, "Enter the array!"

The star chart flared with light.

In a flash, it shot into the breach at the last possible moment, and almost immediately after they slipped inside, the gap closed behind them and the celestial array returned to its original state.

Whoosh! Whoosh...

In the next instant, the world before them abruptly dimmed.

They had entered a realm of endless raging winds.

Above and below stretched a hazy yellow void, with gales howling from all directions, every step forward felt nearly impossible.

This wind was no ordinary wind, but a divine storm capable of eroding soul and bone. Deep within the gale lay utter chaos; nothing could be seen.

The terrifying wind struck the Small Polaris Array with immense force.

Cries of alarm erupted.

Qin Sang felt a heavy pressure crash against his chest, his vital energy surging wildly. The Beast Seal Array formed by the five of them nearly fell apart but thankfully, a strange power quietly flowed into them, shielding them just enough to stabilize the array.

It was Chenyan.Qin Sang realized, shocked by the might of the celestial array.

With the Small Polaris Array shielding them from above, Dongyang Bo's protection beside them, and the beast seals guarding their bodies, they still couldn't withstand the full force of the divine winds. No wonder the others were certain they would die, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

After enduring the first wave of assault, the Small Polaris Array paused briefly before pressing onward through the divine winds.

Along the way, they encountered all manner of divine winds.

There were bone-piercing cold winds, no less powerful than the Malevolent Frost Wind.

There were yin winds filled with the wails of ten thousand ghosts.

There were extreme yang winds that could burn the heavens and boil the seas, blazing sunlight seemingly hidden within the storm.

There was even a terrifying wind of void—utterly silent and invisible, appearing calm and harmless, yet nearly erased a corner of the Small Polaris Array the moment it touched them.

...

This feast of divine winds featured many that could only be found in ancient texts, some of which no one had ever even heard of, yet here they surged through the celestial array, ever-shifting and unpredictable.

They had traveled through the array for a long time, and still, there was no end in sight.

Seeing that the Small Polaris Array remained stable, able to resolve each crisis, Qin Sang gradually relaxed and turned his attention to appreciating the divine winds of the celestial array.

It was beyond imagining. How had the ancient cultivators gathered so many strange and wondrous winds, tamed them, and sealed them inside this celestial array as a form of defense?

It was said that these divine winds were only a small fraction of the array's power that remained after Ziwei Palace had fallen. In its complete form, divine winds were merely one of the obstacles within the full celestial array.

And even these were incomplete.

The Small Polaris Array drifted like a lone sail in the vast void, navigating on its own. There was no telling when it would reach the end.

After passing through another wave of wind, the path ahead plunged into darkness. Everything became eerily calm.

But everyone was on high alert. The last time they had seen such a scene, they had accidentally triggered a blast of Void Wind, and nearly suffered a disaster.

"The heavenly gate is ahead!"

Someone shouted.

In the depths of the endless void, a faint white light shimmered. The vague outline of the heavenly gate flickered in and out of sight.

"The final trial!"

A wave of elation swept through the group. Everyone silently cheered and breathed a long sigh of relief.

The Small Polaris Array moved carefully through the gaps between streams of the formless wind, drawing ever closer to the edge of the celestial array.

But just then, an abrupt change occurred!

A strange fluctuation erupted ahead. From the darkness, something unknown surged forth and spread instantly, blocking the path ahead!