Gateway of Immortality

The final golden-armored general shattered, its runes dissolving into a brilliant burst of golden light.

Qin Sang gasped for breath. Fending off six golden-armored generals simultaneously had been no small feat for him, but thankfully, he had managed to overcome them. After storing away his malevolent corpse, Qin Sang swallowed a pill to restore his spiritual power, took a moment to regulate his breathing, and then proceeded toward the end of the corridor.

A wave of scorching heat surged toward him, causing the air to ripple and distort.

Qin Sang activated his spiritual power to form a protective barrier around himself, shielding against the intense heat as he cautiously approached the corridor’s exit.

The moment he stepped out of the corridor, his expression shifted. He spun around abruptly. To his shock, the corridor vanished into thin air, replaced by a smooth, mirror-like stone wall.

Running his hand along the stone wall, Qin Sang found it to be unusually solid. He could not locate any mechanisms or barriers to reopen the corridor—it was as if it had never existed.

Now, he stood atop a circular stone platform with a diameter of nearly three zhang. His solitary figure on the platform made the space feel unusually vast and empty.

At the center of the platform stood a towering stone stele, identical to the one at the entrance. The stele was pitch black, towering over ten zhang high, exuding an ancient aura. Its surface bore no inscriptions.

Qin Sang approached it cautiously, sending out a wisp of spiritual power to probe it. The stele absorbed his spiritual power like a bottomless pit, leaving no ripples or reactions.

It seemed the corridor earlier had merely been an appetizer—the true trial lay ahead!

Peering into the distance, Qin Sang saw a dense, reddish fog shrouding the path forward. The mist limited visibility, with faint wisps curling around him. Fortunately, the fog did not obstruct his spiritual consciousness. Qin Sang extended his spiritual consciousness, sweeping the area within a short radius, finding no resistance.

However, he refrained from extending his spiritual consciousness too far and retracted it promptly.

The fog drifted lazily, much like ordinary mist in the mortal realm. Yet Qin Sang remained on guard, sensing that some unknown presence surely lurked within, awaiting intruders.

The stone platform floated in mid-air, connected only by a massive iron chain that extended deep into the fog. Whatever lay at the chain’s other end was obscured from view.

To either side, the fog concealed everything, leaving nothing discernible. Looking downward, he spotted a thin red line—a river of lava! The fiery glow and searing heat emanating from it confirmed his suspicions.

Because of the fog, only a narrow glimpse of the lava river was visible. Yet Qin Sang knew this was far from its full extent—the actual river was likely much wider than it seemed.

Having surveyed his surroundings, Qin Sang stood at the edge of the stone platform, deep in thought.

Several breaths passed since he had left the corridor. The stone platform remained unchanged, and apart from the shifting fog and surging lava river, the entire space was eerily silent.

Shifting his gaze, Qin Sang fixated on the massive iron chain beneath his feet. It seemed to serve as a clear hint—the trial required him to traverse the chain.

Testing it, he placed one foot on the chain. No matter how much pressure he applied, the chain remained motionless, impressing him with its stability—it was indeed a secure path.

Suddenly, a shadow flickered past.

Qin Sang summoned a zombie, attaching his spiritual consciousness to it, and commanded it to step onto the chain and move forward.

In an instant, the zombie vanished into the depths of the fog.

Moments later, Qin Sang’s expression darkened. A mysterious force abruptly severed his connection to the zombie. The change occurred so swiftly that he had no chance to sense anything before the link was cut off.

Immediately afterward, the fog roiled violently, as if boiling over. It churned and surged, as though a horde of creatures had been roused by the zombie and were now about to emerge.

Frowning deeply, Qin Sang dared not delay. He summoned his ebony sword for protection. Still feeling uneasy, he also deployed the Yan Luo Banner, forming a ghostly array that surrounded him.

He refrained from releasing his malevolent corpse. The entities lurking in the fog might very well be natural enemies of corpse puppets. Losing a zombie was insignificant, but the destruction of his malevolent corpse here would be a grave loss.

Qin Sang had just completed setting up the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions when the creatures within the fog finally emerged. Before he could get a clear view, a deafening hum reverberated in his ears, instantly overwhelming him with a cacophony of chaotic noise.

The sound resembled the cries of strange birds, but when it reached his ears, it felt like a demonic sound drilling into his mind, even beginning to assault his primordial spirit. For anyone else caught off guard, this auditory attack could leave them dazed, utterly vulnerable to whatever came next.

Fortunately, with the protection of his Jade Buddha, Qin Sang remained unaffected. Ignoring the rising and falling discordant cries, he widened his eyes to get a clearer look. Finally, he discerned the source—a massive flock of crimson-hued, monstrous birds bursting forth from the fog.

These creatures were somewhat like eagles. Small and delicate, each bird was no larger than the size of a palm. What made them particularly striking was their entirely scarlet plumage, which resembled blazing flames, as though they were the mythical phoenixes of legend.

Qin Sang had never heard of such strange avian creatures before.

As they emerged, a wave of intense heat surged toward him. The piercing cries that had initially disoriented him were clearly produced by these fiery birds.

"These are... Fire Spirit Beasts?"

A flash of understanding crossed Qin Sang’s mind, and he recalled their origins.

In places rich with fire-elemental energy, unique creatures like these could naturally form over extended periods. They were a type of demonic beast known as Fire Spirit Beasts. Similar phenomena existed for Water Spirit Beasts, Earth Spirit Beasts, and so on.

Born from the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, Fire Spirit Beasts possessed immense power from the moment of their creation. However, for them to develop sentience and undergo complete metamorphosis, their evolution was far more challenging compared to other demonic beasts.

Some Fire Spirit Beasts lacked defined forms, while others assumed shapes resembling birds or animals. There were even humanoid Fire Spirit Beasts. Their appearances and abilities were as diverse as they were unpredictable.

These fiery birds were clearly the avian form of Fire Spirit Beasts.

Considering the lava river below, which had existed for countless millennia, saturated with an overwhelming abundance of fire-elemental energy, it was unsurprising for Fire Spirit Beasts to originate here.

This suggested that the fog likely concealed swarms of these fiery birds and possibly other types of Fire Spirit Beasts as well.

Qin Sang eyed the flock warily. The densely packed mass of fiery birds numbered well over a thousand. Together, they formed a blazing firecloud, surging toward him with an imposing momentum.

The Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions expanded abruptly, encasing Qin Sang within its protective barrier. In the next instant, the fiery cloud engulfed the array entirely.

"Hmm?"

From within the array, Qin Sang controlled his ebony sword, thrusting it into the firecloud. To his surprise, the fiery birds were remarkably fragile. The ebony sword pierced them with ease, reducing them to mere flames that dissipated into nothingness.

The birds had only two means of attack. One was their piercing cries, which acted as a demonic sound capable of assaulting the mind.

The other involved the birds generating fiery hurricanes by flapping their wings in unison. Their feathers transformed into blazing flames, fueling the swirling infernos. However, the hurricanes' strength was unimpressive and failed to shake the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions in the slightest.