Gateway of Immortality

This time, Di Que didn’t directly assign Qin Sang a task. Instead, an unusual fluctuation emanated from his body, accompanied by the ethereal resonance of a demonic sound. Then, out of nowhere, roaring flames ignited, illuminating the stone steps with dazzling brightness. Yet, strangely, there was no trace of scorching heat.

As the flames deepened in color, Qin Sang suddenly felt the temperature around him rising.

This suffocating heat seemed to well up from deep within, so intense that even with his cultivation, he found it difficult to bear. Beads of fine sweat formed on his forehead.

He turned his gaze to Di Que and was stunned to see his appearance had drastically changed.

Di Que’s physical body had completely vanished, replaced by the form of a Fire Monkey. His shape and aura were indistinguishable from a real fiery flying monkey, down to the glint of gold in his eyes.

A flawless replica!

Those eerie golden eyes fixed on Qin Sang, sending a chill through him.

Internally on guard, Qin Sang quietly strategized, still unable to find a clear opportunity to escape despite racking his brains.

Suddenly, Di Que conjured a surge of Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound power, dropping it in front of Qin Sang. Pointing toward the magma lake, he commanded sharply, "You go first!"

Without resisting, Qin Sang obeyed immediately.

With a subtle thought, his fiery disguise enveloped him. He carried out the now-familiar movements, darting out like lightning and rushing into the lava lake at top speed. The moment the monkey horde noticed Qin Sang, chaos erupted.

Di Que let out a strange laugh and vanished on the spot, reappearing at the lake’s edge in the blink of an eye.

Roar!

The Fire Monkeys in the lava lake roared furiously, surrounding Qin Sang. None noticed that a figure resembling one of their own had silently slipped into their midst.

A few monkeys near Di Que noticed this "stranger" and gave him a cursory glance before looking away. They roared and charged at Qin Sang instead, clearly mistaking the elder as one of them.

Qin Sang struggled to fend off the attacks but kept his gaze fixed on Di Que.

He watched as the old man's figure wove like smoke among the countless monkeys, exploiting the chaos to edge closer to the Scarlet Gold Vine. Astonishingly, the monkeys remained entirely oblivious to his presence.

Qin Sang felt a sinking sensation in his heart. Initially, he believed the monkeys’ Fiery Eyes of Truth would penetrate any disguise, making Di Que’s success no better than a coin toss. He expected the old man's deception to be exposed at any moment.

But to his dismay, the old man's disguise was flawless. Even now, the monkey horde hadn’t detected him. The Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound clearly possessed capabilities beyond Qin Sang’s comprehension.

Di Que’s intent was clear. Disguised among the monkeys, he advanced steadily toward the golden fruits dangling from the Scarlet Gold Vine. He was about to reach his target.

Seeing this, Qin Sang’s eyes flashed with resolve. Suddenly, he unleashed all the Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound power within him in one explosive burst.

Having only recently entered the lava lake, Qin Sang had barely used up a fraction of the power. Now, detonating it without reservation created an incomparably deep vortex around him. The vast power transformed into flames, surging outward from Qin Sang’s position to engulf the area in a fiery sea.

Thousands of waves of fire erupted simultaneously.

Blazing flames engulfed the heavens!

The monkeys caught in the firestorm were annihilated if they hadn’t fused, their fire-elemental energy extinguished along with them. Even the exceptionally powerful fused monkeys couldn’t withstand the sudden assault; their bodies cracked cun by cun.

Roar!

The monkeys howled to the sky, madly swinging their enormous staffs to fend off the oncoming fire waves. Bewildered, they couldn’t comprehend why, as creatures of flame, they were now experiencing the terror of death from fire.

Abruptly, they ceased their resistance and leapt toward one another, initiating another round of fusions.

In the blink of an eye, the horde of hundreds of enormous monkeys was halved. The fusion process continued—100 became 50, and the numbers dwindled further...

Seeing the monkeys grow increasingly powerful after fusing, Qin Sang felt as insignificant as an ant, vulnerable enough to be crushed effortlessly. Yet, instead of fear, he was elated!

This was a pattern he had discovered through countless trials.

The fusion of the monkeys wasn’t a process of mutual devouring; it was merely a response mechanism to combat formidable enemies. Once the threat disappeared, they would revert to their original forms, with their strength unchanged from before the fusion.

Because of this, the monkeys lacked a strong instinct to fuse. They would only proceed with fusion until they reached a point sufficient to eliminate the enemy and then halt the process.

Now, Qin Sang unhesitatingly detonated the Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound to create the illusion of an overwhelmingly terrifying enemy invasion. This would compel the monkeys to fuse frantically, boosting their power.

Qin Sang’s goal was to fabricate several formidable foes for Di Que!

Although Di Que could disguise himself perfectly, the moment he made a move to pluck the Scarlet Gold Vine’s fruit, the monkeys would inevitably notice.

If the monkeys only began fusing after Di Que revealed himself, it would be too late to stop him. Thus, Qin Sang’s plan was to preemptively prepare several divine monkeys to entangle Di Que, creating a distraction that would allow Qin Sang to escape!

The cultivators outside had already begun working together to break the barrier. As long as Qin Sang could get out of here and join them, their status as disciples of the same sect would likely force Di Que to hold back, wary of openly attacking. Qin Sang reasoned that he and Di Que had no personal grievances. Having assisted the elder in stealing the spiritual fruit, Di Que would probably retreat if the situation turned unfavorable rather than relentlessly pursue him.

As for the so-called "reward" Di Que had promised, Qin Sang had never harbored the slightest expectation for it.

What Qin Sang feared most was that Di Que, having tasted success, might keep him captive as a perpetual pathfinder.

That was something that Di Que could definitely do!

He had fought the monkeys long enough to understand them well. Their singular focus and lack of adaptability allowed him to survive his repeated tests.

But if Di Que ordered him to probe the forbidden grounds of the estate, facing its myriad unpredictable and mysterious barriers, even with the Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound, Qin Sang couldn’t guarantee his continued survival.

At that point, even having his body intact might become a luxury.

With this realization, Qin Sang had been relentlessly contemplating an escape plan. This was the first viable opportunity he had seen, and he was determined to seize it!

After unleashing the Thousand-Transformation Divine Sound, Qin Sang immediately merged with his sword and flew decisively toward the edge of the lava lake. He wasn’t far from the lake’s boundary, and in no time, he broke free from the encirclement of monkeys, heading straight for the stone steps.

As he fled, Qin Sang glanced back toward the center of the lava lake.

Di Que had already stealthily reached the Scarlet Gold Vine and firmly grasped the fruit with one hand. With a gentle tug, the fruit disappeared into thin air, stored away.

At the moment the fruit was plucked, the Scarlet Gold Vine suddenly withered. It shrank at an astonishing speed, transforming into a withered vine before crumbling into ashes and dispersing.

At the base of the Scarlet Gold Vine, a small segment of root appeared to remain.

Perhaps, given enough time, the Scarlet Gold Vine would regrow. However, it would take a long time before it bore fruit again.

The growth cycle of such spiritual fruits was exceedingly long. Even if it wasn't as long as the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid, it would take a few centuries.