Gateway of Immortality

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly observed secretly from the shadows. There were no other Spiritual Infant cultivators nearby. Fairy Qiuzhi had come alone.

Qin Sang did not attempt to retreat or evade. He understood clearly that once his identity was exposed, Sin Abyss would never allow him to slaughter freely. They would either send experts to subjugate him or dispatch someone capable of countering him to restrain him.

So when Fairy Qiuzhi appeared, Qin Sang was not surprised. Besides, it was not certain who would restrain whom.

Qin Sang had already slain Yue Sanren and then held off a middle-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator from Sin Abyss. His results had already exceeded expectations. Now he only needed to focus on dealing with Fairy Qiuzhi, leaving the rest of the battlefield to others.

With that thought, Qin Sang raised his arm and suddenly withdrew all the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells into his sleeve.

As the devilish flames vanished, he once again summoned the ebony sword. He executed a series of sword arts, and the sword light flickered and surged. The flying sword pointed directly at Fairy Qiuzhi.

"You are Qin Sang!" Fairy Qiuzhi said coldly. "Why are you not using the devilish flames?"

Qin Sang’s devilish banner had already gained a near-mythical reputation. Especially after Old Devil Ye self-destructed his blood devil incarnation, the flames had become something that struck fear into the hearts of the Sin Abyss cultivators.

Yet Fairy Qiuzhi showed no fear. Instead, she wanted to test their power herself.

"If the outcome is decided instantly, would that not be boring? Fairy, why not first find a way to block my flying sword," Qin Sang said calmly.

The ebony sword shone brilliantly, splitting into streaks of sword light that appeared across the void like scattered stars, all pointing toward Fairy Qiuzhi. Killing intent merged into the sword will, seizing the soul and faintly sealing the surrounding space.

Fairy Qiuzhi had notable attainments in the Sword Dao herself, so she felt it more deeply than others. She clearly sensed how profound Qin Sang’s mastery was, and a trace of seriousness flickered in her eyes.

No wonder Yue Sanren lost his life so easily after falling into the sword array. With swordsmanship alone, this man can already secure a high position in Beichen Realm. She thought.

Fairy Qiuzhi snorted coldly. "You killed Yue Sanren without using your stronger devilish banner, instead relying on a sword array. That only shows you lacked confidence in using the devilish flames to trap and kill him. Either the flames have flaws, or you cannot control them perfectly, leaving openings for escape. Now it seems their limitations go beyond that. Their power is unlike anything I have seen in my life, but you have only just reached the Spiritual Infant Realm. You likely cannot sustain such consumption for long, can you?"

Qin Sang’s expression darkened slightly. This woman’s deduction skills were impressive. Without even exchanging blows, she had deduced the weaknesses of the devilish banner from his earlier actions alone.

That was precisely why he had abandoned it and switched back to the ebony sword.

Deploying all eighteen banners consumed far too much energy and could not be maintained for long. Each previous use had been in moments of crisis or against powerful enemies where a decisive kill was required.

Moreover, controlling the banners made it difficult to divide his attention. Now that he was inside enemy territory, he needed to conserve strength to avoid being dragged into a trap.

If he used fewer banners, it was better to rely on his life-bound spiritual sword and the Seven-Yin-Soul Killing Array, which he handled more smoothly.

Seeing Qin Sang remain silent, Fairy Qiuzhi became even more convinced of her judgment. A newly advanced Spiritual Infant cultivator killing a blood devil incarnation sounded like pure fantasy. No matter how strong an astra was, it was still external. Cultivation itself was the foundation.

In the battle at Blood Lake, the true cause had been the situation. If the blood devil incarnation had wanted to escape, Qin Sang would never have been able to stop it.

Whoosh! Fairy Qiuzhi formed a sword seal with her fingers. A mass of yellow light flew from her palm, transforming into a massive dark-yellow greatsword before her, which she grasped firmly.

Her slender fingers wrapped tightly around the hilt, the blade angled toward Qin Sang. Seeing the greatsword, nearly the size of a door panel, Qin Sang could not help but pause.

Fairy Qiuzhi’s petite figure contrasted sharply with the massive weapon. As she wielded it, it created a strange yet striking sense of brutal elegance. She gave a slight shake of her arm.

Dense yellow light erupted from the greatsword, but instead of attacking Qin Sang, it poured onto the ground beneath her.

At the same time, her other hand pointed repeatedly, releasing streams of light. These were spirit talismans. As they merged into the yellow glow, the ground began to ripple. Then, one after another, earth puppets leaped out from the earth.

These puppets were tall and composed of stone blocks, their edges sharp and distinct. Though they appeared heavy, they moved with surprising agility. Each one held a stone sword, replicas of the dark-yellow greatsword.

Swish! The puppets raised their swords high. Resonating with Fairy Qiuzhi’s weapon, an unusual fluctuation spread outward.

"A sword array!" As a fellow sword cultivator, Qin Sang recognized it immediately.

The scene reminded him of the puppet sword array he had encountered in Seven-Kill Hall. Fairy Qiuzhi had seemingly fused her understanding of the Sword Dao with talismanic arts, summoning earth puppets to create a unique sword array.

How could Qin Sang allow her to complete it? Without hesitation, he urged the ebony sword forward in a swift strike!

Sword light fell like rain. Fairy Qiuzhi remained unmoving. Suddenly, she reversed her grip and drove the greatsword into the ground.

Boom! The earth trembled.

Dark-yellow sword light surged into the puppets. They seemed to be plated with golden bodies, their auras rising sharply. They turned in unison, glaring at Qin Sang as their massive swords slashed out!

In the next instant, a thick dark-yellow sword light struck toward the ebony sword at incredible speed, while a curtain of swords appeared before Fairy Qiuzhi.

The ebony sword shattered the incoming strike and pierced into the curtain, but it immediately met immense resistance, as if countless spiritual swords were attacking it in succession.

Qin Sang continuously shifted his sword seals. The ebony sword, incomparably sharp, finally pushed forward toward Fairy Qiuzhi. As the blade trembled, the surrounding void dimmed, and even the brilliance of the greatsword faded.

Just as Fairy Qiuzhi seemed about to suffer the same fate as Yue Sanren, she suddenly rotated her greatsword. The earth puppets seemed to merge with her weapon, and the sword array was fully formed!

Two masters of the Sword Dao clashed head-on.

All the puppets were linked in qi, advancing and retreating in perfect coordination, circling around Fairy Qiuzhi. No matter how Qin Sang shifted his formations, he could not reach her true body.

Yet unbeknownst to him, Fairy Qiuzhi was equally shocked.

She had fused her understanding of the Sword Dao and talismanic arts, and her cultivation was one stage higher than Qin Sang’s. Although she was not as helpless as Yue Sanren had been, she still could not overcome the Seven-Yin-Soul Killing Array in a short time. If not for her strong spiritual consciousness, she would have already been heavily affected.

The sword art this man cultivates must have an extraordinary origin! Fairy Qiuzhi narrowed her eyes slightly and wielded the greatsword to counterattack.

Rumble... The Xun Wind Grand Array and the defensive array of Sin Abyss clashed violently. Fierce winds raged and towering waves surged.

Qin Sang and Fairy Qiuzhi exchanged countless rounds, fighting all the way into the depths of the formation. Their battle showed no overwhelming spectacle.

Within the dim void, undercurrents surged, and bursts of mysterious sword light erupted from time to time. It looked more like two sword masters exchanging techniques than a battle to the death.

Suddenly, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly issued a warning. Qin Sang’s expression changed slightly. His lightning wings flapped, and his figure instantly shifted dozens of zhang to the side.

At the very moment he moved, the ground below silently rippled. Four earth puppets burst out without warning, leaping high into the air. Their massive swords slashed downward in intersecting arcs, sealing all directions and converging on Qin Sang’s previous position.

No one knew what method Fairy Qiuzhi had used to conceal them. They had blended perfectly with the surrounding terrain without the slightest fluctuation. Fortunately, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly had remained vigilant.