Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 304: Flawless Orb

The white-robed scholar sighed and shook his head. "The Yin-Yang Luopan... Sheng Yuanzi met his end because of it."

Yet, no one felt any sympathy for Ge Yuan.

When disaster strikes, everyone looks out for themselves. If Ge Yuan had simply tried to escape for his life, no one would have blamed him.

But he had deliberately chosen to flee at the exact moment the Human Head Owls attacked, clearly intending to use the others as shields to buy himself time to escape.

Among those he betrayed was Wandering Man, who had once saved his life.

Had Wandering Man not acted quickly to stabilize the array, Ge Yuan’s sudden departure might have caused the Golden Ring Array to collapse, leading to their slaughter under the talons of the Human Head Owls!

Ge Yuan had timed his escape well, but he never anticipated being targeted by Luo Xingnan. Caught in the Yin-Yang Luopan's suction and repulsion, Ge Yuan was toyed with and flung directly into the jaws of a Hook Snake King.

The snake’s maw was mere inches from his face, its fetid breath reeking of decay. Yet, mingled with the stench was a faint, intoxicating sweetness emanating from the crimson mist.

Remembering the mist’s dangers, Ge Yuan shuddered and held his breath, refusing to inhale.

Ge Yuan’s most trusted artifacts were a pair of hook swords, one large and one small, differentiated as male and female.

Now, with the snake’s crimson tongue extending from its maw, less than a cun away, Ge Yuan dared not hesitate. In desperation, he summoned his artifacts and directed them fiercely at the snake’s mouth.

Two streaks of sword light, one azure and one red, shot forward, piercing straight into the snake’s maw.

The Hook Snake King reacted swiftly, jerking its head to the side. It avoided the deadly strike to its brain but paid the price of having its tongue severed.

The severed tongue flew far away, and blood gushed from the Hook Snake King’s mouth like a fountain.

Enraged by the pain, the Hook Snake King went berserk, its vicious eyes locking onto Ge Yuan.

Little did it know, Ge Yuan’s actions played right into Luo Xingnan’s hands.

The Hook Snakes, though fewer in number and weakened, were still formidable. The two Hook Snake Kings, in particular, worked together seamlessly, making them exceedingly difficult to handle. Luo Xingnan had been unable to find an opportunity to prepare his talisman astra and was covered in wounds, on the brink of collapse.

Ge Yuan’s misfortune presented a perfect opportunity.

Though Ge Yuan was no match for the Hook Snake King, he only needed to hold its attention for a moment and disrupt its coordination to give Luo Xingnan a chance to escape.

The opportunity couldn’t be wasted.

Luo Xingnan took a deep, labored breath, pouring all his spiritual power into the Yin-Yang Luopan. A burst of black light forced the second Hook Snake King to retreat slightly, giving Luo Xingnan the opening he needed to break free.

Nearby, Shangguan Lifeng, wounded and struggling against the Hook Snakes, saw Luo Xingnan escape and immediately sheathed his blade to follow.

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Unexpectedly, Luo Xingnan, noticing the Hook Snakes still in pursuit, flashed a sinister look and abruptly turned the Yin-Yang Luopan on Shangguan Lifeng.

Swoosh!

Shangguan Lifeng froze in disbelief, unable to fathom the betrayal. He had followed Luo Xingnan loyally, honoring their agreement, only to meet such an end.

A bitter smile crossed Shangguan Lifeng’s face as he swung his saber, unleashing a wave of saber qi to counter the black light. However, the force halted his movement, and by the time the black light dissipated, the Hook Snake King was upon him.

The entire turn of events unfolded in the blink of an eye, shifting the battlefield’s dynamics rapidly.

Luo Xingnan, sacrificing two lives, managed to escape.

At this critical moment, Qin Sang could no longer worry about revealing his capabilities. He reached for his Mustard Seed Pouch to retrieve the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions, ready to fight to the death.

Before he could act, Wandering Man, his face heavy with resolve, turned to him and spoke solemnly. "Brother Qin, the rest will depend on you!"

Qin Sang’s heart sank. "Senior, you—"

Before he could finish, a radiant light gathered in front of Wandering Man. From within the light, the Flawless Orb slowly ascended. Its depiction of wind and lightning, of yin and yang in constant flux, appeared even more vivid, intricate, and otherworldly than before.

Wandering Man had previously mentioned that activating the Flawless Orb required overextending his Qihai. It was now evident that he hadn’t been exaggerating. Spiritual power surged wildly from Wandering Man’s body into the Flawless Orb, the intense fluctuations visible to the naked eye.

However, this time was markedly different from when they were in the subterranean magma chamber. Not only was the Flawless Orb draining his spiritual power, but it also seemed to be consuming his vital energy!

Wandering Man, whose face had already appeared aged, now looked deathly pale, devoid of any color. The wrinkles on his face deepened, and his aura weakened at an alarming rate, leaving him in a state of extreme frailty.

It would not be an exaggeration to describe his condition as "hanging by a thread."

However, the immense changes in the Flawless Orb that followed were nothing short of astonishing.

Even Luo Xingnan, busy as he was, noticed the anomaly from afar and turned his head in surprise.

For the first time, Qin Sang witnessed Wandering Man unleash the Flawless Orb’s full power.

The orb erupted with brilliant light, dazzling blue radiance radiating in all directions, transforming it into what seemed like a miniature azure sun. A ferocious and overwhelming aura emanated from the Flawless Orb, wild and unrelenting.

This aura was peculiar, bearing an uncanny resemblance to demonic qi. Both the Human Head Owls and the Hook Snakes grew visibly uneasy and restless under its influence.

The white-robed scholar was deeply shocked and murmured to himself, "This aura feels like demonic qi. Could this artifact have been refined using a demonic core?"

A demonic core is formed only within demonic beasts that have reached the Demonic Core Realm, comparable to the Golden Core of human cultivators.

Such beasts, possessing demonic cores, are as powerful as Core Formation Realm cultivators and are just as rare.

However, whether demonic cores or artifacts refined from them, these items were far beyond the reach of cultivators in the Foundation Building Realm.

Even Qin Sang couldn’t determine whether a demonic core could be used to refine an artifact, leaving him uncertain about the true nature of the Flawless Orb.

He even wondered whether the Flawless Orb might actually be an astra.

But Qin Sang quickly dismissed the notion. If the Flawless Orb were truly an astra, Wandering Man, not being in the Core Formation Realm, wouldn’t have been able to wield it.

The genuine Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions in Qin Sang’s Mustard Seed Pouch was also an astra. Despite multiple attempts, he had failed to activate it. Similarly, the Primordial Unity Ring obtained from Di Que’s possessions also resisted his efforts.

Even so, while the Flawless Orb might not be an astra, its formidable power was undeniable.

If I complete the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions by collecting all ten banners, will it rival the power of the Flawless Orb?

Screech!

The Human Head Owls let out a shrill, anxious cry. One of them suddenly flapped its massive wings and transformed into a streak of black light, hurtling directly toward Wandering Man with a clear intent to attack.

Seeing this, Qin Sang immediately stepped in front of Wandering Man, sparing no effort in activating the power of his talisman astra.

All the projections of the jade ruyi coalesced in Qin Sang’s palm, forming what seemed to be a real ruyi, crafted from the purest jade. Qin Sang raised his hand, and with a faint tremor, the ruyi transformed into a beam of white light that shot forward with incredible speed.

At the same time, the Golden Ring Array, now under the scholar’s control, was fully activated.

This time, however, the Human Head Owl was prepared for the assault.

The weakened Golden Ring Array was easily shredded by its razor-sharp talons, destroying the forbidden artifact entirely.

During the ensuing clash, Qin Sang’s talisman astra also reverted to its original form—a piece of talisman paper fluttering to the ground. It was now covered in countless cracks, indicating it could withstand only one more use at most.