Gateway of Immortality

Chapter 157: The Unexpected

Splash!

A layer of the barrier shattered with a crisp sound.

Immediately after, countless Fire Crows of varying sizes rushed into the pond one after another. The clear water in the pond visibly dwindled, and at last, the core of the grand array’s barrier was exposed to everyone!

The water had dried up, and the once-deep pond had turned into the entrance of a large underground cave. The gaping hole looked like a giant black maw.

A deep blue light shield covered the entrance. Though not as deep as the pond itself, it was thick and solid, sealing the hole tightly. Some Fire Crows landed on the shield but were immediately extinguished, failing to leave the slightest impact.@@@@

Inside the light shield, countless runes flickered and rotated slowly, shrouding the scene in mystery. Though the pond had dried up, the dense shield continued to block everyone’s vision, preventing them from seeing into the cave below. Moreover, when anyone attempted to probe the shield with their spiritual consciousness, it was instantly repelled.

As the core barrier revealed itself, Qingting fixed her attention on the area below, sending out a few strands of spiritual consciousness to test the shield while silently chanting something. Her expression was tense.

After a long while, the tension on Qingting’s face disappeared, replaced by excitement. "This barrier matches my predictions!

Hearing this, Qin Sang and the others let out sighs of relief.

Qin Sang glanced at Qingting with admiration. She had deduced the patterns of the entire array simply by analyzing the upper layers of the barrier—a remarkable feat. Few in the Foundation Building Realm could match her skills.

"Everyone, be careful! We are about to break the array. Follow my commands precisely—there’s no room for error!" Qingting warned sternly.

Everyone nodded in agreement, quickly focusing their minds and preparing their Fire Crow Tokens.

Qingting took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on the shield. She pointed at the Fire Crow Array, and immediately, thousands of Fire Crows dived toward the pond with loud cries. The scene looked like a rain of Fire Crows, though these birds represented only a fraction of the entire Fire Crow Array.

Bang, bang...

The Fire Crows accelerated, like arrows shot from a bowstring, fearlessly crashing into the blue light shield and shattering upon impact. Yet, the flames they left behind continued to burn, latching onto the shield like a relentless disease, with fiery blazes consuming the surface.

Qingting furrowed her brows slightly and summoned another swarm of Fire Crows, repeating the same method.

Suddenly, the previously unmoving shield trembled slightly, and the runes within began to spin rapidly. A deep blue light surged, and the power of the barrier retaliated, extinguishing most of the flames on its surface.

Qingting, however, was not disheartened but instead grew more excited, once again activating the Fire Crow Array.

Wu Yuesheng’s words caused a sudden, tense silence. Everyone exchanged looks, their faces a mixture of excitement and anxiety, but no one dared to speak hastily.

Yu Dayue cleared his throat and said with an awkward smile, "We’ve come this far, are we really going to give up now? It would be a waste of all our efforts over the past few months."

"Hmph! You can leave, but I’m not going anywhere," Li Zai said coldly, "With so many experts here, if we flee in fear without even seeing what’s inside because of a little black mist, we'd become the laughingstock of the cultivation world. I won’t disgrace myself like that!"

Qin Sang narrowed his eyes slightly, quietly observing the others.

Although there was doubt written on everyone’s faces, none of them seemed ready to leave. Since they had made it this far, there was no turning back, and Qin Sang was no exception. However, that black mist was clearly ominous. It would be wise to observe after breaking the barrier, rather than rushing in head first.

Qingting had been staring at the crack the entire time, seemingly unaware of the debate around her. Suddenly, she shouted urgently, "Quick! Everyone, attack the crack together—don’t let it close!"

Startled, everyone realized that the shield was slowly healing itself, and the crack was shrinking. Without hesitation, they quickly activated their Fire Crow Tokens.

Boom! Boom!

The light shield endured a barrage of continuous assaults, causing the entire gorge to tremble. The crack grew larger and larger.

"Give it everything you’ve got! Hold nothing back!" Qingting commanded loudly.

The group’s faces grew tense, and the Fire Crow Array roared into overdrive. Streams of fiery essence flowed endlessly from the seven Fire Crow Tokens, causing the Fire Crow spirits within to dim more and more.

Crack!

Under the relentless assault, several more cracks appeared around the initial one. Some spread toward the center of the shield, while others extended to the edges. The number of cracks kept increasing, and it was only a matter of time before the barrier would break completely.

Just as Qingting urged them to draw all the remaining fire essence from their Fire Crow Tokens and spare no effort, an unexpected event occurred!

Boom!

The light shield, which had only a few tiny cracks, suddenly shattered on its own.

Caught off guard, everyone froze in shock. The fragments of the shield plummeted into the dark abyss below with startling speed, followed immediately by a powerful suction force erupting from the depths!