Gateway of Immortality
Chapter 442: Standoff

Chapter 442: Standoff

Both individuals appeared severely injured, but their lives were not in danger.

The Chaotic Island Waters were filled with desolate islands, overgrown with wild grass and moss. Some of the islands were even covered in thick layers of bird droppings.

Yet, these distinguished Core Formation Realm cultivators paid no heed to such conditions. They simply found a flat spot and immediately began meditating to recover, racing against time to heal their wounds.

Not long after the Golden Core cultivators revealed themselves, a series of thunderous booms erupted outside the misty sea, as if someone was attacking the Thousand-Illusion Array of True Waters from the outside.

Due to the barrier of the mist, the explosions sounded muffled, yet their power was immense and relentless.

The misty sea began to tremble.

From within the array, Qin Sang and the others could faintly see bursts of radiant light flickering deep within the mist.

These were manifestations of powerful spells and artifacts. Though still dim and unable to pierce through the mist, the sheer number of glowing orbs put immense pressure on Small Cold Domain's forces.

No one knew how many cultivators the Tianxing Alliance had brought. The orbs of light flickered like an endless display of fireworks, continuously blooming.

Each explosion echoed deep in their hearts. The cultivators whispered among themselves, casting anxious glances at the misty sea. Many bore expressions of unease.

If the array was broken, close-quarters combat would be inevitable. Even if they weren’t slaughtered outright by the Golden Core cultivators, getting caught in the crossfire of their battles would be just as fatal. Everyone could only hope that the Thousand-Illusion Array was strong enough to withstand the Tianxing Alliance’s assault.

Fortunately, though the misty sea churned violently, it remained stable.

As time passed, the cultivators of the Tianxing Alliance seemed to realize that their random attacks were futile. Their assault became more structured, no longer scattered like before.

The orbs of light began to gather, glowing as brilliantly as a blazing sun, advancing and retreating in unison.

Each impact shook the misty sea far more violently than before, making it seem as though it might dissipate at any moment. This only deepened the anxiety of those within.

Faced with the Tianxing Alliance's coordinated assault, the Golden Core cultivators controlling the formation, including one surnamed Di, were struggling to hold on.

Seeing this, Snake Granny roused some of the less-injured Golden Core cultivators to assist in maintaining the Thousand-Illusion Array. She personally took charge of the Foundation Building disciples, guiding them in channeling their spiritual power into the array’s disk, doing their part to support the array.

With these reinforcements, the misty sea gradually stabilized, leading to a deadlock between both sides.

The Tianxing Alliance remained unable to break the array, and their attacks grew increasingly infrequent.

Hail fell from the sky, accompanied by a fierce, chilling wind.

Qin Sang sat cross-legged on a reef, his body drenched in sweat. His Qihai was nearly depleted of spiritual power, yet upon seeing the Tianxing Alliance’s offensive being stalled, he knew that all their efforts had been worthwhile.

The hail gradually turned into fine rain.

The frozen water’s surface melted away in an instant.

The surreal scene left many marveling in astonishment.

For a long time, there was no movement from outside the misty sea. No one knew what the Tianxing Alliance was planning.

Have they given up?

Or are they searching for another way to break the array?

"Old witch!"

A sudden bellow echoed from beyond the misty sea. "Hiding inside your array and refusing to come out—are you planning to stay holed up like a coward forever? If you have any guts, come out and fight me!"

Qin Sang stole a glance at Snake Granny, only to see her focused on assisting the Golden Core cultivator surnamed Di in reinforcing the Thousand-Illusion Array. She didn’t even lift her head, completely ignoring the Tianxing Alliance’s provocation.

Receiving no response, the Tianxing Alliance’s taunts became increasingly venomous.

"Why isn’t the old witch saying anything?"

"Scared out of her wits, I bet!"

"Or maybe she’s too busy dual-cultivating with her snake demon lover? Haha..."

"I’ve long suspected it—just look at how she and that snake demon exchange glances. Their relationship is definitely not simple! But I wonder, since that snake demon hasn’t fully transformed its lower body yet, just how does their dual cultivation work?"

"Dual cultivating with one’s own spirit beast—that’s a first for me! No wonder everyone from Small Cold Domain is called a northern savage. This kind of thing could only be done by an uncivilized barbarian!"

...

Filthy insults mingled with wild laughter as the Tianxing Alliance cultivators hurled every degradation they could muster. The Small Cold Domain cultivators were seething with rage, and some had already begun shouting back.

With the misty sea separating them, the two sides resembled quarrelsome villagers brawling with words at the entrance of a village. Unfortunately, their vocabulary was hardly any richer than that of ordinary mortals.

Even in the world of immortal cultivation, such a spectacle was a rare sight.

Snake Granny remained completely unperturbed, as if the insults of the Tianxing Alliance had not been directed at her at all.

However, the snake-bodied man at her side could not endure it. His serpentine tail thrashed violently against the ground, his crimson forked tongue flickered with increasing intensity, and he let out a menacing hiss. His cold, piercing eyes locked onto the misty sea beyond, and a bone-chilling aura radiated from him, laced with undeniable fury, spreading outward.

Nearby Foundation Building cultivators, unable to withstand such pressure, hurriedly backed away.

Snake Granny reached out and gently stroked the snake-bodied man’s hair before whispering something into his ear. Whatever she said managed to soothe his rage.

Whoosh!

An azure light flared from the snake-bodied man, and when it dissipated, he had transformed into a slender azure snake, no thicker than a finger. In a flash, he coiled around Snake Granny’s wrist, morphing into a snake-shaped bracelet.

Outside, the taunts continued, and the attacks against the array resumed.

With Snake Granny and the others assisting, they managed to hold out for some time. At last, Di opened his eyes, wiped the sweat from his face, and sighed in relief. "The array is complete!"

Though no visible changes could be seen, the Thousand-Illusion Array was now significantly more stable under the Tianxing Alliance’s attacks. Those controlling the array looked much more at ease than before.

Sensing the shift in the array, the Tianxing Alliance cultivators realized that the Small Cold Domain faction had secured their foothold. Their efforts would be in vain, and the thought of retreat began to surface.

"Old witch, let’s see how long you can stay hidden like a coward! If you have the guts, never come out again to search for Zhitian Peak!"

The insults gradually faded into the distance, and soon, it seemed that the Tianxing Alliance had withdrawn.

Just like that, this absurd confrontation appeared to have come to an end.

Vice Island Master Xiao let out a soft sigh. "What a pity. So it was true—Zhitian Peak has appeared nearby! Had we known earlier, we would have sent more Core Formation cultivators to search for it... The Tianxing Alliance scoundrels, even without solid information, could still make an educated guess. They won’t let this go so easily. I suspect they’ll gather their forces and return."

From where they were meditating and healing, Fang and Shentu weakly admitted, "It’s our fault... We weren’t careful enough and alerted the Tianxing Alliance. Please punish us, Island Masters."

Snake Granny shook her head. "This isn’t your fault. Zhitian Peak is tied to the struggle over Ziwei Palace, and its significance is immense. It’s the Tianxing Alliance’s only chance. Even if Daoist Xiao and I had come personally, we wouldn’t have been able to avoid their spies. Although we know that Zhitian Peak has drifted into the waters ahead, pinpointing its exact location will take time. The barrier surrounding Zhitian Peak is highly concealed—it won’t be easy to discover. The outcome of this battle is still uncertain."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"Now that Zhitian Peak has appeared, this place will become the battleground between Small Cold Domain and the Tianxing Alliance until we find it. A great war is inevitable.:

"It’s best to use the Thousand-Illusion Array as our foundation and rebuild Stargazing Island here."

"The situation is urgent. I will immediately send messages to the various sects, summoning their disciples to reinforce our position."

"Daoist Di, I must also trouble you to send word back to your sect. Request that they dispatch a few more cultivators to help strengthen the Thousand-Illusion Array. Any necessary resources can be taken directly from Stargazing Island."