Gateway of Immortality
Chapter 444: Life or Death, a Game

Chapter 444: Life or Death, a Game

As far as the eye could see, islands of various sizes dotted the waters like a celestial map. Many of these islands already had owners, with houses built upon them.

Most dwellings were simple wooden structures or crude stone houses formed through spells.

Of course, there were also exquisitely designed pavilions and elegant courtyards, clearly the result of careful arrangement, but these were rare. After all, immortal cultivators had been summoned here to engage in battle, not to enjoy themselves.

At the heart of all these islands lay the most striking one—a massive island forged by Snake Granny, who had merged dozens of smaller islands into the newly formed Stargazing Island.

The cave dwellings of Snake Granny and the Golden Core cultivators were located on Stargazing Island and the surrounding isles.

With Stargazing Island as the center, the Foundation Building cultivators of both righteous and demonic factions were distinctly separated. The righteous cultivators mostly gathered in the west, while the demonic sect forces occupied the east, mirroring the general territorial layout of Small Cold Domain.

As more and more cultivators from Small Cold Domain were summoned to the battlefield, the divide between the two factions only deepened. Even on the brink of war, their long-standing animosities could not be set aside.

This was what puzzled Qin Sang the most.

Neither Small Cold Domain nor the Tianxing Alliance seemed truly prepared for an all-out war.

Three years ago, when the standoff in these waters had just begun, both sides lacked manpower, and the defensive array was unstable. Back then, true battles had broken out—fierce, brutal conflicts.

Each side had summoned reinforcements, leading to multiple large-scale clashes outside the misty sea, involving thousands of immortal cultivators on each side. At the most critical moments, Qin Sang and his comrades had been forced to retreat into the misty sea. Unlike now, the Thousand-Illusion Array of True Waters had been far from stable and had nearly been breached.

Of course, there had also been times when the Small Cold Domain had gained the upper hand, launching a relentless pursuit that drove the Tianxing Alliance forces all the way to the Taiqing Lake, nearly razing the area to the ground.

That period had been the most dangerous for Qin Sang, but with the support of his sect and the companionship of his senior brothers, he had survived those trials without serious harm.

Overall, the two sides were evenly matched.

Especially after the arrays on both sides had been fully established, each side relied on their respective array to hold their ground, creating a deadlock where neither could decisively defeat the other.

It was important to remember that the Small Cold Domain was fighting on two fronts. The Ancient Immortal Battlefield continued to erupt with anomalies, and the Cloud Beasts were in turmoil, forcing the Small Cold Domain to reserve enough forces to guard the seven strongholds.

The forces dispatched to the Yuncang Marshlands were not the Small Cold Domain’s full strength, yet they were still able to match the Tianxing Alliance evenly in battle.

From this perspective, if it weren’t for the constraints imposed by the Spirit Tide from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, the Small Cold Domain would likely have had an advantage over the Tianxing Alliance. However, before any signs of the Spirit Tide had appeared, the Small Cold Domain had made no effort to invade the Tianxing Alliance’s territory.

Now, even after relocating Stargazing Island to the Chaotic Island Waters, they had not advanced further. Qin Sang found no signs of an aggressive stance from the Small Cold Domain.

Despite the ongoing stalemate, skirmishes never ceased. Yet neither side had committed their full forces to a massive battle. Large-scale clashes involving thousands of immortal cultivators had become rare.

It was as if an unspoken understanding had formed between the Small Cold Domain and the Tianxing Alliance—both sides merely sent out squads of Foundation Building cultivators to roam the vast waters, hunting each other down.

The only directive given to these cultivators was vague: "Patrol the waters. If you detect any unusual fluctuations, report it immediately, and you will be handsomely rewarded."

However, they were never told exactly what kind of fluctuations they were supposed to be looking for.

Even the Core Formation cultivators were not exempt from this endless struggle. Every ten days or so, they, too, would engage in battles. Fortunately, these duels mostly remained within the same stage, with little disparity in power. It was rare for the strong to bully the weak.

Qin Sang paid close attention to the battles between Golden Core cultivators. He needed to assess their strength, so whenever an opportunity arose, he would find a way to observe.

Though not as awe-inspiring as the fight between the Lightning-Devouring Falcon and the two Spiritual Infant powerhouses he had once witnessed, the duels between Golden Core cultivators were still terrifying, with far-reaching effects. Spectating required utmost caution, as it was all too easy to get caught in the crossfire.

Over the past three years, Qin Sang had carefully observed numerous battles while ensuring his own safety. He had gained a fair understanding of Core Formation cultivators' capabilities.

Their strength varied greatly, with clear distinctions between early, middle, and late-stage cultivators.

Aside from cultivation level, astra were also a crucial factor in determining their power.

A mysterious, high-quality astra could provide an overwhelming advantage in combat, forcing the opponent into a defensive position, and in some cases, could even bridge gaps in cultivation level.

However, astra of middle grade or higher were incredibly rare. From what Qin Sang had observed, over ninety percent of the astra used in battle were of low grade, comparable in quality to his ebony sword.

Of course, Qin Sang’s assessments were somewhat limited by his own cultivation level, and his conclusions might not be entirely accurate.

To him, the battles between Golden Core cultivators felt more like arranged duels.

Most duels ended with one party suffering severe injuries and fleeing. Even in the fiercest clashes, the worst outcome was losing one’s physical body, with the primordial spirit and Golden Core successfully coming out unharmed.

In all the battles Qin Sang had witnessed, not a single Golden Core cultivator had truly perished.

As for the Spiritual Infant powerhouses from both sides, they had never shown themselves since the war began.

It was as if Small Cold Domain and the Tianxing Alliance were waiting for some pivotal moment to arrive.

Perhaps it was just an illusion, but Qin Sang couldn’t shake the feeling that what seemed to be a deadly war for them was nothing more than a game to the higher-ranked cultivators.

Sigh!

Qin Sang shook his head helplessly. After leaving the misty sea, he determined his direction and rode his Nether Cloud, soaring over the Chaotic Island Waters before landing on an inconspicuous stone island.

The island was square, flat, and barren, devoid of any vegetation. In reality, it was a single piece of reef rock, stained a bluish-black hue. Unfortunately, it was barely two zhang wide and long. A single stone house had been built on it, leaving hardly any space to stand.

By the standards of the Chaotic Island Waters, this was a tiny island. Yet, Qin Sang had lived on it for three years.

The stone house was his cave dwelling.

Activating the barrier around his cave dwelling, he ensured that no one had trespassed before stepping inside. With practiced ease, he sealed the barrier behind him, then retrieved several spirit stones from his Mustard Seed Pouch and scattered them throughout the cave dwelling.

As the spirit stones embedded into the ground with crisp clinks, a faint glow of a spiritual array illuminated the room. The spiritual qi inside the cave dwelling gradually thickened.

At the same time, the spirit stones on the ground slowly dimmed—a sign that their spiritual power was being drained.

The Chaotic Island Waters had originally been an extremely barren region, with only a single hidden spirit vein, which had been claimed by Pei Qin.

Somehow, after Stargazing Island established itself here and the Thousand-Illusion Array expanded over the Chaotic Island Waters, the spiritual qi in the area had improved. However, it was still far from enough to sustain so many cultivators.

Under such circumstances, no one dared to place their cave dwelling outside the protection of the Thousand-Illusion Array.

Qin Sang's cave dwelling was in a relatively decent location, but for his current cultivation, the spiritual qi was still far too thin. He had no choice but to rely on spirit stones to aid his cultivation.

This, however, made cultivation an extremely costly endeavor. Yet, Qin Sang had already adapted.

In fact, he had come to enjoy it.

Every time he ventured out to battle, the spoils of war from hunting down enemies were his to keep. As long as he kept fighting, he had no trouble sustaining his cultivation.

Thus, he did not hesitate to use his spirit stones, setting up the best spirit-gathering array he could to enhance the spiritual qi inside his cave dwelling. His only goal was to cultivate as quickly as possible—to break through to the Fake Core Realm as soon as he could!