Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 348: The Trap

Liang Yan sealed the barrier behind him as he stepped out of the courtyard. His figure paused briefly before a flicker of spiritual power surged over him, and he changed into a black robe, concealing his face within the shadows of his hood.

Glancing at Fengcang Market, he pondered for a moment before swiftly making his way down the mountain.

By this time, the fluctuations of the Heart-Devouring Insect had already left Fengcang Market. Then, in a sudden burst, its speed increased dramatically—clearly, the person had activated an artifact or used an evasion technique.

This allowed Liang Yan to make a rough assessment of the individual’s strength.

They were not fast.

Based on this, Liang Yan estimated that the person’s cultivation was only at the early stage of the Foundation Building Realm.

What he desired most was to control a late-stage Foundation Building cultivator. That way, he could traverse dangerous situations with ease and collect better cultivation resources.

Still, an early-stage Foundation Building cultivator was not a bad option either—far superior to those in the Qi Refining Realm.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Liang Yan had already reached the foot of the mountain.

He deliberately slowed his pace, habitually scanning his surroundings with caution. Finding nothing unusual, he silently activated his evasion technique. In the blink of an eye, his figure disappeared as he stealthily pursued his target.

Having broken through to the middle stage of the Foundation Building Realm, Liang Yan was confident in his ability to chase down the target without assistance from artifacts.

In the distance, he spotted a streak of white light dashing across the sky, heading deep into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

He could vaguely sense fluctuations of spiritual power—confirming his earlier judgment. The person was indeed at the early stage of the Foundation Building Realm.

Within the white light was a shuttle-shaped flying artifact of rather mediocre quality—merely a high-grade artifact, consistent with its owner’s strength.

Liang Yan nodded to himself but did not immediately make a move. Instead, he maintained the maximum tracking range of the Heart-Devouring Insect’s fluctuations, trailing quietly behind while keeping a close watch on the surroundings and the person's movements.

He followed patiently for some time.

No one else was tailing them. From beginning to end, the individual remained alone. ƒreewebɳovel.com

By now, they had traveled far from Fengcang Market. The terrain had begun to shift—mountains rose and fell, and marshlands were gradually swallowed by the encroaching peaks. Near the market, the mist had already been sparse, but here, it had nearly vanished.

Even the lingering scent of decay had faded significantly.

Suddenly, the evasion light ahead flickered and, without warning, disappeared entirely.

Liang Yan showed no sign of urgency. He could easily sense the target’s position through the Heart-Devouring Insect. Without hesitation, he shifted his direction and darted toward the left.

"This path leads to Tianfeng Mountain, Hui Valley, and Thousand-Beast Ridge..."

He murmured to himself. The places he mentioned all lay in this direction, sharing a common trait—though there were no hidden realms, they were teeming with Cloud Beasts, an endless scourge.

Many cultivators hunted Cloud Beasts there, searching for evil spirit-bound items to trade for spirit stones. If luck was on their side, they might even discover a spirit mine.

Back in his early-stage Foundation Building days, Liang Yan had once roamed this area.

Everything aligned perfectly.

His speed suddenly increased.

The target had abandoned their conspicuous flying artifact, relying solely on an evasion technique, which drastically slowed them down. Liang Yan swiftly closed the distance.

Hidden from sight, he silently arrived at a mountaintop, peering ahead.

The barren mountains appeared unremarkable at first glance.

Yet Liang Yan focused his spiritual power into his eyes, staring in a particular direction. Though he could not see his target directly, anyone with sharp enough perception would notice faint spiritual power fluctuations emanating from that spot.

The individual was speeding through the mountains, seemingly oblivious to the looming danger.

Upon seeing this, a cold smile curled on Liang Yan’s lips. Without hesitation, he activated his gu-controlling technique, awakening the parasite.

Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the air. A still-illusory figure was forcibly wrenched from the void, tumbling straight into the marshland at the foot of the mountain.

Splash!

A wave of mud churned violently.

Liang Yan had no intention of killing his target; he merely commanded the Heart-Devouring Insect to severely injure the person’s primordial spirit, ensuring they had no chance to resist. Capturing them alive would allow him to deal with them at his leisure.

The venomous gu worked as expected!

This was a secret art devised by a Spiritual Infant grandmaster. Liang Yan had never even considered the possibility of the Heart-Devouring Insect failing. The moment he activated the gu, his figure moved.

In the blink of an eye, Liang Yan closed the distance. At the same time, a flicker of azure light shone from his palm as a rope-like artifact shot out like a snake—it was one of his most trusted artifacts, the Spirit-Binding Rope.

Whoosh!

The Spirit-Binding Rope transformed into a streak of azure light, agile and precise. Just as it was about to snake into the marsh and bind the target, an unexpected radiance erupted from the mud below.

This light alternated between black and white in a dazzling, disorienting display.

Strangely, the Spirit-Binding Rope was struck by the radiance and immediately lost control, twisting into a tangled mass, unable to advance or retreat in an orderly fashion.

Before Liang Yan could react, a chilling yin wind howled through the valley, and an endless wave of black mist surged forth.

The mist rose from the marsh, revealing six banners standing in its depths. The banners fluttered, exuding an eerie aura, as evil spirits and yin qi continuously poured out.

In an instant, the entire valley was engulfed in ghostly energy. Wailing spirits howled, creating a scene straight out of the underworld.

Within the black mist, countless bizarre silk-like threads lurked unseen, silently rushing toward Liang Yan.

The Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions had been activated!

The person Liang Yan had been tracking was none other than Qin Sang!

It had been a full month since Wandering Man had departed.

One month ago, after sending off Wandering Man, Qin Sang had instructed Tan Hao to remain at Yinshan Stronghold to attempt his breakthrough, while he himself left the stronghold and infiltrated the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. Tan Hao was highly familiar with the area around Yinshan Stronghold and had provided Qin Sang with detailed information.

Initially, Qin Sang had expected some difficulties, but to his surprise, within just a few days, through Tan Hao’s connections, he had located Liang Yan’s cave dwelling in Fengcang Market.

In the past few years, Liang Yan seemed to have grown less cautious, no longer deliberately concealing his tracks. Moreover, since he was constantly accompanied by Shi Hong, he was relatively easy to find.

Liang Yan cultivated within the market, making it impossible for Qin Sang to attack there. Thus, he had begun operating near Fengcang Market, waiting for the right moment when Liang Yan left.

Unexpectedly, Liang Yan was a devoted cultivator, able to endure solitude. He had been in seclusion for an entire month without showing any signs of leaving.

If this continued, there was no telling how long it would take for Liang Yan to emerge.

At this moment, good news came from Tan Hao.

After receiving Wandering Man’s guidance, Tan Hao had an epiphany during his seclusion.

Seized by a sudden inspiration, he realized that the longer he delayed, the slimmer his chances of reaching the Foundation Building Realm. Without hesitation, he took a gamble, consuming both the Jade Radiance Pill and the Foundation Building Pill—and astonishingly, he succeeded in breaking through to the Foundation Building Realm in one go!

This feat left Qin Sang quite impressed.

For Foundation Building cultivators, a single retreat into seclusion lasting ten or even twenty years was not uncommon. Qin Sang could not afford to wait indefinitely.

As soon as Tan Hao arrived, Qin Sang immediately altered his plans. He decided to unlock the Xuyuan Seal on his own primordial spirit and unleash the Heart-Devouring Insect to test Liang Yan.

If Liang Yan truly knew the Venomous Gu Art, he would have to come out of seclusion!

Yinshan Stronghold was adjacent to righteous sect territories, making it unlikely that any Kuiyin Sect members were hiding within Fengcang Market.

Even if there happened to be a late-stage Foundation Building expert, Qin Sang, with his collection of treasures—especially the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman—was confident he could escape even if he couldn’t kill them.

To be safe, Tan Hao stationed himself at the entrance of Fengcang Market, ready to alert Qin Sang at the first sign of trouble, ensuring a timely retreat.

And the plan had worked perfectly!