Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 384: Yaksha

Qin Sang and Wandering Man held their breaths and remained silent, waiting for a moment to ensure that the Flying-Horned Ichthyosauruses had not detected their presence. Once they were certain, they moved deeper into the ice cavern.

Hearing Wandering Man mention that the strange man was ahead, Qin Sang couldn’t help but feel a mix of tension and anticipation.

His primary reason for accompanying Wandering Man was, of course, to fulfill his promise and do his best to help him obtain the spiritual medicine.

Secondly, if the so-called strange man was truly an autonomous refined corpse, then its master would never have abandoned such a powerful refined corpse unless something unexpected had happened.

Qin Sang speculated that the master of the corpse might have perished here, which would explain why the corpse had been left to roam freely in the vicinity.

In such a frigid and remote place, where few ventured and a refined corpse stood guard, there was a chance that its master's corpse was still there!

As he walked, Qin Sang focused his thoughts, contemplating how he could search for the corpse and retrieve any relics under the refined corpse's watchful gaze.

While any treasures left behind were secondary, what Qin Sang truly sought was the second half of the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art, especially the secret art to elevate a living corpse to the level of a yaksha.

The ice cavern was riddled with branching paths, but Wandering Man had been here before and was familiar with the way. After a dizzying series of turns, he finally whispered, "Brother Qin, it’s just ahead..."

At the end of a straight passage lay a massive ice hall.

A faint bluish glow illuminated the ice hall, just enough for them to make out its full extent.

The hall was not a perfect square, suggesting it had not been artificially carved. Inside, it was vast and empty, with several doors lining its sides that led to other areas—likely side chambers.

Qin Sang studied the hall from a distance but saw no abnormalities. It was eerily silent, and the strange man was nowhere in sight.

The eerie blue light emanated from the ice itself.

His gaze shifted, locking onto a side chamber on the right. "Is the strange man inside that room?"

"Precisely."

Wandering Man nodded, then pointed to another chamber on the opposite side. "That’s where I need to go. The moment I make a move, the strange man will undoubtedly be alerted. His evasion technique is uncanny, beyond mortal comprehension, and his strength is terrifying. Brother Qin, you must buy me at least fifteen breaths of time."

Fifteen breaths.

Qin Sang remained silent for a moment before replying gravely, "We’ll only know if it’s possible once we try."

For immortal cultivators, fifteen breaths could determine life or death. However, since he had come prepared and the opponent was likely a refined corpse, there was at least some hope.

Still, without seeing the strange man’s true form, Qin Sang couldn’t be certain.

Wandering Man summoned his Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat. "I’ve tested this before. For some reason, the strange man never strays far from the main hall. If pursued for a distance, he will return on his own. However, his bizarre evasion technique makes even that distance seem insurmountable. The people who came with me back then all perished at his hands. Once we enter the ice hall and the strange man appears, Brother Qin, probe him briefly, then board the flying boat immediately..."

Wandering Man repeated the plan meticulously, showing just how wary he was of their foe.

Qin Sang committed every detail to memory and, seeing how seriously Wandering Man took the matter, dared not be careless. He summoned his ebony sword and remained ready to activate the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman at any moment.

If things went south, he wouldn’t hesitate to expose the talisman—his life was more important.

With both of them prepared, they exchanged a glance and stopped concealing their presence. Riding their swords, they charged straight into the ice hall. In the blink of an eye, Qin Sang and Wandering Man reached the entrance.

Qin Sang’s eyes darted around as he memorized the hall’s layout, simultaneously heightening his perception and sweeping every corner with his spiritual consciousness. His heart pounded.

Yet, after their entrance, nothing changed. The ice hall remained still, without the slightest anomaly.

Suddenly, Wandering Man’s expression shifted, and he roared.

"Behind us!"

Qin Sang’s heart clenched. Without turning his head, he unleashed a burst of sword light from the ebony sword, stabbing backward with full force.

At the same time, Wandering Man twisted his upper body into an unnatural posture, gripping his Blue Light Sword tightly as it erupted with a sword qi several zhang long, slashing down fiercely!

Two streaks of sword qi exploded simultaneously, reflecting off the icy walls and filling the hall with dazzling light.

Since they had anticipated an ambush, neither Qin Sang nor Wandering Man panicked. Everything was proceeding as planned.

Their two swords coordinated seamlessly, intersecting midair as they slashed toward a seemingly empty space.

Boom!

A deafening explosion erupted.

The sword qi shattered into countless fragments.

The flying swords were sent spiraling backward!

From the void, a figure emerged.

This figure clenched both fists, their power like rolling thunder, meeting the two streaks of sword qi head-on with unyielding force!

Against the combined assault of both swords, the figure stood firm, shattering the sword qi with a single punch.

In contrast, Qin Sang and Wandering Man were violently shaken. They felt as if they had been struck by an unimaginably terrifying force, grunting in unison as they were sent tumbling backward in disarray.

Boom! Boom!

Both of them slammed hard against the icy walls of the hall.

Even together, they couldn’t withstand a single punch from the strange figure!

Qin Sang's blood surged chaotically within him. Ignoring the searing pain, he struggled to steady himself, catching a glimpse of their assailant out of the corner of his eye.

The figure was thin, resembling a middle-aged scholar. Its tattered clothing barely covered its body, exposing skin that was an eerie shade of bluish-black—even its face bore the same unnatural hue.

Its expression was utterly devoid of emotion, and its pitch-black eyes carried an unsettling, ghostly gleam that sent a chill through Qin Sang’s heart.

Suddenly, the figure vanished once more.

Wandering Man’s words had not been an exaggeration—once the strange figure disappeared, Qin Sang couldn’t sense anything at all.

Its evasion technique was too bizarre!

"Brother Qin!"

Wandering Man had already summoned the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat and shouted urgently.

Qin Sang’s instincts screamed in warning. Without hesitation, he flickered forward, leaping onto the flying boat in a flash. Wandering Man let out a low shout, and the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat flared with a cyan light, shooting forward at full speed.

But just as they were about to escape the ice hall— A bluish-black hand suddenly stretched out from the void, its razor-sharp black nails carrying a nauseating corpse qi as it lunged toward them like lightning.

The ghostly hand was about to tear through the flying boat’s barrier and disembowel them when, in that critical moment, Qin Sang did something unexpected. He didn’t dodge. Instead, he fixed his gaze on the ghostly hand, an unusual glint flashing in his eyes.

The next instant, a shocking scene unfolded. The ghostly hand, for some inexplicable reason, hesitated.

Seizing this brief pause, the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat flickered and streaked out of the ice hall, escaping danger by a hair’s breadth.

Aboard the flying boat, Wandering Man turned to Qin Sang with astonishment and delight.

Qin Sang let out a slow breath and gave him a slight nod.

Their entire exchange had lasted less than a single breath, yet they had already brushed against death’s edge. Even in that fleeting moment, Qin Sang had managed to sense something unique about the aura emanating from the strange figure.

Wandering Man’s intuition had been correct—this being’s true identity was a living corpse refined with a Heavenly Corpse Talisman!

And not just any living corpse. It was a yaksha!