Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 378: Blood Rain

Walking through the cracks in the barrier, dazzling lights flickered everywhere, making it feel as if they were inside a rainbow.

However, these rainbows represented danger. Qin Sang followed closely behind Wandering Man, carefully navigating the cracks without making any reckless moves.

The fissures were not entirely safe.

The map had marked all hazardous areas, allowing them to prepare in advance.

Upon reaching the fissure’s exit, Wandering Man turned back and looked at Qin Sang, who immediately understood his intent. He summoned his artifacts, concealed himself in the shadows, and remained motionless, watching as Wandering Man stepped out.

There was no possibility of an ambush within the fissures. Unless an attacker was confident in delivering a single lethal strike, even the slightest leak of spiritual power could trigger the ancient barrier, potentially provoking its counterattack.

If there were any attackers lying in wait, they would only be at the exit.

Qin Sang stayed put for a while. Soon, Wandering Man returned, confirming that there were no ambushes ahead. Only then did he step out of the barrier.

The second zone of Endless Valley looked much like the first.

The only difference was that the blood-colored clouds overhead hung even lower, creating an overwhelming sense of oppression. At the edge of their vision, numerous locations shimmered with strange lights or were shrouded in multicolored toxic mists.

One look was enough to tell that those areas were far from safe—more densely packed with danger than in the first zone.

...

On a barren ridge, formed entirely of white stones piled together, not a single blade of grass or tree could be seen.

All around them, similar ridges dotted the landscape, resembling protruding burial mounds, painting a desolate scene.

Standing atop one of the ridges, Wandering Man’s aura seemed slightly chaotic. Yet, instead of meditating to adjust his breathing, he gazed intently into the distance, his expression carrying a faint trace of worry.

Qin Sang was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, Wandering Man's eyes lit up.

A streak of sword light sliced through the sky like a meteor, speeding toward him. In an instant, the light landed near the ridge, revealing Qin Sang’s somewhat disheveled figure.

"Brother Qin, how are you? Not injured, I hope?"

Qin Sang controlled his sword to land, steadying himself as he took a few breaths before shaking his head. "These yin beasts are truly troublesome. Luckily, you lured away most of them."

They had already reached the depths of Endless Valley’s second zone.

Following the map’s guidance, their journey had been smooth for the first half. However, as they ventured further, the map's annotations became increasingly vague, with many locations marked only as speculation. They had to rely on their own judgment, inevitably encountering dangers.

Fortunately, both of them were highly skilled and cautious, allowing them to escape peril each time.

This time had been the most dangerous encounter yet. Unintentionally, they had stumbled into a nest of yin beasts. Taken by surprise, they had been separated before they could regroup. With no other choice, they agreed on a meeting point and fled in different directions.

Once alone, Qin Sang found himself with more freedom of movement. He unleashed his living corpse and the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions, slaughtering a number of yin beasts. However, upon realizing that the creatures left behind nothing after death except dissipating yin qi, he wasted no more time and hurried to the rendezvous point.

"As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters."

Wandering Man nodded, relieved, before scanning the area. "This vast field of white stone looks just as I remember. From here, if we head east for about three hundred li, we’ll reach the third zone of Endless Valley—the border of the inner valley. If those two monster hordes remain undisturbed, the path I took before should still be there."

Before leaving, Qin Sang turned to glance toward his left.

To the north of this barren land lay the dark abyss where the Jiao was hiding.

Half a day later.

Qin Sang and Wandering Man arrived before a range of towering mountains. These peaks stretched endlessly into the horizon, each one standing tall and seemingly supporting the blood-colored clouds above.

Across the mountains and between their ridges, layers of ancient barriers flickered faintly, forming an unbroken seal that made one’s scalp tingle just looking at it.

"Brother Qin, this is the barrier to Endless Valley’s third zone!"

Wandering Man pondered for a moment before leaping forward to a valley entrance. He observed it for a long while, then a pleased expression surfaced on his face. "Excellent! After decades, this barrier remains unchanged and hasn’t been discovered by others!"

Qin Sang stepped forward as well. Upon seeing the sight before him, his expression paled slightly. He forced a dry laugh and said, "Senior, you don’t seriously intend to cross through here, do you?"

What lay before them was a valley drenched in blood rain.

This was no ordinary rain. Each raindrop was, in fact, a thread of crimson light—dense and countless—filling the entire valley. Though they looked fragile, they radiated an overwhelming sense of danger.

These rain threads were undoubtedly the manifestation of an ancient restriction barrier. Every single one of them was incomparably sharp, no less lethal than the finest swords.

Qin Sang had no doubt that if he were to step into the valley, his body would be instantly perforated, reduced to a bloody sieve. Even his Seven-Colored Umbrella wouldn’t be able to block the assault.

He had thought Wandering Man had discovered a flaw in the restriction barrier. But now... Is he really planning to force his way through?

Wandering Man glanced at Qin Sang and chuckled. "Brother Qin, don’t be deceived by appearances. This barrier may seem dangerous, but after countless years of erosion, its power has waned—just like the strange lights at the edge of the second zone. Cracks have appeared. However, this barrier hasn’t weakened as drastically, so its flaws can’t be seen with the naked eye. Watch..."

As he spoke, Wandering Man spread his palm, condensing his spiritual power into the form of a sparrow. The tiny bird chirped as it flapped its wings and flew toward the valley.

Just before reaching the edge of the blood rain, the sparrow suddenly halted in midair, waiting for a few breaths. "Go!" Wandering Man urged.

The sparrow flapped its wings and plunged into the blood rain, immediately triggering a reaction.

It seemed as though some invisible force was drawing the surrounding rain threads toward the bird. Qin Sang watched, expecting the sparrow to be torn apart at any moment—only to be stunned as the threads simply passed through its body without harming it in the slightest.

With not a single feather ruffled, the sparrow continued flying steadily into the depths of the valley.

The blood rain was nothing more than an illusion.

Wandering Man dispelled the sparrow, his face lighting up with satisfaction. "The barrier remains unchanged, following the same pattern as before. Its flaw doesn’t exist constantly—it only appears for a fleeting moment at intervals. Stay close to me. As long as we seize the right timing, there’s nothing to worry about."

Seeing Wandering Man’s confidence, and having witnessed the sparrow pass through unharmed, Qin Sang set aside his doubts. He summoned his ebony sword and positioned himself beside Wandering Man.

Wandering Man fixed his gaze on the blood rain, motionless.

Time passed slowly. After a quarter of an hour, Wandering Man suddenly let out a low cry, "It’s here!"

Without hesitation, he leaped onto his sword and darted into the blood rain through the exact spot where the sparrow had entered earlier.

Qin Sang followed closely behind.

The moment he stepped into the blood rain, he saw the threads surging in from all directions. His vigilance spiked to its peak, but he soon realized the threads carried no lethal force. Feeling no harm to his body, he relaxed and maintained his pace behind Wandering Man.

Wandering Man moved like lightning, but his path was far from straight—it twisted and turned unpredictably. Qin Sang found it hard to imagine how anyone could have the courage to venture into such a perilous blood rain and discover this route.

He had no idea how deep they had already gone into the valley when Wandering Man suddenly stopped ahead.

Qin Sang’s heart stirred. Lowering his sword light, he looked ahead and saw that they had passed through the blood rain. A cave loomed before them.