Chapter 99: Gate

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The situation on Ethan and Da Shu's side was getting worse by the minute, while the battle between Elder Léi and the enemy cultivator was reaching its climax.

Both were now suspended in mid-air, looking worse for wear.

Their bodies were riddled with scratches, bruises, and burns, but neither showed any signs of backing down.

Each time they unleashed their strongest attacks, they canceled each other out, leaving no one the victor.

Both had taken their fair share of damage, but the true victim of their battle wasn't either of them, it was the surrounding forest.

The once vast expanse of towering trees in the Spirit Forest had been reduced to a massive crater, hundreds of meters wide, where only moments ago, the forest had stood tall.

The only fortunate thing for those nearby was that neither party had resorted to unleashing their full destructive potential.

One side held back to avoid accidentally killing the very people he had come to rescue, while the other needed the help of his subordinates to retrieve a particular item from this place.

By now, both combatants had nearly exhausted their energy reserves.

Elder Léi was visibly struggling to keep the manifestation of his beastly soul intact.

The once vivid appearance of his soul beast was now much more translucent than before.

Likewise, the opposing cultivator no longer bore the thin layer of crimson aura that had earlier enveloped his body.

"Not bad at all.

You know, I should thank you.

It's been a long time since someone has pushed me to this point," the enemy cultivator remarked, his expression surprisingly light for someone so gravely wounded.

Elder Léi didn't respond immediately, but his mind was racing with questions.

'How is it possible I've never heard of a cultivator of this level before?'

It wasn't unreasonable for him to be confused.

Aside from a few rare exceptions, nearly all cultivators nearing or having reached the fifth stage of cultivation were well-known figures, or at least names that had been heard in the circles of the upper cultivation ranks.

Finding someone who had achieved this level while remaining completely isolated from the world was an anomaly, particularly for those who ascended to the fifth stage of cultivation.

After all, the rise of a being to this level typically sent shockwaves through the world, making it impossible to remain unnoticed.

There was a growing suspicion in Elder Léi's mind that this situation was far more complex than it appeared.

Surely there was someone else involved, beyond the cultivator in front of him. S~eaʀᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Perhaps a shadowy organization or group working in secret.

It wasn't uncommon for factions to plot in the darkness, only to emerge later with their plans set in motion.

More often than not, though, such groups were swiftly suppressed by the royal family before they could cause any significant damage.

His only hope was that this hidden force wouldn't prove too powerful for the royal family to handle.

"What's your goal in attacking a mere merchant convoy?

Surely someone of your caliber doesn't waste time on trivial matters like these," Elder Léi asked, hoping to pry some information about the enemy's motives and the power behind him.

The enemy cultivator, who hadn't expected an answer from the Phoenix Sect elder, paused for a moment as if considering the question.

"Well, it just so happens that the merchant had something we were interested in.

But don't worry about that.

You'll find out soon enough," he said, alluding to something more ominous.

Elder Léi realized his attempt to glean information from the enemy had failed.

'No matter. I'll make him spill everything once I capture him,' he thought, preparing for their next clash.

He was ready to put the last of his energy into his final trump card.

He knew his reserves were nearly depleted; he didn't have the luxury of continuing to fight for much longer.

It was either end the battle with this last strike, or things would become very dire for him.

Just as Elder Léi was about to launch his attack, a faint vibration in the air caught the attention of both combatants.

Both he and the enemy cultivator turned their heads toward a specific spot in the forest—the location where the group of disciples was stationed.

Alarm bells rang in both their minds, though for entirely different reasons.

The elder sensed that whatever it was, it posed an extreme danger to the sect's disciples.

The enemy cultivator, on the other hand, recognized the vibration for what it was and grew visibly distressed.

'I can't believe it… those fools activated the artifact's seal.'

As soon as this realization hit him, the enemy cultivator took off at full speed toward the source of the disturbance.

Seeing this, Elder Léi chased after him with everything he had left.

He couldn't let the enemy get close; it would make protecting the disciples far more difficult.

But whatever was causing this disturbance seemed to be worrying even the enemy, which gave Elder Léi pause.

Just as both combatants were about to reach the spot, another shift occurred.

The surrounding mana began to converge toward a single point like a whirlpool, sucking everything in.

'What on earth is happening there?' Elder Léi thought, his alarm growing.

The more he sensed the changes in the environment, the stronger his feeling that something terrible was about to unfold.

Just as Elder Léi was beginning to understand the gravity of the situation, Ethan, who had been trying to intercept the enemy cultivator, noticed the shift as well.

'The Qi in the air is going wild,' Ethan thought, sensing the changes around him.

The Qi was growing denser, gathering more rapidly by the second.

As time passed, the concentration of Qi in the area reached levels far beyond normal.

Ethan then noticed that all the Qi was converging at a single point not far from the enemy cultivator.

Just as he was wondering what was happening, Bai Yu's voice echoed in his mind.

"A portal is opening," she said, her tone filled with uncertainty and caution.

Hearing this, Ethan couldn't help but think of the minor dimension he had access to through his system.

Before he could ask where the portal might lead, or how to stop its opening, the swirling Qi emitted a powerful shockwave that rippled outward at high speed in all directions.

The wave was so sudden that Ethan didn't have time to avoid it and was struck head-on by the energy blast.

Just like him, the enemy cultivator, the Phoenix Sect disciples, Da Shu, and Huo Li, who had been fighting nearby, were all caught in the blast and thrown back several meters.

Ethan and the enemy cultivator, being the closest to the source, were hit the hardest and flung dozens of meters away.

The enemy crashed into a tree, and the force of the impact knocked him unconscious.

Ethan's fate was similar; he crashed through several trees before finally coming to a halt.

Thanks in part to Bai Yu's assistance in stabilizing his mind and his dragon bloodline-enhanced constitution, Ethan managed to stay conscious despite the intense blow.

Staggering slightly, he forced himself to stand, wiping the blood from his face.

'What the hell was that?' he thought, struggling to regain his balance as he tried to move toward the source of the disturbance.

Just as he was nearly back on his feet, a crushing pressure descended upon him, almost forcing him to collapse again.

'W-what is this feeling?' Ethan thought, alarmed as an overwhelming sense of fear suddenly gripped him.

It wasn't a physical pressure weighing down on him, but something far more psychological—a primal fear urging him to flee without looking back.

Ethan didn't realize it at first, but this strange aura hadn't only affected him—it had blanketed the entire area of the forest, extending for at least a kilometer.

Above him, the sky had begun to change.

Dark clouds appeared, swirling ominously over the area, heavy with water and charged with electricity, converging around a specific point in the Spirit Forest.

The wind picked up, and all the nearby animals and spiritual beasts, sensing the growing danger, began fleeing in every direction.

Da Shu, Huo Li, and the rest of the Phoenix Sect disciples had been knocked unconscious by the energy wave, completely unaware of the peril that had manifested.

Even Elder Léi and the enemy cultivator, who had just arrived at the location, felt the chilling effects of the invisible pressure.

The air itself seemed to freeze as they stood witness to the source of all this chaos.

In the spot where the enemy cultivator and Ethan had fought moments earlier, a massive swirling vortex of dark gray energy, nearly four meters tall, had appeared, radiating an overwhelming concentration of condensed Qi.

"What in the world is that?" Elder Léi asked, feeling the immense danger emanating from the vortex before him.

The enemy cultivator, his face filled with grim seriousness, remained silent for a moment.

Then, after a few seconds, he spoke, his voice low as he pulled something from the ring on his finger.

"Well, nothing good."

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FRANK_LEE_JUNIOR:

Here's today's chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.

As always, if you have any comments, suggestions, or errors to report, feel free to share them below.

See you tomorrow with another chapter.