Chapter 380 - 379: The Golden Gate Shields Its Own

The sound was not loud, yet it penetrated every layer of the surrounding space. The Three Thousand Great Dao Barrier responded instantly, and the countless symbols embedded within its walls brightened as the entire formation entered a state of heightened activity.

Even the spiritual Qi circulating through Lin Yuan’s body seemed to hesitate, as though the laws governing the platform had suddenly acknowledged the presence of a higher authority.

The structure of the universe appeared to vibrate.

A blinding ray of pure golden light shot from the center of the Golden Gate. It bypassed the Three Thousand Great Dao Barrier as though the enormous formation did not exist, traveling directly toward the broken body of the Imperial Guard with the speed of thought.

Lin Yuan reacted immediately.

He attempted to withdraw his hand, but the golden light arrived before he could complete the movement. Its high-dimensional authority struck against his palm, forcing him to take half a step backward as the concentrated energy surrounding his fingers dispersed.

The ray wrapped around the bleeding guard like a protective cocoon.

For a brief instant, the golden radiance illuminated the entire crater, revealing the guard’s broken armor and bloodied body. Then the light violently retracted, dragging the defeated Imperial Guard backward and pulling him straight through the Three Thousand Great Dao Barrier.

His body disappeared beyond the walls.

The Golden Gate had intervened to save its own.

Lin Yuan watched the final traces of golden light vanish, his expression growing colder as he assessed what had happened. The intervention had been too precise to be an automatic response triggered solely by damage to the guard. Someone within the Imperial Domain had clearly observed the confrontation, waited until the guard’s life was in danger, and then intervened at the exact moment required to prevent his death.

They had been watching.

They had heard the wager.

They had witnessed the guard break his promise.

And they had chosen to rescue him rather than enforce the terms he had offered.

However, the intervention did not end there.

The opening and immediate closing of the Golden Gate generated a catastrophic spatial backlash. A sudden wave of absolute rejection erupted from the celestial threshold, spreading across the jade platform with the force of a world-sized tidal wave.

It was not an ordinary attack launched by a cultivator, but a localized manifestation of the Imperial Domain’s supreme will, a mandate declaring that the intruders standing before the gate had no right to remain there.

"Brace yourselves!" Ku Ming roared.

He threw his arms wide, and the Indestructible Karmic Wheel behind him spun at tremendous speed. Golden Buddhist light surged outward, forming a massive shield around himself, Bai Qingyue, and the Golden Immortal Beast. The monk poured nearly all his available spiritual Qi into the defense, hoping that the accumulated principles of his Buddhist cultivation would be sufficient to withstand the incoming force.

Bai Qingyue reacted at the same time.

Her Fortune Banner unfurled, and the golden Yunqi aura surrounding her body spread into a broad protective barrier. The patterns within the banner shone with extraordinary intensity, drawing upon her innate fortune to manipulate the circumstances surrounding their impending collision.

Lin Yuan planted his feet against the jade platform and activated his True Elemental Body.

The Five Great Secret Realms circulated at full strength, reinforcing his bones, muscles, and meridians while the Dao Fruit of Three Rebirths stabilized his consciousness. He understood that resisting the wave directly would be dangerous, but allowing it to sweep them away without preparation would be equally foolish.

The rejection wave struck.

Ku Ming’s golden shield shattered instantly.

The Indestructible Karmic Wheel released a sharp, metallic sound as cracks spread across its radiant surface. The monk coughed blood, and the force of the impact drove him backward despite his desperate attempt to maintain the barrier.

Bai Qingyue’s fortune-laced defense cracked next. The golden light absorbed a significant portion of the incoming force, but the difference in authority was simply too great. Her barrier held for a fraction of a second before breaking apart, and the remaining energy slammed into the group with overwhelming force.

Lin Yuan’s body was thrown backward.

He reached for Bai Qingyue and pulled her securely against him, using his own body as a shield while his True Elemental Body struggled to absorb the impact. The Golden Immortal Beast released a distressed roar as the wave caught its enormous frame, sending it tumbling away from the celestial peak.

The jade platform vanished above them.

Lin Yuan, Bai Qingyue, Ku Ming, and the Golden Immortal Beast were violently expelled from the Floating Mountains, hurled backward into the abyss of the sky. The Three Thousand Great Dao Barrier remained intact behind them, its towering walls shining with ancient authority as the Golden Gate returned to its previous state of silence.

For a moment, the four of them could do nothing but fall.

The wind screamed around their bodies, tearing at their robes as the Floating Mountains receded into the distance. Spatial turbulence twisted the atmosphere, and the residual force of the rejection wave continued to push them away from the celestial peak. Even the Golden Immortal Beast struggled to regain control of its enormous body, its Celestial Jade horn flickering as it attempted to stabilize the surrounding space.

Lin Yuan forced his consciousness to remain clear.

He had suffered injuries from the reflected strike of the Great Dao Barrier, and the subsequent rejection wave had placed additional strain upon his True Elemental Body. However, his foundation remained stable, and the Five Great Secret Realms continued circulating despite the violent turbulence.

He activated Immortal Cloud Step.

Silver light spread beneath his feet, and his descent slowed as the surrounding spatial currents responded to the technique. Lin Yuan reached out immediately, catching Bai Qingyue by the waist and pulling her securely against him. He wrapped his arms around her, allowing the stabilizing warmth of his True Elemental Body to shield her from the worst of the turbulent energy.

"Are you injured?" he asked.

Bai Qingyue shook her head, although her breathing remained slightly uneven from the impact. Her black hair streamed behind her in the rushing wind, and the Fortune Banner in her hand continued to release a faint golden radiance. She examined Lin Yuan’s face before looking toward his injured hand, her eyes narrowing with concern.

"I’m fine," she replied. "But you took the brunt of the rejection wave. Your spiritual Qi is fluctuating."

"It’s nothing serious," Lin Yuan said, though he knew she would not be entirely satisfied with that answer. He adjusted his position to ensure that she remained protected against his chest, then looked toward the Golden Immortal Beast. "We need to stabilize ourselves before the turbulence grows worse."

The beast let out another roar as its Celestial Jade horn flared. Silver light spread across its body, and the spatial currents surrounding them gradually became more orderly. Ku Ming managed to regain his balance a moment later, landing heavily upon the beast’s broad back and gripping its golden scales with both hands.

The monk’s face was pale, and a thin line of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. Nevertheless, he immediately began circulating his Buddhist cultivation to repair the damage caused by the rejection wave.

Within a short time, the group managed to halt their descent.

They hovered in the turbulent stratosphere, miles below the Floating Mountains, gazing toward the distant celestial peaks from which they had just been expelled.

The Golden Gate remained visible at the summit, its enormous structure glowing faintly against the corrupted sky. The Three Thousand Great Dao Barrier stood between them and the entrance to the Imperial Domain, an impenetrable declaration that the imperial domain had no intention of welcoming them.

Ku Ming stared at the gate with wide golden eyes.

"They saved him," he whispered.