Gateway of Immortality

"That's correct."

Hearing that Senior Brother Chu’s tone wasn’t harsh, Qin Sang felt slightly relieved and took out the ice coffin from his Mustard Seed Pouch.

Senior Brother Chu furrowed his brow as he examined it for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Junior Brother Qin, put the ice coffin away for now. Once we return to the sect, several senior brothers will examine it together."

Upon their return to Shaohua Mountain, Senior Brother Chu escorted Qin Sang to Sect Leader Peak, where he settled into a grand hall.

Senior Brother Chu took the ice coffin, and later, another senior brother returned it to him, inquiring about his encounters in the underground chamber. Afterward, Qin Sang was left undisturbed, so he focused on cultivating in the hall.

It wasn’t until over ten days later that Senior Brother Chu reappeared, informing him that all was well.

Qin Sang hadn’t expected the matter to conclude so easily and was curious about what had transpired in his absence, prompting him to ask.

Senior Brother Chu didn’t withhold any details. "Two senior brothers ventured into the demonic cavern to confirm that what you and the others reported was entirely accurate; it was indeed an accident. We've already filed a report, and thus the matter is resolved. We all had heard of Junior Sister Qingting and Junior Brother Jiang's unfortunate fate and sighed deeply upon seeing Junior Sister Qingting's remains. Junior Brother Qin, don’t forget her request to find a good location to lay them to rest, so they may finally be at peace."

Qin Sang assured, "Please rest easy, Senior Brother Chu. I will see to it that this matter is handled properly."

Senior Brother Chu gave a slight nod. "Then I won’t keep you. Junior Brother Qin, proceed as you wish."

Watching Senior Brother Chu depart, Qin Sang stood thoughtfully for a while. Seeing no sign of Yu Dayue, he flew alone toward Treasure Tower Peak.

Before her passing, Senior Sister Qingting had a simple request: she wanted him to bury her and her husband on a small island called Mingqin Island. That was where they’d first met, watching the morning glow together, and it was their wish to rest there eternally.

Mingqin Island lay deep within Yuncang Marshlands, a considerable distance away. Before embarking, Qin Sang decided to settle some matters.

First, he needed to visit Treasure Tower Peak to see if the sect’s treasury held any of the five-elemental yin items. If not, he would go to the nearby marketplace. Afterward, he planned to visit Dao Peak’s library to research records.

Only with the five-elemental yin items could he start refining a malevolent corpse; each step had to be precise. As for the Earth Malevolent Qi required for corpse refinement, that was simple; he could collect it from the Sunken Cave.

Having spent years there, Qin Sang knew the Sunken Cave intimately, including several concealed spots. He could gather enough Earth Malevolent Qi and leave unnoticed.

Then, there was the matter of the black tiger demon's corpse. The corpses of Hermit Baiyun and Qingting combined made up only three-quarters; the remaining quarter likely lay with Li Zai.

Though incomplete, the black tiger, being a demon spirit in the middle stage of the Demonic Spirit Realm, had a corpse far superior to the demonic beasts of white rhino. If he collected some high-grade spiritual materials, crafting a top-grade artifact would be quite achievable.

However, Qin Sang planned to have Shopkeeper Wu refine them all into Essence-Devouring Spikes. These one-time-use artifacts were extremely convenient and powerful, making them ideal life-saving tools.

With the Ancient Immortal Battlefield ahead, where he would rarely have a chance to return, even having demon corpses crafted into artifacts would be impossible.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Qin Sang descended upon Treasure Tower Peak and entered a grand hall. Not long after, he emerged with a hint of satisfaction.

The sect indeed had a few treasures, and he purchased a fist-sized Nine-Orifice Stone and a small piece of Blue Nether Gold, about the size of a fingernail.

The Nine-Orifice Stone didn’t actually have nine orifices; instead, it was densely covered with holes that emitted a steady yin wind. Even with Qin Sang’s cultivation, he felt an unshakable chill upon contact, an odd sensation.

The piece of Blue Nether Gold was already refined, its gleaming blue hue resembling a blue crystal of ice. Though small, it was sufficient for several uses.

These two items weren’t exceedingly rare and could be bought with spirit stones at a reasonable price, well within Qin Sang's means.

As for the Ghost Feather and Moon Pagoda Tree's core, the sect didn’t carry them, so he would have to search in the marketplace.

…

Zhuang Yan was still diligently cultivating at Peak Cloud Mountain. Senior Brother Wen had replaced his assistant with a young attendant, who also recognized Qin Sang.

When Qin Sang mentioned he wanted to consult the library's records, the attendant promptly took out the key and led the way. The library was actually situated within the mountainside of Dao Peak, which explained why Qin Sang hadn’t seen it before.

After escorting Qin Sang inside, the attendant bowed and left.

The library was quite spacious, with a protective spirit array surrounding the shelves to safeguard the wooden scrolls and books. Jade slips only occupied a small corner, stacked together casually, and Qin Sang quickly scanned through them with his spiritual consciousness.

The jade slips covered a wide range of topics, most of which were trivial. After sorting through them, Qin Sang selected those related to spirit veins, spiritual eyes, and spiritual springs, then began to read with patience.

…

The eastern sky began to lighten with the first rays of dawn.

Dao Peak's mornings had their own unique freshness. A drop of dew trembled along a leaf vein, clinging to the leaf's tip before being swept away by the morning breeze, shattering into droplets on the stone path.

Plop!

The sound was crisp and pleasant.

The barrier on the library door flashed briefly as someone walked out from within.

This person was tall, appearing to be around thirty, with a calm, focused demeanor. Though not particularly striking in appearance, he carried himself with confidence, his Daoist robes tailored impeccably, and his lips set in a firm line, his eyes reflecting a sense of determination and resilience.

This person was none other than Qin Sang.

Although now forty years old, cultivators naturally looked younger than mortals, and after advancing to the Foundation Building Realm, a lifespan extending over two hundred years meant aging slowed significantly until one’s vital energy began to wane.

Had he not lost a portion of his vitality through energy extraction, he would appear even younger, perhaps like a man in his early twenties.

Qin Sang held a jade slip in hand, strolling out with a pensive look on his face.

The cool morning breeze swept over him, breaking his focus. He took in the scenic view before him with a faint smile, then mounted his sword and ascended into the sky.

His sword light passed through Sword Pass, heading straight for Wenyue Market.

Qin Sang tucked the jade slip into his Mustard Seed Pouch; it contained a transcription from the library titled Secret Dragon-Searching Techniques, written by a cultivator well-versed in fengshui.

While it included methods for finding dragon veins[1], they were not as effective as the spirit beasts used by the major sects. What caught Qin Sang’s interest was a method detailed in the text that purportedly sped up the formation of a spiritual spring.

The author speculated that by using remnants from a depleted spiritual spring, the formation of a new spring could be accelerated.

If he couldn’t find a faster way to form the spiritual spring, Qin Sang planned to take the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid with him, returning every few years to prevent it from wilting entirely until the spring fully formed.

This approach might be inconvenient, but the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid was a precious spiritual herb that assisted in the formation of the Spiritual Infant Realm. Extreme caution was warranted.

Now that he had a method, even if it was merely the author’s untested hypothesis, it was worth trying.

1. Dragon veins or dragon's lines/tracks are a concept in fengshui. It refers to channels of energy flowing through mountain ranges. They are underground channels of qi. ☜

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