Gateway of Immortality

With the five-elemental yin items gathered, the Earth Malevolent Qi was sufficient, but there was still one thing missing—the soul of a demonic beast.

The malevolent corpses, born of natural malevolence, thrived for years in the atmosphere of yin qi. The metamorphosis from a zombie to a malevolent corpse took a long time, during which the corpse would gradually develop intelligence. Eventually, it could awaken its consciousness, becoming as sentient as human cultivators.

However, the process of corpse refinement was different. Hermit Baiyun had recently died, and neither the five-elemental yin items nor the Earth Malevolent Qi could bestow intelligence upon the refined corpse.

A malevolent corpse without intelligence was no different from a lifeless object.

In actual combat, Qin Sang could not always focus on manipulating the malevolent corpse; more often than not, he would let it act on instinct. Therefore, it was essential to instill it with intelligence during the refinement process.

The Heavenly Yin Corpse Art contained methods for corpse refinement, including techniques for attaching souls and bestowing intelligence. During the refinement process, incantations would draw in the soul, allowing it to be incorporated into the malevolent corpse's body. Thus, once completed, the malevolent corpse would possess spiritual awareness.

Of course, this step was unnecessary when refining living corpses.

The ideal source of a living soul was a human cultivator's primordial spirit, though the souls of demonic beasts could also be used. There were no strict requirements regarding the strength of the demonic beast's soul. When Qin Sang traveled to Mingqin Island, he collected a few but still lacked enough.

After leaving the Sunken Cave and delving deeper into the Yuncang Marshlands, he spent several days gathering enough souls from demonic beasts. Just as he prepared to return to his cave dwelling for a period of closed-door training in corpse refinement, he unexpectedly discovered a Sound Transmission Talisman at Huilong Temple, left behind by Granny Jing.

Upon reading the message on the talisman, Qin Sang's expression brightened with joy. He had not held much hope, given the limited circle of the secret shop and the fact that most cultivators were in the Qi Refining Realm. He thought it more likely that good news would come from Tianhen House or Senior Brother Wen, yet it turned out Granny Jing surprised him first.

News about spiritual spring objects took precedence over everything else. After some consideration, Qin Sang took out several artifacts hidden in his cave dwelling and equipped himself with them.

Granny Jing’s message on the talisman was vague; it was unclear whether the spiritual spring objects were located within some hidden ruin or if someone was looking to sell them from their collection.

If the items were hidden in a secret realm, it might be that someone wanted to sell the information, and the price wouldn’t be too steep. Qin Sang planned to purchase them and return to refine the malevolent corpse, gaining an extra helper, and then explore further based on the situation in the secret realm.

However, if someone directly brought the items to sell, it would be a different matter. Although his financial situation was adequate, it might not meet the seller’s expectations, especially since spiritual spring objects were exceedingly rare. Such transactions in the immortal cultivation world were few, with no set prices, relying entirely on negotiations between the parties involved. Regardless of how high the asking price was, he would have to meet it.

If things became untenable, he would have to flee elsewhere, avoiding the prying eyes of Shaohua Mountain and disposing of the artifacts.

Having made up his mind, Qin Sang flew at full speed with his sword. Upon entering the Peach Bamboo Pavilion, he saw Granny Jing sitting at the shop's entrance, a cluster of peach branches scattered at her feet. She was carefully carving a piece of peach wood with a small knife, her expression intensely focused.

She didn’t use even a hint of spiritual power, and the physical force she exerted was minimal; it was entirely a display of skill, producing works that resembled fine art.

These peach branches were ordinary wood, somewhat resembling the Red Jade Peach Tree from Sword Pass, but upon closer inspection, there were notable differences.

Qin Sang stood to the side, waiting for Granny Jing to finish her carving. Once she did, he bowed slightly and explained, "Greetings, Granny Jing. Please forgive me for my tardiness; I was away and only just returned to Huilong Temple when I saw the Sound Transmission Talisman. I rushed over as soon as I could."

"Mhmm."

Granny Jing placed the finished piece on the counter, then looked up slowly, saying, "Fortunately, you arrived in time, Daoist Qin, or they would have left tonight. Please wait; I’ll call the sisters back."

Sisters?

Two women, perhaps?

Qin Sang thought to himself, offering another apology to Granny Jing before heading towards the back hall of the Peach Bamboo Pavilion.

Inside the Peach Bamboo Pavilion, only handcrafted items made from peach branches or bamboo were sold. However, after visiting three times, it was the first time Qin Sang witnessed Granny Jing at work, realizing that all these pieces were crafted by her own hands.

The finished products were exceptionally exquisite but came with a high price tag, making it difficult for ordinary people to afford even a single decorative item. Coupled with the pavilion’s remote location, business was quite bleak.

Qin Sang scanned the shop, noting that only a few items had sold over these days. Of course, Granny Jing wouldn’t mind such things.

The back hall of the Peach Bamboo Pavilion served as the secret shop, actually a spacious hall with some bamboo chairs arranged simply. Qin Sang casually sat down, patiently waiting. In less than a quarter of an hour, he heard footsteps outside, and Granny Jing entered with two young women.

The two women appeared to be around thirty years old; their looks were not striking but were definitely attractive. They shared some resemblance, indicating a close blood relation as sisters.

The taller woman in front had a cultivation level of the eleventh stage in the Qi Refining Realm, while the one behind her was one stage lower.

Seeing their cultivation levels, Qin Sang felt relieved. Two practitioners in the Qi Refining Realm should have modest demands.

It was evident that the two women held Granny Jing in great respect. As Granny Jing walked ahead, she pointed to Qin Sang and said, "This is Qin Sang, the Daoist I mentioned to you."

She then turned to Qin Sang and introduced, "These are the Le Sisters; the one with the higher cultivation is the elder sister, Le Xing, and the other is her younger sister, Le Rou."

With a smile, Qin Sang cupped his hands in greeting. "Greetings, fellow Daoists."

The two women exchanged glances before returning the gesture. "We dare not; Le Xing and Le Rou pay their respects to Senior Qin."

Granny Jing coughed lightly. "Daoist Qin, their father was also a member of the secret shop, so there’s no need for excessive formalities. If you have any needs, feel free to speak directly. I’ll merely serve as a witness and will not intervene; the outcome depends on your discussion."

As she spoke, Granny Jing cast a glance at Qin Sang.

Qin Sang felt a subtle chill, understanding that Granny Jing silently warned him that infighting among secret shop members was something she detested the most.

The three sat facing each other, with Granny Jing feigning sleep nearby. Qin Sang decided to be straightforward. "Fellow cultivators, I am searching for a certain type of spiritual spring object—specifically, one that has naturally dried up. Of course, those damaged by external forces would also be acceptable. Granny Jing conveyed that you both might have information about such treasures?"

Upon hearing this, the elder sister, Le Xing, readily replied, "To be honest with you, Senior Qin, not only do we have news about such an object, but we also happen to possess one."

Qin Sang was pleasantly surprised that they already had the item, eliminating the need for him to spend time and energy searching elsewhere.

His heart filled with joy, yet he maintained a calm demeanor and asked, "Since you both had Granny notify me, I assume you are willing to trade? However, I wonder what you require in exchange before you are willing to part with it?"

Le Xing and Le Rou exchanged a glance, a hint of hesitation appearing on their faces. Biting her lip, Le Xing said, "We are looking for a cave dwelling that possesses a spiritual eye."

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