Gateway of Immortality

Due to the unique nature of thePrimordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, aside from the ebony sword, Qin Sang could also nurture a life-bound astra within his dantian using the power of his Golden Core.

Thinking of a life-bound astra, Qin Sang still hadn't decided which type to forge.

At present, he only knew how to craft four types of astras: the Yin Profound Pagoda and Yin Thunderbolt Pearl from theAncient Tome of Yin Malevolence, the Heavenly Sound Conch from theDutian Demonic Sound, and the Primordial Unity Ring.

The first three all required matching cultivation arts to complement them and were thus not under consideration. The techniques stored in Treasure Tower Peak were similar in that regard.

The Primordial Unity Ring had originally belonged to someone else and thus couldn't serve as a life-bound astra, unless Qin Sang shattered the yin ring and reforged it from scratch.

"Once I form my core, I'll seek guidance from the grandmaster and ask for his help in choosing one," Qin Sang murmured to himself.

After reaching the Core Formation Realm, he would finally be granted an audience with Dongyang Bo, the Spiritual Infant grandmaster.

Having cultivated in Shaohua Mountain for nearly a century, Qin Sang had met nearly every Core Formation cultivator of the sect but had not seen Dongyang Bo. In his mind, this grandmaster remained a deeply mysterious figure.

Now that he was about to meet Dongyang Bo, Qin Sang couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation.

Upon reaching Core Formation, disciples were eligible to become Dongyang Bo's personal disciples. From then on, he would have a Spiritual Infant powerhouse as his backer.

"I wonder if he still remembers the minor figure who once sold himself for Foundation Building all those years ago," Qin Sang muttered, and his thoughts turned to Fairy Chenyan.

So many years had passed, yet there had been no news of Fairy Chenyan. Even Sage Mawu had seemingly vanished without a trace, as though neither of them existed anymore.

Has she reached the Spiritual Infant Realm?

Logically speaking, once someone advanced to the Spiritual Infant Realm, they would hold a grand ceremony to celebrate, inviting fellow cultivators far and wide to bear witness.

This thought flashed through Qin Sang's mind, but he soon shook his head.

After that deal, there had been no further ties between them. Whether or not Fairy Chenyan had reached the Spiritual Infant Realm had nothing to do with him.

To dwell on it now would be foolish and could only bring trouble.

Today was the day to visit the Sunken Cave. Qin Sang put away the jade slip, left his cave dwelling, and flew toward the cave.

The flying yaksha emerged from the abyss.

Qin Sang checked the condition of the corpse core with practiced ease.

It had been nearly two months since he returned, and the flying yaksha's injuries had improved significantly. The small cracks on the corpse core had already healed.

Qin Sang gave a silent nod of approval and ordered the flying yaksha to sit cross-legged and continue its healing.

...

Two hours later, Qin Sang returned to Shaohua Mountain. Just as he was about to return to his cave dwelling for secluded cultivation, he spotted someone standing outside. It was Gao Yang, disciple of Qi Yuanshou.

"咦?"

"Hmm?"

Qin Sang quickened his pace and landed before Gao Yang with a smile. "Junior Brother Gao, what brings you here? Has Senior Uncle Qi finally let you leave the mountain?"

Qi Yuanshou had been in seclusion, and Gao Yang seldom left the mountain. They had only met once over the past two months.

But just as Qin Sang finished speaking, he noticed something off in Gao Yang's expression.

Thanks to those two top-grade artifacts, their relationship had always been good. Gao Yang had always treated Qin Sang warmly, calling him "Senior Brother" with affection each time they met but now, he wore a stern face.

"Junior Brother Gao, did something happen?"

Qin Sang asked in a low voice, wondering if something had happened to Qi Yuanshou.

Gao Yang gave him a quick wink, but his expression didn't change as he cleared his throat and said loudly, "Senior Brother Qin, Master asked me to question you—having accepted a posting with the Xuanlu Guards, why have you delayed reporting for duty, instead idling about in the sect? Do you treat Master Qi's orders, the sect's rules, and the military commands of Xuanlu Stronghold as nothing? You are hereby ordered to report to Xuanlu Stronghold immediately, with no further delay!"

After giving a stern rebuke on behalf of Qi Yuanshou, Gao Yang dropped the serious act and leaned in to whisper the reason. "Don't take offense, Senior Brother. Just now, Master summoned me to retrieve an herb, and I happened to mention that you'd returned to the mountain. For some reason, he became furious and immediately ordered me to come and urge you to report to Xuanlu Stronghold."

Qin Sang smacked his forehead in realization. He had completely forgotten that he still held the command token Qi Yuanshou had given him for the Xuanlu Guards.

Back then, he had accepted the token with the intention of using his Xuanlu Guards status to be the first to leave the pass and hunt for treasures once the Spirit Tide ended.

But times had changed.

Now that he could form his core at any time, Qin Sang no longer needed to abide by those rules that restricted Foundation Building cultivators. The Xuanlu Guards' token was of little use to Core Formation cultivators, yet he hadn't expected to be reprimanded by Qi Yuanshou for it.

At that thought, Qin Sang suddenly realized that the Xuanlu Guards' token had likely not been easy to obtain. The one in his possession denoted the status of a squad leader, a position with few such tokens even among the guards.

After all, Xuanlu Stronghold was not dominated by Shaohua Mountain alone.

These tokens determined who could enter the Ancient Immortal Battlefield the fastest—undoubtedly a fiercely contested matter. For Qi Yuanshou to secure one for him likely meant he had owed someone a favor.

Yet he, ignorant of the effort behind it, had delayed showing up for nearly two years. It was no wonder Qi Yuanshou had flown into a rage. He'd be hard-pressed to explain Qin Sang's absence to the authorities at Xuanlu Stronghold.

Qin Sang asked quickly, "Has Senior Uncle Qi come out of seclusion?"

"Master left a message and returned to meditation," Gao Yang replied with a shake of his head.

"Very well. Junior Brother, when you return, tell Senior Uncle Qi that I realize my mistake and will set off for Xuanlu Stronghold immediately."

Qin Sang made up his mind on the spot—there was no point in waiting any longer.

Once he advanced to the Core Formation Realm, he would no longer need to rely on Qi Yuanshou. But that didn't mean he should burn bridges and offend someone without cause, especially someone who had only acted with his best interests in mind.

He still needed to put on a proper show of respect, to give both Qi Yuanshou and the sect a proper explanation.

The only reason he had stayed until now was to wait for the flying yaksha to recover.

Since the yaksha's injuries had visibly improved, as long as he stocked up on enough Earth Malevolent Qi, healing it at Xuanlu Stronghold would be no different.

Qin Sang acted without hesitation. After bidding Gao Yang farewell, he made the rounds of every marketplace he could find, buying up every magnetic stone available. Then he refined a large batch of Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles, filled them with Earth Demons qi, and stored them all in his thumb ring.

After that, he recalled the flying yaksha and headed straight for Shangyuan Tranquility Palace.

...

Shangyuan Tranquility Palace.

Upon arriving at Shangyuan Tranquility Palace once more, Qin Sang had not even stepped through the mountain gates when he encountered several fellow Foundation Building cultivators, all headed to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

Within the righteous domain of the Small Cold Region in the southeast, the only ancient teleportation array that led directly to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield was located at Shangyuan Tranquility Palace.

With the Spirit Tide nearing its end, every cultivator hoping to try their luck was rushing toward the battlefield.

Shangyuan Tranquility Palace had generously opened access to the array. Regardless of one's background, anyone could use it provided they paid a hefty sum in spirit stones. Once the number of travelers reached a threshold, the array would be activated.

The surrounding rogue cultivators, sect disciples, and clan members all had no choice but to abide by Shangyuan Tranquility Palace's rules.

Once inside the mountain gate, a disciple came to guide them to temporary quarters. They were told that the group was not yet full, but the array would likely be activated by tomorrow night.

By now, Qin Sang was somewhat well-known. It hadn't been long since he entered the mountain when someone recognized him.

They were fellow cultivators who had once roamed the Ancient Immortal Battlefield alongside him. Unable to refuse their warm invitations, Qin Sang sat down with them to exchange insights on the Dao, conversing late into the next day.

By noon, someone delivered a message: the teleportation array was about to be activated.

Qin Sang took his leave, then flew straight toward the great hall.

This was his second time seeing the ancient teleportation array. Compared to the first, his knowledge had grown significantly. He watched closely as the senior uncle from Shangyuan Tranquility Palace activated the array and, combining it with what he had recently studied, gradually began to make sense of its workings.

Even so, ancient teleportation arrays were exceedingly rare in the present age, and Qin Sang had no opportunities to test his understanding in practice.