Gateway of Immortality

Dongyang Bo, Daoist Master Chongyi, and Iron Crown flew away from the jade ruyi to meet the red-haired grandmaster and the others.

The jade ruyi carried the rest of the group toward a mountain shrouded in crimson clouds. After setting them down, it shrank back to its original size and tore through the air, returning to Daoist Master Chongyi's hand.

Several crude stone platforms of varying sizes had been carved out on the mountain peak. Most had already been occupied.

Everyone picked their own platforms and waited in silence. Qin Sang noticed that Wandering Man wasn't too far from him, so he leapt onto the same platform and quietly asked about the identities of the three who had accompanied the red-haired grandmaster.

As expected, all three were Spiritual Infant grandmasters of the Eight Major Sects.

The only woman among them, dressed in palace robes, was a grandmaster of Xuling Sect, named Bing Han. It was said that not only was her cultivation formidable, but her skill in artifact refinement was unparalleled in the Small Cold Domain.

Though Daoist Master Chongyi was the sole Spiritual Infant grandmaster of the Taiyi Core Sect, his attainments in alchemy were not as profound as some of the sect's more devoted elders. In contrast, Bing Han had inherited the full legacy of her sect and could stand shoulder to shoulder with any man.

The second person, a young man who looked like a noble scion—handsome, refined, and dignified—was none other than Leng Yuntian, the current sect leader of the Yuanshen Sect.

So that's what Leng Yuntian looks like.Qin Sang thought to himself, his gaze drifting toward Granny Jing in the distance.

Granny Jing sat alone on her stone platform, eyes closed, seemingly shut off from the outside world.

Qin Sang would soon be working with Granny Jing in the Ziwei Palace to take on Leng Yuntian. He could only hope she wouldn't make a mistake—if she slipped up and implicated him, the consequences would be dire.

He had hoped to learn more about Leng Yuntian, but unfortunately, even Wandering Man knew little about him. The one who was better known was Leng Qian, the previous sect leader of Yuanshen Sect.

It was said that Leng Yuntian was Leng Qian's adopted son and also his disciple.

In his lifetime, Leng Qian had been a legendary figure, his cultivation rivaling even the red-haired grandmaster. However, over a century ago, news of his sudden death had shocked the entire Small Cold Domain's cultivation world.

Fortunately, Leng Yuntian proved capable and carried on Leng Qian's legacy, allowing Yuanshen Sect to retain its place among the Eight Major Sects.

Back then, Yuanshen Sect's grand elder, the Star-Controlling Elder, along with Golden Core cultivator Yu Shanting, had died on Zhitian Peak.

Later, Qin Sang had been preoccupied with forming his core and had only followed the sect's movements a few times. The cultivation world never circulated any rumors of Leng Yuntian launching a crusade to avenge the elder's death.

Having suffered such a baffling loss, there was no way Leng Yuntian had simply let it go. But since he had plans for Zhitian Peak, he likely dared not make the matter public and could only investigate in secret.

The last person, a stern-faced middle-aged man dressed in black martial robes and radiating a commanding presence, was the leader of Wuji Sect.

Seeing the Wuji Sect's leader again, Qin Sang couldn't help recalling their past encounter in Endless Valley, where he had been accompanied by a mysterious Spiritual Infant who wielded a mysterious black tortoise shell astra.

The two had hidden their identities and infiltrated Endless Valley together, apparently searching for something. In the end, they had provoked a Lightning-Devouring Falcon and fought it side by side, yet even together had failed to subdue the beast.

"Senior, over the years, have you heard of any Spiritual Infant cultivator whose astra is a black tortoise shell?" Qin Sang asked through sound transmission.

Wandering Man clearly remembered as well. Though he hadn't personally seen the battle between those two and the Lightning-Devouring Falcon, he recalled the sword technique used to slay the Star Venom Frog and looked at him with surprise.

"You suspect..."

Qin Sang gave a small nod.

Wandering Man pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "It's definitely none of our righteous grandmasters. There are some very secretive Spiritual Infant rogue cultivators at Yinshan Stronghold, and a few among the demonic cultivators too. It's probably one of them. Spiritual Infant grandmasters are no longer bound by the so-called righteous-demonic divide; it's not unusual for them to maintain friendships across the lines. I myself have a few friends on the demonic path."

Qin Sang had only asked out of curiosity. Seeing that Wandering Man had no leads either, he chose not to press further.

Just then, a realization struck him: including Iron Crown, the palace master of Shangyuan Tranquility Palace, only seven Spiritual Infant grandmasters from the Eight Major Sects had appeared. The sect leader of Yuling Sect was absent.

When he asked about it, Wandering Man responded with subtle meaning, "When I visited Heavenly Demon Hill, I noticed signs suggesting that the Yuling Sect's ties with Heavenly Demon Hill run deeper than they appear. Ever since the sect was founded, it has never fallen from the ranks of the righteous world's top sects. What secrets lie within... I suspect only the Spiritual Infant cultivators truly know."

...

The crimson cloud held the Spirit Tide at bay.

After chatting with Wandering Man for a while, Qin Sang returned to his own stone platform to wait. With nothing better to do, he began silently organizing the treasures stored within his thumb ring.

Right under the nose of his own grandmaster, Qin Sang planned to use the Cold Gold Sword and the two talisman astras left behind by Daoist Jiupao as a display of strength. For someone at the Fake Core Realm, this collection was far from meager.

Among his trump cards, the Xutian Thunder and the ebony sword were the least problematic to expose. Now that his cultivation had improved, it was plausible to claim he had come by such items through fortunate encounters.

Someone as powerful as Dongyang Bo, a true Spiritual Infant master, likely wouldn't care about them.

As for the other items, he would conceal them if he could.

The Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman was tied to the disappearance of Daoist Master Xuanyu from Shangyuan Tranquility Palace.

The Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions was entangled in serious matters.

The flying yaksha and the corpse core were both linked to the secret corpse techniqueHeavenly Yin Corpse Art. Dongyang Bo had tolerated Chenyan using the energy extraction method to reach the Spiritual Infant Realm, so he was clearly not the sort to ruthlessly stamp out evil but Qin Sang still believed it best to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

Silently, Qin Sang began mapping out all that awaited him inside Ziwei Palace. Only now did he realize just how many tasks lay ahead, and how not a single one could afford error. The weight pressing down on him felt immense.

Several hours passed as everyone waited atop the mountain, but no Spiritual Infant grandmaster had yet announced their departure.

Just as restlessness began spreading through the crowd, a powerful presence suddenly appeared from the west.

Everyone sensed it and stood up, peering into the distance. A mass of multicolored mist was drifting toward them at astonishing speed.

Within the mist surged overwhelming demonic qi.

"The cultivating demons from Heavenly Demon Hill are here!"

Someone shouted.

The fog churned violently, making it difficult to see how many demons were hidden within. But faint outlines could be made out—many of them massive and clearly non-humanoid in form.

It seemed that not only had Transformation Realm great demons arrived, but quite a number of Demonic Core Realm beasts had joined as well.

In the Small Cold Domain, it was rare to see great demons appear at all.

Most of the cultivators present found the sight novel. This was likely their first time witnessing so many cultivating demons gathered together. These creatures had clearly all been enlightened by the Imperial Elixir; they could no longer be treated as mere beasts. Their intelligence and supernatural abilities rivaled those of human cultivators.

While the crowd buzzed with discussion, the red-haired grandmaster's voice suddenly rang out in everyone's ears. "Daoists from Heavenly Demon Hill have arrived. We set out now."

The crimson cloud abruptly pressed downward.

Everyone felt a sudden jolt in their bodies. When they regained their senses, they realized they were already enveloped within the red cloud.

At its edge, several figures had appeared. They were none other than the red-haired grandmaster and his companions.

At the same time, the multicolored demonic mist, the black demonic qi, and the golden palace moved to merge with the red cloud. Among them, the red cloud was the most expansive, followed by the demonic qi, with the golden palace the least conspicuous.

Each formation bore a distinct color, but now they clung closely together, barely forming a four-colored cloud mass that streaked like lightning toward the inner region of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.