Gateway of Immortality

It was a vast ancient burial ground that stretched beyond the eye's reach.

Dongyang Bo referred to it as the Immortal Tomb.

Yet no one truly knew why such a massive graveyard existed within the Immortal Palace, who had built it, or what lay buried beneath these tombs.

Immortals?

Or mere mortals?

The tombs had withstood countless years, worn down by the passage of time. Most had sunk low into the earth, many cracked open or even collapsed entirely.

Nearly all the stone tablets had been destroyed. Those that remained were broken fragments, with barely a trace of inscription left on them.

As Qin Sang walked among the graves, he came across a broken spear, most of it buried in the ground and covered in rust.

Time had eroded the weapon's former glory, but even in ruin, it still drew the eye. In its complete form, it must have been a fearsome weapon. Now, stripped of its power, it lay forgotten in the dirt, ignored by all.

Such relics weren't uncommon here. Like the broken spear, many fragments had been dulled by age, reduced to nothing more than scrap metal.

But if there were broken ones, then surely some remained intact.

The Immortal Tomb might very well be a hidden treasure trove.

The Vajra Bangle hovered above them, casting down beams of light that formed a protective barrier around Qin Sang and the others.

Within the ghostly mist, faint silhouettes drifted about. Upon sensing intruders, they let out piercing shrieks and lunged with clawed limbs. The mist churned violently, dark currents stirring within it.

Zzzrak!

As the ghostly mist touched the white light from the Vajra Bangle, it hissed like fire meeting dry wood, releasing an ear-splitting screech before swiftly dissipating.

The wraiths hidden within the mist fared no better. Touched by the white light, they barely had time to utter a final cry before vanishing completely from existence.

Perhaps because they were still at the edge of the Immortal Tomb, these ghosts were weak. With the Vajra Bangle shielding them, Qin Sang and the others hadn't felt much threat from the mist.

Even so, Dongyang Bo and Chenyan clearly grew more cautious in their actions.

The entire area was covered in tombs. There was barely anywhere solid to set foot on. Even the seemingly flat ground was often the top of a collapsed grave, giving a strange, unsettling feeling with every step.

They advanced cautiously, weaving their way through the burial ground.

The wraiths they encountered along the way grew stronger, but the two Spiritual Infant cultivators handled them with ease.

Fearing they might alarm a ghost king—beings as strong as a middle-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator—they moved on foot. Their pace was slow, and after half an hour of walking, they still hadn't emerged from the Immortal Tomb. The landscape ahead remained a misty gray expanse.

Qin Sang felt a chill in his heart.

Just how many bodies are buried here?

What kind of massacre had taken place to leave behind so many dead?

Fortunately, while the Immortal Tomb was vast, the ghostly creatures within weren't as densely packed as he had imagined.

Even the world of ghosts seemed to have a rigid hierarchy. The weaker ones only dared to linger on the outskirts, huddled together in numbers, making them seem more numerous than they were.

But deeper inside the Immortal Tomb, they would sometimes travel long distances without encountering a single ghost.

In silence, they passed between the countless graves. After another quarter of an hour, Dongyang Bo and Chenyan suddenly halted.

Qin Sang and the others looked around curiously but saw nothing unusual.

Moments later, Dongyang Bo said in a low voice, "It's Immortal Dongyun. He seems to have encountered a powerful ghostly creature. Judging by the sounds, he's not having an easy time. I heard there's a ghost king lurking nearby, one that rivals a middle-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator in strength. Dongyun likely ran into it."

Chenyan glanced at Dongyang Bo. "You want to help him drive it off?"

"Of course not."

Dongyang Bo sneered. "Even though our two domains agreed to a joint venture, we're still competitors within Ziwei Palace. That old fox Dongyun has always been secretive, he won't die so easily. We might as well take advantage of his distraction and slip through this region ahead of him."

With that, he raised a finger toward the Vajra Bangle, and its white glow vanished.

The seven figures concealed their presence, melting into the ghostly mist, nearly undetectable. Skirting the edge of the battlefield, they quickened their pace.

Just as they rounded the battlefield's perimeter, Immortal Dongyun, who was locked in fierce combat with the ghost king, seemed to sense something.

He wielded a bamboo-flute-shaped astra, which multiplied into a thousand phantom flutes that lashed out at the ghost king before him, nearly scattering half its body in a single blow.

Immortal Dongyun turned briefly to glance behind him, his brows slowly furrowing.

In that moment, the ghost king, flung away by the strike, hovered briefly in the air. Then, in an instant, its body reformed and lunged again, giving Immortal Dongyun no chance to escape.

Furious, Dongyun growled, "Stubborn wretch!"

He had no time to worry about others. All he could do now was focus fully on fending off the relentless ghost king.

On the other side, Dongyang Bo and the others pressed on without pause, ignoring the fierce battle nearby as they pushed forward with lowered heads.

As they neared the battlefield, the sound of ghostly wailing grew increasingly sharp—an ear-piercing, demonic sound that clung to their minds and refused to fade. No matter what methods they used, they couldn't dispel it. Soon, even their consciousness began to waver under its influence.

The closer they got, the more intense the effect became. The first to show signs of abnormality was Yu Wansen. His face turned deathly pale, cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and a momentary daze appeared in his eyes, as if he had been ensnared by the ghostly wails.

At first, he noticed the confusion the instant it struck and managed to shake it off.

But resisting it became harder each time. The longer he walked, the more prolonged his dazed state grew. Every time he came to his senses, a deeper layer of terror appeared on his face, his back soaked with sweat.

He had tried to temper his mind through the ghostly wails, only to realize it was pure fantasy.

He hadn't gone much farther when he could no longer bear it. He relied on the Vajra Bangle to seal his five senses, suppressing the ghostly wails to the bare minimum, and immediately felt much better.

Next were Mu Yifeng and Ji Qing.

Then Qin Sang and Qiu Mubai followed suit, one after the other, also sealing their senses.

In truth, Qin Sang hadn't been affected by the ghostly wails at all. Years ago, when he ventured into the Heavenly Corpse Cave, he had encountered a demonic sound with effects much like this one. Back then, the Jade Buddha had shielded him from its influence.

This time, the Jade Buddha once again effortlessly blocked out the ghostly wails, standing as a steadfast guardian in Qin Sang's heart.

This was a ghost king, said to rival a middle-stage Spiritual Infant cultivator, and yet its ghostly wails still couldn't shake the Jade Buddha in the slightest!

Though they were still a distance away, Qin Sang's mind remained completely untouched. It was easy to imagine that even if the ghost king appeared directly before him, the result would be the same.

Time and again on this journey, the Jade Buddha had proven its strength and reliability, never once disappointing him.

To avoid arousing suspicion from Dongyang Bo and Chenyan, Qin Sang pretended to be overwhelmed as well and sealed his senses. He had no idea how much time passed before his senses were suddenly restored.

Looking around, he saw that the ghost mist and tombs had vanished. They had finally emerged from the bounds of the Immortal Tomb.

Behind them lay gray-white mist; ahead stretched a vast expanse of open ground. The soil here was the same dark brown as that in the Immortal Tomb, as if soaked with blood.

At the far end of the clearing stood a massive earthen altar.

Its shape resembled a pyramid from Qin Sang's past life, the top piercing into the clouds. Around the altar drifted thick, crimson bloodthirsty qi, and within that qi, ancient barriers faintly manifested.

Dongyang Bo and Chenyan took to the skies with the group, flying in a wide arc to avoid the altar and continuing forward.

It seemed even they lacked the power to break through the ancient barriers sealing the altar.