Gateway of Immortality

It was only upon nearing the altar that they truly realized how massive it was. The thick, undispersed aura of bloodlust radiated in vivid crimson, almost indistinguishable from real blood, stirring terror in the heart.

Even if not for the ancient barriers, few would dare step into that blood-drenched aura.

After passing through the Immortal Tomb, they encountered several more treacherous regions. However, none were as fearsome as the ghost king lurking in the Immortal Tomb.

That tomb was likely the most dangerous trial. Once through it, the hazards that followed could be overcome by a Golden Core cultivator with sufficient caution.

Along the way, they also came across some peculiar ancient arrays that forced them to act alone, scattering their array.

Fortunately, Dongyang Bo had prepared special spirit talismans and artifacts in advance, which allowed Qin Sang and the others to pass through those challenges safely.

Dongyang Bo and Chenyan had a single, clear goal: the inner palace.

Anything else along the way held no interest for them. They didn't spare a glance for the flickering lights or hidden realms they passed, rushing ahead at full speed.

Qin Sang was naturally delighted by this.

The faster Dongyang Bo moved, the sooner they would enter the inner palace, and the fewer competitors there would be when it came time to harvest the Purple Cloud Fruit. Golden Core cultivators simply couldn't match Dongyang Bo's pace.

The downside, of course, was that Wandering Man would be left further behind.

Qin Sang could only hope that the time held within the wooden bracelet would last long enough for Wandering Man to catch up.

"That jade wall ahead is the entrance to the inner palace. Once inside, the rest of you stay put. Don't wander around, especially near the ancient halls protected by barriers. Chenyan and I will come find you."

Dongyang Bo raised a hand and pointed forward as he gave his final instructions.

Before them stood a half-moon-shaped mountain, encircling a massive pit several hundred zhang wide.

From the depths of the pit emanated a chilling, demonic qi. It was bottomless, its icy aura piercing to the bone, as though it led directly to the underworld.

Rumor had it that a powerful Spiritual Infant cultivator had once leapt into this demonic pit in defiance of danger. Yet even by the time Ziwei Palace had closed, they never uncovered what lay at its end.

On the opposite side of the pit rose a sheer cliff.

Embedded into the cliff face was a massive Eight Trigrams jade wall, luminous as a full moon in the night sky, immediately catching the eye.

The pristine jade wall, resting above such a dark abyss, seemed utterly out of place.

This was the very jade wall Dongyang Bo had pointed to.

"The ancient barrier within the jade wall used to be extremely formidable, something even Spiritual Infant cultivators had to treat with care. Thankfully, it's already been damaged, and its power weakened to the bare minimum. What remains will only affect your state of mind. Each of you take one of these Calming Pendant. With them, you can pass through easily. If you believe your willpower is strong, you can also treat this as a trial of the heart. While it may not hold much significance for Golden Core cultivators, it could still benefit you."

Qin Sang accepted the Calming Pendant. A wave of coolness flowed into his palm, clearly intended to stabilize the mind. He calmly stowed it away.

With the Jade Buddha, he had no need for such items.

"No time to waste. Let's go!"

With that, Dongyang Bo led them into the air, flying straight toward the jade wall.

They soared across the demonic pit.

The instant Qin Sang touched the jade wall's green light, he suddenly felt his body grow light. Lifting his head, he saw that the Vajra Bangle, along with Dongyang Bo and the others, had vanished completely.

It appeared that, like the previous array they'd encountered, the jade wall forcibly separated everyone.

Before his eyes appeared a passageway that didn't seem entirely real. Radiant colors swirled and shifted like a kaleidoscope.

Silently, Qin Sang activated the Jade Buddha to guard his primordial spirit. As expected, he experienced no trial of the heart.

Though the corridor seemed illusionary, the sensation beneath his feet felt solid. After only a brief pause, Qin Sang activated his movement art and sprinted at full speed toward the end of the passage.

He had already experienced a so-called heart-tempering trial inside Che Yutao's Red Dust Gourd.

That time had proven something: as long as the Jade Buddha was with him, these methods of tempering the heart had absolutely no effect. He remained detached and clear-headed, unable to fully immerse himself, and thus, the process failed to bring any transformation.

A complete waste of time.

Every breakthrough in Qin Sang's state of mind had come from real experiences—bitter trials and life-and-death encounters.

Within the corridor, Qin Sang unleashed his Sword Qi Thunderclap. His form transformed into streaking sword light as he raced forward.

This passageway was strange indeed; there was no telling where its end lay.

Suddenly, Qin Sang felt as though he had touched some kind of barrier, and in the next instant, he broke through it.

"I'm out!"

A jolt ran through him, and he hurriedly grabbed the wooden bracelet he had prepared in advance, quickly slipping it onto his arm.

At once, the chaos before his eyes vanished. His vision cleared, and a soft brightness filled the air. A faint scent of fresh grass reached his nose. It was so different from the gloom and blood stench of the outer hall.

Qin Sang immediately noticed he wasn't standing on solid ground, but rather suspended in midair, plummeting downward at high speed.

Looking down, he confirmed it: he was indeed falling from the sky. Below him stretched a lush green meadow, dotted with yellow and white wildflowers, overflowing with vitality.

"Please don't let me run into Dongyang Bo or Chenyan! They say everyone arrives at a different location when entering the inner palace. Surely the odds aren't that bad..."

He prayed silently and raised his arm to check the bracelet.

Clasped around his arm, the wooden bracelet had transformed into a dragon-shaped band. A small yellow dragon, no thicker than a finger, came to life and, sensing the blood-colored thread of surveillance on Qin Sang's arm, opened its mouth and inhaled sharply.

The thread quivered once, then was swallowed whole by the dragon. But instead of breaking, the thread coiled around the yellow dragon and bound it in turn.

Even so, the mark's aura had already been cut off.

The little yellow dragon yawned like a tired beast, then coiled itself snugly around Qin Sang's arm and reverted into a wooden bracelet once more.

Qin Sang gave it a firm squeeze—solid and secure—then finally relaxed and looked around.

He stood on a soft patch of grass. Directly ahead rose a verdant mountain, thick with ancient trees and ringing with the soft trickle of spring water. But not a single bird or beast could be seen, not even the chirp of an insect.

Without these sounds, the seemingly vibrant land carried an unshakable undertone of deathly stillness.

Halfway up the mountain, he noticed the curved eaves of a rooftop peeking from the trees—proof that an ancient hall was hidden within. But the faint layer of green light hovering above it, a manifested barrier, made it clear that the area was not as safe as it appeared.

By now, Qin Sang had already concealed his presence and flashed behind a tree.

He shifted his gaze from the mountaintop to the base of the mountain, and then to the far end of the grassy field, only to find that the meadow abruptly ended ahead!

Peering further into the distance...

Misty clouds curled across the sky, celestial qi drifting gently like a dreamscape. It truly resembled a celestial realm.

And within the sea of clouds, he spotted two fragments of land suspended in the air. Each one floated independently like an island in the sky, hanging far above the earth.

One of the floating fragments resembled the one Qin Sang stood on now, complete with a full-sized mountain.

The other was much smaller, yet somehow held a great river upon it. Though the fragment was tiny, the river surged endlessly, its waters still full and flowing, cascading from the heavens without end. No one could tell where it flowed to.

In the distance, more floating land fragments seemed to loom faintly through the clouds!