Gateway of Immortality

At first, Qin Sang had remained skeptical, but time and again the information he extracted from Yu Hua proved accurate. He had used that intelligence to ambush Daoist Jiupao and seize his Golden Core.

He had suspected that Yu Hua might secretly have another identity, one with high status within Kuiyin Sect, which would explain his deep knowledge of Daoist Jiupao.

At the time, Yu Hua's primordial spirit had already been sealed by the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, and the three Golden Core elders of Kuiyin Sect had all perished, leaving no one to verify anything.

Looking back now, it was likely all thanks to Yi Tianye.

Yi Tianye had been Daoist Jiupao's senior uncle. He had watched him grow up and knew him inside out. That he could uncover Daoist Jiupao's secrets was no surprise.

Daoist Jiupao's body had been destroyed and his Golden Core left shattered, and he had barely escaped with his life.

Yi Tianye didn't appear to have been much better off.

What remained unclear was what relationship had once existed between Yi Tianye and Yu Hua, and why Yi Tianye hadn't contacted Daoist Jiupao, instead choosing to secretly investigate him.

At the mention of Yu Hua's name, Yi Tianye suddenly erupted in fury.

"That traitorous wretch. Back then, I barely managed to escape with a sliver of my soul, hiding within his body. My lifespan was nearing its end, and I was grievously injured. Fortunately, I had once obtained a secret art of the ghost path, allowing me to burn my soul, abandon reincarnation, and switch to the ghost path to extend my life."

"But that vile brat, he feigned obedience, only to betray me during my weakest moment while I was altering my cultivation. He turned against his master and ancestors, ambushed me, and reduced me to a wandering soul."

"Later, he even imprisoned my soul, treated it like a plaything, subjected me to humiliation, and tried to force my secrets from me."

"I longed to tear him to pieces."

"And I have you to thank for killing that scum and freeing me from his clutches. You even avenged me by refining him into a living corpse, condemning him to eternal damnation!"

Qin Sang sneered coldly at his words. "You say he's eternally damned, but what about you?"

Now, he finally understood how Yi Tianye had managed to survive until now.

No one truly knew whether this world had reincarnation, but everyone carried a sliver of hope that the Heavenly Dao would leave a thread of life, even in despair.

Secret techniques of the ghost path were always sinister and cruel.

To extend his life using one had surely required a steep price. It could not last forever. Some methods not only stripped one of the ability to possess a new body, but caused the soul to vanish completely upon death, just like what had happened to Yu Hua.

At the same time, Qin Sang realized why Yi Tianye had waited until now to act.

While Yi Tianye was under Yu Hua's control, his soul must have been extremely weak. Otherwise, with his late-stage Golden Core Realm cultivation, Yu Hua would never have been able to suppress him.

Yu Hua must have intentionally prevented him from recovering, to maintain control.

After Qin Sang captured Yu Hua, he had no idea Yi Tianye was still lurking within, and the man hid himself, silently observing from within Yu Hua's body.

Given Yi Tianye's former strength, even a severely weakened soul could employ a few concealment methods to escape detection.

After all, Qin Sang had only been at the middle stage of the Foundation Building Realm back then. Even now, though he carried an External Core, his spiritual consciousness remained that of a Foundation Building cultivator. Add to that his lack of suspicion, and it made sense he hadn't noticed Yi Tianye's presence.

That was how Yi Tianye had hidden for decades.

His patience was frightening; he bore humiliation all that time, only daring to act now.

Thinking of this, Qin Sang's eyes narrowed. A glint of killing intent flickered in their depths.

He suddenly realized how Yi Tianye had gradually seized control of the flying yaksha.

Yi Tianye's injuries must have been severe. Even after all these years, he remained frail. He likely only dared attack once he had seized the yaksha's body.

Before refining Yu Hua into the flying yaksha, Qin Sang had kept him by his side at all times.

Yi Tianye, then only a wisp of spirit, would have been too weak to risk exposure. He couldn't escape, so he had no choice but to hide and wait.

He must have found his opportunity during Qin Sang's battle with Daoist Jiupao.

During that fight, Qin Sang had been desperate to claim the Golden Core. He hadn't hesitated to sacrifice the yaksha if needed in order to kill Daoist Jiupao.

No wonder the yaksha had fought so fearlessly even after being wounded. Rather than needing prompting, it had willingly gone head-to-head with Daoist Jiupao. It must have been Yi Tianye who saw the opening and acted in secret, despite the risk of revealing himself.

The battle had been too chaotic. Qin Sang hadn't noticed, giving Yi Tianye the opening he needed.

Only when the yaksha was gravely injured and near death could Yi Tianye attempt to possess its body. Otherwise, with just a feeble remnant soul, it would have been impossible.

Qin Sang had later placed the yaksha in the Sunken Cave to recover, giving Yi Tianye the chance to act without restraint.

Once he occupied that body, he would instantly regain Core Formation Realm strength. He wouldn't have passed up such a chance.

Now it all made sense why the yaksha's injuries showed no improvement during the first year in the Sunken Cave. Yi Tianye had been interfering in the shadows, sabotaging its recovery to make it easier to seize the body.

Qin Sang couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.

Yi Tianye had hidden by his side for decades, like a venomous snake watching from the shadows, and he had remained utterly unaware.

Qin Sang could not help but feel immense relief.

He was fortunate that his soul imprint had been reinforced by the Jade Buddha, making it incredibly resilient. Yi Tianye had never been able to break it, and so could not fully seize control of the yaksha.

He was fortunate to have held a Xutian Thunder all this time, forcing Yi Tianye to tread carefully and not act rashly.

He was fortunate that he had always been cautious. For fear of exposure, he had rarely looked at the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid, and during the time Yu Hua had been with him, not even once.

Otherwise, that life-saving spiritual herb might have long since fallen into another's hands.

Now that Yi Tianye had taken control of the yaksha's body, he still chose to lie low. Had he also been eyeing the spiritual herb?

Qin Sang was fortunate to have refined an External Core, something Yi Tianye knew nothing about.

Yi Tianye would never have guessed that while he was suppressing the yaksha's recovery to seize its body, Qin Sang had gone on to form the corpse core.

The timing of his ambush had been excellent.

Wandering Man was spent and could no longer fight. Qin Sang had already used up the Xutian Thunder, losing his most threatening weapon. The Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions had been withdrawn.

There could not have been a more perfect moment to strike.

If not for the corpse core, Qin Sang would have already fallen to Yi Tianye's hands without a doubt.

What Yi Tianye didn't know was that Qin Sang now possessed strength comparable to the Golden Core Realm. This single, crucial piece of information had led to his complete failure.

A grain of fortune or misstep. Was it all predestined?

Facing Qin Sang's mocking tone, Yi Tianye remained unbothered. He said calmly, "If there truly is a next life, and I no longer remember today, then I will be a different man. As long as I break through to the Spiritual Infant Realm and live out this life in glory, what does it matter if there's reincarnation? After I die, let the world drown for all I care."

Sensing the implication in Yi Tianye's words, Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly.

"Qin Sang. After that great battle back then, Yu Hua searched everywhere for Zhao Yan and could not find him. Of the five, only you survived. The Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid ended up in your hands, didn't it? I risked the entire sect and ended up giving you a free gift."

Yi Tianye let out a string of cold laughs. "Hand over the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid, or I'll crush the Purple Cloud Fruit right here and now. Let's see how you'll form your core then."