Gateway of Immortality

With the flying yaksha in the midst of metamorphosis, it couldn't act for the time being. Qin Sang would have to handle things himself.

Fortunately, breaking through barriers wasn't like combat; it didn't consume too much energy. His corpse core could easily sustain him, so Qin Sang agreed without hesitation.

Just then, he noticed a flicker of hesitation on Wandering Man's face, which caught his attention.

Before he could dwell on it, Wandering Man asked, "Brother Qin, did you manage to learn anything from Yi Tianye about the Jade Liquid of Three Radiances?"

Wandering Man had helped him so much, so there was no reason to hide anything.

Besides, obtaining the Jade Liquid of Three Radiances was not something Qin Sang could do alone. He needed Wandering Man's assistance.

The tasks of Dongyang Bo and Chenyan hung like a shadow over his head, making it impossible for him to act freely.

The time for which the wooden bracelet could suppress the mark was limited.

Though their journey into the ancient herb garden had been relatively quick, and not much time had passed, those two unexpected battles had greatly eaten into their window.

Now, every second counted. Qin Sang still needed to reach the place where Senior Qingzhu had vanished and search for the next stage of his cultivation art.

The continuation of thePrimordial Spirit Sword Nourishmentand the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid... One formed the foundation of his path to immortality, the other his hope for eventually forming a Spiritual Infant. He couldn't say which was more important.

He wanted both, but time allowed for neither.

The place where the Jade Liquid of Three Radiances was hidden wasn't easy to enter. Even with Yi Tianye's memories, it would take some effort.

Qin Sang alone couldn't manage it in the time remaining. He needed Wandering Man's help.

Realizing this, he dared not waste another moment and immediately said, "Senior, I've confirmed that an ancient site likely holds the Jade Liquid of Three Radiances. Time is tight. Let's discuss it on the move."

He placed the Purple Cloud Fruit into a jade box and stored it away. Refining the spiritual fruit and breaking through to Core Formation both required time and preparation, neither of which he had right now.

Wandering Man understood the urgency and naturally had no objections, setting off together with Qin Sang.

Just as they were about to leave, Qin Sang suddenly recalled something. He took out the precious jade left behind by Yi Tianye and examined it in his palm.

The jade was crescent-shaped. Its texture wasn't clear or pristine, but rather slightly murky, with a milky-white hue.

The moment it touched his hand, a warm sensation flowed into his body.

It was a piece of warm jade.

What was truly strange was that this warmth didn't stop at the body; it extended all the way to the primordial spirit, leaving even his spiritual self with a pleasant, cozy sensation.

"This should be a type of Spirit-Warming Jade."

Wandering Man quickly recognized its nature.

"When the soul leaves the body and becomes too weak or cannot return for an extended period, consciousness begins to dissipate. Eventually, one loses all self-awareness and becomes a wandering ghost, lost for eternity."

"Though Yi Tianye turned to ghost cultivation, his soul had been sabotaged and fragmented, and he faced this same risk."

"This kind of Soul-Warming Jade can delay the dissipation of consciousness and maintain the body's vitality. That's how Yi Tianye was able to survive all this time. He had hidden within the jade to preserve his remaining soul."

"In terms of effect, it's somewhat similar to one of the Ten Divine Woods, the Soul-Nourishing Wood."

"But the Soul-Nourishing Wood is far more powerful. Not only can it house fragmented souls, but it also nurtures a cultivator's primordial spirit, strengthens spiritual consciousness, and is one of the rarest treasures in existence."

"If I were lucky enough to obtain a piece, I wouldn't have to keep going through all this back and forth.

"This jade isn't on that level, but it's still a valuable item. Brother Qin, keep it safe. If you meet someone in need of it, it might fetch a very high price."

It sounded somewhat similar to the crystal coffin he once gifted the Tan Brothers, though clearly far superior in effect.

Qin Sang gave a quiet "Mhmm" in response and stowed the jade. But in his mind, he was now thinking about the Soul-Nourishing Wood.

When he had fused a piece of Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood, the benefits were astounding. It was something he would reap for a lifetime. Surely, the other divine woods carried mystical powers no less than the Blood Defilement Divine Light.

The Soul-Nourishing Wood Wandering Man spoke of was one of them.

It was said that even the souls of mortals, when housed within Soul-Nourishing Wood, could persist without dispersing and retain their awareness. Remarkable indeed.

His ebony sword was already being nurtured within his primordial spirit. If he could refine a piece of Soul-Nourishing Wood and fuse it into the sword, it could nourish and enhance his spirit day and night.

In time, his spiritual consciousness would undoubtedly surpass other cultivators at the same realm.

Qin Sang had long coveted the Ten Divine Woods, but all he could do was dream.

They could only be encountered by chance, not sought after. The Soul-Nourishing Wood, in particular, existed only in legends. There had yet to be any reports of it appearing in the cultivation world.

Putting away the crescent-shaped jade, Qin Sang channeled a strand of spiritual power to support the weakened Wandering Man, and the two of them swept out of the stone chamber together.

"Hmm?"

Just as he flew out of the stone hall, Qin Sang suddenly caught a glint of golden light at the edge of the lake, flickering from a crack in the rocks. His figure came to an abrupt halt as he turned to look.

"What's that?"

With a flick of his hand, a curved golden strip flew out from the rock crevice. Qin Sang frowned in puzzlement. This hadn't been there earlier when they arrived.

When the full object revealed itself, Qin Sang suddenly recalled that the panther earlier had worn a golden ring around its neck, something resembling a collar.

Back when he had fought the panther, he had even stayed alert for any tricks from the gold ring. But after confirming it wasn't an astra, he paid it no further attention.

Later, when the Xutian Thunder exploded, the blast struck the panther's upper body directly, blowing off its front left leg and exposing the bones of its neck. Clearly, the golden ring hadn't survived either and had been shattered.

The Shadow-Devouring Panther, barely clinging to life, must have been terrified and fled without thinking of retrieving the broken piece of the collar, leaving it behind here.

The panther is a middle-stage Demonic Core Realm beast. If it had carried this with it, could it be something valuable?

Qin Sang picked up the gold ring and was just about to inspect it when he felt something shift. His hand suddenly lightened, and a small, white, bone-like object fell out from within.

It turned out the gold ring was hollow, made of a solid but otherwise unremarkable metal, seemingly crafted solely to conceal this piece of bone.

Qin Sang examined it closely.

The bone fragment wasn't large, about the size of a human finger bone segment. Though white in color, it wasn't deathly pale. Instead, it had a smooth, jade-like sheen across its surface, appearing polished and almost elegant.

Viewed this way, it didn't look like an ordinary bone at all.

Unlike human finger bones, which were broader at the joints, this bone was straight and uniform, with a hollow core in the center. Though it lacked any finger holes, it resembled a bone flute.

Qin Sang turned it over in his hand, inspecting it from all sides, but couldn't glean anything unusual. He had no idea why the Shadow-Devouring Panther would wear this around its neck instead of storing it in a storage artifact.

He didn't believe for a second that a formidable middle-stage Demonic Core beast would be without any form of storage item.

Just then, Wandering Man, standing nearby, let out a thoughtful hum. "Brother Qin, hand it to me for a look."

Qin Sang passed it over.

Wandering Man examined it carefully for a while, then turned and asked, "Brother Qin, do you sense that the power this bone flute gives off feels strangely familiar, like it resembles something else?"

Qin Sang's heart stirred. "Senior, are you referring to the Elemental Star Stones?"

He had sensed it faintly himself but hadn't dared to be certain.

Wandering Man nodded. "Indeed. This bone flute seems faintly connected to the starry sky. It might be an artifact capable of channeling the power of the cosmic orbit and stars. Whether it's an actual astra, or if it conceals some hidden secret, I can't say for sure."