Gateway of Immortality

Qin Sang was shaken by Wandering Man's earth-shattering words. Even those blessed with the Heavenly Spiritual Root would never dare treat the Spiritual Infant Realm as something easily attained.

Had not even Chenyan resorted to the evil technique of the devilish path to break through?

Yet Wandering Man dared to do exactly that.

It took Qin Sang a while to collect himself. Only then did he realize that of the two tribulations Wandering Man had mentioned, the first likely referred to a soul-damaging tribulation. As for the second, he still had no idea what it entailed.

As they spoke, they finally broke through layer upon layer of barriers and left the ancient herb garden.

With Wandering Man leading the way, and Qin Sang maintaining full vigilance, they managed to avoid the demon cultivators around Heavenly Demon Hill and safely reached the outskirts of the herb garden. After confirming their direction, they immediately set off.

Wandering Man had recovered somewhat and no longer needed Qin Sang's support. With that burden lifted, their speed significantly increased.

Qin Sang lifted his wrist and examined the wooden bracelet.

There were no obvious changes, though its surface appeared slightly dimmer. The good news was that no cracks had formed yet, so it wasn't in danger of breaking anytime soon.

Mentally estimating the distances between the next few destinations, Qin Sang turned and said, "Senior, I need to make a short detour to search for something. This place happens to lie on the route to the Spirit-Gathering Hall, so I plan to head there first. It shouldn't delay us for long..."

His original plan had been to escort Wandering Man to recuperate after leaving the herb garden, then head alone to the site where Qingzhu had vanished in search of his relics.

That destination wasn't far from the herb garden.

However, their journey now required a detour to the Spirit-Gathering Hall to locate the Jade Liquid of Three Radiances, altering their route into a zigzag path.

Fortunately, the site of Qingzhu's disappearance and the Spirit-Gathering Hall lay generally in the same direction, though slightly off to the side. The deviation wasn't significant. In order to save time, Qin Sang had no choice but to adjust his plans.

Ziwei Palace was vast and sparsely populated.

Unless their luck was particularly bad, they shouldn't run into Dongyang Bo or Chenyan so easily. Neither Qin Sang nor Wandering Man dared to fly openly through the skies, but they didn't need to creep along too cautiously either. By traveling over mountains and across ridges, their pace remained swift.

Before long, they reached the mountain that Granny Jing had described.

"It's within that mountain. Senior, please rest and recover here. I'll return shortly," Qin Sang said, raising his hand to point at a peak ahead.

Only now did he understand why Granny Jing had said he would be able to find the ancient hall without assistance once he reached this mountain.

The area around the mountain was ringed with lakes of various sizes. The waters were crystal clear, connected by a web of streams, with ancient trees growing densely along the shores and up the slopes.

Deep within the forest, the vegetation grew thick and tangled, with vines like giant pythons.

Mists drifted among the treetops. They were threads of gray-white vapor that didn't resemble ordinary water vapor. Qin Sang suspected they were miasmas formed by accumulated rot and decayed matter trapped within the forest, becoming more concentrated over time.

Such miasmas were often poisonous and not to be underestimated.

However, their toxicity likely wasn't as intense as the peach blossom miasma he had encountered previously. With proper caution, they shouldn't pose much danger.

This mountain stood tall amidst the lakes, its entirety laid bare to the eye. Like its surroundings, it was cloaked in towering ancient trees and deep emerald green.

There were no mystical lights, no ancient halls shrouded in mystery.

No signs of fragmented arrays or ancient barriers manifesting strange phenomena.

Everything appeared completely normal.

Yet before even reaching the base of the mountain, Qin Sang already sensed something distinctly unusual just standing at the edge of the surrounding lake.

The disturbance came from the ebony sword.

It was as if something within the mountain resonated faintly with the sword.

More precisely, with the killing symbol etched onto its blade.

The killing symbol emitted a strange pulse, as though responding to a summons from deep within the mountain.

Qin Sang informed Wandering Man, then leapt into the forest. He activated the corpse core to shield himself from the miasma, locked onto the faint resonance, and shot into the heart of the mountain.

When Granny Jing had pointed out the route, she had been vague, clearly stating the mountain's location, but offering no insight on whether any danger lurked within. She herself seemed uncertain.

Though there were no living creatures in Ziwei Palace, it teemed with strange barriers and hazardous residual arrays. Qin Sang dared not seal away his corpse core. He drew the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions and advanced cautiously toward the peak.

The closer he got to the mountain's base, the stronger the resonance became.

Eventually, Qin Sang lifted his head and fixed his gaze on a spot near the summit.

There was nothing visibly unique about the location. Like the rest of the mountain, it was blanketed in ancient trees, the massive canopy overlapping like tiered pagodas, blotting out the sky and completely obscuring the view below.

He darted across the treetops, heading straight for that spot.

Whoosh...

The mountain wind rustled through the leaves, each sound sharp and crisp.

But beneath the canopy, it was stiflingly hot. The poisonous miasma had spread here as well, shrouding everything in a pale, gray-white fog. The ground below was layered with centuries of decomposed matter, like a bog, exuding a pungent stench.

Qin Sang stepped nimbly on the branches, and after a few agile movements, finally found the source.

He stood atop a protruding tree root. Before him loomed a towering cliff, concealed until now by the immense trees that surrounded it and blocked all view from the outside.

From a distance, one would never have realized that such a steep drop lay hidden here.

Thick vines, as large as giant pythons, coiled along the cliff face. Only through narrow gaps could one glimpse the pale rock beneath.

The cliff itself looked entirely unremarkable. Its rocky surface was uneven, with no signs of any barriers. If not for the faint resonance picked up by the killing symbol, Qin Sang would have easily overlooked it.

But that inexplicable connection was clearly present.

The cliff was obscured by vines. Qin Sang swept his palm, and spiritual power transformed into countless blades, slicing the vines apart and revealing the entire cliff face.

It was then that a subtle mystery emerged. The cliff was perfectly circular, resembling a great sun embedded in the mountain.

It faced directly east.

One could imagine, if not for the towering ancient trees and thick vines that now blocked it, how the morning sun might once have shone upon this cliff, the purple qi of dawn rising from the east[1], casting golden light across the stone.

In such a moment, the sun in the sky and this great sun on the cliff would have reflected one another. It would be a radiant, resplendent sight.

Unfortunately, with the passage of time, Ziwei Palace had fallen into decline. That once-majestic view had long since vanished, swallowed by the wild forest.

Qin Sang shook his head, brushing aside the fantasy and returning to reality.

Aside from the imagined grandeur, this cliff was nothing more than ordinary rock. He flew to the summit and examined it carefully from top to bottom, but found no carvings or markings left behind by predecessors.

That this place was connected to thePrimordial Spirit Sword Nourishmentwas beyond doubt. Yet there were no carvings; there weren't even sword marks.

Fixing his gaze firmly on the cliff, Qin Sang suddenly tapped the space between his brows.

Whoosh!

The ebony sword flew from his body, hovered briefly before him, then erupted with blinding light as a refined strand of sword qi slashed forth!

Puff!

The sword qi struck the cliff with full force. Qin Sang hadn't held back in the slightest, unleashing his strongest, most practiced sword qi.

But contrary to expectation, no sound of impact followed.

The sword qi simply vanished into thin air, not leaving even the faintest mark on the cliff, as if the rock had swallowed it whole.

1. "purple qi from the east" is a Chinese phrase that represents a good sign. ☜