Gateway of Immortality

Shrill and tragic screams echoed into the distance.

The demonic beast herd near the sea of rocks was immediately alarmed. Chaos erupted everywhere. Some beasts huddled in their nests, shivering uncontrollably, while others simply fled with their entire families in tow.

"Hold it down!"

Qin Sang did not use any astra; he merely relied on the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions, coordinating with the flying yaksha to beat the Black Jiao senseless.

At Qin Sang's command, the flying yaksha vanished into thin air, only to reappear near the Black Jiao's head in the next instant. Its massive hand slammed down, pinning the Jiao's head against the rocky ground with brutal force.

The Black Jiao was pinned so firmly that it could no longer utter a sound. Though its body still struggled, and its long tail lashed out in an attempt to knock the flying yaksha away, the yaksha easily evaded the attack.

By now, the Black Jiao's aura had become extremely faint.

Qin Sang flickered forward, holding the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman, and pressed it squarely against the Black Jiao's forehead. Spiritual power surged forth, activating the talisman's hidden might.

The talisman adhered to the Black Jiao's forehead and emitted a brilliant light, resembling a flawless, translucent piece of jade.

But to the Black Jiao, that beautiful jade was no different from King Yan himself coming to claim its life. The radiance of the talisman turned into countless silver needles, each bringing excruciating pain.

The Black Jiao's body convulsed violently, but no matter how fiercely it struggled, it was utterly futile.

Qin Sang focused all his attention on controlling the talisman.

Before long, the Black Jiao's resistance abruptly ceased. From the center of its forehead, a mysterious dark glow emerged, and then, inch by inch, a small Jiao spirit, no larger than a palm, was drawn out.

Qin Sang's face lit up with joy. He withdrew the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman.

The Jiao spirit, wrapped tightly in chains, was completely restrained.

It roared in defiance, but no matter how it struggled, it could not break free. Dragged by the chains, it was slowly pulled toward the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman, inching closer and closer.

The Jiao spirit's resistance grew fiercer. This was the most critical moment. Qin Sang's expression turned solemn as he poured all his strength into the talisman, steadily devouring the Jiao spirit.

The light of the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman flickered erratically, the spirit talisman quivering violently as the Jiao spirit continued its desperate struggle.

At last, the spirit talisman gradually settled into calm.

Phew!

Qin Sang exhaled deeply and brought the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman before him for a closer look.

His spiritual consciousness swept into the talisman, where the Jiao spirit had already submitted and quieted down. After devouring two Jiao spirits, the power of the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman had risen to a whole new level.

Satisfied, Qin Sang nodded, storing the talisman inside his body for nurturing. Shifting his gaze, he turned toward the flying yaksha.

After this battle against the Black Jiao, Qin Sang's confidence in the flying yaksha had grown even stronger.

The flying yaksha lifted the Black Jiao and placed it atop a boulder. Qin Sang personally dissected the corpse. The remains of a Jiao were precious and rare; with his expertise in artifact refinement, Qin Sang could use the Black Jiao's body as the main material, supplemented by other rare components, to forge several excellent top-grade artifacts.

However, given his current standards, top-grade artifacts no longer excited him as they once had. And this Jiao corpse, though precious, was still insufficient to craft an astra, so he did not feel particularly elated.

After finishing the dissection, Qin Sang stored the flying yaksha and the malevolent corpse he had left at a distance into his Corpse Puppet Pouch. Then, finding a secluded spot, he tested the power of the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman before promptly leaving Endless Valley, flying straight north toward Qingyang Market.

...

Hanshan City.

In truth, it was more fitting to call it Hanshan Village.

The city was small, its population nowhere near that of major cities, and it was built upon a slope.

Isolated in the wilderness, it had been spared the ravages of war. Behind it stretched endless mountain ranges; before it flowed a great river. Blessed with abundant natural resources, it lived peacefully, like a hidden paradise untouched by the outside world.

Fortunately, the spiritual power in this region was exceedingly sparse, and powerful demonic cultivators couldn't even be bothered to glance at it.

Still, the lord of Hanshan City was in fact an immortal cultivator. The city's largest family, which belonged to this very cultivator, had remained rooted here for generations, ruling as undisputed overlords.

The family's surname was Ji.

Ji Wu was the eldest son of the Ji Family's current patriarch.

On a distant mountain top overlooking Hanshan City, Qin Sang stood amidst the trees, quietly observing. The city's walls were not particularly high, but they were thick enough to fend off wild beasts.

Within the walls, people bustled about like ants, busy with their daily lives.

Qin Sang's gaze shifted from the foot of the mountain to its midway point, where a particularly splendid palace stood out. His gaze lingered briefly before moving further upward.

His eyesight was exceptionally sharp. He could see, to the north of Hanshan City, a narrow path winding through the dense forest. Qin Sang restrained his aura and locked his gaze on the path from afar, moving quietly.
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The path extended all the way into the valley behind the mountain before disappearing completely. Qin Sang was in no hurry. Sweeping his gaze around, he could not help but inwardly admire the breathtaking view of the valley.

The valley was filled with blossoming peach trees, their flowers vibrant and unfading, creating a sea of color like a magnificent floral carpet stretching across the entire valley.

Deep within the peach blossoms, a mist curled and lingered, faintly tinged with pink, floating gently above the ground without dispersing.

This mist was actually a poisonous peach blossom miasma. A mortal would die upon contact, and even an immortal cultivator would face grave danger if the poison invaded their internal organs due to carelessness.

Within the lingering miasma, faint outlines of several buildings could be seen.

This was the hiding place of Daoist Jiupao!

Ji Wu had been taken as a disciple by Daoist Jiupao after the latter arrived at Hanshan City and noticed his outstanding talent. Daoist Jiupao then chose to go into seclusion here, receiving offerings from the Ji Family.

However, the Demonic Flame Sect's headquarters was not located here.

Hunted relentlessly by the Yuanzhao Sect, Daoist Jiupao had become extremely cautious, knowing he had no place left to run.

He also understood well the wisdom of a crafty rabbit having three burrows. This valley was merely one of his many hiding places. Very few knew about it, perhaps not even all of the Four Demonic Flame Envoys were aware.

Yu Hua's status within the Kuiyin Sect seemed to be much higher than Qin Sang had initially imagined. Somehow, Yu Hua had managed to uncover Daoist Jiupao's background thoroughly, even learning about all of his various hiding places.

It was not that Daoist Jiupao had a peculiar fondness for planting peach trees at his residences. Rather, the Kuiyin Sect possessed an exceptionally covert and unusual spiritual array that could harness the natural power of the peach blossom miasma to set up an invisible formation.

Anyone unaware of the truth would focus all their attention on surviving the toxic miasma and never realize that a hidden spiritual array lurked within, trapping them without their knowledge.

Each of Daoist Jiupao's hiding places was protected by a similar array.

Qin Sang could not be certain whether Daoist Jiupao was currently concealed within the peach blossom miasma.

However, according to Yu Hua, this was Daoist Jiupao's most secretive refuge, and only Ji Wu knew of its existence.

Qin Sang reasoned that if Daoist Jiupao had acquired medicine for healing and was seeking a place to recover, this location would undoubtedly be his first choice. Therefore, instead of searching elsewhere, Qin Sang had come straight to Hanshan City.
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Unable to see clearly through the peach blossom miasma, and unsure if Daoist Jiupao was indeed hiding inside, Qin Sang had no choice but to venture in himself.

He had already obtained the method for breaking the array from Yu Hua. Sweeping his gaze around, he easily saw through the changes in the array. Restraining his aura, he moved to the eastern edge of the peach blossom miasma, sealed his mouth and nose, and slipped silently into the mist.