Gateway of Immortality

By the riverside stood a grand estate—an opulent sprawl of over a thousand mu[1] in size.

This was the residence of the Gongsun Family.

Few knew that the Gongsun Family was split into inner and outer branches.

The outer branch consisted of ordinary mortals, while the inner branch belonged to the true Gongsun bloodline—cultivators attached to Shaohua Mountain, entrusted with overseeing this region on its behalf.

The Gongsun Family's strength was modest. The current patriarch, Gongsun Li, was two hundred and fifty-three years old. His cultivation had only reached the middle stage of the Foundation Building Realm.

Today, mourning white draped the entire estate.

Gongsun Li wore burial robes and sat motionless in a grand preceptor's chair, awaiting the end of his lifespan.

Kneeling before him was a young man dressed in white.

They were the only two in the room.

Gongsun Li's expression was inscrutable as he stared blankly out at the clear blue sky beyond the doorway, murmuring to himself.

"I once had the potential to form a Golden Core, but in my youth, I indulged too deeply in the pleasures of the mundane world. I wasted those precious years in idle enjoyment and only managed to reach the Foundation Building Realm at the age of fifty-eight."

"In the hundred years that followed, I continued to live licentiously, surrounded by wives, concubines, rare delicacies, and fine wine. By the time I turned one hundred and fifty, my cultivation had barely progressed."

"It was only then that I suddenly realized my time was slipping away, and I broke into a cold sweat in terror."

"I tried to reform, but it was already too late. Even after exhausting every effort, I barely broke through to the middle stage at two hundred years of age. By then, my vital energy was already waning. There was no hope of further advancement."

"Now that the end is near, I finally see that everything I pursued was no more than a fleeting illusion."

"When I think back... oh, how I regret it! I truly regret it..."

The youth knelt in confusion, not fully understanding the old man's words. When Gongsun Li beckoned him closer, he quickly crawled forward.

"Dong'er..."

Gongsun Li gripped the boy's hand tightly. His breathing suddenly grew labored, his eyes widened, and with great effort, he uttered his final words. "Your potential is no less than mine. Once you are accepted into Shaohua Mountain, you must cultivate with utmost dedication. Do not let the distractions of the world erode your heart. Do not follow in my footsteps."

With that, his head slumped to the side, and he passed away peacefully.

In the corner of the room, a faint shadow flickered and vanished. No one in the household noticed.

...

Leaving the Gongsun Residence behind, Qin Sang ascended atop a cloud. After orienting himself, he soared in the direction of a small island.

It had been an entire month since he descended from Xianglong Mountain.

Over the past month, Qin Sang had not secluded himself for bitter cultivation as he usually did. Instead, he assumed the guise of a mortal, or lurked in the shadows, roaming through the countries surrounding Shaohua Mountain, observing the human world in all its facets.

He had seen many people.

Among them were beggars, commoners, nobles, seekers of immortality, rogue cultivators, and immortal cultivation families like the Gongsun Family...

Qin Sang had indeed heeded Qi Yuanshou's advice to blend into the mortal world.

But what he chose to witness were scenes he sought out deliberately—partings by death.

One could only imagine whether Qi Yuanshou would be furious if he ever learned of this.

Qin Sang's heart had long been firm. He had already decided the path he would walk, and external matters would not sway him. So he watched—watched mortals die with regrets born of obsession, watched cultivators meet their end with bitter remorse.

When he returned to the island, Wandering Man was already there waiting.

Qin Sang relaxed upon seeing him and descended from the cloud.

"Thank you for waiting, Senior."

Wandering Man shook his head and gave Qin Sang a once-over. "You spent a month immersed in the mortal realm, observing all manner of worldly affairs. What are your thoughts?"

Qin Sang shook his head. "Their path is not mine. I was merely an observer. I walk my own path."

"To clarify one's heart through the myriad facets of the human world is a form of insight as well."

Wandering Man chuckled as he stroked his beard and asked no further. Instead, his tone shifted. "You mentioned you had a matter that requires my help. What is it?"

Qin Sang hesitated a moment before answering. "I wish to ask you to assist me in stealing the Qingyang Gale Essence from the Demonic Qingyang Sect."

At those words, even Wandering Man was taken aback. He frowned deeply. "I recall that back then, when you asked me where to find the Celestial Gale Essence, I warned you not to act rashly. Did my words fall on deaf ears?"

"Not at all, Senior. I remember every word you spoke, I dare not forget." Qin Sang's tone remained firm. "But I have reasons that leave me no choice. The Celestial Gale Essence is crucial to my Core Formation. The one within the Cunyang Sect's sect leader's cave dwelling is beyond reach. I can only set my sights on the Demonic Qingyang Sect."

"It's tied to your path to Core Formation?"

Wandering Man's expression grew solemn.

As a cultivator devoted to the Dao, he naturally understood the weight of the path to Core Formation. Were it he who stood at that threshold, he would brave any peril, no matter how insurmountable.

"Do you realize what the Qingyang Gale Essence means to the Demonic Qingyang Sect? They would never allow you to take it."

Qin Sang nodded. "I understand perfectly. The Demonic Qingyang Sect would never agree. That's why there's no other choice—I must steal it."

The Qingyang Gale Essence was the very foundation upon which the Demonic Qingyang Sect was built.

Their core cultivation art required it to give birth to demonic fire.

Long ago, the founding grandmaster of the sect had discovered the Qingyang Gale Essence atop Divine Gale Peak. That single discovery had propelled him to fame and allowed the Demonic Qingyang Sect to flourish, rising to become one of the most formidable demonic sects in the Small Cold Domain.

But the quantity of Qingyang Gale Essence was limited.

Many years ago, a surge of Celestial Gale Qi had descended upon Divine Gale Peak. After undergoing countless transformations, it eventually crystallized into Gale Essence.

Since then, even if more Celestial Gale Qi were to fall, it was near impossible that it would land precisely on Divine Gale Peak again. And even if it did, there was no guarantee that it could once more evolve into Gale Essence.

From the day the sect was established, the Qingyang Gale Essence had only ever been consumed—never replenished.

Once the supply ran dry and no alternative was found, it would be as though the roots of the Demonic Qingyang Sect had been severed. The sect would be a hollow shell in name only.

Qin Sang had spent years hidden within Qingyang Market, conducting thorough investigations both in the open and from the shadows. He had uncovered much; most importantly, that the quantity of Qingyang Gale Essence remaining atop Divine Gale Peak was dangerously low.

Given such circumstances, there was no way the Demonic Qingyang Sect would allow anyone to so much as touch the Qingyang Gale Essence. Not even an exchange with powerful astras would sway them.

Besides, the sect had inherited blessings from their ancestors and lacked nothing in the way of astras.

That was why Qin Sang said it couldn't be traded for. It had to be stolen.

Wandering Man no longer tried to dissuade him and instead began evaluating the feasibility of such a task. "To steal the Qingyang Gale Essence? Even though the Demonic Qingyang Sect has declined, they still have four Golden Core experts within the sect. Their sect leader is even at the late stage of the Core Formation Realm. Though his life is nearing its end and he's far from reaching the Spiritual Infant Realm, the legacy of the grandmaster still empowers him. His strength must be terrifying... Apart from me, how many other helpers have you found? Any other Core Formation cultivators?"

"Not a single one."

Qin Sang replied with an embarrassed shake of his head.

"You're the only one I've asked for help, Senior."

"But right now, not all four of the sect's Golden Core elders are within their headquarters. One of them was sent by the demonic sect to the Chaotic Island Waters to battle the Tianxing Alliance. He won't return until the war ends."

"Another is stationed in Qingyang City to guard against the Spirit Tide and won't leave until the tide recedes."

"That leaves only the sect leader and a newly advanced Golden Core cultivator inside the sect. And with the opening of Ziwei Palace approaching, the sect leader will not miss the chance to attend. If he shows up in Qingyang City, only one Golden Core cultivator will be left behind!"

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Once the Ziwei Palace expedition ends, I may never find such a favorable moment again."

1. The mu in Mandarin, mau or mou in Cantonese, or bo in Taiwanese, also called Chinese acre, is a traditional Chinese unit of measurement for land area. One mu equals 666.67 square meters in mainland China, 761.4 square meters in Hong Kong and Macau, and 99.17 square meters in Taiwan and Japan. ☜