Gateway of Immortality

Qin Sang and Wandering Man stayed on the small island discussing their plans until nightfall before parting ways to make their preparations.

After setting a time to rendezvous with Wandering Man, Qin Sang returned to the Sunken Cave. Seeing that the flying yaksha's condition had yet to improve, he knew it would be of no use in this operation.

He refined additional Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles, nearly filling his Mustard Seed Pouch, and set out alone toward the east, carrying with him an ample supply of Earth Malevolent Qi.

...

Earth Fire Mountain was the location of the Demonic Flame Sect's headquarters.

Earth Fire Mountain was a low-lying volcano nestled amidst towering mountain ranges, unremarkable and easy to overlook.

Daoist Jiupao had chosen this site precisely because it was secluded and rarely visited. Few outside cultivators ever approached it, greatly minimizing the risk of exposing the Kuiyin Sect's surviving members.

Since its founding, the Demonic Flame Sect had maintained an extremely low profile while secretly gathering the scattered survivors of the Kuiyin Sect.

After killing Daoist Jiupao, Qin Sang had originally intended to eliminate the entire Demonic Flame Sect in one fell swoop.

However, the flying yaksha had nearly been crippled during that encounter. After weighing the pros and cons, he was forced to take it back for treatment. Then came his preparations to form a core, which left him no time to deal with the Demonic Flame Sect.

"The sect leader and the Four Demonic Flame Envoys have all died by my hand. It's been over a year since any of their top ranks have shown themselves... I wonder what the situation is within the sect now. Are there still disciples remaining?"

Qin Sang silently darted through the forest, heading toward the Demonic Flame Sect's headquarters. Gazing toward the distant mountains, he murmured to himself.

He wasn't sure if this trip would yield the outcome he hoped for.

With five top members having disappeared for so long, it wouldn't be surprising if the Demonic Flame Sect had already fallen into disarray and scattered like monkeys from a fallen tree.

After crossing several mountain ridges in succession, Qin Sang finally caught sight of the sect's stronghold.

On the east, north, and west sides of Earth Fire Mountain stood three towering peaks that reached into the clouds, like formidable barriers guarding the volcano.

In contrast, Earth Fire Mountain itself appeared short and squat.

At its summit, faint glimmers of fire could be seen. It was an active volcano, though it showed no signs of erupting anytime soon.

Within the Demonic Flame Sect, there were two types of disciples.

The first were survivors of the Kuiyin Sect. Those with higher cultivation often ventured out to help Daoist Jiupao collect treasures, while the weaker ones concealed their identities, living in seclusion and never daring to leave this place of refuge.

The second group consisted of newcomers who joined after the Demonic Flame Sect had been established.

These new disciples did not cultivate the demonic arts inherited from the Kuiyin Sect. Instead, Daoist Jiupao had developed an alternative art that harnessed the power of earth fire for cultivation.

They were fortunate. Daoist Jiupao no longer dared to openly refine the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions, so at least they didn't need to worry about becoming sacrificial offerings for some demonic artifact.

Daoist Jiupao's plan had been meticulous.

Once these newcomers advanced in their cultivation, they could freely walk the world without suspicion.

By then, Daoist Jiupao would have successfully possessed Ji Wu's body, assumed a new identity, and the Demonic Flame Sect would finally be able to shake off the shadow of the Kuiyin Sect.

Unfortunately, Qin Sang had ruined it all.

These newcomers knew nothing of the truth. They were kept completely in the dark and their cultivation levels were low. Qin Sang had no intention of slaughtering them all. As long as they had not committed evil, he would allow them to leave.

But the survivors of the Kuiyin Sect... had to die!

These people had turned a blind eye to the atrocities committed beneath the Yin Malevolent Abyss. Not a single one of them was innocent.

He had to uproot them completely, leaving not a trace behind, to prevent the Kuiyin Sect from ever rising again. Only then could Qin Sang ease the resentment in his heart, and perhaps offer some solace to the memories of those who had suffered at their hands.

Standing atop a distant peak, he gazed toward Earth Fire Mountain.

At a glance, he could see that the slopes of Earth Fire Mountain were covered in a strange type of spiritual tree. They resembled maple trees with fiery red leaves, stretching out in dense clusters, their vibrant colors reflecting off the volcano's molten interior.

These spiritual trees were part of the sect's defensive array. The array was based on the principle of wood giving birth to fire, and when paired with the volcano's abundant fire essence, its power was formidable.

Nestled among the trees were rows of wooden huts, and faint silhouettes could be seen moving beneath the canopy.

Toward the back of Earth Fire Mountain stood several much more opulent halls.

When the Demonic Flame Sect was first established, Daoist Jiupao had not yet begun large-scale expansion, so the number of disciples remained limited.

The Kuiyin Sect's members were already few in number, and after Qin Sang's hunt, perhaps only a dozen or so remained, most of them Foundation Building cultivators, and thus not weak. The newer disciples numbered just over two hundred, with very few at the Foundation Building Realm, far fewer than even the Shaohua Mountain.

At this moment, Earth Fire Mountain appeared tranquil and peaceful. The disciples of the Demonic Flame Sect seemed completely unaware that their sect leader and Demonic Flame Envoys had all perished. Some younger disciples were even gathered beneath the trees, listening intently as their elders lectured.

"Could it be that Daoist Jiupao left instructions beforehand?"

The more Qin Sang thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Daoist Jiupao must have made preparations prior to attempting possession, otherwise, those disciples wouldn't be acting so carefree.

That made things much easier.

Qin Sang swept his gaze over Earth Fire Mountain, then quietly circled around it, arriving at a secluded valley hidden behind the three towering peaks. The valley was bone-chillingly cold, a stark contrast to the scorching heat of Earth Fire Mountain.

Deep within the valley, beside a murky swamp, lay a pitch-black cave. Wisps of malevolent yin qi drifted out from within, sealed off by a barrier.

Unlike Earth Malevolent Qi, which was harder to find, malevolent yin qi was commonly born from places where life had been devoured, amidst mountains of corpses and seas of bones, or in dark, frigid domains.

The Kuiyin Sect's cultivation arts relied on this yin qi for advancement. Although this cave was small and its yin qi far less abundant than that of the Yin Malevolent Abyss, it was still sufficient to support the cultivation needs of the sect's surviving members.

Qin Sang had a clear understanding of the Kuiyin Sect survivors' strength. He summoned the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions and his ebony sword. From a captured Demonic Flame Envoy, he had already learned the method to bypass the barrier and slipped easily into the cave.

Inside, he immediately found three people cultivating, one at the late stage of the Foundation Building Realm, and two at the middle stage. Each had claimed a spot of their own.

Qin Sang went straight for the late-stage cultivator.

The cave was pitch-black.

Concealing himself within the drifting malevolent yin qi, Qin Sang crept forward silently and quickly drew close to his target, who was meditating atop a black stone. Around him were alerting barriers and a protective array formed by several small flags.

Qin Sang halted his movements. He opened his palm, and the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions silently drifted out. A moment later, a surge of violent ghostfire erupted forth.

Whoosh!

A tearing sound rang out. The ghostfire blasted through the protective array in an instant. The flags flew apart, broken and scattered.

Startled from his meditation, the cultivator's expression changed drastically, only for a dazzling sword light to flash before his eyes. Accompanied by a faint thunderbolt, it was both illusory and swift as lightning. Before he could react, a searing pain pierced his abdomen as the ebony sword drove clean through his body, heavily wounding his dantian.

The vicious sword qi rampaged through his Qihai, and his spiritual power rapidly drained away.

"Ah—"

Before he could scream, a shadow suddenly appeared behind him. A hand clamped around his neck, stifling the cry in his throat.

Qin Sang easily lifted him by the neck and captured him alive. Without pausing, he moved swiftly toward the remaining two.

"Who's there?!"

"Senior Brother Luo, what happened?!"

Though the other two had been alarmed, the difference in strength was too great. Qin Sang didn't even need to draw his ebony sword to subdue them both.

With barely any effort, he captured all three alive.

As expected, they were all members of the Kuiyin Sect.