Gateway of Immortality

After weeping bitterly, Shi Ying wiped away her tears. Just as she was about to put the corpse into the Corpse Coffin, she suddenly realized something. She opened the deceased's Mustard Seed Pouch and poured out its contents.

Inside, she found many strange items whose uses she could not discern. However, it was not safe to linger here and sift through them carefully. She hastily swept everything into her own Mustard Seed Pouch, destroyed the original pouch, and then found a secluded spot to dig a shallow pit. There, she buried both Qin Sang and the Corpse Coffin.

Shi Ying then mobilized her spiritual power to dispel the redness around her eyes. She flew at full speed to Qingyang Market, purchased a new black coffin, and rushed back to the hiding place.

Seeing that the refined corpse remained obediently where she had left it, Shi Ying let out a breath of relief. She carefully moved the corpse refinement into the new coffin and hoisted it onto her back.

She had seen fellow disciples parade around the sect with their corpse refinements before, and the elders never bothered to interfere.

...

At the entrance of the Demonic Qingyang Sect.

Regardless of whether one was a disciple of the Demonic Qingyang Sect or an honored guest, no one was allowed to fly near the mountain gate. All had to proceed on foot as a gesture of reverence.

Shi Ying stepped onto the white jade staircase, pressing her chest lightly to calm her racing heart, and climbed the mountain at a brisk pace.

Along the way, she encountered several fellow disciples, some ascending, others descending. Those who recognized Shi Ying were all taken aback to see her carrying a black coffin—so different from her usual appearance—but no one dared question her.

Before long, the mountain gate of the Demonic Qingyang Sect came into view.

At the summit stood a stone stele, upon which the words "Qingyang" were inscribed.

On either side of the gate, two teams of young disciples stood guard, their sharp eyes vigilant as they defended the sect.

When they saw Shi Ying approaching, their gazes brightened, and their postures grew even more upright. As she drew near, one of the boys finally mustered his courage and called out.

"Senior Sister Shi Ying, you've returned from your training?"

Shi Ying turned her head and gave the boy a small smile, then continued on without stopping.

"Senior Sister Shi Ying smiled at me..."

The boy gazed dreamily at her retreating figure, only to be kicked hard by the squad leader.

Shi Ying paid no mind to those boys. In truth, she was extremely tense inside, though she kept her face calm. Just as she was about to step through the mountain gate, she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Shi Ying?"

Her body froze. She turned to see an elderly man in a cyan robe standing behind her, frowning in her direction. She had not even noticed his approach.

Of course, Shi Ying recognized him. This was Senior Uncle Yun Yi from her sect. He had once broken through to the Foundation Building Realm but had suffered a calamity soon after, leaving him gravely injured. His cultivation had plummeted, and he had been left unable to make any further progress on the immortal path. Now he simply handled mundane affairs within the sect.

Ever since Shi Ying had joined the sect as a child, Yun Yi had looked after her on several occasions. Though his ability to help had been limited, Shi Ying remained deeply grateful to him.

"Greetings, Senior Uncle Yun," Shi Ying said respectfully, bowing deeply. Because of the black coffin on her back, her posture looked somewhat awkward.

Yun Yi's frown deepened. In a grave tone, he asked, "Why have you also bought a refined corpse? Are you planning to forsake the path of immortality and rely on such external crutches, like some of your senior brothers?"

"I..." Shi Ying opened her mouth but hesitated. At last, she thought of an excuse. "Senior Uncle Yun, I plan to venture alone into Endless Valley for training soon, so I purchased a refined corpse for self-defense. I have no intention of walking the corpse path."

A pang of guilt struck her heart for deceiving the elder who had cared for her, but for the sake of vengeance, she could not afford to hesitate.

Yun Yi's expression softened slightly. He nodded and said, "So long as that's not your intent. If you do venture into Endless Valley alone, remember to be cautious and don't go too deep. Also, you've already reached the twelfth stage of the Qi Refining Realm—you should now prioritize Foundation Building. Never allow yourself to be ensnared by the heretical paths, or you will live to regret it! Go on, then."

"Yes, I understand," Shi Ying replied, bowing again before lowering her head and taking her leave.

Little did she know that someone was even more nervous than she was at that moment.

Qin Sang had forcibly suppressed his cultivation, so Yun Yi could not sense his presence. However, Qin Sang himself could not be sure whether the Demonic Qingyang Sect's protective array had detection mechanisms.

By rights, having turned himself into a refined corpse, and with Shi Ying's soul imprint linked to him, their auras should be one and the same. It was unclear, though, whether that would be enough to fool the array.

Behind the stone stele inscribed with "Qingyang," there was a square stone platform. Below it, clouds and mist swirled. Flying off the stone platform meant truly entering the territory of the Demonic Qingyang Sect.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Shi Ying summoned her flying artifact and soared off the stone platform, plunging into the sea of clouds.

She swiftly pierced through the sea of clouds.

Before her eyes unfolded a breathtaking sight: green mountains and clear waters, pavilions and towers, waterfalls and springs, cranes soaring through a crimson sky. It was an endless display of immortal grandeur.

Shi Ying was already intimately familiar with these sights. Sweeping her gaze around, she locked onto a distant mountain silhouette and flew straight toward it.

As the former dojo of Spiritual Infant cultivators, the territory of the Demonic Qingyang Sect was vast beyond measure. Its mountains and rivers interconnected, crisscrossing the land, and its magnificent scenery was no less spectacular than that of Shaohua Mountain.

Shi Ying kept her head down as she flew, leaping across several mountain ranges in succession, until she finally reached the inner sect. Here, the defenses grew even tighter; patrols of disciples were stationed everywhere. She was stopped and questioned but was allowed to pass after presenting her waist token.

No one asked her anything about the refined corpse she carried.

The journey remained uneventful, and Qin Sang, tense until now, finally loosened his tightly strung nerves. His disguise had succeeded, and he had successfully infiltrated the Demonic Qingyang Sect!

The inner sect lay at the very heart of the Demonic Qingyang Sect, comprising dozens of mountains, large and small, each unique in shape and appearance, providing places for the disciples to cultivate.

These mountains encircled a single, towering giant peak.

Compared to this colossal peak, even the eight great outer mountains seemed pitifully small. Flying through the air, Shi Ying could only look up at it. She saw that the massive mountain stabbed straight into the sky, its summit hidden by swirling storm clouds and reverberating with rolling thunder.

At every moment, fierce lightning crackled across the heavens, shaking the world with its might.

This was the legendary Divine Gale Peak!

What was strange was that amidst the raging storm atop the peak, the wind, clouds, and lightning all carried a rich cyan hue. Even the lightning bolts themselves had been dyed the same color. Only upon closer inspection could one glimpse, deep within the swirling storm and atop the mountain's summit, a colossal shadow flickering and swaying, radiating an overwhelming, violent aura.

It was as if a fire god were dancing atop the heavens!

"The Ancestral Sacred Flame..."

Upon seeing the fiery apparition, Shi Ying's face filled with awe and reverence. Such a terrifying power was something she could not even dare to dream of attaining in her lifetime.

Below the storm and thunder, most of Divine Gale Peak was shrouded in a thick layer of cyan mist, resembling a giant slab of emerald jade draped over the mountain.

Serpentine bolts of lightning lashed wildly against the mist, yet they could only stir faint ripples across its surface.

Withdrawing her gaze, Shi Ying turned her eyes away and instead focused on a steep mountain adjacent to Divine Gale Peak. She spurred her artifact forward and flew toward it.

The mountains surrounding Divine Gale Peak were ranked according to the quality of their spiritual veins, divided into various grades. Among them, the peaks east of Divine Gale Peak possessed the finest spirit veins, and the sect's restricted areas were located there as well.

Naturally, the Foundation Building senior uncles and aunts had taken residence in the very best cave dwellings.

Having been in the sect for many years, Shi Ying ranked among the top of the Qi Refining disciples, and so her cave dwelling was situated close to Divine Gale Peak, where the spiritual qi was exceptionally rich.

The mountain where her cave dwelling was located faced Divine Gale Peak. From the base to the summit, it appeared as though the mountain had been sliced cleanly in half by a single blade, leaving behind a sheer, perilous cliff face.

Along this cliff, a narrow stone path had been carved by human hands, linking together several cave dwellings. Rough stone railings lined the edges of the path, offering some measure of protection against the yawning drop below.