Gateway of Immortality

Not long after...

Shi Ying rallied herself once more, cutting off another wisp of Divine Qingyang Gale and sending it into Qin Sang's Qihai.

This time, Qin Sang altered his strategy. He attempted to mobilize his spiritual power to shield the presence of Earth Malevolent Qi. Although he still failed, the situation was much improved compared to before.

Neither Qin Sang nor Shi Ying was as tense anymore. They calmly accepted each failure, adjusted their breathing, and continued trying.

Soon enough, the Divine Qingyang Gale that Shi Ying had gathered was completely used up.

An entire night passed.

Shi Ying made two more trips to Divine Gale Peak, but by now, they had yet to even attempt the true "charging the core with Earth Malevolent Qi and Celestial Gale Qi." For that, it was first necessary to have the Divine Qingyang Gale and the Earth Malevolent Qi coexist within the Qihai, and only then could they jointly impact the Golden Core.

After restoring herself through meditation, Shi Ying rose and once again left the cave dwelling, heading back toward Divine Gale Peak.

Once she had left, Qin Sang opened his eyes.

Throughout the night, aside from adjusting their techniques and repeatedly testing the secret art, he had listened quietly as Shi Ying told him her story.

Shi Ying's real name should have been Lan Ying. Her parents had originally been rogue cultivators, but their cultivation levels were not low. Her father's side had once belonged to a proper immortal cultivation family. Although the family had fallen into decline, their foundations were still far richer than ordinary cultivators. Both her parents had successfully reached the Foundation Building Realm.

However, when Shi Ying was born, she was found to suffer from an innate deficiency of vital energy. Upon closer examination, it was discovered that she carried a hidden illness, and one that would worsen severely as she grew older.

Upon learning this, her parents heard that in the second zone of Endless Valley, there was a rare spiritual herb capable of curing Shi Ying's condition. Shortly after her birth, they entrusted a friend with her care and, together with companions, ventured into Endless Valley to seek the herb.

But they never returned. Both perished within Endless Valley.

Realizing something was wrong, their entrusted friend quickly fled with Shi Ying to a distant land, changing their identities. They adopted Shi Ying as their foster daughter and changed her surname to Shi.

Her foster mother treated her as her own flesh and blood. Braving enormous risks, she even entered Endless Valley herself, managing to retrieve the spiritual herb Shi Ying needed to survive. She also painstakingly uncovered the truth behind her parents' deaths: they had been murdered by none other than Wen Yanjie.

This man had encountered the couple inside Endless Valley, slain them, and seized the Lan Family's heirloom artifacts.

The couple had perished.

Though a few others had barely escaped the expedition, none dared speak out against Wen Yanjie. First, because the Demonic Qingyang Sect held overwhelming influence; second, because their ties to the couple were shallow. In the end, no one intervened.

After learning the truth, Shi Ying's foster mother had tried to take revenge. Yet her assassination attempt failed, and she too died at Wen Yanjie's hands.

Thus, when Shi Ying spoke of avenging her parents, she meant not only her biological parents but also the foster mother who had raised her with great hardship.

At that time, her foster mother had already managed to send Shi Ying into the Demonic Qingyang Sect.

Twelve-year-old Shi Ying, from the very moment she joined the sect, had carried only one thought in her heart: revenge. Yet she could only watch helplessly as her enemy, wielding treasures he had seized through bloodshed, rose ever higher, cultivating ever stronger.

As the saying went, "murder and arson earn golden belts."

The gap between them grew larger and larger, like heaven and earth, utterly irreconcilable.

Shi Ying had been plunged into despair and agony, with nowhere to vent her emotions. When she visited the graves of her parents and foster mother, she had wept bitterly before their tombstones.

Had it not been for this calamity, Shi Ying might have been a cheerful and talkative person. Yet the blood-deep hatred buried her true nature.

...

The stone door pushed open from outside. Shi Ying had returned.

This time, she was much faster. In less than a quarter of an hour, she had successfully captured another wisp of Divine Qingyang Gale.

"I've gone to Divine Gale Peak four times within a single day... If a senior uncle notices, they'll definitely grow suspicious..."

Shi Ying's expression was anxious. After all, cultivating Demonic Qingyang Fire did not require such frequent trips into the mountains.

She had dared to take the risk because she realized that the duration each time seemed to grow longer, and the situation was steadily improving. Perhaps, just perhaps, they would succeed this time.

However, if they still failed, she would have no choice but to endure another two days before attempting again.

Upon hearing this, Qin Sang did not show any anxiety. He already had a clear idea in mind. This time, he was confident that he could achieve coexistence. What remained now was to see whether "charging the core with Earth Malevolent Qi and Celestial Gale Qi" would unfold as he envisioned.

The woman and corpse sat facing each other.

The Divine Qingyang Gale entered the body.

The moment Shi Ying withdrew the Demonic Qingyang Fire, Qin Sang unleashed his full effort, sealing away the aura of the Earth Malevolent Qi. At the same time, he released a strand of Earth Malevolent Qi, roughly the same size, and guided it toward the Golden Core.

This move was not entirely Qin Sang's own decision, it also aligned with Shi Ying's intentions.

The reason it had taken so long was that Qin Sang had been patiently guiding the situation, subtly influencing Shi Ying, nudging her onto the correct path without revealing himself.

Until the final success was certain, he dared not expose anything prematurely. Thus, Shi Ying remained completely unaware of any disharmony.

In her eyes, she was still in control. In truth, everything unfolded under Qin Sang's hidden guidance.

The moment the Earth Malevolent Qi surfaced, it was instantly sensed by the Divine Qingyang Gale.

The Divine Qingyang Gale coiled like a snake, surging toward the Earth Malevolent Qi in rapid pursuit. The two forces drew closer and closer to the Golden Core, almost reaching it at the same time, on the verge of collision and explosion.

At that critical instant, Qin Sang suddenly unleashed his full strength, mobilizing his spiritual power to wrap both forces tightly.

Whoosh!

The conflict between the two forces did not cease, but Qin Sang, burning through his spiritual power without hesitation, forcibly delayed their explosion. Then, without a moment's pause, he drove the two forces together straight toward the Golden Core.

Working in tandem, the Earth Malevolent Qi and the Divine Qingyang Gale unleashed destruction far greater than what the Earth Malevolent Qi could have achieved alone.

Though the Golden Core was powerful, it was ultimately an unclaimed object. Under Qin Sang's extreme compression, the combined force of the two energies broke through the Golden Core's surface barrier and made direct contact.

Boom!

Brilliant divine light burst from the Golden Core.

The entire Qihai trembled violently!

Shi Ying's face went deathly pale. She realized her spiritual consciousness had been shattered instantly by the massive surge. Without daring to delay, she scrambled to regain control of the refined corpse, doing everything she could to soothe its Qihai, anxiously awaiting the outcome.

What Shi Ying did not know was that, in this moment, a transparent spiritual sword quietly materialized above the Golden Core.

Sword qi gathered into a single beam, enshrouding the Golden Core.

Having learned his lesson from refining the flying yaksha last time, Qin Sang had summoned the ebony sword without hesitation, regardless of whether it would truly help or not—just to add another layer of protection.

The Earth Malevolent Qi, the Divine Qingyang Gale, and the Golden Core...

Three formidable forces collided on the battlefield that was the Golden Core, erupting with terrifying shockwaves.

Yet as quickly as the upheaval came, it faded away just as fast.

The Divine Qingyang Gale and Earth Malevolent Qi were simply too weak compared to the Golden Core; they stood no chance. In the blink of an eye, both forces had been annihilated.

Within moments, the turbulence subsided. The Golden Core and the Qihai returned to their original state.

Shi Ying gasped for breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Seeing that Qin Sang's Qihai had stabilized, the heart she had held in her throat finally relaxed. She then inspected the Golden Core closely but found no visible changes. Unable to hide her disappointment, she took a moment to compose herself, then once again gathered her spirit to continue.

The second attempt...

The third attempt...

Before long, the Divine Qingyang Gale was depleted once more. Shi Ying let out a long sigh and had no choice but to pause the corpse refinement and enter meditation to restore herself.

At that very moment, Qin Sang suddenly opened his eyes, black pupils flashing with a brilliant gleam, and disappeared on the spot.

The next instant, Qin Sang silently reappeared behind Shi Ying. He stretched out a hand and tapped her lightly, casting a sealing barrier over her body.

Shi Ying's body went limp as she collapsed onto the ground, and Qin Sang gently lifted her onto the bed.

Straightening up, Qin Sang turned to look toward Divine Gale Peak. A strange smile appeared on his greenish ghost-like face. At last, he had seen the first signs of success!