Gateway of Immortality

After repeated attempts at charging the core with Earth Malevolent Qi and Celestial Gale Qi, all the signs Qin Sang observed matched perfectly with the descriptions left behind by Wu Shang and his own experience crafting the flying yaksha. Although he had yet to succeed, Qin Sang had already confirmed that this secret art was indeed feasible!

The continuous failures stemmed from one issue: the amount of Divine Qingyang Gale was simply too little!

Even if Shi Ying handed over every wisp of Divine Qingyang Gale she brought back each time, it still was not enough for the process.

Moreover, Shi Ying dared not enter the mountain frequently, and Qin Sang could not afford to wait indefinitely.

First, the corpse qi could not be suppressed forever. Second, Qin Sang discovered that the fusion between Celestial Gale Qi and Earth Malevolent Qi was highly unstable. He suspected that once the secret art began, it could not be interrupted midway.

It seemed he would have to personally infiltrate Divine Gale Peak.

The barrier he had placed within Shi Ying's body would automatically lift once he left the vicinity of the Demonic Qingyang Sect, allowing her to awaken.

During Qin Sang's time within the Demonic Qingyang Sect, Shi Ying would remain in deep slumber inside the cave dwelling.

She had no close friends, and Qin Sang would seal the cave dwelling with barriers, indicating that the occupant was in seclusion cultivating, so there was little risk of her strange condition being discovered.

Shi Ying lay quietly on the bed, the gloom between her brows fading away, sleeping soundly like an infant, completely unaware of anything around her.

Qin Sang reached out and opened her Mustard Seed Pouch, destroyed the tampered secret art he had planted inside, and retrieved the Qingfu Coin, the Xutian Thunder, and several Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles. As for the other items, he left them untouched, considering them as Shi Ying's payment.

Moreover, those artifacts would be useless on Divine Gale Peak. He needed to focus entirely on executing the secret art and could not spare the effort to protect artifacts. Only the Xutian Thunder, being of astra quality, could withstand the chaotic vital energy atop Divine Gale Peak.

Crack!

Qin Sang exerted a little force and crushed the Qingfu Coin.

The Qingfu Coin shattered with a crisp sound, then suddenly shimmered with light. It liquefied in his palm, transforming into a droplet of insect blood. A faint illusion of a Qingfu larva floated above it.

The illusion emitted an almost inaudible screech before it too, along with the droplet, exploded with a muffled boom and disintegrated into countless sparkling motes, vanishing into the void.

At this moment, Wandering Man, who held the mother Qingfu Coin, should already have entered the Endless Valley.

This was Qin Sang's signal, informing Wandering Man that it was time to act.

Most disciples of the Demonic Qingyang Sect cultivated the Demonic Qingyang Fire. Unlike Shi Ying, Foundation Building cultivators possessed a certain degree of resistance against the chaotic vital energy atop Divine Gale Peak. Those with stronger cultivation even chose to train atop the peak, so they could absorb the Divine Qingyang Gale constantly.

Especially the Fake Core Realm experts of the sect, they could stay atop Divine Gale Peak indefinitely, unaffected.

Currently, there was no shortage of experts on Divine Gale Peak.

Qin Sang wanted Wandering Man to stir up a major disturbance; the bigger the better. Ideally, it would draw away all the late-stage Foundation Building and Fake Core Realm experts toward Endless Valley.

Only then could he take advantage of the chaos to infiltrate the mountain, minimizing the risk of his movements being discovered.

As for that elusive Golden Core expert whose whereabouts were unknown, Qin Sang did not think that he could be lured away.

Wandering Man had been right. Those who managed to reach Core Formation were all old, cunning foxes. Now that the Demonic Qingyang Sect's true power was mostly away from the sect, leaving it weak, that Golden Core expert would not leave so easily.

If they created too much of a commotion and alerted him instead, it might backfire disastrously.

Still, Qin Sang trusted that Wandering Man would know where to draw the line.

He was already prepared to steal the Divine Qingyang Gale right under the Golden Core expert's nose. This would demand utmost precision at every step. No mistakes could be afforded, and progress must be made steadily without rushing.

After crushing the Qingfu Coin, all that remained was to wait for news.

Qin Sang tucked the Xutian Thunder and the Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles inside his robes. He turned to glance at the unconscious Shi Ying one last time, then triggered the soul imprint he had planted in her primordial spirit, unlocking the barrier at the cave's entrance.

Concealing his figure, Qin Sang slipped out of the cave dwelling. He restored the barrier behind him, then turned to survey the vast expanse of the Demonic Qingyang Sect's inner sect.

Amid the mountains, he occasionally spotted figures flying on artifacts, disciples traveling between Divine Gale Peak and their respective cave dwellings. Most were Qi Refining disciples.

Qin Sang had his own ways of concealing his qi. Within the Demonic Qingyang Sect, only that Golden Core expert might perceive him; he was confident he could avoid the detection of any Fake Core Realm cultivators.

As long as luck did not utterly betray him, there was virtually no chance of being discovered.

Qin Sang tapped the ground lightly and slipped into the shadowy crevice between the rocks, disappearing soundlessly from the cliff. He descended all the way to the forest at the foot of the mountain, moving discreetly through the dense woods.

Strangely, he did not head toward Divine Gale Peak. Instead, he went in the opposite direction, skimming toward the outer perimeter of the inner sect.

After traversing more than a dozen mountains in succession, Qin Sang finally appeared by the bank of a river valley.

Ancient trees towered on both sides of the valley. Hiding beneath the shadow of one such tree, Qin Sang looked up toward the end of the valley.

At the valley's exit, two giant stones jutted out from the mountains on either side, facing each other like guardians standing sentinel.

Atop the stone on the left, an old man in grey robes sat cross-legged. His hair was white, his appearance aged and frail, yet he possessed late-stage Foundation Building cultivation.

This man was one of the managers of the Demonic Qingyang Sect. Having little hope of advancing further due to his advanced age, he remained behind to handle sect affairs. His current duty was to oversee the patrol squads tasked with guarding the sect's inner perimeter.

Anyone entering or leaving the inner sect had to first pass his inspection, or that of the patrols.

Every so often, a squad of patrolling disciples would descend from the sky, respectfully salute the old man from afar, and continue on their way.

Qin Sang gauged the time, then studied the old man sitting like an immovable pine tree atop the stone. He then melted into the forest again, found a hidden spot, and perfectly concealed himself in the shadows, settling in to wait patiently.

One day and night soon passed.

Aside from the disciples moving between the inner sect and the patrol squads going about their rounds, there was no sign of anything unusual.

Qin Sang maintained his patience and continued waiting for another full day.

Still, nothing changed.

On the morning of the third day, a cold breeze swept through the mountains, stirring the forest and rousing Qin Sang from his meditation.

Seeing the Demonic Qingyang Sect still as calm as ever, Qin Sang secretly furrowed his brow.

If the delay dragged on too long, he risked losing control over the corpse qi within his body. If Wandering Man encountered any mishaps, he would be forced to take the risk and sneak into Divine Gale Peak on his own.

"I can still wait another four days..."

Qin Sang examined his own body with inner vision, sensing his physical condition and calculating the absolute limit of his endurance.

If they failed to lure away the Demonic Qingyang Sect's experts, he would have no choice but to hide somewhere at the base of the mountain and try to absorb the Divine Qingyang Gale there—though he had no idea whether the Divine Qingyang Gale at the foot of the mountain would be pure enough.

Just as Qin Sang pondered quietly, he suddenly heard a sharp tearing sound from the far end of the valley.

His expression shifted slightly. He sprang up and slipped out from his hiding place, staring intently toward the valley. A streak of firelight was speeding toward them at astonishing speed.

"Halt! Who's there!"

The old man atop the stone abruptly snapped open his eyes, sharp light flashing within them as he shouted sternly.

"Senior Brother Chai, it's me!"

The evasion light streaked straight to the old man's side. The firelight dispersed, revealing a middle-aged man with a square face—his expression was filled with panic.