Gateway of Immortality

The closer he moved toward the mountaintop, the fewer people there were.

Qin Sang quickly realized that the distribution of cultivators on Divine Gale Peak was based on their cultivation levels. The closer one got to the summit, the more chaotic the vital energy became. Only those with sufficient cultivation could withstand it.

The benefit was clear: they could absorb purer Celestial Gale Qi, accelerating their cultivation.

As for whether this chaotic vital energy was related to the Ancestral Sacred Flame at the peak, Qin Sang remained uncertain.

Silently slipping past a Demonic Qingyang Sect disciple, Qin Sang finally spotted a piece of Qingyang Gale Essence embedded in the center of a massive boulder.

The boulder resembled a millstone tipped on its side, and the Qingyang Gale Essence was embedded perfectly in the middle, without the slightest deviation.

Qin Sang scanned his surroundings carefully, then cautiously approached the boulder. Reaching out, he touched the Qingyang Gale Essence. A wave of coldness spread through his fingers. After a careful inspection, he was delighted to find that the Celestial Gale Qi within was incomparably pure. It required no tempering at all. Even without cultivating the Demonic Qingyang Fire, he could absorb it directly.

Reassured, Qin Sang pressed onward, continuing his search toward the summit. After much effort, he finally discovered a very well-hidden piece of Qingyang Gale Essence tucked in a crack between the rocks.

Here it is!

This piece of Qingyang Gale Essence was not large, about the size of a baby's fist. Based on everything Qin Sang had learned about Qingyang Gale Essence these past few days, this amount would be more than enough for his purposes.

Exhaling slowly, Qin Sang retrieved the Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles he carried and laid them out before him. After confirming the Qingyang Gale Essence once more, he opened all the bottles, absorbing the Earth Malevolent Qi contained within into his body before immediately destroying the bottles to erase any trace.

Once the process of charging the core with Earth Malevolent Qi and Celestial Gale Qi began, he would not be able to divide his attention. For now, he forcefully suppressed the Earth Malevolent Qi within his Qihai. It would hold for a while, and as the Earth Malevolent Qi depleted, it would only get easier.

"I must succeed!" Qin Sang silently encouraged himself, easing his nervous yet eager emotions. He soon calmed his mind, clearing all distractions until his heart became as still as water.

Seated cross-legged before the Qingyang Gale Essence, Qin Sang placed both hands gently over it, maintaining this posture without moving a muscle.

A moment later, the Qingyang Gale Essence suddenly flashed with a burst of azure light. A wisp of emerald brilliance separated from it, dancing lightly at Qin Sang's fingertips before vanishing into his body.

Within Qin Sang's body, the Celestial Gale Qi began flowing swiftly through his meridians, soon approaching his Qihai.

This strand of Divine Qingyang Gale was several times larger than the one Shi Ying had previously captured. Holding his breath, Qin Sang carefully maneuvered the ebony sword into his dantian, stabilizing the turbulent Qihai. At the same time, he drew forth a matching strand of Earth Malevolent Qi, awaiting the gale's arrival.

Sizzle!

The instant the two strands of energy sensed each other, they clashed violently without surprise. Qin Sang had long anticipated this moment and immediately drove the Earth Malevolent Qi toward the Golden Core, drawing the Divine Qingyang Gale along with it. He then unleashed his full strength, wrapping the energies tightly with his spiritual power to pacify them.

Boom!

The first collision ended in failure. Waves of turbulence roared through his Qihai, taking a long while to settle.

Yet Qin Sang felt even more confident. Laughing aloud, he resumed his attempts without hesitation.

Failure after failure did nothing to shake his resolve.

Time passed slowly. After an unknown number of attempts, Qin Sang's expression suddenly changed.

On the surface of his Golden Core, a faint, inconspicuous light dot appeared, within which intertwined flashes of green and black light shone.

He finally succeeded at charging the core with Earth Malevolent Qi and Celestial Gale Qi!

Qin Sang's face lit up with joy. Yet in the next instant, his gaze grew solemn. His earlier suspicion proved true: charging the core with Earth Malevolent Qi and Celestial Gale Qi was indeed far more volatile than the simple infusion of Earth Malevolent Qi alone. His Golden Core had become exceedingly unstable, teetering on the edge of collapse.

Once the process started, he could not afford even a moment's pause!

Qin Sang dared not delay. He hurriedly absorbed another wisp of gale qi, guiding it into his Qihai to continue impacting the Golden Core.

Working on himself, the changes were far more perceptible than when practicing on others. Every minute shift, Qin Sang caught on instantly and made rapid adjustments.

Not only was the process progressing faster than before, but even the corpse refinement secret art he employed remained exceptionally smooth throughout.

Of course, this smoothness owed much to the ebony sword, which stood ready to assist at a moment's notice.

Meanwhile, atop Divine Gale Peak, the Ancestral Sacred Flame roared wildly.

Yet the disciples of the Demonic Qingyang Sect remained entirely unaware that someone was, at that very moment, stealing one of their sect's greatest treasures.

Time passed slowly.

Unknowingly, an hour and a half slipped by. Before Qin Sang, the Qingyang Gale Essence had already shrunk noticeably, and the secret art he was performing was nearing its end.

Yet Qin Sang remained unaware that as the Qingyang Gale Essence dwindled, changes were also quietly unfolding atop Divine Gale Peak.

The Ancestral Sacred Flame atop Divine Gale Peak grew even more frenzied than before.

Under its influence, the skies over Divine Gale Peak abruptly darkened and rumbled with violent storms. Thunder roared and lightning split the heavens.

The sudden upheaval atop Divine Gale Peak created such a terrifying commotion that it alarmed even the experts of the Demonic Qingyang Sect.

"Didn't the sect leader adjust the array of the Gale Jades to suppress the Ancestral Sacred Flame? How has such a disturbance suddenly arisen? Or has someone defied the sect leader's orders and recklessly drawn on the Gale Jades, destabilizing the array?"

Cave dwellings burst open one after another. Two powerful figures appeared at the base of Divine Gale Peak, both at the late stage of the Foundation Building Realm.

They quickly ordered the curious disciples back into their caves and lifted their heads to gaze solemnly toward the mountain's summit.

"Only a handful of senior brothers are capable of drawing from the Gale Jades. Senior Uncle Wu took Senior Brother Li and the others to Endless Valley to rescue people. Who else could be on the mountain?"

One of them frowned. "Luckily the Ancestral Sacred Flame is still under control, it won't be difficult to resolve this. Let's send the other disciples down the mountain first. Whether it's caused by someone or by changes in the array, we can find out once we go up."

The other man's face was filled with anger. "I had just glimpsed an enlightenment, a moment of true insight, only for it to be disrupted! Now it's completely lost! If I find out who is responsible, I will make sure they pay dearly!"

Meanwhile, Qin Sang remained oblivious to the storm brewing outside.

How could he have known that the stability of the Ancestral Sacred Flame was linked to the Gale Jades on Divine Gale Peak? This was a tightly guarded secret, known only to the highest echelons of the Demonic Qingyang Sect, far beyond what an ordinary disciple could ever learn.

Even if he had known, he could not have moved now.

At this moment, the Golden Core within Qin Sang's Qihai had undergone tremendous transformation.

It had turned into two distinct halves—one azure, one black—each color sharply divided from the other. Only a tiny portion still retained the original golden brilliance of the Golden Core.

As long as he conquered that last fragment, the fusion of gale and malevolent qi would be complete!

Another surge of gale and malevolent qi successfully merged into the Golden Core. Just as Qin Sang was about to draw in another strand of Divine Qingyang Gale, a furious shout suddenly echoed from below. "Stop!"

Qin Sang froze. He turned his head and faintly saw through the swirling mist two figures racing toward him.

Success was within his grasp. How could someone suddenly appear on the mountain, and even so easily discover him?

His heart jolted. Snapping his head upward, he was shocked to see that an enormous whirlpool of storm clouds had formed above him at some unknown point.

The vortex hung low over the peak, with lightning crackling wildly within. And from deep within the whirlpool, a slender stream of fire, as thin as a hair, had descended, slowly reaching downward. It radiated a terrifying, soul-shaking power.

This is...

The Ancestral Sacred Flame!

Qin Sang's expression changed drastically. In that instant, he realized he must have overlooked something critical.

Moreover, after continuously channeling qi for the fusion, his spiritual power had been consumed to an extreme degree. His body was dangerously close to complete depletion!