Gateway of Immortality

High in the sky, the Fire Gourd and the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions churned within the sea of fire, their outlines flickering in and out of sight.

Each time the astras unleashed their power, countless fire currents shot out in every direction, sweeping across the forests below like a meteor shower from the heavens, carving gaping craters into the land.

Demonic flames scorched the skies.

The mountain ranges quaked.

It was a scene of apocalyptic devastation, one that struck terror into every living creature hidden within the mountains.

Qin Sang retaliated with fire, scanning his surroundings with lightning speed in search of advantageous terrain.

He suddenly noticed a tiny azure bird, no larger than a sparrow, darting through the distant sky. It looked unremarkable, yet its speed was shockingly fast, flying straight toward Wu Youdao.

Qin Sang's eyes narrowed. He voluntarily restrained the Demonic Flames of Nine Hells, easing his offensive and allowing the bird to approach Wu Youdao without interference.

Poof!

Wu Youdao reached out and grabbed the bird. It instantly burst into flames, dispersing back into its origin.

Gripping the stream of fire, Wu Youdao focused and sensed its contents.

After a short pause, Qin Sang called out loudly, "Well? Daoist Wu, was I not telling the truth? I only came for the Celestial Gale Qi, I swear I never touched your sect's forbidden ground!"

Wu Youdao glanced at Qin Sang, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

Seeing this, Qin Sang felt a spark of hope. He said in a low voice, "If you keep pressing me like this, I'll have no choice but to detonate this Xutian Thunder. I know you can dodge it now but what about later, when we're both exhausted and wounded? Will you still have that confidence then?"

Then, with sincerity, he added, "This matter is my fault from the start. If word gets out, I'll be the laughingstock. I give you my word, not a whisper of this will reach anyone outside."

"If it happens again, I'll take your life without mercy," Wu Youdao warned coldly, then suddenly waved his hand to recall the Fire Gourd. Flames surged beneath his feet as he soared away.

"Many thanks for your understanding, Daoist!" Qin Sang cupped his hands from afar.

But he dared not linger. The moment Wu Youdao vanished into the horizon, Qin Sang swiftly put away the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions and fled deeper into the mountains with all his strength.

As he flew, he remained on high alert, only stopping once he confirmed that no one was following him. He found a concealed cave and slipped inside.

...

Whoosh!

He set up a barrier to seal the cave.

Qin Sang collapsed to the ground and let out a long, heavy breath.

Though the battle had not escalated into a life-and-death struggle, Qin Sang found it even more harrowing than any previous fight. His heart was still racing, his nerves taut. It had been like walking on the edge of a blade.

After all, it had been his first true confrontation with a Core Formation cultivator.

Whether it was manipulating true essence or activating astras, he had been unskilled and unrefined. Though he improved bit by bit during the battle, gradually achieving smoother execution, there was still a clear gap between him and Wu Youdao.

Fortunately, he was immune to the Demonic Qingyang Fire, while Wu Youdao had to remain constantly guarded, not daring to let the Demonic Flames of Nine Hells get too close. That subtle advantage allowed Qin Sang to avoid a swift defeat.

Wu Youdao must have realized this as well, which was why he thought he had a chance to take Qin Sang down.

Had it not been for the threat of the Xutian Thunder, the outcome might truly have been disastrous.

Now that he was finally free from danger, Qin Sang took a brief rest before sitting cross-legged and turning his inner vision inward.

"This recovery speed is just too slow..."

Qin Sang probed the corpse core and gave a bitter smile.

By his estimate, once the corpse core's true essence was depleted, it would take nearly half a day to recover. That meant every battle from now on had to be calculated with extreme precision.

Letting the corpse core restore itself, Qin Sang began a meticulous inspection of his body.

The cave remained silent.

Qin Sang remained in still meditation for a full day and night.

By the evening of the second day, he withdrew his spiritual consciousness and furrowed his brow in deep thought.

After a full day of reflection, he had finally sorted out his current situation.

First, his strength, without a doubt, was already on par with a genuine Core Formation cultivator.

Second, and more pressing in Qin Sang's mind, could he still cultivate any arts?

The answer was no.

Due to the dual constraints of the Heavenly Corpse Talisman and the internal barriers, his true essence could only circulate along a fixed path. No matter how many times Qin Sang attempted, just like before he had formed the corpse core, he was unable to alter it.

This meant he could no longer cultivate any new arts, nor improve his strength even the slightest.

Now, Qin Sang faced a critical decision. Moreover, with the corpse transformation progressing rapidly, he did not have much time left.

Should I allow my physical body to fully go through corpse transformation and tread the path of the corpse?

Or should I attempt to remove the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, and gamble on whether I can preserve my corpse core in the process?

Qin Sang didn't hesitate for long. He chose the second path.

If he became a corpse, he had no idea what path lay ahead.

Even within corpse-cultivating sects, there were only tales of cultivators refining corpses, never of anyone refining themselves into one.

Back then, even the prodigious Wu Shang had failed to discover any cultivation art that could break the limitations of theHeavenly Yin Corpse Art.

Once the corpse transformation began, the physical body would be enhanced, but the primordial spirit would remain unchanged. This meant Qin Sang's lifespan would likely remain the same as a Foundation Building cultivator—only 250 years—instead of extending to 500.

Within those 250 years, Qin Sang would not only need to find a secret art of the corpse path suited to his condition, but also cultivate to the next realm relying on his poor aptitude.

And even if he did find such arts, with the Heavenly Corpse Talisman still binding him, could those arts truly break the shackles and allow him to ascend?

Qin Sang had no confidence in that at all.

...

Would he settle for Core Formation strength and a century of carefree existence?

Or forsake that alluring power and continue pursuing the Great Dao?

In the cultivation world of the Small Cold Domain, Core Formation cultivators stood above the masses, admired by all, capable of taking whatever they pleased. But to Qin Sang, such grandeur was illusory.

When a hundred years passed, and all ended in a handful of dust, what meaning did it hold?

...

He was about to become a true refined corpse, a transformation that could no longer be reversed.

If he failed to find the right secret art, his only option would be to abandon his physical body and start anew through soul possession.

But soul possession came at a cost. It would not extend his lifespan.

Moreover, due to the incompatibility between body and spirit, unless he obtained a legendary divine herb capable of harmonizing the two, any future breakthroughs would be extremely difficult.

ThePrimordial Spirit Sword Nourishmenthad given Qin Sang a sliver of hope to pursue the Great Dao. Even though it lacked a follow-up cultivation method, he had now found clues pointing to a follow-up art created by Senior Qingzhu. Unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to give up on it.

Of course, Qin Sang hadn't made this decision blindly.

He could clearly sense that the corpse core resonated with him deeply. This resonance wasn't purely due to external factors.

The bond between them wasn't just forged by the Heavenly Corpse Talisman or theHeavenly Yin Corpse Art, but also by the fusion of his spiritual consciousness, blood and qi during the corpse core's refinement.

The clearest sign was during the tempering of the core, when his spiritual power had enveloped both Celestial Gale Qi and Earth Malevolent Qi, injecting them into the Golden Core together.

After carefully weighing all factors, Qin Sang estimated he had at least a thirty percent chance of preserving the corpse core even after removing the Heavenly Corpse Talisman.

If the corpse core could still serve him, that would be ideal.

He could return to the righteous path and continue cultivating thePrimordial Spirit Sword Nourishment.

Even if the corpse core never became a true Golden Core, it could still act as an External Core, allowing him to maintain a level of power on par with Core Formation cultivators.

This would make exploring ruins and hunting for herbs that assisted in Core Formation much more manageable.

If he failed...

Qin Sang pressed his lips into a tight line.

Even if the core shattered, so what?

At worst, I would simply start over again!