Gateway of Immortality

Before removing the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, there were still a few things Qin Sang needed to do with the help of the corpse core. If the core were to shatter, he might never have the chance again.

He and Wandering Man had agreed to meet at a remote location far from the Demonic Qingyang Sect after their respective matters were settled. To avoid interfering with his secret art, Qin Sang had left himself a couple of extra days. There was no rush to depart.

He laid out four items before him.

The yin ring of the Primordial Unity Ring, two damaged Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions, and the iron thumb ring that had once belonged to Daoist Jiupao.

He picked up the Primordial Unity Ring and infused it with true essence.

The white metal ring was covered in notches and cracks. In the past, whenever Qin Sang tried to probe it with spiritual power, it had been like throwing a stone into the sea—completely unresponsive.

But this time was clearly different.

The moment his true essence entered it, a faint white light glowed from the ring. Under Qin Sang's watchful gaze, the ring trembled slightly.

However, no matter how much more true essence he channeled into it, the ring showed no further change.

After a while, Qin Sang gave up.

"Looks like it must be repaired and fused with the yang ring before it can be used. No wonder Di Que couldn't activate it back then. Who knows when I'll be able to gather both Perpetual Camphor and Heavenrock?"

Shaking his head, Qin Sang put the Primordial Unity Ring back into the Mustard Seed Pouch, then picked up the Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions.

One had been damaged in the Lightning-Devouring Falcon's cave during the theft of the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood, destroyed by the fat chicken.

The other had been in Daoist Jiupao's hands, tainted by the Blood Defilement Divine Light, its spiritual essence gravely weakened and subsequently damaged during a later battle.

Both banners had suffered only superficial damage. Qin Sang had originally believed that with time and nourishment from the corpse core, they could be restored. But now he realized it wasn't going to be that simple.

Half an hour later, Qin Sang withdrew his true essence and examined the two banners closely.

The cracks on the banner surfaces remained unchanged. There were no signs of recovery at all.

"How can this be...?"

The damage to both banners was concentrated on their faces.

Qin Sang ran his fingers along the cloth. The pale fabric hung naturally, its texture smooth as silk, radiating a faint chill. He stared for a long time but still couldn't identify the material.

By all logic, this shouldn't be the case. Once an astra was fully refined, it became a single unified entity. A Core Formation cultivator's nurturing should be able to restore it.

Qin Sang's corpse core was certainly unusual, but its strength was on par with those of other Core Formation cultivators, so it shouldn't be the cause.

He frowned, murmuring to himself, "Do I need to find spiritual materials made of the same substance to repair the damage? That'll be a pain..."

He had no idea how the Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions had been crafted. Unless he could somehow find the forging methods used by Founder Kuiyin, and also acquire the correct spiritual materials, there was no way to proceed.

But the Kuiyin Sect had already been annihilated. The three Core Formation cultivators who might've known the banner's crafting method were long dead.

Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then set the banners aside and turned his attention to the iron thumb ring.

It was pitch-black and rusted, exuding no spiritual fluctuation whatsoever. Toss it into a pile of scrap iron, and no one would spare it a second glance.

Only when held in the hand did its shocking weight become apparent.

Qin Sang still remembered what he'd discovered during his first attempt to open it. Inside seemed to be a space much like a Mustard Seed Pouch, likely an artifact Daoist Jiupao had used to store his treasures.

There was a barrier within the ring, left behind by Daoist Jiupao. Qin Sang hadn't had the means to break it back then, but now he just might.

There could very well be something he needed inside.

"I wonder what surprises are hidden in there..."

A contemplative expression crossed Qin Sang's face.

The barrier Daoist Jiupao had left inside the iron thumb ring was primarily spiritual-consciousness-based. Since Qin Sang's spiritual consciousness hadn't advanced, brute-forcing it open was impossible. He needed to approach it with strategy, using his true essence in concert to break through the barrier.

Fortunately, Daoist Jiupao was dead, and the barrier had no owner, making the task significantly easier.

Gripping the iron ring in one hand, Qin Sang flashed out of the cave and arrived at a wide-open space outside. He then drew out a wisp of spiritual consciousness and extended it into the thumb ring.

In the next instant, the iron ring flared with light. A razor-sharp blade of energy shot out like lightning, slashing toward Qin Sang.

Prepared for this, Qin Sang tapped his foot against the ground, leaving behind a trail of shifting afterimages.

His current strength was no longer what it once had been. Even without the ebony sword, he easily dodged the attacks, leading the saber light on a wild chase like walking a dog.

At the same time, true essence surged from his palm, fusing with his spiritual consciousness and continuously probing the thumb ring. After repeating this process several times, he finally deciphered the structure of the barrier. Then, concentrating all his power through the corpse core, he struck its weakest point.

Boom!

Inside the thumb ring, the barrier shattered. A space tens of times larger than a Mustard Seed Pouch unfolded before Qin Sang's eyes.

He extended a thread of spiritual consciousness to carefully inspect the space. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he relaxed and began examining the contents with greater confidence. To his disappointment, the thumb ring seemed to be nothing more than a simple storage artifact. Its only advantage was that it offered far more space than a Mustard Seed Pouch.

Still, it was easier to carry and far more discreet.

Worn directly on the finger, storing and retrieving items became quick and seamless.

Clearly, Daoist Jiupao had used it as a storage tool. Inside, it was filled with various miscellaneous objects.

Qin Sang returned to his cave dwelling and dumped everything out, wary of another item like the thumb ring. He even examined the random odds and ends carefully.

There were many jade slips and written records among them.

One of the jade slips contained a cultivation art titled Ancient Tome of Yin Malevolence, passed down from Founder Kuiyin. It was the foundational art of the Kuiyin Sect.

Qin Sang had previously obtained the first two parts of this art when he killed Silver Flame and the others. Those corresponded to the Qi Refining and Foundation Building Realms.

This jade slip from Daoist Jiupao, however, held the completeAncient Tome of Yin Malevolence, composed of four realms in total, capable of reaching the late stage of the Spiritual Infant Realm.

Seeing this, Qin Sang immediately immersed himself in the content.

Inside the jade slip, densely packed annotations and cultivation insights from Daoist Jiupao could be found.

TheAncient Tome of Yin Malevolencewas a demonic art that relied on malevolent yin qi for cultivation. No wonder the Kuiyin Sect had been built atop the Yin Malevolent Abyss. With a sufficient supply of yin malevolent qi, one could cultivate it with great speed.

However, because this form of qi was an external force, it added another layer of difficulty when breaking through major bottlenecks, making progress harder compared to righteous cultivation methods.

Upon reading this, Qin Sang immediately dismissed theAncient Tome of Yin Malevolencein his mind. Even if he hadn't possessed thePrimordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, he would never switch to this path.

As for the supernatural abilities and incantations included with the art, nearly all of them required the use of malevolent yin qi, which rendered most of them either unusable or of limited value to him.

Qin Sang quickly skimmed past the first two stages of the cultivation art and found the life-bound astra associated with the third stage.

Surprisingly, the art included two crafting methods for compatible life-bound astras. One was the Yin Profound Pagoda, the other the Yin Thunderbolt Pearl.

Of course, a cultivator could only choose one.

But neither of them was a banner.