Gateway of Immortality

Qin Sang was carried out of the sect leader’s cave dwelling by two senior brothers.

Seventeen people were all pale-faced, looking ashen as though they had sheets of gold paper pasted on their faces. Others were terrified, but Qin Sang was injured. In a moment of desperation, he had overexerted himself, and his primordial spirit was severely damaged. It would likely take a long time to recover.

The insect was called the Heart-Devouring Insect, an ancient demonic creature that had long since gone extinct in the current world of immortal cultivation. It fed on the primordial spirits of cultivators, moving stealthily and almost impossible to defend against. Once, it had caused a demonic insect disaster, striking fear into the hearts of immortal cultivators.

As the sect leader had explained, planting the Heart-Devouring Insects inside them was not meant to control them, but as a precaution.

As long as they obeyed and put all their efforts into completing the tasks assigned by the sect, the Heart-Devouring Insects would remain dormant within their primordial spirits, posing no danger. Once the mission was over, the sect would provide them with the antidote.

However, should anyone harbor thoughts of fleeing, or attempt to leak information and betray the sect, the Heart-Devouring Insects would immediately awaken, devouring their primordial spirits in the blink of an eye.

No one knew how much truth was in the sect leader’s words and how much was a lie.

But they had already experienced the pain firsthand. Just the thought of the terror they had felt when the Heart-Devouring Insects gnawed at their primordial spirits sent shivers down their spines. No one wanted to experience it a second time.

Senior Uncle Yue unleashed a beam of sword light, sweeping everyone toward the Yin Malevolent Abyss. This time, however, they did not return to the previous cave dwelling. Instead, they descended deep into the abyss.

On the pitch-black cliffside, a row of cave dwellings could be seen, each sealed tightly with a barrier. They resembled prisons more than homes.

“You have one month left. Do your best to absorb the medicinal energy from the Qi-Gathering Pills. Only by becoming strong enough will you have a chance of surviving the ascension conference. Many have died at Yuanzhao Sect’s ascension conference.”

Yue Wu casted a meaningful glance at them before sealing them inside the cave dwelling with a wave of spiritual power, then flying off on his sword.

In the pitch-black cave dwelling, Qin Sang lay unconscious on the ground for an unknown amount of time. When he awoke, he felt a bit better, but his head still throbbed with pain.

Lying on the icy cold floor, Qin Sang stared into the darkness, wide-eyed. He repeatedly recited the Scripture of Tranquility, but no matter how many times he did, he couldn’t calm the fear and unease in his heart.

After a long while, a weary sigh echoed through the deathly silent cave dwelling.

Qin Sang got up, enduring the pain in his head. He flicked his fingers to summon a flame for light. The cave was much like the one he had been in before, the only difference being that the door was now sealed by a barrier.

Fortunately, before leaving, Senior Uncle Yue had told them that if they needed to absorb the malevolent yin qi, they could activate a barrier within the cave dwelling, and the qi would flow in.

Qin Sang returned to his sea of consciousness, where he saw that the Heart-Devouring Insect was wrapped in a layer of black membrane, clinging to the golden light emitted by the Jade Buddha, sleeping soundly.

Although the golden light of the Jade Buddha had been gnawed at by the Heart-Devouring Insect, it showed no sign of being pierced. The insect was firmly held at bay.

It was the second time the Jade Buddha had saved his life.

Qin Sang couldn’t help but wonder what the others were thinking right now. He was fortunate to have the protection of the Jade Buddha, making him unafraid of the Heart-Devouring Insect devouring his primordial spirit. This gave him a slight margin of maneuver.

With a sliver of hope, he had to give it his all!

The confusion in Qin Sang’s eyes gradually gave way to unwavering determination.

He cleared his mind of distractions, sat cross-legged, and began to cultivate. After dozens of cosmic orbits, the excruciating pain in his primordial spirit finally subsided, allowing him to calm down and carefully assess his situation.

This ascension conference was being hosted by an immortal sect called Yuanzhao Sect. Only rogue cultivators under the age of thirty who had broken through to the sixth stage of the Qi Refining Realm were eligible to participate, and each time, only twelve people would be accepted into the sect.

If they failed, even if they didn’t die in the ascension conference, Qin Sang didn’t believe Sect Leader Yi would be kind enough to spare their lives.

With only one month left, even if Qin Sang absorbed all the medicinal energy from the Qi-Gathering Pill, he could at most reach the late sixth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, but this would not result in a qualitative breakthrough. Only by advancing a whole stage could his strength significantly increase.

In the end, Qin Sang decided to stop cultivating. He would spend the entire month practicing the Song Family Sword Art and spells instead.

Those rogue cultivators did not possess the Yan Luo Banner, yet they had all managed to break through to the sixth stage of the Qi Refining Realm before the age of thirty. Each of them was a formidable opponent.

Without a doubt, merely surviving would not be enough in this situation. To stand out, he had to give it his all. Even the sixteen fellow disciples were potential competitors!

Moreover, after entering Yuanzhao Sect, there would likely be no more malevolent yin qi available, so he needed to collect more Soul Pills while he could.

Qin Sang opened the barrier on his cave dwelling, releasing King Yan to absorb the malevolent yin qi. He then sat in the lotus position, his mind sinking into his dantian. Within his Qihai acupoint[1], the ebony sword trembled faintly.

…

"The ascension conference of Yuanzhao Sect has always been held in a place where ancient barriers still exist. It used to be a forbidden ground, but after the treasures inside were looted clean, Yuanzhao Sect claimed it. The terrain inside is shaped like the Eight Trigrams, and once you enter, the barriers will randomly send you to one of the eight outer areas. Due to the barriers, no messaging artifacts will work inside. I will give you a secret signal. When you meet fellow disciples, you must work together to compete for a spot. Under no circumstances should you kill each other—otherwise, you will not be spared!"

"That’s it. I've explained everything. You can now head to Yuanzhao Sect, and remember, travel separately. And don’t even think about running away. I can sense your location through the Heart-Devouring Insect. If you try, you will be killed without mercy! Is that clear?"

The dark night was thick with clouds, obscuring the moon.

In a deserted mountain forest, Senior Uncle Yue stood with a slightly darkened expression, his gaze carrying a heavy warning.

Qin Sang and the others quickly responded affirmatively.

They had been confined at the bottom of the Yin Malevolent Cliff for an entire month and had only been released today. Senior Uncle Yue had flown them here in a shuttle all day, landing in this forest.

Not far ahead was the mountain gate of Yuanzhao Sect, and the ascension conference would begin in two days.

Qin Sang waited until the others had left one by one before taking his leave from Senior Uncle Yue. He then used Cloud Evasion to vanish into the forest.

From his observations, out of the sixteen fellow disciples, five had broken through to the seventh stage of the Qi Refining Realm after taking the Qi-Gathering Pill. One senior brother’s spiritual power was especially deep, likely close to breaking through to the eighth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. This filled Qin Sang with worry.

Each of them carried top-grade artifacts, making them formidable foes.

As for Senior Uncle Yue’s words about not killing fellow disciples, Qin Sang had long since dismissed them.

He could only hope he wouldn’t be sent to the same area as any of the others.

After leaving the forest, Qin Sang stood beneath a large boulder, pondering for a long time before letting out a soft sigh. He circled around and made his way toward Yuanzhao Sect.

Even though Senior Uncle Yue had said it wasn’t far, Qin Sang still traveled for an entire day before finally reaching the mountain gate of Yuanzhao Sect by dusk.

The place appeared surrounded by treacherous peaks, ancient trees towering high, and clouds shrouding the area year-round. In reality, this was just a barrier meant to block mortals.

Only by using the Qi Perception Technique could one see that within the mountains, there were no thick clouds covering the sky. Instead, there were countless pavilions, bridges, and water pavilions, all enveloped in immortal clouds, creating a grand and otherworldly scene.

1. This acupoint is where the dantian is located. ☜