Gateway of Immortality

Upon hearing these words, Qin Sang's gaze narrowed, and a hint of hesitation appeared on his face.

Shen Jing, thinking that Qin Sang was tempted, hurriedly urged, "Junior Brother Qin, right now, there are definitely quite a few people cooperating within the Forbidden Ground. You just saw how easily the two of us handled our enemies together. If you’re concerned, we can make an agreement—after defeating our foes, we’ll take turns choosing the spoils. Once we build trust, we can plan further."

Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then suddenly lifted his head. His eyes, sharp and bright, locked onto Shen Jing as he asked, "Senior Sister Shen, was it you who carved the mark on that mountain peak?"

Shen Jing was startled at first, but then it dawned on her. She glanced back at the faint silhouette of the solitary mountain peak in the distance and said, "So you came from that direction as well. To be honest, after leaving the mark, I kept moving forward. I didn’t expect to encounter a mountain crocodile deep in the forest. It was perched by a deep pool, luckily devouring a corpse. Fortunately, it only glanced at me and didn’t pursue. In my terror, I kept a wide distance but, in my panic, I lost my way and was stopped by this man."

Fear and frailty flickered in Shen Jing's eyes, as if she was still shaken by the memory.

"A demonic beast?"

Since entering the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Ground, Qin Sang hadn’t encountered a demonic beast yet, likely due to his caution in avoiding places that seemed abnormal.

"That’s right!"

Shen Jing suddenly clapped her hands, exclaiming in surprise, "Junior Brother Qin, that mountain crocodile only devours corpses, so the jade token should still be intact! Moreover, I’ve heard that where demonic beasts dwell, there are always precious spiritual herbs, and the Eight Trigrams Forbidden Ground must be no exception. If the two of us join forces, combining the strength of our top-grade artifacts, even if we can’t kill it, we should at least be able to retreat safely. Why don’t we—"

"If that mountain crocodile could easily kill an immortal cultivator, and it scared Senior Sister Shen away with just one glance, it won’t be that simple. Senior Uncle Yue once said that the Forbidden Ground is home to many late-stage and peak Ordinary Demon Realm beasts. There are plenty of jade tokens available, so why take the risk for just one? As for the spiritual herbs, only a few can directly enhance one’s cultivation, and neither of us is an alchemist. What’s the point of seizing them now?"

Qin Sang knew well how difficult the participants of the ascension conference could be to deal with. Even the scruffy Daoist had his own methods of survival.

That mountain crocodile had killed an immortal cultivator without a scratch, clearly indicating its formidable strength.

Shen Jing gave a dry laugh, her face flushing with embarrassment. "You are right; I was too reckless."

Reckless? More like being swayed by the allure of treasure and power.

After all, immortal cultivators were still humans, merely wielding immense power.

Qin Sang smiled without taking offense. His spiritual consciousness delved into the Mustard Seed Pouch of the straw-hatted man and was pleasantly surprised to find two jade tokens inside. It was clear this man had already defeated an opponent but had the misfortune of running into Qin Sang and Shen Jing.

Seeing the two jade tokens in Qin Sang’s hand, Shen Jing’s eyes were filled with envy, but soon her face showed a trace of determination, and she remained silent.

Qin Sang noticed this, nodded slightly, and then pulled a low-grade spiritual sword from the straw-hatted man’s Mustard Seed Pouch and tossed it over to her. "Senior Sister Shen, take this artifact for now to defend yourself. We may face more tough battles ahead, and we’ll need to work together."

With that, Qin Sang replaced his sword with the straw-hatted man’s Emerald Wave Sword, activated his evading method, and swiftly moved towards the mountain stream.

Shen Jing, overjoyed at receiving the spiritual sword, was about to say something but saw Qin Sang’s figure moving farther away. Hastily, she stamped her foot and hurried to catch up.

The two moved in tandem, though Qin Sang always maintained some distance from Shen Jing.

Qin Sang’s Cloud Evasion was slightly superior to Shen Jing’s evading method, so he let her reveal herself while he concealed his aura, trailing behind.

Yet, it seemed that everyone around had disappeared without a trace. After walking for some time, they didn’t encounter a single soul.

Just as Qin Sang was frowning, considering whether to change direction, Shen Jing, ahead of him, crossed over a hill and suddenly stopped. She turned and called out, "Junior Brother Qin, there seems to be a mountain ahead."

Qin Sang leaped onto the treetops, and sure enough, he saw a towering peak at the edge of his vision.

Now that Shen Jing was his ally, it was best to encounter others as soon as possible. Qin Sang decided to go up and survey the surrounding terrain. "Senior Sister, wait for me at the foot of the mountain."

Shen Jing agreed without hesitation. The two hurried to the base of the mountain, where Shen Jing found a hiding spot. Qin Sang, cloaking himself, began climbing toward the summit.

Standing on the mountaintop, Qin Sang realized they were nearing the edge of the mountain range. Beyond a few more peaks lay a vast plain overgrown with wild grass, tall enough to reach a person's height. The wind stirred the grass like rolling waves.

Unless one lay hidden in the grass, there was nothing around to obscure their presence.

This place was quite suitable for an ambush. Qin Sang, eager for the opportunity, was about to descend the mountain to inform Shen Jing when he suddenly heard a loud crash from below. His expression shifted slightly.

He moved to the edge of the mountaintop and saw that rocks were collapsing at the base of the mountain, with dust and smoke billowing up. Amidst the haze, flashes of blades and swords could be vaguely seen, along with Shen Jing’s urgent shouts, suggesting that the situation was dire.

Seeing this, Qin Sang made to rush down the mountain to rescue Shen Jing but hesitated as he took a few steps.

Could it be a trap?

Qin Sang’s face was uncertain. After all, he had been on the mountaintop for some time and had seen no sign of anyone passing by. Yet Shen Jing, who had been hidden, suddenly encountered enemies.

This thought crossed his mind. Although he deemed it unlikely, he remained cautious and used his Falling Cloud Wings to conceal his presence, approaching the base of the mountain silently.

Unexpectedly, as Qin Sang reached halfway down the mountain and was about to pass over a valley, an unusual change occurred.

Suddenly, several strands of eerie black mist shot out from the valley. The source of the mist was a series of copper mirrors arranged in a formation, hidden and carefully placed, making them difficult to detect.

These mists were ghostly and chilling, moving with lightning speed. The concealment of the Falling Cloud Wings seemed ineffective against them as they headed straight for Qin Sang.

These copper mirrors...

Qin Sang’s face was a mix of surprise and anger. In his haste, he couldn’t avoid the attack and swung his Emerald Wave Sword.

Swish!

The sword light from the Emerald Wave Sword surged like concentric ripples, spreading rapidly around Qin Sang and striking the advancing black mist.

To Qin Sang’s surprise, the sword light passed through the mist without any obstruction, proving ineffective. He barely had time to activate his Ice Silkworm Armor, forming a layer of frost around him before the mist enveloped him.

The mist made no sound upon hitting Qin Sang, and he felt no pain.

Buzz...

The copper mirrors on the ground began to vibrate simultaneously, slowly rising into the air. More mist poured out from the mirrors, completely surrounding Qin Sang in a thick, pitch-black haze.

A figure suddenly appeared in the valley—it was Shen Jing, unharmed!