Gateway of Immortality

Chapter 267: An Unexpected Discovery

In addition to the Dutian Demonic Sound, there was another spell within the collection that excited Qin Sang far more than the Spirit Seizing Spell.

It was called the Xuyuan Seal.

This seal wasn’t meant to target others but oneself—a life-saving incantation.

If one were to be marked with a soul imprint, cursed, or afflicted with poisonous gu[1], the Xuanyuan Seal could obscure the attacker’s perception, suppress the curse or gu’s activation, and provide the user with the maximum opportunity for self-rescue.

Qin Sang recalled Di Que from the underground cavern, who had claimed to possess a method to conceal the perception of gu. It was likely he had been referring to the Xuanyuan Seal.

Though Qin Sang did not cultivate the Dutian Demonic Sound, he could simulate the demonic sound with spiritual power. While this would not allow him to unleash the seal’s full power to completely obscure the fluctuations of the Heart-Devouring Insect, it was enough to suppress them.

Currently, as he was within the spiritual consciousness detection range of the Kuiyin Sect cultivators, he would be discovered immediately.

However, after applying the Xuanyuan Seal to the Heart-Devouring Insect, only under direct confrontation or when faced with someone possessing extraordinarily powerful spiritual consciousness could its presence be detected.

The Xuanyuan Seal addressed a significant portion of this hidden threat, leaving Qin Sang overjoyed. He resolved that once he escaped this ordeal, mastering the seal would be his top priority.

Although the Kuiyin Sect was on the verge of annihilation, its vitality exhausted, the Heart-Devouring Insect remained a pressing concern. Being able to resolve it was undoubtedly a relief.

After thoroughly looting the contents of Di Que’s Mustard Seed Pouch, Qin Sang discarded the pouch into the lava.

As Di Que was merely a rogue cultivator, there was no one to avenge him.

Despite the danger, the gains this time were nothing short of astonishing.

The wealth of a Core Formation Realm cultivator opened Qin Sang’s eyes. Setting aside the jade slips, the spiritual materials Di Que had prepared for refining the Primordial Unity Ring alone caused Qin Sang’s resources to soar dramatically.

Although these materials did not include spiritual wood, they could be exchanged for it in dire circumstances. Acquiring the Black Flame Camphor would be sufficient to support a breakthrough to the middle stage of Foundation Building, resolving his immediate crisis.

It was unfortunate that he couldn’t obtain the relics of Daoist Master Xuanyu, which were undoubtedly far more valuable than those of Di Que.

"Treasure is good, but life is more important. Greed should be restrained."

Qin Sang muttered to himself. His initial intent in meddling in the Core Formation Realm cultivators’ battle and ambushing Di Que was not out of greed but for self-preservation. That was why he had succeeded.

Had he been blinded by greed, his fate might have been sealed by his avarice.

Taking stock of his own possessions, Qin Sang found them rather meager in comparison.

Most of his spirit stones had been spent on purchasing soul refinement demonic artifacts, leaving him with fewer than a thousand low-grade spirit stones.

To escape, he had detonated his Profound Yin Thunderbolts, losing one of his best trump cards.

All three of his malevolent corpses were destroyed, and only a few zombies remained in his Corpse Puppet Pouch—barely sufficient for minor tasks.

The Fire Jade Centipede he had painstakingly nurtured was reclaimed by Di Que and likely perished alongside the other peculiar bugs in the Spirit Beast Pouch under the blade energy of the Heavenly Blade Talisman.

Many of the formidable artifacts he had collected over the years had been sacrificed in his desperate defense against Di Que’s final counterattack. Now, only a few auxiliary artifacts remained in his Mustard Seed Pouch.

Even the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions had suffered severe damage from the aftermath of the battle and would require some time to recover. Fortunately, it had not been destroyed; otherwise, losing one of the six banners would render the grand array incomplete.

Twenty years of accumulated wealth had vanished in an instant.

If not for the compensation from Di Que’s belongings, Qin Sang would have had to start over from scratch, struggling once again to carve out a path forward.

Having sorted through his gains and losses, Qin Sang calmed his thoughts. His spiritual consciousness connected with the Jiao spirit, which informed him that the other half of the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman was now within close proximity.

Before long, the view ahead cleared, revealing a vast lake of lava. The Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman lay still at its center, seemingly untouched for quite some time.

Qin Sang’s gaze swept over the lake and locked onto a lava whirlpool at its heart. Streams of molten currents flowed into the center from all directions, colliding violently. The dark red lava churned, forming a rapidly spinning vortex.

Focusing intently, he noticed a faint white light bobbing up and down amidst the swirling currents at the vortex's center. It was none other than the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman. The Jiao spirit within it was struggling desperately, appearing to be at the end of its strength. The once-bright white light had dimmed considerably, unable to break free from the vortex. It was only a matter of time before it was consumed entirely.

Without hesitation, Qin Sang swallowed a handful of spiritual pills, his figure flickering rapidly as he leapt straight into the whirlpool.

The dark currents twisted and tore at him, their suction immense. Qin Sang found himself involuntarily spinning with the vortex, yet his gaze never wavered from the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman at the center.

As the medicinal energy transformed into spiritual power, Qin Sang channeled it without reservation, fortifying his body against the devouring magma and the vortex’s pull. He pressed forward, inching closer to the talisman, until finally, he seized it firmly in his grasp.

The Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman trembled slightly. The Jiao spirit within initially resisted but, upon sensing the presence of its other half in Qin Sang’s possession, quickly became docile.

A dazzling burst of spiritual power erupted from Qin Sang. With a thunderous roar, he broke free from the vortex’s restraints and escaped its grasp.

In his palm were two jade tokens, each containing a Jiao spirit, one large and one small.

Qin Sang relaxed his spiritual power, allowing the two tokens to merge. The two spirits fused into one, noticeably stronger than before, though still far from their peak state.

The cracks on the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman were glaringly obvious.

If a Core Formation Realm cultivator were present, they could repair these cracks swiftly with their Pill Fire.

Qin Sang had no time to inspect it further. He stowed the talisman away, activated his movement art, and turned into a streak of evasion light, retracing his steps.

Midway through his retreat, Qin Sang suddenly halted, his evasion light dissipating. His gaze shifted to the stone walls flanking the lava. His brows furrowed slightly.

Since the moment he had entered the lava river, the currents had been tumultuous. At first, Qin Sang thought it was merely due to the rapids, but now he realized something unusual was afoot.

The ground itself was trembling.

Splash!

Waves surged as violent torrents roared to life.

Qin Sang darted deftly between towering crests of lava waves, his frown deepening. A sense of foreboding gnawed at him. He suddenly recalled the abrupt earthquake that had occurred while scaling the mountain.

Now, the tremors were far more frequent, occurring every dozen breaths, and the magnitude was noticeably greater than before.

Could something have gone wrong with the ancient cultivator’s estate?

Qin Sang’s expression darkened. While there were Golden Core cultivators stationed within the estate to oversee matters, ensuring rescue efforts during emergencies, he was currently trapped in the lava river.

If the estate collapsed, no one would come to save him. With no escape route, he would be left at the mercy of the currents, ultimately swept away to an unknown fate.

The thought left him with no time to linger. At the very least, he needed to get to the surface and assess the situation before making further decisions.

But before long, Qin Sang returned in haste, his face grim and pale.

Behind him, the lava roared with fury, waves surging violently as though the entire river had erupted into chaos.

Scarlet figures leapt and danced in the searing waves.

Fire Monkeys, Firebirds, and humanoid phantoms writhed in the molten torrent, their forms flickering with flames.

1. Gu or jincan was a venom-based poison associated with cultures of south China, particularly Nanyue. The traditional preparation of gu poison involved sealing several venomous creatures (e.g., centipede, snake, scorpion) inside a closed container, where they devoured one another and allegedly concentrated their toxins into a single survivor, whose body would be fed upon by larvae until consumed. ☜