Gateway of Immortality

"Three spiritual eyes, and yet not a single spiritual spring?" Qin Sang murmured with a hint of disappointment.

The Heavenly Corpse Sect’s forbidden ground spanned a vast area, with the treasure repository built within its forbidden zone. Surprisingly, three spiritual eyes coexisted within this restricted area.

The spirit vein claimed by the Heavenly Corpse Sect was much smaller than the one beneath the Shaohua Mountain's main gate, so it was common to have a single spiritual eye. However, finding three spiritual eyes so close together was unusual, making this place almost a perfect, naturally formed cave dwelling.

But to Qin Sang’s disappointment, despite the presence of three spiritual eyes, and even though the density of spiritual power here exceeded that of his own cave dwelling, no spiritual spring had formed.

Had there been a spiritual spring, he would have moved here without hesitation.

After breaking through to the second stage of the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, Qin Sang found the difficulty of comprehending the killing symbol had increased exponentially. Understanding each stroke was harder than the entire first killing symbol, and the sooner he ventured to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, the better.

Hearing Qin Sang’s grumbling, Yu Dayue, who was studying a formation artifact nearby, looked up and chuckled at his fanciful thinking. "Junior Brother Qin, you’re dreaming too big. If a spirit vein has a single spiritual eye, it’s already a blessing from heaven. Spiritual springs are not so easily formed. Since our sect was established, we’ve only attracted six spiritual springs. It's not just about the density of spiritual power or the vastness of the spirit vein. To produce a spiritual spring, it must harmonize with the mountains, rivers, and waterways, gather essence from all directions, and even then, there’s only the slightest chance under rare, coincidental conditions."

"Senior Brother Yu seems to know quite a bit about spiritual springs. Could you explain it in more detail?"

Qin Sang asked curiously. He had visited Treasure Tower Peak before but found very little information on the topic, and it seemed from Yu Dayue’s tone that he had done some in-depth study.

Yu Dayue looked slightly surprised, then, hearing Qin Sang mention Treasure Tower Peak, replied, "If you’re looking for books on spirit veins, spiritual eyes, and spiritual springs, Treasure Tower Peak is the wrong place to look. The most comprehensive collections on those subjects are actually on Dao Peak."

"Dao Peak?"

Qin Sang was taken aback.

"Yes." Yu Dayue nodded. "Dao Peak has a library that holds many classics from the mortal world and works by cultivators, though most aren’t highly valued, so few know about it. Before reaching the Foundation Building Realm, I served as a laborer on Dao Peak, organizing texts in the library. I found many mortal classics fascinating and got lost in them, spending so much time on them that I didn’t reach the Foundation Building Realm until I was nearly fifty, almost delaying important matters. Part of the collection includes jade slips by cultivators specializing in fengshui, and some even mention spiritual springs. You might find something useful there, Junior Brother Qin. Wealth, partners, law, and land are essential for any cultivator. It’s said that the immortal cultivation world once had a trend for seeking spiritual springs, but cultivators eventually realized spirit veins were easy to find while spiritual springs were unpredictable in their formation. Since there was no way to verify their findings, interest faded, and all those works ended up forgotten on Dao Peak."

Hearing Yu Dayue’s comments on mortal classics, Qin Sang nodded in agreement. Mortals, though as ephemeral as mayflies, were as numerous as grains of sand. Many were brilliant, but lacking spiritual roots or fate with immortality, they had no opportunity to pursue the path.

The Scripture of Tranquility he had obtained from Daoist Jixin was a mundane Daoist text, yet it had helped him enter a meditative state for cultivation. Even now, he would occasionally recite and savor its teachings.

Qin Sang noted the library’s location, planning to visit once he returned to the sect, hoping to find any studies on accelerating the formation of spiritual springs.

The Heavenly Corpse Sect’s formation artifact was a pure white jade slab as tall as a person, translucent and flawless, with only a few minor damages. When both of them activated it, golden patterns lit up in the center, confirming that the barrier was still effective.

As the golden lines spread across the jade, a powerful suction force suddenly emerged, turning it into what seemed like a black hole, swiftly absorbing the spiritual qi in the forbidden ground.

The suction was so intense that a visible vortex appeared above the jade.

Moments later, the golden patterns spread outward like a spider web, extending beyond the forbidden ground and radiating outward rapidly. The entire cave dwelling glowed with golden light as the chilling atmosphere was swept away, leaving a cozy warmth.

Clearly, the barrier’s function was to repel Earth Malevolent Qi, allowing the Heavenly Corpse Sect’s disciples to cultivate safely within.

With the barrier now active, both Qin Sang and Yu Dayue finally felt relieved. Once the Earth Malevolent Qi dissipated, they would be able to leave this perilous place.

Bored and restless, the two of them started scavenging through a large area of ruins again and, to their surprise, actually managed to find some treasures.

There were a palm-sized piece of Cold Iron, a few grains of Star Sand, some demonic beast bones, a small bottle of Yin Spirit Water, and a piece of Golden Thread Cedar Wood; all were excellent materials for artifact refinement, in addition to two incomplete artifacts. ℞ÀＮóᛒÈṢ

They laid everything out on the ground, and Yu Dayue extended a hand, gesturing toward the items. "Junior Brother Qin, you killed the malevolent corpse blocking our path, so the main credit goes to you. Since I didn’t do much, you should choose first."

Qin Sang, not holding back, picked up the most valuable piece, the Golden Thread Cedar Wood. Noticing Yu Dayue’s slightly stiff expression, he added, "Senior Brother Yu, I’m currently refining my life-bound spiritual sword and need the purest spiritual wood, so I won’t be polite about it. However, since the Golden Thread Cedar Wood is so valuable, I don’t dare be too greedy. I’ll also take this bottle of Yin Spirit Water, and everything else can go to you. How does that sound?"

The combined value of the Golden Thread Cedar Wood and Yin Spirit Water was slightly higher than the other items, but both were essential for Qin Sang.

The Golden Thread Cedar Wood, in particular, was invaluable. After breaking through to the second stage of the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, Qin Sang realized the killing symbol’s power was far stronger than he’d anticipated. His ebony sword might not withstand the second killing symbol, so he was preparing the spiritual wood in advance as a precaution.

The Yin Spirit Water, on the other hand, was essential for refining a malevolent corpse.

The Heavenly Yin Corpse Art required Earth Malevolent Qi for refining a malevolent corpse. This process not only used a unique secret art but also required five special yin materials associated with the five elements: the Nine-Orifice Stone, Blue Nether Metal, the core of a 500-year-old Moon Pagoda Tree, the Ghost Feather, and Yin Spirit Water.

Gathering these five-elemental yin items was no easy task, and finding a bottle of Yin Spirit Water here was an unexpected bonus that Qin Sang couldn’t pass up.

Seeing Qin Sang’s explanation, Yu Dayue had no objections and gladly took the remaining spiritual materials. He said, "Junior Brother Qin, since you’re planning to refine your own life-bound spiritual sword with such pure spiritual wood, its power will undoubtedly be remarkable. I’ll keep an eye out for other useful materials for you in the future."

Qin Sang cupped his hands respectfully. "Thank you, Senior Brother Yu."

After dividing their spoils, the two of them waited patiently in the forbidden ground, hoping other companions might still survive. They left the entrance to the forbidden ground open, just in case.

Unexpectedly, as time passed, the rumbling sounds grew louder, and soon, a wisp of chilling black qi drifted into the hall. However, despite the ominous presence, there was still no sign of Li Zai.

Yu Dayue sighed deeply. "Junior Brother Qin, it seems that Junior Brother Li and the others have met with misfortune. We should close the barrier before it’s too late."

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