Gateway of Immortality

After Wu Yuesheng departed, Qin Sang returned to the fork in the path, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Though Wu Yuesheng had remained hidden and had not made any actual attempts to ambush him, Qin Sang was certain that the other’s intentions were not benign. He mentally classified Wu Yuesheng as a potential threat.

While Qin Sang hoped to join forces with someone to navigate the impending dangers, he did not wish to ally himself with a tiger that might turn on him.

Traveling alongside Wu Yuesheng meant not only facing the dangers that could arise at any moment but also being wary of Wu Yuesheng himself, which would prove to be more trouble than it was worth.

In his haste to evade the flames’ probing, Qin Sang had not seen which of the other four paths Wu Yuesheng had taken. However, he had no intention of engaging in a struggle to the death with him.

Wu Yuesheng was stronger than Qin Sang and was well-versed in evasion techniques. Unless he managed a sneak attack that could deliver a lethal blow, any confrontation would quickly descend into a stalemate. With the dangers lurking in the cave, it was not the right moment for a deadly struggle.

Even if they were to meet again later, Wu Yuesheng would remain unaware that Qin Sang had seen through his concealment. In that case, the roles would be reversed, and Qin Sang would have a much calmer approach to the situation.

With that thought in mind, Qin Sang retraced his steps down the path he had initially chosen.

Fortune favored him; he encountered no malevolent corpses along the way. After passing through several stone corridors, he suddenly heard a series of roars and sounds of crashing ahead.

Qin Sang’s heart stirred as he stealthily approached, soon spotting two figures tangled in a struggle within a stone chamber. As expected, one was the malevolent corpse, and the other was Liu Jiang, the elder brother of the Liu brothers.

Qin Sang swooped closer, glancing around, but he did not see Liu Shan, indicating that the two brothers had also become separated.

The strength of the malevolent corpse was comparable to the one Qin Sang had previously slain; its physical defenses were formidable. A Foundation Building Realm cultivator would find it troublesome, but they could eventually defeat it after some time.

However, Liu Jiang was only at the thirteenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, and without Liu Shan's support, his strength was akin to a normal cultivator at that stage, making it challenging for him to cope.

Liu Jiang’s artifact was a half-formed iron lotus. The petals of the lotus spread wide, resembling a cluster of sharp flying daggers, which surrounded the malevolent corpse and continuously attacked, sending forth a flurry of blade-like shadows.

The power of the iron lotus was not to be underestimated; each blade shadow left a deep wound on the malevolent corpse. However, Liu Jiang could not suppress the creature, and thus he was unable to maintain continuous attacks on a single spot. As a result, the wounds quickly began to heal due to the Earth Malevolent Qi surrounding the corpse, yielding little effect.

Liu Jiang would need to exhaust the malevolent corpse's Earth Malevolent Qi before he could hope to slay it.

Qin Sang could see that Liu Jiang wanted to escape, but unfortunately, the malevolent corpse had sealed off his retreat. The creature was also just as agile as Liu Jiang, its movements swift. Its ghostly claws were laced with corpse poison, and when it struck, it unleashed an extremely chilling wave of Earth Malevolent Qi.

Liu Jiang dared not test his luck and was forced to evade in the narrow stone chamber, putting him at a disadvantage, and his expression grew increasingly anxious.

Seeing this, Qin Sang silently retraced his steps, revealing himself as he soared into the chamber and scanning the space before speaking in a deep voice, "May I ask which Daoist Liu this is?"

Upon seeing Qin Sang, Liu Jiang was filled with both joy and surprise. He quickly replied, "Liu Jiang greets Senior Qin. I have been entangled by this malevolent corpse and could not pay my respects. Please forgive me, Senior."

Qin Sang nodded slightly and turned his gaze toward the malevolent corpse. "Allow me to assist you in slaying this fiend first."

As he spoke, Qin Sang summoned the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword, which transformed into a dragon of light, swiftly suppressing the raging malevolent corpse.

Seeing this, Liu Jiang let out a quiet sigh of relief and immediately followed Qin Sang's instructions. He urged the iron lotus to fly behind the malevolent corpse, and a series of blade shadows shot forth, striking at the creature's neck.

The wound on the malevolent corpse’s neck grew deeper, and the Earth Malevolent Qi could not recover in time, ultimately leading to Liu Jiang severing its head. Like the malevolent corpse Qin Sang had encountered earlier, the Earth Malevolent Qi dissipated, revealing a gaunt cultivator’s body, which soon turned to a pile of ashes.

Qin Sang silently mused that the corpses in this cavern were likely refined using the bodies of cultivators. In just this short distance, he had encountered dozens of such corpses. There was no way to obtain so many cultivator bodies through normal means; this demonic sect must have harmed countless lives.

"Thank you for your assistance, Senior Qin."

Liu Jiang's breathing had calmed somewhat as he bowed respectfully to Qin Sang, his tone filled with deference.

Qin Sang could sense the tension emanating from Liu Jiang and found it unsurprising. He thought to himself that if their positions were reversed in such a place, he would also be wary of any ulterior motives from the other.

"Daoist Liu, have you and Liu Shan become separated as well?"

Liu Jiang let out a wry smile and replied, "The suction came too suddenly. We didn't react in time and were sucked into the cave. At that moment, we nearly got scattered. Later, when the Fire Crow Array exploded, the shockwave separated us further, and I couldn't maintain my art. Luckily, I was flung into a cavern. Liu Shan kept falling downward; the last I saw, it seemed that Senior Qingting had caught him. Since we practiced the same art and have had a mental connection since childhood, I could sense that Liu Shan is still alive. I was just thinking of joining up with him when I unexpectedly encountered this troublesome malevolent corpse."

Qin Sang had been quick to escape into the cavern and hadn’t witnessed the moment when Qingting rescued Liu Shan.

However, he recalled the positions of everyone during the Fire Crow Array's explosion. If Liu Shan continued to fall downward, he would indeed be closest to Qingting.

"Can you determine Liu Shan's location?" Qin Sang pressed.

Liu Jiang nodded. "I can sense Liu Shan below us to the left, but it’s quite vague, and there’s a significant distance between us. He must be able to sense my position as well, but unfortunately, the stone paths are constantly shifting. We haven’t been able to reunite, and it might take a long time before we cross paths."

"Mhmm," Qin Sang responded, "You must have noticed that as we go deeper, these passages converge toward a specific point. We’re bound to meet up eventually. Since that’s the case, please lead the way, and let’s head downward. This place is the stronghold of a demonic sect, and there are certainly numerous refined corpses here. While we can still manage, we may encounter even stronger malevolent corpses later. It’s best to regroup with other allies and face the dangers together."

Although Liu Jiang was not as strong as a Foundation Building Realm cultivator, he would still be a helpful ally. Facing the malevolent corpses would be much easier with his assistance. Even without the ability to use psychic sense, Qin Sang was prepared to take him along.

After the recent battle, Liu Jiang understood that he could not go far on his own. If he encountered a slightly stronger malevolent corpse, it could very well cost him his life.

Moreover, Qin Sang had saved him once already. Hearing Qin Sang's suggestion, Liu Jiang saw no reason to refuse and readily agreed.

A thunderous rumble echoed from the stone corridor behind them, and the Earth Malevolent Qi remained menacing. They dared not linger too long. After Liu Jiang took a moment to catch his breath, they hurriedly set off.

With their combined efforts, dealing with the malevolent corpses became significantly easier. They soon encountered two more malevolent corpses, one of which was exceptionally strong—troublesome even for Foundation Building Realm cultivators—but they managed to slay it without incident.

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