Gateway of Immortality

The malevolent corpse had blended in among the humanoid Cloud Beasts, slipping out from within. Qin Sang stayed behind, avoiding Mu Yifeng's line of sight, and quietly stowed away the malevolent corpse.

Catching up, he saw Mu Yifeng hesitating at the entrance of the passageway, seemingly reluctant to proceed.

Demonic qi surged continuously from within, carrying an icy chill. Streaks of bright red blood smeared the ground, a sight that struck fear into the heart. Flesh fragments and shattered bones were scattered everywhere, accompanied by sounds of scuffling and gnawing from within, suggesting that many humanoid Cloud Beasts had yet to be drawn out.

The eerie scene sent chills down the spine.

Mu Yifeng stood at the entrance, his expression shifting constantly, yet he didn’t dare to take that step forward.

Had he not already scouted ahead using the malevolent corpse, Qin Sang would have been as alarmed as Mu Yifeng at the sight. When he controlled the corpse to enter the passage, he had prepared himself to sever the connection at any moment, ready to abandon the creature if necessary.

Qin Sang murmured in a steady voice, "Be careful, Senior Brother Mu."

Mu Yifeng's expression grew even more grave. Sharing the same idea as Qin Sang, he first condensed a clone using his spiritual power before attempting to stealthily slip inside. Qin Sang didn't have to wait long; Mu Yifeng suddenly darted out, calling in a low voice, "Quick, let’s go!"

Another commotion echoed from within the passage. Having anticipated this, Qin Sang activated his movement art and followed Mu Yifeng. After regrouping with the others, Mu Yifeng took out a fragment of a leg bone.

Qin Sang understood that Mu Yifeng must have seen the chasm but ultimately refrained from descending. No matter how valuable the Qianyang Crystal was, it was just a spiritual material—life was more precious.

With Yin Xingge meeting such a gruesome end, who could guess what terrifying things lay within that crevice?

Seeing the bone fragment, everyone was horrified. Not daring to linger, they left the rift behind, feeling as though they’d narrowly escaped with their lives.

"The ore vein has mutated," Mu Yifeng said solemnly, "This must be reported to the Shadow Guards. Yuankong Town is the nearest settlement. Let's head directly there and take the chance to recuperate."

No one disagreed. After confirming their direction, they immediately flew towards Yuankong Town.

…

In Changyang Market.

This market lay along the path to the Tianjing Hidden Realm, slightly larger and far more prosperous than Gubei Town. Its unique location meant major trading companies set up their headquarters here.

Qin Sang left the inn, his face concealed by a black mask, and hurried towards a narrow alley.

After returning to Yuankong Town, he and the others had handed over the mined Qianyang Quartz to the Shadow Guards’ station and reported the ore vein's abnormalities. Experts from both Shaohua Mountain and Xuanlu Stronghold’s Shadow Guards had been dispatched to investigate the mine.

Not waiting for the investigation results, Qin Sang claimed his merit and parted ways with Mu Yifeng and the others, setting out alone for Changyang Market.

The journey from Changyang Market to the Tianjing Hidden Realm was still lengthy, so he hadn’t rushed to depart. Instead, he stayed in Changyang Market for two days, eventually uncovering the presence of a Black Market within the marketplace. ℝäNôꞖЁȿ

Knock, knock!

Qin Sang entered the alley, stopping in front of a small courtyard. Following a specific pattern, he knocked lightly on the wooden door.

The door opened, and a burly man with a bushy beard stepped out. His cultivation level was low, around the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, yet Qin Sang knew this man was only a gatekeeper.

The person who sold Qin Sang the token had warned him that the Black Market had powerful cultivators on guard and advised against trying to seize anything by force.

Qin Sang made no attempt to conceal his aura. The guard’s pupils contracted slightly upon sensing Qin Sang’s cultivation, yet he still maintained a respectful tone. "Senior, do you have a token?"

"I do." Qin Sang deliberately altered his voice, making it sound rough and raspy. From his Mustard Seed Pouch, he took out an black iron ring and handed it over.

The iron ring wasn’t even considered a low-grade artifact, holding only a unique insignia that served as identification. Qin Sang had exchanged a middle-grade artifact for this token.

The burly man took the ring with both hands and, after careful inspection, said respectfully, "The token is correct. Please, come in."

The courtyard was small and cluttered with miscellaneous items, giving the appearance of an ordinary residence. The burly man led Qin Sang into a side room, which was starkly different from the exterior. Inside, it was exceptionally clean, containing only a wooden chair and a wooden table, both positioned to face the wall.@@novelbin@@

Upon entering the room, Qin Sang felt an inexplicable unease. He swept his gaze around, focusing on the wall opposite the table and chair. Just now, his spiritual consciousness had detected subtle fluctuations on the wall—there was a spiritual array embedded within!

The burly man gestured toward the chair and said, "Please, take a seat, Senior."

With that, he took Qin Sang's black iron ring, lightly tapped it against the wall, then returned it to him before quietly exiting.

After the ring touched the wall, the spiritual array became fully visible. The wall shimmered like the surface of water, and a rippling effect gave way to the apparition of an elderly face.

The face's expression quickly became lively, and its gaze turned toward Qin Sang with a light chuckle. "Please forgive the caution, Daoist. I deal in perilous trades, so I must be vigilant."

"I understand." Qin Sang nodded, though inwardly, he remained wary of the spiritual array.

He made no effort to remember the appearance of the face—it was certainly a disguise, and this person likely didn’t reside within Changyang Market.

"What would you like to sell? Or perhaps you have something you wish to purchase?"

The face asked straightforwardly.

"Selling first, then buying," Qin Sang said in a steady voice. He reached into his Mustard Seed Pouch, and a dozen shimmering streams of light flew out, landing with a series of thuds on the table before him.

The glow faded, revealing a collection of artifacts.

Some of these artifacts had been obtained from Hermit Baiyun and Wu Yuesheng, while others were ones he’d gathered from the demonic sect cultivators in the mine.

The rest were relics of Yin Xingge.

Aside from the Spirit Beast Pouch, the malevolent corpse had also recovered a few scattered artifacts, some damaged and others intact.

Any artifacts that caught Yin Xingge’s attention were bound to possess special qualities and were rare among cultivators. Selling them openly in a shop would be unwise, so he opted for the Black Market, where he had an additional purpose in mind.

The eyes of the face gleamed upon seeing the artifacts but asked no questions regarding their origin. The spiritual array manifested a hand, which carefully assessed each artifact before saying, "These are excellent pieces, Daoist. Do you plan to sell them directly to me, or would you like to place them in the auction?"

Qin Sang asked gravely, "Selling directly to you—wouldn’t that mean a significantly lower price?"

The face let out a dry laugh. "You're funny, Daoist. I won’t boast, but I do pride myself on integrity. Selling these to me directly would mean no further concerns on your part. Of course, you can also put them up for auction, where I can ensure your absolute safety."