Gateway of Immortality

Black Tiger Valley.

Qin Sang and Gu Tiannan, along with Gu Tiannan’s disciple, descended onto the dirt path outside the village, concealing their presence as they approached.

The village was almost entirely deserted, with nine out of ten homes abandoned. The silence was deathly, with the morning fog lingering, and not a single wisp of smoke rising from any chimney. In front of a few homes sat emaciated elderly people, their eyes vacant, staring off into the distance. The only impression Qin Sang had was summed up in two words—despair!

"That demon abducted all the villagers with strong blood and qi to serve as blood sacrifices, even taking the children. Only these elderly were left behind." Gu Tiannan sighed softly.

"Have you found any remains?" Qin Sang asked.

Gu Tiannan shook his head and pointed to a black mountain behind the village. "There’s a cave behind that mountain. The entrance is protected by a demonic array, and there are two demons. Both are quite powerful. Last time, I managed to wound one, but the other rescued it. Outnumbered, I had no choice but to ask for your help, Junior Brother."

Qin Sang raised his head to look toward the mountain. Aside from its height, there didn’t seem to be anything particularly unusual about it, yet under the dim sky, the black silhouette of the mountain seemed to be shrouded in ghostly mist, appearing quite eerie.

He was eager to head up the mountain, deal with the problem, and return to the sect to report back. However, he deferred to Gu Tiannan’s judgment.

Gu Tiannan suggested they wait until noon to take action. "I don’t know what evil art these demons are cultivating, but at noon, the yang qi will be at its peak. If we act then, their yin qi will certainly be suppressed."

The three of them found an empty house to rest in. Qin Sang sat quietly, adjusting his state, but he couldn’t shake an inexplicable sense of irritation. For a long time, he struggled to calm himself.

Something isn't right!

Suddenly, Qin Sang opened his eyes wide, a look of vigilance appearing on his face. He began to review everything that had happened since he left Shaohua Mountain for the Guyuan Kingdom, realizing that, in his haste to borrow the waist token, he had not thought carefully about anything. He had been blindly following others’ lead, eager only to complete the task as quickly as possible.

A demon causing trouble in a mortal kingdom was a minor issue, yet it had caught the attention of Senior Uncle Wen, who had deliberately sent him here. Was there more to it? Was it really just to silence any rumors?

Everything he knew about the demons was based solely on Gu Tiannan’s words, and Qin Sang had never questioned it. Realizing this, cold sweat began to form on his forehead.

In cultivation, there was a saying about tempering the heart of Dao and resisting heart demons[1], but Qin Sang had never paid much attention to it. He had always relied on the Jade Buddha to assist him, and even the Soul-Devouring Array of Three Calamities, born from heavenly tribulations, had been powerless against him. So why should he worry about heart demons?

Only now did he realize that heart demons weren’t always tangible. His current state was a perfect example of being overrun by heart demons.

Ever since the Soul Pill had lost its effectiveness, Qin Sang had been filled with fear and anxiety, his mind consumed by thoughts of Foundation Building. His obsession with rapid advancement had become all-encompassing. He no longer cared about anything else, his entire being teetering on the edge of madness.

Heart demons affected not only the Dao heart but also one's mental state and actions. In this condition, he had dared to leave the sect and come out to slay demons. If he wasn’t careful, he might die without even realizing how!

Calm the mind, calm the spirit. Daoist Master Jixin had taught him this long ago, but he had completely forgotten.

Qin Sang silently recited the Scripture of Tranquility several times, forcing himself to let go of all thoughts related to Foundation Building. Slowly, he managed to clear away the chaotic thoughts, and in the process, he felt his mental state become a bit more transparent.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

His heart was now firmly set on the Dao, but he was no longer controlled by it.

Although this offered no immediate benefit to his cultivation, Qin Sang knew that this experience would prove invaluable in the future.

…

Knock! Knock!

The door was knocked on, and Gu Yuan softly called out for Senior Uncle Qin. Qin Sang lightly dusted off his robe, though there was no actual dust, and smiled naturally as he stepped outside.

The sun was blazing overhead.

Qin Sang nodded slightly at Gu Tiannan and his disciple, changing his mindset as he quietly observed and speculated about Gu Tiannan.

Recalling the records in the jade slip, it mentioned that demonic chaos erupted in Guyuan Kingdom every few years, and each time, Gu Tiannan handled it properly. His requests for help were always timely, and the issues were resolved with great precision.

Such coincidences!

Shaohua Mountain had Sun De—it's not impossible for there to be another?

Looking at Gu Tiannan’s deathly pale face, devoid of the slightest trace of blood, Qin Sang finally understood why he had felt uncomfortable. It was because Gu Tiannan's complexion resembled that of a corpse, something Qin Sang had seen countless times on the battlefield in Great Sui.

However, Gu Tiannan was over a hundred years old and a disciple of Shaohua Mountain. It would be rash to conclude he had any issues based solely on his appearance. Furthermore, Qin Sang hadn’t sensed any demonic aura from him.

Protect yourself and wait for the right moment.

Qin Sang’s mind raced, and he settled on this strategy. He focused his attention on the Heavenly Star Tear and the ebony sword, always prepared for any sudden changes. At the same time, he readied a few talismans and that black bead, feeling confident that he was fully prepared. Then he followed behind Gu Tiannan and his disciple as they used an evasion method to ascend the mountain.

The terrain wasn’t particularly steep, and soon, the three of them crossed the summit and reached the back of the mountain.

The cave behind the mountain was very conspicuous, with an entrance several zhang wide. The pitch-black opening resembled a demonic eye on the earth, filled with a swirling black mist that made it impossible to see inside.

The three of them hid in the shadows, observing the cave. The demonic qi at the entrance was swirling in a regular pattern, like a vortex. Qin Sang could sense the dangerous aura from within, and Gu Tiannan’s mention of a demonic array covering the entrance seemed credible.

"Junior Brother Qin, do you have a way to break the array?" Gu Tiannan asked through sound transmission.

Qin Sang furrowed his brows in thought. If he set up the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions, it wouldn’t be difficult to break the array with another array. However, he had decided to observe Gu Tiannan first and not reveal his trump cards prematurely. He drew out the Emerald Wave Sword and replied, "Senior Brother Gu, I mainly cultivate the path of swordsmanship. I'm capable in direct combat, but breaking arrays is not my strong suit."

Gu Tiannan didn’t doubt him and nodded. With a tap on his Mustard Seed Pouch, five bright sword lights immediately flew out. Gu Tiannan muttered incantations and infused each sword light with spiritual power, making them shine even brighter.

Upon closer inspection, Qin Sang noticed that each of the five sword lights encased a spiritual sword. He immediately recalled the famed spell from Shaohua Mountain called the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword. It required five-element spiritual swords and, through the incantation, drew upon the five-elemental spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making it specialized in breaking arrays.

Qin Sang had learned about this spell during a lecture from a senior uncle. It was not only time-consuming to cultivate but also required appropriate five-elemental spiritual swords. Since the opportunities to use it were limited, he had never practiced it himself.

Judging by Gu Tiannan's skillful execution, it was clear that he had mastered the spell to an impressive degree.

With a series of incantations, layers of inscriptions began to appear on the five spiritual swords, their sword lights growing brighter. Each sword began to channel the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

"Go!"

Gu Tiannan's eyes flashed with sharp light as he coldly shouted the command. With a flick of his finger, the five sword lights shot toward the cave entrance in complete silence.

The Five-Element Breaking Swords disappeared into the demonic mist, but nothing happened.

Gu Tiannan, however, remained completely unperturbed, watching the cave entrance with a faint smile.

The next moment, the sound of swords humming echoed from within the cave, followed by a sudden surge in the surrounding spiritual energy!

The sword lights pierced through the darkness, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was rapidly sucked into the cave. Then, with an explosive roar, the demonic mist inside the cave was instantly torn apart!

1. The Chinese raw for this can also mean evil within one's heart. ☜