Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 308: Dividing the Spoils

Meanwhile...

Luo Xingnan, in a desperate gambit, unleashed the full power of his talisman astra, causing the silver knife to blaze with brilliance, carving a dazzling arc of light several zhang long in the air.

Qin Sang suddenly summoned the Jiao spirit, dramatically boosting his speed. His figure twisted sharply, narrowly evading the strike. However, he let out a muffled grunt as his body was sent hurtling to the side.

Clutching his right chest, his hand was stained with fresh blood.

Using his body as bait and relying on the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman, Qin Sang managed to avoid the silver knife's lethal strike at the last moment. Even so, his chest was grazed by the blade’s glow, leaving him with a severe injury.

Fortunately, the talisman’s speed had been sufficient to spare his vital organs.

While wounded, it was better than losing his life.

Within the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions, Shangguan Lifeng's vision was completely obscured by ghostly qi, and Qin Sang was operating under the guise of Daoist Master Qingfeng. Even if Shangguan Lifeng discovered the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman, it wasn’t a cause for concern.

The silver knife’s ambush failed, and its blade trembled slightly, poised to resume its pursuit. However, in mid-air, it abruptly reverted to its original form—a piece of talisman paper—which floated downward.

The talisman was riddled with cracks, barely better than the jade ruyi had been moments before. It appeared it could only be used one or two more times at most.

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Luo Xingnan had owned the silver knife talisman astra for a long time, and its power, once depleted, could not be replenished. Though he had used it sparingly, its energy was nearly exhausted.

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Sang drew the talisman astra toward him with a surge of spiritual power and quickly sealed his wound. He then darted to the edge of the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions, catching Shangguan Lifeng, who had collapsed from exhaustion.

At the same time, the primary soul of the Yan Luo Banner trotted over, looking pleased, carrying Luo Xingnan’s corpse.

The body bore intersecting blade and sword wounds, with his heart shattered into fragments by sword qi, leaving him dead with eyes wide open in disbelief, as though unable to accept that he had perished here.

His Qihai remained intact, making the body suitable for transformation into a malevolent corpse.

Qin Sang nodded silently, tidying up Luo Xingnan’s body before storing it in his Mustard Seed Pouch.

According to the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art, the power of a malevolent corpse was closely tied to the strength of the cultivator in life. A malevolent corpse made from the body of a middle-stage Foundation Building cultivator would be significantly stronger than his previous creations.

Reflecting on the recent battle, Qin Sang’s heart still raced. Though he had been 80% confident in his plan, its execution had been fraught with peril.

Luo Xingnan also possessed a talisman astra and had witnessed Qin Sang’s use of the jade ruyi, so he was undoubtedly prepared. Relying solely on the talisman astra or the Yan Luo Banner alone wouldn’t have sufficed to kill him.

Using both simultaneously would have drained Qin Sang’s spiritual power too quickly, making it impossible to overwhelm the talisman astra’s protective power and forcefully kill Luo Xingnan.

Thus, Qin Sang devised his strategy, taking an extraordinary risk, and it had paid off.

Rather than immediately putting away the Yan Luo Banners, Qin Sang allowed its primary soul to fully retreat into the banner before concealing it.

Shangguan Lifeng, observing Qin Sang’s manipulation of the demonic artifact, asked no questions.

Returning to the cave entrance, Qin Sang let Shangguan Lifeng rest and recover while he, enduring his injuries, stood guard at the entrance, watching the surroundings cautiously.

Time passed, and all remained quiet.

"It seems the white-robed scholar has already left."

Qin Sang nodded to himself. That man truly isn't greedy. Otherwise, he might have stayed to profit as a bystander.

Of course, Qin Sang wouldn’t have let him succeed anyway.

Knowing this place wasn’t safe for a prolonged stay, Qin Sang waved his hand to summon back the Yan Luo Banners, then turned and re-entered the cave. Inside, he found Wandering Man seated cross-legged. Though still frail, his condition had visibly improved.

After discussing the situation, both Wandering Man and Shangguan Lifeng agreed with Qin Sang's assessment. The three of them reversed course, heading straight for the depths of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

Just after they departed.

Within the cave dwelling, the Grand Hall of Offerings began to tremble, sending out waves of peculiar energy.

The fluctuations spread across the entire cave dwelling, drawing the attention of everyone present. Cultivators raised their heads to look toward the mountain summit, their expressions filled with uncertainty and suspicion.

Suddenly, a radiant streak of multicolored light burst forth from the Grand Hall, accompanied by the enraged roar of the Hook Snake.

It became clear to all that an extraordinary event had occurred within the Grand Hall of Offerings. Given its unique location and significance, any treasure emerging from there would undoubtedly be extraordinary.

In an instant, apart from those already inside the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, everyone else rushed toward the Grand Hall. Countless streams of evasion light converged on the mountaintop like a dazzling swarm of fireflies, creating a breathtaking spectacle.

None of this, however, had anything to do with Qin Sang and his companions.

After leaving Qiuhong Market far behind, they found a secluded spot to rest. All three were injured, and considering the dangers of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, they needed to recover quickly.

Among them, Qin Sang was the least injured. After taking a few spirit pills, he sat quietly, circulating his cultivation art. In a short time, the impact of his injuries had significantly diminished.

Shangguan Lifeng’s most severe wound was his severed left arm, but aside from that, his main issue was the depletion of his Qihai. He recovered in roughly the same amount of time as Qin Sang.

Only Wandering Man remained in poor condition. Despite resting for so long, his recovery was minimal. The cost of activating the Flawless Orb had been far greater than Qin Sang had anticipated.

When Wandering Man opened his eyes, the fatigue in his gaze had lessened slightly. He sighed helplessly and said, "I will likely need several years of rest to fully recover. During this time, I won’t be able to refine spirit pills for you. If I attempt to open the furnace in my current state, the success rate will plummet, and we’d only waste the hard-won Dark Patterned Yellow Essence."

"There’s no rush, Senior..."

The foundation-related matters could wait. A few years earlier or later wouldn’t make much difference.

After reassuring him, Qin Sang suddenly recalled something. Taking out the Mustard Seed Pouches of Ge Yuan and Luo Xingnan, he retrieved three spiritual herbs and laid them out before him.

"Among these three herbs, is there one that could help you recover?"

Wandering Man shook his head repeatedly. "That won’t do! Though I didn’t see it firsthand, killing Luo Xingnan must have been a life-and-death struggle. One misstep, and you’d have been beyond salvation. These herbs were earned through your efforts, Daoist Master, I cannot take them."

Qin Sang disagreed. "Without you gravely injuring the Human Head Owls and driving away the Hook Snake, I wouldn’t have even had the chance to fight Luo Xingnan. I’d have already fallen prey to those demonic beasts. Surely you don't want me to be an ungrateful person? Besides, Daoist Shangguan also contributed. Splitting the three herbs evenly is only fair."

To his surprise, Shangguan Lifeng also refused without hesitation.

Qin Sang could only smile wryly. Who would have thought that the thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, sought after by countless cultivators, would now be pushed back and forth among the three of them?

As for himself, Qin Sang was already satisfied with obtaining the Dark Patterned Yellow Essence. Receiving another herb was an unexpected bonus, but he wasn’t greedy enough to hoard all three.

"Uhh..."

After some further persuasion, Wandering Man finally relented, seeing Qin Sang’s determination. He pointed to the Smoke Grass.

"This Smoke Grass doesn’t need to be refined into pills. Directly absorbing and consuming it will suffice. A thousand-year-old Smoke Grass is exceedingly rare. Its age ensures its potency far exceeds ordinary Smoke Grass. If all goes well, I should recover within a year with its help."

Hearing this, Qin Sang nodded, closed the jade box containing the Smoke Grass, and handed it to Wandering Man.