Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 428: The Trade Fair

The Small Cold Domain cultivators lacked strong fighting will, missing their best opportunity to pursue and eliminate the Tianxing Alliance cultivators. After exchanging a few hurried blows, both sides disengaged.

Without using his astras, Qin Sang’s combat strength would be greatly diminished, so he could only watch as the Tianxing Alliance cultivators fled.

After regrouping with the Small Cold Domain cultivators and verifying each other’s identities, he learned that they had not been assigned to a mission together but were actually on their way to attend a secret trade fair.

However, after the trade fair ended, they were unexpectedly discovered by infiltrating Tianxing Alliance cultivators, leading to the conflict.

No wonder their battle formation had been so disorganized.

Fortunately, they had not strayed far from the trade fair’s location at the time and had not been too scattered. Otherwise, the Tianxing Alliance would have picked them off one by one, and they would never have lasted this long.

Qin Sang was well aware that with so many cultivators gathering in the Yuncang Marshlands, secret trade fairs were bound to exist. However, he had been in seclusion, focusing on cultivation, and had never taken the time to seek them out.

Now that the opportunity had presented itself, he naturally would not let it slip by. He immediately inquired about the details.

The secret trade fair had not been large, and after being exposed, the location was no longer safe. The organizers, still recovering from the ordeal, had no plans to hold another one in the near future. However, from one of the cultivators, Qin Sang learned about another trade fair’s location.

This fair was well hidden and opened once every three months. Participation required a special token.

The scale of this fair was considerably larger, attracting a mixed crowd of righteous and demonic cultivators, as well as rogue cultivators. Most participants were Foundation Building cultivators, and one could often find valuable items there.

In gratitude for Qin Sang’s assistance, the cultivator gifted him his trade fair token. After verifying the fair’s legitimacy, Qin Sang began attending regularly, sometimes finding treasures that piqued his interest.

Tomorrow was the day of the next trade fair.

Qin Sang emerged from seclusion. Compared to two years ago, his aura had become even more refined and steady.

After instructing Xie Ying to guard the herb garden, Qin Sang flew out of the protective barrier. He oriented himself, concealed his presence, and quietly headed southwest toward the trade fair’s location.

Through the trade fair’s channels, Qin Sang had also gained a general understanding of the latest developments between the Small Cold Domain and the Tianxing Alliance.

Currently, battles were occurring in both the Yuncang Marshlands and the southern region of the Tianduan Mountains, but there were no signs of an all-out war. Both sides exercised restraint, with the strongest combatants on the battlefield being in the Fake Core Realm. There were no reports of Golden Core masters taking action.

However, rumors suggested that Golden Core cultivators from various sects had already arrived in the Yuncang Marshlands, gathering together to secretly manipulate the course of events. They wielded significant authority, recognized by the major sects, and had the power to summon sect disciples at will.

Disobeying such summons was considered treason.

Many disciples from Shaohua Mountain had already been conscripted.

This kind of conflict was not new—it seemed to follow a set pattern.

The most common strategy involved infiltrating enemy territory to sabotage spirit stone mines, herb gardens, and other vital locations, or ambushing lone cultivators to further disrupt the situation in the Yuncang Marshlands.

Only a handful of smaller sects were caught in the crossfire.

Whether it was infiltrating the Tianxing Alliance or patrolling the borders, casualties were inevitable. By comparison, Qin Sang felt that his current assignment was a rather fortunate one.

Seeing that large-scale chaos would not erupt in the short term, he set his worries aside. He would wait until the spiritual herbs in the herb garden matured, complete the task assigned by Qi Yuanshou, and then decide where to go next.

It was best to avoid being drawn into the center of the storm.

Though he was stronger than most cultivators at his level, he could not reveal his astras. Moreover, once stuck in the battlefield, the ever-changing situation could put him in grave danger, and even astras might not ensure his survival.

Fortunately, with Qi Yuanshou as his backer, he did not have to worry about being thrown into battle as cannon fodder.

Qin Sang skimmed low over the water, flying at a moderate pace until he neared the trade fair’s designated area.

This region had a unique terrain, consisting of countless stone islands of varying sizes scattered across a vast expanse. Unfortunately, the spiritual qi here was extremely thin, and the underground spirit veins were barren, making it unsuitable for establishing cave dwellings.

However, these desolate stone islands made for excellent hiding spots for the trade fair.

With a flicker of movement, Qin Sang landed on one of the barren islands. After observing for a moment, he retrieved a jade luopan from his Mustard Seed Pouch. At the center of the luopan was a single droplet of crimson liquid.

As soon as Qin Sang touched the blood droplet with his spiritual power, it seemed to be pulled by an unseen force, gradually elongating into a fine blood needle. No matter how he rotated the luopan, the needle always pointed in the same direction.

Holding the luopan, Qin Sang’s figure flickered as he darted toward the indicated direction.

As he flew, the blood needle gradually shortened until it reverted into a droplet. At that moment, Qin Sang found himself hovering above a small stone island.

Looking down, he saw that the island was only a few zhang in diameter, entirely composed of stone with no vegetation. The rocks were covered in moss due to the lake’s erosion, and the lower portions were stained a deep bluish-black.

Qin Sang saw no obvious signs of a barrier, but upon focusing his gaze, he noticed something amiss about a particular rock.

It was a mortal's mechanical mechanism.

For immortal cultivators, such devices would be easily exposed under a sweep of spiritual consciousness, yet in this location, it served as a more discreet means of concealment than a magical barrier.

Qin Sang landed in front of the rock and pressed his hand against a specific spot a few times. With a series of clicking sounds, the rock split open from the center, revealing a descending stone staircase.

The stone staircase wound downward. Upon reaching the bottom, Qin Sang found himself standing before a patch of darkness when a sudden, sharp voice called out from within. "Who goes there?"

Cough!

By now, Qin Sang had already donned his cloak. He let out a light cough and spoke in a hoarse voice, "A participant of the trade fair. This is my token."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, displaying the luopan.

A moment later, he sensed a ripple of energy from a concealed formation ahead. Then, a cultivator wearing a tiger-headed mask emerged, nodded slightly at Qin Sang, and gestured invitingly. "Please enter, Daoist."

Without another word, the masked cultivator stepped aside.

Qin Sang was familiar with their temperament and remained silent as he strode into the darkness. He had only taken a few steps when a sudden flash of light enveloped him, and in the next instant, he found himself inside a stone chamber.

He pushed open the stone door and stepped out, greeted by the sight of a vast hall. The hall was simple and unadorned, clearly carved out hastily using spells.

The trade fair only lasted for a day, and each time it was held, the location would change.

Dozens of cultivators had already gathered in the hall. Most of them squatted on the ground like common folk, haggling over goods.

This trade fair was well-known in the area, and more people would arrive later. Every session drew at least a hundred cultivators.

There was no visible exit in the hall. Along its perimeter, numerous identical stone chambers were lined up, each sealed with barriers—these were where the more discreet transactions took place.

Beneath the hall, there was also a second level.

Qin Sang’s arrival drew several gazes, with some looking at him expectantly.

However, he had not come for the trade fair this time. Sweeping his gaze across the hall, he found nothing of interest and quickly withdrew his attention. Without hesitation, he set his sights on a particular stone chamber and strode inside.

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