Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 912: Flying Shuttle

Qin Sang steadied his mind and fully circulated his cultivation art.

He knew clearly that this was the Star Essence Infusion. If successful, it would be the end of suffering and the beginning of fortune. His physical body would undergo metamorphosis.

By then, his flesh alone would be able to contend head-on with an early-stage Golden Core cultivator! 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

His body alternated between pain and numbness. Every inch of him felt battered and broken. Skin split open, flesh torn, bones crackling.

Blood seeped from his wounds. It was not bright red, but darkened, as though impurities were being purged from within by the infusion of star essence.

Blood refinement, bone refinement, tendon reshaping, marrow cleansing. Each term represented metamorphosis, and each also meant extreme agony.

In the ancient era, body cultivators must have endured countless metamorphoses like this before they could wield supernatural abilities like World Manifestation. I am only at the beginning, so what reason do I have to not endure? Qin Sang silently reminded himself.

With indomitable will, he had made it step by step to this day. At such a crucial moment, retreat was impossible.

The Star Essence Infusion continued. Qin Sang cast aside all distractions, focused his full attention on guiding his cultivation art, gathering the star essence, and searching for the opportunity to break through.

Soon, the column of light gradually dispersed. The power of star essence summoned by the Star Platform ebbed away like the tide. The Sky-Eyed Butterfly, the fat silkworm, and the Two-Headed Hou sensed the change, stopped their recovery, and turned their eyes on Qin Sang, watching his breakthrough.

But they noticed no visible change in him, and doubt crept in. Had the infusion been incomplete? Had he failed to break through?

Qin Sang suddenly raised his hand. An Azure Reed Root and a Tyrant Blood Fruit flew from a jade box and went straight into his mouth.

Though he had not managed to gather the complete set of Tyrant Blood Fruit, Azure Reed Root, and Scorpion Venom Grass, even a single one of these spiritual herbs could assist his breakthrough

The spiritual herbs melted instantly, turning into scorching medicinal energy that surged into his abdomen. Pain struck once more, and it was violent beyond words. The Tyrant Blood Fruit was ferocious in nature, the Azure Reed Root only slightly gentler. Unlike the infusion, which spread evenly through the body, this energy erupted inside. Without the first two stages of Heavenly Demon Body Refinement already cultivated, Qin Sang could not have endured the shock.

It felt as if his organs were being torn from their places. Qin Sang roared, snapped upright, and swiftly formed a hand seal. A flash of azure light burst behind him, and suddenly a pair of phoenix wings unfurled.

The Heavenly Demon Transformation had been activated, easing his torment. Moments later, strange light surged endlessly within his body, pouring frenziedly into the wings.

Once faint and illusory, the wings grew increasingly solid and resplendent, gradually resembling true phoenix wings.

Swish! The wings flapped, lifting Qin Sang from the Star Platform.

At that instant, a series of detonations resounded within him. His aura surged madly, wounds across his body healed in an instant, and a faint azure glow shimmered and faded.

His body became as lustrous as flawless jade. It was perfect and immaculate, yet brimming with terrifying power.

Qin Sang threw back his head and let out a long, unrestrained howl. The sound reverberated, deafening across the mountains.

Then, with a flicker in his eyes, his pupils turned azure. His figure shuddered, and in the next instant he appeared at the edge of the barrier, smashing a heavy punch forward.

Boom!

A layer of the barrier flashed into existence, dazzling bright. The mountains quaked, flocks of Corrupted-Winged Eagles shrieked in panic and scattered into the sky.

Crack! Crack! Sounds rang out as fissures split across the barrier, on the verge of shattering under Qin Sang’s fist.

Seeing this, the Two-Headed Hou’s pupils contracted slightly, its gaze fixed on Qin Sang’s wings. The fat silkworm lay sprawled, lazy and unwilling to move, waiting for Qin Sang to feed it.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly, joyful for its master, danced lightly, fluttering down onto Qin Sang’s shoulder and brushing his cheek with its wings. Qin Sang withdrew his fist, stepping back with ease and control.

"Though this barrier is not especially strong, it shouldn’t be broken so easily. Without using even a trace of spiritual power, I produced such destructive force. With the Heavenly Demon Transformation activated, my body alone can suppress early-stage Golden Core cultivators. Truly worthy of the demon race’s supreme inheritance." Qin Sang was delighted.

"I also tested my evasion technique just now, and they’ve advanced greatly. The herbs I swallowed were meant to push me past the bottleneck in one breath, but much of their medicinal power remains unrefined, lingering in my body. I must refine them soon. My physique can still grow stronger..."

With that said, Qin Sang stroked the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, checked on the Two-Headed Hou and the others, then put away the Star Platform. After making arrangements for them, he carved out a quiet chamber for himself and entered seclusion once more.

***

Spring passed, autumn came. The years flew by.

For mortals, life rarely held more than a few decades, and each decade left behind countless unforgettable memories. Yet Qin Sang spent this decade in bitter cultivation, single-minded and unwavering, never leaving Poison Island for even half a step.

Other immortal cultivators had not noticed anything unusual about Poison Island, so no one ever disturbed him. This allowed him to focus entirely on his cultivation.

During these ten years, both his own strength and that of his external incarnation steadily advanced. But as the time for the opening of Seven-Kill Hall drew closer, Qin Sang felt the pressure mounting.

Although he had expected this, once the Heavenly Demon Body Refinement reached its third stage and his external incarnation formed a core, the speed of cultivation became far less satisfying, becoming slower than before the breakthroughs.

At this rate, he might not meet the requirements of the path of swords when Seven-Kill Hall opened.

The Heavenly Demon Body Refinement was not so urgent. So long as he could break through to the middle of the third stage, his true body’s strength would be sufficient.

The external incarnation, however, was troublesome. It would be difficult for it to reach the peak of the Core Formation Realm so quickly, unless he risked backlash by using some forbidden secret technique.

After much deliberation, Qin Sang concluded that the issue lay in his true body’s cultivation. At only the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm, his level was already too low; it no longer provided much benefit to blood-feeding or body refinement, so his speed had naturally returned to normal.

Two years ago, his progress in the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment had come to a halt. What he discovered afterward, however, brought him some relief.

As he had suspected, the reason he could not advance further lay with the ebony sword, not with himself. This meant he could still continue studying the killing symbol. In the future, once he obtained a top-grade spiritual wood capable of withstanding Infinite Blood Mulberry, or if he returned to the Small Cold Domain and acquired more of that wood, his cultivation would surge again.

This was undoubtedly good news, easing much of his anxiety. At the very least, he could wait until he entered Seven-Kill Hall and confirmed the situation with the teleportation array before considering whether to change arts.

Qin Sang emerged from meditation, silently pondering these matters. Just then, he sensed something and lifted his gaze toward the outside of his cave dwelling. After a moment, his brows furrowed slightly.

In the stretch of sea north of Poison Island, dozens of barren islands were scattered in clusters, utterly deserted.

Because of the Corrupted-Winged Eagles, and because the area was so desolate, immortal cultivators seldom ventured nearby. Even those passing through usually chose to skirt around it.

But now, a blue flying shuttle was speeding toward the area. For some reason, it wobbled unsteadily, veering from side to side as it skimmed across several barren islands. Its trajectory was headed straight for Poison Island.