Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 959: Setting the Course

The roar sounded peculiar; he could not tell what kind of ferocious beast it belonged to.

Qin Sang reached back with a beckoning motion, and the Two-Headed Hou slipped into the Primordial Unity Ring. He then lowered his body and concealed his aura.

Watching the fleeing cultivator, a flicker of surprise crossed Qin Sang’s eyes. That man’s evasion light actually alternated in black and white.

Such an evasion light was rare. Qin Sang had only seen it on cultivators of the Yin-Yang Branch of Landou Sect. They cultivated yin and yang qi from the Qi Refining Realm and used a unique evasion technique, which produced that distinctive light.

Could he be from the Yin-Yang Branch of the Landou Sect? It would not be Daoist Huayang, would it? Qin Sang thought.

The ferocious beast finally appeared. From afar it looked like a surge of black demonic wind. Even with Qin Sang’s eyesight, he could only vaguely make out the outline within. It resembled a hawk. Each light beat of its wings drew it closer by a span, and its speed was clearly faster than the cultivator’s.

Roar! The beast bellowed. The demonic wind rippled, and the mountains and rocks along its path shattered.

Within a few breaths, the beast had closed in on the cultivator. After another roar, it opened its jaws and spat out a mass of demon fire that shot forward from the demonic wind.

Whoosh! Where the demon fire passed, grass and trees ignited and instantly turned to ash.

Sensing the terror of the flames, the cultivator’s face filled with fear. He hurriedly formed a seal; his evasion light folded and dove straight down, yet the edge of the demon fire still grazed him.

With a cry, the cultivator tumbled into the mountains. Fortunately, he did not suffer serious injury. He dared not hesitate for even a moment, and once more unleashed an evasion technique, fleeing in blind panic.

Hidden in the dark, Qin Sang observed the chase and roughly judged their strength. The beast surged with murderous momentum, a shade weaker than a late-stage Demonic Core Realm demonic beast. The cultivator, though at the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm, already carried injuries. He had no power to fight back against the beast.

After a brief contemplation, Qin Sang’s figure flashed. He surveyed the surroundings, and once he was sure there was no other danger, he secretly moved to intercept along the cultivator’s path.

Swish! The slanting evasion light cut the air and skimmed crookedly past the mountaintop. The beast followed hard on his heels.

Scorched by the demon fire, the cultivator’s Daoist robe had been torn to tatters, and his own injuries were not light. Despair showed on his face.

Just then, a sudden change occurred. As the cultivator swept past the summit, a masked figure burst up from underground and sprang between the two, facing the ferocious beast head-on.

It was Qin Sang. The beast reacted with startling speed. Cruel light flared in its eyes. Sensing danger from this newcomer, it opened its sharp beak and spewed out a basin-sized mass of demon fire.

Qin Sang snorted. His evasion light flickered, and he slipped past the demon fire with ease. In the next instant he appeared at the beast’s flank. He did not draw the ebony sword. With other spiritual swords, his swordsmanship lost none of its edge.

The beast let out a strange screech and beat its wings in a violent gust. Demonic wind condensed, barely warding off Qin Sang’s first strike, but before Qin Sang’s storm of swift blows it faltered more and more.

Terrified, the beast wheeled to flee. It exploded into even greater speed than before, but before Qin Sang it was still far too slow. Enveloped by the sword wheel, it failed to struggle for long before perishing beneath his blades.

Blood sprayed through the sky.

Qin Sang did not take the corpse. He only removed the demonic core. The ferocious beasts inside Seven-Kill Hall carried a strange malevolent aura in their bodies; they could not be used for artifact refinement or alchemy. The demonic cores were the same, yet high-tier cores were uncommon, so Qin Sang kept it.

By now, the fleeing cultivator had stopped some distance away. Having escaped death, he felt elated but also uneasy. After a moment’s hesitation, he forcibly suppressed his injuries and flew back of his own accord.

Having witnessed Qin Sang slaughter the beast with ease, the cultivator was stunned. Somewhat apprehensive, he bowed and said, "Thank you so much, Daoist, for extending a helping hand."

Qin Sang turned his head and glanced at him. "You are a cultivator of Landou Sect?"

The cultivator dared not conceal it. He answered quickly, "Your insight is keen. I am indeed a disciple of the Yin-Yang Peak of Landou Sect. My Dharma name is Mingyi. May I know your Dharma name, Daoist? I will never forget this life-saving grace. In the future—"

Qin Sang waved a hand, cutting Mingyi off. "I have heard that the Yin-Yang Branch of your Landou Sect specializes in yin and yang. Your attainments in the Dao of Yin-Yang must be profound. I am somewhat interested. Would you explain a thing or two for me, the insights from your cultivation?"

Mingyi froze, surprised by the request, then immediately nodded repeatedly. Qin Sang only asked for cultivation insights, not for arts, so it would not violate sect taboos and would still repay the favor. He naturally felt no burden and answered whatever was asked.

Qin Sang gestured toward the direction of Celestial Blossom Lake. They set off and talked as they traveled, with Mingyi complying attentively. Halfway there, their discussion ended.

As expected, although Mingyi’s cultivation far surpassed that of Daoist Huayang’s attendant, the Daoist boy, and his understanding of the Dao of Yin-Yang was more refined, he still remained within the framework of the first stage of the Yin-Yang Tiandou Secret Technique.

Qin Sang felt a touch of disappointment. His earlier sense had been right; the follow-up arts created by the Daoist Yin-Yang contained significant flaws.

Mingyi, in turn, discovered that Qin Sang held his own unique views on yin and yang. Pleased to find a kindred mind, he invited Qin Sang to the sect to debate with other senior brothers, but Qin Sang shook his head, suddenly accelerated, and vanished into the depths of the mountains in the blink of an eye.

"In acting today I merely followed my whim. Our debts are clear. You need not dwell on it." He left only those words behind, while Mingyi stood staring after him, dazed.

***

"What a pity. If the Yin-Yang Tiandou Secret Technique could be cultivated, then after reaching the Spiritual Infant Realm it could serve as an alternative art. Of course, such handed-down arts come with many restrictions. Acquiring them would not be easy.

"In truth, once I succeed in forming the Spiritual Infant and lengthen my lifespan, my cultivation won't be as rushed as before. With Senior Qingzhu’s accomplishments as a model, perhaps I could attempt to mend the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment on my own.

"But that would inevitably plant hidden dangers for the future. Sooner or later I would hit a dead end. It is not a long-term plan.

"The present immortal cultivation world has withered, and spiritual herbs are hard to find. Cultivation itself is exceedingly difficult. Only peerless geniuses can have it all.

"Besides, the Spiritual Infant Realm is still far from true immortality. It is far from the time to start my own Great Dao. Where there are no tigers in the mountains, the monkey claims kingship. A Spiritual Infant grandmaster can strut only in the present age.

"The best course is still to first find a suitable art, focus on improving my realm, and along the journey of cultivation, visit as many places as possible, and finally discover a Great Dao that suits me best..."

Thinking thus, Qin Sang drew ever closer to Celestial Blossom Lake.

He opened his palm and took out the command token Elder Zhou had given him. After a moment’s thought, he put it away again and did not activate the celestial barriers sealed within the token.

Soon, at the edge of his vision, the beauty of Celestial Blossom Lake faintly appeared. The fat silkworm seemed to sense it as well. It grew eager inside the Spirit Beast Pouch.

There were two entrances to Celestial Blossom Lake. This time, Qin Sang headed for the other one. He pinched out the fat silkworm and tucked it beneath the armor at his chest, then quickened his pace toward the lake.

Just then, there was a sharp sonic boom. A streak of evasion light shot straight toward Qin Sang’s position.