Gateway of Immortality

The main ingredients of the Foundation Building Pill could not be cultivated on their own; they were obtained from the secret realms deep within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

"It is said that the ancient immortals' great battle shattered the heavens and earth, causing the spiritual power in this world to weaken considerably. Immortal cultivation has become more difficult than ever, and the natural spiritual herbs that are nurtured by the heavens and earth now require extremely harsh environments to grow, making them increasingly rare. Nowadays, in our Small Cold Domain, the most accessible place to find spiritual herbs is deep within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield. There, a few ancient immortal cave dwellings and forbidden grounds remain, but few dare to tread upon them. The primary ingredients of the Foundation Building Pill you consume were found in an ancient forbidden ground controlled by our sect, which is why they are so rare."

Senior Uncle Wen warned Qin Sang, "The depths of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield are filled with countless dangers. Our sect paid a considerable price to control this ancient forbidden ground. Many smaller sects have been fortunate enough to find such places but lacked the strength to break the barriers and enter, and they couldn’t defend them either. In the depths of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, even Foundation Building cultivators face the risk of death if they are not careful. As a low-level cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm, you should abandon such reckless thoughts."

Qin Sang never had much hope for the path of alchemy anyway. He couldn’t keep up with others even when focusing solely on cultivation. Diverting his attention further would make achieving immortality in this lifetime impossible. Thus, he did not dwell on his disappointment for long and took the opportunity to bring up his real request.

When Qin Sang mentioned borrowing the waist token, Senior Uncle Wen did not immediately refuse. After some thought, he said, "You are not my son nor my nephew. While the sect has no explicit prohibition against it, it's not easy for me to just hand you the waist token."

Qin Sang had already prepared spirit stones and was contemplating if there was any deeper meaning behind Senior Uncle Wen’s words. Unexpectedly, Senior Uncle Wen’s tone shifted. "It just so happens that I have a task at hand and no time to find someone else. If you complete it satisfactorily, I will give you the waist token as a reward, which should silence any dissent."

Hearing this, Qin Sang had mixed feelings. He was glad that he didn’t have to part with his spirit stones, but he was also concerned. Any task significant enough to warrant the attention of a Foundation Building cultivator and to be personally assigned would likely not be simple. It could potentially take a considerable amount of time.

However, he wasn’t worried about his safety. His cultivation level had skyrocketed recently, and with the ebony sword at his side and the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions he refined from Sun De's belongings, his strength was now far superior to that of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators. Even if he couldn’t win in battle, he would have no problem protecting himself.

As Qin Sang’s thoughts wandered, Senior Uncle Wen tossed him a jade slip.

"The jade slip contains information on the Guyuan Kingdom, which is under our sect’s jurisdiction. A disciple stationed there, named Gu Tiannan, whose cultivation is roughly on par with yours, recently sent a message. There have been several incidents of civilians disappearing mysteriously in Guyuan, and Gu Tiannan later discovered that it was the work of demons. However, he was no match for them and requested assistance from the sect. You should go take a look."

Qin Sang took the jade slip and used his spiritual consciousness to examine its contents.

Guyuan was a small kingdom. According to the introduction in the jade slip, it was even smaller than the Grand Sui and was located in a remote area at the southeasternmost part of the Shaohua Mountain sect’s domain, practically within the Yuncang Marshlands.

Typically, immortal sects rarely involved themselves in mortal affairs. Mortal kingdoms were managed by immortal cultivation families affiliated with the sects. In remote places like Guyuan, where there were no immortal cultivation families nearby, the sect would send one or two disciples to oversee things.

Gu Tiannan, who was tasked with overseeing Guyuan, was a local of the area. After joining the Shaohua Mountain sect, his limited talent prevented him from breaking through to the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm before the age of forty. Having given up on the pursuit of immortality, he willingly took on this task and returned to his hometown to protect it.

Due to Guyuan’s remote location, the kingdom had experienced several demonic disturbances, but Gu Tiannan had managed to handle them properly each time. His requests for help from the sect were always timely, and the jade slip’s evaluation of him was mostly positive.

After sending Qin Sang away, Senior Uncle Wen murmured softly, "If he is meticulous and handles things efficiently, he may become a valuable asset in the future."

It was clear that Senior Uncle Wen had already decided that Qin Sang had no hope of reaching the Foundation Building Realm.

…

The capital of Guyuan was called Ze City.

Suddenly returning from the secluded world of the immortal cultivation sect to the mundane world, Qin Sang couldn’t help but feel a sense of disorientation and nostalgia as he observed the bustling crowds on the streets and the familiar aura of the mortal world. It dawned on him that it had already been ten years since he had left the Great Sui.

Daoist Master Jixin, Ming Yue, Dongyang Lady, Bai Jianglan, Wu Chuanzong, the Water Monkey…

One familiar face after another flashed through his mind. For mortals, ten years was enough to turn children into teenagers and cause strong middle-aged men to go gray at the temples.

Will I ever have the chance to meet them again in this lifetime?

Qin Sang quickly collected his scattered thoughts, his gaze regaining its resolve. He stepped into the crowded street, found a steamed bun shop, and devoured several trays of pork buns before making his way toward the eastern part of Ze City.

Outside the eastern part of Ze City, on Xianglong Mountain, there was a small Daoist temple called the Huilong Temple. Only a master and his disciple resided there, and it couldn’t be compared to the bustling temples filled with worshippers. Aside from the nearby villagers, few people knew of its existence.

As Qin Sang walked along the mountain path of Xianglong Mountain, memories of his time at Qingyang Temple surfaced. Though these memories were somewhat plain, they were deeply etched in his heart, likely because they represented the most peaceful and serene period since his arrival in this world—something he now held precious.

The temple had no visitors at the moment. Since this was the immortal residence of his senior brother from the same sect, Qin Sang followed proper etiquette and gently knocked on the door.

Before long, the door creaked open, and a fair-faced young man peeked out.

Qin Sang could tell at a glance that the young man was also an immortal cultivator, though his cultivation level was only at the seventh stage of the Qi Refining Realm. "You must be Senior Brother Gu’s disciple, Gu Yuan? My name is Qin Sang. The sect received Senior Brother Gu’s letter and sent me here."

Upon hearing this, the young man immediately swung the door open wide and respectfully saluted. "Greetings, Senior Uncle Qin. My master is currently in seclusion, burning incense and meditating in his quiet chamber. Please, Senior Uncle, allow me to take you to the guest room for tea while I inform my master."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Qin Sang had no objections and sat in the guest room for a brief moment. Soon after, he heard hurried footsteps and quickly stood up. An old Daoist with white hair rushed in, and when he saw Qin Sang, his eyes lit up.

"You must be Junior Brother Qin, yes?"

"Senior Brother Gu, I am Qin Sang."

Qin Sang cupped his hands in greeting, while discreetly observing his Senior Brother Gu Tiannan. According to the jade slip, Gu Tiannan was already over a hundred years old. His hair was silver, and his complexion was so pale it was almost alarming.

For some reason, Qin Sang felt a sense of discomfort upon seeing his senior brother’s face.

Am I afraid that I might end up like this in the future?

Qin Sang inwardly mocked himself.

"Please sit, Junior Brother Qin." Gu Tiannan warmly took Qin Sang by the arm and guided him to a seat. "For someone so young, your cultivation is already so high. Your future prospects are boundless!"

Qin Sang, however, was in a hurry to return to the sect to report back and wasn’t in the mood for small talk. He got straight to the point. "Senior Brother Gu, where is the demon currently hiding? When do you plan to make a move?"

Stroking his long beard, Gu Tiannan replied, "I’m truly sorry to trouble you, Junior Brother Qin, to come all this way. I had no choice but to ask for your help as the demon is quite powerful. Now that I have your assistance, we’ll certainly be able to bring the demon to justice!"