Gateway of Immortality

Snap!

After a fierce struggle, the living corpse was sent flying by the jade ruyi. Qin Sang immediately followed, guiding his sword to pierce through the living corpse’s skull, shattering its primordial spirit and killing it.

Qingting collapsed to the ground, while the talisman astra transformed back into a paper talisman, gently fluttering down. A faint crack appeared along the middle, revealing that much of the talisman's power had already been depleted.

Ignoring the malevolent corpse, Qin Sang moved quickly to Qingting’s side, gently helping her up. Whether her injuries were real or feigned, he could tell the difference.

Pressing his palm to her back, he steadily channeled spiritual power into Qingting’s body, helping her suppress the corpse poison and inspecting her injuries. Qingting offered no resistance, allowing Qin Sang’s spiritual power to flow through her meridians, expelling the surface corpse poison and malevolent qi.

Moments later, Qin Sang withdrew his hand, gazing at Qingting with a complicated expression. He hesitated, but eventually sighed lightly.

Just as Qingting had mentioned, not only was her spiritual power on the brink of depletion, but corpse poison had also invaded her heart meridian. The fact that she had managed to continue using the talisman astra to aid him in fighting the living corpse was already remarkable—there was no way to save her.

Unless they found a cultivator highly skilled in medical arts. But where could they find one now, with Qingting hanging on by a thread?

Qingting gazed steadily at Qin Sang. When she saw his expression, her eyes dimmed, but then she offered a serene smile, her voice barely a whisper, weak and hoarse.

Qingting suddenly coughed violently, as if her chest were being torn apart.

Qin Sang took out a healing pill and gave it to Qingting. Her pallor improved slightly, but it was only temporary. She suddenly raised her hand, pointing to a pile of rubble in the corner of the hall and spoke in a rushed tone, "Junior Brother Qin, there are some broken bones over there. Go see if there are any relics."

Qin Sang raised an eyebrow, inwardly surprised. Even at this point, Qingting was still concerned about relics. But, under her hopeful gaze, he released a wave of spiritual power, forming a large hand that drew the entire pile over.

Sure enough, some broken bones emerged, but no relics were among them.

Qin Sang displayed each piece for Qingting, whose face gradually lost its hopeful look. She let out a bitter laugh, murmuring, "It’s fine. I’m on the brink of death—finding anything now wouldn’t make a difference..."

With that, Qingting suddenly summoned all her remaining strength to sit up, telling Qin Sang with a serious expression, "Junior Brother Qin, the danger here isn’t resolved, and I, being at death’s door, don’t dare waste your time any longer. I hadn’t expected this underground chamber to be so saturated with Earth Malevolent Qi, trapping both you and our fellow cultivators. But rest assured, Junior Brother Qin. If you open the iron gate and move forward, you’ll reach the forbidden grounds of the Heavenly Corpse Sect. Once you arrive, activate the cave dwelling’s barrier to ward off the Earth Malevolent Qi. When it recedes, you’ll be able to leave this place."

Qin Sang glanced at Qingting. "Senior Sister, you knew this place belonged to the Heavenly Corpse Sect?"

Qingting nodded, though she offered no further explanation. Smiling bitterly, she said, "To die here, I must leave my final wishes with you, Junior Brother Qin. I sold off my entire estate to craft the Fire Crow Array and am now left with nothing of value except this talisman astra and the black tiger corpse in the Mustard Seed Pouch. I’ll entrust it all to you, Junior Brother Qin. I only ask you for one last favor."

If it was something simple, Qin Sang had no reason to refuse and replied noncommittally, "Please, Senior Sister, go on."

Qingting then pulled a small black pouch from her inner garment. Qin Sang’s gaze sharpened with a hint of surprise; it was a Corpse Puppet Pouch!

Whether Qingting had recently found it or obtained it elsewhere, she had kept it close at hand—could it contain a corpse puppet?

Qingting opened the pouch, and from within, a crystal coffin floated out, landing softly before them. Inside lay not a corpse puppet but a person.

With a square face, high cheekbones, and a tall, robust figure, he lay motionless within the crystal coffin, exuding a resilient charisma even in stillness.

However, this person was now as lifeless as a corpse—no breath, no trace of blood in his skin.

When he saw the man’s face, Qin Sang suddenly recalled something and asked softly, "Senior Sister, is this Senior Brother Jiang?"

Qingting gave a slight nod, her gaze filled with deep attachment and affection, fixed on that familiar face as though afraid she would never see it again.

Qin Sang remained silent. He remembered hearing gossip among their fellow disciples back when he was still in the Qi Refining Realm: Senior Sister Qingting's partner was a man surnamed Jiang, and the two were very close, deeply devoted to each other. Later, Senior Brother Jiang had encountered a tragic accident while out on a training mission, and it was rumored he had died. Qin Sang had never expected that Senior Sister Qingting had preserved Senior Brother Jiang's body within a crystal coffin all this time.

Wait, no!

When Qin Sang scanned the crystal coffin with his spiritual consciousness, he detected an extremely faint fluctuation of primordial spirit within Senior Brother Jiang’s body, as feeble as a candle flickering in the wind.

He is still alive!

Qingting reached out, pressing her hand against the crystal coffin, opening it. She pulled Senior Brother Jiang tightly into her embrace, grasping his hand, and spoke softly to Qin Sang, "His primordial spirit suffered severe trauma. I tried everything, but nothing could heal him. All I could do was slow the dissipation of his primordial spirit… Death may be a release for us both. I only hope that, once you escape from here, Junior Brother Qin, you could lay us to rest together. United in life, and together in death."

The moment he was removed from the crystal coffin, Senior Brother Jiang’s physical body began to deteriorate rapidly, his primordial spirit flickering away at an alarming rate.

And then, an astonishing thing happened. Senior Brother Jiang’s fingers gave a faint tremble and, though weak, firmly clasped Qingting’s hand in return.

Qingting was overjoyed, flinging herself onto him, sobbing openly.

It was as if years of pent-up anguish and helplessness, sorrow too profound for words, had finally received an answer.

A single tear trickled down from the corner of Senior Brother Jiang’s eye.

The Heavenly Corpse Talisman!

A sudden realization dawned upon Qin Sang—he understood now what Qingting had been searching for.

The Heavenly Corpse Talisman would transform Senior Brother Jiang into a corpse puppet, yet it could fuse with his primordial spirit, sealing it and potentially preventing it from dissipating.

According to the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art, once sealed by the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, the process was irreversible—Senior Brother Jiang would inevitably become a corpse puppet, his primordial spirit would undergo strange transformations, and there would be no hope of restoring it.

But, in the immortal cultivation world, as long as a sliver of hope remained, miracles could happen. The complete dissipation of the primordial spirit was a final, absolute end.

The Jade Buddha would likely resist the power of the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, but Qin Sang wasn’t willing to test it on himself.

Senior Brother Jiang’s primordial spirit fully dissipated, and after venting her emotions, Senior Sister Qingting’s expression showed no fear in the face of impending death. Instead, a strange, faint brightness appeared in her eyes.

She retrieved the Mustard Seed Pouch and talisman astra, handing them over to Qin Sang.

Looking into the Mustard Seed Pouch, Qin Sang saw that, besides the body of the black tiger, it contained only a few items of little value. As he expected, Senior Sister Qingting had exhausted her resources on the Fire Crow Token.

Seeing no use for these things himself, he asked, "Senior Sister Qingting, do you have any family left?"

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