Gateway of Immortality

"Are you certain it’s an abandoned cave dwelling?"

Qin Sang asked in a low voice, unwilling to unknowingly provoke a formidable enemy. He’d rather put in the effort himself to help them find a suitable cave dwelling.

Le Xing nodded repeatedly. "I'm certain; the owner of the cave dwelling has been dead for a long time… Do you, senior, remember a case from several hundred years ago in the Yuncang Marshlands?"

Qin Sang, naturally unfamiliar with such a case, shook his head and replied, "Go on, tell me about it."

"It's said that deep within the Yuncang Marshlands, an immortal abode surfaced, triggering a bloody incident. A female cultivator acquired a valuable treasure within the immortal residence and was ambushed and killed..."

As Le Xing recounted the story, Qin Sang gradually gained some understanding of the so-called case. However, due to its age and Le Xing's limited cultivation and background, she could find only sparse and ambiguous information.

The Yuncang Marshlands, with their vast and sprawling waters, had been explored by countless immortal cultivators over the ages. But hidden in its depths lay many undiscovered secret realms and ancient residences. Many cultivators endlessly searched the Yuncang Marshlands, hoping to obtain ancient inheritances or lost treasures to defy fate and change their lives.

The Yuncang Marshlands were vast and sparsely populated. Generally, even if a secret realm emerged, it would hardly make a splash. Those lucky enough to enter would seize their treasure and retreat into seclusion, never revealing their discovery.

But this immortal residence was different. When it surfaced, waves of celestial music and strange phenomena filled the skies, with rainbows arcing across the horizon and celestial mist obscuring the sun. The spectacle was visible even far from the immortal residence.

With such strange phenomena, it was certain that a rare treasure had appeared. The cultivators within the Yuncang Marshlands at the time were thrilled and rushed to the location.

Although the immortal residence lay deep within the marshlands, the phenomena continued for an entire day before it opened. By then, a large group of cultivators had already gathered outside, and they entered together.

The bloody incident took place within the immortal residence. It’s said that the female cultivator obtained a valuable treasure there, but she carelessly leaked information about it and was besieged and killed by others who had entered the residence, including two Golden Core masters from the Yuanshen Sect.

Hearing this, Qin Sang wasn’t surprised at all. The allure of valuable treasures often led to killings in the world of immortal cultivation.

However, what caused a sensation wasn’t the murder of the female cultivator, but rather her partner—an incredibly powerful figure who appeared after her death to seek revenge.

At that time, this person, with only a single sword, slaughtered every cultivator who had entered the immortal residence, turning the Yuncang Marshlands into a river of blood and filling people with terror. He even broke into the Yuanshen Sect, cutting down the two Golden Core masters before disappearing without a trace, leaving behind the title of the "Sword Devil."

Upon hearing this, Qin Sang's first reaction was disbelief.

The Yuanshen Sect, like Shaohua Mountain, had its sect grounds within the Yuncang Marshlands, positioned to the west, opposite Shaohua Mountain to the east. The Yuanshen Sect’s grounds were even more remote, bordering the territory of the Heavenly Demon Hill in the western regions.

As one of the Eight Major Sects of the righteous path, the Yuanshen Sect was protected by a Spiritual Realm elder. Would they really sit back and allow their Golden Core masters to be killed?

Moreover, the Yuanshen Sect excelled in the way of arrays. When the founding grandmaster of the Yuanzhao Sect established its protective array, he had invited the Spiritual Realm elder from the Yuanshen Sect to assist. The protective array of the Yuanshen Sect must be even more formidable, and even a Spiritual Realm cultivator might struggle to emerge unscathed.

Not only did the Sword Devil manage to kill two Golden Core masters, but he also retreated unscathed from the Yuanshen Sect. What kind of cultivation did he possess?

With these doubts in mind, Qin Sang turned to Granny Jing for confirmation, only for Granny Jing to glance at him and say, "It is true. Daoist Qin can verify it at the Tianhen House archives. From what this old woman knows, the Sword Devil also had strong ties to Shaohua Mountain. He was very likely someone known as Qingzhu."

Senior Qingzhu!

Qin Sang was utterly stunned, suddenly recalling that when he first joined the sect, Zhuang Yan had mentioned Sword Pass and the legend of Senior Qingzhu—who, in a fit of rage for a beloved, had split open the front mountain with a single strike, breaking through the array and leaving behind Sword Pass.

To this day, Shaohua Mountain disciples, looking at the sea of peach blossoms, still admired the splendor of Senior Qingzhu.

After Qin Sang decided to cultivate the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, he had considered learning from Senior Qingzhu's training methods. However, the records regarding Senior Qingzhu at Treasure Tower Peak were minimal, only noting that he reached the Golden Core Realm in forty years.

Even Senior Brother Wen’s knowledge of Senior Qingzhu was superficial.

Qin Sang, with the protection of the Jade Buddha, was destined to take a different path from Senior Qingzhu, so he didn’t dwell further on it.

He suddenly realized there was likely more to the story. If Qingzhu had indeed slain two Golden Core masters of the Yuanshen Sect, even though he had already renounced Shaohua Mountain, it would have had a significant impact on the relationship between the two major sects.

No wonder Shaohua Mountain deliberately erased any traces of Senior Qingzhu.

However, if Senior Qingzhu could kill Golden Core masters, could it mean he had switched to a different cultivation art? The fragmented Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment technique only allowed one to reach the early Golden Core stage.

Surprised, Qin Sang pondered briefly and then asked the Le Sisters, "The owner of the cave dwelling you discovered… did he also die at the hands of the Sword Devil?"

"Exactly. The cave’s owner, who went by the Dharma name Sage Cangli, was in the Foundation Building Realm and was a somewhat well-known rogue cultivator of the time. He had also entered the immortal residence. Though no one saw him being slain by the Sword Devil, Sage Cangli disappeared without a trace afterward, and no one ever saw him again. Eventually, people discovered that everyone who entered the immortal residence, even if not slain publicly, was later found dead, all at the hands of the Sword Devil—including Sage Cangli. By a stroke of luck, we discovered this cave dwelling and, after extensive investigation, confirmed it belonged to Sage Cangli. Unfortunately, the barriers around the cave dwelling were too strong for us to break through, so we had no choice but to seek Senior Qin’s help."

Le Xing looked at Qin Sang with anticipation. "As long as Senior Qin agrees, we’ll leave this root here with Granny Jing, and once the cave dwelling’s barriers are broken, the root will be yours."

Qin Sang remained noncommittal and, after some thought, said, "Since you two discovered the cave dwelling, you must have already tried to break in. What kind of barrier is it? How powerful? Can you give me some details?"

"Of course."

Seeing Qin Sang’s interest, Le Xing replied with a hint of excitement, "Sage Cangli’s cave dwelling is very well-hidden, located in the depths of the water. If not for an accidental discovery, we wouldn’t have found it. His cave dwelling is built on an underwater hill and is surrounded by a water-based barrier. This barrier is not only extremely sturdy but also has a fierce counterattack mechanism, which only Foundation Building cultivators can withstand. We’ve made several attempts but were unsuccessful, losing two defensive artifacts in the process and nearly losing our lives to the barrier. However, we did gain some insights. From our observations, it appears that Sage Cangli’s cave dwelling only has this single-layer protective barrier. Once it’s broken, there shouldn’t be any additional dangers inside."

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