Gateway of Immortality

Sun De's face turned pale with fear as he hurriedly unleashed a beam of multicolored light. Within the light was a fine celestial net, which rapidly spread open just in time to block the yin thunderbolt. However, Qin Sang immediately tossed several pre-prepared talismans. Ice, fire, and earth spikes flew forth in a chaotic barrage, causing the net to tremble violently.

Taking advantage of the weakened light from the net, Qin Sang's ebony sword sliced it cleanly in two.

Caught off guard, Sun De could only dodge to the side as the ebony sword grazed his lower rib, leaving a long, narrow wound.

Sun De screamed in pain again, his face full of panic, and shouted desperately, "Junior Brother Qin, stop! It's a misunderstanding!"

Qin Sang ignored him.

Sun De's behavior was highly suspicious, and although Qin Sang had many doubts, he knew he couldn’t afford to give him a chance to recover. If Sun De managed to summon a powerful artifact, the situation could easily turn against him. He had to strike decisively to incapacitate him.

The ebony sword pressed forward relentlessly, and with Qin Sang continually throwing talismans and yin thunderbolts, Sun De didn’t even have time to retrieve an artifact. Glaring hatefully at Qin Sang, Sun De muttered something under his breath. Moments later, his face twisted in astonishment, as if he had just witnessed something unbelievable.

Qin Sang had no idea what trick Sun De was up to, but he continued to push his sword art to the limit. The ebony sword transformed into streaks of sword light, enveloping Sun De and shattering his Qihai.

In the end, Sun De was forced into the corner of the cave dwelling with nowhere left to escape.

Qin Sang severed Sun De’s limbs, sending his Mustard Seed Pouch flying, but left him alive by a thread.

Sun De lay motionless on the ground, seemingly unconscious. Qin Sang cautiously scanned him with his spiritual consciousness to ensure he couldn’t stir up any more trouble, then retracted his ebony sword.

A blue orb of light suddenly shot out from the top of Sun De’s head like a meteor, heading straight for Qin Sang's forehead.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Qin Sang remained calm. Just as the orb was about to make contact, he silently activated his Heavenly Star Tear, and a protective barrier appeared around his body, deflecting the orb away.

The orb trembled in mid-air, attempting to flee the cave dwelling. But Qin Sang moved swiftly, blocking its path. His palm radiated spiritual power as he reached out, grasping the orb firmly. From within came a cry of pain.

"Junior Brother Qin, spare me! I only came to check on you because you hadn’t emerged from seclusion for a long time. I wasn’t intentionally trying to break into your cave dwelling—it’s all a misunderstanding! For the sake of our brotherhood, I beg you to show mercy!"

Sun De’s voice echoed in Qin Sang’s mind, pleading desperately. But Qin Sang remained unmoved, staring coldly at Sun De’s primordial spirit. He glanced at the destroyed Bewitching Mirror on the ground and said icily, "Senior Brother Sun, if this is truly a misunderstanding, then explain how you destroyed my Bewitching Mirror. And why were you so certain that I would die?"

Initially, Qin Sang had assumed Sun De possessed a powerful artifact that allowed him to break the Bewitching Mirror. But upon confronting him, he realized that wasn’t the case.

How can a top-grade artifact, especially one integrated into an array, be destroyed so easily?

And then there was that odd statement Sun De had made earlier. Breaking through the tenth stage of immortal cultivation posed no danger—why has Sun De assumed I was dead?

Suddenly, Qin Sang had a strong premonition.

"Uhh…"

Sun De hesitated in his reply, prompting a cold snort from Qin Sang, who tightened his grip on the orb once again.

The light orb quivered violently as Sun De let out a painful cry and shouted, "Junior Brother Qin, spare me! It’s because your mirror is crafted using a special barrier and refined with malevolent yin qi. I’ve seen this type of barrier before and know how to break it. That’s why... Junior Brother Qin, please don’t be angry. This kind of artifact won’t last long. Even if I hadn’t destroyed it, it would have eventually collapsed on its own after some time…" řâɴＯВЁS̩

Hearing Sun De’s explanation, Qin Sang kept a firm grip on Sun De’s primordial spirit, his face thoughtful.

If what Sun De said was true and the Bewitching Mirror was indeed a malevolent artifact, then the seventeen artifacts they had obtained from Sect Leader Yi likely shared the same nature, all refined using malevolent yin qi. No wonder each one carried a lingering chill.

The Chi Dragon Sword was like this, as was the Bewitching Mirror. The Falling Cloud Wings were less obvious since their only function was to conceal one's presence.

Qin Sang lowered his gaze to Sun De’s primordial spirit, a strange glint flashing in his eyes. Out of nowhere, he asked, "All the artifact masters in the market couldn’t tell, yet Senior Brother Sun, you seem so knowledgeable. It seems your connection with the Kuiyin Sect is quite deep."

Qin Sang had never heard of so-called malevolent artifacts. He had consulted numerous artifact refiners in the immortal cultivation market, yet none had been able to identify it. But Sun De knew about it so well.

The light orb remained silent.

Qin Sang was inwardly startled. He had been bluffing, but it turned out Sun De truly was connected to the Kuiyin Sect.

After a long silence, Sun De sighed. "Junior Brother Qin, I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but you must swear to spare my life once I’ve told you."

Qin Sang's eyes gleamed as he replied indifferently, "Senior Brother Sun, you don’t seem to be in a position to negotiate. If you refuse to speak, I’ll kill you right now! And don’t think that in the world of immortal cultivation, there are no methods to make you talk. I’d like to see how tough you really are!"

Without waiting for Sun De’s response, Qin Sang’s expression darkened, and he intensified the spiritual power in his palm, tightening his grip on Sun De’s primordial spirit and grinding down on it. Having experienced the pain of his own primordial spirit being tormented before, Qin Sang didn’t believe Sun De could endure it.

As expected, Sun De screamed repeatedly, and the light orb dimmed even further. Finally, a face materialized from the orb, pleading with Qin Sang in a pitiful tone.

"Junior Brother Qin, stop, stop! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything…"

Satisfied that he had taught him a lesson, Qin Sang finally eased up. His eyes gleamed coldly as he stared at Sun De.

Sun De cautiously glanced at Qin Sang. "Junior Brother Qin, you guessed right. My background is indeed related to the Kuiyin Sect. But let me ask you a question first. Have you not used the Yan Luo Banner for cultivation?"

Qin Sang countered, "How did you know I have the Yan Luo Banner?"

He had acquired the Yan Luo Banner when he joined the Kuiyin Sect at the Youshan Market, and even Yue Wu hadn’t noticed it.

"Junior Brother Qin, you haven’t forgotten about the Heart-Devouring Insect in your primordial spirit, have you?"

Sun De chuckled dryly. Seeing the displeased look on Qin Sang’s face, he quickly dropped the pretense. "The Kuiyin Sect's founder found some Heart-Devouring Insect corpses in a thousand-year-old glacier and developed a method to manipulate the corpses as venomous parasites to control others. This isn’t a secret within the Kuiyin Sect.

"As far as I know, there aren’t many Heart-Devouring Insect corpses left; most have been taken by Sect Leader Yi. Recently, he’s been using them to infiltrate Yuanzhao Sect with disciples."

"When I sensed the Heart-Devouring Insect within you on Shaohua Mountain, I guessed you had escaped from Yuanzhao Sect. Sect Leader Yi's trusted confidants wouldn’t betray him, but those chosen from the Yin Malevolent Abyss are untrustworthy and controlled by the Heart-Devouring Insect. Those disciples must carry the Yan Luo Banner."

"I tested you slightly and saw that you had indeed chosen a menial task in the Sunken Cave, so I thought it was foolproof. I never expected you to resist the temptation of the Yan Luo Banner and avoid using a Soul Pill for cultivation. Junior Brother Qin, your willpower is admirable. I must admit, I’ve lost fairly this time."

Hearing this, Qin Sang’s suspicions deepened. "What happens if you use the Yan Luo Banner for cultivation?"

"You become a sacrifice," Sun De answered.