Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 397: Preemptive Measures

Yu Hua’s position within the Kuiyin Sect had been far higher than Qin Sang had ever imagined, and he had been thoroughly acquainted with many of its hidden secrets.

Not only had he mastered the complete secret art of the Heart-Devouring Insect's gu, but he had also been well aware of the movements of the surviving members of the sect.

The surviving Golden Core of the Kuiyin Sect, known by the Dharma name Daoist Jiupao, had been the junior nephew of Yi Tianye and a disciple-grandson of Founder Kuiyin.

With the sect’s members having dwindled, Daoist Jiupao had remained the only living Golden Core among the third-generation disciples.

The other two Golden Core cultivators, belonging respectively to Yi Tianye and his junior brother, had been old immortals whose lifespans were nearly spent.

It had not been long since Daoist Jiupao broke through to the Golden Core Realm; barring any unforeseen complications, he was set to succeed as the sect leader and take charge of the sect once Yi Tianye and his junior brother had perished.

He had once been destined for a great future, yet fate had entangled him with Yi Tianye, thereby dragging him into inevitable complications.

Now, with his physical body shattered and his Golden Core severely damaged, he had been forced to gather the remaining members of the Kuiyin Sect, hide near Qingyang City to eke out a meager existence, and covertly dispatch his minions—disguised as a small sect called "Demonic Flame"—to search for spiritual herbs.

Qin Sang recalled the news he had heard from Yu Hua as a thoughtful expression crossed his face.

It was not that he had intended to unravel the mystery of the Heart-Devouring Insect's gu; rather, he had been contemplating the possibility of using the insect as bait to lure and hunt down the members of the Kuiyin Sect, even targeting Daoist Jiupao himself!

Qin Sang had never forgotten his talent—five spiritual roots.

For cultivators with these five spiritual roots, merely reaching the Foundation Building Realm was a stroke of luck, and forming a Golden Core was utterly beyond reach.

Yet, Qin Sang was dissatisfied. He was unwilling to be confined to such limitations.

Among cultivators in the Fake Core Realm, fewer than one in ten formed a Golden Core, and merely reaching that realm marked one as among the elite immortal cultivators—each with innate talents that far exceeded his own, which underscored the arduous nature of the path of immortality.

Senior brother Qi Yuanshou, whose innate talent ranked among the best at Shaohua Mountain, already attained Fake Core Realm cultivation when Qin Sang first arrived at the Ancient Immortal Battlefield; yet, he failed to make any progress, remaining unable to form a Golden Core.

Every immortal cultivator struggled, and even those with the Heavenly Spiritual Root, who could easily pass the Foundation and form a Golden Core, found themselves trapped at the Spiritual Infant Realm.

Fairy Chenyan, once celebrated as a favored child of the Heavenly Dao because of her Heavenly Spiritual Root, eventually was forced to resort to demonic energy extraction to break through.

Upon returning to his sect, Qin Sang did not hear any news that Fairy Chenyan successfully reached the Spiritual Infant Realm. It was presumed that she stayed in seclusion; even though she embraced the demonic path, her prospects of reaching the Spiritual Infant Realm remained bleak.

If any mishap occurred during her seclusion, it was not uncommon for a cultivator to perish and see their Dao vanish altogether.

Even after reaching the Spiritual Infant Realm, the arduous barrier of the Divine Transformation Realm still loomed ahead.

Within the Small Cold Domain, at least there were still a few Spiritual Infant Realm cultivators existing, but it had been ages since anyone reached the Divine Transformation Realm.

Unless absolutely necessary, Qin Sang refused to venture down this treacherous, uncharted path.

Nevertheless, he resolved to make preemptive preparations so that he would not regret it bitterly if the time to act ever arrived.

The presence of the Jade Buddha ensured that Qin Sang did not need to worry about the most terrifying pitfalls of this secret art—an advantage that Wu Shang and others lacked, making his greatest reliance.

The secret art of condensing Earth Malevolent Qi and refining Celestial Gale Qi to form a Golden Core, devised by Wu Shang, required two indispensable items, each extremely difficult to obtain.

One of these was the Celestial Gale Qi, nurtured in the lofty skies, deep within the gales—a realm that even Spiritual Infant cultivators could not breach.

To obtain the Celestial Gale Qi, one had to seek out the Celestial Gale Essence, which fell from the heavens, persisted in the world, and eventually evolved.

The Celestial Gale Essence was exceedingly rare—more elusive than the Earth Malevolent Yin Vein.

At that time, Qin Sang only knew that the Demonic Qingyang Sect housed the Qingyang Gale Essence; yet, as the Qingyang Gale Essence was integral to the sect’s very foundation—the Demonic Qingyang Fire—it was clearly impossible for him to enter and seize it at will.

The second requirement was a fresh Golden Core or a demonic core from the early stage of either the Core Formation Realm or the Demonic Core Realm, meaning it had to be extracted within the past ten years, with a shorter storage duration being far preferable.

In the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art, which was used to refine flying yaksha, a Golden Core or demonic core was also required; however, the only demand was that it remained intact.

However, the secret art of condensing Earth Malevolent Qi and refining Celestial Gale Qi devised by Wu Shang was different.

It stipulated that at the very moment when the pill was absorbed and the practitioner advanced to the flying yaksha stage, both the Earth Malevolent Qi and the Celestial Gale Qi had to be refined into the body simultaneously. Only then would the incoming Earth Malevolent Qi be immediately counteracted by the Celestial Gale Qi, thereby preventing the corpse core from being completely corrupted by the Earth Malevolent QI and sparing both the flesh and the primordial spirit from devastation.

Although Qin Sang did not fear the assault on his primordial spirit, he was determined to prevent his flesh from being ruined by the Earth Malevolent Qi, which would render him a mere refined corpse—a fate that would be utterly hopeless.

Therefore, if it ever came to that, it was imperative to adhere strictly to Wu Shang’s stipulations, for doing so would make subsequent recovery much easier.

When the Celestial Gale Qi and Earth Malevolent Qi entered the body at the same time, they would inevitably collide with each other and inflict a tremendous shock upon the Golden Core or demonic core.

A Golden Core or demonic core that had been stored for too long was sealed by a barrier. Although its power did not wane, it turned into a lifeless object that could not withstand any shock.

The secret art that governed the formation of the core was extremely delicate; even the smallest difference caused immeasurable consequences. The result was the destruction of the core and the death of the practitioner!

Golden Cores and demonic cores could be used in medicine or refined into artifacts, and they had proven to be extraordinarily versatile and extremely valuable.

If Qin Sang relied on his own strength and resources and spent everything to purchase a Golden Core or demonic core, there might be a glimmer of possibility. However, the demands of the secret art were too harsh, and he had to seek another solution.

After he learned of Daoist Jiupao’s condition, Qin Sang fixed his gaze on him.

Qin Sang would not dare to provoke a Core Formation cultivator no matter how much courage he had. Yet if one suffered severe injuries and had his physical body shattered, that was a different matter.

Qin Sang had suffered so miserably at the hands of the Kuiyin Sect that, aside from Tan Hao, Shi Hong, and a few others, he harbored no goodwill for anyone in the sect. Killing and seizing a core troubled him not in the slightest.

Of course, if he truly intended to act, he would wait until he had broken through to the Fake Core Realm and he had refined Yu Hua into a flying yaksha before planning his move.

Even if he did not plan to exterminate Daoist Jiupao, he still had to refine a flying yaksha. freewebnøvel.com

Once he possessed a flying yaksha, Qin Sang would easily dominate Foundation Building cultivators, and whatever he did would become much simpler.

With the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions and a flying yaksha at his disposal, Qin Sang would have two means to counter Core Formation cultivators.

Before his breakthrough of the Fake Core Realm, if he could find additional means, it was not impossible.

He only hoped that Daoist Jiupao’s wounds would not heal too quickly. For some unknown reason, Daoist Jiupao did not dare to show himself and only dispatched his minions to search for medicine.

Judging from Yu Hua’s tone, these people possessed complicated identities, including disciples of Yi Tianye and another Golden Core cultivator.

They were all cunning and shrewd, with lofty ambitions, and due to their inferior cultivation and the pressure of being hunted by the Yuanzhao Sect, they had temporarily submitted themselves to Daoist Jiupao’s command.

Feigning obedience while secretly defying was entirely normal. Whether they would truly carry out Daoist’s orders without fail remained a huge question.

I might also be able to do something. Qin Sang’s eyes flickered.

If he could eliminate Daoist Jiupao’s direct followers, perhaps he could delay Daoist Jiupao’s recovery. With that in mind, Qin Sang inquired in detail from Yu Hua about the identities of those remnants of the Kuiyin Sect.

This was only a rough plan; the specific, delicate actions had to be meticulously planned, and he could not allow the members of the Kuiyin Sect or Daoist Jiupao to detect his presence.