Gateway of Immortality

Chapter 153: Tianduan Mountains

Yu Dayue furrowed his brow slightly but said nothing.

The Liu Brothers and Hermit Baiyun exchanged hushed words before addressing Qingting and Yu Dayue. "Thank you both for your understanding. We are all willing to go. Rest assured, since we have arrived, it would make no sense to leave without a treasure, unless the dangers within are truly unimaginable. Otherwise, we will accompany you to the end."

Wu Yuesheng chuckled. "What Daoist Liu said is indeed correct. However, if it truly is a perilous situation, Senior Sister Qingting and Senior Brother Yu would not willingly sacrifice themselves, would they? Junior Brother Qin, don’t you agree?"

Qin Sang, who had been quietly sitting on the side, raised his head at the mention of his name. He noticed Wu Yuesheng smiling kindly at him, which stirred something in his heart. He nodded, saying, "That’s right. As long as we can break the array, everything will become clear."

With that, everyone agreed to work together to break the array. Yu Dayue's expression brightened. He clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Great! Since everyone has already promised, I won’t need to ask others. I will hand over the Fire Crow Token to you. Refining the Fire Crow Token requires ten days. After that, we will meet here on this island. Fellow Daoists, do not go back on your word."

They knew very little about the ancient cultivator's relic and had nothing much to discuss, so they decided to adapt once they broke the array. Each person received a Fire Crow Token and then bid farewell, leaving.

As he flew toward the cave dwelling, Qin Sang took out the Fire Crow Token he had received. This token looked somewhat different from Yu Dayue's; the flames were not dark green but rather a bright pink, indicating a difference in the essence of the Fire Crow.

"It might be due to the different spirit bird bones used," Qin Sang murmured to himself.

He didn’t hesitate long before agreeing to explore the ancient cultivator's relic. This time was different from a year ago; he now had support.

First, after realizing the true power of the Profound Yin Thunderbolts, he felt more confident. Moreover, the conditions offered by Senior Sister Qingting were quite generous. If it truly turned dangerous, they could always retreat.

Second, he had successfully broken through to the second stage of Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment and had mastered the accompanying supernatural abilities.

The fusion of man and sword, rendering movement shadowy and elusive.

Qin Sang initially believed it was a technique for evading and hiding using the sword, but upon mastering it, he realized the phrase referred not to the sword practitioner but to the spiritual sword itself.

By utilizing the symbol on the ebony sword, he found that he could control the spiritual sword silently with his spiritual consciousness. Due to the exceptionally pure material of the ebony sword, he could transform it into a pure wooden spiritual sword, concealing its shape and making it difficult for opponents to detect. In the moment of closing in on an enemy, he could unleash a powerful sword qi and killing intent, striking down his foes in an instant, turning the spiritual sword into a lethal weapon, a Sword of Slaughter with endless applications.

With his foundation compromised, Qin Sang dreaded a direct confrontation. Making the spiritual sword invisible allowed him to gain the upper hand. If he could take out an enemy before they realized it, it suited him perfectly.

Once back in the cave dwelling, Qin Sang immediately sealed the entrance, focusing on refining the Fire Crow Token. The essence within the token was no ordinary matter, and taming it would require considerable effort—ten days felt rather tight.

…

Ten Days Later.

Occasionally, a streak of evasion light descended upon the small island.

By the time Qin Sang arrived, most of the people had already gathered. After a short wait, a notably young man flew in on his sword. His appearance was cold and his expression somewhat aloof, giving Qin Sang the impression that he was somewhat similar to Chu Wenjian, as if he were a pure sword cultivator.

"This is Junior Brother Li Zai," Qingting introduced him to everyone one by one.

At this point, the eight individuals who had come together were all present, and even the Liu Brothers had successfully tamed the essence of the Fire Crow.

Yu Dayue snapped his fingers, conjuring a misty cloud that floated above them. He surveyed the crowd and said, "This cloud is my flying artifact. Since you all have agreed to follow the arrangements of me and Senior Sister Qingting, I will activate the barrier of the artifact during the flight. You will not be able to see the outside, nor should you use your spiritual consciousness to probe. Once we reach the ancient cultivator's relic, I will release you all."

The group hesitated upon hearing this, but since they had already committed, it was not appropriate to back out. They also understood that this was a precaution taken by Qingting and Yu Dayue, so they agreed and entered the white cloud artifact under Qingting’s guidance, finding their seats.

The white cloud artifact trembled gently, and the cloud vapor unexpectedly vanished into thin air before soaring high into the sky, speeding away.

The speed of the white cloud artifact was not particularly fast, with Qingting and Yu Dayue alternating in its control.

Qin Sang glanced around, surrounded by thick clouds that obscured the outside scenery. He couldn’t probe with his spiritual consciousness either, so he decided to make the best of the situation and use the opportunity to cultivate.

They flew for a full two months.

Suddenly, the artifact, which had been flying steadily, shook slightly before its speed dropped sharply. The cultivators inside the artifact sensed the change and woke from their meditative states, looking toward the two in front.

Qingting turned back, nodding. "We are almost at the ancient cultivator's relic. This area is not peaceful, so everyone should be on guard."

Before her words could settle, the artifact plummeted downward. Moments later, the cloud dissipated, and Yu Dayue retrieved the artifact, restoring everyone’s line of sight.

As Qin Sang stepped onto solid ground, he looked around and realized they were not on the small island but at the peak of a mountain. As far as his eyes could see, towering mountains loomed high into the clouds. To the east, even larger mountain silhouettes seemed to rise, resembling an iron curtain.

Between the mountains lay dense primordial forests, filled with the sounds of beast roars and bird calls, with no trace of human existence. It was impossible for mortals to live in such a dangerous jungle.

Despite it being midday, the sunlight was obscured by the mist and miasma within the mountains. The mountain winds howled, biting cold and eerie, making this place feel exceptionally sinister.

What a vast island it must be to have such imposing peaks!

Just as Qin Sang was pondering this, he noticed Hermit Baiyun’s expression was exceptionally grim as he glared at Yu Dayue, questioning sternly, "Didn’t you two say the ancient cultivator's relic was in the Yuncang Marshlands? Why have we come to Tianduan Mountains? Do you think we are so blind that we can’t even distinguish between Tianduan Mountains and Yuncang Marshlands?"

Tianduan Mountains!

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly as he thought to himself how desolate this place was.

Tianduan Mountain and Yuncang Marshlands were situated to the east and south, respectively—one was a towering mountain range, while the other was a vast marshland. These two formidable locations marked the boundaries of the Small Cold Domain.

Of course, such natural barriers could not stop immortal cultivators, especially those at the Golden Core Realm and above, who could come and go as they pleased.

However, these two areas were the agreed-upon boundaries between the sects of the Small Cold Domain and those from other realms. The cultivators from both sides could travel freely, but they could not recklessly cross over.

It was said that numerous large-scale battles had erupted in the past.

Whenever forces from other realms invaded the Small Cold Domain, both righteous and demonic cultivators would immediately set aside their old grievances. Even the Heavenly Demon Hill in the far west would not remain uninvolved; the entire immortal cultivation world would unite to fend off external threats and drive out the invaders.

In the most dire situations, there had even been instances where righteous and demonic factions joined forces, with demonic beasts willingly serving human commands, demonstrating unprecedented unity in the Small Cold Domain.