Gateway of Immortality

Chapter 163: Heavenly Corpse Sect

Although Liu Jiang had a psychic sense, due to the winding stone path, it was difficult to pinpoint the exact direction. The two of them could only proceed downwards, ensuring they didn’t deviate from the main path.

After walking through the twisting corridors for some time, they entered a stone passage, and soon after, the sound of a battle echoed from the end of the path.

Amidst the strange growls and roars of malevolent corpses, there were faintly discernible human shouts that sounded somewhat familiar.

Upon hearing the commotion ahead, the two exchanged a glance and immediately quickened their pace. Having been inside the cave for so long, they had only encountered corpse refinement, not a single living being. The ones fighting the malevolent corpses could only be their companions.

If Qin Sang had been alone, he would have hidden himself and quietly scouted the situation, unafraid of being discovered. However, with Liu Jiang by his side, he abandoned the idea and instead focused on rushing forward with his movement art, unsure of who was battling the malevolent corpses ahead.

"Who’s there?!"

Before they reached the end of the stone path, a loud shout came from the front, signaling that someone had noticed their presence.

Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly as he recognized the voice—Hermit Baiyun!

"Senior Baiyun!"

Liu Jiang’s face lit up with joy, and he quickened his pace. In the blink of an eye, they emerged from the stone path and found themselves in front of another grand hall, similar to the one Qin Sang had seen before. The heavy black iron doors were tightly shut, and the hall was in chaos. Scattered around were more than a dozen zombies that had been cut in half, while two individuals were engaged in battle with malevolent corpses.

One of them was indeed Hermit Baiyun, while the other was Wu Yuesheng.

"Daoist Baiyun, Senior Brother Wu…"

Upon seeing Wu Yuesheng, Qin Sang's pupils contracted, but his face remained calm as he greeted them, while secretly observing the situation in the hall.

These two malevolent corpses were incredibly powerful, even stronger than the one he and Liu Jiang had encountered earlier. It was clear that both Hermit Baiyun and Wu Yuesheng were expending considerable effort to deal with them.

Yet, instead of working together, they were fighting separately—one on the left, the other on the right, with a large gap between them.

Seeing that the newcomers were Liu Jiang and Qin Sang, the vigilance on Hermit Baiyun’s face eased slightly. "Liu Jiang, Daoist Qin, so you two ended up meeting."

Liu Jiang turned to glance at Qin Sang and quickly said, "I was only able to escape the malevolent corpse’s clutches thanks to Senior Qin’s help. Otherwise, I would have already perished at the hands of that creature."

"Thank you, Daoist Qin, for looking after Liu Jiang." Hermit Baiyun nodded kindly toward Qin Sang, his expression softening.

Wu Yuesheng suddenly shouted, "Fellow friends, now is not the time for conversation! Let’s deal with these two malevolent corpses first. Junior Brother Qin, quickly come and assist me!" ?á???Ê?

Liu Jiang immediately summoned his iron lotus to help Hermit Baiyun attack the malevolent corpse. Qin Sang, without revealing his true thoughts, quietly moved to the other side of the hall. He activated the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword and coordinated with Wu Yuesheng to fend off the enemy, though he held back some strength as a precaution.

Wu Yuesheng acted as if nothing had happened, and Qin Sang didn’t intend to expose him openly either.

The reason Qin Sang hadn’t unmasked Wu Yuesheng was because, at the time, Wu Yuesheng had only been lurking in the shadows without launching an attack. Words alone were insufficient proof. Moreover, if he were to confront Wu Yuesheng directly, it was uncertain which side Hermit Baiyun would take. There was a greater likelihood that Hermit Baiyun would stand by and watch, waiting to reap the benefits from the conflict.

Since Qin Sang was now aware of Wu Yuesheng’s ulterior motives, he remained on guard. He wasn’t truly afraid of him.

With Qin Sang and Liu Jiang joining the fray, the two malevolent corpses could no longer maintain their dominance. One after the other, they were slain and reduced to piles of ash.

Phew!

Wu Yuesheng let out a breath of relief, walked over, and cupped his hands in thanks to the three of them. "I’m fortunate that you all arrived in time. Originally, there was only one malevolent corpse in the hall, but another suddenly appeared from who knows where. I almost met my end here."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qin Sang learned that Hermit Baiyun and Wu Yuesheng had only recently encountered each other and hadn’t had time to catch up, pressured by the malevolent corpses. In such an unknown and dangerous place, meeting up with companions was always a good thing. Upon hearing that Liu Jiang could sense the locations of Liu Shan and Qingting, everyone immediately agreed to follow Qin Sang’s plan to go meet them.

While working to break the barrier on the heavy black iron doors, Hermit Baiyun looked at the three of them and pondered aloud. "Fellow friends, on your way here, did you discover anything? Have you figured out where this place might be?"

Liu Jiang gave a bitter smile. "I was too busy trying to save my life to look at anything else. Senior Baiyun, did you notice something?"

"The treasures in the cave have clearly been plundered, leaving only skeletons and refined corpses. Like Daoist Liu, I found nothing. I can only speculate that this was once the stronghold of a demonic sect that specialized in corpse refinement."

Qin Sang echoed the sentiment with a brief comment, then turned casually to ask Wu Yuesheng.

"What about you, Senior Brother Wu?"

Wu Yuesheng gave an awkward laugh, hesitating before saying, "I did make a small discovery, but it’s unrelated. It’s only because I was bold enough to stop multiple times or even double back while escaping that I noticed something—the speed at which the Earth Malevolent Qi spreads has slowed down considerably. Based on my guess, the Earth Malevolent Qi in this underground cave wasn’t originally this concentrated. It had likely been sealed by a barrier for countless years, accumulating over time. When it was finally released, it caused such a terrifying spectacle. Now, most of the Earth Malevolent Qi has already rushed out of the cave, and soon it will dissipate completely. Only a small portion of it has seeped into the cave. If we wait patiently, the danger will resolve on its own. Moreover, as the Earth Malevolent Qi loses momentum, the speed at which it breaks through barriers will also slow down. We don’t necessarily need to rush forward. We can take our time, exploring as we go, and try to uncover exactly where this place is. That way, this trip won’t be in vain."

Qin Sang nodded secretly. Wu Yuesheng’s words matched his earlier suspicions, though he hadn’t gone back to investigate and verify, as he feared being consumed by the Earth Malevolent Qi, a fate that would spell certain death.

Hermit Baiyun also nodded slightly. "Daoist Wu makes a good point. I had a similar thought but didn’t have Daoist Wu’s courage to go back and confirm it. However, I did find something… While the treasures on the bodies have indeed been looted, and the stone chambers were empty, nothing is ever flawless. In the corner of one stone room, I found an iron token. The token bears the words 'Heavenly Corpse Sect.' I wonder if any of you have heard of this demonic sect?"

As he spoke, Hermit Baiyun retrieved a black iron token from his Mustard Seed Pouch and showed it to the others.

The token was rusted and clearly ancient, no bigger than a palm. On its front was a depiction of an ancient corpse, identical to the pattern on the heavy iron doors. On the back, three large characters, "Heavenly Corpse Sect," were inscribed in a flowing script.

This token was most likely a waist token representing the identity of a disciple of the Heavenly Corpse Sect.

Qin Sang thought back to the ancient texts and legends he had read. While he remembered a few well-known demonic sects skilled in corpse refinement, none of them were called the Heavenly Corpse Sect. Glancing at Wu Yuesheng and Liu Jiang, both appeared equally puzzled, having clearly never heard of it either.

After thinking for a moment and coming up empty, Wu Yuesheng said hurriedly, "Daoist Baiyun, you seem quite confident. You must have some knowledge of this demonic sect. Don’t keep us in suspense—enlighten us!"