Gateway of Immortality

The cave dwelling was compact but arranged with warmth and comfort, resembling the bedroom of a wealthy young lady in the mortal world. Even the furniture and decorations were identical to those of humans.

In the deepest part of the cave dwelling, there was a small, jade-built pool. Above it, spiritual mist gathered, and below, there was a tiny spring, with the jade pool already half-filled with water.

It was like a clear spring—this was a sign that the spiritual eye was about to transform into a spring.

The quality of this spiritual eye exceeded Qin Sang's expectations. Even at Shaohua Mountain, there weren’t many cave dwellings that could rival this one; it was undoubtedly a superior cave dwelling.

Qin Sang nodded silently to himself. With this cave dwelling, his cultivation speed could increase by ten percent. Although this might seem like a small boost, over time, it could make a significant difference, perhaps even being the key to breaking through to the Foundation Building Realm.

Satisfied that it was indeed a spiritual eye, Qin Sang tossed the jade slip containing the Spirit Evasion Art to the white cat.

After reading it, the white cat sat in silence for a while before suddenly waving her front paw, sending out several strands of spiritual power, which formed into mysterious symbols in the air.

Swoosh!

The symbols merged into her body.

The Spirit Evasion Art proved effective, and the white cat was overjoyed. She stood up, cupped her paws in thanks to Qin Sang, and said, “Thank you, Mr. Qin, for giving me this art. I will now give you the method to activate the cave dwelling’s array.”

With that, the white cat took out a jade slip and handed it to Qin Sang with both paws. She then took a lingering look at her cave dwelling, carefully packed up all her belongings as keepsakes, and immediately bid farewell to Qin Sang.

To Qin Sang’s surprise, the white cat left so decisively. He escorted her out of the cave dwelling.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The sun was setting, casting a haze over the clouds.

Qin Sang watched as the white cat stepped across the water, her petite figure disappearing into the marshlands, and he silently wished, "May you safely reach Heavenly Demon Hill and achieve your goals."

After returning to the cave dwelling, Qin Sang began thinking about how to arrange his new home.

He didn’t care about luxuries—he just needed a place to live.

The cave dwelling was the perfect size for now, with just enough space for his Waterheart Bamboo meditation mat and a few essential items. There was no need to expand further.

The only issue was that the cave dwelling’s defensive array wasn’t very strong. The bamboo demon’s array only sealed the spiritual qi of the spiritual eye, preventing it from leaking, and it could only conceal the cave when the array was fully activated.

Qin Sang circled the cave dwelling several times, then flew out to survey the island. After thoroughly inspecting the environment within a hundred-li radius, he found that the spiritual energy around the island was extremely sparse. The nearby islands were similarly desolate, overgrown with weeds and devoid of any signs of spiritual energy.

Even if a cultivator flew overhead, they wouldn’t suspect that such a barren place held a spiritual eye. They wouldn’t even bother to take a second glance.

Combined with the array’s concealment, the cave dwelling would be hard to discover unless a powerful cultivator scanned the area with their spiritual consciousness.

In the end, Qin Sang decided that when the opportunity arose, he would set up a stronger protective array around the cave dwelling. This place was, after all, deep within the Yuncang Marshlands, where many unpredictable elements mingled. It was no longer under Shaohua Mountain’s jurisdiction, and unexpected events could occur.

Using the Blood Saber, Qin Sang tidied up the cave dwelling and cleaned it thoroughly. This place would likely be his home for a long time, so he placed his familiar belongings around. As he looked around, an inexplicable warmth filled him, and he felt a sense of home for the first time.

After finishing, Qin Sang woke up the unconscious Gu Yuan. Gu Yuan wasn’t that tough—after a bit of intimidation from Qin Sang, he obediently answered all his questions. Once Qin Sang got the information he wanted, he gave Gu Yuan a swift end, then sat cross-legged on his meditation mat, flipping through the jade slip in his hand, lost in thought.

Combining the contents of the jade slip with Gu Yuan’s confession, Qin Sang gained a clear understanding of the Secret Technique of Corpse Core.

The Secret Technique of Corpse Core is divided into two parts. The first part is the method for refining the corpse core, also known as the Blood Heart Pill. The second part describes how to refine and absorb the Blood Heart Pill to nourish one’s body.

The process begins by having someone cultivate the first part of the art, requiring them to devour mortals, producing corpse qi in the process. Under the influence of this corpse qi, their body and primordial spirit undergo mutations.

This evil art used the person’s body as a furnace and the corpse qi as the fire, refining that person along with the essence of the souls and blood sacrifices they had consumed into a Blood Heart Pill.

Even if a cultivator of this evil art started with good intentions and resisted the temptation to harm innocent mortals, they would eventually have their mind eroded by the art, driven mad by uncontrollable desires.

Once madness set in, their instincts would compel them to devour flesh and souls, rendering them completely uncontrollable.

If it weren’t for the cat demon watching over Hei Kid, his willpower wouldn’t have been enough to resist, and the mortals in the cave would have already become his meal.

For those that had cultivated the Secret Technique of Corpse Core, consuming a Blood Heart Pill strengthened their blood qi, enhancing their physical body to increase their strength and extend their lifespan.

However, consuming the Blood Heart Pill came with a cost. Once a cultivator started, they could not stop; they must continuously consume more Blood Heart Pills.

Moreover, remnants of corpse qi remained in the pills. While the body became stronger, the accumulation of this qi would cause irreversible changes to the body, eliminating any chance of breaking through to higher cultivation realms.

If they lacked a steady supply of Blood Heart Pills or failed to suppress the corpse qi within them, they would immediately transform into a monster, losing their mind, just like Gu Tiannan did in the end.

The master and disciple only realized they were dependent on the Blood Heart Pills after starting to practice the Secret Technique of Corpse Core. They sunk deeper and deeper into it and devised a poisonous plot to avoid being discovered by Shaohua Mountain.

They didn’t just plague the Guyuan Kingdom but had harmed other kingdoms as well. However, they acted carefully, kept a low profile, and always withdrew when they had enough. Moreover, they had the backing of Shaohua Mountain, with the identities of disciples from one of the righteous sects, which kept suspicions at bay.

Now that Qin Sang understood the secrets of the Secret Technique of Corpse Core, he completely abandoned any thought of practicing it.

The Jade Buddha could only protect his primordial spirit, preventing his mind from being affected, but it could not stop the corpse qi from eroding his body, unless he could find another Jade Buddha to protect his physical form. The consequences of being unable to break through to the Foundation Building Realm were unacceptable.

Tossing the Secret Technique of Corpse Core aside, Qin Sang casually began practicing the Spirit Evasion Art.

This art concealed one’s aura but didn’t truly hide their cultivation. If the opponent’s cultivation was too far above his, they could still see through it. Although it wasn’t very useful now, it might prove helpful in the future.

Sitting on his Waterheart Bamboo meditation mat, he operated his cultivation art for a while, and indeed, his cultivation speed was a bit faster than before.

Qin Sang couldn’t help but smile. After sorting through the belongings of the master and disciple, he thought about how to report the matter to Senior Uncle Wen, then sealed the cave dwelling and left, carrying Gu Yuan’s corpse back to Shaohua Mountain.

On the way, he made up his mind: after reporting back to the mountain, he would go to Treasure Tower Peak to investigate the effects and value of the mysterious orchid. Then, he would resign from his duties at the Sunken Cave and return to his cave dwelling to cultivate in seclusion.