Gateway of Immortality

After bidding farewell to Senior Brother Gong, Qin Sang made his way to the Spirit Beast Hall. Within the hall, many domesticated demonic beasts were kept, each with its own unique utility, serving as excellent tools for immortal cultivators, helping them resolve many issues with ease.

As soon as Qin Sang descended from his light, a Qi Refining Realm disciple approached him. "Greetings, Senior Uncle."

Qin Sang nodded and handed over his waist token, explaining his purpose.

The disciple respectfully returned the waist token with both hands and asked, "Does Senior Uncle Qin wish to establish a cave dwelling on land, or in the Yuncang Marshlands?"

Qin Sang understood that different demonic beasts adapted to different environments, so he replied, "In the Yuncang Marshlands."

The disciple nodded. "If it's the Yuncang Marshlands, I recommend either a Xianling Bird or a Golden-Eyed Snake, both of which are highly sensitive to changes in spiritual qi. Among them, the Golden-Eyed Snake is the best at detecting underwater spirit veins, but it must dive deep into the water and is not adept at water evading techniques. Its strength is only slightly above that of a mortal beast, so unpredictable dangers may arise. When going underwater, please be extra cautious, Senior Uncle."

Taming demonic beasts required considerable resources and effort, and each spirit beast was extremely valuable. Qin Sang naturally agreed, following the disciple as they flew away from Treasure Tower Peak, arriving at the mountain where the spirit beasts were kept. He took with him a Xianling Bird and a Golden-Eyed Serpent.

Although the jade box was sealed with a barrier to lock in spiritual qi, several years had passed since the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid was picked, and it had begun to show signs of withering.

To replant it, it would need to absorb sufficient spiritual power to regain its vitality.

Once its life force was completely exhausted, there would be no way to save it. Without the full medicinal properties of the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid, it would be impossible to refine the Du'e Pill, which would be a great pity.

While the white cat's cave dwelling was hidden enough, both the white cat and the bamboo demon knew of its existence. Qin Sang wasn’t comfortable leaving the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid there alone, but unfortunately, the spiritual spring had not fully formed and could not be moved.

Qin Sang planned to borrow two spirit beasts to search for a cave dwelling. If he could find another spiritual spring, that would be ideal. If not, he would have no choice but to plant it temporarily in the white cat's cave.

After acquiring the spirit beasts, Qin Sang flew slowly towards Sword Pass, reflecting along the way to ensure nothing had been overlooked.

Upon returning to his cave dwelling, Qin Sang immediately prepared to enter seclusion for intensive cultivation. The difficulty of cultivating Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment was immense, and it wouldn’t be something he could master in just a year or two. It could take a long time, during which he would have little time for anything else.

The address he left with Sect Leader Yu was Huilong Temple, Gu Tiannan’s residence. He only needed to check in occasionally to see if there was any important news.

As he passed Sword Pass, Qin Sang saw the vast stretches of peach trees on the mountainside and sighed quietly to himself, wondering what his future would hold. Could he follow in Senior Qingzhu's footsteps?

After flying past Sword Pass, Qin Sang activated the Sky Shuttle and headed towards Wenyue Market. To avoid trouble, he used the Spirit Evasion Art to conceal his cultivation level and sought out the same refining shop as before.

The shopkeeper immediately recognized Qin Sang and warmly served him tea. "Daoist Qin, please come in."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Qin Sang sipped his tea, glancing briefly at the Li Residence across the street. Since Song Ying was willing to give up her ancestral residence, he would not interfere further. This time, he had come to ask the shopkeeper to repair the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword.

"Daoist Wu, take a look at this sword—can it still be repaired?"

Qin Sang took out the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword from Gu Tiannan. One of the swords had been damaged during a clash with an ebony sword, leaving cracks all over the blade, rendering it unusable.

The greatest challenge of the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword spell was gathering five compatible spiritual swords from the five elements. As long as the swords were intact, the technique could be cultivated, though it would take some time.

Qin Sang intended to cultivate several spells to defend himself as a Foundation Building Realm cultivator. Having these five swords was convenient, so when he chose to cultivate the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, he also purchased the jade slip for the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword.

Even if the sword couldn't be repaired, finding another replacement wouldn't be too difficult.

When Qin Sang extended his spiritual consciousness into the Mustard Seed Pouch and retrieved the spiritual sword, he paused for a moment, his expression shifting slightly before returning to normal as he handed the sword to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper glanced at it briefly and smiled, saying, "Ah, it's the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword. The quality is quite good. It seems Daoist Qin put in considerable effort. Let me see... Hmm! The essence of the spiritual sword hasn't been damaged. It only needs to be refined again, and it'll be restored to its original state. It should take about two hours. Please wait a bit, Daoist Qin."

It appeared he had found the right person.

Qin Sang nodded and signaled for the shopkeeper to proceed.

Once the shopkeeper had gone to the back, Qin Sang closed the shop door and took out another item from the Mustard Seed Pouch, placing it in his palm. It was a dried-up tree root.

This tree root, like the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword, had been scavenged from Gu Tiannan. Qin Sang still remembered how, during Gu Tiannan’s battle with Hei Kid, the latter used this tree root to release a bolt of lightning that shattered half the face of Hei Kid's ox-headed skull. The skull had been so terrified that it dared not reappear. The power of the lightning was formidable, and it seemed to have some ability to suppress demonic creatures.

However, when Qin Sang had trapped Gu Tiannan with the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions, Gu Tiannan hadn’t used this item again.

After obtaining the tree root, Qin Sang had carefully examined it but hadn’t detected any lightning power within. It seemed like an ordinary tree root, and he assumed it was a one-time-use item, so he had casually tossed it aside.

It was only when he took out the Five-Elemental Breaking Sword earlier that Qin Sang noticed the tree root had quietly undergone a change.

The tree root lay in his palm, appearing completely unremarkable. But when Qin Sang touched it with his spiritual consciousness or spiritual power, a sudden arc of lightning would flash out. The arc was as thin as a hair, yet its power was explosively violent, far from insignificant.

"Could this be Lightning-Struck Spiritual Wood?"

Qin Sang muttered to himself, rubbing his chin with a hint of delight on his face.

Some spiritual woods grew in Lightning Marshes, surviving under constant lightning strikes for many years. Over time, the wood would fuse with the power of the lightning, transforming into Lightning-Struck Spiritual Wood.

The Lightning-Struck Spiritual Wood contained pure and potent yang energy from the lightning, making it not only a bane to evil entities but also a rare and precious material. To Qin Sang, however, it had an even more suitable purpose.

His Guishui Yin Thunder Spell had been effective during the Qi Refining Realm, helping him defeat opponents. However, when facing Foundation Building Realm cultivators, its power felt somewhat lacking. Since he had spent so much time cultivating the spell, it would be a shame to abandon it.

Fortunately, the power of the Guishui Yin Thunder Spell could be enhanced. If he could find a spiritual item containing innate lightning energy, he could harness its power to release a more terrifying yin thunderbolt. The Lightning-Struck Spiritual Wood was a perfect fit.

With this thought in mind, Qin Sang immediately gripped the tree root and attempted to activate the Guishui Yin Thunder Spell.

In the next instant, a flash of lightning sparked in his palm, which he quickly dispelled.

This lightning was no longer just an ordinary yin thunderbolt. Its power had far surpassed what it had been before, causing Qin Sang to feel a slight twinge of fear. The combination of the spell and the spiritual item did not merely double the power; it was far more profound than that.

Looking at the tree root again, it had returned to its normal appearance, with the restored lightning power now completely depleted.