Gateway of Immortality

Wu Yuesheng, who was supposedly dead, moved slightly, and he raised his head quietly. Bloodstains remained on his face, and his skin was unusually pale from blood loss. However, he didn’t appear overly weak, suggesting that his injuries were not as severe as they seemed.

Seeing Qin Sang still seated on the ground, oblivious to his impending doom, a smug smile crossed Wu Yuesheng’s face.

But as his gaze swept over Qin Sang and landed on the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions, his expression hardened.

"What a powerful array…"

Wu Yuesheng murmured, eyes blazing with interest. He was just about to rise when a sudden, immense force slammed him to the ground, sending searing pain through his back and chest.

With a look of stunned disbelief, he struggled to glance down and saw a glowing green spiritual sword that had shifted from transparency to solidity, piercing his heart and embedding itself in the ground.

"Hehe…"

Suddenly, Wu Yuesheng understood; without needing to look, he knew his strike had failed. He chuckled wryly as the light in his eyes quickly dimmed, and life slipped away.

The Crimson Flame Sword slashed through the air but, lacking a controller, faltered and crashed into the wall with a clear, ringing sound. The red glow on its blade gradually dimmed, as if mourning its master.

The ebony sword moved again, piercing Wu Yuesheng’s skull. Only then did Qin Sang’s figure slowly appear at Wu Yuesheng’s side. His breathing was heavy, his energy chaotic.

In such a short span of time, dealing with two treacherous companions while coordinating multiple artifacts seamlessly had taken its toll, even though his spiritual consciousness was strong and his control precise.

Qin Sang wasn’t certain if Wu Yuesheng was truly dead. He had witnessed Wu Yuesheng’s skill at concealing his life force, making it easy to feign death. Coupled with Wu Yuesheng’s previous stalking incident, Qin Sang naturally harbored deep suspicion toward him and had never trusted him fully, so he had prepared a final precaution and kept the ebony sword hidden.

He suspected that Wu Yuesheng’s injuries weren't severe and even considered the possibility that he might be pretending to be tricked. Qin Sang could still vividly recall Wu Yuesheng’s cautious behavior during his tracking efforts.

However, Qin Sang chose not to probe Wu Yuesheng directly.

If Wu Yuesheng was indeed faking and he did not wake up even after Qin Sang had killed Hermit Baiyun, it would only mean that he had ill intentions. Probing recklessly would only force Qin Sang into a direct confrontation with Wu Yuesheng.

Since his foundation was damaged and his cultivation level was lower than Wu Yuesheng’s, even if he could rely on his artifacts to win, it would be no easy task dealing with such a formidable enemy. A prolonged fight risked them both being consumed by the Earth Malevolent Qi, unless he used the Profound Yin Thunderbolts.

He had used the Essence-Devouring Spike to kill Hermit Baiyun, leaving the Profound Yin Thunderbolts as his last trump card. Since he had not yet reached the core of the Heavenly Corpse Sect branch, where even stronger malevolent corpses likely lay in wait, he needed to consider his options.

Thus, Qin Sang made himself the bait.

He killed Hermit Baiyun swiftly with the Essence-Devouring Spike so that Wu Yuesheng would not be given any opportunity to benefit as a bystander. Then, he pretended to be anxious, feigning an all-out casting of the Guishui Yin Thunder Spell and luring Wu Yuesheng with his unguarded back.

This supernatural ability was truly an invaluable tool for ambush and assassination.

As Wu Yuesheng rejoiced over Qin Sang’s apparent vulnerability, focusing entirely on suppressing the fluctuations of the Crimson Flame Sword, intent on ambushing Qin Sang, he had no inkling that an invisible spiritual sword was stealthily approaching him, like a venomous snake in the shadows, poised for a fatal strike.

Finally assured that Wu Yuesheng was dead, Qin Sang felt a heavy tension ease from his mind, leaving him utterly drained. He let out a soft sigh.

He took a pill to restore his spiritual power, then guided the ebony sword to engage the malevolent corpse. In a flash, he appeared beside the skeleton in the main hall.

After checking the skeleton, Qin Sang found nothing unusual. He then gathered the three items that Hermit Baiyun had disturbed.

Unexpectedly, both the black cloth bag and the cracked iron stake were artifacts, but neither held anything remarkable. The cracks on the iron stake weren’t part of its original form; they had appeared from damage over time.

The stake seemed unusual, but the cracks were so numerous that Qin Sang didn’t dare probe it with too much spiritual power, fearing it would shatter instantly upon contact.

Thus, only the silver token remained.

Qin Sang examined the token, infusing it with spiritual power, but it gave no response. His brows furrowed slightly, and just then, he suddenly recalled something, quickly probing the token with his spiritual consciousness.

Boom!

A stream of text surfaced in Qin Sang’s mind!

As expected, it was like a jade slip, storing information within.

Qin Sang glanced thoughtfully at Hermit Baiyun’s corpse. Had he risked everything for this text? Since it was sealed within the Heavenly Corpse Token, could it be a legacy of the Heavenly Corpse Sect?

Meanwhile, the malevolent corpse, now caught between the ebony sword and the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions, could only put up a feeble struggle. Killing it was only a matter of time.

Moreover, Qin Sang had a hunch that the contents of the Heavenly Corpse Token might relate to corpse refinement, perhaps even containing a way to easily subdue the malevolent corpse. He carefully examined the information.

After a moment, Qin Sang withdrew his consciousness from the Heavenly Corpse Token, his expression strange.

The token revealed the Heavenly Corpse Sect’s corpse refinement technique, titled Heavenly Yin Corpse Art. It outlined methods for crafting zombie and malevolent corpse puppets in complete detail.

The zombie puppet technique was similar to other corpse refinement arts Qin Sang had encountered, using malevolent yin qi as the primary force. However, the Heavenly Corpse Sect’s refinement method incorporated a thread of Earth Malevolent Qi to temper the puppet’s body, making these zombie puppets stronger than others of their kind.

But the technique for refining malevolent corpse puppets was entirely different, crafted solely using Earth Malevolent Qi and requiring the corpse of a Foundation Building cultivator. The process was incredibly intricate.

Beyond that, Heavenly Yin Corpse Art even included a method for refining a living corpse puppet!

Upon reading the method for refining living corpses, Qin Sang’s face changed. A chill crept up his spine, and he gasped in shock.

Living corpses were made by forcibly refining a living cultivator’s primordial spirit using a secret technique known as the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, turning them into a "living" puppet.

Once refined, the living corpse retained far more intelligence than other malevolent corpses, was highly obedient, and nearly as powerful as in life, capable of using spells—practically a perfect puppet.

Is this malevolent corpse a living corpse?

Qin Sang lifted his head, quietly studying the malevolent corpse within the Yan Luo Array. The realization dawned on him. No wonder it had such intelligence and could use the Xuanhuang Armor and mysterious evasion techniques.

And yet, this wasn’t all the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art contained.

According to the general outline, the text also described methods for refining puppets stronger than malevolent corpses, including a secret technique capable of enhancing a living corpse to rival the strength of a flying yaksha.

However, none of these additional methods were recorded in this Heavenly Corpse Token.