Gateway of Immortality

Chapter 1195: Heavenly Scar

Sin Abyss, in ancient times, had been called the Heavenly Scar.

It was the largest abyss within Beichen Realm. This immense rift ran almost straight from north to south, cutting through most of Sin Abyss and dividing its territory into eastern and western halves.

After immortal cultivators discovered Sin God Palace deep within Sin Abyss, some people began referring to Heavenly Scar as Sin Abyss. Later, the name Sin Abyss gradually came to refer to the surrounding powers as well.

On the geomantic map drawn by Senior Sister Qingjun, most of the major sects of Sin Abyss had been built along Heavenly Scar. In order to stay as close to it as possible, some sects were even located extremely near each other, sharing a single great spirit vein.

Although spirit veins could be relocated, doing so required setting up arrays and paying considerable costs. Especially for super spirit veins that served as the foundation of a sect, relocation over great distances was nearly impossible.

The reason was the abundant cultivation resources within Heavenly Scar.

It was said that even the narrowest section of Heavenly Scar spanned nearly a hundred li, while its widest stretches were impossible to measure. For mortals, it was no different from an impassable chasm. Within it were countless spiritual herbs and treasures, and those blessed with great fortune might even obtain relics left behind by ancient cultivators, rising to greatness in a single leap.

However, opportunity always accompanied danger. The deeper one went into Heavenly Scar, the more the terrain gradually narrowed, and ancient barriers appeared everywhere. The place was extremely perilous and had claimed the lives of countless immortal cultivators.

It resembled Endless Valley somewhat, though its scale was far greater. Of course, it still could not compare with Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

At the very deepest part of Heavenly Scar, the most dangerous and central location was precisely Sin God Palace.

Ever since Sin God Palace had been discovered, it had appeared every time alongside Ziwei Palace. There was undoubtedly a profound connection between the two hidden realms.

Back when relations had been more relaxed, cultivators from the three regions had joined forces more than once to explore the two hidden realms, hoping to uncover their mysteries and thereby unlock the secrets of Ziwei Palace. Unfortunately, every attempt had ended in failure.

Only when Old Devil Ye led troops to the celestial array of Ziwei Palace and ambushed the cultivators of the two domains did they finally confirm that Sin God Palace and Ziwei Palace were indeed connected.

"...With Sin Abyss pressing its forces forward, most of their experts are currently gathered at Tianxing Highland. The interior is relatively empty right now. Entering Sin Abyss at this time will be safer than usual," the Snake King explained.

Qin Sang thought to himself that it was quite a coincidence that the Snake King was also planning to go to Sin Abyss.

The Snake King had just said that the great demon’s cave dwelling lay deep within Heavenly Scar, but the description was still rather vague.

Since Qin Sang already intended to go to Sin Abyss, traveling together with them could be beneficial. Even if they did not obtain many treasures, they could at least support one another in case of danger. However, Qin Sang did not agree immediately and chose to ask more questions first.

"Besides the two of you, who else will be going?" Qin Sang asked.

Qin Sang assumed that, under normal circumstances, the companions would likely all be demon kings. Only figures of that level would have the leisure to search for treasures in Sin Abyss during such turbulent times.

Unexpectedly, the Snake King shook his head. "To be honest, Qianji’s strength is still insufficient. He cannot go. The other companions are not demon kings from Heavenly Demon Hill either. They are Daoists I met long ago while traveling through the desert."

"There are Transformation Realm cultivators in the desert as well?" Qin Sang asked in surprise.

Then he reconsidered. Great Beichen Desert was so vast that even if it were barren, it would not be strange for it to produce a few Spiritual Infant cultivators or Transformation Realm great demons.

The Snake King nodded. "Indeed! In fact, that cave dwelling was discovered by another Daoist. After the wager ended, I immediately sent word to them, wanting to invite you to join us. They were worried that you have only recently advanced to the Transformation Realm and that your supernatural abilities have not yet been fully refined, fearing you might slow them down. I could not persuade them for quite some time. Only after you slew Old Devil Pei in battle not long ago, and the news shook the cultivation world, did they finally acknowledge that your strength is extraordinary and agree to the matter. If you feel like it would be difficult to explain to the human cultivators if you leave now, Qianji could temporarily take your place at Sandi’e Stronghold. After all, we are all family here..."

The Snake King spoke at length, carefully addressing all of Qin Sang’s possible concerns.

After hearing this explanation, Qin Sang instead showed hesitation and asked in return, "May I ask, how confident are you about this treasure hunt? And where exactly is this cave dwelling located?"

Something about the situation felt off to him.

Demon King Qianji was not weak among early-stage Transformation Realm demons. He had only lost so quickly because Qin Sang’s abilities happened to counter him. Yet even he had not been qualified to join the expedition.

Even with the Sky-Eyed Butterfly to assist in breaking the ancient barriers, they were still being this cautious. It was easy to imagine just how dangerous the place must be.

By this point, Qin Sang was already beginning to feel inclined to withdraw.

The Snake King hesitated. "I hope you can understand. Only if you agree will I reveal all the information. Otherwise, perhaps you could swear a heart devil oath..."

Qin Sang had a favorable impression of the Snake King and did not wish to deceive him with such an oath. He waved his hand dismissively. "I will mention several locations. Simply tell me whether the great demon’s cave dwelling lies near any of them."

Qin Sang proceeded to list several place names.

Without hesitation, the Snake King replied frankly, "I did not expect you to know Sin Abyss so well! Yes, the cave dwelling lies near one of those locations. You should now understand why we must be so cautious."

Qin Sang chuckled softly.

The places he had just mentioned were all sites of major sects within Sin Abyss, as well as several important hidden locations similar to Sin God Palace. Some of them were even places that Senior Sister Qingjun herself had deliberately avoided.

"I'm afraid I may not be capable of such a task..." Qin Sang murmured.

Inwardly, he calculated whether it was worth taking such a great risk to explore the cave dwelling of a great demon.

Seeing this, the Snake King quickly continued persuading him. "In a few months, the ancient barriers will enter a weakened phase. During this time we have already gathered several methods for breaking them. With your assistance and the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, it will be a walk in the park. We will enter the demon king’s cave dwelling without alerting Sin Abyss.

"The reason the others hesitated before was simply because they were unwilling to share the treasures with another person. After the expedition succeeds, Daoist Lu, who discovered the cave dwelling, will choose one treasure first. The rest will be divided equally.

"However, in my opinion, those are secondary. The most important things are the cultivation arts and secret techniques collected by the great demon. No one will monopolize them. They will be shared by everyone!" The Snake King’s tone was full of temptation.

An ancient great demon’s cave dwelling that had never been opened before would be an irresistible lure to any demon king. Unfortunately for him, the person he was facing was Qin Sang.

"Thank you for your kindness, but I am afraid I cannot accompany you." Qin Sang stood up, gave a fist-and-palm salute politely, and refused.

"You will not reconsider?" the Snake King asked in disbelief.

Before coming here, he had never imagined that Qin Sang would refuse.

Finding even a single cultivation art or Dao Technique in an ancient great demon’s cave dwelling could provide inspiration for future cultivation. That alone would make the journey worthwhile.

If they were fortunate enough to obtain a secret method for crossing tribulation, it would be an even greater stroke of luck.

Demon King Ming Yue uses the Lightning Evasion and many other supernatural abilities and treasures. His ability to protect himself is more than sufficient. If such a small degree of danger can frighten him away, he would hardly deserve the title of demon king! The Snake King thought.

"Sorry to disappoint..." Qin Sang did not explain much.

He certainly could not say that he was merely a fake demon king. The demon race’s cultivation arts and secret techniques simply did not hold much appeal for him.

The Heavenly Demon Body Refinement only allowed him to cultivate the body-refinement portion. Even the Azure Luan’s blood and essence he had obtained by chance could only be integrated into his wings.

If the risks were not so great, he might have considered it. But to stir up trouble in the enemy’s stronghold, endure countless hardships, and finally obtain secret techniques he most likely could not even cultivate? Qin Sang would never do something so pointless.