Gateway of Immortality

Chapter 1296: Good News (III)

The Two-Domain Alliance kept pressing forward, capturing cities and strongholds one after another.

During this period, news came in constantly, and the alliance had more or less figured out Sin Abyss’s intentions. They were preparing to abandon the plains entirely and retreat in one move to their old stronghold, where they would defend Yu City.

Late at night, inside the main hall, a spell-created sand table covering the three regions lay before Qingjun, and she was studying it intently.

Suddenly, the barrier outside the hall was disturbed. Then Qin Sang pushed open the door and entered. Seeing Qingjun’s expression, he smiled and said, "Senior Sister, you're still worrying over the battle situation?"

Not long ago, all the Spiritual Infant cultivators of the Two-Domain Alliance had gathered to discuss what to do after driving Sin Abyss back to Yu City.

Qin Sang walked to Qingjun’s side, found their current position, and estimated, "If everything goes smoothly, we should reach the foot of Yu City in a little over ten days. I heard that the area around Yu City has already been fortified by Old Devil Ye like an iron wall. Whether we attack it or bypass it and strike deep into Sin Abyss territory, neither is realistic. We still do not have the strength to overwhelm Sin Abyss."

Qingjun nodded in agreement. Her red lips parted slightly as she added another piece of news. "Sin Abyss has proposed reconciliation. The desert side has already agreed to peace talks, so Sin Abyss can move all their forces north."

"Just as expected!" Qin Sang gave a cold snort. Looking at the sand table, he drew a line north of Yu City with his hand. "It seems that from now on both sides will remain stationed here in confrontation. That is fine too. It will keep the younger generation from growing too comfortable and forgetting the need for vigilance."

"So you really have set your mind on becoming a sect founder. Where are you planning to build your sect?" Qingjun glanced at him. "Yuanshen Sect is a very good choice. It borders Heavenly Demon Hill and is not far from Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea. Both are forces under your command, so they can watch over and support one another. I will be the villain and hand Yuanshen Sect over to you. With your reputation, no one will dare object. As for Yuanshen Sect itself, I already made arrangements long ago. Among the newly recruited disciples, the talented few acknowledge me, not Leng Yuntian. You can bring them into Qingyang Temple without worrying about hidden trouble. As for the other Golden Core cultivators, they are all quite sensible as well. You may deal with them as you see fit. Though they are juniors of my enemies, they obeyed me completely these past years. Let them have somewhere to belong."

Qin Sang was startled by her words and quickly asked, "Where are you planning to go?"

Qingjun replied calmly, "I disguised myself as Leng Yuntian only because I was using Yuanshen Sect to do things for me. I do not want them to become a burden. Now Yuanshen Sect can hardly help me much anymore, and the great war is about to end, so I can return and focus on secluded cultivation. Since you already have this idea, I may as well hand it over to you."

"I only wanted to fulfill a good friend’s final wish... There is no rush for this matter. We can discuss it again after the situation stabilizes. Ziwei Palace is about to open, and you may still need help." Qin Sang thought to himself that Qingyang Temple was going to become very lively.

In the future, the sect would not only have the Qingyang Temple lineage, but also the Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea lineage, the Devilish Flame Sect lineage, the Yuanshen Sect lineage, and the heirs of Qingzhu and Qingjun.

Still, although Yuanshen Sect was a good prize, it would not be easy to absorb. He would need to sift through it carefully. Otherwise, once he was absent and no one remained to watch over them, some people would inevitably grow disloyal, and the problem would become impossible to control.

Qingjun did not say anything more. In her eyes, these were all minor matters.

"I called you here because I made some progress with the talisman puppet." Qingjun waved her hand to close the hall’s barrier, then led Qin Sang into a quiet chamber. The Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet was no longer in the form of a small figurine, but had returned to its original appearance and stood there silently.

During this period, the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet had remained with Qingjun.

Qingjun raised her hand and tapped the puppet between the brows. A dim gleam flashed from her fingertip.

The Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet suddenly opened its eyes. Its gaze was still wild and frenzied as it stared fixedly at Qingjun. If it were released, it would likely not kill an enemy first, but devour its own master!

"That senior from Shangyuan Tranquility Palace really had a brilliant idea. With the help of talisman arts, he condensed talismanic seals inside its body and refined it into something similar to a talisman soldier, allowing him to control the talisman puppet. I have a secret puppet seal technique, and one kind of puppet seal in it is somewhat similar to talismanic seals. As long as I spend some time transforming the talismanic seals inside the puppet into this kind of puppet seal, it can be controlled just as Shangyuan Tranquility Palace controlled it." Qingjun struck the puppet’s chest from afar, and dense talisman shadows immediately flickered all across its body.

Qin Sang was delighted when he heard this.

Although he had obtained the Spiritual Infant Talisman Puppet, he did not know how to control it. If he tried to seize Shangyuan Tranquility Palace’s secret technique, Dongyang Bo would certainly interfere and create complications.

Senior Sister’s attainments in the Dao of puppetry are indeed profound. As expected, she has found a solution. He thought.

"However..." Qingjun’s tone suddenly shifted. "Even if the seals are transformed into puppet seals, its nature as a vicious puppet cannot be changed. Precisely because of this, the successive grandmasters of Shangyuan Tranquility Palace were all helpless against it. With your current cultivation, controlling it will still be extremely dangerous. It would be best if you found a secret treasure capable of protecting the primordial spirit."

Qin Sang nodded and frowned. "Senior Sister, even you cannot resolve the chaotic soul shadows inside the talisman puppet? If all those soul shadows could be refined and fused completely with the puppet, its strength should rise even further, right?"

"You're right, but it is nearly impossible. Unless we can figure out why this talisman puppet is so unusual, how it can imprison soul shadows and preserve them to this day."

Qingjun examined the talisman puppet for a long while, then said helplessly, "I studied it for quite some time and still could not see the key. In my opinion, the reason is most likely not the barriers inside the talisman puppet, but the talisman puppet itself!"

This matched Qin Sang’s own thoughts perfectly. He had felt something similar as well.

There were countless strange objects in immortal cultivation, and far too many treasures existed that they had never seen before. On top of that, the talisman puppet was covered in layers upon layers of barriers and had long since become unrecognizable, making it very difficult to trace its true origin.

Qingjun formed a seal with her fingers, and the talisman puppet suddenly shrank and flew into Qin Sang’s hand.

"I have already completed part of the transformation with my secret technique. Now I will teach you this puppet seal. You only need to spend some time following the steps and turning the talismanic seals into puppet seals one by one. Take it back and refine it yourself. These soul shadows are of no use to me. However, if you can sense as many of the soul shadows as possible, it will definitely help when it comes to breaking through the bottleneck. You might break through the middle stage soon."

"I hope what you said comes true." Qin Sang looked at the talisman puppet in his hand. Whether things would proceed as smoothly as Qingjun said would depend on the talisman puppet and the Corpseflower Blood Amber.

After that, Qingjun passed the puppet seal on to Qin Sang.

The Dao of puppetry, like the Sword Dao and alchemy, was complex and profound. If one was unwilling to devote effort to comprehending it, it was hard to achieve much.

Fortunately, Qingjun had already laid the groundwork. What Qin Sang needed to learn was not the complete secret technique. He only needed to memorize that puppet seal and keep a few important precautions in mind.

After learning the puppet seal, Qin Sang was just about to rise and take his leave when his expression suddenly shifted, as if he had sensed something. He stood up abruptly and said in surprise, "Brother Bai has arrived!"

The Heavenly Corpse Talisman inside Bai had originally come from Qin Sang’s hand, so there had always been a connection between them. Once they were close enough, they could sense one another.

Qin Sang felt startled and uncertain. Bai had emerged from seclusion and suddenly appeared on the battlefield at this time. Had he encountered some difficulty? Or had he already succeeded in breaking through to become a corpse king?

Qin Sang quickly bade Qingjun farewell, flashed out of the hall, and sped toward the outside of the city.

The army was stationed within the city, and security was extremely tight. Bai did not dare sneak in, so he had only triggered the barrier outside the city, which was how Qin Sang sensed it.

Qingjun walked out of the hall to see him off. Watching Qin Sang’s departing figure, she frowned slightly, as if she were contemplating something. She then glanced in the direction of Sin Abyss before returning to the quiet chamber and sitting down in meditation.

"Senior Qin!"

"Greetings, Senior Qin!"

Unwilling to break the rules he had set for himself, Qin Sang did not fly directly out of the city. Instead, he skimmed across the streets. Along the way, cultivators who saw him quickly stepped aside and bowed in respect.

Lost in thought, Qin Sang soon arrived before the city gate. He glanced at the guards and took out his command token, giving it a slight shake. "Open the city’s barrier!"

"Yes!" The guards did not dare delay and immediately complied.

It was deep into the night. Dark clouds filled the sky, and not a trace of starlight could be seen.

Qin Sang flew out of the city and swept his gaze across the surroundings. Riding his evasion light, he traveled dozens of li. Unexpectedly, something went wrong. He suddenly lost his sense of Bai.

At the next instant, a sudden change occurred.

Boom! The grassland below exploded, blasting out a massive crater. Dirt, stones, and grass scattered everywhere. Amid the chaotic debris, a shadow shot forward silently, lunging straight at Qin Sang.

Qin Sang was startled at first, then burst into laughter. "Brother Bai, I am no longer who I used to be. You think such petty tricks can ambush me?"

Before he finished speaking, eighteen devilish banners shot out from his sleeve, swirling through the air. They expanded with the wind, and devilish flames surged forth, instantly forming a sea of fire.

Caught off guard, the shadow plunged headfirst into the flames and immediately cried out in alarm, "Since when could you control all the banners?"

Qin Sang did not answer. He only laughed and teased, "Dare to ambush me? Then taste the power of these flames!"

With that, he formed a hand seal. All the flames surged toward Bai, and in the blink of an eye, they formed a blazing sphere around him.

Trapped within the flames, Bai showed no weakness and shouted loudly, "Relying on external objects, what kind of man are you? If you have the guts, come down and fight me hand to hand!"

"Even in close combat, I might not fear you!" Qin Sang scoffed, though a trace of surprise flickered in his eyes.

Within the flames, Bai wore a Daoist robe and looked no different from an ordinary person, aside from his somewhat pale complexion.

After sensing the true power of the flames, he activated some unknown secret technique. Corpse qi surged wildly through his body, yet his form did not change. Unlike the corpse kings in the Immortal Tomb, he did not become grotesque with green skin, fangs, elongated nails, and black hair.

Only his eyes turned blood-red, filled with a violent, bloodthirsty intent.

For a time, the flames were actually held at bay. Even when a few tongues of fire reached him, they caused no real harm.

An ordinary corpse king could not have endured the flames so easily. It seemed like Bai had gained considerable benefits from the Corpse Soul Orb and the bone curse.

"Enough! You are cheating with these banners!" Bai shouted.

Qin Sang withdrew the banners, and the two of them descended to the ground.

"Congratulations, Brother Bai, on becoming a corpse king!" Qin Sang offered a fist-and-palm salute in congratulations.

Bai waved lightly, glanced around, and sighed. "I broke through too late. Who knows how many opportunities I missed."

Qin Sang chuckled. "Since returning from Abyssal Ruin, we have gone through countless battles. Facing Old Devil Ye at Blood Lake alone was extremely dangerous. What kind of good opportunity was that?"

"Exploring hidden realms is always a good thing! Tell me everything about what happened at Blood Lake," Bai said impatiently.

"Come back to the city with me. We will talk in detail there."

The two flew back toward the city.

Qin Sang said with a smile, "I had planned to protect you during your tribulation, yet you were bold enough to undergo it silently. Did anything unusual happen?"