Gateway of Immortality

The orchid appeared even more delicate than before, swaying happily in the pool, warmly welcoming Qin Sang’s arrival.

In only two short months, the pool's spring water had nearly overflowed.

The most remarkable transformation, however, was in the tree root, which now extended countless tendrils that embraced the spiritual spring, piercing deeply into the pool and merging with it, making the root seem alive.

Upon closer inspection, it was evident that these tendrils weren't truly part of the tree root. Rather, they were strange feelers born from the fusion between the pool and the root, as though the two were combining into a single entity.

What thrilled Qin Sang most was the spiritual spring itself. Once, it had only revealed a faint phantom of a spring source; now, its outline had taken shape.

Recalling the records on spiritual springs he had studied, Qin Sang estimated that, if the pool and the root successfully fused to create a spiritual spring, it might take less than a year for it to fully form. Perhaps he would still have time to join the Shangyuan Tranquility Palace’s teleportation array to instantly reach the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

Shaohua Mountain and the Ancient Immortal Battlefield lay at opposite extremes, one at the southernmost tip of the Small Cold Domain and the other at the far north. Between them spanned both the densely populated mortal realm and a vast, rarely-trodden expanse of northern ice plains, stretching over hundreds of thousands of li. Even a Foundation Building cultivator flying without rest would require a lengthy journey.

However, with the ancient teleportation array, the journey could be made in a single instant.

Today, such ancient teleportation arrays were exceedingly rare in the cultivation world. Whatever might exist in other areas, only a handful remained in the Small Cold Domain, and only Shangyuan Tranquility Palace possessed one that reached the Ancient Immortal Battlefield’s outskirts; Shaohua Mountain lacked such a passage. If he wished to avoid making the journey by air, his only option was to go through Shangyuan Tranquility Palace.

This scarcity stemmed from the fact that the knowledge to build these ancient arrays, like many ancient techniques, had long been lost. Additionally, many of the spiritual materials essential for constructing these arrays were now extinct within the cultivation world.

Even Yuanshen Sect, renowned for its mastery of arrays, could not replicate these ancient arrays. The greatest feat they had achieved was the repair of a slightly damaged ancient teleportation array.

Using such an array, cultivators faced spatial pressures during teleportation. For short distances, this posed minimal risk, but over extended distances, a cultivator without sufficient strength would be instantly crushed into dust by the spatial pressure. This was precisely why ancient arrays were unique; they could protect cultivators against immense spatial pressure, ensuring safe passage.

This issue remained unresolved despite countless experiments by the major sects within the Small Cold Domain. Any attempt to extend teleportation distances inevitably ended in the death of those who dared to enter.

Modern teleportation arrays constructed in the cultivation world could cover a distance of at most a hundred li, but these arrays were prohibitively expensive and required significant spiritual stone consumption with each use.

For cultivators, such a limited range was hardly worth the cost, so sects generally reserved teleportation arrays for special purposes, rather than wasting resources to build many.

Because ancient teleportation arrays were so few in number and could not be repaired if damaged, sects used them with great caution. Shangyuan Tranquility Palace’s array, for example, only activated once every decade, and only for one-way transport.

Rogue cultivators and members of smaller sects had to pay a steep fee in spiritual stones to use these ancient arrays. Shaohua Mountain and Shangyuan Tranquility Palace jointly guarded Xuanlu Stronghold, obligating them to aid each other, and thus disciples of either sect could use the array without charge.

Qin Sang had inquired about the next array activation from Senior Uncle Wen via Sound Transmission Talisman and learned that it would be less than a year away. If the spiritual spring formed swiftly, he would still have time.

Regardless of the timing, Qin Sang was determined to reach the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

Seeing the Secret Dragon-Searching Techniques successfully take effect, Qin Sang was elated and began to refine his plans. With less than a year remaining, his top priority was to find an extremely secluded spirit vein. Only by relocating the spiritual spring to this hidden vein after it formed could he focus on his battles within the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

The outer edges of Yuncang Marshlands teemed with cultivators, so placing the spiritual spring deep within the marsh would be ideal.

With this in mind, Qin Sang abandoned his plan for secluded cultivation. He once again sealed his cave dwelling and flew toward Shaohua Mountain on his sword. ℝàNȰᛒÈṤ

For now, he had no intention of bringing the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid or the spiritual spring into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

Firstly, he was unfamiliar with the chaotic and tumultuous environment within the battlefield, which would make securing a stable area extremely difficult.

Secondly, he had not yet reached a stage where he required a spiritual spring or cave dwelling for cultivation. The battlefield itself was rich in spiritual power, and his sect would arrange suitable cultivation spots. This was the benefit of belonging to an established cultivation sect.

…

At Sect Leader Peak, Qin Sang reported to Sect Leader Yu about his intention to journey to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield and to travel through the ancient teleportation array. He borrowed two spirit beasts capable of tracking spirit veins and received an assignment to manage affairs in the depths of the Yuncang Marshlands. Without delay, Qin Sang left the sect and headed directly into the heart of Yuncang Marshlands.

Time flew by, and half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Qin Sang had been exceptionally busy traversing the marshes. He made some new friends, handled minor sect affairs, hunted demonic beasts alongside fellow cultivators, and even explored an ancient cultivator’s hidden estate. Unfortunately, the estate was not well-hidden and had long since been plundered.

His gains were disproportionate to the effort expended.

However, Qin Sang successfully located a highly concealed spirit vein, making the journey worthwhile.

Although not particularly large, the spirit vein was extremely well-hidden, nestled deep within the vast marshes, with no valuable spiritual herbs or materials nearby. With the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Array, he could seal it safely without any worries.

Half a year later, a dust-covered Qin Sang returned to the sect, collected his rewards, and went to Wenyue Market, where he handed over all the spiritual materials he had gathered to Shopkeeper Wu.

Qin Sang had only managed to encounter one Demonic Spirit Realm beast, and even then, it was slain alongside numerous other cultivators, leaving him with only a small portion of the corpse. Unable to refine an Essence-Devouring Spike, he chose a few artifacts with unique uses and asked Shopkeeper Wu to help him refine them.

Returning to his cave dwelling with both anticipation and nervousness, Qin Sang’s eyes lit up at what he saw.

The spiritual spring within the pool had transformed dramatically. The tree root had fully intertwined with a piece of jade, forming a unique shape. At the point where they merged was a small indentation, from which the spring’s source emanated.

A steady flow of water trickled from the spring, releasing an intense concentration of spiritual power that invigorated him. The Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid in the pool looked more vibrant than ever.

It seemed that in less than a month, the spiritual spring would be fully formed!

One month later, Qin Sang emerged from his meditation, refreshed and clear-eyed as he gazed at the completed spiritual spring. With a slight smile, he took out a jade box, carefully uprooted the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid, and then extracted the spiritual spring.

The tree root and jade had fused into a single, crystalline entity, with the vortex-shaped spring continuously emanating dense spiritual qi.

This was a remarkable treasure, born from the essence of heaven and earth, a stunning sight that mesmerized him.

After stowing away both treasures and retrieving the array flags for the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Array, Qin Sang took a moment to look around his cave dwelling, where he had spent so many years. Having nurtured a spiritual spring, the spirit vein here seemed to have fulfilled its purpose. With the spring removed, the vein would gradually wither away.

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