Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 345: Strange Person

The world of immortal cultivation followed the law of the jungle—the strong thrived, while the weak perished.

Only after reaching the Foundation Building Realm could a cultivator truly gain a foothold in this world and have the ability to protect themselves when venturing out.

If Tan Hao failed to break through to the Foundation Building Realm, then everything else was meaningless.

More likely than not, Tan Hao would die before even succeeding in reviving Tan Jie, making all these efforts in vain.

Qin Sang had merely intended for Wandering Man to give Tan Hao some guidance. His own breakthrough to the Foundation Building Realm had been largely due to the Dragon Ginseng and the personal protection of his sect leader. He had stumbled through the process himself and had little knowledge to pass on.

He had not expected Wandering Man to be so generous, directly gifting a Jade Radiance Pill.

Staring at the two precious pills before him, Tan Hao, a man of great stature, was at a loss.

He could not bring himself to reject them.

Yet he could not bring himself to receive it freely either.

Only one thought echoed in his mind: How do I deserve this?

Among rogue cultivators, who dared to dream of obtaining a single Foundation Building Pill?

Even among disciples of immortal sects, not everyone had access to such treasures.

Not to mention, Tan Hao had exhausted nearly all his savings to treat Tan Jie. Calling him destitute would not be an exaggeration.

Tan Hao knew full well that even if he sold himself, he wouldn’t be able to acquire these two pills. He had no idea how he could possibly repay Qin Sang and Wandering Man for such a tremendous favor.

"Take them!" Wandering Man pressed the Jade Radiance Pill firmly into Tan Hao’s palm, speaking with deep emotion.

"When I heard Brother Qin recount your deeds, I was profoundly moved. Even without Brother Qin's connection to you, I would still have been willing to do what little I can to help."

"The bond between you brothers—I cannot fully understand."

"But for you to persist for decades without wavering, that alone speaks to the immense strength contained within this familial bond."

"The Jade Radiance Pill is not a priceless treasure, far less valuable than the Foundation Building Pill. And besides, I’m not simply giving it to you for free.Your story has made me reflect on certain things, and I feel as though I’ve gained some enlightenment from it."

"In the future, this experience may allow my heart of Dao to advance further. Consider this pill my compensation."

Qin Sang placed the Foundation Building Pill into Tan Hao’s hand as well, pointing at the crystal coffin. "Stop thinking only about yourself. Think about Tan Jie. Think about your obsession. If you fail to reach the Foundation Building Realm, will you just remain hidden in this cave dwelling for the rest of your life? How will you travel the world? How will you cure Tan Jie? Do you intend to let him lie in that coffin forever as a living dead?"

Wandering Man chimed in.

"Brother Qin is right. He and I admire you for this very reason—that’s why we’re willing to help you."

"Consider this a stroke of fortune, one that you earned through decades of hardship and perseverance."

"Since we’re speaking of obsession, allow me to share some insights from my own cultivation journey—insights that greatly aided me in my own Foundation Building Realm breakthrough. Whether or not you heed them is up to you."

"Some say that immortal cultivation is the pursuit of true freedom, requiring the refinement of one’s mental state. If one harbors an obsession but fails to comprehend it, heart demons will arise. Being trapped at a bottleneck is a minor issue; what’s truly terrifying is when heart demons grow unchecked, leading to one’s downfall."

"But can the Dao be the same for everyone?"

"In my view, having an obsession is not necessarily a bad thing."

"It was precisely because of my obsession that I never gave up, that I endured all manner of hardships without fear, pressing forward unwaveringly in pursuit of my own Dao."

"Tan Hao, you have experienced a lot; you should have a similar understanding."

"Before attempting to break through, take some time to reflect on your past. Whether you choose to let go or to persist even more resolutely, either path will be uniquely yours."

"And perhaps... it may aid in your breakthrough to the Foundation Building Realm."

Hearing Wandering Man’s words, Qin Sang fell into contemplation.

Though addressed to Tan Hao, Wandering Man’s words seemed to be meant for himself as well.

Tan Hao appeared to have realized something, standing there in a daze.

Wandering Man walked over to the crystal coffin. Upon observing Tan Jie’s condition, he suddenly let out a quiet "Hmm" and bent down to take a closer look. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes as he glanced at Tan Hao, but he said nothing.

At night...

While Qin Sang was cultivating, he suddenly sensed the barrier being triggered. Checking it, he found that it was Wandering Man.

"Did I interrupt your cultivation?"

"Senior, please come in..."

Qin Sang invited Wandering Man inside, his expression tinged with curiosity. He had no idea why Wandering Man would come visiting so late at night.

As soon as Wandering Man stepped in, he got straight to the point. "Brother Qin, I have something to ask you about that mystical art—"

"You’re interested?"

Qin Sang mused. Wandering Man must have noticed something unusual.

However, Qin Sang remained calm. The demonic sect’s corpse refinement techniques were not particularly rare, and it was easy to come up with a plausible excuse—such as having obtained them from a demonic cultivator.

Previously, he had been discreet to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Corpse refinement was merely a method—one among many. Moreover, Qin Sang’s intention was to save a life. As long as he didn’t use it as the demonic cultivators did, wreaking havoc openly, Shaohua Mountain wouldn’t punish him simply for knowing a corpse refinement technique.

Wandering Man shook his head.

"I felt that Tan Jie’s aura seemed familiar—very similar to a strange person I once encountered. I have a vague sense that it might be related to your technique."

"I know of a place where there might be spiritual medicine that can heal hidden injuries to the primordial spirit. However, that place is fraught with danger. I originally planned to wait until I reached the late stage of the Foundation Building Realm before daring to explore it."

"A significant part of that caution stems from the presence of this strange person."

"If you have a way to deal with this individual, I am willing to go and try now. If I succeed, I will at least be free from this concern before attempting Core Formation.""

"Strange person?"

Qin Sang mused. The aura Wandering Man sensed was likely the change in Tan Jie’s primordial spirit after its fusion with the Heavenly Corpse Talisman.

Has he encountered a living corpse sealed by the Heavenly Corpse Talisman before?

But if it was a living corpse, why would he refer to it as a strange person?

Qin Sang had no intention of focusing on the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art—he merely treated corpse refinement as a means of combat. However, he was particularly interested in certain secret techniques within the art, especially the method to elevate a living corpse into a flying yaksha.

A flying yaksha possessed combat strength equivalent to a Core Formation Realm cultivator.

Although it might not be as powerful as a true Core Formation cultivator, it would undoubtedly surpass any Foundation Building cultivator. If he could refine one, he would be able to roam freely during his Foundation Building Realm without fear.

What astonished him the most was that the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art allowed the refinement of a yaksha without needing a Golden Core corpse—a feat unheard of in other corpse refinement techniques.

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art he obtained was only an incomplete first half.

After returning from the Heavenly Corpse Cave, Qin Sang had investigated the Heavenly Corpse Sect, only to discover that the sect was obscure and barely mentioned. Unlike other corpse refinement techniques, which used typical refining methods, the Heavenly Corpse Sect refined corpses using Earth Malevolent Qi, a method that was only sporadically referenced in ancient texts.

The records on it were vague and fragmented.

This suggested that either the Heavenly Corpse Sect was weak or that it had only existed for a short time—either way, it had left little impact.

After failing to find any clues about the second half of the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art, Qin Sang had eventually given up on searching.

However, if the strange person Wandering Man spoke of was truly a living corpse, it might be connected to the Heavenly Corpse Sect.

This thought sparked Qin Sang’s curiosity.

"Senior, can you describe this strange person in detail?"