Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 347: The Sensation

At that moment, Liang Yan seemed to sense something. He was jolted awake from his meditation and suddenly lifted his head to look outside the courtyard, his eyes flashing with astonishment.

Heart-Devouring Insect!

Ever since the fall of the Kuiyin Sect, it had been a long time since Liang Yan last felt the fluctuations of a Heart-Devouring Insect.

The Kuiyin Sect had already possessed very few Heart-Devouring Insects to begin with. After the sect collapsed and its high-ranking members were nearly wiped out, the remaining insects had scattered, their whereabouts unknown.

The Venomous Gu Art created by the Founder Kuiyin refined Heart-Devouring Insects into gu, which were divided into three parts: Planting the gu, controlling the gu, and releasing the gu. If one did not know the method of release, those afflicted by a Heart-Devouring Insect were almost doomed with no cure!

This Venomous Gu Art was extremely insidious and a closely guarded secret within the Kuiyin Sect. Only the Founder Kuiyin's direct disciples or those highly valued by the sect were given the opportunity to learn it.

Even ordinary Foundation Building disciples were unqualified.

Yue Wu had long been granted access to this art. He had diligently managed the Kuiyin Sect’s external affairs on behalf of Sect Leader Yi, even at the cost of his own cultivation progress.

Although Liang Yan had never been officially qualified to learn the Venomous Gu Art, he had a close relationship with Yue Wu. He often assisted Yue Wu and acted as his right-hand man, so he had managed to learn the method of controlling gu from him.

At that time, he had only been at the Qi Refining Realm, yet a Foundation Building cultivator under the control of a Heart-Devouring Insect was utterly submissive to him, not daring to disobey in the slightest.

After the Kuiyin Sect was destroyed, its disciples scattered in a desperate bid for survival, with only a handful making it out alive. Ironically, those who had once been controlled by the Heart-Devouring Insects were the ones who benefited from the sect’s downfall, regaining their freedom.

One of them had vanished mysteriously after the Kuiyin Sect fell.

The terror of the Heart-Devouring Insect was something only those who had experienced it firsthand could truly understand. Having barely escaped its grasp, none of them would ever want to fall victim to it again, which was why they had hidden themselves so thoroughly.

Over the years, Liang Yan had not encountered a single one of them.

Yet today, he had suddenly sensed the fluctuations of a Heart-Devouring Insect.

"So after all these years, some of the Kuiyin Sect’s survivors couldn’t bear it anymore? They’re finally daring to show themselves?"

Liang Yan smirked coldly, unsurprised by the turn of events.

No immortal cultivator could stay cooped up in a cave dwelling forever. Whether it was due to a bottleneck or a lack of cultivation resources, they would eventually be forced to venture out.

For decades, Yuanzhao Sect had relentlessly hunted down the remaining members of the Kuiyin Sect, making no effort to conceal their intent. With the full backing of Wuji Sect, one of the eight major sects, their campaign had been merciless.

Some Kuiyin Sect fugitives had even fled into demonic sect territory, only to be tracked down by Yuanzhao Sect. One such case occurred in Qingyang City, the easternmost point of the seven strongholds, where a captured Kuiyin Sect cultivator was publicly executed and left hanging as a warning.

This caused an uproar among the demonic sects.

However, Yuanzhao Sect had been careful not to provoke unnecessary conflicts. They only targeted members of the Kuiyin Sect, a grudge stemming from a personal vendetta between the two factions.

Demonic cultivators were naturally self-serving and indifferent, unwilling to risk their lives for the Kuiyin Sect’s remaining members. They only made a token show of opposition, ensuring that the Yuanzhao Sect did not act completely unchecked.

Nearly all the well-known Foundation Building elders of the Kuiyin Sect had been slaughtered. The few survivors were forced to live like rats in the shadows, terrified to expose themselves.

Fortunately, Liang Yan had only been in the Qi Refining Realm at the time and had never formally apprenticed under a master, making him an insignificant figure. Had he been marked by the Yuanzhao Sect, he would not have had such an easy life.

The Yuanzhao Sect couldn’t be bothered to waste resources on minor disciples like him.

Many former Qi Refining disciples of the Kuiyin Sect had successfully erased their past and remained hidden, surviving as long as they acted with caution.

Of course, none of them had been able to learn the Venomous Gu Art.

But he never expected to run into this person here.

Liang Yan sensed that the Heart-Devouring Insect's fluctuation was growing more distant.

The person in question seemed to have come in a hurry and was now quickly leaving Fengcang Market, likely only stopping for a brief supply run—proof of their extreme caution.

A sharp glint flashed in Liang Yan’s eyes. He steadied his qi, then pushed open the door and stepped out.

The sheer power of the Heart-Devouring Insect was something Liang Yan remembered vividly.

He wasn’t sure if the Venomous Gu Art would be effective against Golden Core cultivators, but one thing was certain—if the target was merely at the Foundation Building Realm, they would undoubtedly become his puppet!

The stronger, the better!

A surge of excitement coursed through Liang Yan, his face lighting up with anticipation. But he was a cautious man by nature; he wouldn’t act recklessly.

His spiritual consciousness firmly locked onto the movement of the venomous gu, Liang Yan stepped outside. He paused briefly, glanced toward the room on his right, then waved his hand to deactivate the barrier before striding straight in.

Inside, a beautiful middle-aged woman sat cross-legged in meditation—it was Shi Hong.

Startled by the sudden disturbance, Shi Hong opened her eyes and was momentarily shocked to see someone enter. Upon recognizing Liang Yan, her expression softened slightly, but she remained wary.

"It’s Senior Brother Liang. You’ve suddenly left seclusion—do you have something urgent to attend to? Perhaps I can assist you instead?"

A shadow flickered in Liang Yan’s eyes, but he ignored her question and instead asked coldly, "Did you refine the Cold Essence Fruit?"

Shi Hong nodded, smiling bitterly. "I followed the shopkeeper’s instructions exactly, refining the spiritual fruit without wasting even the slightest bit of its medicinal energy. Unfortunately, its effects don’t seem as miraculous as claimed. My bottleneck remains unbroken."

Shi Hong’s cultivation was still stuck at the eighth stage of the Qi Refining Realm, unable to break through to the ninth stage despite being trapped at this bottleneck for decades.

Liang Yan gave Shi Hong a deep, scrutinizing look and remarked indifferently, "The bottleneck of the ninth stage is the greatest hurdle at the Qi Refining Realm. Back then, I also went through great lengths before barely managing to break through."

"But with your extraordinary talent and the Yan Luo Banner as support..."

"I’ve helped you find no fewer than ten different elixirs over the years, yet you remain trapped. That is quite surprising."

"It seems that even dual spiritual roots are not omnipotent."

A deep sense of shame washed over Shi Hong as she lowered her head and murmured, "It is my own dullness that has disappointed you."

Liang Yan shook his head.

"The one who should be disappointed isn’t me, it’s you." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"With your age and talent, if you were to break through now, I could still help you obtain a Foundation Building Pill, giving you a fair chance at advancing to the Foundation Building Realm."

"But if you delay for a few more years, there won’t be even the slightest hope left."

"You possess dual spiritual roots, making you qualified to reach the Golden Core Realm, yet you are stuck at the Qi Refining Realm. Don’t you find that regretful?"

"I originally planned for us to become partners after you reached the Foundation Building Realm, so we could travel the world together as immortal companions—how wonderful would that be?"

"But tell me, Junior Sister, how much longer do you intend to make me wait?"

Being reprimanded so directly, Shi Hong bowed her head in embarrassment. Yet, beneath the angle unseen by Liang Yan, her eyes gleamed with deep-seated hatred.

"I just remembered something urgent. I’ll return soon," Liang Yan said as he turned and stepped out of the room. Before leaving, he added, "Stay in the cave dwelling and cultivate properly. Do your best to break through as soon as possible."

Closing the door behind him, his expression instantly darkened. With a cold snort, he muttered to himself, "Did you really think I don’t know what’s on your mind? If not for the fact that you’re still obedient and useful for handling minor affairs, do you think I would have tolerated you for this long?"