Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 398: The Division of Astra

Thinking of the astra, Qin Sang took Yu Hua’s Mustard Seed Pouch.

Yu Hua’s Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions had been destroyed by Qin Sang, but that did not affect the astra.

Qin Sang held two identical astras in his hand, both stemming from the same source.

He learned from Yu Hua that before Founder Kuiyin had transcended, he passed down five Yan Luo Banner astras to his five major disciples.

When the Kuiyin Sect collapsed, Daoist Jiupao and another Golden Core cultivator each possessed one banner, while one went missing.

Qin Sang knew that Sun De had taken the missing banner when he infiltrated Shaohua Mountain.

Yi Tianye possessed two astras; he kept one for himself and gave the other to Zhao Yan to steal the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid. Later, that astra ended up in Yu Hua’s hands and, after many twists and turns, returned to Qin Sang.

On the night of the calamity, Yi Tianye and another Golden Core cultivator were executed on the spot. The Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions in their possession, if it had not been destroyed, should have fallen into the hands of the Yuanzhao Sect.

Yu Hua personally witnessed the Yuanzhao Sect’s leader detonate Daoist Jiupao’s life-bound astra in an explosion. He escaped by relying on the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions, though it was also left broken and severely damaged.

Later, Daoist Jiupao repeatedly encountered pursuers and himself ended up with his physical body destroyed and his Golden Core gravely injured. The probability that his astra got destroyed was high.

Even if it had survived, repairing the artifact proved very difficult—no easier than healing Daoist Jiupao’s own wounds. Otherwise, the Kuiyin Sect would have already restored all ten Yan Luo Banners and revived Founder Kuiyin's legacy.

At that point, among the five Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions, Qin Sang held two, the Yuanzhao Sect had sealed two, and Daoist Jiupao possessed one.

These Yan Luo Banner astras were a set of treasures that Founder Kuiyin had refined with his life’s effort. It was said that if all ten were gathered and arranged into a demonic array, their power would rival that of high-grade astras, even being able to stand against top-grade astras.

Golden Core cultivators generally used artifacts, talisman astra, or low-grade astras. Only those with abundant resources or good fortune obtained a middle-grade astra, and merely a few outstanding ones possessed a high-grade astra. High-grade and top-grade astras were treasures reserved for Spiritual Infant cultivators. It was said that throughout the Small Cold Domain, top-grade astras were exceedingly rare.

With these treasures, Founder Kuiyin carved out a notorious reputation and dominated the Small Cold Domain, causing its cultivators to tremble at the mention of his name. Unfortunately, he left no successors, and his lineage had been severed.

Even a single Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions ranked among the best within low-grade astras.

Qin Sang gripped the two Yan Luo Banner astras and pondered silently, unsure whether astra, like their artifact-forms, required six to work in concert and form a demonic array.

Yu Hua was also unclear about this.

Looks like I need to break through to the Golden Core Realm to verify this. Qin Sang thought to himself.

Those primary souls, which had devoured most of his blood and essence, could barely hoist one Yan Luo Banner by expending nearly all their strength—it was impossible for them to drive two astras at the same time.

After putting away the astras, Qin Sang continued rummaging through the Mustard Seed Pouch.

In the end, he found only three exceptional top-grade artifacts.

One resembled a Vajra[1] twisted into a knot; it had been completely ruined and held no value for repair.

Judging by the deep palm print engraved on it, he knew it was the doing of the flying yaksha.

Another artifact, called the Thousand-Raven Urn, initially made Qin Sang think it had a special function. However, after he refined it, he discovered that it was a defensive artifact.

The Thousand-Raven Urn could release billows of smoke that would transform into countless ravens, forming a defensive array moving with the owner’s will. It could be both soft and hard, with endless variations.

Its power surpassed that of the multi-colored parasol, and its operation was entirely at the owner’s command—extremely effective.

However, the Thousand-Raven Urn lacked sufficient smoke, likely exhausted by the flying yaksha, and needed time to regenerate.

There was also a flying sword. Qin Sang held it in his palm and examined it carefully.

The flying sword bore an imprint of corpse poison that had not yet dissipated—another mark left by the flying yaksha. Several cracks marred its center, but fortunately the sword had not broken and could still be repaired.

Once his skills in artifact refinement improved, he planned to use it for practice.

The physical body of the flying yaksha is truly terrifying!

Qin Sang put away these artifacts and muttered to himself.

Based solely on what he knew, the exceptional top-grade artifacts that Yu Hua had seen destroyed by the flying yaksha included the breastplate, the Vajra, and the flying sword.

The body of the flying yaksha had been tempered by a corpse core and by the Earth Malevolent Qi, rendering it far tougher than ordinary artifacts and no longer something that could be regarded merely as flesh and blood.

Unfortunately, he did not wish to follow the path of the corpse and become a refined corpse; he dared not let the Earth Malevolent Qi temper his body and strove to avoid it at all costs. Otherwise, with such a powerful body, one could easily traverse both heaven and earth.

He continued his search but did not find any talisman astra.

Qin Sang was not dejected; he knew he needed time to prepare. The power of the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions and the astras far surpassed that of talisman astra, and there was no worry about their energy being depleted.

Finally, Qin Sang took out two jade bottles, and a look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

They turned out to be two bottles of Lilong Pills!

The effect of Lilong Pill was similar to that of the Qi Gathering Pill, but its medicinal potency far exceeded that of the Qi Gathering Pill; it was a high-quality pill for strengthening one's foundation.

No wonder Yu Hua cultivated at such a rapid pace.

Qin Sang had left the Yuanzhao Sect at the age of twenty-five, and now he was seventy-two—by all accounts, it had been less than fifty years.

It should be noted that Yu Hua’s innate talent was not particularly remarkable; otherwise, he would not have taken so long to break through to the Foundation Building Realm, nor would he have betrayed his sect to serve as an insider for the demonic sect in order to achieve it.

Fifty years, from just breaking through the Foundation Building Realm to reaching the Fake Core Realm, was considered very fast in the entire immortal cultivation world.

Yu Hua had probably consumed a great many miraculous pills, and he even had some to spare.

Qin Sang grinned as he stowed the two bottles of Lilong Pills away, silently thanking Yu Hua for helping him quicken his own pace of cultivation.

His greatest haul included the astra and the two bottles of Lilong Pills, along with several thousand spirit stones. Qin Sang sorted the other items into categories and stored them in his Mustard Seed Pouch.

After he finished clearing out the spoils, Qin Sang was overjoyed. His losses had yielded such a bounty that it was absolutely worth it, though he hoped never to face such an ordeal again.

Reflecting on the events, from the moment Yu Hua forced him to reveal himself, every step had felt like walking on a knife’s edge. One misstep would have led to irreparable ruin, and Qin Sang vowed that he would never encounter such a situation again.

When he learned that Yu Hua had entered the Endless Valley in search of medicinal herbs and had sensed the fluctuations of the Heart-Devouring Insect before catching up, and that he had no accomplices, Qin Sang felt relieved.

As he continued to ask questions, Yu Hua’s primordial spirit began to decay.

The ice hall was not quiet; outside the icy walls, howling winds and blizzards constantly battered the ice, producing a relentless clattering sound.

Qin Sang looked up at the view beyond the icy walls but still saw no sign of the Wandering Man. He wondered how the man was faring and whether he had obtained the Night Lily.

With his injuries being severe, Qin Sang decided to remain in the ice hall to recuperate.

He did not hurry to dispel the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, for he intended to use it to deceive the flying yaksha when leaving.

Sitting motionless in meditation within the hall, Qin Sang felt the chaotic spiritual power within him gradually calm down. With the help of pills and his cultivation arts, the injuries to his dantian and meridians began to improve.

Time passed by minute after minute.

After what seemed like an eternity, Qin Sang awoke from his meditation and exhaled a big breath of air.

When he examined himself using inner vision, he found that his injuries had not yet fully healed, but fortunately, they did not significantly affect his strength.

1. The Vajra is a legendary and ritualistic tool, symbolizing the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force). In Hinduism, it has also been associated with weapons. ☜