Gateway of Immortality

The cat demon nodded and said, "It was simply a matter of luck for me. In my youth, I instinctively absorbed the spiritual power of heaven and earth, along with the essence of the sun and moon. After I began cultivating, I encountered a senior bamboo demon, who used a drop of Imperial Elixir to enlighten me, granting me innate wisdom and the ability to speak human language."

Hearing this, Qin Sang suddenly understood.

The realm of demonic beasts was divided into the Ordinary Demon Realm, Demonic Spirit Realm, Demon Core Realm, and Transformation Realm.

The origins and bloodlines of demonic beasts were incredibly complex.

Some demonic beasts with powerful bloodlines could reach the level of Golden Core Realm cultivators upon maturity, though their intelligence might not be particularly high. Meanwhile, legendary ancient divine beasts were born with strength comparable to human experts, and their wisdom equaled that of humans, yet they could not reach the Transformation Realm easily.

Demonic beasts like the white cat, being ordinary beasts, were akin to mortals. They first instinctively absorbed the spiritual qi of heaven and earth, then cultivated step by step. The difficulty they faced was no less than that of human cultivators.

When demonic beasts in the Ordinary Demon Realm advanced to the Demonic Spirit Realm, they gradually awakened their intelligence, but they remained bound by their instincts. It was only after condensing a demonic core and entering the Demonic Core Realm that their intelligence increased significantly. Eventually, they would undergo the tribulation of transformation and become great demons of the Transformation Realm, indistinguishable from human cultivators.

Imperial Elixir was a miraculous substance birthed by heaven and earth when a demonic beast underwent the tribulation of transformation. Records described it as resembling countless olives, strung together by golden threads and hanging down to the mortal world. Plants and trees that absorbed its essence could become demons.

It was said that Imperial Elixir was indispensable for demonic beasts to transform and was immensely beneficial to human cultivators as well. It could also directly awaken the intelligence of ordinary beasts, making it a highly coveted treasure for countless demonic beasts.

The white cat had been fortunate enough to be enlightened by the Imperial Elixir, which explained why its intelligence rivaled that of humans.

For the bamboo demon to casually gift such a divine object, even if it was not a Transformation Realm demon, it must have an extraordinary background.

Most great demons in the Small Cold Domain gathered in the western demonic territory at Heavenly Demon Hill. Are there also great demons secretly cultivating within Shaohua Mountain or the Yuncang Marshlands?

If they don't make a move, it's fine, but once they do, they have to be eliminated!

Qin Sang grew more vigilant of the cat demon and asked sternly, "You and I are strangers. Who sent you? What do you have to report to me?"

The cat demon did not answer. Instead, it nodded at Qin Sang and then waved a piece of bamboo. An azurelight shot out, and after a while, it returned, carrying the silhouettes of several hundred people.

The azure light deposited them in front of Qin Sang, sprawling them across the ground. Among them were young children, as well as men and women in their prime. Their clothing was coarse, their faces sallow—clearly, they were all from impoverished families.

These people, like the young man earlier, had sunken eyes and pale faces, though they weren’t as emaciated. Each of them lay motionless on the ground with their eyes tightly shut, resembling rows of corpses.

Qin Sang glanced at them indifferently, his voice chilling. "What is the meaning of this? Are you trying to threaten me with these mortals?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The cat demon looked sincerely at Qin Sang and said, "These are villagers from Black Tiger Valley at the foot of the mountain. None of them died after being taken up here. Hei Kid... oh, my companion, cultivates a demonic art that requires sacrifices of blood, but he has never killed an innocent person. After capturing these villagers, his demonic art flared up, but he only absorbed a little of their blood and vitality. If we return them and let them rest for a while, they’ll recover. The reason he did this was simply to lure Gu Tiannan and you here. I want to ask, are you a high-level cultivator from the immortal sect backing Gu Tiannan?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Sang suddenly had a foreboding feeling. But since this creature wasn’t of his own kind, its words couldn’t be trusted. He didn’t answer and instead said, "Continue."

"Let me tell you a story, Mister," the white cat said.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, but the mountains were shrouded in eerie coldness. Surges of azure light towered into the heavens. From the outside, the azure light fluctuated violently, as if a fierce battle was raging inside.

Within the azure light, there was one person and one cat, with hundreds of unconscious mortals lying between them.

The cat spoke, while the man listened.

A boy named Hei Hu once lived a peaceful and prosperous life in a small mountain village, surrounded by his harmonious family, with both parents alive. However, one day, disaster struck—his entire family was slaughtered by a demonic cultivator, turning the whole village into a scene of hellish carnage. He alone narrowly escaped with his life, becoming an orphan.

Later, he became the disciple of a martial artist, learning a set of combat skills, and made a name for himself in the martial world. Yet, he never forgot the deep-seated grudge of his family's massacre.

He traveled across the Guyuan Kingdom, seeking revenge against the demonic cultivator. Instead, he stumbled upon a legendary scroll of immortal cultivation. After practicing it, he realized in horror that the demonic art required the consumption of human souls, treating mortals as blood sacrifices.

The boy suddenly realized that the person who slaughtered his family was very likely someone who also practiced this demonic art. He began to follow the clues, and eventually discovered that over the past few decades, not only in the Guyuan Kingdom but also in several neighboring small nations, similar tragedies had occurred. He finally uncovered a demonic cultivator’s hidden cave dwelling.

According to the last words left behind in the cave, his investigation ultimately led him to Gu Tiannan…

The white cat spoke quickly and concisely, as if pressed for time.

"He knew he wasn't a match for Gu Tiannan, and having fallen into demonic cultivation himself, even if he found other immortal cultivators, they wouldn’t believe his words without proof. So, he decided to take revenge with his own life."

After hearing the story, the first thought that popped into Qin Sang’s mind was that it was a trap.

The information the white cat revealed shook Qin Sang.

"Gu Tiannan's cultivation is at the thirteenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm?"

Despite having interacted with Gu Tiannan for so long, he had never sensed anything unusual.

The white cat replied, "That's right. Not only Gu Tiannan, but even his disciple’s cultivation isn’t inferior to yours. If it weren’t for the protective bamboo left by the senior bamboo demon, we would have been killed by them long ago. Last time, Hei Kid attempted to take revenge personally, but only then did he realize Gu Tiannan’s true strength. He was caught off guard and severely injured. Though I managed to save him, the wounds were too grave. Even if he survives this time, he won’t live for long."

Qin Sang, however, was focused on something else. "Did Gu Tiannan lure others into practicing demonic arts and then devour them to boost his cultivation?"

The white cat nodded. "From what we know, that’s exactly the case."

Qin Sang’s eyes flickered as he pondered for a moment, then asked, "What is your relationship with Hei Kid? Why are you helping him? Do you expect me to suspect my fellow senior brother as the mastermind behind this, based on just your words?"

The white cat answered, "My family had some ties with his ancestors. I have my own reasons for helping him. I know you won’t believe me. But if you're willing to come with me, you’ll see the truth with your own eyes. Time... is running out."

The white cat stepped out of the green light and turned to look back at Qin Sang, awaiting his decision.

Qin Sang had long harbored suspicions about Gu Tiannan. After hearing the story, he was already seventy to eighty percent convinced. However, hearing was not the same as seeing.

The azure light continued to stay in place, disguising itself as though a fierce battle was raging within. Qin Sang activated the Falling Cloud Wings, while the white cat concealed itself. One after the other, they flew deeper into the mountains.

"We’ve arrived!"

As they were about to cross a mountain, the white cat suddenly stopped and mouthed the words to Qin Sang.