Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 1112: Heavenly Spiritual Root
The three alliance leaders of the great merchant guilds arrived together. All the Core Formation Realm cultivators present remained silent, their eyes filled with curiosity as they looked toward the mighty figures in the front row, hoping for a spectacular confrontation.
To their disappointment, the three merely exchanged brief greetings before ceasing all conversation.
The mottled, ancient gate of Seven-Kill Hall seemed to hold some strange allure, drawing the gaze of every Spiritual Infant grandmaster there. None of them spoke a word, their eyes fixed upon that massive doorway.
Qin Sang quietly studied the three merchant alliance leaders. He had joined the Dongji Alliance long ago, yet this was the first time he had seen the alliance leader in person. He was a refined scholar in appearance.
The three merchant alliance leaders were exceedingly mysterious and rarely showed themselves in public, leading to endless speculation from the outside world.
Some said their cultivation levels rivaled those of the Devil Lord and Lingzhuzi, that they too were great cultivators. Otherwise, the righteous and devilish paths could not possibly have tolerated the existence of the merchant alliances.
Others claimed their strength was somewhat inferior, and that only by uniting could they maintain their influence. Even though the three alliance leaders stood right before him, none revealed their aura, leaving Qin Sang unable to discern their true cultivation.
From the Devil Lord’s earlier words, Qin Sang had picked up on a few hints. The three merchant alliance leaders seemed to be cultivators burdened by treasures that made them targets of envy; for that reason, they seldom dared leave their cave dwellings. Their cultivation might be slightly beneath that of the Devil Lord and Lingzhuzi.
Of course, all this was only Qin Sang’s conjecture. A faint unease rose in his heart. He had not expected the various human overlords to all gather here, making the situation within Seven-Kill Hall increasingly complex. He could only hope it would not affect him.
Soon, more cultivators arrived in groups. They were all members of the merchant alliances. To Qin Sang’s surprise, among them was a familiar face. Su Nu!
Decades ago, during the chaos of the Demonic Sea, Qin Sang had ventured into its depths with Granny Yue to rescue a woman in exchange for Maoshan Vine and the qualification to return to the Inner Sea. That woman had been Su Nu.
Since then, Qin Sang had not visited Granny Yue again, nor had he met Su Nu. He never imagined they would reunite here.
Su Nu walked among several Core Formation Realm cultivators, following behind a Spiritual Infant grandmaster of the Dongji Alliance. Her posture was upright, her gaze straight ahead as she stepped into the plaza and stood behind the alliance leader. Granny Yue was nowhere to be seen.
"So she followed the alliance leader into Seven-Kill Hall... Her status in the Dongji Alliance is so high now! Is she not Granny Yue’s disciple?" Qin Sang frowned inwardly.
He had once suspected that Su Nu and Granny Yue’s relationship was not simple. Seeing this, his doubts deepened.
"Huh? Her cultivation..." Qin Sang gasped sharply, a trace of shock flashing across his eyes.
Su Nu’s cultivation had already reached the late stage of the Core Formation Realm! Back when they had rescued her, she had only been at the Foundation Building Realm.
In just a few decades, she had crossed multiple realms, even breaking through the formidable Core Formation barrier, reaching the late stage, which was nearly equal to himself. The discovery utterly stunned Qin Sang.
At that time, he had already been at the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm. Comparing himself to her now, Qin Sang felt as if his years of cultivation had all gone to waste.
Perhaps only someone possessing a Heavenly Spiritual Root, unrestricted by the Core Formation bottleneck, could have such astonishing progress.
He sighed softly in his heart. I let a true cultivation genius slip by my side.
No wonder Granny Yue had gone to such lengths to save her. Aside from rare spiritual herbs and ancient arts, the resources the Dongji Alliance could offer far exceeded what Shaohua Mountain possessed. With that kind of support, it was natural for Su Nu to advance so swiftly.
Chenyan and Su Nu, he had now met two prodigies with Heavenly Spiritual Roots. Their reputations were indeed well deserved. He only wondered whether Su Nu, like Chenyan, would one day be trapped at the bottleneck before forming her Spiritual Infant.
Qin Sang noted how Su Nu stood silently among the crowd, closely following behind the Spiritual Infant cultivator, a clear sign of her elevated position. Su Nu kept her head lowered, saying nothing.
Then, as if sensing something, she suddenly turned to glance behind her, a flicker of doubt passing through her eyes before she looked back toward the entrance of Seven-Kill Hall.
"Junior Sister, what’s wrong?" The handsome young man beside her leaned closer with concern.
Su Nu’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, and she shook her head. "It’s nothing. Why hasn’t Seven-Kill Hall opened yet? I heard this time it’s different from the past, only a little more than a hundred years have passed since the last one. Could there be something wrong with the trial realm the alliance leader mentioned?"
"So long as Seven-Kill Hall opens normally, the trial realm will appear. Don’t worry, Junior Sister. I’ll do everything I can to obtain a bottle of Soul-Cleansing Liquid for you. Besides, the alliance leader favors you greatly. Even if the trial realm lacks Soul-Cleansing Liquid, he’ll surely find a similar spiritual herb for you. With your talent, you don't need to worry about forming your Spiritual Infant." The young man patted his chest, his tone full of confidence.
Su Nu lowered her gaze, her voice soft and docile. "I don’t dare accept such great kindness from you and the alliance leader. Then I shall wish you success in obtaining the Soul-Cleansing Liquid and forming your Spiritual Infant soon."
No one noticed that, deep within her beautiful eyes, a faint shadow of gloom quietly flickered.
***
Everyone waited before the Seven-Kill Hall for a full hour. The number of cultivators entering gradually dwindled. Suddenly, the ancient plaque above Seven-Kill Hall burst into dazzling light. At this sight, the cultivators’ spirits lifted instantly.
The light on the plaque grew brighter and brighter until it was almost impossible to look at directly. Seven-Kill Hall itself, along with the entire white jade plaza, began to tremble softly.
Bang! The gates of the Seven-Kill Hall suddenly opened on their own.
At the same time, the light on the plaque condensed into a single beam, shooting toward the ground and dividing the entrance into left and right sections. Then the hall returned to stillness, showing no further change.
A ripple of commotion spread through the crowd, yet none dared to act rashly. All eyes turned toward the Devil Lord and Lingzhuzi. Lingzhuzi turned his head toward the Devil Lord.
The Devil Lord waved a hand indifferently. "You go. I can’t be bothered with such trivial matters."
Lingzhuzi took no offense. He stepped up the staircase and came to the gates of the Seven-Kill Hall. Reaching out, he extended his hand into the beam of light, as if touching the plaque through the air.
After a brief moment, he nodded slightly and withdrew his hand, turning toward the gathered cultivators with a faint smile. "The entrance to the trial realm has opened. You may enter. It seems the inner hall remains stable and unaffected by its early emergence. Fellow Daoists, you may be rest assured."
The crowd broke into joyful murmurs.
***
Meanwhile, far from Seven-Kill Hall, at the edge of a celestial barrier...
Within a secluded mountain hollow, several cultivators hid in silence, completely suppressing their auras without the slightest leak. One of them was none other than the Nine Phoenix Monarch.
"Jiao King, you tricked us all into coming here. Can you speak plainly now? How much longer must we wait before entering the inner hall? Are you certain you can breach the humans’ sacred ground without being discovered? Don’t forget, you’re trapped in the Inner Sea just like we are. If we’re exposed, there’ll be no escape. We’ll all be slaughtered by those immortal cultivators." The speaker was a burly man whose deep, gruff voice carried both impatience and concern.
The strange thing was that a massive black tortoise shell covered his back. The person being questioned was a middle-aged man with an imposing presence. Hearing this, he turned his head to look at the Nine Phoenix Monarch.
