Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 430: Forcing A Way

Cough, cough...

The bloodied man finally woke up.

The palace-clad woman’s goal was merely to forcefully suppress his injuries and awaken him to interrogate him about the situation.

He was gravely wounded and could not have recovered so quickly. Though he had regained consciousness, he remained extremely weak, coughing so violently it seemed as if he might hack up his heart, liver, and lungs—like a mortally ill mortal on the verge of death. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

It was unclear what secret art the woman had used, but after reviving the bloodied man, her aura also became incredibly unstable, clearly indicating she had expended a great deal of energy.

The gatekeeper quickly supported the woman, who was suffering from severe depletion of vital energy, before turning his attention to the bloodied man to clean off the blood and filth covering him.

A faint trace of spiritual power swept over the man’s body, cleansing away the bloodstains and revealing his true appearance.

Beneath the dried blood was the face of a middle-aged man in his forties. He had originally been quite plump, but now his entire left cheek had been sliced away by a sharp weapon, exposing a row of ghastly white broken teeth.

Additionally, a long blade wound ran across the bridge of his nose, nearly splitting his skull in two. The wound was dangerously close to his eyes; just a little higher, and he would have lost them both.

The two wounds were gruesome, making his already unremarkable face terrifying to behold. The onlookers couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

Earlier, out of concern for disrupting the palace-clad woman's efforts to save him, no one had dared to probe the bloodied man using spiritual consciousness or spiritual power. Now, seeing his true appearance, someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed,

"Senior Brother Liu?! Is it you?"

A figure immediately darted out from the crowd, rushing to the bloodied man’s side.

Someone quickly recognized him.

"That’s Qiao Jiang from the Xuling Sect!"

"So this man is a disciple of Xuling Sect. How did he end up in this state?"

Qiao Jiang pushed aside the gatekeeper and carefully supported the injured cultivator, speaking softly, "Senior Brother Liu, it’s me, Qiao Jiang. We met before at Dixuan Mountain. Do you remember?"

Qin Sang had long heard of Dixuan Mountain of the Xuling Sect.

Within Xuling Sect’s territory, there existed a peculiar mountain called Dixuan Mountain. It was said that this mountain was not located on the surface but was hidden deep underground—a mountain within a mountain.

Beneath Xuling Sect, there lay a vast fire vein, considered the largest in the Small Cold Domain. This entire underground fire vein was occupied by Xuling Sect.

What made this fire vein unique was that it converged right beneath the sect’s main grounds, forming a massive hollowed-out cavern underground. Inside this cavern, a small, peculiar mountain floated above the fire vein, suspended in mid-air.

The mountain was neither connected to the sky nor the ground, existing in complete suspension. It had been tempered by the searing heat of the fire vein for countless years, causing its rock to undergo a metamorphosis, birthing a type of flame that resembled earth fire yet was fundamentally different, and vastly more powerful.

It was said that this fire could be used to refine astra, and Core Formation Realm cultivators of Xuling Sect often relied on Dixuan Mountain’s flames to forge their astra, reducing the depletion of their own Pill Fire in the process.

Xuling Sect was renowned for its expertise in artifact refinement, a reputation that stemmed from the existence of this extraordinary fire. Dixuan Mountain was considered the very foundation of the sect’s power.

Even the jade slip given to Qin Sang by Shopkeeper Wu contained records of a Golden Core cultivator refining astra with the flames of Dixuan Mountain.

"Junior Brother Qiao..."

The injured Liu cultivator finally recognized his fellow sect member. His voice was weak, air whistling through his broken teeth.

Qiao Jiang was overjoyed and immediately pressed him for answers, "Senior Brother Liu, what happened? How did you sustain such grievous wounds?"

"I—cough, cough..."

Having just regained consciousness, Liu appeared dazed, before erupting into another violent fit of coughing.

Qiao Jiang hurriedly helped him regulate his breathing, speaking rapidly, "Senior Brother Liu, we’re at a trade gathering... How many people from the Tianxing Alliance came? Speak quickly! We have many fellow cultivators here who can avenge you..."

"Trade fair..."

"Yes! The trade fair!"

Liu suddenly jolted fully awake, gripping Qiao Jiang’s arm and sitting up abruptly. With urgency, he turned to the gatekeeper and pleaded, "Where is Saint Pei Qin? Please, quickly inform the senior to go and save them..."

The crowd was stunned by his words.

Only Core Formation cultivators were entitled to be addressed as saints.

The true power backing this trade fair is actually a Core Formation Realm cultivator? No wonder they dared to organize such a grand event in this place.

Many present felt a sense of relief, grateful that they had resisted the temptation of greed and refrained from breaking the fair's rules. In the past, there had been those who had caused disturbances at the trade fair, but all of them had vanished without a trace. Their fate was clear for all to see.

A tremendous sense of security followed, and the tension in their hearts eased slightly.

If the sky collapsed, there would be someone taller to hold it up.

At the very least, having a Core Formation Realm cultivator present was like having a backbone to rely on. Even if unexpected changes arose, they wouldn't be entirely powerless to resist.

The crowd’s gazes instinctively swept toward the passage leading to the second level of the hall. Does this Core Formation Realm cultivator named Pei Qin have his cave dwelling right beneath the hall?

However, the gatekeeper let out an awkward laugh and said, "Daoist, I don’t know anyone named Pei Qin, nor do I understand who you’re talking about..."

Before the gatekeeper could finish speaking, Liu took a deep breath. Suddenly, he raised his arm high, gripping a gleaming command token in his palm. With his head tilted back, he mustered his remaining spiritual power and shouted in a hoarse voice, "I, a disciple following Senior Uncle Fang and Saint Shentu of Yuling Sect, was ambushed and besieged by multiple Golden Core cultivators from Tianxing Alliance. The situation is dire. Senior Uncle Fang and Saint Shentu are trapped and have ordered me to come to this trade fair to seek the assistance of Saint Pei Qin. The message has been delivered. May the Saint bear witness!"

His voice echoed throughout the entire hall.

Having uttered those words in one breath, Liu exhausted the last of his strength. His body went limp, collapsing into Qiao Jiang’s arms as he lost consciousness again.

Clang!

The command token fell to the ground with a crisp sound. It was forged from black iron, with an ancient inscription of the word "Cold" engraved upon it.

"You...!"

The gatekeeper had no time to stop him, stomping his foot in fury.

The expressions of those present varied. Everyone had heard rumors of this command token; it was said that very few people possessed one.

To combat the Tianxing Alliance, the various sects of Small Cold Domain had cast aside their differences and worked together in unison.

Seeing this token was akin to seeing a Spiritual Infantl Realm cultivator in person.

In times of crisis, once it was activated, no one could defy its authority—not even Golden Core cultivators—unless they no longer wished to operate within the Small Cold Domain.

Judging from the gatekeeper’s reaction, it seemed he did not want to disturb his master and get involved in this trouble. However, Liu had openly forced the issue before so many witnesses, leaving no room to maneuver.

The command token carried significant authority, but it was not an absolute decree.

Had Liu approached privately, Pei Qin could have easily feigned ignorance, claiming he had never received the request, and simply killed Liu to erase all traces of the message. Without evidence, no one could hold him accountable.

Unfortunately, today happened to be the day of the trade fair. Dozens of people were present, including disciples from the Eight Major Sects of the righteous path, all of whom had witnessed this scene with their own eyes. Keeping it a secret was impossible.

Unless...

Would they really kill everyone here to silence them?

The crowd exchanged uneasy glances, their hearts filled with apprehension, not daring to act recklessly.

Although there were many Foundation Building experts present, and they were not necessarily afraid of a Core Formation Realm cultivator, this was still the opponent’s territory. No one knew whether the hall contained deadly killing arrays.

The people here were nothing more than a disorganized rabble. Coordinated resistance was unlikely. If chaos broke out, everyone would prioritize their own survival. Those who fled too slowly would meet certain death.

Now, all they could hope for was that this Core Formation cultivator named Pei Qin wasn’t a lunatic. Otherwise, dying here today would be a tragic fate indeed.

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