Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 858: Hunting Demonic Beast

The shopkeeper left.

Qin Sang quietly studied the young man.

This man had handsome features, and his cultivation was already at the late stage of the Core Formation Realm. His aura was concealed so well that even more so than Granny Yue, Qin Sang could not see through him.

More importantly, there was not a trace of demonic qi on his body. This meant that he had either already used a spiritual herb to purge his Malevolent Demonic Qi, or he had never taken a Malevolent Demonic Pill and instead achieved Core Formation on his own.

Over the years, among all the Core Formation cultivators Qin Sang had encountered, very few were like this young man.

To resist the temptation of the Malevolent Demonic Pill required not only extraordinary talent but also a will of iron. Without doubt, this young man’s strength surpassed that of cultivators at the same realm.

"I have been entangled in troubles and cannot go to Tianxing Island in person to meet you, Daoist. I had no choice but to trouble you with a trip here. I hope you will not take offense," the young man surnamed Fang said, bowing.

Qin Sang smiled freely. "Daoist Fang overstates the matter. As long as the task can be accomplished, a trip is no big deal."

"Daoist Qin is straightforward indeed! Then I will speak frankly. I have an important matter at hand and am seeking capable helpers. The one I invited earlier met with misfortune and cannot come. That shopkeeper happened to highly recommend you..." The youth surnamed Fang spoke at length, explaining the situation.

Qin Sang nodded inwardly. After listening, he glanced toward the mountaintop and asked, "I wonder how many others Daoist Fang has invited? Or is it just the two of us?"

The young man shook his head. "There are still several Daoists cultivating atop the mountain. They are helpers I invited as well and will accompany us. If you agree to lend your aid, I shall introduce you to them."

Qin Sang said solemnly, "I do have some interest, but I know nothing of your goal. It is difficult to decide without that knowledge."

The young man smiled. "There is nothing much to conceal. My purpose is simple. I wish to ask you all to help me slay a demonic beast."

"Hunt a beast?" Qin Sang was startled, frowning. "Do you mean in the Demonic Sea?"

The Demonic Sea at present was nothing less than a deadly place. Having escaped once, he had no desire to be dragged back in.

The young man shook his head. "Not the Demonic Sea. The creature is within our Inner Sea. Everyone knows the situation in the Demonic Sea. I would never risk my life for a single demonic beast."

That was good. Qin Sang was an experienced hunter of demonic beasts, and had even once joined forces to kill a giant tortoise at the late stage of the Demonic Core Realm.

His expression eased, and he looked the young man over. "With your cultivation, ordinary demonic beasts should pose no trouble. Could it be a late-stage Demonic Core great demon?"

Such a creature was rare even in the Demonic Sea. Even if encountered, most cultivators would think first of escaping, not of hunting it.

Beyond Desolate Island, there must be many such beasts now. The question was whether one had the skill to hunt them.

A great demon with a powerful bloodline ability could trouble even a Spiritual Infant grandmaster. If that was Daoist Fang's target, no wonder he sought help.

"Correct. The creature I am after is indeed a late-stage Demonic Core great demon. Moreover, it has unique talents and extraordinary abilities, not to be compared to ordinary beasts. To ensure success, I have prepared a spiritual array. Those Daoists are practicing its variations now..."

But when Qin Sang pressed him further, Daoist Fang refused to reveal what kind of beast it was.

Daoist Fang said firmly, "Daoist Qin, do not ask again. Until the end, I will not speak of it. This beast is extremely rare and bears upon it a peculiar item that I need for my cultivation. That is why I am willing to pay such a price to request your aid. When it is done, the beast’s corpse belongs to me. You may not take a single shred!"

The reward Daoist Fang offered disappointed Qin Sang. It was only one high-grade spirit stone.

"The beast is in the North Sea? A round trip may take several months. To travel so far for one high-grade spirit stone..." Qin Sang showed hesitation.

Daoist Fang frowned. "It is only beast hunting. Daoist Qin, you merely need to oversee the array. How many stones do you want?"

Qin Sang glanced at him. "I will need at least six high-grade spirit stones."

"Six!" Daoist Fang’s brow furrowed deeply. "First of all, I do not even have that many spirit stones. Even if I did, I would never spend so much for a single beast. You are not my only helper. Even if I gave everything I had, I could not afford it. How about this... I am lacking manpower at present. If you fully cooperate in slaying the beast, I can add one more stone afterward and form a good bond with you."

This person seems to be quite wealthy indeed! Qin Sang thought.

Qin Sang accepted the invitation without hesitation. At the same time, he calculated that it would be wise to maintain good relations with this man. Later, he could press for another stone. With that, he would have enough to refine the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions.

Once they had agreed, the two headed toward the mountain summit.

They came to a cave at the back of the mountain. Qin Sang felt a chill streaming out from within. The cultivator auras he had sensed earlier were inside. He gave the young man a curious look.

Daoist Fang explained as he led the way down, "This Ice Cave was discovered by chance. Inside lies a cold spring. By borrowing the chill of the spring, I refined the Heavenly Cold Wind Array..." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The deeper they went, the sharper the cold grew, white mist curling in the air.

After several turns, a spacious cavern appeared before them. At its center lay a pool, emanating intense cold qi yet never freezing.

At the pool’s edge sat four men, each holding a crystal tablet. The four identical tablets linked their qi together.

When they infused true essence into them, the tablets released cold qi that transformed between them into streams of icy currents, forming and dispersing in cycles.

They were practicing the array, though with only four the variations were incomplete. Qin Sang and Daoist Fang remained silent, watching until the final change was complete.

Qin Sang’s eyes fell on one burly man with a thick beard, and he showed surprise. "Daoist Qiu?"

The four put away their tablets. The burly man instantly rose, laughing loudly as he strode over. "Never thought the last helper would be Daoist Qin! With you here, I am at ease. That beast will fall into our hands easily."

"So, you two already know each other. Then I don't need to introduce you," Daoist Fang said with a smile, his expression giving nothing away.

Qin Sang nodded lightly, calmly sidestepping the bear hug, and returned the man’s fist-and-palm greeting.

This man’s surname was Qiu. He was a rogue cultivator from Baogu Mountain, famed for his fierce mastery of metal-elemental Dao Techniques. His cultivation had already reached the bottleneck of the late stage. Qin Sang had become acquainted with him back when he cultivated at Baogu Mountain.

But they had no deep ties. Daoist Qiu simply had a naturally warm and familiar manner, treating everyone like an old friend.

Besides Daoist Qiu, another face seemed familiar to Qin Sang. It was someone he had seen before but never spoken to.

It seems like Daoist Fang was not lying. All were recruited from Tianxing City. Qin Sang thought with a quiet nod.