Gateway of Immortality

Chapter 1112: Senior Sister

Cold qi leaked from the ice coffin in waves. Qin Sang looked at Qingjun, who stared at the ice coffin.She saw the peachwood sword that Qingzhu had hugged tightly. She remembered that, back in Wenyue Market, Qin Sang had bought such a wooden sword from her.

"Did he die not long ago?" Qingjun asked, seeing that Qingzhu’s body was intact instead of a pile of white bones. Her sharp eyebrows lifted, her gaze suddenly grew cold and a strand of anger crept into her tone.

After Qingzhu’s disappearance from Ziwei Palace, no one had heard from him. He had vanished without a trace.

For centuries they had been apart. Qingjun had known fragments of what had happened at Ziwei Palace and she understood that Qingzhu had been in terrible danger then, barely surviving. Everyone had assumed Qingzhu had died at Ziwei Palace long ago. Their mother had died with regret in her heart.

When Qin Sang realized her misunderstanding, he quickly explained. "Senior Qingzhu did not refuse to return. He severed his own primordial spirit to forcefully cultivate the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, leaving himself gravely injured. When the devilish soul turned on him, he spent all these years locked in a desperate struggle..."

Qingjun’s expression softened slightly. She sighed, half to herself. "Those who seek shortcuts must one day pay the price."

She knew well both Qingzhu’s life, as well as the power and hidden risk of the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment. She knew that Qin Sang was speaking the truth.

Qingzhu’s choice back then had indeed sown the seeds of his own downfall. But something in her tone caught Qin Sang’s attention, and his eyes flickered with surprise.

"He doesn’t seem to have died from the devilish soul’s backlash," Qingjun said coldly. "The wounds in his body are far from ordinary."

Senior Qingzhu had died from drawing sword qi into his body. Even the most powerful cultivators alive could hardly inflict such an injury.

Qin Sang nodded. "The devilish soul had been deceived and corrupted by an ancient Devil Monarch. He nearly broke through the ancient seal and released the Devil Monarch. Senior Qingzhu, driven by righteousness, sacrificed himself to destroy both the devilish soul and the Devil Monarch. If not for that Devil Monarch, Senior Qingzhu might have returned with me..."

The memory of Qingzhu’s sacrifice still filled Qin Sang with sorrow.

"That does sound like something he would do," Qingjun murmured, then narrowed her eyes. "An ancient Devil Monarch?"

Qin Sang’s tone grew serious. "Although sealed for countless years, the Devil Monarch still wielded terrifying strength, crushing all the Spiritual Infant cultivators present. I remember that when Sin Abyss ambushed the celestial array, they summoned a three-headed, six-armed devilish shadow. Could that have been connected to the ancient Devil Monarch?"

It was a question that had long troubled him. Back at Yinshan Stronghold, he had tried to probe various factions for clues, but without contact with a Spiritual Infant grandmaster, he had found little.

Now that he had met Qingjun, he could not miss the chance to ask. His loved ones were all in the Small Cold Domain, and he would likely remain here for a long time, so he had to understand the greater war.

Qingjun thought for a moment before replying, "If Sin Abyss truly had such a powerful ancient Devil Monarch, the Small Cold Domain would already be reduced to ruins. Sin Abyss is strange indeed, but things have not reached that point."

After a pause, she lowered her eyes toward the ice coffin. "Did he leave any last words?"

"Senior Qingzhu asked me to bring his remains back to Peach Blossom Valley for burial. At the end, he bore no resentment or regret. He only said that those who had gone before had waited long enough, and now they could finally reunite in the afterlife."

Qin Sang looked toward the two graves and recited Qingzhu’s words exactly. Then he took out the jade slip inscribed with the Qingzhu Sword Scripture and presented it to Qingjun.

"This scripture was carved by Senior Qingzhu on a sheer cliff. It holds the most precious insights of his life," Qin Sang said.

Qingjun accepted the jade slip and silently studied the few lines upon it for a long time. At last, she handed it back. "He left this for you."

Qin Sang was startled, then quietly accepted it.

Qingjun stepped before the two gravestones and traced the carvings with her fingertips. After a long silence, she suddenly spoke. "Are you wondering why I don’t seem sad upon hearing this news?"

Qin Sang was taken aback. Ever since he had brought out the ice coffin, he had watched Qingjun closely.

Even as he recounted Qingzhu’s hardships and final words, her tone and expression had remained calm, as though she were listening to the story of a stranger.

He had sensed before that Qingjun was oddly detached whenever she mentioned Qingzhu. He had never imagined they were father and daughter.

Feeling it wiser not to overstep, Qin Sang replied carefully, "When Senior Qingzhu was trapped by the devilish soul, he saw the peachwood sword you carved. At the risk of being devoured, he broke free to ask about you. Upon hearing that you were safe and had advanced in cultivation, joy filled his face. Before he passed, he said that to you, he had failed as a father, that he was only your parent by blood. That's all—"

"There’s no need to be so cautious with me," Qingjun interrupted, seeing through his restraint. "No matter what, he was my father. You brought his body back. I will remember this."

After a brief silence, she added, "Since he chose you as his successor, from now on you may call me senior sister."

Qin Sang froze. He had indeed hoped to use this meeting to build rapport with Qingjun. Their past encounters had been nothing more than simple exchanges, yet he had not expected it to go so smoothly.

With Dongyang Bo as a looming threat, having a Spiritual Infant grandmaster as an ally was a tremendous boon.

"I, Qin Sang, pay my respects to you, Senior Sister!" he said at once, bowing deeply to acknowledge the bond.

He glanced toward the ice coffin and silently thanked Senior Qingzhu for his unspoken care.

Qingzhu must have understood his daughter’s nature well and foreseen that his burial in Peach Blossom Valley would lead to this outcome.

Qingjun then conjured a streak of light and sent a command token into Qin Sang’s hand. "This is the elder token of Yuanshen Sect. With it, you may freely enter and leave Peach Blossom Valley and cultivate here. As an elder of Yuanshen Sect, you will not need to fear interrogation or suspicion."

Her tone turned cool again. "Qin Sang, whatever grudge lies between you and Dongyang Bo, do not involve me. If you seek vengeance, rely on yourself."

The warning sent a chill through Qin Sang’s heart. He understood perfectly that although Qingjun had accepted him because of Senior Qingzhu, there was no true relationship between them.

Qingjun had allowed him to open a cave dwelling in Peach Blossom Valley and even gifted him an elder token, so that before he broke through to the Spiritual Infant Realm, he would no longer need to worry about being discovered by Dongyang Bo. That was already an exceptional favor.

He must not push his boundaries! Qingjun held no grudge against Dongyang Bo.

Now that the Sin Abyss’s forces were pressing in and the crisis was far from over, Dongyang Bo, as a Spiritual Infant expert, remained vital to their side. In such circumstances, given Qingjun’s temperament, she would never take the initiative to oppose Dongyang Bo and trigger internal conflict within the Small Cold Domain.

Fortunately, Qin Sang had never harbored such thoughts.