Gateway of Immortality

Chapter 213: Fencing Stolen Goods

The malevolent corpse had blended in among the humanoid Cloud Beasts, slipping out from within. Qin Sang stayed behind, avoiding Mu Yifeng's line of sight, and quietly stowed away the malevolent corpse.

Catching up, he saw Mu Yifeng hesitating at the entrance of the passageway, seemingly reluctant to proceed.

Demonic qi surged continuously from within, carrying an icy chill. Streaks of bright red blood smeared the ground, a sight that struck fear into the heart. Flesh fragments and shattered bones were scattered everywhere, accompanied by sounds of scuffling and gnawing from within, suggesting that many humanoid Cloud Beasts had yet to be drawn out.

The eerie scene sent chills down the spine.

Mu Yifeng stood at the entrance, his expression shifting constantly, yet he didn’t dare to take that step forward.

Had he not already scouted ahead using the malevolent corpse, Qin Sang would have been as alarmed as Mu Yifeng at the sight. When he controlled the corpse to enter the passage, he had prepared himself to sever the connection at any moment, ready to abandon the creature if necessary.

Qin Sang murmured in a steady voice, "Be careful, Senior Brother Mu."

Mu Yifeng's expression grew even more grave. Sharing the same idea as Qin Sang, he first condensed a clone using his spiritual power before attempting to stealthily slip inside. Qin Sang didn't have to wait long; Mu Yifeng suddenly darted out, calling in a low voice, "Quick, let’s go!"

Another commotion echoed from within the passage. Having anticipated this, Qin Sang activated his movement art and followed Mu Yifeng. After regrouping with the others, Mu Yifeng took out a fragment of a leg bone.

"I dared not go too deep. Not long after entering, I alerted those humanoid Cloud Beasts. Daoist Yin has already been torn apart by them; I could only recover part of his remains."

Qin Sang understood that Mu Yifeng must have seen the chasm but ultimately refrained from descending. No matter how valuable the Qianyang Crystal was, it was just a spiritual material—life was more precious.

With Yin Xingge meeting such a gruesome end, who could guess what terrifying things lay within that crevice?

Seeing the bone fragment, everyone was horrified. Not daring to linger, they left the rift behind, feeling as though they’d narrowly escaped with their lives.

"The ore vein has mutated," Mu Yifeng said solemnly, "This must be reported to the Shadow Guards. Yuankong Town is the nearest settlement. Let's head directly there and take the chance to recuperate."

No one disagreed. After confirming their direction, they immediately flew towards Yuankong Town.

...

In Changyang Market.

With that, he took Qin Sang's black iron ring, lightly tapped it against the wall, then returned it to him before quietly exiting.

After the ring touched the wall, the spiritual array became fully visible. The wall shimmered like the surface of water, and a rippling effect gave way to the apparition of an elderly face.

The face's expression quickly became lively, and its gaze turned toward Qin Sang with a light chuckle. "Please forgive the caution, Daoist. I deal in perilous trades, so I must be vigilant."

"I understand." Qin Sang nodded, though inwardly, he remained wary of the spiritual array.

He made no effort to remember the appearance of the face—it was certainly a disguise, and this person likely didn’t reside within Changyang Market.

"What would you like to sell? Or perhaps you have something you wish to purchase?"

The face asked straightforwardly.

"Selling first, then buying," Qin Sang said in a steady voice. He reached into his Mustard Seed Pouch, and a dozen shimmering streams of light flew out, landing with a series of thuds on the table before him.

The glow faded, revealing a collection of artifacts.

Some of these artifacts had been obtained from Hermit Baiyun and Wu Yuesheng, while others were ones he’d gathered from the demonic sect cultivators in the mine.

The rest were relics of Yin Xingge.

Aside from the Spirit Beast Pouch, the malevolent corpse had also recovered a few scattered artifacts, some damaged and others intact.

Any artifacts that caught Yin Xingge’s attention were bound to possess special qualities and were rare among cultivators. Selling them openly in a shop would be unwise, so he opted for the Black Market, where he had an additional purpose in mind.

The eyes of the face gleamed upon seeing the artifacts but asked no questions regarding their origin. The spiritual array manifested a hand, which carefully assessed each artifact before saying, "These are excellent pieces, Daoist. Do you plan to sell them directly to me, or would you like to place them in the auction?"

Qin Sang asked gravely, "Selling directly to you—wouldn’t that mean a significantly lower price?"

The face let out a dry laugh. "You're funny, Daoist. I won’t boast, but I do pride myself on integrity. Selling these to me directly would mean no further concerns on your part. Of course, you can also put them up for auction, where I can ensure your absolute safety."