Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 310: Spoils of Battle

In the sealed cave dwelling, Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the ice bed, using his inner vision to carefully inspect himself. The injuries he had sustained at Qiuhong Market had mostly healed, leaving no lasting impact on his cultivation.

However, his Qihai remained unchanged.

He had long since confirmed that the damage to his foundation had no hope of self-healing. His only hope lay in the Dark Patterned Heyun Pill to resolve this sickness.

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On that note, he wondered if the Ninefold Azure Frost Grass could heal Wandering Man’s damaged soul.

Waking from his meditative state, Qin Sang tilted his head back to stare at the rough, stone ceiling above, his thoughts wandering. After a moment, he reached into his robes and retrieved Luo Xingnan’s Mustard Seed Pouch.

As for Ge Yuan’s possessions, apart from the Blue Dew Epiphyllum, the two best artifacts had been given to Shangguan Lifeng. The remaining items were of little value.

The real treasure lay with Luo Xingnan.

The most prominent among these was the silver knife talisman astra.

Qin Sang examined the cracked talisman astra carefully, sensing the remaining power within.

Luo Xingnan had been decisive in his final desperate attack, pushing the talisman astra to its limits and severely depleting its power.

If used sparingly, it might last for two more activations in less intense situations. However, in a prolonged or fierce battle, it would likely be rendered useless after one activation.

Though the jade ruyi was destroyed, obtaining this silver knife—damaged as it was—helped offset the loss. It was better than nothing.

Among the items, Qin Sang found the Yin-Yang Luopan to be the most practical.

Undoubtedly, the Yin-Yang Luopan was a top-grade artifact, though its function was quite specialized. While the yin-yang magnetic light it emitted provided some defensive capability, the artifact was not primarily designed for offense or defense.

The luopan was crafted from a rare magnetic stone. Its alternating yin-yang magnetic light created a unique interplay of attraction and repulsion. The black magnetic light repelled, while the white magnetic light attracted. Both forces were extremely potent, as Ge Yuan’s demise had demonstrated.

The magnetic light could be controlled at will, offering countless strategic uses.

In complex battles, it could disrupt enemy formations, catching opponents off guard.

This kind of artifact was something Qin Sang would not miss. After refining it slightly, he claimed the Yin-Yang Luopan as his own. To test it, he flicked a finger at the stone wall, breaking off a small fragment.

The Yin-Yang Luopan’s alternating light caused the fragment to hover and spin in midair. Though Qin Sang’s initial control was clumsy, he gradually grew more adept at wielding the artifact.

After experimenting for a while, he stored the Yin-Yang Luopan within his body for continued nurturing.

Aside from these, Luo Xingnan’s collection of artifacts did not rival the Yin-Yang Luopan in quality. The jade trident was missing—likely destroyed during the Hook Snake attack—but the remaining artifacts had their unique uses. Qin Sang had been stressing about the lack of artifacts, so he categorized and kept them all.

Luo Xingnan’s spirit stones were disappointingly few, barely exceeding a thousand low-grade stones. As a rogue cultivator, most of his resources had been spent on artifacts, pills, and talismans to enhance his strength.

Without a stroke of luck or a major windfall, it was impossible to accumulate significant wealth.

Finally, Qin Sang retrieved two jade boxes and set them before him.

One box contained the Blood Dripping Ghost Mushroom, while the other held the Blue Dew Epiphyllum.

Having consulted Wandering Man earlier, Qin Sang already understood the effects of these two spiritual herbs.

While both were thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, the Blood Dripping Ghost Mushroom was undoubtedly more valuable. However, for Ge Yuan, the Blue Dew Epiphyllum was a priceless treasure, something he would never have traded.

This was because, when paired with a few other spiritual herbs, the Blue Dew Epiphyllum could be used to refine a pill known as the Dilu Pill. The other ingredients required for the Dilu Pill were valuable but not as rare as the Blue Dew Epiphyllum and could be acquired with patience.

For cultivators practicing wood-based arts, consuming this pill could cleanse their spiritual power. When encountering bottlenecks, the pill provided significant aid in breaking through.

This effect was particularly pronounced during the Foundation Building Realm. Though the Dilu Pill offered limited help for Core Formation, its value was enough to make any cultivator covet it.

Unlike the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, which allowed breakthroughs by comprehending the killing symbol, most cultivators had to painstakingly overcome bottlenecks with each realm advancement.

For some, bad luck might leave them stuck at a bottleneck for decades, as in the case of Yu Dayue.

The earlier one reached the Fake Core Realm, the more time they would have to prepare for Core Formation, a crucial advantage not to be underestimated.

Qin Sang’s foundation stemmed from the water-based art Netherworld Scripture. Even after switching to the Sutra of Profound Jade Cauldron and the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, his spiritual power had remained water-based. Since his cultivation path did not require the Dilu Pill for breakthroughs, the Blue Dew Epiphyllum held little value for him.

However, for cultivators who practiced wood-based arts, the Blue Dew Epiphyllum was an essential treasure. Ge Yuan, being a practitioner of such arts, had been desperate to acquire it, though he never got the chance to benefit from it.

At the right moment, Qin Sang could exchange it for something he needed.

Nodding to himself, Qin Sang shifted his gaze from the Blue Dew Epiphyllum to the other jade box.

The Blood Dripping Ghost Mushroom was a palm-sized, lingzhi-shaped spiritual mushroom. Its defining feature was its vivid, blood-red hue.

The mushroom's intertwined mycelium resembled blood vessels, so plump that they seemed ready to burst with blood at the slightest touch.

These mycelia formed a ghostly face on its surface, their eerie appearance enhanced by the mushroom’s crimson color, as if it were an evil spirit emerging from a bloody pool.

This unique appearance gave the Blood Dripping Ghost Mushroom its name.

Among the seven spiritual herbs Qin Sang had acquired, this mushroom was the most valuable. It could be directly refined and absorbed, aiding cultivators in advancing their cultivation.

Furthermore, when combined with Heartless Orchid and three other rare spiritual herbs, it could be refined into the Weeping Blood Pill, a spirit pill that also enhanced the cultivation of Core Formation Realm cultivators.

However, the other required herbs, such as the Heartless Orchid, were equally rare and expensive. In the modern world of immortal cultivation, gathering all the ingredients for the Weeping Blood Pill was an exceptionally challenging task.

Only when encountering a Core Formation Realm cultivator actively preparing to refine the pill could the Blood Dripping Ghost Mushroom fetch an exorbitant price.

For Qin Sang, the best option was to refine the mushroom directly to advance his cultivation.

According to Wandering Man’s analysis, directly refining the Blood Dripping Ghost Mushroom would result in some loss of medicinal energy. In the end, its effects would likely be comparable to the Dark Patterned Heyun Pill.

Qin Sang gazed at the Blood Dripping Ghost Mushroom, his face reflecting deep thought. Ultimately, he decided not to refine it for now.

Whether the Dark Patterned Heyun Pill could repair his foundation was still uncertain. If it failed, he would need to convert the pill’s medicinal energy into cultivation enhancement.

However, his cultivation progress was restricted by the killing symbol, requiring time for comprehension. If he used the Blood Dripping Ghost Mushroom to force an advancement, he wouldn’t have enough time to grasp the killing symbol, rendering the pill’s effects wasted.

Since the Blood Dripping Ghost Mushroom could be refined at any time, there was no rush.

With a wave of his hand, Qin Sang stored both spiritual herbs. Then, he retrieved Luo Xingnan’s corpse, the Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles, and several five-elemental yin objects, preparing to refine them into a malevolent corpse.

A corpse of a middle-stage Foundation Building cultivator, once refined into a malevolent corpse, would possess combat capabilities rivaling an early-stage Foundation Building cultivator.