Gateway of Immortality
Chapter 427: Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasp

Chapter 427: Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasp

Qin Sang was utterly astonished.

He and Xie Ying had received two completely different orders.

The Seven-Leaf Night Queen that Xie Ying spoke of was an important ingredient for the Kanli Golden Pill. Qin Sang had only learned of this from Qi Yuanshou, and it was likely that Xie Ying and the others were unaware of its significance.

Considering the importance of the Kanli Golden Pill, receiving such an order was not surprising.

It seemed that he held some weight in Qi Yuanshou’s eyes, and he had firmly secured this powerful backer.

Qin Sang felt fortunate to have seized the opportunity to align himself with Qi Yuanshou. Without this connection, he would never have been able to remain outside so peacefully over the years. He might have ended up like Xie Ying, thrown into some perilous situation as mere cannon fodder.

Of course, his relationship with Qi Yuanshou was fragile at best. To Qi Yuanshou, he was not indispensable—just someone convenient to use and casually lift up when needed.

No matter how hard Qin Sang racked his brain, he could not figure out what he could possibly offer Qi Yuanshou.

The only valuable possessions he had were a few astras, but there was no way he would hand them over.

Seeing Xie Ying still lamenting his situation, Qin Sang’s expression turned slightly stern, and he said in a deep voice, "The sect is not devoid of reason. Strategies change with shifting circumstances. When you received your order, the situation was not as tense as it is now. What is there to be surprised about? Senior Uncle Qi has a broad and benevolent heart, prioritizing the well-being of his disciples. How could he risk their lives over a mere spiritual herb? Do not speak such pointless words again, lest you invite trouble upon yourself."

Xie Ying’s expression stiffened. He quickly stowed away his grievances and respectfully bowed. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother. I have learned my lesson."

Qin Sang nodded slightly and surveyed the surroundings, glancing at the deep waters of the lake before turning to Xie Ying. "Junior Brother Xie, Senior Uncle Qi’s secret decree does not need to be disclosed to the other disciples for now. From this moment on, you will be in charge of arranging personnel for constant vigilance, night and day. If anything goes awry, we must be ready to adapt accordingly."

With Qi Yuanshou’s secret decree in hand, Xie Ying felt reassured and much more at ease. Without needing further prompting from Qin Sang, he diligently carried out the instructions.

Qin Sang was more than happy to relax and occupied Xie Ying’s cave dwelling.

The cave dwelling’s spiritual qi was decent—barely sufficient for his cultivation.

Since breaking through to the late stage of the Foundation Building Realm, Qin Sang had frequently moved between Tianyou Stronghold and Qingyang City to investigate the remaining members of the Kuiyin Sect. His experiences had sharpened him considerably, and his comprehension of killing symbols had not lagged behind. However, he had lacked sufficient time for cultivation.

Being assigned to guard the herb garden was the perfect opportunity for him to focus on his cultivation.

Still, Qin Sang remained cautious. At first, he cultivated intermittently, frequently pausing to observe Xie Ying and the others in secret.

Only after confirming that everyone was behaving obediently, without any signs of unrest, did he finally settle down to cultivate in peace.

Seasons passed.

In the blink of an eye, two years had gone by.

Since arriving at the herb garden, Qin Sang had rarely stepped out of his cave dwelling.

One of the few times he did was when a battle erupted not far from the herb garden. The battle was an intense clash between cultivators from the Tianxing Alliance and the Small Cold Domain.

Xie Ying, deeply alarmed, hurriedly roused Qin Sang from his meditative state.

Qin Sang had long heard of the Tianxing Alliance, but this was the first time he had witnessed their combat firsthand.

Both sides were formidable, each boasting several Foundation Building cultivators, including powerful late-stage ones. It was unclear whether they had been pursuing each other and ended up here, or if they had encountered each other by chance and engaged in a deadly battle near the herb garden.

Hiding behind the garden’s protective barrier, Qin Sang watched the entire fight with rapt attention.

After all, these people might become his greatest enemies in the future. Knowing one’s enemy was the key to victory.

Through this battle, Qin Sang realized that Tianxing Alliance cultivators were not all that different from them. Their fighting techniques relied on spells, artifacts, talismans, and forbidden artifacts—nothing particularly unique.

The only difference lay in their arts, which determined the variations in their individual strengths.

They were all immortal cultivators, yet they fought each other to the death despite having no deep-seated grudges.

The only thing that caught Qin Sang’s eye was a Yuling Sect disciple on the Small Cold Domain’s side, who commanded a magnificent demonic tiger.

This cultivator was only at the middle stage of the Foundation Building Realm, yet his demonic tiger was equally formidable, possessing the strength of a middle-stage Demonic Spirit Realm beast.

The tiger’s fangs were like swords, its claws like blades. It moved like lightning, swift as the wind.

Man and beast fought as one, displaying a level of power that even Qin Sang found astonishing. Despite being up against a late-stage Foundation Building cultivator from the Tianxing Alliance, this disciple could still hold his ground.

To have nurtured such a powerful spirit beast, this person must have spent an immense amount of effort and dedication—something that could never be achieved overnight.

Seeing the spirit beast unleash such formidable power, Qin Sang couldn’t help but feel envious.

This reminded him of the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasp hive he had obtained in Endless Valley, filling him with frustration.

After leaving Endless Valley, he had occasionally experimented with cultivating the Ghost-Headed Wasps, following the insights of a Golden Core cultivator from Yuling Sect. He purchased medicinal herbs and concocted spiritual medicines to rear them, though he had not invested much effort, merely doing it casually.

It was not until fifteen years later that the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasp larvae finally broke out of their pupae. Their appearance was identical to the ones he had seen in the past.

However, when Qin Sang attempted to tame these demonic wasps, history repeated itself. Despite being larvae, they were just as temperamental as before, each one self-destructing without hesitation.

They refused to submit!

Qin Sang was dumbfounded, inwardly cursing.

After multiple failed attempts, he came to a realization—these Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps had incredibly chaotic intelligence, making it utterly impossible to subdue them.

He finally abandoned the idea of taming them.

Still, the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps had their advantages—their combat prowess was a notch higher than that of ordinary Ghost-Headed Wasps.

Even though he had not invested much effort, he had still raised them for so many years. It would be a waste to discard them entirely, so he could only keep them in his Spirit Beast Pouch and raise them slowly.

Since he had yet to find a way to subdue them, continuing their cultivation served no purpose. If he wasn’t careful, they might even turn against him instead of being used against his enemies.

For this reason, Qin Sang never wasted his Crimson Fire Gilded Gold on them.

His supply of Crimson Fire Gilded Gold was limited, and he intended to reserve it for a truly exceptional exotic insect, one worthy of careful cultivation.

The battle raged on for an entire hour. Though this location was closer to Small Cold Domain, the Tianxing Alliance held the advantage. While the Small Cold Domain cultivators were not yet in mortal danger, they were forced to hold their ground. They couldn’t even spare anyone to retreat and report back.

As the battle continued and gradually shifted closer to the herb garden, Qin Sang grew increasingly concerned.

If the battlefield moved directly above the herb garden, they would likely be caught in the crossfire, exposing the garden’s location.

Qin Sang could no longer stand idly by. After discussing with Xie Ying, they secretly reinforced the garden’s protective barrier. Meanwhile, Qin Sang quietly left the herb garden, distancing himself before pretending to be a passerby flying in from afar on his sword.

The streak of sword light cutting across the sky immediately drew the attention of both warring sides.

Qin Sang’s late-stage Foundation Building cultivation was exposed at once.

At this point, both sides were exhausted from prolonged battle. Any unexpected arrival of a powerful cultivator could disrupt the balance. Seeing the direction from which Qin Sang approached, the Tianxing Alliance members quickly assumed he was a Small Cold Domain reinforcement.

Without hesitation, they ceased fighting and decisively turned to flee.