Gateway of Immortality
Chapter 429: The Bloodied Man

Chapter 429: The Bloodied Man

Inside the stone chamber sat an elderly man.

He made no effort to conceal his identity. In fact, within the entire trade fair, cultivators like Qin Sang, who covered themselves meticulously from head to toe, were in the minority.

The elderly man had a head full of white hair and a kindly appearance. When he saw Qin Sang enter, he immediately stood up and asked, "Daoist, please come in! What might you be looking to purchase?"

The stone chamber was completely bare, with nothing inside. However, this was merely an illusion.

Qin Sang took a seat in front of the old man and opened his palm, revealing a token.

This token was the token of Tiange Tower.

"Have you brought the items I ordered last time?"

"So it’s Daoist Master Qingfeng!"

The elderly man's face lit up with joy before shifting into a more cautious expression. He waved his hand to activate the chamber’s barrier before retrieving a Mustard Seed Pouch from the back. From within, he took out two jade bottles and handed them to Qin Sang.

"Daoist Master, please inspect them. Do these two bottles of spiritual pills meet your requirements?"

Qin Sang uncorked one of the bottles, and a rich medicinal fragrance filled the air. These were indeed the foundation-strengthening and essence-nourishing pills he required, though their quality was even lower than Spirit-Gathering Pills.

He nodded slightly before taking out a spiritual sword and handing it to the elderly man.

"This is the sword we agreed upon last time. Please take a look."

This spiritual sword had been forged with Cold Gold. Trading it for these two bottles of pills was a loss for Qin Sang. However, given the current instability, he couldn’t afford to be too particular.

The spiritual swords he had accumulated were originally meant to be sold at the right time for a good price.

Now, more than half had been exchanged for medicine. Though these pills were far from ideal, he had no choice but to endure it; strengthening himself as quickly as possible was the priority. If he could reach the Fake Core Realm before the chaos erupted, it would be for the best.

After confirming the trade, Qin Sang put away the pills and prepared to leave.

Seeing this, the elderly man hurriedly stood up. "Daoist Master, wait!"

Qin Sang’s tone grew slightly colder. "Do you have further business? Are you dissatisfied with the sword?"

"No, no..."

The old man waved his hands repeatedly. "Please don’t misunderstand, Daoist Master. I have a message from above. Your sword-forging skills are extraordinary—it would be a pity to let them go to waste. Would you consider forging swords again? We can deliver spiritual materials here, and you would only need to focus on forging. The payment will remain the same as before."

Qin Sang’s expression turned contemplative. After a moment’s thought, he shook his head. "I have already spent too much time on artifact refinement. Right now, cultivation is my priority, and I have no plans to resume forging for the time being. However, once my strength improves, I will naturally pick it up again. My cooperation with Tiange Tower has been satisfactory. When the time comes, I will contact you."

He was not lying. Over the years, he had split his focus to study artifact refinement. If not for the Blood Dripping Ghost Mushroom, his cultivation would have progressed even slower.

At least until he reached the Fake Core Realm, Qin Sang had no intention of resuming sword forging.

Hearing Qin Sang’s response, the elderly man was pleased and did not press the matter further. He clasped his hands in farewell. "Then I shall await your good news."

Qin Sang nodded slightly before turning and walking out of the stone chamber.

By now, a few more people had gathered in the hall.

Seeing that there was still time, Qin Sang patiently wandered around. There were indeed some excellent treasures, but the prices were exorbitant—none were worth such a hefty sum.

After casually browsing for a while, he was just about to leave and return to the herb garden when a sudden, deafening explosion rang out.

Boom!

The hall instantly fell silent. The crowd's expressions shifted as all eyes turned toward the source of the commotion.

At the entrance of the hall, the doors to a stone chamber had been forcibly pushed open by a blood-soaked man. His entire body was drenched in crimson, and the moment he entered, he collapsed onto the ground, curling up as he let out agonized groans.

Immediately after, the gatekeeper wearing a tiger-head mask flew in from behind.

At first, the attendees of the trade fair assumed this man had tried to force his way in and had been struck down by the gatekeeper. Their gazes toward the masked guardian were filled with deep reverence.

The bloodied man was gravely wounded, his breathing weak. His cultivation was no longer hidden—it was clear that he was a late-stage Foundation Building cultivator!

A dignified late-stage Foundation Building expert had been beaten to such a state. Moreover, the battle had ended without any sign or warning. This meant the gatekeeper’s strength was far beyond what they had imagined.

The crowd could not help but be shocked.

However, just as they were processing this, the bloodied man struggled to his feet and let out a hoarse, desperate cry, "The Tianxing Alliance... they are launching a massive assault! They’re slaughtering us all! Quick... hurry and save them..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the man suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed onto the ground.

He had reached the end of his strength, just barely making it here.

"What?!"

"The Tianxing Alliance is launching a full-scale attack?!"

"How is that possible? There was no sign of this at all!"

...

The bloodied man's words sent shockwaves through the hall.

No one had been prepared for this. The sudden attack by the Tianxing Alliance had caught everyone off guard. Although the trade fair was well-hidden, the fact that the bloodied man had managed to make it here suggested that the battlefield was not far away, meaning they could easily be caught in the crossfire.

There were several dozen Foundation Building cultivators gathered at the trade fair, but if the Tianxing Alliance was launching a full-scale assault on the Small Cold Domain, they certainly wouldn’t rely on Foundation Building cultivators alone. How could anyone not panic?

The gatekeeper moved swiftly to the bloodied man’s side, hoisting him up as he spoke in a loud voice, "It may not necessarily be an attack by the Tianxing Alliance, there could be more to this. Fellow Daoists, do not act rashly!"

As he spoke, the gatekeeper's figure flickered, moving rapidly toward one of the stone chambers. He called out, "Quick, save him!"

A middle-aged woman in palace attire hurried out of the stone chamber. She knelt beside the bloodied man, examined him briefly, then retrieved a spiritual pill from her Mustard Seed Pouch and fed it to him.

At the same time, she extended her hand and tapped several points on the bloodied man's body, channeling subtle streams of spiritual power into him.

As the pill took effect and with the woman’s mysterious techniques, the bloodied man’s aura soon stabilized.

The gathered cultivators suppressed their growing unease, watching her actions with anxious expressions. They were all hoping the medicine would work quickly so the man could regain consciousness and explain the situation.

No one dared to leave recklessly. Without knowing the direction of the Tianxing Alliance's forces, they might walk straight into disaster and meet a swift end.

Qin Sang remained hidden among the crowd, his heart suddenly tightening. He could not tell if this situation would turn out to be a blessing or a curse.

Though he had stumbled upon this unexpected turn of events, being forewarned about the impending chaos might not be a bad thing. Otherwise, if he had remained in the herb garden, oblivious until it was too late, he could have ended up trapped with no escape.

Glancing around, Qin Sang subtly repositioned himself, moving closer to the stone chamber’s entrance. He was prepared to slip away the moment he learned more about the situation.

His fingers were already gripping the Yan Luo Banner of Ten Directions, concealed in his palm, while his ebony sword was ready at a moment’s notice.

He had no intention of staying with the crowd. Moving in a large group would make them an obvious target. Carrying valuable treasures, he knew that as long as he kept a low profile and avoided drawing the attention of the Tianxing Alliance's Golden Core experts, escaping wouldn’t be too difficult.

The real question was—-just how large was the Tianxing Alliance’s assault force?

At that moment, time seemed to stretch infinitely. Every cultivator was on edge, their eyes locked onto the bloodied man.

The palace-attired woman continued her treatment, sweat beading on her forehead. After a few tense moments, she suddenly exclaimed in delight, "He’s awake!"