Gateway of Immortality
Chapter 404: Blood-Red Wood

Chapter 404: Blood-Red Wood

Qin Sang relied on the meager warmth provided by the Crimson Core as he struggled to withstand the biting cold.

He kept a constant eye on the Crimson Core in his hand, silently counting the moments; he knew he must leave the deep cavern before the Crimson Core burned out, or his life would be forfeit—no treasure, however valuable, could save him otherwise.

He moved swiftly, hurtling downward with astonishing speed.

He had no idea how deep he had descended, and there was not a trace of the natural treasures to be seen.

Before he knew it, the ice layer had vanished, revealing a bed of permafrost below.

Even after penetrating the thick ice layer, he still did not encounter the source of the Malevolent Frost Wind.

Where did this wind originate, and what has spawned it?

Qin Sang marveled inwardly as he continued downward along the frozen earth. He discovered that the cavern grew ever wider; at its deepest, it opened into a vast abyss whose boundaries were unseen. Inside, countless streams of pale azure wind flowed like schools of fish—drifting toward the cavern’s mouth only to be seized by wind pillars, merging into one and carried outward.

Daring not to enter the abyss, he knew that these pale blue winds were the very essence of the Malevolent Frost Wind. Even a wisp as thick as a forearm would have frozen him solid in an instant.

Have I misjudged everything and there's nothing here? Or perhaps the nest of the Lightning-Devouring Falcon lies beneath the abyss?

After all, given the might of the Lightning-Devouring Falcon, it would have no qualms facing the Malevolent Frost Wind.

It seemed his journey had been in vain.

Qin Sang silently sighed inwardly and clenched his fist—the Crimson Core in his palm had already been partially consumed, and lingering here would serve no purpose.

Just as he was about to turn back, his gaze fixed on a distant stone wall; it appeared that he had inadvertently discovered something, and his steps halted abruptly.

After a brief moment’s hesitation, Qin Sang pressed close against the stone as he circumnavigated it. Not far along, he indeed observed that behind several protruding boulders lay a pitch-black entrance.

The opening was modest—only about one person in height, though wide enough for three to pass side by side—and was perfectly concealed by the boulders.

Could this be the nest of the Lightning-Devouring Falcon?

For a creature whose outspread wings could cover both sun and moon, such a cave seemed far too small.

Not fully understanding the habits of the Lightning-Devouring Falcon, Qin Sang’s expression grew hesitant. He slowly extended his spiritual consciousness into the cave and discovered that no barrier existed within; the cold wind poured into the stone cavern, as bitter as it was outside.

It appeared to be nothing more than a naturally formed, rugged stone cavern.

After a moment’s contemplation, he checked the evasion technique he had on him, ensured his concealment, and then cautiously stepped into the stone cavern.

The cavern was deep, and after advancing a short distance, Qin Sang’s eyes widened as he sensed a faint warmth emanating from the depths—the chill of the wind had noticeably abated.

Taking a few more steps forward, he noticed a subtle red glow flickering in the dark recesses of the cave, which aroused his suspicion.

Glancing at the Crimson Core in his hand, Qin Sang pursed his lips, gritted his teeth, and leaped forward without hesitation.

A wave of heat rushed toward him, instantly dispelling the cold that clung to his body.

Soon after, an overwhelming surge of spiritual qi flooded in, rejuvenating his spirit as he marveled inwardly.

The most potent spiritual qi he had ever encountered had been in that cavern behind Shaohua Mountain, where after enduring the Red Dust Gourd trial during his Foundation Building, he had taken refuge. That mountain was the abode of Grandmaster Dong Yangbo’s cave dwelling, where all the spirit vein resources converged, a marvel his own spiritual spring could never rival.

Yet this cavern before him far surpassed even that in splendor.

Qin Sang widened his eyes as he surveyed the cave dwelling before him.

Despite its proximity to the Malevolent Frost Wind, the cave dwelling exuded not the slightest chill but instead an extraordinary warmth. This was due solely to the red river flowing within—it was no ordinary river of magma but an underground fire vein!

Beside the fire vein, a clear, diminutive river flowed in parallel.

This small river was even more remarkable; it was a river of spiritual qi drawn from a spiritual spring.

The spiritual spring had converged into a river!

With the fire vein on one side and the river of spiritual qi on the other, the entire scene within the cave dwelling was profoundly influenced by their presence.

Along the side of the fire vein, clusters of jade-like plants grew—resembling some form of red coral—while along the banks of the spiritual qi river, lush green grass spread, bursting with vitality.

These two starkly contrasting scenes coexisted within the cave dwelling, each complementing the other in vivid contrast, creating an exceptionally surreal tableau.

Once he had taken in the full expanse of the cave dwelling, Qin Sang was convinced that this must indeed be the nest of the Lightning-Devouring Falcon!

Such a cave dwelling was extraordinarily rare and nearly impossible to come by; only Transformation Realm demonic beasts and Spiritual Infant grandmasters could ever hope to locate and claim such a sanctuary.

Qin Sang marveled at the wondrous scene within the cave dwelling. His eyes swept over every corner, and gradually a look of disappointment crept onto his face.

Whether it was the fire vein or the river of spiritual qi, the plants growing around were nothing more than ordinary herbs—none bore even a faint resemblance to any celestial treasure.

If even he dismissed these things, what could possibly merit the trouble of those two Spiritual Infant cultivators?

But wait—the source of the river of spiritual qi, the spiritual spring—where is it?

Fixing his gaze deep into the cave dwelling, Qin Sang cautiously ventured inside and silently landed on the flat ground between the two rivers. After covering a short distance, he finally reached the ends of both streams.

There, a jade pool constructed from spiritual jade emerged before his eyes.

The circular pool spanned over ten zhang in diameter and was exquisitely crafted, every piece of jade having been meticulously polished.

Indeed, the source of both the fire vein and the river of spiritual qi lay in this very jade pool.

Two distinctly different waters each occupied one half of the pool, and right at their center, a silvery-white lightning orb floated silently on the surface.

The jade pool resembled a nest nurturing the lightning orb.

Inside the orb, strands of lightning flickered intermittently—even the slimmest bolt possessed dreadful power.

Sensing the formidable qi radiating from the lightning, Qin Sang’s heart skipped a beat, and he dared not approach any closer.

Within the lightning orb, he discerned tiny white fragments that, despite being continuously pummeled by lightning, remained utterly unscathed; he could not fathom what material they were composed of.

Yet what captivated his gaze most was something else within the jade pool.

One half, with its crystal-clear water, was the domain of the spiritual spring. In that spring, a striking surge of blood-red light had soared upward, dyeing the water a faint, blood-red hue and rendering the scene extraordinarily eerie.

When he looked closer, Qin Sang discovered that beneath the blood-red light lay a patch of blood-colored spiritual wood.

The wood appeared entirely as if it were made of blood, its dark, tainted crimson shade exuding a repulsive aura that even the clearest spiritual spring could not mask.

Such a sight naturally evoked thoughts of decay and withering.

For a moment, Qin Sang was stunned; then a spark of insight suddenly flashed through his mind. His eyes filled with profound shock and wild joy.

"Is this... the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood?" he murmured, fixated on the blood-red wood as he could not tear his gaze away.

The Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood—one of the Ten Divine Woods of the world—was the fabled wood of utter destruction!

Suddenly, Qin Sang recalled how Wandering Man had once mentioned a secret: in Endless Valley, there had been an Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood that, amid a contest among Spiritual Infant cultivators, was shattered, its fragments scattered throughout Endless Valley. Many cultivators had sought this divine wood, yet all had found nothing.

Can this piece of wood be one such fragment—shattered and deposited here, hidden and nurtured within the warmth of the spiritual spring by the Lightning-Devouring Falcon?