Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 465: Temperament

Granny Jing had chosen her timing with incredible precision.

A narrow escape.

"Not bad!"

Granny Jing offered a rare word of praise.

"I trust that you wouldn’t harm me," Qin Sang replied.

This statement wasn’t entirely flattery. Back at Wenyue Market, he had already learned about Granny Jing’s temperament. She despised those who repaid kindness with betrayal and those who slaughtered their companions.

Granny Jing let out a light chuckle but made no comment on Qin Sang’s words. "Daoist Qin, keep moving forward."

Following Granny Jing’s guidance, Qin Sang ventured deeper into the forest.

Even so, he couldn't quite decipher Granny Jing’s intentions. Their path initially veered downward to the right, then shifted to the right for a long stretch before suddenly angling downward again, changing directions multiple times.

During their journey, Granny Jing honored her agreement. Whenever they encountered easily collectible Elemental Star Stones, she would pause long enough for Qin Sang to secure them before moving on. In truth, these brief delays barely slowed them down.

Her mastery over barriers was formidable. Aside from obviously unstable or overlapping barriers, any barrier with even the slightest flaw could not escape her keen eyes.

As a result, their progress remained mostly unhindered.

Observing Granny Jing’s decisions with careful attention, Qin Sang found himself learning quite a bit in the process.

The forest stretched on endlessly.

After traversing countless perilous barriers, they finally emerged from the dense woods. Gazing at the tangled expanse of brambles before him, Qin Sang exhaled deeply.

It wasn’t much but at least this bramble thicket had no barriers. At last, he could relax for a moment.

From the moment he had entered Zhitian Peak until now, less than a quarter of an hour had passed, yet he already felt mentally drained. The ancient barriers were simply too intricate.

Granny Jing instructed Qin Sang to pass through the bramble thicket while she sat cross-legged on his shoulder, seemingly sensing something. Eventually, she flew higher, scanning their surroundings from above.

Unlike the vast forest, the bramble thicket covered a much smaller area. Qin Sang swiftly crossed it, entering yet another wooded area.

This time, Granny Jing seemed to have determined their precise destination. She directed Qin Sang to proceed straight down to the right.

Along the way, they encountered several regions similar to the forest—some densely packed with barriers, others relatively sparse but well-hidden. Yet none posed a challenge to Granny Jing, who effortlessly identified and bypassed them.

Then, the terrain changed. Jagged boulders rose around them.

They had entered a stone forest. There was not a single plant in sight, only towering, bare stone pillars standing as tall as the ancient trees from before, their surfaces etched with marks left by wind and sand.

It was difficult to imagine how such a landscape had formed.

Within the stone forest, snowflakes drifted down in a blizzard, yet there was no trace of coldness.

The snowfall was, in truth, the manifestation of barrier fragments. Though it appeared to be a vast, feather-light snowfall with no solid footing, in reality, there were pockets of space where no snowflakes ever landed. The problem was distinguishing them.

From above, the Star Spirit Net descended, carrying two Elemental Star Stones into Qin Sang’s palm. Without pausing, Qin Sang swiftly navigated through the falling snow, his movements appearing perilous yet untouched by a single snowflake.

After several quick maneuvers, Qin Sang suddenly halted, his expression flickering with surprise. He glanced sideways at Granny Jing.

Just now, a subtle fluctuation of spiritual power had appeared ahead.

The disturbance had only lasted for an instant, but within the barriers, it stood out sharply—enough for Qin Sang to detect it.

Someone was ahead!

This was the first person they had encountered since entering Zhitian Peak.

"Keep going," Granny Jing said indifferently. She showed no intention of making Qin Sang take a detour.

With no choice but to comply, Qin Sang pressed forward, though now with heightened caution and a slower pace.

Soon, another wave of spiritual power fluctuations rippled through the air—this time, lasting longer than before. Qin Sang speculated that the person ahead was collecting Elemental Star Stones. The slow speed suggested they were likely using a Spirit-Sealing Bangle, which was highly inefficient at extracting Elemental Star Stones.

As he drew closer, Qin Sang had already deduced the person’s identity.

Sensing Granny Jing’s inquisitive gaze, he hesitated briefly before answering honestly, "It’s Daoist Wei from Guyi Sect."

The Guyi Sect was one of the major demonic sects of the Small Cold Domain, much like the Demonic Qingyang Sect. However, its disciples were not necessarily bloodthirsty fiends.

This man, surnamed Wei, was in the Fake Core Realm.

Granny Jing gave a slight hum of acknowledgment. "Avoid him."

Qin Sang sighed inwardly. A hint of disappointment but also a trace of relief. Granny Jing hadn’t changed.

It was a pity that the cultivator ahead was from the Small Cold Domain. If it had been an opponent from the Tianxing Alliance blocking their way, Granny Jing would likely have taken action without hesitation. Even if all the spoils went to Granny Jing, obtaining the corpse of a Fake Core Realm cultivator would still be a considerable gain.

Qin Sang no longer concealed himself and fully unleashed his movement art, speeding through the falling snow.

The Wei-surnamed cultivator soon noticed Qin Sang’s presence. Clearly, he hadn't expected to encounter anyone else here and was visibly shocked. He immediately abandoned his attempt to collect the Elemental Star Stones.

Moments later, Qin Sang felt a sharp intent lock onto him. The man was issuing a warning.

Without a word, Qin Sang altered his course and bypassed the Wei-surnamed cultivator.

At their closest point, only a few stone pillars separated them. The swirling snow obscured their vision of each other, but it couldn’t hide the fluctuations of spiritual power emanating from Qin Sang.

"Daoist Qin, is that you?"

The Wei-surnamed cultivator couldn't help but call out, his voice edged with tension. But he received no response.

Remaining motionless and on high alert, he made no aggressive moves, extinguishing Qin Sang’s final consideration of making a move.

The snow fell thick and heavy.

The two passed each other in silence. It was just a brief, passing encounter.

Unknowingly, half an hour had passed.

Qin Sang had been mentally keeping track of time. Without stopping, he had continuously collected Elemental Star Stones, filling more than half of his pouch.

Once he delivered Granny Jing to her destination, he could continue gathering more. If nothing unexpected happened, securing the top position wouldn't be an issue.

After all, he had spent most of his time traveling. The Star Spirit Net’s efficiency in collecting Elemental Star Stones was beyond what others could imagine.

For some reason, Granny Jing seemed to have grown more impatient.

After scaling a rocky outcrop, a massive canyon stretched before them, its depths obscured from sight.

Like the soaring peak they had seen earlier, this canyon was another prominent landmark. Their current position was slightly below the mountainside, yet they had already reached the opposite side of Zhitian Peak.

In half an hour, they had covered such a great distance.

The canyon was shrouded in an eternal black mist, completely concealing its depths. Within the darkness, faint flickers of light occasionally flashed.

Just as Qin Sang steadied himself at the canyon’s edge, before he could even take a closer look, Granny Jing’s command rang out, "Jump down!"

Her tone was firm, leaving no room for question. Qin Sang had no idea why she was in such a hurry, nor did he intend to ask.

He had no desire to die prematurely. The fewer secrets he knew, the better.

The canyon wasn’t exceptionally deep. Qin Sang reached the ground shortly after beginning his descent, but the air was bitterly cold.

Only after entering the canyon did he realize that countless barriers lay hidden within the black mist. They were well-concealed; without Granny Jing’s guidance, he wouldn’t have dared to move freely here.

Following the canyon’s path forward, the terrain sloped noticeably downward, as if the canyon were growing deeper.

After traveling a considerable distance, Qin Sang’s expression shifted slightly. He immediately restrained his aura, his eyes fixed on the shifting black mist ahead. It wasn’t an illusion.

"Senior, it seems like there’s someone ahead?"

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