Gateway of Immortality

The grand princess seemed to grasp something. "You—"

Qin Sang impolitely interrupted her, pointing to the towering shadow in the distance. "Look at Holy Mountain Zhao over there. It has witnessed the Jade Palace transform from new to old, seen the previous dynasty's palace destroyed, and before that, it saw dynasty after dynasty rise and fall."

He then pointed to the sky. "Up there, perhaps there’s an immortal who has witnessed Holy Mountain Zhao rise from the seabed to the plains, growing cun by cun into this towering mountain. And when one day Holy Mountain Zhao collapses, that immortal may not even bother to look."

"My ambition is great," Qin Sang said with a self-deprecating smile, "I want to achieve immortality, to witness the birth and death of immortals."

The grand princess sighed deeply. "I understand… But have you thought about what will happen to Wu Chuanzong, Zhou Ning, and Zhang Wenkui after you leave? The heir to the emperor hates you deeply. If he can't find you, he'll take out his anger on them. Can they withstand that?"

Qin Sang turned to look at the grand princess, her eyes shining brightly.

…

On the night of the second day of New Year.

At the residence of the Marquis of Jiangzhou.

Qin Sang had dismissed all his personal guards, leaving him alone in the main hall, sitting with his eyes closed.

The dead of night was silent. Suddenly, the sound of soft footsteps outside the residence reached his ears. Qin Sang abruptly opened his eyes, picked up the bundle beside him, slung it over his shoulder, then drew his sword and slowly pushed open the main gate.

Torches illuminated the street, which was filled with elite soldiers surrounding the marquis's residence. Countless powerful crossbows were aimed at the gate.

Seeing this, Qin Sang couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

The wheel of fate had turned. Three years ago, he had led crossbowmen to besiege Xuanji Temple, and now it was his turn.

As he stepped out of the gate, a beardless man with a sharp voice shouted, "The Marquis of Jiangzhou is ambitious and has conspired with his subordinates to rebel. Now that your plot has been exposed, surrender at once! The heir to the emperor has decreed that anyone who resists shall be killed without mercy!"

Qin Sang’s expression remained unchanged as he scanned the soldiers, eventually spotting the heir to the emperor.

Four others stood beside the heir.

A seductive-looking woman, leaning closely against the heir, was none other than the Red Embroidered Lady, whose martial arts rivaled that of the White-Robed Scholar, making her one of the top martial experts in the martial world.

On the other side of the heir to the emperor was an old monk with a long beard almost reaching the ground, carrying a treasured sword on his back. Qin Sang had seen him at Xuanji Temple; he was the grandmaster who had killed an immortal cultivator with his sword light. The monk was likely over a hundred years old now.

He was here for revenge.

Next to the old monk stood a scholar whom Qin Sang had never met, but he knew this man to be the current master of Yanlan Manor, another sacred ground of martial arts in Great Sui, and an innate stage expert.

Lastly, in the darkness, there was a figure in a black robe, with a shadow seemingly perpetually shrouding his face, as if he always lurked in the shadows, never fully revealing himself—Black Crane Sage, the leader of Blood-Clad Tower.

There were three innate stage experts. The heir certainly didn’t underestimate him.

The heir seemed confident, with so many experts protecting him. He parted the soldiers and walked forward, smiling as he gazed at Qin Sang, his tone one of bitter disappointment. "General Qin, you were a mere commoner, yet you earned the grand princess's favor and were elevated to the rank of marquis. What more could you want? How could you secretly conspire with other generals to rebel? Do you not feel ashamed before the grand princess, before the emperor?"

Qin Sang replied calmly, "Your Highness, I don't understand what you're saying. Since entering the imperial capital, I’ve stayed in my residence, rarely stepping out. How could I have conspired with anyone?"

The heir to the emperor sneered. "You’ve conspired with your subordinates. The evidence is irrefutable, yet you still dare to deny it! Black Crane Sage, bring the culprits forward!"

To everyone's surprise, Black Crane Sage remained motionless, respectfully saying, "Your Highness, Blood-Clad Tower has not found any evidence of the Marquis of Jiangzhou conspiring or attempting to rebel. I do not know who you want me to bring forward. Please clarify, Your Highness."

His words caused an uproar.

The heir was stunned, turning sharply to glare at Black Crane Sage in disbelief. "You!"

Feigning anger, Qin Sang spoke firmly, "I have been entrusted by the commandery lady to serve as a general in the army, always diligent in my duties, expanding our empire's territory without a moment's negligence. I allied with Zhenshui King to break through Yingnan Commandery, infiltrated Hening County, set fire to Raven's Mouth, and conquered Jiuwei Pass, achieving numerous military successes. This is known to all. In the army, who can match me? Now Your Highness falsely accuses me of treason, yet cannot produce a shred of evidence! As the saying goes, 'When the birds are gone, the bow is put away; when the rabbits are dead, the hounds are cooked.'[1] If Your Highness forces me to rebel, then I have no choice but to rebel."

Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, Qin Sang shifted his stance and suddenly lunged toward the heir.

The heir turned pale with fright. "What are you doing?! Kill him, kill him now!"

With Black Crane Sage’s sudden betrayal, everyone was still in shock and uncertainty.

The master of Yanlan Manor hesitated, but the old monk, who had a longstanding grudge against Qin Sang, did not. Without a moment's pause, he summoned his sword from his back, which flew out of its scabbard with a sharp clang.

Gripping his sword tightly, the old monk moved like lightning, the sword’s tip radiating a dazzling sword light, accompanied by a sound resembling a dragon's roar, as it thrust toward Qin Sang.

At that moment, a sudden ringing sound filled the old monk’s ears, causing him to remember something. His face changed drastically, and his eyes widened in horror as he stared at Qin Sang.

He opened his mouth to say something but never got the chance. Qin Sang, like a ghost, slipped into the old monk's embrace, grabbing his neck and twisting it sharply.

Crack!

The old monk died instantly.

Witnessing this, not only did the master of Yanlan Manor hesitate, but even Black Crane Sage’s eyelids twitched in shock. An innate stage expert had been defeated by Qin Sang in a single move.

They couldn’t hear the ringing and assumed Qin Sang’s martial arts had reached an extraordinary level.

The heir was even more terrified. He shoved the Red Embroidered Lady aside and turned to flee, shouting desperately, "Kill him! Release the arrows! Release the arrows now!"

Qin Sang was so close to the heir that the soldiers hesitated, not daring to act recklessly. Several generals looked toward their commander, who remained silent. Were they really going to stand by and watch the heir be captured?

With Black Crane Sage’s betrayal and the commander’s silence, a heavy fog of confusion hung over them, leaving them paralyzed with indecision.

Even the old monk couldn’t stop Qin Sang, and the Red Embroidered Lady, who had just been pushed forward, was swiftly killed by Qin Sang with a single thrust of his sword. In the blink of an eye, Qin Sang had captured the heir to the emperor amidst thousands of soldiers.

"What are you trying to do...?"

The heir stammered, his face filled with terror as he met Qin Sang’s cold gaze.

Qin Sang replied icily, "Such a cruel and heartless person cannot be the ruler of a nation! I’d rather not be the Marquis of Jiangzhou. I swear to seek justice!"

With that, Qin Sang lifted the heir by his neck. His other hand curved and extended, and his sword shot forward like lightning, effortlessly impaling the heir. The sword drove the heir’s corpse deep into the gate of the marquis's residence.

Splurt!

Blood spurted out, staining the night sky and leaving everyone in stunned silence.

1. This is a Chinese proverb, meaning that someone useful is gotten rid of after serving their purpose. ☜