Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 371: Tracking

Swish!

The ebony sword easily sliced off a thin layer of rock. As expected, it was far sharper than Kong Xin’s blue-glowing sword.

Watching the ebony sword unleash its power, Kong Xin couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, "What a fine sword! Daoist, every one of your artifacts is this formidable—I’m truly impressed!"

Qin Sang responded indifferently, "I was merely fortunate to obtain a few useful artifacts. Hardly worthy of praise. If I have to traverse dangerous places like this a few more times, no amount of artifacts will be enough to save my life. Wouldn’t you agree, Daoist?"

His words carried an edge, an implicit warning.

Kong Xin forced a chuckle and swore earnestly, "You have all seen for yourselves—just ahead, there’s a cave that leads to the exit. You’ll see for yourselves soon enough! I harbor no ill intent. I only kept the information secret as a precaution. If I spoke falsely, you may deal with me however you see fit! I swear this is the last time, I won’t do it again!"

...

The ebony sword danced through the air, slicing away thin layers of rock.

Gradually, specks of light began to shimmer on the exposed stone wall—clusters of Cold Gold Ore embedded within, scattered in an intricate pattern, creating a dazzling sight.

Qin Sang continued his work without pause, chiseling out the Cold Gold Ore one by one and placing them in the open space before the group.

Thanks to the ebony sword’s sharpness, Qin Sang worked quickly. In less than a quarter of an hour, he had stripped an entire layer of stone clean.

At that moment, the evil spirits had only just begun to gather. Though the battle had forced many to reveal their trump cards, the situation had yet to turn dire. They still had energy to spare, and the group urged Qin Sang to continue digging.

However, when Qin Sang tried to excavate further, he found nothing but solid rock beyond.

Unwilling to accept it, he picked over a dozen different spots, driving the ebony sword several zhang deep each time, only to confirm that there was no more Cold Gold Ore within.

This vein had only a single layer!

Disappointment spread among the group.

It wasn’t that the haul was small—after all, this single layer had yielded a considerable amount of Cold Gold Ore. Once divided evenly among them, each person would receive a head-sized portion.

Refined Cold Gold was incredibly valuable.

However, compared to their expectations, the yield felt insufficient, leaving them unsatisfied.

The most disappointed of all was Kong Xin.

For the others, stumbling upon the Cold Gold Ore had been an unexpected fortune, so they quickly set aside their initial letdown.

"A man dies for wealth, a bird for food. Having only one layer might not be a bad thing—it saves us from greed keeping us here too long, only to be trapped by the evil spirits once we’re exhausted," the cultivator surnamed Bao said cheerfully.

He glanced at the pile of Cold Gold Ore on the ground before turning to Kong Xin. "Daoist, you said before that whoever finds it shares in it equally. You’re not going to go back on your word, are you?"

Kong Xin adjusted his mindset and forced a smile. "Of course not. However, I contributed little effort in retrieving the ore. These were all excavated by Daoist Master Qingfeng and his sword. We should ask for his opinion first."

Qin Sang chuckled. "Without all of you holding off the evil spirits, no matter how sharp my flying sword is, I wouldn’t have been able to dig so smoothly. We’ll split it evenly."

During the division, the master-disciple pair voluntarily conceded that, given the disciple’s low strength, they did not deserve two shares.

Seeing their self-awareness, the others had no objections. The Cold Gold Ore was fairly uniform in quality, making the distribution swift. Once finished, they rushed toward the cave entrance.

Outside, layers upon layers of evil spirits swarmed the cavern, turning it into a ghostly domain.

The group fought their way through in unison, pushing forward while fending off the creatures.

This time, Kong Xin had not lied—the cave was not a dead end. However, whether it truly led to an exit remained to be seen.

As they retreated, they set up barriers to slow the evil spirits’ pursuit, while simultaneously cutting down the evil spirits that had caught up. Fighting as they withdrew, they finally managed to escape the immediate threat after covering some distance.

Huff!

Everyone panted heavily, still shaken.

These evil spirits were not particularly strong, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming. They seemed endless, impossible to eradicate completely. Fortunately, by using the terrain to their advantage, the group had avoided being surrounded.

The thought of it sent chills down their spines. Countless ghostly creatures still lurked across the mountain range. If so many had gathered underground, just how terrifying would the scene be on the surface?

In hindsight, the cultivator surnamed Bao had been right.

If the mineral vein had been any larger, their greed might have kept them here too long. Had they delayed their escape, exhausting themselves, a sudden attack from a more powerful evil spirit could have resulted in casualties.

"Daoist Kong, lead the way! I hope you're not lying this time!" The red-clad woman fixed a cold gaze on Kong Xin as she spoke.

The others subtly positioned themselves around Kong Xin, forming an implicit encirclement.

Kong Xin forced a dry laugh and repeatedly assured them, "I wouldn’t dare! You’ll know soon enough whether I speak the truth..."

He took the lead once more, while Qin Sang and Wandering Man remained at the rear.

They hadn't walked far when Qin Sang suddenly slowed his steps slightly, a trace of amusement flashing across his face. His gaze swept over the backs of Kong Xin and the others. After a brief moment of contemplation, he followed along without a word.

...

Deep within the cavern...

With their targets gone, the evil spirits gradually settled down, returning to the depths. Some resumed their mindless wandering, while others began attacking one another.

At that moment, a lone figure appeared out of nowhere. He glanced at the now-empty mining site and let out a cold snort.

Whatever method he used, it allowed him to move unnoticed by the roaming evil spirits. Even so, he remained cautious, sticking close to the rock walls as he silently pursued the path the group had taken.

Unbeknownst to him, hidden within the blood miasma, a lone zombie lurked among the ghostly creatures. Unlike the others, it seemed strangely aware, its pitch-black eyes following the man’s departure.

Like the evil spirits, zombies were also dead. By blending in with the mindless ghostly creatures, they could avoid attack as long as they didn’t make any sudden moves.

This zombie had been released by Qin Sang amid the earlier chaos, intending to serve as an early warning system. If there were any powerful ghostly creatures deep within the cavern, it would allow them to detect the threat in advance and escape in time.

However, in the rush to leave, Qin Sang hadn’t had a chance to retrieve it, so he had left it behind.

A single zombie wasn’t a major loss. Unlike malevolent corpses, which required far more effort to refine, ordinary zombies were expendable scouting tools, nothing more than disposable cannon fodder.

Yet unexpectedly, it had yielded an unforeseen gain.

By now, Qin Sang had traveled far from the zombie, and his connection with it had weakened significantly. He could only faintly sense that an uninvited guest was trailing them. He had no idea about the person's cultivation level or identity.

Still, the fact that this person avoided revealing themselves and resorted to such sneaky tactics suggested they weren’t exceptionally powerful.

Are they an accomplice of someone in the group?

Or is it merely a stranger who happened to be taking the same route?

Walking at the very back, Qin Sang silently observed the movements of the people ahead but found nothing suspicious.

Seizing an opportunity, he discreetly informed Wandering Man about the pursuer.

Wandering Man was equally surprised. He frowned, scrutinizing Kong Xin and the others, but was unable to draw any conclusions.