Awakening

Inside the quiet room. Yagu lay flat, eyes tightly shut, still like a sleeping beauty. Her cheeks were rosy, yet beneath the seemingly vibrant vitality within her body, a faint thread of deathly qi lingered. Before overexerting herself, although she had not awakened, her condition had been gradually improving, appearing as though she were merely asleep. Now, however, she resembled a sculpture, radiating nothing but dead silence. The fat silkworm was slumbering within Yagu's body. After returning to the Xiaohan Realm, Qin Sang had tried several times, but was never able to awaken it. Qin Sang and Bai sat cross-legged. After a brief silence, Bai opened his eyes and nodded. "Truly rare. This girl's willpower is even more unyielding than I anticipated. She has been fighting constantly, never giving up, and her consciousness has not sunk into the darkness." Hearing these words, Qin Sang recalled Yagu's past. From the moment of her birth, she had plunged into darkness. His appearance had brought her a ray of light, yet had also drawn upon her an even greater catastrophe. She had stumbled forward in the darkness, never relinquishing her yearning for the light. Perhaps it was precisely those trials that had forged her unbending spirit. Heaven helps those who help themselves. And precisely because Yagu had always fought on, everything Qin Sang did carried greater meaning, rather than merely fulfilling his own conviction. Just then, Bai handed Qin Sang a jade slip. "Inside is a section of the Bone Curse that I deliberately selected. It is the gentlest portion in power, at the very limit of what she can endure." Qin Sang took the jade slip and asked in surprise, "I'm to do it?" "If not you, then who else?" Bai snorted. "The Heavenly Corpse Talisman inside her was refined by your own hands, making you effectively her master. Engraving the Bone Curse and channeling the power of the Heavenly Corpse Talisman could easily damage her soul at the slightest misstep; it leaves no margin for error. Naturally, it has to be you. Don't worry—I've detailed the incantation method, and I will assist you throughout the process." Sinking his divine sense into the jade slip, Qin Sang first saw a familiar passage of the Bone Curse. This section of the curse was inscribed upon the arm bone of the skeleton, though it was not entirely identical to the original version. Bai had made several modifications so that Yagu would also be able to withstand its power. The incantation technique itself had also been deduced by Bai through his own comprehension. This ability alone was enough to fill Qin Sang with admiration. He truly lived up to his status as an old monster who had survived since antiquity. The Bone Curse section was not complex; Qin Sang quickly grasped it thoroughly. Two hours later. The two sat cross-legged on either side of Yagu. Qin Sang nodded to Bai, his gaze falling upon Yagu's left arm. Although Yagu had been placed under the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, the corpse qi had been suppressed by the vitality of the Three Lights Jade Liquid, preventing her physical body from undergoing corpse transformation. Back in the Canglang Sea, every time Qin Sang consumed the Three Lights Jade Liquid to recover true essence, he would transfer a portion of its vitality into Yagu. As a result, even after several decades, vibrant life force still surged within her. Upon her translucent, jade-like arm were inked exquisite patterns—the divine markings of the Witch Clan. Qin Sang pondered briefly, extending his divine sense into Yagu's arm. After inspecting it thoroughly, he suddenly raised both hands, his fingers dancing like a turning wheel, swiftly forming an incantation seal in an instant. His movements did not pause. Within the quiet room, spiritual energy rippled as strange runes flowed continuously from Qin Sang's fingertips, sinking one after another into Yagu's body. Yagu's outward appearance showed no change. Yet upon her arm bone, golden runes gradually manifested. Tiny as ants, the dense patterns covered the bone until it seemed to turn into solid gold. Bai was not idle either, assisting Qin Sang in stabilizing the Bone Curse. Watching the runes sink into Yagu's body in succession with exceptional smoothness, a flicker of astonishment flashed in Bai's eyes. At this moment, Qin Sang divided his attention, sensing both the Heavenly Corpse Talisman and the Bone Curse. Just as Bai had said, an inexplicable connection existed between the two. Through the incantation process, he could use the Bone Curse to draw upon the power of the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, mitigating its harmful effects on Yagu. "No matter what you feel, do not resist," Qin Sang murmured softly, though he was unsure if Yagu could hear him. Then his hand seals shifted abruptly to execute the final secret technique! Seeing this, Bai hastily cast aside stray thoughts, lending his full support. In the next instant, Qin Sang let out a low shout. Forming an extraordinarily complex hand seal, he pressed both hands down sharply, one hand gripping Yagu's arm firmly while the other pressed against the center of her brow. *Boom!* Golden light flared brilliantly. Yagu's body trembled in response. Moments later, the golden light receded. Qin Sang and Bai exchanged a glance and quickly looked back toward Yagu. Qin Sang keenly perceived a subtle ripple from within Yagu's body. Though exceedingly faint, it was unmistakably an auspicious sign: her soul was reviving! Bai's method had worked! "To think that this girl is so attuned to the Bone Curse. Her endurance is far greater than I anticipated," Bai clicked his tongue in wonder. Qin Sang was taken aback. Looking back, the casting process had indeed gone remarkably smoothly. After some thought, he said, "It is likely due to the Three Lights Jade Liquid. Having her body continually nourished by its life force surely benefited her immensely." "That's possible," Bai nodded. "Perhaps it is also related to that fat silkworm. Regardless, it is not a bad thing. Once her condition stabilizes, after observing her for some time, we can try more complex sections of the Bone Curse. The effects will be even better." While they conversed, subtle changes quietly unfolded within Yagu. An incense stick's time later. Under their watchful gazes, a faint, seven-colored halo surfaced at the center of Yagu's brow. "It's the fat silkworm!" Delight surged through Qin Sang as he stared intently at her brow. The halo intensified, then suddenly rippled as a stout, stubby figure shot forth. It moved to throw itself into Qin Sang's embrace, only to be caught in his outstretched hand. The fat silkworm had finally awakened! Having slumbered for decades without a morsel of food or a drop of water, the fat silkworm was still plump and chubby, though its flesh seemed a touch firmer. *Squeak, squeak...* The fat silkworm conveyed deep affection, nuzzling back and forth in Qin Sang's palm to act spoiled. Its beady little eyes brimmed with grievance, looking on the verge of tears and thoroughly pitiful. However, Qin Sang had long known the fat silkworm's temperament and saw through its little antics at a glance. The little fellow was clearly starving. Seeing Qin Sang unmoved, it began rolling around recklessly, seemingly lodging an accusation that it had starved thin! Amused, Qin Sang retrieved a toxic algae fruit from the Qianjun Ring. Catching sight of the enticing food, the fat silkworm's eyes gleamed green with hunger. It lunged forward and swallowed the toxic algae fruit in a single gulp. A single toxic algae fruit was clearly not enough. Worrying that it might not be able to digest too much potent poison at once, Qin Sang took out other foods. The fat silkworm was not picky in the slightest, devouring everything ravenously like a reincarnated hungry ghost. Ignoring the gorging silkworm, Qin Sang turned his gaze back to Yagu. The fat silkworm served as her anchor to the waking world; now that it had awakened, her condition had grown even more stable, and Qin Sang could sense faint, gossamer-like emotional fluctuations from her. Having eaten until its belly was completely round, the fat silkworm rolled onto its back, sprawling lazily in Qin Sang's palm. Soon afterward, it actually dissolved back into a seven-colored halo and flew into Yagu's brow. Startled, Qin Sang hurriedly projected his divine sense into Yagu's purple mansion, only to discover the fat silkworm snuggled against her primordial spirit, fast asleep and snoring peacefully. However, this time was different from before. The fat silkworm had not fallen into a comatose slumber; instead, as in the past, it was merely digesting the food it had just devoured while it slept. Whenever he wished, he could awaken it at any time.