The killing Dao was all-encompassing, branching into thousands of paths of its own.
Qin Sang had no idea what the correct path of cultivation was; perhaps every practitioner made a different choice.
When Senior Qingzhu cultivated this method, in order to comprehend the killing talisman, he might have devoted his entire being to the killing Dao, slaying men, women, old, young, cultivator, or mortal alike with a single stroke until he finally fell into the demonic path; or he might have thrown himself into peril, seeking life through death to sever all fear from his heart, slaying others as well as himself; or he might have walked alone with a single sword, roaming the world merely to keep his mind unimpeded; or perhaps he had stopped slaughter with slaughter...
Yet it was certainly not the path Qin Sang was taking.
Without the jade Buddha shielding his origin soul and keeping the killing intent from eroding him, visualizing the killing talisman mid-battle would cause his consciousness to be seized by murderous desire. Once he lost his reason and could no longer calmly analyze the situation, his mind would be consumed by thoughts of nothing but slaughter, plunging him into utmost danger.
Qin Sang had deliberated for a long time before deciding to try this approach.
If it proved effective, this path was undoubtedly the most suitable for him.
In his eyes, a method was merely a tool to raise his cultivation. With Senior Qingzhu's example before him, offering his poor innate talent a glimmer of hope for Core Formation, he had chosen this technique not out of any longing for the killing Dao, nor did he feel any deep passion for it.
The sole obsession in his heart was immortality.
If at all possible, Qin Sang never wanted to force himself to change his conduct or principles just to practice a cultivation method.
Just as he had willingly served as a cauldron to achieve Foundation Establishment, whatever choice he made was true to his own heart rather than made in a muddled stupor—only then would there be no regret!
Of course, if driven into a corner with no way out, that would be another matter entirely.
The killing intent within the sword qi grew thicker and thicker, yet Qin Sang remained exceptionally calm, his inner heart completely placid. He only used the killing talisman to simulate killing intent, verifying the talisman through actual combat.
Boom!
Qin Sang's mind connected to the ebony sword. Sky-piercing murderous aura erupted from the spirit sword as it thrust brazenly toward the white rhinoceros demon beast, the sword qi slicing like a blade.
***
The disciples at the spirit stone mine spent a day and a night on tenterhooks. At first, they had caught a glimpse of an escaping streak of light in the night sky. Soon after, the waters of the Yuncang Great Marsh churned violently, and even the island where the spirit stone mine lay was affected, trembling continuously—a clear sign of an intense clash in the distance.
Yet when dawn broke, all sound vanished completely, and Martial Uncle Qin had not returned.
Without a signal from Qin Sang, they dared not deactivate the grand array, let alone venture out to see how the battle had unfolded. Had the demon beast won, or had their sect's martial uncle prevailed?
Shen Youdao hovered in midair right against the array's luminous barrier, eyes wide as saucers. Like a longing wife turned to stone, he stared unblinkingly at the horizon where water met sky, praying fervently in his heart for Martial Uncle Qin's swift return, even if missing an arm or a leg from fleeing for his life.
"If Martial Uncle Qin isn't back by dawn tomorrow, we'll send a distress call to the sect!" Shen Youdao said restlessly, his voice somewhat hoarse.
A great Foundation Establishment cultivator facing a demon beast that had barely developed its intellect could not possibly lack even the ability to escape, could he?
If Martial Uncle Qin fell to the beast while they cowered inside the array without stepping out, the sect would punish them severely. He was no longer young and had long abandoned any hope of advancing in cultivation. His plan had been to amass a tidy fortune at the mine, return home to marry several lovely wives and concubines, dote on grandchildren, and comfortably enjoy several decades of life. Never had he anticipated such a disaster.
Suddenly, a colossal silhouette appeared at the edge of his vision, barreling through the air. It was none other than the fiercely savage white rhinoceros demon beast.
"We're finished!"
Shen Youdao's heart sank with a jolt. His eyes glazed over, nearly fainting on the spot.
Just then, someone below erupted into cheers. "Martial Uncle Qin won! He killed the vicious demon!"
"Huh?"
Shen Youdao, who had already been contemplating whether he ought to find a woman to carry on his lineage first, hastily widened his eyes. Only then did he spot a human figure beneath the massive frame of the white rhinoceros demon beast. Who else could it be but Martial Uncle Qin?
It turned out the beast was being held aloft with one hand by Martial Uncle Qin, completely devoid of breath. His excessive worry had simply clouded his vision.
"Quick! Open the array and welcome Martial Uncle Qin!" Shen Youdao grinned from ear to ear.
Martial Uncle Qin flew at astonishing speed, arriving above the island in the blink of an eye. Shen Youdao parted his lips, just about to offer words of flattery, when a voice drifted down from above: "You have seen it clearly—this demon has been slain by my hand. Report the news to the sect, then watch over the spirit mine diligently. There must be no slackening."
With that, Qin Sang stowed the carcass of the white rhinoceros demon beast into his mustard seed bag and departed with a flourish, leaving behind a crowd of disappointed gazes.
Although trapping the beast within the Ten Directions Yanluo Array had granted him the upper hand, its water-manipulating abilities were not to be underestimated, and its thick hide and flesh afforded immense defensive power. The fight had proved quite grueling.
Furthermore, Qin Sang had used it to comprehend the sword talisman, deliberately tangling with the beast and wearing it down over an entire day. Only when it was riddled with wounds and utterly exhausted did he deliver the fatal blow, expending a fair number of spirit stones and spirit pills in the process.
After the battle, Qin Sang felt a subtle gain. His grasp of the killing talisman had deepened by a layer, leaving him with the sensation that only a paper-thin barrier stood before him, ready to be pierced at a touch. This proved that his chosen path was viable.
Yet Qin Sang understood that the first killing talisman was, in truth, merely an introduction to the entire cultivation method, meant to guide the practitioner toward a path suited to themselves. That was why it was relatively easy to comprehend; subsequent steps would certainly not be so simple.
Streaking through the air, Qin Sang flew straight in the direction of the snake demon's cave dwelling.
Qin Sang had used a restriction to seal the vitality and blood within the rhinoceros carcass without dismembering it for spirit materials, intending to use it as bait to see if he could lure the snake demon out.
To demon beasts, the corpse of a fellow Demon Spirit stage beast was exceptionally nourishing, and a fresh carcass brimming with vitality was an irresistible temptation.
A few days later, Qin Sang's figure quietly appeared on a treacherous peak.
The crag jutted sharply from the water as though carved by cleavers and axes, precipitous in the extreme. Flickering repeatedly, Qin Sang materialized within a massive cavern on the peak—the very place where Senior Brother Wang had found the shed snake skin.
Even after all this time, a lingering, foul fishy stench still clung to the cave.
After a moment of contemplation, Qin Sang laid down the Ten Directions Yanluo Array before the entrance. He then drew a large amount of demon blood from the white rhinoceros carcass, pouring half into the water below and splashing the rest intermittently all the way into the cave. Finally, he placed the carcass inside and concealed the entrance with nothing more than an exceedingly crude water barrier, allowing the aura of a great demon to drift outward unchecked.
Qin Sang then slipped into the shadows, waiting in silence.
Splash!
Spray abruptly erupted beneath the crag as a towering wave surged out of nowhere, crashing against the cliff face. When the water calmed, a long white silhouette could be seen darting past for a fleeting instant before vanishing back beneath the surface.
Only after the white rhinoceros's scent had diffused for more than half a day did the snake demon finally show itself. The beast was exceedingly cautious, refraining from barging into the cave and instead stirring up waves every hour or two to test the waters.
"This snake demon seems quite intelligent," Qin Sang thought to himself, remaining entirely motionless.
Chapter 147