Profound Yin Thunder

To his surprise, Shopkeeper Wu recognized it with a single glance and exclaimed in shock, "It's actually a Profound Yin Thunder!" Seeing Qin Sang's puzzled look, Shopkeeper Wu took the initiative to explain: "Artifact forging is merely a minor craft, and since Fellow Daoist Qin focuses on cultivating the Great Dao, you may not have heard of the Profound Yin Thunder. Several thousand years ago, the Profound Yin Thunder was an illustrious demonic weapon forged by a demonic sect called the Youshen Sect. It once struck terror into the hearts of orthodox cultivators, and in the cultivation world, only the Tianleizi shared its renown. Ever since the Youshen Sect was destroyed, even the method of its creation was lost to history. By now, it has been a very long time since any Profound Yin Thunder was heard of in the world..." As he spoke, Shopkeeper Wu leaned in close, holding the Profound Yin Thunder and examining it over and over as if unable to bear parting with it. He looked as though he wished he could stuff it into his eyes, wearing a rapt expression as he repeatedly praised, "What a fine magic tool! What exquisite technique!" Qin Sang nodded. "Indeed, I obtained it from a demonic cultivator. May I ask what is so remarkable about this Profound Yin Thunder?" "It is truly a blessing that Fellow Daoist Qin did not allow that demon to release this Profound Yin Thunder!" Shopkeeper Wu said solemnly, "This object is precisely the kind of single-use magic tool I mentioned. One need only trigger the restriction upon it with their spiritual sense to detonate it. It unleashes terrifying might with astonishing momentum—even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be severely wounded by it if caught off guard. Its only drawback is its rather small blast radius; the destructive power is concentrated within a core radius of a single zhang, while the aftershocks are far weaker." Hearing this, a wave of lingering fear washed over Qin Sang. Back at the base of Yuanzhao Peak, he had fallen into the Three Calamities Heart-Devouring Formation and had not witnessed the actual explosion, never imagining that even Foundation Establishment cultivators would struggle to withstand it. The power of the Profound Yin Thunder was actually this formidable! Zhao Yan's two Profound Yin Thunders must have been life-saving means given to him by that old ghost Yi Tiannie. For the sake of the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid, Old Ghost Yi had truly spared no expense. If he had not been quick on his feet and decisively fled for his life back then, he might well have been reduced to dust. Originally, when the snake demon broke free from the Ten Directions Yanluo Array, Qin Sang had considered using a Profound Yin Thunder to force it back, but after hesitating for a moment, he had refrained from throwing it. Fortunately, he had held back; otherwise, it would have been a reckless waste of a heavenly treasure. Only after letting Shopkeeper Wu examine it to his heart's content did Qin Sang take the Profound Yin Thunder back. Shopkeeper Wu also knew it was impossible for Qin Sang to give it to him for research, and he could only watch wistfully as Qin Sang placed the Profound Yin Thunder back into his mustard seed bag. "Just as Fellow Daoist Wu suggested, let us forge an Essence-Devouring Awl! How will the fee be calculated?" Qin Sang had quickly made his decision. He did not lack top-grade magic tools; what he lacked were means to save his life in dire crises. No matter how precious the materials were, as long as they could serve that purpose, he would not begrudge them. Shopkeeper Wu said, "To be frank with Fellow Daoist Qin, forging artifacts carries no guarantee of success, and the resulting grade may vary, so I dare not collect payment before it is finished. Because of this, we must agree upon a few ground rules beforehand. Of course, I will do my utmost, but if Fellow Daoist Qin minds..." Qin Sang expressed his understanding. Just like breaking through a bottleneck, how could a breakthrough simply happen at will? Otherwise, cultivation would be far too easy. Unless done intentionally, no one wished to fail. This Shopkeeper Wu was obsessed with artifact forging, so he was unlikely to commit underhanded deeds that harmed others without benefiting himself. Qin Sang pointed at the leftover pieces of the snake demon and asked, "If you forge the Essence-Devouring Awl, which items will not be needed?" Shopkeeper Wu took a glance and replied, "Some portions of the fangs, scales, and beast bones should be left over. I could help Fellow Daoist forge a few small magic tools from them." Qin Sang shook his head, sweeping a finger lightly across them. "I will give them all to Fellow Daoist Wu. In exchange, would you allow me to observe while you forge?" "This..." Shopkeeper Wu looked hesitant. These were indeed fine materials, especially the fangs—at least more than half of one fang would remain, and incorporating it when forging a spirit sword in the future could enhance its power out of nowhere. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Wu. I will only watch without asking questions; I merely wish to observe the forging process. If it touches upon your family's confidential techniques, you need only tell me to step aside." Qin Sang was indeed curious about artifact forging and pill refinement and wished to broaden his horizons. He knew his own limits. Given his meager aptitude, he could not afford to divide his attention among other pursuits, but many low-grade magic tools possessed wondrous effects; if he could pick up a trick or two, he would not have to ask favors of others in many situations. In the end, Shopkeeper Wu could not resist the temptation. He smiled wryly and said, "They are all crude methods, nothing secretive. If Fellow Daoist Qin does not mind the clutter of my humble workshop, please follow me." ... Ten days later. Qin Sang walked out of the Wenyue Cultivation Market. Summoning his Sky-Soaring Shuttle, he transformed into an escaping light and flew past the mountain gate of Shaohua Mountain. Without entering, he flew directly toward Guyuan Country. Flying to an uninhabited area, Qin Sang raised his hand, and a palm-sized horn appeared in his grasp. The horn curved slightly upward, looking identical to the rhinoceros horn, except that it had shrunk considerably after being refined. The entire horn was an aqua-blue color, nearly transparent, wrapped in rings of golden patterns. At its tip was a needle-sharp spike gleaming with a faint green light. This was the Essence-Devouring Awl forged by Shopkeeper Wu. Qin Sang glanced over the Essence-Devouring Awl and stored it into his mustard seed bag, looking pensive. He had watched Shopkeeper Wu's entire forging process, and it was just as he had imagined—the steps of forging were extraordinarily tedious, demanding vast amounts of time and energy, which were precisely what he lacked most. It was said that alchemy was even more difficult than artifact forging. As for the compensation for the Essence-Devouring Awl, it was leaving behind that nearly scrapped Chilong Sword for the shopkeeper to study for a year. After breaking through to Foundation Establishment, Qin Sang had noticed clues: the restrictions on the blade were not demonic methods, but rather a unique artifact-forging restriction. Shopkeeper Wu had never stopped thinking about the Chilong Sword and was overjoyed by the arrangement, giving Qin Sang a booklet of artifact-forging insights that might prove helpful when he forged his life magic treasure in the future. As he drew near Guyuan Country, Qin Sang found the Sky-Soaring Shuttle too slow, so he summoned his ebony sword and transformed into sword light, his speed surging significantly. He had been away for over a month now. It felt as though he had left his own child home alone; he simply could not set his mind at ease, as if something were constantly clawing at his heart. Returning to his cave abode and seeing the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid safe and sound, his heart finally settled. Qin Sang squatted by the pool, cupped a handful of water, and murmured, "I wonder when the spirit spring will fully form. Otherwise, how can I ever leave with peace of mind?" ... Sealing the cave abode, Qin Sang sat cross-legged. Although he had let the snake demon escape, the fierce battle had been more intense than the clash with the white rhinoceros demon beast, and the impressions left on him were even deeper, deepening his comprehension of the killing talisman by another layer. His mind settled into meditation as he visualized the killing talisman, which seemed far more condensed and solid than before. He channeled the ultimate killing intent into his origin soul, tempering the spirit sword within it. Just then, a look of delight suddenly crossed Qin Sang's face. The bottleneck that had previously troubled him was indeed shattered with a single nudge; all he needed now was a period of bitter cultivation, and the breakthrough would follow naturally, allowing him to engrave the killing talisman onto the blade and forge his life spirit sword! Spring departed and autumn arrived. Day after day slipped by, and Qin Sang returned to his previous routine. Except for visiting Huilong Temple once at the end of every month, he remained behind closed doors at all times, until one year later, when a voice transmission talisman flew in at Huilong Temple. Qin Sang happened to be at Huilong Temple. Capturing the voice transmission talisman in his hand, he read its contents and pondered for a long while before riding an escaping light straight toward Shaohua Mountain.