The cultivation world was a place where the weak were meat for the strong.
Only upon reaching the Foundation Establishment stage could a cultivator truly gain a firm foothold in the cultivation world and possess the power to protect themselves when venturing out to temper themselves.
If Tan Hao could not break through to Foundation Establishment, all else was out of the question.
Otherwise, it was far more likely that he would die on the road to saving Tan Jie, rendering all this effort entirely in vain.
Qin Sang had only intended to ask Yunyouzi to offer Tan Hao some guidance. His own breakthrough had been thanks to the Dan Dragon Ginseng and the sect master personally standing guard for him. Having stumbled through it in a daze, he had no idea where to even begin in advising Tan Hao.
He had not expected Yunyouzi to be so generous as to directly part with a Biying Pill.
Staring at the two spirit pills before him, the stalwart Tan Hao stood at a complete loss.
To refuse them, he could not bear to do so.
Yet to accept them for nothing was something he could not bring himself to do either.
At this moment, only four words echoed in Tan Hao's mind: *How am I worthy?*
Among rogue cultivators, who dared dream of ever obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill?
Even among the disciples of cultivation sects, not everyone was granted one.
What was more, Tan Hao had spent most of his savings on treating Tan Jie, leaving him in a state of utter destitution.
Tan Hao knew full well that even if he sold his own life, he could never match the value of these two spirit pills. He could not fathom what he could possibly do for Qin Sang and Yunyouzi to repay such immense kindness.
"Take them!"
Yunyouzi pressed the Biying Pill firmly into Tan Hao's palm and said with deep emotion, "Hearing Brother Qin recount your noble deeds earlier shook this old Taoist to the core. Even without Brother Qin's connection, I would have gladly done whatever was within my power.
"The affection between you two brothers... this old Taoist cannot truly experience it firsthand.
"Yet for you to persist day after day for several decades is proof enough of the staggering strength contained within this brotherly bond.
"A Biying Pill is nothing particularly precious, its worth far beneath that of a Foundation Establishment Pill. Moreover, I am not giving it to you for nothing. Witnessing your journey has prompted me to reflect on certain matters, granting me a faint glimmer of enlightenment.
"In the future, perhaps this encounter will allow my Dao heart to progress a step further. Consider this pill your recompense!"
Qin Sang stuffed the Foundation Establishment Pill into Tan Hao's hands as well, gesturing toward the crystal coffin as he said, "Do not think only of yourself. Think of Tan Jie, and think of your obsession! If you cannot establish your foundation, you will spend your entire life holed up in a cave dwelling. How will you roam the realm? How will you cure Tan Jie? Do you truly want him to lie in that coffin forever, half-dead?"
Yunyouzi spoke up in agreement.
"Brother Qin speaks the truth. That very quality in you is what Brother Qin and I admire, which is why we are willing to help.
"You may look upon this as an opportunity—an opportunity bought with decades of suffering and perseverance.
"Now that we speak of obsessions, allow this old Taoist to add a few words. Take it as a bit of insight gleaned from my own path of cultivation, which proved of no small help when I established my foundation. Listen to it as you will.
"Some say that cultivating immortality is to realize boundless freedom, and that one must temper one's state of mind. If one harbors an obsession and cannot see through it, one will surely be plagued by inner demons. Being trapped at a bottleneck is a small matter; far more terrifying is the proliferation of inner demons leading to qi deviation.
"Yet each person has their own Dao. How can they all be treated the same?
"As I see it, harboring an obsession is not necessarily a bad thing.
"It is precisely because I hold an obsession in my heart that I have never given up, never feared any hardship or misery, and advanced unswervingly to pursue my own Dao.
"Fellow Daoist Tan, you have lived through much, and you surely harbor similar insights.
"Before preparing for Foundation Establishment, you might as well reflect carefully on all that has passed. Whether you ultimately choose to let go or to stand even firmer, both are realizations unique to you.
"Perhaps it will be of aid to your Foundation Establishment."
Hearing Yunyouzi's words, Qin Sang fell into deep thought.
Yunyouzi was speaking to Tan Hao, but perhaps he was speaking to himself as well.
Tan Hao seemed to have grasped something, staring blankly ahead in a daze.
Yunyouzi walked over to the side of the crystal coffin. Seeing Tan Jie's condition, he suddenly let out a soft exclamation. He leaned over to look for a while, a flicker of astonishment flashing through his eyes. He glanced at Tan Hao beside him, but said nothing.
That night.
Qin Sang was in the midst of cultivating when he sensed his ward being touched. He discovered it was Yunyouzi.
"I trust I am not interrupting Brother Qin's cultivation?"
"Senior, please come in..."
Qin Sang invited Yunyouzi inside, a trace of puzzlement in his expression, wondering what could have prompted this late-night visit.
Yunyouzi walked in and got straight to the point. "Brother Qin, this old Taoist wished to ask you about the strange technique used to seal Fellow Daoist Tan Jie..."
"Is Senior interested in it?"
Qin Sang thought to himself that Yunyouzi had likely discerned something.
Even so, he did not panic. Demonic corpse refining arts were not particularly unheard of, and an excuse would be easy to find—he could simply say he had obtained it from a demonic cultivator.
His prior caution had merely been to avoid unnecessary trouble.
A corpse refining art was only a means to an end, and his purpose had been to save a life. As long as one did not blatantly use corpse refining arts to bring calamity to the mortal world like demonic cultivators did, the righteous sects would not exterminate someone merely for knowing such a technique.
Yunyouzi shook his head.
"It is because this old Taoist felt a certain familiarity in Fellow Daoist Tan Jie's current aura. It closely resembles the aura of a strange person I once encountered, and I have a faint feeling it might be related to Brother Qin's technique.
"I know of a place that may contain spirit herbs capable of treating hidden wounds to the soul, but it is fraught with perils. Originally, this old Taoist planned to wait until at least the late Foundation Establishment stage before daring to venture inside.
"A large reason for that caution is the presence of this strange person.
"If Brother Qin has a way to deal with that person, I intend to go and try my luck right now. If it succeeds, I will no longer need to run about endlessly, at least until Core Formation."
"A strange person?"
Qin Sang mused internally. The aura Yunyouzi sensed was likely the change that occurred after Tan Jie's origin soul merged with the Heavenly Corpse Talisman. Could he have encountered a living corpse sealed by a Heavenly Corpse Talisman before?
If it were a living corpse, why describe it as a strange person?
Qin Sang did not plan to make this his primary path of cultivation, merely treating corpse refining as a means to face enemies. However, he was extremely interested in some of its secret arts—particularly the method to advance a living corpse into a Flying Yaksha.
A Flying Yaksha possessed combat strength equivalent to the Core Formation stage.
It might not be as formidable as a genuine Core Formation cultivator, but it was certainly far stronger than any Foundation Establishment cultivator. If he could refine one, he could walk unimpeded throughout the entire Foundation Establishment stage.
Furthermore, refining a Flying Yaksha astonishingly did not require the corpse of a Golden Core cultivator; it could be elevated directly from a living corpse, which was truly marvelous.
Unfortunately, he had only obtained the first half of the fragmented scroll.
After returning from Heavenly Corpse Cave, Qin Sang had investigated the Heavenly Corpse Sect, only to find that it held very little renown. It was only mentioned in passing occasionally because it refined corpses using earth fiend qi, which set it apart from other corpse refining arts.
The records in ancient texts amounted to mere fragments, vague and lacking in detail.
Evidently, the Heavenly Corpse Sect had either been weak or had existed for only a brief period—in short, it had never amounted to much.
Having failed to turn up any clues regarding the second half for so long, Qin Sang had eventually given up.
If the strange person Yunyouzi spoke of was indeed a living corpse, it might very well be connected to the Heavenly Corpse Sect.
At this thought, Qin Sang's interest was thoroughly piqued.
"Senior, tell me in detail: what kind of strange person is this?"
Chapter 344