The Black Dragon Stone and the Spirit-Binding Cord.
Both magic tools were of fine quality, and each possessed profound utility. They felt quite handy to wield. Qin Sang turned them over in his hands for a time before refining each one and making them his own.
Aside from these two top-grade magic tools that caught his eye, the other magic tools in Liang Yan's mustard seed bag were of mediocre quality. Qin Sang picked out only one, leaving the rest for Shi Hong to defend herself.
After refining the tools, a plume of black mist billowed from the mustard seed bag. Once the mist dispersed, ten black ghost banners hovered midair before Qin Sang's palm.
Liang Yan had possessed exactly four of the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners, three of which had been left to him by Yue Wu.
Most likely, it was through Yue Wu's diligent service to Sect Master Yi that he had earned those three Yanluo Banners in the first place.
The Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator whom Liang Yan had ambushed held far lower status than Yue Wu, possessing merely a single Ten Directions Yanluo Banner, which had once driven Liang Yan to curse incessantly.
Over the years, Liang Yan had tried every means possible to elevate all four banners to the peak of mastery.
Even so, on one hand, he lived in dread of discovery by the Yuanzhao Sect while fearing any contact with the remnants of the Kuiyin Sect. For decades, he had lived in hiding, never daring to act rashly lest he attract attention.
On the other hand, refining a Ten Directions Yanluo Banner was exceedingly difficult. Even with trickery, deception, and possession of the Yin Baleful Abyss, the Kuiyin Sect's success rate had remained abysmally low—they had not even managed to equip each Foundation Establishment disciple with six banners, let alone Liang Yan on his own.
Consequently, he had never been able to make up a set of six Ten Directions Yanluo Banners.
It was also fortunate that Liang Yan held four banners rather than five; otherwise, he never would have possessed the patience to let Shi Hong delay until now.
These four Ten Directions Yanluo Banners were Qin Sang's greatest harvest from this venture. With ten fully mastered ghost banners, he could deploy the complete Ten Directions Yanluo Array at its zenith.
The might of this array was naturally far inferior to a true magic treasure.
After all, a talisman treasure could at most seal a tenth of a magic treasure's power, and the Ten Directions Yanluo Array could at best reach two to three times the strength of a talisman treasure.
Yet to a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was undoubtedly an invaluable treasure.
Qin Sang could not help but show a look of delight. With this extraordinary treasure in hand, as long as he was given the opportunity to lay down the formation in advance, he would have no reason to fear any late Foundation Establishment cultivator—and would even have the strength to put up a fight against someone at the False Core stage!
It was a pity that there was no opponent around to let him test just how formidable the full Ten Directions Yanluo Array truly was.
Qin Sang shook his head with some regret.
He had not extracted much useful information from Liang Yan. As for the method to cure the gu poison that Qin Sang wanted most, Liang Yan was equally ignorant, knowing only how to manipulate the insect to threaten his victims.
If he ever ran into another unfortunate soul afflicted with the venomous gu, he could play the villain himself, Qin Sang thought with a self-deprecating smile. Fortunately, with the Void Origin Seal, he could suppress the fluctuations of the Heart-Devouring Insect to a negligible degree, so the matter was not terribly urgent.
However, one piece of information caught Qin Sang's attention and offered him a glimmer of hope for removing the gu.
Liang Yan had been acutely aware of the power of the Ten Directions Yanluo Banners, and he had understood that it was impossible to gather the full array entirely on his own. Thus, while hiding and dodging across the demonic domain, he had constantly kept an eye out for clues regarding the whereabouts of the Kuiyin Sect's remnants.
As long as he tracked them down, he could come knocking once his cultivation reached sufficient heights.
And he had indeed uncovered some plausible clues.
These reports corroborated what Qin Sang had heard from Old Man Dique, lending them a measure of credibility.
According to Liang Yan's findings, the Kuiyin Sect's final Golden Core demon had been relentlessly pursued by the Yuanzhao Sect and nearly cornered outside Tianyou Pass. Seriously wounded, he fled into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, vanishing without a trace, his survival unknown.
To this day, the Yuanzhao Sect had never openly proclaimed the demon slain, which suggested he might still be clinging to life.
Fleeing alongside him had been several Foundation Establishment cultivators. These individuals were core members of the Kuiyin Sect, some even personal disciples of the three Golden Core Masters, and they certainly knew the method to cure the Heart-Devouring Insect gu.
Living in constant terror, these remnants had nowhere else to turn except to gather under the banner of that heavily injured Golden Core expert.
Drawing on his understanding of the Kuiyin Sect and the clues he had gathered, Liang Yan suspected that these remnants might have concealed their identities and were operating in the vicinity of Qingyang City.
Yet dragging them out of hiding would be no easy feat.
The Yuanzhao Sect had been relentless in eradicating the evil roots, backed by the support of the Wuji Sect. Although scrutiny had relaxed somewhat, those demonic figures had surely been terrified out of their wits long ago.
Even in the heartlands of demonic influence, they dared not reveal themselves. After all, the Yuanzhao Sect was hardly the only party eager to beat a dog that had fallen into the water; honor and righteousness did not exist among demonic sects.
Qin Sang furrowed his brows in thought.
Once his cultivation advanced further, he could pay a visit to Qingyang City. Just as he had done this time, he could use the Heart-Devouring Insect gu as bait to lure the Kuiyin Sect remnants into the open.
If successful, he might not only cure the venomous gu, but perhaps reap unexpected gains as well.
However, the risks involved were substantial.
For one, he might lure several demonic cultivators at once and find himself besieged.
Worst of all would be if that surviving Golden Core Master happened to be nearby. Attempting to steal a chicken might only cost him his life.
He would need to plan meticulously.
Lost in thought, Qin Sang crossed one snow-capped mountain after another before he realized it. All around him lay endless fields of pristine white, desolate and devoid of human presence, where even birds and beasts were rarely seen.
At that moment, Qin Sang descended from the sky, landing atop a snow-covered peak. Sweeping his spiritual sense across the surroundings to confirm no one was nearby, he selected a spot where the mountain range's spiritual energy was most concentrated, cleaved open a cave dwelling with his sword, and laid down several layers of restrictions.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Qin Sang released Liang Yan from the corpse puppet pouch. After capturing the man alive, Qin Sang had not yet had the time to refine him into a corpse puppet and planned to complete the process here before resuming his journey.
Back in the Kuiyin Sect, Liang Yan had once tried to ask Yue Wu for Qin Sang to use as a sacrifice for his Yanluo Banner.
Facing Liang Yan now, Qin Sang naturally harbored no pity.
The first two Heavenly Corpse Talismans he had crafted were already used up. However, while monitoring Liang Yan at the Fengcang Cultivation Market, Qin Sang had taken time to bring out another stalk of soul-attracting grass and refined two Heavenly Corpse Talismans, which could now be put to use on Liang Yan.
Though he had suffered another failure in the process, Qin Sang had grown increasingly proficient at crafting the talismans, completing one in under two days.
Pondering his situation, Qin Sang realized he had quite a few pressing matters at hand.
Setting Liang Yan aside for the moment, he took out a piece of spirit wood and fed it to the ebony sword.
Next, he brought out the final stalk of soul-attracting grass to refine Heavenly Corpse Talismans.
To Qin Sang's pleasant surprise, he did not fail a single time. By the seventh day, all three Heavenly Corpse Talismans were completed successfully!
Now, he had five Heavenly Corpse Talismans at his disposal!
Qin Sang shifted his gaze back to Liang Yan. Preparing the Five Elements yin materials and a Heavenly Corpse Talisman, he proceeded step by step, erasing Liang Yan's consciousness.
Everything went smoothly. Only the final step of fusing earth fiend qi remained before he could add another living corpse to his ranks.
Yet that final step was also the one most prone to mishap; whether these two living corpses could truly be refined remained to be seen.
Chapter 350