All the attempts Wu Shang had recorded in his final testament were made after his transformation into a Flying Yaksha—forced to commit himself to the Corpse Dao after exhausting every method and still failing to dispel the Heavenly Corpse Talisman.
If someone who did not fear the Heavenly Corpse Talisman imprisoning their origin soul could attain the Flying Yaksha stage, then dispel the talisman and break free from the Corpse Dao...
What would become of the corpse core?
Would they... drop in cultivation realm?
Qin Sang fell into deep thought, then shook his head.
...
Qin Sang had the living corpse bend forward in a respectful bow toward 'Wu Shang.'
After Yunyouzi, Wu Shang was only the second person Qin Sang had ever encountered whose determination toward the Dao was so resolute, unyielding, and completely uncompromising.
Even if it meant transforming into a Flying Yaksha, losing all sanity, having his origin soul imprisoned forever in a refined corpse's body, and wandering alone through a dead, silent ice cave, he had not hesitated.
Without obsession, there could be no transcendence!
He truly earned the title of a seeker of the Dao.
Coincidentally, Yunyouzi and Wu Shang had both ended up here in pursuit of the Night Orchid Lily, reaching the same place by different paths.
One might not like such a person, but it was impossible not to admire him.
The living corpse slowly backed out of the side chamber, taking one last look at 'Wu Shang.'
Sitting cross-legged on the block of ice, 'Wu Shang' sensed the living corpse's movement. He raised his head and locked eyes with it, his pitch-black pupils filled with nothing but cold indifference, before closing his eyes and sinking back into deathly silence.
In the faint, eerie blue light, only a solitary figure remained.
The living corpse returned to Qin Sang's side.
Qin Sang opened the corpse puppet pouch and put the living corpse away. His injuries had mostly healed. Having gotten Yunyouzi safely inside, his mission was complete, and he could leave this place to wait for the outcome at Qingyang Market.
From Wu Shang's message, Qin Sang had learned that the Night Orchid Lily indeed grew here. It was a natural treasure of a spiritual herb, capable of purifying the origin soul and nourishing the spirit.
He only hoped Yunyouzi would obtain it and heal his hidden wounds.
Next, Qin Sang summoned the ebony sword, the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner, and the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman.
Tying down the Flying Yaksha this time had depended entirely on these three treasures.
The flood dragon spirit soul had not been harmed by the Flying Yaksha, leaving the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman unscathed.
The ebony sword had taken a direct punch, and its luster was somewhat dim. Qin Sang carefully examined it with his spiritual sense; finding no damage on the blade, he knew it would easily recover as long as he kept it nourished within his origin soul.
The one that had exerted the greatest effort and suffered the most potential damage was the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner.
The Yin soul silk had been forcibly torn apart by the Flying Yaksha, and the main soul had even been dispersed by a heavy fist. Qin Sang had not had the chance to inspect it until now and had no idea how it fared.
Qin Sang unfurled the Ten Directions Yanluo Banner, and after inspecting it, he breathed a sigh of relief.
This array was even more formidable than he had imagined. After the fierce battle, the main soul had indeed been weakened for a time, but with countless living souls housed inside the banner, it had retreated within to recuperate and was now fully restored.
It truly lived up to its origin as a treasure derived from a Nascent Soul magic treasure.
With a quiet murmur of praise, Qin Sang put them away one by one. He glanced back at the empty ice hall, and his figure flickered away, darting toward the outside.
As he sped along, a contemplative look lingered on his face.
Before long, just as he was about to return to the deep pool where the flying-horned fish-dragons dwelled, Qin Sang suddenly stopped in his tracks, gazing ahead with suspicion and alarm.
At this moment, faint bursts of thunderclaps and shrill, bizarre screeches echoed from up ahead.
This place lay deep beneath the ice plain, with ice layers well over ten thousand feet thick. No ordinary lightning could possibly penetrate down here. There was only one explanation: it was the power of lightning released from the single horns of the flying-horned fish-dragons.
Were they... playing around?
Qin Sang frowned, regretting that he had not asked Yunyouzi more about the habits of the flying-horned fish-dragons.
Ancient beasts like these possessed astonishing innate divine abilities. Even their play could not be judged by ordinary standards. Approaching at a time like this meant he could easily be caught in the crossfire.
It would be best to wait for them to quiet down before going to release the Demon-Intoxicating Saliva.
The farther he advanced, the deeper Qin Sang's brow furrowed. The commotion from these flying-horned fish-dragons' antics was far too intense. Not only did the noise sound unusually violent, but the surrounding spiritual power had also turned utterly chaotic, and the ice cave itself was trembling.
Could they be locked in combat with another ancient beast?
Qin Sang's heart stirred. The pool was bottomless; the flying-horned fish-dragons might not be the only ancient beasts living there.
It was not that Qin Sang had never considered the possibility of other intruders, but this place was simply too remote. To get here, one first had to cross the restrictions of the inner valley, then bypass countless dangerous restrictions, find this location, and break through the illusion.
Yunyouzi had already stated that no one had set foot here since his last visit. It was impossible for it to be such a coincidence that they would run into someone else just as they arrived.
With these thoughts in mind, Qin Sang slowed his pace.
The flying-horned fish-dragons possessed keen spiritual senses, so he did not dare expose his own spiritual sense recklessly lest he draw trouble upon himself. He could only conceal his presence, retrieve a magic tool, and creep toward the deep pool in silence.
When he rounded a bend and saw the deep pool at the end of the passage, Qin Sang's expression changed drastically, shattering his prior guess.
There really was someone there!
Before Qin Sang could get a clear look at the newcomer, a sudden wave of warning struck him. Stamping his foot down hard, his figure flashed violently, darting across to the other side of the passage in an instant.
Almost simultaneously, a dazzling arc of lightning shot from the deep pool, smashing violently into the spot where he had just stood. It blasted a massive hole in the extremely hard black ice, sending cracks spiderwebbing in all directions.
Qin Sang stared at the crater with lingering dread, his expression darkening considerably. He had never expected to be discovered the moment he arrived, forcibly smoked out of hiding.
Not only had he acted with extreme caution, but he had also continuously channeled the Spirit Concealment Art to hide his aura. How in the world had the other party detected him?
Unless the other party's strength far surpassed his, rendering the Spirit Concealment Art completely useless.
*Boom!*
Without a single word, the other party unleashed another bolt of lightning.
Having witnessed the power of the lightning, Qin Sang dared not take it head-on and scrambled to dodge. Yet just as he moved, the Heart-Devouring Insect gu upon his origin soul suddenly stirred, opening its fanged mouth to snap at his origin soul—only to be blocked by the jade Buddha.
The Heart-Devouring Insect!
The Kuiyin Sect!
The realization flashed through Qin Sang's mind, and he instantly understood what was happening.
At that moment, relying purely on instinct and consummate acting, he let out a miserable shriek and stumbled forward to the right, looking as though he had exhausted all his strength to narrowly dodge the lightning strike under the agonizing attack of the Heart-Devouring Insect gu.
In the next instant, Qin Sang heard the other party utter a soft gasp of surprise. The voice sounded faintly familiar.
He looked up.
Their eyes met.
"Huh? Qin Sang? You're still alive?"
"Yu Hua!"
Catching sight of the face beneath the bamboo hat, distant memories surged to the forefront of Qin Sang's mind. He recognized him instantly, grinding out the name through clenched teeth as shock rattled his heart.
Yu Hua was still alive!
It was actually Yu Hua!
The traitor within the Yuanzhao Sect—the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had controlled them back at the sect alongside Zhao Yan!
On the night the Kuiyin Sect launched their surprise raid on the Yuanzhao Sect, the sect master of the Yuanzhao Sect had detonated the grand protective array and the spirit vein, perishing together with the Kuiyin Sect's higher-ups. Yu Hua had served as the inside agent, yet he hadn't died and had actually survived to this day.
What was more, the current Yu Hua was no longer the ordinary cultivator who had just broken through to Foundation Establishment decades ago.
His cultivation was shockingly high, and his aura was not in the least inferior to Senior Brother Qi Yuanshou's—the False Core stage!
Chapter 388