External Core

“Fellow Daoist, surely you must be joking?” The fat on Manager Bao's face quivered wildly. Unable to hold it in any longer, he slammed the table and rose to his feet! “There is no need for Bao to explain just how precious heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and spiritual items that aid Core Formation are! “Take demon cores alone—separated from the body within ten years and retaining their vitality. If Bao had the ability to slay a Demon Core stage beast, what would I need your living corpse for? “Besides, legend has it that there is a secret art to refine such demon cores into external cores. Wouldn't it be better for Bao to trade directly with a Golden Core Master? “It's merely a refined corpse, yet Fellow Daoist makes such exorbitant demands... Could it be that Bao inadvertently said something disrespectful, offending Fellow Daoist into making a fool out of me?” Fuming with indignation, Manager Bao harshly berated Qin Sang. Qin Sang let out a soft chuckle. How could he not know that wanting to trade a living corpse for a demon core separated within ten years was nothing short of wishful thinking? Tapping his fingers on the tabletop, Qin Sang said indifferently, “Manager Bao only said that a demon core retaining its vitality is out of the question... Does that mean there is still a glimmer of hope for an ordinary demon core?” “You...” Manager Bao opened his mouth, scrutinized Qin Sang for a moment, and sat back down. Lowering his head slightly, he seemed lost in thought. After quite a while, Manager Bao looked up and asked in a low voice, “How many living corpses can Fellow Daoist produce?” Qin Sang looked at Manager Bao in surprise. Did this man really have a way? Yet considering the difficulty of refining a living corpse, Qin Sang sighed softly and said, “This old man cannot say for sure—even a single one is difficult to come by... However, this old man can give Manager Bao a promise: if I truly wish to sell, I will definitely come to your shop first.” “Good! It's a deal!” Having obtained Qin Sang's promise, Manager Bao instantly forgot his earlier displeasure and beamed with delight. “Bao will eagerly await your good news, Fellow Daoist!” After leaving the shop, Qin Sang glanced back over his shoulder. He had not expected to see hope for a Flying Yaksha here. He harbored no extravagant hopes of buying a demon core separated within ten years, but the chances of purchasing even an ordinary demon core were slim. He had the ability to kill False Core stage cultivators, but the highest-cultivated living corpse seedling in his corpse puppet pouch was only at late Foundation Establishment, which certainly would not satisfy Manager Bao's demands. This person was a remnant of the Kuiyin Sect, one of the Four Demon Flame Emissaries of the Demon Flame Sect. Cultivators from the Lesser Cold Domain had been conscripted here, and the Demon Flame Sect was no exception. The battlefield was the best place to destroy corpses and erase all traces, and it would not arouse Daoist Jiupao's suspicion. Qin Sang had been keeping a close eye on the movements of the Kuiyin Sect remnants, creating opportunities where none existed to quietly eliminate Daoist Jiupao's lackeys and delay his recovery for as long as possible. In fact, the majority of the Demon Flame Sect cultivators who had perished here had fallen by Qin Sang's hands. Capturing a False Core stage expert alive and refining him into a living corpse versus finding a demon core—it was hard to say which was more difficult. Suffice to say, having another avenue meant another sliver of hope. Qin Sang left Mist Island directly, was teleported to another position within the grand array, and rode a cloud back to his cave dwelling to resume his secluded cultivation. Inside the cave dwelling, lights flickered. A batch of spirit stones was drained of spiritual power, turning into useless rock. Qin Sang kept his eyes tightly shut, bringing out a new batch of spirit stones without hesitation. He had performed this action countless times and no longer felt as heartbroken over it as he once had. After circulating his cultivation technique through several heavenly circuits, Qin Sang withdrew his consciousness from the origin soul space, checked his mustard seed bag, and finally took out two pill bottles. These were two bottles of Lilong Pills obtained from Yu Hua's belongings, which Qin Sang had never brought himself to use. Uncorking a jade bottle, a medicinal aroma wafted into his nostrils. Qin Sang greedily inhaled a few times before flicking his finger; a spirit pill flew out and landed squarely in his mouth. The pill transformed into a warm current that merged into his body. Feeling his cultivation surge upward, Qin Sang gave a silent sigh of appreciation before re-entering meditation to refine the pill's medicinal power. Days passed one after another. Mu Yifeng and the others returned after completing their mission. After reporting to Stargazing Island, they left a flying talisman outside Qin Sang's cave dwelling and went about their own business. Dispatched by Stargazing Island, all squads took turns patrolling outside in search of spatial fluctuations. For a period after completing a mission, they were free to do as they pleased while awaiting the next round of assignments. Qin Sang was completely oblivious to the outside world, focusing wholeheartedly on refining the Lilong Pills. One by one, the pills in the jade bottle dwindled until finally, one bottle was emptied. Soon, the second bottle was emptied as well. Without pausing his cultivation technique, Qin Sang deftly gathered his spiritual power to reach for another pill, only to grasp at nothing. Startled awake, he stared blankly at the empty jade bottles and let out a soft sigh. The efficacy of the Lilong Pills went without saying; with both bottles consumed, Qin Sang's cultivation had leapt forward by a significant margin. Unfortunately, there remained a considerable gap before reaching the False Core stage. “I estimate it will take another two years...” Qin Sang examined his sea of qi with inner vision and assessed his cultivation. Without the aid of pills, it would take two years of bitter cultivation to reach perfection and step into the False Core stage. If he spared no expense in gathering pills, it would be faster. Once he reached the False Core stage, he could begin preparing for Core Formation. However, he still had no lead on spiritual items that aided Core Formation. Taking everything into account, it had only been a little over a decade since he broke through to late Foundation Establishment, and part of that time had been wasted investigating the Demon Flame Sect. Thanks to the Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter and extraordinary medicinal pills, his cultivation speed was undeniably at the forefront compared to other cultivators in the same realm. After all, he had squandered more than thirty years in the early Foundation Establishment stage, only breaking through to the middle stage with the aid of the Xuanwen Heyun Pill. Even so, Qin Sang was still not satisfied. News from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield arrived frequently: the Seven Heroes Passes were completely sealed off, the spirit tide had already arrived, and it was growing fiercer by the day. What was most worrying was the situation in the Yuncang Great Marsh. No one knew how much longer this fragile peace could last, and Qin Sang could already feel the undercurrents surging. He did not know what the Lesser Cold Domain and the Heaven-Traversing Alliance were searching for, but once it was found, a great battle would surely ensue. He had cultivated with all his might, never daring to relax for a moment, pouring everything he had into acquiring cultivation resources just to barely keep pace. When upheaval arrived, every ounce of added strength meant another chance of survival. “Time waits for no man!” Qin Sang clenched his fists, calmed his stray thoughts, and settled his mind into meditation. Yet unexpectedly. This time, Qin Sang had only cultivated in peace for two days when, on the third day, he was jolted awake by an unusual disturbance from his token. Qin Sang's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly took out the token, only to see it radiating an intensely thick crimson glow—dazzlingly red! A crimson glow signified the strictest order. He had seen it often during the first year; every time a crimson glow appeared, it meant an upcoming battle involving thousands of cultivators! In this final year, it was appearing for the very first time. Qin Sang's face darkened with mixed emotions, and he could not help but curse out loud. “...Why couldn't it wait two more years?!” Cursing aside, Qin Sang did not dare defy orders. He quickly collected the spirit stones in the cave dwelling and took a careful look at this abode where he had stayed for three years before departing. After a prolonged period of calm, a sudden upheaval was by no means a good omen. When Qin Sang opened the door, Mu Yifeng and the others had already assembled before it, fully geared and ready to set out. They shared Qin Sang's worry, their expressions tinged with trepidation and unease. Taking a headcount of his squad, Qin Sang gave the command: “Move out!”