Demon Core

Not long ago, Qin Sang had wiped away the consciousness of both Yu Hua and the gold-armored cultivator. Having accumulated a degree of experience when refining the handsome young man, and now facing two cultivators at the False Core stage, Qin Sang was confident he could succeed with at least one. Yet that was not enough. Only by succeeding with both could his plan move forward. Setting them on the ground, Qin Sang did not rush into action. Instead, he sat cross-legged, sinking into deep meditation to stabilize his cultivation and temper his state of mind. This sitting lasted two whole days. Two days later. Qin Sang slowly opened his eyes. His pupils were as deep as an abyssal pool, unruffled as an ancient well, without the slightest trace of haste or hesitation. His calm gaze swept past Yu Hua and settled upon the gold-armored cultivator. The Five Elements yin materials flew out from the corpse puppet pouch, lining up in a neat row before Qin Sang. The gold-armored cultivator cultivated a metal-attribute cultivation method, so Qin Sang reached out and took a piece of blue nether metal. He had prepared an abundant supply of Five Elements yin materials. There were four large chunks of blue nether metal, more than enough to refine four living corpses. The blue nether metal melted in Qin Sang's palm, turning into a small globule of blue liquid that appeared extraordinarily viscous. It remained curled tightly in a ball; even when Qin Sang withdrew his spiritual power, it did not flow outward. After purging the sparse impurities within the blue nether metal, Qin Sang struck the pure liquid into the gold-armored cultivator's dantian. Next came the yin spirit water, which was also plentiful, filling several small bottles. ... As he struck the Five Elements yin materials into the gold-armored cultivator's body, Qin Sang continuously shifted through countless hand seals, completing the corpse-refining restrictions step by step. He devoted his full attention to each movement, not daring to let his focus waver. Before long, laying the foundation with the Five Elements yin materials was smoothly accomplished! From the outside, no change could be seen in the gold-armored cultivator. Qin Sang slowly exhaled a breath, yet his expression grew even graver. What followed was the true test: drawing earth fiend qi into the body to refine the gold-armored cultivator into a genuine living corpse! *Whoosh! Whoosh!* The earth fiend qi surged within the abyss, and Qin Sang drew over a single wisp. Though only a tiny strand, it remained exceedingly violent. Qin Sang exerted his full strength to suppress the earth fiend qi. Once it settled, he did not rush to drive it into the gold-armored cultivator's body. Instead, he spread his spiritual sense, examining the gold-armored cultivator from head to toe countless times. Only when he had every minute nuance of the dantian and sea of qi thoroughly committed to heart did he finally stop. *Swoosh!* The very first wisp ended in failure. Yet Qin Sang was already practiced. Without waiting for the spiritual power in the gold-armored cultivator's sea of qi to erupt, he drew the wisp of earth fiend qi back out, condensed a fresh one, and tried again. Failure followed failure, over and over. At last, the first wisp of earth fiend qi successfully merged into the gold-armored cultivator's sea of qi. Qin Sang swiftly completed a seal. Sweeping his spiritual sense over the gold-armored cultivator's dantian, he found a streak of black qi amidst the spiritual power. It seemed jarring and out of place, yet the two coexisted in harmony. This was merely the beginning; it was too early to rejoice. Back at Heaven-Pointing Peak, when refining the handsome young man, an unexpected mutation had occurred the moment the second wisp entered the body, causing the entire effort to collapse on the brink of success. However, Qin Sang was no longer the novice he once was. Having prepared precautions, he felt no panic and steadily proceeded to the next step. The second wisp! The third wisp! ... As time passed, the earth fiend qi within the gold-armored cultivator grew ever more abundant. With every attempt, there was at least a ninety percent chance of failure. Yet Qin Sang showed not the slightest discouragement. Failure itself was nothing; instability in the gold-armored cultivator's dantian was the true danger. Qin Sang kept his mind taut, never rushing for quick success. A few close calls indeed arose at the beginning, but Qin Sang resolved them in time, stumbling through each hurdle. Within the pitch-black underground cave, no sound existed other than the rushing surge of earth fiend qi. Qin Sang continuously drove wisps of earth fiend qi into the gold-armored cultivator's body while swiftly forming one intricate seal after another, his movements growing faster and faster. No one could tell how much time had passed. As yet another wisp of earth fiend qi entered the body, a tremor ran through the gold-armored cultivator's sea of qi before gradually subsiding. Qin Sang's eyes went wide, and a rare ripple surfaced in his steadfast gaze. In that instant, his hands moved several times faster than before, a dazzling blur as an array of exceedingly complex seals flew out, sinking into the gold-armored cultivator. "Unite!" Qin Sang let out a low shout. His palm appeared slow yet struck with deceptive speed, pressing gently against the gold-armored cultivator's dantian. *Boom!* A terrifying storm erupted within the gold-armored cultivator's sea of qi, unleashing a silent tremor! The gold-armored cultivator's body trembled with increasing violence. The rigid barrier formed by the Five Elements yin materials began to shake, and the restrictions upon him showed signs of imminent collapse. With a grave look, Qin Sang wildly channeled spiritual power, pouring it into the gold-armored cultivator's body through his palm. The storm raged more fiercely by the second. A fierce counterattack surged from the gold-armored cultivator's dantian, beginning to lash back against Qin Sang. Yet Qin Sang never withdrew his palm, gritting his teeth and holding firm. Finally, when the storm rose to its absolute peak, it came to an abrupt halt. The gold-armored cultivator stood quietly in the distance, motionless. Caught slightly off guard, Qin Sang hurriedly sent his spiritual sense into the gold-armored cultivator's sea of qi, only to find that it had completely settled. The earth fiend qi and spiritual power coexisted peacefully. With a thought from Qin Sang, a thread of earth fiend qi and a thread of spiritual power each broke away, merged into a single stream, and flowed calmly through the meridians. Success! Qin Sang exhaled a long breath, his taut nerves finally relaxing. Only then did he realize his body felt somewhat hollowed out; refining this living corpse had taken a tremendous toll. With this success behind him, Qin Sang felt all the more confident. After testing the gold-armored cultivator's strength, he stored him into the corpse puppet pouch, circulated his cultivation method to restore his breath to its peak, and summoned Yu Hua before him. ... Two days later. A figure flashed out from the entrance of Dichen Cave, checked his bearings, and headed straight south into the Yuncang Great Marsh. Firm-willed though Qin Sang was, a hint of excitement colored his face. Refining the two living corpses, the gold-armored cultivator and Yu Hua, had not lacked peril, but he had neutralized every crisis in time. In the end, he had succeeded with both! Dark clouds loomed heavy over the Yuncang Great Marsh, and a dreary drizzle fell, yet Qin Sang felt not the least bit oppressed. Riding a cloud at full speed, he flew toward the Luandao Waters with urgent haste. Traveling without pause across the long journey, he finally spotted the sea of mist formed by the True Water Thousand Illusions Formation at the edge of his vision. Qin Sang lowered his cloud, quietly slipped into the grand formation, transformed into a masked, black-robed man, and headed straight for Mist Island. The moment that exceptionally rotund Manager Bao laid eyes on Qin Sang, his features scrunched together like an open flower. He personally guided Qin Sang toward a quiet chamber, whispering impatiently along the way, "Fellow Daoist, you truly made this Bao wait! Over these days, I've had no appetite for food or tea, unable to settle my mind even during quiet meditation. I've literally dropped several jin of flesh just waiting for your news... What was the outcome?" Manager Bao stared intently at Qin Sang, looking terrified of hearing bad news. *This fellow really is obsessed with living corpses,* Qin Sang thought to himself. He chuckled softly and said in an even tone, "Is Manager Bao's demon core ready?"