After eliminating Daoist Jiupao, Qin Sang hastened back without stopping, as the Flying Yaksha's condition grew increasingly dire. The crack on its corpse core showed no signs of mending and was even threatening to widen further.
The earth fiend qi he had stored in the Shaoyin Magnetic Bottle was a mere drop in the bucket; he had to return to Dichen Cave as quickly as possible.
With Daoist Jiupao and the Four Demon Flame Emissaries all dead, the Demon Flame Sect existed in name only, though some remnants of the Kuiyin Sect still lingered within. Qin Sang had intended to raid the Demon Flame Sect's headquarters, but for now, there was no time.
Returning to Dichen Cave at top speed, Qin Sang summoned the Flying Yaksha.
The Flying Yaksha's aura was chaotic. Its external injuries had mostly healed, but its flesh was shriveled, on the verge of turning into a desiccated corpse.
The wound on its dantian had also failed to heal completely. Wisps of corpse qi leaked out continuously, its sea of qi bordered on exhaustion, and its corpse core was pale in luster, severely cracked and parched.
Daoist Jiupao had been unable to display the true combat prowess of the Core Formation stage, and the Flying Yaksha could not compare to a genuine Flying Yaksha either; this outcome was already quite good.
Qin Sang had originally prepared himself for the Flying Yaksha to be completely ruined.
"I made it back in time at last."
Qin Sang carefully swept his spiritual sense over the Flying Yaksha. Only after confirming that its injuries were not past the point of recovery did he truly set his mind at ease.
Placing several restrictions on the Flying Yaksha to seal off its aura, Qin Sang manipulated it to leap down into the earth fiend qi.
Core Formation stage experts from Shaohua Mountain would rarely visit such a barren wasteland, but to guard against accidents, Qin Sang still had the Flying Yaksha dive down as deep as possible.
Once it reached the limit of what it could endure, Qin Sang found a protrusion on the rock face and had the Flying Yaksha sit cross-legged there, bathing in the earth fiend qi to heal.
Recovering from its wounds depended entirely on the Flying Yaksha devouring earth fiend qi to nurture itself; there was little Qin Sang could do.
This process would not be brief, nor could Qin Sang remain here indefinitely to keep it company. Still feeling somewhat uneasy, he stayed in Dichen Cave for three days to observe whether the Flying Yaksha could withstand the scouring of the earth fiend qi.
During these three days, Qin Sang also attended to another matter: dispelling the Heart-Devouring Insect gu on his origin soul.
He had long known the method to remove the gu. However, while Daoist Jiupao and the others were still alive, keeping it might have proven useful, which was why Qin Sang had put off dispelling it until now.
Now that only a few insignificant remnants of the Kuiyin Sect remained, there was no need to go through such trouble to deal with them.
This Heart-Devouring Insect gu had stayed with Qin Sang for several decades, ever since he left the Kuiyin Sect. From pricking his back like a poisonous needle and keeping him constantly on edge, to later being used as bait to lure and kill the remnants of the Kuiyin Sect, it had witnessed Qin Sang's growth all along the way.
Although he no longer feared the threat of the Heart-Devouring Insect gu, Qin Sang still felt a wave of relief wash over him once it was removed.
What he cast off was not merely a poisonous gu, but also that dark chapter of his past in the Kuiyin Sect.
Leaving Qin Sang's origin soul, the Heart-Devouring Insect flew out of his origin soul space and instantly lost its vitality. Its worm-like body stiffened, floating before Qin Sang.
Two fangs protruded from its mouthparts, gleaming with a cold light that appeared ferocious and sinister.
Immediately after, the Heart-Devouring Insect began to disintegrate from its head, ultimately turning to ash.
It had been a corpse to begin with, manipulated by gu sorcery and refined into a gu insect. Each Heart-Devouring Insect corpse could only endure the gu technique once; as soon as the art was undone, it vanished from the world forever.
Three days later, the Flying Yaksha was safe and sound.
Qin Sang left Dichen Cave alone, preparing to seek out a place to prepare for his Core Formation.
He did not return to his sect, nor did he even go to Huilong Temple. The snow spirit lotus and iris flower were far too important, and he could not bring himself to fully trust his fellow sect members. He planned to make an open appearance only after refining and absorbing the spirit medicines.
The finest place for secluded cultivation was, naturally, the spirit eye cave abode that had nurtured the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid.
To keep the cave abode hidden and secure, Qin Sang had never opened it again since returning from Yinshan Pass.
Light clouds drifted across the sky.
Qin Sang rode the clouds through the air. Rather than heading straight for the cave abode, he took a detour and descended onto an uninhabited deserted island—the very isle where their party had once gathered before departing for Heavenly Corpse Cave.
The island remained as it had been.
The nest of that pair of birds had long been abandoned for years.
Of the eight people who had set out back then, now only Qin Sang remained.
When leaving the Luandao Waters, Qin Sang had left a letter for Li Yufu, telling him to leave a voice transmission talisman on this island to notify him should there be any news of Yunyouzi.
He still held the Ziwei Secret Talismans, and not much time remained before the opening of Ziwei Palace. If Yunyouzi did not need one, it would be best to part with it as soon as possible.
After so many years without any word of Yunyouzi, Qin Sang had harbored little hope. To his surprise, the moment he landed on the island, he discovered a spirit formation.
The spirit formation was exquisitely laid out and served no other purpose than sealing a wisp of blood qi deliberately left behind. Qin Sang could be certain that it had undoubtedly been left by Yunyouzi.
Yunyouzi was back?
Delighted, Qin Sang reached out and triggered the spirit formation, watching as the blood qi within detonated with a soft pop.
Waiting in place for a moment, Qin Sang gave it brief thought and concealed himself in the shadows.
He trusted Yunyouzi, but was merely guarding against the possibility that something had happened to Yunyouzi and he was being exploited by others.
Before long, two familiar escaping lights flew over from the horizon.
One was Li Yufu.
The other was the peculiar glow unique to the Flawless Pearl!
"Disciple greets Martial Uncle!"
Li Yufu bowed in greeting to Qin Sang. He was still at the early Foundation Establishment stage, but having tempered himself alongside Qin Sang on the battlefield for many years, his demeanor was entirely transformed from the past.
"Brother Qin!"
Seeing Qin Sang, Yunyouzi lowered his escaping light and strode over with a hearty laugh. "When I saw the letter you left with Yufu, I brought him straight here. We've been waiting for you for quite some time!"
With an apologetic look, Qin Sang said, "Junior was occupied with a trifling matter during this time..."
"No matter, I knew you must have important business to attend to. This old Daoist hasn't been idle either—I've been searching for an old acquaintance and guiding Yufu's cultivation along the way..."
Yunyouzi waved a hand, signaling Li Yufu to keep watch outside. He sized Qin Sang up and asked gravely, "Brother Qin, you're still in the False Core stage. Have you not attempted Core Formation?"
Qin Sang shook his head. "Forming the core is a daunting hurdle. Junior has no confidence either."
"A pity that when it comes to Core Formation, this old Daoist cannot be of much help."
Yunyouzi sighed softly, then encouraged Qin Sang, "Brother, you obtained the snow spirit lotus and iris flower. Among all the spirit medicines that can presently be found in the Lesser Cold Domain, those two offer the greatest assistance toward Core Formation. You are bound to succeed in a single try!"
Qin Sang knew that the news of his obtaining the snow spirit lotus and iris flower had surely spread throughout the Lesser Cold Domain, so it was no surprise that Yunyouzi knew.
Speaking of Core Formation, Qin Sang hastily asked Yunyouzi, "Senior has been traveling outside all these years searching for natural treasures—has the hidden wound in your soul fully healed? A while ago, I unexpectedly obtained two Ziwei Secret Talismans. Does Senior still need one?"
With that, Qin Sang took out the two Ziwei Secret Talismans and showed them to Yunyouzi.
"Ziwei Secret Talismans? So many!"
Yunyouzi was astonished. Then, without standing on ceremony, he reached out, took one, and stowed it away.
"Haha... Of course I want it! Brother Qin, thank you for your trouble! If I hadn't brought back good news for you, I'd truly be too embarrassed to show my old face and take it."
Chapter 495