Hearing Shi Ying's words, Qin Sang was caught between laughter and tears, but he quickly cast aside all stray thoughts, closed off his five senses, and sank his mind deep into his sea of qi, not daring to allow the slightest distraction.
Shi Ying was exceedingly nervous, but how could he be any less so?
Shi Ying could hardly be of any help; everything ultimately rested on Qin Sang himself.
It was his own dantian that was about to bear the brunt of the impact. If anything went awry, Shi Ying would at most suffer some backlash, whereas the foundation of his sea of qi would be obliterated, leaving it uncertain whether he could even keep his life.
Within the quiet, dim cave dwelling, the azure demonic fire flickered.
The severed wisp of Qingyang Divine Astral Qi had already drifted right up to Qin Sang's dantian.
At this moment, a vortex suddenly surged into being at Qin Sang's dantian, in which spiritual power and earth fiend qi were intermingled, taking on a murky gray hue.
Just then, Shi Ying's movement paused slightly.
She first inspected the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi, confirming there was no sign of it collapsing. Next, she looked at Qin Sang to make sure the refined corpse remained completely obedient.
After a brief hesitation, Shi Ying gently bit her lower red lip with her pearly teeth. Hardening her resolve, she abruptly thrust the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi into the vortex!
In that instant, Qin Sang made true contact with Qingyang Divine Astral Qi for the very first time.
To his surprise, this legendary astral qi of supreme yang—a wondrous worldly substance renowned alongside earth fiend qi—felt exceptionally gentle and mild. Like a drop of fine nectar dripping into Qin Sang's sea of qi, it was as soft and delicate as congealed fat.
Was Qingyang Divine Astral Qi naturally like this, or was this appearance due to its transformation into an astral essence?
Qin Sang's doubt did not linger for long.
The moment the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi sank into the vortex, Shi Ying withdrew the Qingyang Demonic Fire cloaking its exterior. In that split second, stripped of its restraint, the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi finally revealed its true nature!
The previously docile astral qi suddenly burst from utter stillness into violent motion. Before Qin Sang or Shi Ying could react, it stabbed viciously into Qin Sang's sea of qi.
It was no mere wisp of azure light—it was an azure bolt of lightning, carrying an exceedingly savage aura, baring ravenous fangs!
The sudden anomaly caused Shi Ying's face to pale drastically.
Though she cultivated the Qingyang Demonic Fire, she did not truly understand Qingyang Divine Astral Qi; disciples like her merely followed the cultivation method step by step. If one wished to delve deep into the essence of Qingyang Divine Astral Qi, one would likely have to wait until reaching Core Formation before even attempting it.
The sudden upheaval of the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi was entirely beyond Shi Ying's expectations.
Qin Sang's heart also tightened sharply. For an insignificant wisp of Qingyang Divine Astral Qi to erupt with such terrifying momentum—in this instant, he actually had the illusion that his sea of qi was about to be pierced through. By pure instinct, he wanted to expend all his strength to expel the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi.
Yet he swiftly suppressed the instinct, locking his mind onto his sea of qi.
No matter how strong the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi was, its quantity was still too small. The amount Shi Ying had brought down from the mountain was minuscule to begin with, and this was only a fraction of that. Half of his sea of qi was filled with earth fiend qi; at the very worst, he would not be overwhelmed by this bit of Qingyang Divine Astral Qi.
As long as he stabilized the earth fiend qi, he could regain control of the situation in time.
*Why did the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi suddenly erupt?*
Qin Sang wondered.
The tremors transmitted through Shi Ying's soul imprint told Qin Sang that she, too, was stunned by the mutation, meaning this change in the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi was not normal.
And indeed it was not.
Just earlier on Divine Astral Peak, when Shi Ying had repeatedly failed to seal the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi, it had merely dissipated without a sound. This sort of violent reaction was occurring for the very first time.
*There can only be one reason: it sensed the earth fiend qi inside my body...*
Qin Sang's thoughts turned, and he hit upon the cause.
Earth fiend qi and Qiantian astral qi were yin and yang, renowned worldly counterparts. Once they met, it was no surprise that they would clash and turn fiercely hostile.
At this thought, Qin Sang came up with a solution.
Yet before he could make a move, his sea of qi went out of control along with the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi. The earth fiend qi surged tempestuously, rearing up into a colossal wave that pounced violently toward the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi.
Just as expected!
This sight confirmed Qin Sang's conjecture, but he felt not the slightest thrill of excitement. His mind was taut, nerves strung high, as he did everything in his power to rein in the earth fiend qi.
Fast as Qin Sang's reaction was, he was still a step too late.
*Boom!*
In a flash, a streak of supreme yin fiend qi and a streak of supreme yang astral qi—two incomparably violent and wondrous worldly substances—crashed brutally into each other.
Turbulent waves rose across the sea of qi.
The barrier formed by the Five Elements yin materials also trembled incessantly beneath the explosive impact, helping to steady the sea of qi.
Qin Sang's heart rose into his throat as he fixed his gaze unwaveringly on the golden core.
The sea of qi churned unpredictably, with the golden core suspended right at its center like a moon in the water, shimmering between bright and dim amidst the turmoil.
A moment later, Qin Sang's mind eased slightly.
Fortunately, the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi was small in quantity. Pitted against so much earth fiend qi, it was wiped out without any power to retaliate. The clash subsided rapidly, and the force of it had been tolerable, leaving his foundation unshaken.
The golden core was hardly affected, remaining stable.
With the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi obliterated, the earth fiend qi finally settled down. Qin Sang's sea of qi gradually regained its calm, and from the outside, it appeared as though nothing had happened at all.
Outside, Shi Ying was frightened pale. She remained frozen in a daze for quite a while until, seeing Qin Sang still sitting quietly cross-legged, she suddenly snapped back to her senses and flurried to examine his condition.
Confirming that Qin Sang had not suffered damage in the clash, Shi Ying exhaled a long breath, only then realizing her back was drenched in cold sweat.
The clash had lasted only a brief moment and was confined strictly to Qin Sang's sea of qi, but the sheer might displayed in that split second was terrifying. Recalling the scene just now, lingering fear still gripped her.
Fortunately, she had been cautious and tested only a fraction of the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi first.
Congratulating herself in secret, Shi Ying's gaze fell on Qin Sang's sea of qi. After a momentary hesitation, she decided to continue testing.
The scene just now had seemed dangerous, but it aligned completely with what the secret technique described: the baleful corpse's own power was sufficient to cope with unforeseen accidents, which put her mind considerably at ease.
She "commanded" Qin Sang to recover while she took out an elixir, swallowed it, and gripped a spirit stone to rapidly regulate her breathing.
She now possessed abundant wealth; before obtaining the legacy of the Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator, she would never have dared to be so lavish.
Soon enough, Shi Ying adjusted her state to its peak. Seeing that Qin Sang had not finished, she rested her chin in her hands and sat on the ground waiting, gazing blankly at Qin Sang as she began to talk to herself.
"Elder Brother Corpse, once you recover, we'll keep trying and strive to help you complete your metamorphosis as soon as possible...
"Before meeting you, I had already lost all hope, knowing I could never avenge my parents. It was you who gave me hope...
"I don't seek the immortal path or longevity; I live only for revenge.
"Don't worry. Once I've had my revenge, I will definitely keep my promise and find a way to break the seal on your origin soul..."
Shi Ying had never dared voice her innermost thoughts to anyone, suppressing them for far, far too long. Believing Qin Sang to be an inanimate object, she treated him as a confidant.
Without realizing it, she poured out everything in her heart.
Within the faintly azure cave dwelling, her eyes shone bright, harboring profound yearning and a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve.
Chapter 521