Restraint

Secondly, even if someone managed to find both of these miraculous substances at once, who would dare take them into their body? Whether it was earth fiend qi or Qiantian astral qi, both were extraordinarily violent and untamable forces. To a cultivator, nothing could be more dangerous; they avoided them like deadly serpents and scorpions. Without the unique secret techniques and restrictions of the *Heavenly Yin Corpse Art* to subdue the earth fiend qi, Qin Sang's dantian would have been pulverized the very moment he drew the fiend qi into his body. Even the Qingyang Demonic Sect, which regarded Qingyang Divine Astral Qi as the very bedrock of their sect, only used it to temper the seed fire of the Qingyang demonic fire within them. They never dared allow the Qingyang Divine Astral Qi to come into direct contact with physical flesh. Introducing astral qi and fiend qi into the sea of qi simultaneously, letting them clash and temper spiritual power in the process, was utterly appalling. The instant the two met inside the body, the resulting explosion would almost certainly blow the practitioner to smithereens. Moreover, during the astral-fiend core clash, Qin Sang had felt no change in his spiritual power. This suggested that Congealing Fiend and Refining Astral Qi did not produce immediate results like the snow spirit lotus or the iris flower. It likely required continuous tempering, grinding away all the spiritual power in the body before the final effect would ever emerge. Even if someone went mad enough to attempt it, they would never endure to the end. Looking back over his entire corpse-refining experience, Qin Sang had tread on thin ice every step of the way, trembling with fear. His success was born of a singular chain of events. First, the Five Elements yin materials built the foundation and strengthened his sea of qi. Next, relying on the Heavenly Corpse Talisman and the *Heavenly Yin Corpse Art*, he placated the earth fiend qi and refined a foreign golden core into his body. Only then did he dare attempt the astral-fiend core clash. During the clash, the golden core bore the brunt of the astral and fiend impacts, allowing Qin Sang to escape disaster. Yet even that golden core had nearly shattered in the end. Had it been a golden core or demon core more than a decade old, its spirituality heavily degraded, the attempt would unquestionably have ended in failure. And above all, the jade Buddha had played an indispensable role! The jade Buddha was the sole reason Qin Sang had dared to make these attempts at all. Sheltered by its protection, he had possessed the courage to plant the Heavenly Corpse Talisman into his origin soul. Otherwise, even if he were driven into a corner and actually did it, after completing the astral-fiend core clash, he still would not have resisted the corrosion of corpse transformation. He would only have ended up like Wu Shang—a mindless Flying Yaksha guarding a frozen ice cavern in bitter solitude, denied release for eternity. Only the confluence of all these brutally demanding conditions, through freak accidents and coincidences, had brought Qin Sang to where he was today. This path was impossible for anyone else to replicate. Even if others learned of the purpose behind the heavenly astral and earth fiend, they would still have to seek alternative methods. Pursuing such a nebulous possibility was likely harder than gathering spiritual items that aided Core Formation. After all, other False Core stage cultivators did not possess aptitudes as abysmal as Qin Sang's. They had no need to stake everything on a single gamble, seeking life from the jaws of death. Qin Sang sighed softly in wonder. He had never expected that Wu Shang's writings, rather than bearing fruit along the path of corpses, would unexpectedly carve out an unheard-of grand avenue toward Core Formation. The Great Dao numbered fifty, yet Heaven unfolded only forty-nine. Ruthless though the Heavenly Dao was, it never extinguished that final sliver of hope! Yet thinking back, how could the tests of his character and resolve along this journey be considered small? What if his spirit had sunk into despair after failing his Core Formation breakthrough with the snow spirit lotus and iris flower, lacking the unyielding determination to seize a glimmer of survival from the impossible? What if he had shrunk back in fear from the perils of the corpse-refining art, lacking the courage to risk everything on a single throw? What if, upon refining the corpse core, he had been intoxicated by its formidable power, grown complacent, and refused to unbind the Heavenly Corpse Talisman—straying into the wrong path and losing his resolve to seek the Great Dao? A single misstep would have caused him to brush past this miraculous opportunity. This was not merely a transformation of his cultivation. It was a baptism of his Dao heart! *** Thinking of the jade Buddha, Qin Sang suddenly remembered that Shi Ying's soul imprint remained deep within his origin soul. Back on Divine Astral Peak, after knocking Shi Ying unconscious, he had not rushed to dispel the soul imprint, keeping it just in case. Now that it was useless, he immediately had the jade Buddha shatter it. Sure enough, the jade Buddha pulverized the imprint effortlessly, leaving behind not the slightest trace—a feat even Nascent Soul cultivators could scarcely achieve. *The Qingyang Demonic Sect will surely investigate how I infiltrated them. Still, by the time I left their grounds and battled Wu Youdao, Shi Ying should have regained consciousness. If she has any wit about her, whether she fled amid the chaos or found a way to conceal her involvement, escaping shouldn't be difficult. What becomes of her will depend on her own fortune...* Qin Sang shook his head and gathered his thoughts. His karmic connection with Shi Ying ended here. Neither owed the other anything, and he would not waste effort going back. *** Once his excitement subsided, Qin Sang's mind regained its calm. Recognizing that absolute safety was still far from guaranteed, he promptly settled his thoughts and patiently circulated his cultivation method, bolstering the spiritual power in his sea of qi. Time slipped past in silence. When the spiritual power in the two middle-grade spirit stones was almost entirely depleted, turning them into pale, lifeless rocks, Qin Sang opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing within them. That wisp of spiritual power had grown countless times stronger than when it began. Now, his spiritual power was extraordinarily condensed and solid. This was a qualitative transformation; even without forming a core, his strength was already a far cry from what it used to be. If he had to gauge it, he would place himself between a False Core stage cultivator and a Flying Yaksha—provided his spiritual power could consistently maintain this state. Qin Sang did not rush to attempt Core Formation. Once his spiritual power had recovered to seventy or eighty percent, he stopped, for he had yet to bring the corpse core under control. The longer he delayed, the harder the corpse core would be to subdue, and its signs of instability were growing more pronounced. He could afford no more delay. Even if he truly formed his core, this external core would remain a tremendous asset, equivalent to possessing two golden cores. He had spent an immense amount of blood and sweat to refine it, and naturally, he had no wish to let it go to waste. Of course, compared to the corpse core, his own golden core was far more important. If the corpse core threatened to interfere with his Core Formation, he would discard it without the slightest hesitation. Qin Sang observed carefully for a while. Seeing that his spiritual power was perfectly stable with no sign of reverting, he felt reassured and turned his attention to the state of the corpse core. Originally, he had intended to proactively dissipate a portion of its power to make it easier to master. But now that his internal spiritual power had transformed and his strength had soared, such a measure was unnecessary; he could attempt to master the corpse core at its peak. With a plan already in mind, Qin Sang immediately mobilized his spiritual power at full tilt, wrapping it tightly around the corpse core. The corpse core showed no rejection toward Qin Sang, meaning he had no need to fear a backlash and could proceed unreservedly. This process of subdual was slow, painstaking work. It took a full two hours before Qin Sang woke from his meditative trance. He let out a long breath, overflowing with excitement. Through relentless attempts, he had finally subdued the corpse core. His true essence no longer felt sluggish; it was once again under his complete control. By now, Qin Sang had gathered all his true essence back into the corpse core. The dark cyan corpse core rotated slowly within his sea of qi, its surface faintly gleaming with the light of restrictions. Whenever Qin Sang wished, he could unseal the corpse core at any time, unleashing a fearsome strength rivaling that of a Core Formation stage cultivator. Testing it, he found it circulated as freely as before, and it did not impede his ability to cast techniques from the *Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter*. His current strength was even greater than when he had fought Wu Youdao!