The Hidden Danger of Instinct

Hands clasped behind his back, Qin Sang stood atop the mountain peak and gazed out across the realm. Reflecting on his past experiences, compared to the muddle-headed days when Core Formation had seemed utterly hopeless, this so-called foundation injury was merely a minor annoyance. What was there to fear? Though his path had been fraught with tribulations, the clouds had finally parted to reveal the sun. A grand, magnificent avenue lay ahead, and the future was filled with bright promise. In that moment, Qin Sang’s chest swelled with immense delight, and he could barely resist throwing back his head to let out a long cry to the heavens! The roar rolled like thunder. Continuous and unending. It shook the mountains and wilderness. Before long, a flash of sword light suddenly flared, soaring away on the wind. *A fine wind lends its strength to send me straight up to the azure clouds!* …… To the west of the Qingyang Demonic Sect lay a small mortal city. In the city, an old Daoist with an air of immortal elegance had borrowed a table and chairs from a teahouse and set up a roadside stall. A divination banner stood planted in the dirt, emblazoned with the haughty claim: *Wandering Myriad Realms, Called a Half-Immortal by the World.* Beside the old Daoist stood a bailiff with the mouth of a hawk and the visage of a monkey. Slouching with frivolous and undisciplined manners, he had come seeking a marriage reading. A circle of commoners had originally surrounded the stall seeking medicine and divination, but the moment the bailiff showed up, they fled as though avoiding a pestilence god. “Brother, your features show a destiny of great wealth and nobility, but wealth and poverty clash. If you marry that girl from an impoverished household, she will not only fail to bring you fortune, but will also hinder and jinx you, stripping away every ounce of good luck you originally possessed…” The old Daoist was not in the least intimidated by the bailiff, shaking his head and swaying as he spoke. The bailiff jumped in shock, pointing at his own peerlessly grotesque mug as he demanded, “You can actually see that from my face?” “Of course. Why else would I be called a half-immortal…” Halfway through his sentence, the old Daoist suddenly felt a stir of intuition. He glanced toward the outskirts of the city, cast aside his playful mood, picked up the turtle shell from the table, and brought it down three times with vicious raps against the bailiff's head. “Ouch! You old bag of bones, you dare hit me?! Ouch! Ouch…” Wracked with pain, the bailiff shrieked repeatedly. Though he possessed decent martial arts skills, he could neither dodge nor retaliate, and was knocked flat onto the ground. Then came the old Daoist's harsh rebuke: “Lust and depravity will surely invite disaster!” When onlookers came back to their senses, only the divination stall remained on the street; the old Daoist was nowhere to be seen. “A true immortal…” Turned pale with fright, the bailiff lost every bit of his swagger, clutching his head as he scurried away in disgrace. From that day forth, whenever wicked desires sprouted in the bailiff's mind, the old Daoist’s parting shout would ring out beside his ears out of thin air, impossible to dispel. Slowly but surely, the man turned over a new leaf. Naturally, that was a matter for later. This old Daoist was none other than Yunyouzi. Growing bored while waiting for Qin Sang in the city, he had disguised himself as a fortune-teller, taking up the trade he had practiced in the mortal realm. Yunyouzi strode out of the city as if using an earth-shrinking art. His steps appeared leisurely yet were astonishingly swift, carrying him to a low hill outside the walls in just a few strides. Just then, a beam of sword light sped through the air, circled briefly over the hilltop, and descended before Yunyouzi to reveal Qin Sang. “Brother Qin's face is radiant and the gloom has entirely cleared. You must have attained your wish?” Yunyouzi looked Qin Sang up and down. Seeing his high spirits, so markedly different from when he had arrived, he knew there must have been great gains. Qin Sang nodded and cupped his hands in gratitude. “I have yet to thank Senior for your righteous assistance. A beast tide happened to break out in Wuya Valley—that must have been Senior’s handiwork, yes?” Yunyouzi smiled faintly. “Without stirring up a beast tide, how could I draw out a Core Formation master of the Qingyang Demonic Sect? As it happened, while gathering information in the Heavenly Demon Mound, I learned a few tricks to lure monster beasts. My original intent was merely to provoke a fight between two beast packs, but by a stroke of luck, it ended up triggering a small-scale beast tide right in the trial grounds for Qingyang Demonic Sect disciples, saving us further trouble later on.” “So that was it.” Qin Sang realized what had happened. Seeing that Yunyouzi was not inclined to elaborate, he did not press for details. “How were your gains, Brother Qin? Did you sense an opportunity for Core Formation?” Yunyouzi asked curiously. “Thanks to Senior's blessing…” There was no need to hide anything from Yunyouzi. Qin Sang briefly recounted how he had voluntarily aborted his Core Formation attempt and had unexpectedly discovered that heavenly astral qi and earth fiend qi could aid the process. If Yunyouzi wished to learn the detailed method of Core Formation, Qin Sang would not hold back. However, the method of condensing fiend and refining astral qi relied on the *Heavenly Yin Corpse Art*, which certainly would not suit Yunyouzi. He could not copy it directly and would have to find another path entirely. “Heavenly astral qi and earth fiend qi can aid Core Formation? This is truly unheard-of. Still, both substances are perilous beyond measure; only someone like you would dare attempt it, Brother Qin.” Yunyouzi had little interest in the Core Formation method itself. After sighing with emotion, he praised Qin Sang's choice effusively. “To hold your Dao heart steady in the face of the golden core’s temptation—I did not misjudge you!” “He who touches cinnabar turns red. By following in Senior's footsteps and learning through immersion, I have gained a great deal,” Qin Sang replied earnestly. He had to admit that his steadfast determination on the path of Dao owed much to Yunyouzi’s subtle, gradual influence. Although they had never formally established a master-disciple relationship, in Qin Sang’s heart, Yunyouzi was the very mentor who pointed the way forward. Yunyouzi stroked his beard and chuckled. “I hardly possess your patience, Brother Qin. Were it not for the disharmony in my divine soul, I would have been impatient to form my core long ago. Since your hidden injury hinders Core Formation, it seems the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit is an absolute necessity for this journey. With Ziwei Palace opening soon, we had best head to Xuanlu Pass early to plan carefully.” “Junior had the same thought…” …… Without delay, the two returned directly toward Shaohua Mountain. When passing Shangyuan Qingjing Palace, Yunyouzi bid Qin Sang farewell; he did not intend to visit Li Yufu and decided to go ahead to Xuanlu Pass first. Qin Sang still needed to return and check on the Flying Yaksha’s condition, so he agreed on a meeting place with Yunyouzi, and they went their separate ways. Qin Sang anticipated that the Flying Yaksha's injuries would not heal so quickly. Even so, he was no longer the man he had been. In the process of refining himself into a Flying Yaksha, Qin Sang had gained a deeper understanding of corpse cores. Previously, he had been helpless regarding the Flying Yaksha and could only let it recover on its own. Now, drawing upon his own experience, he could lend a hand and accelerate its recovery. For the expedition to Ziwei Palace, the Flying Yaksha was indispensable. No matter what, he had to heal it. Watching Yunyouzi's escape light vanish into the distance, Qin Sang was just about to steer his sword southward. Suddenly, his movement hitched, and his brow furrowed slightly. A moment later, that inexplicable bloodthirsty impulse gradually subsided. Qin Sang smoothed his brow and let out an imperceptible sigh. After breaking the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, Qin Sang had immediately swallowed the prepared medicinal pills to expel the corpse qi from his physical body. Yet he had not anticipated that once the corpse core formed, the corpse qi accumulated within him was far beyond what it had been during his time as a living corpse. On the surface, no traces of his corpse transformation remained, but he alone knew he was not truly cured. That bloodthirsty instinct would flare up from time to time. It was not severe, but it was troublesome. Over the past few days, Qin Sang had considered many methods, but none could eradicate it completely. He had also asked Yunyouzi indirectly, but there was no good solution; he could only wait until Core Formation. During Core Formation, when spiritual power flooded the body, a cultivator's physical form would undergo a complete metamorphosis, and the lingering aftereffects of corpse transformation would easily be wiped away. For the time being, he could only endure it in silence. Fortunately, his dantian had been stabilized by the Five Elements yin materials, and the golden core had borne the brunt of the astral and fiend qi impacts in his stead. The damage had been minor and had already fully healed.