Every trial in the Outer Hall was fraught with peril. In places like the Immortal Tomb, even Dongyang Bo and Chenyan had to slow their pace and tread with caution.
Yunyouzi's aura showed little change from before; he clearly still held the cultivation of the False Core stage!
Qin Sang took a deep look at Yunyouzi.
Previously, many mysteries had surrounded Yunyouzi, but none had seemed too absurd. Besides, Qin Sang had secrets of his own, so he had never probed too deeply.
Everyone had their secrets and taboos; prying carelessly could easily turn friends into enemies.
Yunyouzi had never wronged him, and had in fact helped him immensely, so Qin Sang certainly would not repay kindness with enmity. While it was true he was ruthless, that was reserved strictly for enemies.
Now, Qin Sang found Yunyouzi more and more inscrutable.
Passing through the Outer Hall's trials and entering the Inner Hall so quickly was definitely something no ordinary False Core cultivator could achieve—even Golden Core experts likely couldn't manage it!
Could Yunyouzi be hiding his true strength?
Could his cultivation actually rival the Nascent Soul realm?
Qin Sang was startled by the thought, mocking himself for entertaining such sheer nonsense.
Yunyouzi's background was crystal clear. His mortal life during the Great Sui era was corroborated by Daoist Priest Jixin, and after he joined the Taiyi Dan Sect, his cultivation trajectory became clearer still.
From his start in the Qi Refinement stage, to Foundation Establishment, to the False Core stage, he had forged ahead one step at a time through immense hardship that was known to all.
Qin Sang had even been involved in many of those events himself.
If Yunyouzi had been concealing his strength, keeping up the charade for so long would have made no sense.
Perhaps he had simply discovered a shortcut into the Inner Hall.
"I rushed here with all my might and arrived only moments ago. Fortunately, I didn't delay your important matter, brother."
Yunyouzi seemed to heave a sigh of relief, then continued, "Let us head straight to pick the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit. You and I entered quickly enough; perhaps the other competitors have not arrived yet."
With that, Yunyouzi spurred his movement technique and sped toward the ancient medicinal garden.
The question was on the tip of Qin Sang's tongue, intending to probe subtly, but on second thought, he decided against meddling. Whatever secrets Yunyouzi harbored, as long as there was no malice toward him, that was enough.
He suppressed these stray thoughts and followed silently.
Noticing Qin Sang's gaze lingering on the ruins of the ancient city, Yunyouzi spoke up: "Does Brother Qin also find it strange for this palm print to be here?"
Qin Sang nodded, sighing in marvel. "Just who could have left such a terrifying palm print? Do the colossal spirits and giants of legend—those said to tear apart dragons and phoenixes alive—truly exist?"
The palm print did not appear to be caused by spiritual power.
Fingerprints and palm lines were clearly visible, looking more like an imprint left by a flesh-and-blood palm.
That was what truly shook Qin Sang.
Just how powerful must a physical body be to obliterate an immortal city with a single palm?
To temper the body to such a realm was astounding.
Qin Sang suspected that even if he struck with all his might, he wouldn't be able to pierce the defense of the person's skin; it would be like scratching an itch.
It was not that the cultivation world lacked body refinement techniques, but most required vast quantities of resources to support them, including but not limited to rare spirit herbs and heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
Those unorthodox secret arts carried heavy limitations and were just as arduous to cultivate.
In the modern cultivation world where resources were scarce, completing such a path was far too difficult—much harder than orthodox cultivation.
Even cultivators who dabbled in body refinement usually waited until their cultivation was accomplished before considering practicing body refinement arts on the side. With formidable strength as their foundation, gathering resources became much easier.
However, while cultivating both dharma and body might grant a cultivator rapid leaps in combat power over the short term, in the long run, dividing one's focus drained a cultivator's energy, and most ended poorly.
"Not necessarily a colossal spirit," Yunyouzi shook his head. "In the ancient cultivation world, when body refinement reached the absolute pinnacle, there was the great divine ability known as Manifestation of Heaven and Earth. An almighty expert mastering this divine ability could embody heaven and earth, toppling mountains and overturning seas. Leaving behind such a palm print would not be surprising."
The great divine ability of Manifestation of Heaven and Earth?
Qin Sang fell silent. The more he saw, the more he felt his own ignorance and insignificance.
Within Ziwei Palace, a new veil of this world was drawn back before him.
The mysterious barrier at the edge of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, the Immortal Tomb in the Outer Hall of Ziwei Palace, the palm print in the Inner Hall—each defied Qin Sang's imagination.
Whose sacred vestiges were these, remaining indestructible to this day to shake the world?
Mahayana cultivators?
Or even... immortals?
"This palm strike utterly destroyed the immortal city. Nascent Soul cultivators once turned the city upside down and indeed found some surviving magic treasures, but without exception, all of them had lost their power. Supposedly, this was not due to the passage of time, but because a terrifying power had directly obliterated the treasures' core essence—most likely originating from that palm strike."
Yunyouzi's tone was likewise filled with wonder and longing.
Stirred by these thoughts, the two fell silent.
After a while, Yunyouzi broke the silence.
"Brother Qin, these things are far too remote for us. What we must consider now is curing our hidden injuries. Though running into competitors is unlikely, we must still be prepared.
"If fully unleashed, this old Daoist's Flawless Pearl can seal away a Demon Core stage monster cultivator for a time, the duration depending on the monster's cultivation...
"I also know a bit about ancient restrictions. If we encounter an enemy, I can also try using the ancient restrictions to trap them and buy you as much time as possible."
Qin Sang looked at Yunyouzi in surprise. The Flawless Pearl actually had such power, capable of sealing even a Demon Core stage monster cultivator—could it have already transformed into a magic treasure?
Yunyouzi sounded very confident. He had never boasted, so his words were likely reliable.
Since Yunyouzi was helping him gather medicine and had brought this up of his own accord, Qin Sang decided to reveal part of his own hand. "Senior, I have a Xutian Thunder in my possession. As a last resort, I am willing to trade the Xutian Thunder for the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit. Furthermore, I control a refined corpse on par with a Flying Yaksha; having it lead the way and break restrictions will certainly speed things up considerably."
Once this journey concluded, he could attempt Core Formation.
Cultivating the corpse dao on the side, as long as one did not act recklessly or slaughter mortals and cultivators, was not a serious issue for a Core Formation stage cultivator. Even if his sect found out, they would turn a blind eye.
There was no need to hide it any longer.
"A Xutian Thunder! A Flying Yaksha!"
Yunyouzi was startled by Qin Sang and looked at him in amazement. "This old Daoist has seen countless False Core cultivators, but never one who concealed himself as deeply as you! Even a Core Formation cultivator who dares underestimate you will suffer greatly! Did you obtain the secret art to refine a Flying Yaksha in that ice cavern?"
Qin Sang knew he could not hide it from Yunyouzi, so he gave an ambiguous answer: "You could say that. It was all thanks to Senior leading the way."
Yunyouzi chuckled.
"This old Daoist saw long ago that you possess a corpse refining art of the same origin as that Flying Yaksha.
"Do you wonder why I never confronted you about it?
"In my eyes, methods are neither righteous nor evil—it depends on the person.
"Do not blame me for looking into your past, little brother; I know you are no villain of wicked evil.
"Employing thunderous means, killing those who deserve to die, yet holding fast to one's true nature and never losing one's baseline—this is how we cultivators ought to be!"
Chapter 575