Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a horrific slaughter had suddenly unfolded.
The priests of Yihui Stockade—the Shamanic God envoys—were wiped out in an instant, their blood spraying across the sky.
The mortals were utterly terrified. Shrieking in frenzy, they fled in all directions in blind panic.
Even the mortals belonging to Yihui Stockade were scared out of their wits, no longer daring to remain in the settlement.
"The priests of Yihui Stockade slaughtered their own people to feed their insect gu. The Witch God was enraged and brought down divine punishment! In the future, a new Shamanic God envoy shall descend..."
Qin Sang's voice rolled across the wilderness, paving the way for Yagu.
He flew with Yagu to the cave abode of the Yihui Stockade priests.
Yagu was fast asleep, her expression calm and serene—a striking contrast to the fresh blood splattered across her face.
Placing her on the ground, Qin Sang reached out, and the storage magic tools belonging to the priests came flying over, dropping onto the grass before him.
The items inside were of little value; none caught his eye.
Among them was Yihui Stockade's method for breeding winged hui, but Qin Sang disdained the winged hui's poor potential and had no intention of choosing such a spirit insect as his natal insect gu.
Moreover, the venom of the winged hui was not an incurable virulent poison. Spending great effort to raise them offered a poor return on investment.
What did pique Qin Sang's interest were the divine patterns of Yihui Stockade.
The power of these divine patterns was truly peculiar. Unlike a natal insect gu, they did not occupy the place of a life magic treasure, and their method of cultivation appeared completely different from the arts of immortal cultivators.
If it did not consume too much energy and offered sufficient power, Qin Sang would not mind sporting some on himself as well.
As long as it increased his strength, he cared nothing about physical appearance.
Dumping out the contents of the magic tools, Qin Sang finally found an animal hide in the elder's storage tool, on which several designs were drawn.
One of them was identical to the divine patterns on the priestess.
Searching through everything, he found no explanation or key to deciphering these divine patterns. Qin Sang picked up the hide and studied the patterns closely. Gradually, he discerned a few knacks, but he was still far from truly understanding them.
After all, it was a completely unfamiliar form of power.
Without someone to guide him, even someone as strong as Qin Sang could not master it on his own.
However, Qin Sang had a vague sense that these divine patterns served as channels for the Witch Clan to draw upon the power of nature, and likely required the innate talent of the Witch Clan to utilize.
He was human and possessed no such gift.
As for the art of natal insect gu, as long as humans could suppress the gu's backlash, they could still cultivate it; divine patterns, however, were an entirely different matter.
While Qin Sang was studying the divine patterns on the animal hide, Yagu stirred with a soft moan and woke up.
Her eyes were somewhat bewildered, but she quickly recalled what had happened before she lost consciousness. A look of panic flitted across her face, only settling when she saw Qin Sang beside her.
"You're awake?"
Qin Sang pointed toward the small lake. "Go wash your face and clean off the blood."
Yagu walked over to the water's edge and scooped up some water to wash her face, only to catch sight of her reflection on the water's surface. With her face smeared in blood and gore, she looked just like a murderous fiend, and she froze on the spot.
Seeing this, Qin Sang could not help but recall the first time he had killed someone upon arriving in this world, stabbing those bandits to death. He had looked just like that afterward.
After a while, Yagu buried her face in the water, washed away the bloodstains, and walked back to sit silently beside Qin Sang.
Qin Sang noticed that Yagu's demeanor had changed.
And why wouldn't it? Having endured such extreme ups and downs and personally slain her enemies—who were Shamanic God envoys, no less—how could she remain unchanged?
"What are your thoughts now?" Qin Sang asked.
Yagu sat hugging her knees, as if that were the only way to warm herself. Staring intently at Qin Sang's profile, she shook her head.
"The cultivation world is like this. There is no reason to be found.
"At least there was a reason behind the Yihui Stockade priests wanting to kill you. If you're unlucky enough to run into bloodthirsty devils, you might get killed for no reason at all.
"Over these past few days, you've developed a sense of qi and can be considered an immortal cultivator. I don't know whether this is good or bad for you.
"It can keep you from being weak and let you take control of your own fate, but it will also bring you trouble and danger. If you want to live longer, remember today.
"Of course, being decisive in killing alone isn't enough; the rest you'll have to comprehend yourself.
"Take this..."
Qin Sang retrieved the two Essence-Devouring Awls, handed them to Yagu, and taught her how to use them. "These Essence-Devouring Awls were modified by me using black flood dragon poison fangs. If used properly, they can kill a middle Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. If a late Foundation Establishment cultivator is careless, it can leave them severely poisoned as well. They are enough to protect your life."
Yagu took the Essence-Devouring Awls, but without even looking at them, she kept her eyes fixed on Qin Sang. After a moment of hesitation, she asked softly, "One-armed brother, may I ask you a question?"
Qin Sang nodded.
"What is your cultivation level?" Yagu asked.
"Early Core Formation stage," Qin Sang answered truthfully without hiding it. "I only formed my core not long ago."
"Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation..."
Yagu murmured to herself, the light in her eyes abruptly dimming as she muttered like someone in a daze, "You said that with my aptitude, even Foundation Establishment would be very difficult, and I could never form a core in my lifetime..."
Qin Sang let out a soft hum of acknowledgment, then shook his head. "Anything is possible in this world, but by conventional wisdom, your hopes of Core Formation are indeed exceedingly slim. Now that all the priests of Yihui Stockade are dead, you are the only Shamanic God envoy here. Before your cultivation rises, I will have the Five Insects Sect send people to help you manage things. Together with the two Essence-Devouring Awls, no one will be able to shake your position. When that time comes, you will be the king. Everyone will revere and fear you, and you will hold supreme power. You can deal with anyone who bullied you in the past however you please..."
Hearing Qin Sang go on at length, Yagu remained entirely unmoved. Staring persistently at him, she asked, "You're leaving, aren't you? And you won't ever come back."
Qin Sang thought for a moment and nodded.
Yagu suddenly bowed her head, holding back tears, her hand tightly gripping the Qingfu coin. "Can you give this to me? Please don't take it back."
She was pleading, a sob in her voice.
Qin Sang gave a helpless smile. "This Qingfu coin has a range limit. I'll be leaving the Bear Mountain region in a few days, so it will become useless anyway. It's not particularly valuable. If you want it, keep it."
With that, Qin Sang stood up. "I've taught you everything I should, and it's time for me to go. Who knows when we'll meet again. Take care of yourself."
Unexpectedly, Yagu suddenly sprang to her feet, rushed in front of Qin Sang, and said loudly, "One-armed brother, can I not be the priest of Yihui Stockade? I don't want everyone to revere and fear me, and I don't want supreme power..."
Qin Sang was surprised. "What do you want, then?"
"I want to cultivate immortality!"
Yagu bit her lip, her eyes filled with stubborn determination as she looked straight into Qin Sang's eyes. "You said that if one wants to achieve something on the immortal path, one must wholeheartedly pursue the Dao and cultivate without distraction. Power, fine food, pleasures—I want none of it! I don't ask for anything else, nor will I cling to you. I only beg you, one-armed brother, to point me in the right direction—where can I go to cultivate like that? If I become the priest of Yihui Stockade, I'll never be able to..."
Pausing, Yagu murmured, "I can't accept just resigning myself to fate!"
Chapter 634