Li Witch Palace

"Brother Qin, may you achieve immortality..." Yagu closed her eyes, her aura fading swiftly away. "Have a good sleep. Everything will be all right." Qin Sang spoke softly by her ear. Without further hesitation, he imprinted the Heavenly Corpse Talisman into Yagu's origin soul space and unleashed one restriction after another. Yagu sank into a deep slumber, yet a lingering smile remained upon her face. Her features had not deliberately formed it, yet she seemed to be smiling eternally—a gentle, hidden smile, like a clear night sky washed clean by rain. Qin Sang gazed steadily at her, suddenly feeling a heavy burden of responsibility settle onto his shoulders. In his century of cultivation, he had met all manner of people, including many exceptional women, yet he had never allowed himself to be swayed by emotion. It was not for lack of opportunity; rather, he had chosen to sever those ties himself each time. Just as certain promises were not easily made, certain responsibilities were equally difficult to shoulder. With the Heavenly Corpse Talisman sealing Yagu's origin soul, Qin Sang had no certainty whether he could ever dispel the talisman for her in the future. Having once been turned into a refined corpse himself, he knew well how bizarre and sinister the Heavenly Corpse Talisman was. Without a wondrous item like the jade Buddha, even he would never have been able to undo it. Yet Yagu's plight was inextricably linked to him. Qin Sang could not stand by and watch her die before his eyes. Since she had agreed, he would do everything in his power, regardless of how slim the hope was. Recalling Wu Shang, who had completely transformed into a refined corpse in Wuya Valley, a surge of urgency seized Qin Sang's heart. Yagu's cultivation was so low that he had no idea how long she could endure. Just then, Qin Sang discovered to his pleasant surprise that the vitality brought by the Three Light Jade Liquid remained boundless. Within Yagu's body, it firmly suppressed the corpse qi, shielding her mortal frame from the agony of corpse transformation. Qin Sang's eyes brightened. In the restrictions of corpse refinement, there were two principal dilemmas. One was that when the origin soul remained imprisoned for too long, its consciousness and intellect would be ground away. The other was the transformation of the physical body into a corpse; once the corpse qi penetrated the foundational core, no power on earth could reverse it, leaving possession of a new vessel as the only recourse. The Three Light Jade Liquid had resolved one major peril. With this realization, Qin Sang acted swiftly, sealing the medicinal efficacy of the Three Light Jade Liquid within Yagu's body so that it would focus solely on countering corpse transformation without going to waste, prolonging its effect as long as possible. Next, Qin Sang retrieved the spirit-warming warm jade from the Thousand Jun Ring and placed it in Yagu's mouth. This piece of warm jade had been obtained from Yi Tiannie and could nourish the soul. It was precisely by sheltering inside it that Yi Tiannie had kept his remnant soul from dispersing. While its effects did not rival the Soul-Nurturing Wood, one of the Ten Great Divine Woods, it would still be of immense help to Yagu. The combination of these two wondrous items would buy Qin Sang a great deal of time to study the secret arts of the corpse dao and ghost dao in search of a way to break the Heavenly Corpse Talisman. The Witch Clan was also highly proficient in the arts of corpses and ghosts, and would surely possess unique insights. If he could find no solution in the Canglang Sea, he would need to hasten his return to the Xiaohan Realm all the more urgently, searching for the ruins of the Heavenly Corpse Sect and the latter half of the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art. With these thoughts, Qin Sang rose to his feet and cast a cold gaze in the direction of the Five Insects Sect. The Five Insects Sect, the Li Witch Palace... He had a premonition that the mystery of his teleportation was soon to be unraveled. Only then did Qin Sang recall the fat silkworm in the insect basket. Earlier, the fat silkworm had suddenly grown agitated and was even now relentlessly gnawing at the basket, though it did not appear hungry. Qin Sang had no idea what mischief it was up to. Opening the insect basket, he watched the fat silkworm dart out and make a beeline straight for Yagu in his arms. Seeing this, Qin Sang felt a stir in his heart and did not halt its movements. The fat silkworm crawled onto Yagu's hand and gave her finger a gentle nip. As essence blood intertwined, a wondrous connection instantly formed between the fat silkworm and Yagu. *Is this... a spirit insect voluntarily recognizing a master?* Qin Sang was privately astonished. He had never expected such an exceedingly rare occurrence to happen to Yagu. The fat silkworm had never laid eyes on Yagu before, so why acknowledge her as master? Qin Sang recalled that the fat silkworm had suddenly grown agitated right after Yagu spoke. Could it be because of her voice? Had her voice become so enchanting that it could beguile a spirit insect? Pinching the fat silkworm, Qin Sang lifted it up. Sensing the link, he confirmed that it had indeed recognized Yagu as its master—an arrangement similar to a natal insect gu, yet distinctly different. *Could this fellow have submitted to someone else just to escape my clutches?* Qin Sang looked at the fat silkworm's shifty little eyes rolling around and wore an odd expression. The notion that Yagu's voice alone could captivate a spirit insect seemed utterly absurd. Lately, the fat silkworm had been tormented thoroughly by his Nine Nether demonic fire and denied Scarlet Fire Flowing Gold. It had probably longed to flee for quite some time, but lacked the strength to slip from his grasp and could only swallow its tears. Unfortunately, Yagu had already fallen into a deep slumber. Qin Sang examined Yagu's condition and found no other changes. Her spirit insect would simply have to be cared for by him on her behalf. The creature had outsmarted itself; not only had it failed to escape, but it had also trapped itself even further. Wreathing the fat silkworm in Nine Nether demonic fire, Qin Sang gave it another stern lesson. Tears welling in its eyes, the fat silkworm hissed and shrieked, pleading with its new master for help. Receiving no response, it finally stared blankly with an air of complete despair before Qin Sang tossed it back into the insect basket. Qin Sang had already learned the exact spot where Yagu had fought, which was not far upstream from Qianhu Stockade, and little time had actually elapsed since then. Yagu's injuries had been so severe that she had been swept away by the torrential river; had his Sword Qi Thunderclap not granted him extraordinary flight speed, she truly would have been beyond saving. Tracing the river upstream, Qin Sang quickly located the battlefield upon a barren ridge along the banks of the Qingyi River. The blast from the Essence-Devouring Awl had affected only a limited area, leaving the ridge without severe devastation. At a glance, Qin Sang spotted two figures lying on the ground, along with severed limbs and minced flesh hanging from the surrounding trees and brush. Cultivator Tong was in the most miserable state. The lower half of his body was nearly blasted away; though he had avoided fatal blows from the blast, he had failed to dodge the poisoned needles. The lethal venom had penetrated his body, and he had breathed his last long ago. The other person was indeed a stranger. Sweeping out his spiritual sense, Qin Sang detected a faint breath of life still lingering within him. Though struck by the black flood dragon's venom, the man had not perished immediately, though his condition was hardly better. His skin had turned nearly purplish-black; without someone to detoxify him, death would only be a matter of time. Qin Sang descended beside the man and shoved an antidote pill into his mouth. Before long, the poison within the man was purged. Gradually recovering, he slowly regained consciousness, only to see a stranger before him. "Who are you..." Qin Sang looked on coldly in silence, reaching out to press a hand to the man's forehead. Soul Searching Technique! Fearing that the man's heavily injured body would not endure the agony of the Soul Searching Technique, Qin Sang had first neutralized the venom before proceeding. After an earth-shattering shriek, the man fell completely silent. Qin Sang withdrew his palm, a flicker of surprise and killing intent surfacing on his face. ... At that moment, the Five Insects Sect lay in ruins. Broken walls, shattered rocks, and splintered timbers littered the mountain, bearing witness to a fierce battle. The mountain-protecting grand formation of the Five Insects Sect had been activated, and surprisingly, the grand formation remained completely intact. Amid the rubble, the corpses of numerous Five Insects Sect disciples lay scattered in disarray across the ground. A pungent stench of blood assaulted the nostrils, blood flowing freely, with no one left to gather their remains.