Mid Core Formation Stage

The good news was that the fat silkworm's digestion of the venomous beast demon core was going smoothly, showing signs of an impending breakthrough. After checking on the condition of his two spirit insects, Qin Sang settled into deep meditation, and the cave dwelling returned to silence. *** On an unnamed deserted island. The island covered an extraordinarily vast expanse, teeming with roaming packs of demon beasts. Beneath the island lay an immense karst cavern, where peculiar crystals shimmered with dreamlike, wondrous light. Deep within the cavern, a massive stalactite pillar had been cleanly severed by a sharp weapon. Cross-legged atop the stump sat a human figure, absorbed in quiet meditation. This person was none other than Qin Sang. The pillar was broad; Qin Sang sat at its center, surrounded by a temporary Spirit Gathering Array. Curiously, the cavern's spiritual energy was already abundant enough to sustain his cultivation. His complexion was ruddy and he remained motionless, yet his breath rose and fell erratically. Had any other cultivator witnessed this scene, they would have been consumed with envy, for it was the unmistakable sign of an imminent breakthrough! The Flying Yaksha and the two-headed hou stood faithfully on guard beside him. From time to time, the two-headed hou raised its heads to glance at Qin Sang, its eyes flickering with anticipation—seeming even more eager than Qin Sang himself. It remembered clearly that Qin Sang had sworn on his inner demons to set it free once he broke through to the late Core Formation stage. The day of freedom drew ever closer! The two-headed hou possessed no small intellect and could weigh pros and cons. Over the years it had followed Qin Sang, though he commanded it in battle, he had never abandoned it in the face of peril—which was honorable enough. When spirit beasts followed a master, cases where one man's ascension carried even his pets to heaven were by no means rare. Qin Sang's talent seemed rather decent as well. Yet that was not what the two-headed hou desired; it had never forgotten the joy of roaming free and untamed. Qin Sang remained utterly focused. The true essence in his dantian surged, and his five-colored golden core spun at astonishing speed. Day and night blurred together inside the cavern. He had no idea how long this state had persisted. After some time, Qin Sang suddenly let out a muffled grunt. His expression twisted slightly as the golden core blazed with marvelous light. The surrounding spiritual energy surged violently, then rushed madly into his dantian. In an instant, the ambient spiritual energy was drained completely dry. Qin Sang abruptly let out a long cry. With a resounding boom, his aura erupted, and a ripple barely perceptible to the naked eye swept outward, instantly shattering the Spirit Gathering Array. The spirit stones, their energy already almost exhausted and faded to a pale husk, were crushed with ease. The stalactite beneath him produced a trembling crack and collapsed in a roar. Dust billowed in all directions. In the next moment, a figure shot straight up into the air, followed by a burst of hearty, joyous laughter that echoed through the cavern for a long time. The laughter faded. Qin Sang flashed down and landed on the cavern floor. By now, twenty-two years had passed since his arrival at the Five Elements Islands, and nearly fifty years since he was transported to the Canglang Ocean. Knowing that the Hall of Seven Kills would open ahead of schedule, Qin Sang had not dared to slacken in the slightest. Over these twenty-two years, he had spent nearly all his time deep in the Demon Sea. Walking the Demon Sea alone, accompanied only by demon beasts. Decades of arduous cultivation had finally culminated in a breakthrough! "Twenty-two years... I remember Elder Zou saying back then that the Hall of Seven Kills would open in twenty-odd years, though there hasn't been a definite date. It should be soon, though..." Qin Sang murmured to himself, then could not wait to inspect his body with inner vision, his eyes glittering with excitement. Not only had his true essence grown significantly, but his spiritual sense had also seen a noticeable increase. As expected, after breaking through to the mid Core Formation stage, the fragments of the restriction talisman left behind by Dongyang Bo were finally swept away completely. Although their impact had been negligible due to the corpse core, having them lingering inside his body had always been an annoyance. Yet what made Qin Sang frown was that the knot of gray qi remained as stubborn as ever. He channeled his true essence—now far more robust than before—to collide with the gray qi. The result was no different from before: it was unceremoniously devoured without causing even a ripple. Fortunately, ever since he formed his core, the gray qi had behaved peacefully, so he could only leave it be. Qin Sang looked around, severed another stalactite, and leaped onto it, intending to examine his changes thoroughly and attempt to practice Senior Qingzhu's cultivation method to see how it differed from the original version. To his surprise, after meditating for a while, he was abruptly jolted awake. He looked up toward the roof of the cavern, straining his ears to listen. A moment later, he raised a hand, recalled the Flying Yaksha and the two-headed hou, and sped toward the cavern exit. The cavern mouth was extremely well-concealed, hidden among waist-high wild grasses and masked with jagged rocks. The grassy area sat on high ground; prostrating himself at the mouth of the cave, Qin Sang could faintly make out the coastline. To his astonishment, the island's demon beasts had grown restless for some unknown reason. Around him, a chorus of beastly roars and avian shrieks rose and fell in succession, eerily shrill. Out in the Demon Sea to the west of the deserted island, though there was no strong wind, towering waves surged one after another. Between the colossal waves, dark silhouettes of various sizes swam past. Now and then, a shadow breached the surface, releasing an aura of terrifying ferocity that left one speechless. "A beast tide?" Qin Sang frowned. During his years on the Five Elements Islands, this was not the first beast tide he had witnessed; the last one had coincided with his time on Jinyuan Island. Fortunately, Jinyuan Island had received early warning, allowing the cultivators on the island to flee in time to Muyuan Island, resulting in minimal casualties. That event had also shown Qin Sang just how terrifying a beast tide could be. Demon beasts had blotted out the sky and earth; before such horrific numbers, an individual seemed utterly insignificant, making him yearn even more desperately to grow stronger! Later, Qin Sang had heard that the tide back then was not even considered particularly severe. "This is deep within the Demon Sea, far from the Five Elements Islands. Has the beast tide started from all the way out here? And why has it come so soon this time? It hasn't even been ten years since the last one..." Qin Sang's expression grew exceedingly solemn. He had a premonition that this beast tide would be anything but ordinary. After a moment of thought, Qin Sang left his cave dwelling and silently swept toward the eastern side of the deserted island, deciding to head back and spread the word. Over the years, the Wang sisters had managed the guild's business so well that it was flourishing, and Qin Sang had reaped considerable benefits from it, trading through the guild's channels for various medicinal pills that aided his cultivation. He did not want the guild to be destroyed by the beast tide. "Pity that I only had time to stabilize my cultivation and haven't managed to practice the method Senior Qingzhu created. That will have to wait until I get back. In any case, it's time for a return trip. For some reason, there hasn't been any news from Elder Zou—I must make sure I don't miss the Hall of Seven Kills." With the beast tide close at hand, Qin Sang dared not expose his presence and acted with utmost caution. Reaching the eastern side of the vast deserted island and seeing that the beast tide had not spread here yet, Qin Sang breathed a sigh of relief. He continued flying eastward, and only after putting ample distance between himself and the tide did he activate the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman. Enveloped by the flood dragon soul, Qin Sang transformed into a streak of red light, vanishing beyond the horizon within a few flickers. With his improved cultivation base, activating the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman yielded an even swifter speed than before! Along the way, Qin Sang tried combining it with Sword Qi Thunderclap. Feeling his astonishing flight speed, he realized that even an ordinary late Core Formation cultivator would likely be left in his dust! In high spirits, Qin Sang alternated between using the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman and riding the two-headed hou while keeping tabs on the shifts in the beast tide. "Looks like it's heading for Muyuan Island..." Having confirmed the beast tide's target, Qin Sang immediately picked up his pace.