Origin-Seeding Demonic Embryo

A pitch-black opening appeared on the cliff wall. Qin Sang discreetly activated the Jinyao Lock to shield himself and darted in front of the opening. To his surprise, what lay beyond was entirely different from the scene in Ziwei Palace. Instead of a great hall bristling with stone swords, it was a vaguely familiar corridor of green bricks. The floor of the corridor was also paved with green bricks, remarkably smooth and even. The wide passageway stretched straight into the darkness. Inside, there were no sculptures, puppets, altars, or anything of the sort—not even a single inscription or painted motif could be seen. Qin Sang paused before the entrance to observe. Once certain that nothing was amiss, he stepped inside. *Clack!* His footsteps echoed through the empty corridor. As he walked in, something in the corner of his eye suddenly caught his attention. He spun around and saw a jade slip set neatly and squarely in a corner of the corridor. The jade slip rested there all alone, with several simple lines of text written on the floor beside it: *This is an incomplete art I once cultivated, which I am now powerless to continue.* *The affairs of the world are ever-changing; mortal strength cannot contend with heavenly decree.* *Alas! Alas! Alas!* At the end were four final characters: *Master of Spirit Tortoise Island*. Qin Sang looked astonished. Composing himself, he carefully studied the handwriting. The person had signed the inscription as the Master of Spirit Tortoise Island rather than Qingzhu. This came as a surprise to Qin Sang, and he surmised that the Master of Spirit Tortoise Island was most likely an alias of Senior Qingzhu's. Leaving behind techniques to bestow upon posterity, lighting the way for those who came after so that one's life's blood would not be buried—this was unmistakably Senior Qingzhu's style. Back in Ziwei Palace, even while being pursued by a formidable enemy, Senior Qingzhu had not forgotten to leave behind his life's work, carving two killing talismans beside the teleportation formation. Moreover, the writing here was clearly from the same hand as that on the stone pillars of the teleportation formation. The one who had left the inscription was indeed Senior Qingzhu himself. Only, without a powerful pursuer breathing down his neck this time, the handwriting was meticulous and neat, every stroke executed with painstaking precision, the brushwork carrying a distinct, heavy weight. Those three grand words of lament resonated with a heart-wrenching sense of helplessness. Stirred by the message, Qin Sang's expression grew solemn. When he had spotted the sword mark in the valley, he had wondered whether Senior Qingzhu had left the guidance specifically for him. Yet he had had no choice; his own hopes of finding the teleportation formation were far too slim, so he had decided to take the gamble. Qin Sang had heard many rumors about Senior Qingzhu and had sketched an image of him in his mind. Although he could not see the whole picture, he was certain that Senior Qingzhu was a true sword cultivator who settled every grudge and avenged every grievance. Yet upon seeing these words, he felt he might have misjudged. Senior Qingzhu's guidance and message might not have been meant for him after all. Or rather, they were not meant for any specific individual. Anyone who had cultivated the *Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter* and was teleported here would notice the killing talismans left at the formation and make their way to this spot. Senior Qingzhu merely hoped that someone would carry on down this path. "Master of Spirit Tortoise Island..." It sounded as though Senior Qingzhu had occupied some island and assumed the moniker of its master. Qin Sang racked his brain trying to recall the renowned Nascent Soul Patriarchs, but had never heard of such a title. He had previously assumed Senior Qingzhu must have achieved Nascent Soul formation, but now he was no longer so certain. He could make neither head nor tail of it. Qin Sang shifted his gaze to the jade slip nearby. After a moment's thought, he summoned a baleful corpse while stepping back to the entrance. The baleful corpse walked over, easily picked up the jade slip, and brought it back to Qin Sang without encountering the slightest obstacle. There were no hidden restrictions around the jade slip. Qin Sang gave a self-deprecating chuckle, took the slip, and hesitated briefly before sending out his spiritual sense to examine its contents. As he read through it, Qin Sang's expression shifted continuously between excitement and disappointment. In the end, he opened his eyes and stood there lost in thought. Inside the jade slip were the first half of the *Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter* and the two killing talismans Senior Qingzhu had created himself. Unlike what had been left in Ziwei Palace, both killing talismans were complete! Back then, Senior Qingzhu had left a message saying he had gained further insight while honing himself on the Sword Path and could complete the seventh killing talisman, but had been forced to leave. That had been no boast after all; he had indeed perfected the talisman. Yet that was where it ended. Even with Senior Qingzhu's breathtaking talent, he had only managed to deduce the *Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter* up to the seventh tier before finding it impossible to continue, ultimately leaving behind these despondent words. "Has this path... truly reached a dead end?" Qin Sang murmured wistfully. Senior Qingzhu could not have failed to notice the unique sword intent within the Teleportation Hall. He had surely searched everywhere for it, but from the looks of it, he had failed. Had Senior Qingzhu broken through to the Nascent Soul stage? And what had he meant by 'mortal strength cannot contend with heavenly decree'? If it had merely been an inability to deduce the rest of the cultivation art, there would have been no need for such despair. Had something happened to Senior Qingzhu back then? Qin Sang's head throbbed with a splitting ache. He had not expected that reading the jade slip would resolve none of his doubts, only multiplying them. Aside from the cultivation art, the jade slip contained a secret art for an external incarnation—a doppelgänger technique Senior Qingzhu had created himself by drawing upon the demonic art *Origin-Seeding Demonic Embryo*. Acquiring these cultivation methods and secret arts was certainly cause for joy, but Qin Sang felt more disappointment than anything. For beyond this, there were no other messages. Qin Sang searched for hidden codes or ciphers, but came up empty-handed. "*Origin-Seeding Demonic Embryo*..." Reining in his thoughts, Qin Sang carefully studied the doppelgänger technique. Initially, he had wondered whether Qingzhu had fallen into demonic cultivation, but after reading the details, understanding dawned on him. No wonder Senior Qingzhu had left this particular secret art behind here. The *Origin-Seeding Demonic Embryo* was an outright, insidious demonic art. The practitioner had to sever a portion of their own origin soul to refine a demonic seed. The demonic seed was fragile and had to be planted within a low-level cultivator to be nurtured. Once the demonic seed hatched and the embryonic origin took shape, it would slowly devour the host from within. Then, through blood-feeding and various secret arts, it would be refined into an external incarnation. The success rate of this vile technique was abysmally low. Refining the demonic seed was extraordinarily difficult; it was far more complicated than merely splitting the soul. The practitioner had to endure unimaginable agony and suffer severe damage to their vitality. Moreover, accidents frequently occurred when the demonic seed hatched. Even after it was successfully refined, one had to remain constantly vigilant against the external incarnation turning on them. Should the incarnation slip out of control, it was entirely possible for it to manipulate or even consume the primary body. Yet the benefits were obvious: once refined, the incarnation's cultivation could rapidly surge to match the primary body's level. Furthermore, it could cultivate independently and act of its own accord, appearing indistinguishable from an ordinary person. The reason Qingzhu had been able to cultivate and modify this wicked demonic art was the sword light differentiation divine ability granted by the *Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter*. According to Qingzhu's own notes, after achieving Core Formation, his sword dao realm had advanced by leaps and bounds through the reflection of his divine ability, and it had not taken long for him to grasp the sword light differentiation ability on his own. Yet as his attainments in the sword dao deepened, he had gradually sensed something unusual. The sword light differentiated by the cultivation art did not seem to be quite the same as the one he split through his own comprehension. Perplexed, Qingzhu had spent years contemplating it before finally uncovering the secret. The sword light produced by the cultivation art carried the power of the soul, appearing to incorporate a fragment of his origin soul within it! And prior to that revelation, he had remained entirely unaware.