A Dilemma

"It seems quite some time has passed..." Entering the small courtyard, Qin Sang reached out and beckoned the voice transmission talisman into his palm. Sure enough, it had been left two years ago. The talisman did not state any specifics, only asking Qin Sang to notify the contact upon his return so the two could arrange another meeting. Likely, because he had been away, he had missed an opportune moment. Yet in Qin Sang's eyes, Senior Qingzhu was far more important than Xiang Yi, so he had no regrets. Since returning, he had also continued keeping an eye on news of the Liefeng Archipelago. By now, Qin Sang had put on his cloak. He crushed the talisman, stepped out of the courtyard, and made his way toward the agreed-upon shop. The shop's proprietor was still that white-haired old man. Seeing Qin Sang, the man was overjoyed. "Senior, you've finally returned! The mistress returned once two years ago, but departed the very next day." "I had important business to attend to and didn't expect to be delayed so long," Qin Sang said in a deep voice. "Did Madam Liu leave any instructions before departing?" The shopkeeper lowered his voice. "Before leaving, the mistress said that once Senior returned, I was to inform her, and she would personally pay a visit to Senior. Since you have returned, this humble one will send word to the mistress right away." Qin Sang nodded. "For the next few years, I should not be leaving Tianxing Island. Once Madam Liu returns, she can come directly to the courtyard to see me." After settling these trivial matters, by the time Qin Sang returned to his cave dwelling, night had already fallen. The starlight was brilliant. Without stopping to rest, he cultivated *Heavenly Demon Form Refining*. Just after midnight, Qin Sang let out a low whistle. A series of pops crackled through his body, and a thin layer of sweat broke out across his skin. "I've broken through to the mid second tier!" Joy surfaced on Qin Sang's face. He threw a punch to gauge his strength; his physical body was indeed substantially enhanced. During the journey to and from the Liefeng Archipelago, he had spent his time either traveling or investigating information. Cultivating only intermittently, he had finally reached the mid second tier. 'I just bought some pills beneficial to the physical body. Barring any accidents, in a little over ten years I should be able to advance to the late second transformation and prepare for the next breakthrough.' Qin Sang calculated the time, laying out his plans. 'When breaking through to the third tier, the requirements for the astral essence body infusion will be exceptionally high. Even with a magic treasure like the Star Spirit Net, it won't be enough—I must find a suitable location. Either that, or find the other two spirit medicines and force a breakthrough with medicinal power. I have to prepare both avenues at once...' Recalling the spirit medicine, an idea struck Qin Sang. He took out the Tyrant Blood Fruit and summoned the two-headed hou. "This fruit is called the Tyrant Blood Fruit, and it happens to be effective for your demon race. Eat it. Its medicinal power is overbearing and pierces to the bone, so remember to circulate your bloodline power to refine the medicine. Your cultivation is considerable, so there shouldn't be any problems..." Honoring his promise, Qin Sang handed the promised spirit fruit to the two-headed hou and explained its effects. The two-headed hou's eyes shone brightly. It eagerly snapped up the spirit fruit and swallowed it whole. After ingesting the fruit, the two-headed hou lay motionless on the ground. Qin Sang stood guard beside it, casting several extra layers of restrictions as he observed its changes. The two-headed hou was an outstanding specimen among mid Demon Core stage beasts. Swallowing the Tyrant Blood Fruit would likely push it straight to the peak mid Demon Core stage, though breaking through to the next realm was unlikely. Before the Transformation stage, breakthroughs for demons were even harder than for human cultivators. Moreover, the Tyrant Blood Fruit was not an elixir meant for refining bloodlines or aiding breakthroughs. The calm was short-lived. Not long after swallowing the Tyrant Blood Fruit, the two-headed hou suddenly let out a roar. Its body arched violently before slamming hard onto the ground, a faint bloody luminescence emerging over its surface. Under the shroud of bloody light, countless worms seemed to be writhing throughout its body, rising and falling. Its bones appeared to be shifting with sharp crackling sounds, and the accompanying agony grew ever more intense. The two-headed hou's cries grew broken and ragged. Its four claws dug fiercely into the ground, both heads thrashing aimlessly, unsure of where to turn. Its slitted pupils were squeezed shut in sheer agony. Then its body curled tight into a ball, trembling violently. 'What overbearing medicinal power. And this is still unripe—truly a potent, hazardous medicine.' Watching the two-headed hou, Qin Sang felt a bit unnerved. He suspected that if he took it himself, he would look even worse than the hou. The medicinal power continued to batter it. The two-headed hou's cries grew hoarse as it curled into a tight ball, doing everything it could to resist the Tyrant Blood Fruit's power. Outwardly, no change in its cultivation could be seen. Qin Sang was not worried. There was no way the hou could fail to subdue a mere spirit fruit. After waiting a while and seeing that the hou's state remained steady without worsening, Qin Sang paid it no further heed. Just as he was about to resume his cultivation, a sudden glimpse from the corner of his eye made his expression change. Between the two-headed hou's two heads, a small lump had actually bulged up! A late Demon Core stage two-headed hou would sprout a large lump between its two heads; once that large lump grew into a third head, it signified that the hou had stepped into the Transformation stage! The appearance of this small lump meant the two-headed hou was in the midst of breaking through to the late Demon Core stage. Qin Sang stood up, his eyes flickering with conflicting thoughts. He was faced with a dilemma. If the two-headed hou broke through to the late stage, it would surpass the limits of the Primordial Concentric Rings' control. It would break free of the restraint and slip out of his grasp. He had not expected that consuming the Tyrant Blood Fruit would allow the hou to break through to the late stage in one leap. If he stopped its breakthrough, he could still control it. Finding another peak mid-stage great demon like this would not be easy, especially given the two-headed hou's exceptional talent—otherwise, he would have considered replacing it long ago. Qin Sang's expression shifted, but in the end he did nothing, merely watching it in silence. Reflecting on their experiences over the years, the two-headed hou had rendered dedicated service, even if not grand achievements. If it truly could break through, that meant its opportunity had arrived, and he would return its freedom. His own combat strength was quite formidable now, and he was no longer as reliant on the two-headed hou as before. Time slipped away. By dawn, the bulge on the hou's neck had swelled and shrunk repeatedly, yet the breakthrough still failed to materialize, and its aura had weakened noticeably. Another attempt at the bottleneck had failed. The two-headed hou opened its eyes and let out a mournful whimper. It looked at Qin Sang with feeble eyes, seemingly pleading. Qin Sang understood that it wanted him to lend a hand. He let out a soft sigh and said, "You know well that once you break through, you can cast off all restrictions. Do not blame me for taking advantage of your plight: if you can break through on your own, I will let you go. Otherwise..." With that, Qin Sang produced another Tyrant Blood Fruit and placed it before the two-headed hou. "I can give you this fruit, but you must acknowledge me as your master. For decades, you have followed me in and out of peril, and you have seen my deeds with your own eyes. Not to boast, but I consider myself in no way inferior to any Core Formation cultivator, and I am bound to achieve Nascent Soul formation. Serving as my spirit beast will be no dishonor to you, and I can even help you search for demon cultivation techniques. Furthermore, human lifespans are far shorter than those of demon beasts—a Nascent Soul cultivator lives barely over a millennium. I can promise to undo your restriction before I pass away." Qin Sang took a step back. "Think it over yourself." Once it recognized him as master, it would be one of his own, and he could teach it *Heavenly Demon Form Refining*. However, Qin Sang did not state this aloud. He suspected that many secrets lay behind the technique; if word leaked to the ears of a Transformation stage great demon, it would invite disaster. The two-headed hou's eyes were bloodshot as it stared fixedly at the Tyrant Blood Fruit, struggling with its decision.