Equivocation

The fine-bearded man was not mistaken; the true essence in Qin Sang's body was indeed nearing exhaustion. If the battle dragged on, it would not be long before he had no choice but to activate the corpse core. However, the corpse core had never been upgraded since it was refined. It was adequate for driving a secret talisman to flee for his life, but if he wished to battle formidable foes—especially with a late-stage expert among them—the corpse core was simply not up to the task. This corpse core had already begun to feel like a chicken rib—scant in value, yet a waste to discard. Even so, Qin Sang had an idea he had mulled over in his mind for a long time that might put the corpse core to good use. Within the evil art of the Origin-Seeding Demonic Embryo used to refine an external incarnation, there was a secret technique for gestating a demonic core, which could forge a core for the external incarnation. Otherwise, having an external incarnation comprehend and achieve Core Formation on its own was practically impossible. In Qin Sang's view, this secret technique happened to align closely with the external core method, though it could not be detached from the Origin-Seeding Demonic Embryo, meaning normal cultivators could not adapt it for themselves. Still, that did not mean it could not be modified at all. The corpse core was an external core intrinsically linked to Qin Sang's qi, while the Origin-Seeding Demonic Embryo refined his external incarnation. An inherent connection already existed between the two, so Qin Sang wanted to use the secret technique to reshape the corpse core for the external incarnation's use. In this way, since the corpse core was already a formed external core, not only would the technique's chance of success be much higher, but he would also be spared the trouble of gathering various spiritual materials, needing only to wait until the external incarnation advanced to the False Core stage. Naturally, the external incarnation was not yet ready for Core Formation, and for now this was merely Qin Sang's idle theorizing, with less than a thirty percent chance of success. Nor was he certain whether the Origin-Seeding Demonic Embryo could reshape the corpse core and break the shackles of the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art; only by trying would he know. If he could achieve that, his comprehension of the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art would deepen by another layer, and perhaps he would discover a way to save Yagu. The Three Lights Jade Liquid nourished her physical body, while warm jade and the fat silkworm stabilized her divine soul; only under these conditions had she been able to slumber for decades without dying. Yet though Qin Sang had tried every method, he had no clue how to save Yagu. She could only continue to sleep, and whether she would ever awaken remained unknown. One could hardly say whether her fortune was good or ill. Qin Sang drove the Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman, heading in the same direction as the two-headed hou toward their agreed rendezvous point. Immortal Aunt Yue and the other two were all late-stage experts. After completing their rearguard duty, they should have been able to withdraw with ease, and perhaps someone was already waiting at the rendezvous point. If these pursuers still refused to give up, they had only themselves to blame for his ruthlessness. A fierce glint flashed in Qin Sang's eyes as he flew forward without looking back. Before long, the true essence in his body truly bordered on depletion. He intentionally let his speed plummet, then activated the corpse core to continue maintaining the secret talisman. Close behind him, the fine-bearded man's eyes abruptly lit up at the sight, making him all the more certain that Qin Sang was at the end of his rope. Between chasing and fleeing, they flew an unknown distance. As the agreed rendezvous point drew near, Qin Sang suddenly sensed something, his expression shifting slightly. He deliberately slowed his flight speed further, and the flood dragon souls swirling around him flickered erratically, appearing as if they could barely hold together and were on the verge of dispersing. Suspecting nothing, the fine-bearded man was overjoyed and accelerated in hot pursuit. As soon as he drew near, Qin Sang suddenly spun around and struck with his flying sword. The fine-bearded man had been on guard all along, bringing out his square seal to retaliate while vigilantly scanning his surroundings, believing Qin Sang was cornered and bound to summon back his spirit beast. That woman was definitely hiding nearby. As long as he took Qin Sang's life, all resistance to capturing her would be gone. Sword qi collided with the silver character, whipping up a tempest that raised massive waves across the sea. *Crash!* A column of water suddenly erupted from the seabed. The fine-bearded man sneered, entirely unafraid. Well-prepared, he gave his sleeve a flick, and a jade ruyi shot from his cuff to meet the water column. The next instant, his expression changed drastically. Hidden beneath the column of water was not the spirit beast at all, but an old man. This person was none other than Old Man Zhushan. Just moments earlier, the two-headed hou had secretly sent a message informing Qin Sang that not only Old Man Zhushan but also Immortal Aunt Yue had arrived; only Kong Yun had yet to show. They had laid a trap here, waiting for the enemy to walk right into the net. After Old Man Zhushan revealed himself, Immortal Aunt Yue also broke through the water's surface, flanking with Qin Sang to surround him from three sides. "You..." The fine-bearded man turned pale with fright. Who could have imagined that in the desolate Demon Sea, so many experts would gather in one place? His cave abode was right in this vicinity, yet he had not noticed a thing. Immortal Aunt Yue's cultivation alone held the upper hand over the fine-bearded man. With Qin Sang and Old Man Zhushan aiding her, no matter how powerful the fine-bearded man was, he had no way to turn the tide. After a bitter struggle where the fine-bearded man fought desperately for his life, he still failed to escape, falling dead under Old Man Zhushan's sword. After slaying the fine-bearded man, the two-headed hou came bounding over carrying Su Nü. With little true essence remaining, Qin Sang regrouped with the two-headed hou, ordered it to protect him, and gripped a spirit stone to recover. "The Daoist priest truly hides his talents well! When your spirit beast sent word just now, this old woman thought Su Nü had been seized by a demon beast and nearly attacked it to its harm. Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Zhushan intervened to remind me. Entrusting Su Nü to your care was truly a wise decision..." Immortal Aunt Yue was lavish with her praise of the two-headed hou. Old Man Zhushan echoed her sentiments from the side. The attitude she and Old Man Zhushan showed toward Qin Sang had noticeably changed. Before, they had merely been surprised by his escape technique and swordsmanship; now, discovering he possessed such a formidable spirit beast, they realized he was already on equal footing with them, perhaps even surpassing them. Adjusting his breath briefly, Qin Sang said, "This man had two companions. Let us not let them escape." Earlier, the cultivator named Liu had lagged behind, and seeing things go sour, he had turned and fled, while the wealthy squire was still behind them refining away the sword qi. The three set off immediately. Turning from hunter into prey took only an instant. Those two were also eliminated one after the other. The three divided the spoils equally, making a handsome profit. Although there were none of the items Qin Sang urgently needed, he unexpectedly found several spiritual flowers that the Heavenly Eye Butterfly favored, which served as a worthy reward for the butterfly's service. "I never expected there would be cultivators with malicious designs here, dragging you into danger, Daoist. Fortunately, your prowess is great and you kept Su Nü safe and sound..." Immortal Aunt Yue said gratefully. "After breaking out of the demon island with Su Nü, I happened to run into them. The phenomenon produced by the true demonic qi was visible for hundreds of li, so they were likely drawn in by it. Thanks to both Fellow Daoists' timely reinforcement, this poor Daoist was able to pull through, having nearly run out of strength." He vaguely sensed that the relationship between Su Nü and Immortal Aunt Yue was rather strange. However, he only wanted to obtain the treasure smoothly and wished to cause no complications, choosing to speak in vague terms. Since Immortal Aunt Yue did not ask, he would not take the initiative to mention the cause of the conflict, much less bring up Su Nü's bizarre actions. Su Nü kept her head lowered, despair in her eyes, but upon hearing his words, she was stunned. She had actually recalled some matters, but Immortal Aunt Yue's cultivation was not something she could shake, forcing her to suppress her fear and hatred and treat Immortal Aunt Yue as her closest kin. Running into the ambush earlier had shown her a sliver of dawn. Though she knew the hope of slipping away in the chaos was exceedingly slim and fraught with peril, she had gambled nonetheless. Unexpectedly, Qin Sang possessed such a strong spirit beast that gave her no opportunity whatsoever. She did not believe her actions could escape the notice of these cunning old hands, yet to her surprise, Qin Sang did not mention them in the slightest.