Dual Cultivation of Dharma and Body

The old man and his companions were scared out of their wits, all will to fight completely gone. Even though they wielded a restriction implement like the token, they could hardly draw upon its power. The external incarnation and the two-headed hou easily broke through their defense. The incarnation seized them for interrogation, while the two-headed hou bounded out from Poison Island to hold the perimeter for Qin Sang. Qin Sang was already locked in fierce combat with the Cave Master of Simo Cave, the battlefield descending into utter chaos. *Bang!* A figure was knocked backward, staggering on his feet. The Cave Master's astonished voice rang out, "You are actually a body cultivator? This is the first time I have ever crossed hands with a body cultivator at such a high realm! Still, dreaming of stopping me with only this much strength is nothing short of a fool's delusion." Qin Sang sighed softly. "Indeed, relying on the physical body alone, I am no match for you." Before his voice had fully faded, his aura abruptly shifted. An azure glow welled behind his back as magnificent phoenix wings unfurled. With a gentle flap, Qin Sang transformed into a streak of rainbow light, cutting off the Cave Master's path of retreat. He had chosen to battle the old devil alone precisely to test the fruits of his years of bitter cultivation. His *Heavenly Demon Transformation* had not yet broken through to the mid third layer. Earlier, when he had relied purely on the power of his flesh to trade blows with the old devil, he had felt sorely strained, showing signs of defeat in a single exchange. Upon unleashing the Heavenly Demon Transformation, his aura surged drastically. Yet to defeat the old devil, that alone was insufficient—he had to display the true might of his dual cultivation of dharma and body. "Monster qi?" The Cave Master froze. For Core Formation cultivators in the Canglang Ocean, carrying traces of monster qi was completely normal. But this was the first time he had ever witnessed monster qi of such astonishing density. Yet he was certain that this man was a human cultivator, not a demon beast. What shocked him even more was Qin Sang's flight speed. Once those wings appeared, his speed leaped forward by a huge margin, already surpassing any peak Core Formation cultivator he had ever seen. The Cave Master realized that unless he killed this man, shaking him off would be an absolute impossibility. Furthermore, Qin Sang's composed demeanor, leaving his spirit beast merely to guard the perimeter, made the Cave Master frown deeply. His own cultivation was clearly an entire realm higher, yet for some reason, an ominous foreboding gnawed at him. The Cave Master could not help turning his gaze into the distance. His companion had still not arrived. "Are you looking for these?" Qin Sang raised a hand and beckoned to the side. A beautiful butterfly materialized out of thin air, fluttering its wings before coming to rest on the back of his hand. Floating before it was a sphere of lightning, inside of which several gnat-like spirit insects buzzed about in frantic confusion, like headless flies. The Cave Master was cunning by nature and had secretly released more than a single messenger insect, yet all of them had been captured by the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. "The Heavenly Eye Butterfly!" the Cave Master cried out in shock. "A natal insect gu? No, you are not of the Witch Clan, how could you dare—" A flicker of surprise passed through Qin Sang's eyes. "It seems you are quite knowledgeable in the art of insect-controlling, to recognize at a glance that the Heavenly Eye Butterfly is my natal insect gu. In that case, I certainly cannot leave you alive." The sphere of lightning effortlessly pulverized the spirit insects. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly flew back into Qin Sang's robes. Qin Sang lightly tapped his foot and vanished into thin air, reappearing the next instant right above the Cave Master's head. Ten thousand fist shadows converged and slammed down upon the old devil. *Rumble!* An astonishing pressure descended from above. "If you want to keep me here, let's see if you have the skill!" A savage grimace twisted the Cave Master's face. Knowing he could not shake his pursuer, he instantly cast aside all stray thoughts. He opened his maw wide and spewed a mass of pitch-black demonic light. The demonic light surged skyward and detonated the instant it made contact with the fist shadows, sweeping out in every direction like a raging tidal wave. Countless fist shadows disintegrated beneath the demonic light, while the demonic light itself receded rapidly. The two canceled each other out, evenly matched. As the demonic light dispersed, an azure glow was revealed. It trembled slightly before parting to both sides; Qin Sang had wrapped himself in his phoenix wings, remaining completely unscathed by the blast. *Bang!* The next instant, Qin Sang materialized right before the Cave Master. Twisting his waist, he drove a savage punch straight toward the Cave Master's chest. While the demonic light had been holding Qin Sang at bay, the Cave Master had already summoned his magic treasure. A small bronze bell spun into the air, blazing with yellow radiance and forming the phantom of a yellow bell that shielded him beneath it. At the same time, a blood saber flashed from the Cave Master's dantian, releasing a nauseating stench of blood. *Dong!* The heavy punch struck the bell phantom, setting off an explosive clang of clashing metal as the small bell shook violently. The Cave Master flew backward to dissipate the force while secretly pinching an incantation gesture. The blood saber tore through the air, shooting directly toward Qin Sang's glabella with matching ferocity. His timing was impeccably precise—striking the exact instant Qin Sang's old force was spent and new force had yet to rise. Watching the blood saber streak toward him, Qin Sang showed not the slightest hint of fear. A beam of light flashed between his brows, and the ebony sword shot out, colliding squarely with the blood saber in an instant. *Clang!* With a sharp ring, both the ebony sword and the blood saber rebounded backward. The ebony sword proved slightly inferior. After all, it was only a low-grade magic treasure, whereas the blood saber had been tempered by the Cave Master to match the power of a medium-grade magic treasure. Yet what followed was a furious roar from the Cave Master. He snatched the blood saber out of the air, his face filled with extreme shock and fury. The divine radiance of his natal magic treasure was scattering wildly, its spirituality severely damaged. "What did you do?!" the Cave Master raged. Qin Sang sneered inwardly. Since the man dared to clash his natal magic treasure against the ebony sword, Qin Sang had naturally shown no mercy, unleashing Foul Blood Divine Light to deliver a vicious blow to the saber. Without uttering a word, Qin Sang flapped his wings once more while pinching an incantation gesture. In an instant, fist shadows and the ebony sword arrived in unison, practically overwhelming the Cave Master. Before the Cave Master could mount a response, the ebony sword wavered, and countless dazzling sword lights dispersed among the fist shadows, making it impossible to tell the real from the illusory. "Sword light manifestation!" The Cave Master was growing numb; his premonition had come true. Not only did this person possess dual cultivation of dharma and body, along with a natal insect gu, but he had even mastered the great divine ability that countless sword cultivators could only dream of. With such strength, whichever power he joined would have treated him as an honored guest. Yet he had chosen to hide away in this desolate, godforsaken place, right where the Cave Master had crossed paths with him. *Dong! Dong...* The impacts resounded relentlessly. The bell phantom over the Cave Master shuddered violently, and before his horrified eyes, shattered into countless fragments and burst apart. Qin Sang had never abandoned his contemplation of sword light manifestation, even if he had not devoted the bulk of his energy to it. Compared to ten years ago, his sword arts had undoubtedly deepened by another layer. The Cave Master's strength was merely a notch above that of the black-robed man from Dongming Island. Relying solely on his formidable sword arts and the divine ability of sword light manifestation, Qin Sang was already fully capable of contending with him. After unleashing the Heavenly Demon Transformation, without even resorting to treasures like the Star Conch, he might still fall short against the likes of First Seat Lu or the youth surnamed Fang, but defeating this man was well within his grasp. And now that he had brought Foul Blood Divine Light into play, the outcome was beyond all doubt. Once the bell phantom shattered, the Cave Master hurled out magic treasures and talismans one after another, attempting to deploy escape abilities, but Qin Sang suppressed every single effort. He could not win the fight, nor could he run away. The Cave Master sank into total despair. Turbulent true essence whipped into a violent storm, blazing with dazzling lights that swallowed their silhouettes. Then, a curdling shriek rang out. The storm slowly subsided. Qin Sang's right arm had driven completely through the left side of the Cave Master's chest, his bloodstained hand clutching the mangled heart.