Subjugation

Looking at the mangled corpse of the Cave Master of Simo Cave, Qin Sang wore a contemplative expression. Then, runes surged across his palm, and the Cave Master's essence blood flowed steadily into his hand. The light of the runes flickered like flames, refining the essence blood until only the purest blood qi remained. In the end, only a crimson bead the size of a longan remained in Qin Sang's palm. With a slight jolt of his arm, he reduced the Cave Master's shriveled corpse to powder. Qin Sang was using a secret technique from the Seed Origin Devilish Embryo to extract essence blood. Once consumed and refined by his external incarnation, it could rapidly boost cultivation—a quick shortcut. Using this method to raise cultivation would make the external incarnation far more bloodthirsty and harder to control, planting the hidden danger of backlash. Even with the aid of the jade Buddha, it would be difficult to suppress. The incarnation's master would be the first to suffer. Therefore, as long as the external incarnation could advance to the peak of the Core Formation stage on its own, Qin Sang would avoid using this method if at all possible. Turning his hand over, he put away the blood bead. Just then, the incarnation flew out of Poison Island, flashing to Qin Sang's side. Having finished interrogating the Cave Master's subordinates, he reported the situation to Qin Sang. Qin Sang nodded, ordering the external incarnation to stay behind and guard the place while taking the two-headed hou with him to tie up the loose ends. Over a stretch of sea dotted with continuous reefs and islets, the clouds suddenly churned and the winds surged. A thunderclap out of the blue terrified the birds and beasts on the surrounding deserted islands out of their wits. *Whoosh...* Countless birds took flight from the woods in fright. Right then, two figures materialized out of thin air, arriving on a small reef. They looked down at a scorched patch of land and several charred corpses. Qin Sang leaped down from the two-headed hou's back and flashed before the charred corpses, identifying which one belonged to the Simo Cave Core Formation cultivator. This person was the helper the Cave Master of Simo Cave had secretly tried to notify earlier. Qin Sang had had the Heavenly Eye Butterfly spare one messenger insect and tracked it all the way here to locate him. In Simo Cave, this man was second only to the Cave Master himself, possessing a cultivation that was not to be underestimated, and he even had another early Core Formation cultivator beside him. Qin Sang had tested the power of the Thunder Command Art on them. The results were laid bare before him: including this cultivator surnamed Xun, not a single one had possessed the strength to resist, all perishing beneath the thunderbolts. After slaying them, Qin Sang was pale, his true essence drained down to ten or twenty percent. Yet his physical strength was far beyond anything the disciples of Douniu Peak could compare to; he not only easily withstood the backlash of the Thunder Command Art, but retained a degree of combat strength. "Not bad!" Holding spirit stones to recover his true essence, Qin Sang nodded to himself, a look of satisfaction showing on his face. Even without activating the Heavenly Demon Transformation, casting this Daoist art already had the power to severely injure or even kill late Core Formation cultivators. Even experts like the youth surnamed Fang or First Seat Lu would suffer a grievous setback if caught off guard. No wonder the Landou Sect had been willing to expend so many resources on the Thunder Command Art despite its known drawbacks. Standing behind Qin Sang, the two-headed hou stared wide-eyed at the mangled corpses, equally stunned by the power of the Thunder Command Art. Over the past decade and more, it had often seen Qin Sang recklessly charge into the sky whenever a storm arrived, fighting against the heavenly thunder as though heedless of his own life. It had never imagined he was cultivating such a terrifying divine ability. Qin Sang waved his hand and released a streak of spiritual fire, erasing all traces from the battlefield. Looking into the distance, he said calmly, "Let's go. There is no longer any need for Simo Cave to exist." Ten days later, Qin Sang returned stained with blood. Having confirmed that Simo Cave had no significant backing, he uprooted the entire faction. It was not until several days after Qin Sang had left that neighboring powers noticed anything amiss. To their shock, despite countless investigations carried out openly and in secret by so many factions, they could not find the slightest clue. They could only hope that some passing almighty expert had found Simo Cave's conduct intolerable and casually wiped them out. For a time, panic spread among the nearby cultivators. The various factions reined in their subordinates, becoming much more restrained in their actions. Qin Sang neither knew nor cared how much of a stir he had caused. He headed straight back to Poison Island, intending to resume his bitter cultivation. "Junior pays respects to Senior!" Seeing Qin Sang enter, the scholar and his family hurriedly bowed. The incarnation had thrown them into a quiet room and gone off to cultivate on his own. Over the past days, they had been on pins and needles, unsure where their fate would lead. Seeing Qin Sang's travel-worn appearance, the scholar and the graceful middle-aged woman exchanged a glance, inwardly alarmed. The day they fled into Poison Island, they were trapped in the illusory formation and had not witnessed the battle outside. But seeing that the Cave Master of Simo Cave had never appeared again, they had already guessed much of the truth. "Senior, the Cave Master of Simo Cave..." the scholar asked tentatively. Qin Sang gave an "Oh," and said nonchalantly, "That old devil is dead. I went out for a few days to dispose of his confidants so as not to leave any lingering trouble. I forgot to ask—what are your names?" His tone was calm and casual, yet the words left the scholar both overjoyed and terrified. He was overjoyed that the devil who coveted his daughter was dead. He was terrified because the person before him possessed unfathomable power, talking of purging Simo Cave as though it were as easy as reaching into a pocket for something. With his family trapped on this island, he truly did not know whether this boded well or ill. Hearing Qin Sang's question, the scholar hastily replied with great reverence, "The disciples of White Flame Valley all take the surname Bai. Junior's name is Bai Zhongqiu, my junior sister is named Bai Hong, and Senior may call my daughter Ying'er." Noticing her father's subtle signal, Ying'er stepped forward obediently, curtseying politely. "Junior Ying'er greets Senior." "Senior's life-saving grace to my family is something Junior will never forget to his dying day..." Bai Zhongqiu led his wife and daughter in kowtowing. Qin Sang did not stop them. Walking inside, he sat down and looked at the trio indifferently. "I slew that old devil only because I prefer peace and quiet, and do not wish for my bitter cultivation to be disturbed. He has only his own blindness to blame..." Hearing this, Bai Zhongqiu's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively shielded his wife and daughter. Pausing slightly, Qin Sang said in a deep voice, "The reason I spared your lives is that I thought you two might still be of some use to me." Bai Zhongqiu knew how to read the room and immediately dropped to his knees again. "Senior, please give your command. Junior will brave fire and boiling water without hesitation!" Qin Sang chuckled softly. "There is no need to brave fire or boiling water, though it is not completely without risk. Your cultivation is decent enough. From now on, go outside to gather spiritual materials and gather intelligence for me. I need to focus on my bitter cultivation, so I leave those trivial matters to you. As for your daughter, she possesses the Water Jade Physique, making her a prime cauldron for demonic cultivators who practice plundering arts. Taking her outside will only invite trouble, so let her remain on the island to cultivate." Hearing the first half, the couple had initially felt relieved, but upon learning that Qin Sang intended to keep Ying'er on the island, their expressions changed drastically. "What? Are you unwilling?" Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly. Bai Zhongqiu shuddered, his expression shifting rapidly. "Junior obeys Senior's instructions! For Ying'er to stay by Senior's side and receive Senior's guidance is her fortune." The graceful middle-aged woman parted her lips, but did not dare speak, only pulling her daughter tightly into her embrace.