The Return

Fengyin Island. It was one of the most mysterious islands in the Liefeng Archipelago, entirely due to the presence of the Fengyin Island Auction. Rare items that were exceedingly difficult to procure in the outside world, such as jade plaques for the Hall of Seven Kills, could potentially be bought on Fengyin Island. It was said that behind Fengyin Island stood not only Nascent Soul Patriarchs, but also the shadows of the Three Great Merchant Alliances. A month later, the Fengyin Island Auction drew to a close. Three Hall of Seven Kills jade talismans were bought for exorbitant prices by three mysterious cultivators. Several months later, Qin Sang returned to Poison Island, travel-worn. Bai Zhongqiu and his family were cultivating on the island. When they learned of Qin Sang's return, they hurried out to pay their respects. Nearly twenty years had elapsed. Bai Zhongqiu and his wife looked little different, while Bai Ying'er was no longer a budding maiden. Though she had remained on Poison Island to cultivate and had never experienced the ways of the mortal world, her demeanor had grown far more composed than in the past. The greatest transformation lay in their cultivation. Bai Zhongqiu was already an expert of the False Core realm. Bai Hong remained stuck at the bottleneck of the late Foundation Establishment stage, but she had reportedly gained some insight, making a breakthrough only a matter of time. Most astonishing was Bai Ying'er. Relying on the innate talent of her Water Jade Constitution, she had successfully established her foundation without consuming a single Foundation Establishment Pill, leaving Qin Sang deeply impressed. The moment they returned to the cave dwelling, the two-headed hou abandoned Qin Sang and darted over to Bai Ying'er's side, sprawling out on the ground so she could groom its fur. Bai Ying'er covered her mouth with a light chuckle. First, she respectfully curtsied to Qin Sang, then sat down cross-legged and rested the two-headed hou's heads on her lap. A layer of water elemental power shimmered across her palms as she stroked its fur with utmost gentleness, leaning her lips close to the beast's ears to whisper something. The two-headed hou squinted, flicking its tail back and forth while letting out contented grunts. *This fellow...* Qin Sang raised a brow. The two-headed hou had consistently failed to break through. Perhaps it had grown despondent, for lately it spent every day mingling with Bai Ying'er. On one occasion it had nearly stirred up trouble, and Qin Sang had been the one to clean up its mess. "Senior, may I ask if you managed to win the jade plaque for the Hall of Seven Kills?" Seeing his daughter interacting with the two-headed hou, Bai Zhongqiu could not help but smile. He bowed to Qin Sang and inquired curiously. After living alongside him for over a decade, the couple had come to understand Qin Sang's disposition to some degree and were no longer as terrified of him as before. Qin Sang gave an affirmative grunt. "Fortunately, I brought everything I had. I didn't expect so many people to contend for the jade plaque. The price was far higher than I anticipated." With that, Qin Sang let out a faint sigh, aching over the exorbitant cost. Fortunately, he had acquired those spiritual items from the cultivator of Black Snake Mountain; otherwise, he truly would not have had much confidence this time. Venturing into the Hall of Seven Kills was practically a gamble of nine deaths to one life, yet for the sake of breakthroughs and their immortal paths, countless cultivators would not hesitate to risk their lives. "I recently obtained some corpse refining arts and need to enter closed-door cultivation for a time. For now, there is nothing that requires your attention. Remain on the island to cultivate. When I emerge, I will have instructions for you." After delivering his orders, Qin Sang strode straight into the cave dwelling. Bai Zhongqiu and his wife exchanged glances, feeling a mix of joy and apprehension. The joy came from being permitted to cultivate on Poison Island. A cave dwelling endowed with such rich spiritual energy, so secretive and secure, was something countless cultivators could only dream of. Yet they worried that once Qin Sang emerged, he might assign them some perilous mission. Regardless of what those outside thought, Qin Sang entered his cave dwelling, sealed the restrictions, and then unstrapped the black coffin from his back with a heavy thud. The coffin lid slid open, revealing the external incarnation lying within. The incarnation's eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of blood-red pupils. Its eyes beamed with bloodthirsty, ferocious light, fixing its gaze unblinkingly on Qin Sang. In that instant, the entire cave dwelling seemed to drown in a sea of blood. Qin Sang knitted his brow slightly and cast several incantation seals toward the incarnation. The scarlet hue in its eyes gradually ebbed away, slowly restoring it to normal. It stood up from the black coffin, walked over to a prayer mat, and sat down cross-legged. "Quick-advancement secret arts truly harbor immense hidden dangers!" Qin Sang's expression grew solemn as he looked upon the external incarnation. Seeing that the incarnation's independent cultivation could not meet his demands, he had been forced to feed it a blood pearl and deploy the quick-advancement secret art from *Seed Origin Demon Embryo*. The consequences had surfaced swiftly. *Before, even though my cultivation was a minor stage lower than the incarnation's, I could still command it by virtue of the jade Buddha's power without fear of backlash. Now, it has only swallowed a single blood pearl, yet signs of it slipping beyond my control have already appeared. I must frequently perform the secret arts from* Seed Origin Demon Embryo *to soothe the demonic soul. Once the incarnation breaks through to the peak of the Core Formation stage, I fear the only way to deploy it in battle will be to unleash the Heavenly Demon Transformation. In ordinary times, I will have no choice but to keep it in constant slumber.* Thinking to this point, Qin Sang shifted his gaze to the black coffin. The black coffin gave off a metallic sheen. Though it appeared unremarkable, it was actually a magic treasure—and one crafted by Qin Sang's own hands. This treasure could be considered the very first magic treasure Qin Sang had personally refined. He had named it the Heavenly Corpse Coffin. It had been conceived by comprehending the method for crafting corpse coffin magic tools recorded in the *Heavenly Yin Corpse Art*. After comprehending a portion of the talismans on the dark iron pillar, Qin Sang's skills in artifact refinement had surged. By utilizing some of the precious demon bones and spiritual materials he had stored away over the years, he had successfully crafted the first magic treasure of his life. The Heavenly Corpse Coffin could seal the external incarnation's aura and isolate it from the divine sense probes of outsiders. As long as it lay inside the coffin, there was no need to fear anyone discerning the incarnation's true nature. Naturally, that was merely one of the coffin's functions. When engaging enemies, the Heavenly Corpse Coffin could transform into a suit of battle armor for the incarnation. In addition, Qin Sang had dug out a saber magic treasure from his past spoils to equip the incarnation. After all, the incarnation possessed no formidable divine abilities of its own; the only way to elevate its strength was to craft suitable magic treasures for it. *I just purchased a piece of black essence metal at the Fengyin Island Auction. Refining it into the Heavenly Corpse Coffin will substantially increase its defensive power, second only to the Gold Glow Armor back then. However, black essence metal is excessively hard. Even if I channel the Nine Nether Demonic Fire, I will barely be able to melt it, leaving me with no strength left for the forging process. It seems I must wait until I return to Tianxing Island. If I recall correctly, Tianxing Island possesses top-tier refining chambers capable of forging magic treasures, drawing upon a portion of the city-protecting formation's might to channel the power of the subterranean fire vein...* Qin Sang reflected silently, having already drafted a plan to enhance the Heavenly Corpse Coffin. He had decided to return to Tianxing Island. The battle of Dongming Island had taken place thirty years ago; no matter how grand the storm had been, it should have blown over by now. The Sect Master of the Landou Sect could not possibly have guarded Tianxing Island indefinitely. As long as he did not run into a Nascent Soul Patriarch, then even if he crossed paths with First Seat Lu, with Qin Sang's current strength, it remained uncertain who would emerge victorious. The turmoil of the Demon Sea had subsided over twenty years ago as well. As for what ultimately transpired in the Demon Sea, and how the aggressive demon race had been repelled, Qin Sang had no accurate intelligence, having remained hidden in this remote corner the entire time. With more than twenty years having passed, things in the Demon Sea had likely returned to normal. "A gentleman can wait ten years to take revenge. I wonder if you still remember me, Qin?" Qin Sang's eyes flickered with resolve. He had not forgotten that he had seized the treasure coveted by the Old Ancestor of Black Snake Mountain. To avoid exposing his identity and being targeted by a Nascent Soul expert, he would only have a single chance to strike!