The Imprint

He continued to cast secret arts, dissolving the inner demons tormenting his external incarnation. After a while, Qin Sang opened his palm. Shrouded in flowing light, jade slips appeared and settled in a neat row before him. These were the various corpse-refining arts he had gathered over the years. Previously, he had only browsed through them, but now he intended to study them thoroughly. A month later, Qin Sang slowly opened his eyes. Looking at the line of jade slips before him, a hint of perplexity showed on his face. "I've gathered quite a few corpse-refining arts over these years, covering all kinds of schools and traditions, yet not one shares any common ground with the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art. Is the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art so unique that it walked a path unprecedented and inimitable, or did I search in the wrong direction? Could it be that the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art isn't a pure corpse dao legacy at all..." Tapping a jade slip lightly with his finger, Qin Sang pondered for a moment before rising to his feet. He looked around the cave dwelling. Having cultivated in seclusion here for over thirty years, everything appeared so familiar. Over the course of these years, not only had his strength grown noticeably, but this period of undisturbed, single-minded cultivation had also become a rare and cherished memory. Now, it was time to leave. With a wave of his sleeve, Qin Sang swept his belongings into the Qianjun Ring. At that moment, the external incarnation also stirred from meditation. Thanks to Qin Sang's sustained use of secret arts, its demonic soul had temporarily settled down and returned to normal. The incarnation raised a finger and tapped the black coffin. With a clattering rattle, the coffin split into several pieces that shifted in midair, assembling into a seamlessly fitting suit of black battle armor that wrapped snugly around the incarnation's body. A flash of protective spiritual light followed, hiding the armor beneath outer robes. The incarnation rolled its eyes toward Qin Sang's true body. A faint smile appeared on Qin Sang's face. Just as he was about to speak, his heart stirred, and he looked down at the spirit beast bag at his waist. The fat silkworm had awakened. "This fellow has digested another piece of purple crystal. Ever since breaking through to the mid-stage of the third transformation, its appetite has grown faster and faster, leaving barely any crystals left. Going to the Hall of Seven Kills this time, I'll need to gather a few more to keep it fed. I wonder if the master of that place has changed..." Qin Sang muttered to himself. Both the fat silkworm and the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had broken through to the mid-stage of the third transformation, though the butterfly's cultivation progress was far slower than the silkworm's. He still had no idea what the purple crystals truly were. The fat silkworm did nothing but eat and sleep, yet its cultivation speed surpassed even Qin Sang's expectations. Aside from that, neither of the little creatures showed dramatic outward changes compared to before their breakthroughs, though their divine abilities had likely grown more potent. After feeding the fat silkworm a small piece of purple crystal, Qin Sang stepped outside the cave dwelling and touched the restrictions with his divine sense to rouse Bai Zhongqiu and the others. "Senior, what commands do you have for us?" Bai Zhongqiu and his wife hurried out of their cave dwelling. At the same time, a ripple stirred through the surrounding miasma as Bai Ying'er and the two-headed hou returned. As if sensing what was to come, Bai Ying'er stayed close to the beast's side, her delicate brows knitted tight and her lips pursed as she looked nervously at Qin Sang. Qin Sang turned his palm, producing a jade vial that he tossed to Bai Zhongqiu. Inside were two pills of an unusual color. The instant Bai Zhongqiu saw the pills, he could not tear his eyes away, his face flushed with uncontrollable excitement. "Over the years, you two have served diligently. I made a promise to give you two Fiend Demon Pills, and naturally, I will keep my word. These two were obtained by chance in the past. The demonic baleful qi within them has been meticulously refined, making them top-grade among Fiend Demon Pills," Qin Sang said indifferently. "Thank you for the reward, Senior! We are endlessly grateful!" Bai Zhongqiu and his wife were overjoyed. Although they had some savings, purchasing such exquisite Fiend Demon Pills was nearly impossible. Top-grade Fiend Demon Pills had purer medicinal efficacy and far fewer remnants of demonic baleful qi, granting them a much better chance at Core Formation. Once the surge of joy settled, Bai Zhongqiu suddenly realized something and asked softly, "Senior, are you planning to..." Qin Sang nodded slightly. "Since you know I purchased the jade talisman for the Hall of Seven Kills, you must have guessed it. This Poison Island was only a temporary cave dwelling I chose. The Hall of Seven Kills opens in a few years, so it's time for me to leave and make preparations in advance. Ying'er has stayed by my side for so many years and taken care of the dwelling. Though I have no intention of taking a disciple, there is still some sentiment between us, so I leave this place to her. Do not act too conspicuously in the future, and others will hardly discover the secrets of this island. This jade slip contains the methods to control the island's illusory formation and restrictions..." With a flick of his sleeve, the jade slip flew toward Bai Ying'er. Bai Ying'er caught it tightly, her eyes reddening at once. Falling to her knees, she said, "Even if Senior does not acknowledge Ying'er, I have received Senior's guidance many times, and in my heart, I have always regarded you as my master..." Bai Zhongqiu and his wife looked at their daughter, their emotions deeply conflicted. In the past, they had lived in fear and trepidation before Qin Sang. Yet over so many years, they had long come to realize that meeting this man might well have been the greatest fortune of their family's lives. "Senior, will you return in the future? Please consider this junior simply looking after the cave dwelling for you..." There was genuine sincerity in Bai Zhongqiu's words. Qin Sang chuckled softly and slowly shook his head. "You have certainly heard of the Hall of Seven Kills' reputation. My path ahead is fraught with uncertainty; whether I can come out alive is still unknown, so speaking of the future is premature. Besides, the spirit vein on this island is merely passable to me, and it lies in such a remote place..." The underlying meaning was clear: they would likely never meet again. Long accustomed to parting and reunion, Qin Sang showed no change in expression. He beckoned to the two-headed hou, ready to depart. The two-headed hou walked up to Qin Sang and glanced back at Bai Ying'er. Overcome with reluctance, Bai Ying'er could no longer hold back her tears, breaking into quiet sobs. Confined to cultivating on Poison Island, she had seen no outsiders for years; the two-headed hou had practically been her only friend. With this parting, she knew not when they might ever meet again. Qin Sang nodded to Bai Zhongqiu and his wife and turned to leave, but the two-headed hou suddenly let out a low whimper and leapt in front of Bai Ying'er. A brilliant cyan glow erupted from its body, and a faint cyan phantom detached itself from its form. The phantom rapidly shrank until it was no larger than a fingernail, descending onto the back of Bai Ying'er's hand. As the cyan light faded, the phantom vanished, leaving behind a mark that resembled a tattoo. Having done this, the two-headed hou's aura visibly withered, and it retreated to Qin Sang's side, looking drowsy and listless. A look of surprise crossed Qin Sang's face. Glancing at the beast, he said to the bewildered Bai family, "It spared no expense of its own vitality to leave you a means of protection. Should you encounter a powerful foe, you can activate the power in that mark with your divine sense to protect yourself once. Even a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator would suffer greatly if caught off guard." Hearing this, Bai Zhongqiu and his wife were overjoyed and repeatedly urged their daughter, "Ying'er, hurry and thank Lord Divine Hou!" In the next instant, everything blurred before their eyes. The poisonous miasma roiled, and Qin Sang and the two-headed hou were already gone.