Conditions

"…As a condition, once I help you shake off your pursuer and we reach safety, I want you to undo the soul imprint inside the refined corpse and yield this body entirely to me," Bai said in a deep voice. At these words, Qin Sang's brows twitched upward, a mocking smirk touching the corner of his lips. Old monster though this man might be, having lived who knew how many years, his cultivation had not yet recovered, and unraveling the soul imprint within the Flying Yaksha would still take no small amount of effort on his part. "Is this what you call a deal? Helping me shake off our pursuer—do you dare expose yourself before that person? This matter is mutually beneficial to begin with, so why dress it up in such high-sounding words? You stand to lose nothing. Not only will you break free of your cage and fulfill your oath, but you will also gain a formidable body, roaming freely like a dragon returning to the sea. Meanwhile, I am the one who has to help you undo the demonic restriction, deliver the departed souls, and even part with a Flying Yaksha that cost me untold effort and blood…" Qin Sang scoffed at Bai's condition, his voice sinking low. "I admire you for holding fast in solitude all these years over a single oath, Fellow Daoist. But as for this condition, forgive me, but I cannot agree!" Bai's brow furrowed tightly. "Though I have yet to refine the remnant origin soul in this corpse, these past decades of day-and-night refining—borne of fear that my spirit would disperse—have already bound my soul and this flesh so closely that they can hardly be parted. Were I forcibly severed from it now, my vitality would suffer catastrophic harm. I would likely never recover in this lifetime, let alone search for who I truly was. Besides, even if I returned it to you, it would be nothing more than a refined corpse at the early Core Formation stage. Given your current cultivation, it is hardly indispensable. Why cling so stubbornly to such petty gains and losses…?" Qin Sang merely shook his head, offering no answer. He respected Bai, but he was no fool to be taken advantage of. Qin Sang knew full well that the fundamental reason Bai was speaking to him so amiably and reasonably was out of dread for his strength. If he had lacked the refined corpse, the two-headed hou, and the Thunder Command Art—a Daoist art capable of threatening Bai's very life—would Bai still be treating him to such polite persuasion? Most likely, Bai would have subdued him first and forced him to accept every term. At best, a lingering shred of benevolence in Bai might have spared his life. Now, the upper hand lay with Qin Sang entirely because of the formidable might he had fought to display. Had it not been for a powerful enemy lurking outside, Bai would have long been his defeated foe, with no ground to dictate terms. "You had better bring some genuine sincerity to the table, Fellow Daoist," Qin Sang said coolly. Under Qin Sang's piercing gaze, Bai's face darkened. With a formidable Nascent Soul adversary waiting outside, this man could still negotiate conditions without batting an eye. Yet, upon closer thought, how could anyone possessing such transcendent divine abilities at the Core Formation stage—someone who had forcibly suppressed him and driven him to admit defeat—ever be easy to handle? Bai wanted to refute Qin Sang, but the thought that this might be the only chance in his entire life stayed his tongue; another person capable of manipulating the demonic fire would never come. Even with a reclaimed physical body, his lifespan remained limited, and he certainly could not hold out until the day the demonic restriction unraveled on its own. Furthermore, there was another point Bai had left unsaid. He had tried countless times, yet he could never crack the refined corpse's origin soul or the soul imprint Qin Sang had left behind. As long as the corpse's origin soul and that soul imprint endured, Bai's spirit could never fully merge with the flesh. His cultivation would stagnate, unable to advance further or break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Though he was a solitary soul surviving from an ancient immortal, his original flesh had rotted, his origin soul had decayed, and his memories had eroded to ruin. What he had obtained now was merely the vessel of a refined corpse, leaving him no choice but to walk the corpse dao. Cultivation was not something that simply restored itself overnight; it required steady, incremental progress, little different from any other cultivator. In essence, his vital gate was held fast in Qin Sang's hands. Qin Sang's uncompromising stance left Bai all the more wavering and uncertain, suspecting that this man had already seen through his plight. With his throat in another's grasp, Bai could not help feeling somewhat deflated. He sighed and said, "I can agree to another condition. As long as you help me refine the origin soul inside the corpse, I will follow at your side and serve as your enforcer throughout that period. That ought to make up for the loss of your refined corpse, should it not? However, once I have fully recovered, you may not hinder my departure. If you agree, we shall swear a heart demon oath. Since I have been forced onto the corpse dao, you should know that the bind of a heart demon oath holds tremendous dread for ghost cultivators like us; I would never dare defy it." Qin Sang's heart stirred. He had not expected Bai to propose such a term. Once out of the Ghostland, Bai would be unable to manipulate the ghost mist and his strength would suffer a sharp decline, yet he would still be on par with a peak Core Formation cultivator. Gaining Bai's allegiance would drastically augment his own combat prowess. To look down upon all his peers at the Core Formation stage would no longer be an idle boast. Unfortunately, Bai would never agree to remain bound to him indefinitely. Barring any mishaps, Bai's cultivation would likely advance even faster than his own; forming a Nascent Soul or even advancing to the Deity Transformation stage would hardly be difficult for him. Bai's background was extraordinary, and his future potential was beyond measure. With a figure like this, Qin Sang should have done his utmost to build goodwill, yet he shook his head and refused once more. This instantly drove Bai into a fury. In truth, following Qin Sang was not unacceptable. Time had brought immense changes to the world. Trapped in the Ghostland for so long, Bai knew nothing of the outside realm. Remaining at Qin Sang's side to slowly learn about the world while refining the body, and then parting ways when the time was ripe to seek out his lost memories, was a prudent move in itself. He had never imagined that Qin Sang would reject him again. Barely suppressing his rage, Bai's face soured as he sneered coldly, "My personal service is not enough? You truly are insatiable! Just what is it you want?" Qin Sang took on a contemplative look. A gleam flashed across his eyes, his voice turning solemn. "Countless millions of souls drift in this Ghostland, yet you alone kept your spirit unclouded. Do you not find that a bit curious, Fellow Daoist? By my reckoning, the time you have been trapped here must be measured in tens of thousands of years. No matter how profound one's cultivation or how supreme one's cultivation method was in life, it would be impossible for a solitary soul to endure until now. Don't tell me that your sheer willpower was somehow steadfast enough to withstand the grinding wear of the ages!" Qin Sang suddenly raised his voice, his eyes locked onto Bai's in sharp interrogation. Bai's face froze. His expression shifted erratically before he finally let out a bitter laugh. "So, you've already guessed it, haven't you? What other treasure in this world could keep a soul from dispersing and preserve its innate spirit?" "Soul-Nurturing Wood!" Qin Sang's pupils dilated drastically, an involuntary gasp escaping his lips. "You truly have Soul-Nurturing Wood in your hands!" Soul-Nurturing Wood, one of the Ten Great Divine Woods, possessed the miraculous power to nurture and strengthen the origin soul. Only such a treasure could have allowed Bai to hold out to this day. Even so, Bai had been reduced to a solitary remnant soul clinging to a wretched existence, proving just how long he had been trapped here. From the moment he saw Bai's remnant soul, Qin Sang had harbored faint suspicions, but he had kept them concealed, coolly watching Bai's performance until now, when he finally bared his fangs. Bai was destined for greatness. With no mortal enmity between them, Qin Sang's nature would never have led him to squabble over minor losses; he might even have taken the initiative to befriend Bai and sow good karma. Only the Soul-Nurturing Wood could make Qin Sang lose his composure like this and throw caution to the wind! His cultivation had stalled, and originally, only the fragment of the Boundless Blood Mulberry in Wuya Valley of the Lesser Cold Domain could have helped him. Never could he have imagined encountering the Soul-Nurturing Wood here!