Chapter 1100: Silent Training

The Mortal World

Having achieved their goal, the two immediately distanced themselves from the Corpse King's lair.

They successfully exited the Immortal Tomb, traversed Vulture Mountain, and reached the palace complex at the entrance of Ziwei Palace.

Upon arrival, Qin Sang found a secluded courtyard and quietly waited for the immortal formation to deactivate.

Not long after, a series of rushing sounds echoed from deep within the palace. Startled awake, Qin Sang peered out and was surprised to see a large group of cultivators arriving together.

These cultivators made no attempt to conceal their auras; many of them were Nascent Soul Grandmasters! "Are these Nascent Soul Grandmasters actually traveling together within Ziwei Palace?" Qin Sang wondered, recalling the standoff outside the demon cave. He realized that the situation in the cultivation world might have undergone an unknown change.

The cultivators headed directly towards the Ziwei Palace entrance. Fortunately, the palace grounds were vast, allowing Qin Sang to discreetly hide in a corner, avoiding any chance encounters with old enemies.

He carefully withdrew, suppressed his aura, and waited in silence.

Soon after, more cultivators gathered sporadically.

Finally, the fluctuations within the immortal formation's cloud sea began to show signs of weakening. Eventually, the cloud sea solidified, and the entire Ziwei Palace started to tremble, on the verge of sinking into the depths of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

Instantly, streaks of escape light soared skyward. Unwilling to be left behind, Qin Sang activated his protective magical artifact and plunged into the cloud sea.

The perilous encounters Qin Sang faced when first entering Ziwei Palace remained vivid in his memory. However, leaving was significantly safer.

Qin Sang successfully traversed the immortal formation, finally returning to the familiar Ancient Immortal Battlefield!

At this moment, the spiritual tide had not yet fully receded, leaving the Ancient Immortal Battlefield in a state of chaos. Ziwei Palace, situated in the depths of the battlefield, presented a danger level comparable to, if not exceeding, the storm zones bordering the two great seas.

Qin Sang landed on the sandy ground. Glancing back at the swirling vortex of wind and clouds, he decided he wanted no contact with anyone here and promptly left the area.

Before flying out of Ziwei Palace, he had already activated the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn. This artifact could still guide him across the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, alleviating any fear of getting lost.

No one noticed Qin Sang departing alone.

The spiritual tide's power was no longer as formidable as before. Qin Sang deftly maneuvered and dodged, successfully flying out of the desert. Soon after, alarming spatial cracks began to appear in the void.

Qin Sang awakened his Sky-Eye Butterfly and, utilizing its divine Sky-Eye ability, hastened towards Seven Heroes Pass.

He journeyed alone through the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, his pace varying, often taking detours to avoid dangers. After two days, he finally noticed that the spatial cracks were gradually becoming sparse, and the spiritual tide's intensity was weakening day by day.

At this point, he unexpectedly discovered an anomaly deep within the mountains ahead: an erratic flickering of seven-colored wondrous light, resembling a sign of a secret realm emerging.

While Nascent Soul Grandmasters' speed undoubtedly surpassed his, his deliberate detours meant that no one should have discovered this anomaly earlier than him.

Qin Sang traversed mountains and ridges, eventually reaching a barren stone mountain.

The wondrous light was emanating from within the stone mountain, seeping through cracks in the rocks.

Qin Sang conducted a brief investigation and, as expected, found that the wondrous light was a manifestation of a secret realm's protective barrier, triggered by the spiritual tide. A flaw had appeared, revealing it to the world.

However, it was less a secret realm and more a cave dwelling, permeated with an aura of decay.

After a thorough search, finding no treasures, Qin Sang cast a spell to cleanse the cave dwelling. He then repaired the protective barriers and concealed the anomaly, deciding to enter seclusion here for a period.

Since entering the Seven Kills Hall, he had faced continuous turmoil and numerous unexpected developments, leaving him no time to rest.

He needed to thoroughly process his recent experiences.

Furthermore, various signs indicated a major upheaval in the local cultivation world. He needed to carefully consider what to do and how to proceed upon his return.

Bai emerged from the Corpse Puppet Bag.

Qin Sang asked, "Have you gained any insight into the Corpse Soul Pearl?"

Bai turned his palm, revealing a round pearl: the very Corpse Soul Pearl of the Corpse King.

After Qin Sang helped Bai gravely wound the Corpse King, Bai attempted to subdue the Corpse King but failed. Ultimately, he had no choice but to slay it and seize its Corpse Soul Pearl.

The Corpse Soul Pearl forms after a Corpse Refinement achieves Corpse King status, with its essence soul merging into the Corpse Core and undergoing a final transformation. It can be likened to the Nascent Soul condensed by cultivators.

Its surface was greenish-black, emanating an alluring luster. Mysterious runes, the restrictions Bai had placed on it, periodically emerged.

Inside the pearl, solidified corpse qi swirled like restless clouds. Periodically, a terrifying, grotesque face would emerge, utterly ferocious, attempting to burst from the Corpse Soul Pearl and silently roaring at the two of them.

The Corpse Soul Pearl was a rare sight in the world.

Neither Qin Sang nor Bai knew how to refine the pearl.

Bai gently shook his head, stating with hesitation, "The Heavenly Corpse Talisman has actually merged with its essence soul into the Corpse Soul Pearl. I dare not act rashly, as this isn't something achievable overnight. However, if I can refine this Corpse Soul Pearl, even without fully comprehending the Heavenly Corpse Talisman's mysteries, I should still have an opportunity to break through to Corpse King status..."

Qin Sang was pleased to hear this. "It wasn't a wasted effort after all!" he exclaimed. "After we return, once you achieve Corpse King status, we can join forces to search for the Heavenly Corpse Sect ruins. We're bound to discover something then."

Bai selected a stone chamber for his seclusion.

Qin Sang sealed the restrictions, and instant silence descended.

Inside the cave dwelling, Qin Sang's spiritual sense entered his Qianjun Ring, where he began to examine his recent gains one by one.

The Nine-Life Profound Tortoise shell was temporarily lent to Bai, to be used as a shield.

Qin Sang felt that refining the tortoise shell into a mere defensive artifact would be a regrettable waste of its potential.

Because the tortoise shell contained exceptionally pure Profound Water energy, an idea subtly formed in Qin Sang's mind. He would need to delve deeper into the art of artifact forging after reaching the Nascent Soul stage to determine its feasibility.

Four items appeared before him: a transparent lotus seed, a fragment of the Killing Sword, and two jade slips.

The Killing Sword fragment remained unchanged from two days prior, and the sword spirit's awakening time was still unknown. Qin Sang examined it briefly before putting it away.

Next, his gaze settled on the transparent lotus seed.

The lotus seed contained the manual for the "Fire Seed Golden Lotus" technique.

Qin Sang's decision to enter seclusion here was largely influenced by this treasure.

He had hastily condensed the fire seed, lacking the time to carefully study the "Fire Seed Golden Lotus" manual or properly utilize the lotus seed. He worried if this rush might leave behind any hidden dangers.

Picking up the transparent lotus seed, Qin Sang activated his spiritual sense, simultaneously comprehending the secret art and erasing Old Demon Mou's imprint.

Inside the cave dwelling, day and night passed unnoticed.

A full two months elapsed.

Qin Sang awoke from his meditation. After gazing at the lotus seed for a while, he surprisingly did not absorb it into his body, but instead returned it to his Qianjun Ring.

During this period, he had been comprehending the "Fire Seed Golden Lotus" and examining the lotus seed.

He ultimately confirmed that the lotus seed had only two functions: recording the secret art and serving as an auxiliary item during the initial stages of cultivation to prevent self-immolation. It had no other purpose.

He now realized that after a certain point, condensing the fire lotus seed further would reach his limit; he wouldn't be able to sustain refining more Nine Nether Demonic Flames into his body.

Neither the Jade Buddha nor the lotus seed could help him; the limitation stemmed from his insufficient cultivation.

Evidently, the "Fire Seed Golden Lotus" was not meant for cultivators at the Core Formation stage.

To make further progress, he would need to reach the Nascent Soul stage.

At its current level, the fire lotus seed lacked sufficient power, and its effect on enhancing spiritual sense was not pronounced. For now, the "Fire Seed Golden Lotus" could only serve as an auxiliary secret art for wielding the demonic banner.