Chapter 111: Foundation Pill

Sun De's eyes flickered. "Junior Brother Qin, since you're not afraid of the Soul-Eating Worm devouring your primordial spirit, there's no need to rush. I've answered all your questions honestly so far, which shows my sincerity. Now it's your turn, Junior Brother Qin, to show yours. First, find me a suitable physical body so I can possess it. Once I'm safe, I'll definitely tell you how to get rid of the Soul-Eating Worm..."

Qin Sang stared at Sun De with an impassive face. Spiritual energy surged wildly in his palm, and he suddenly clenched his hand. Sun De hadn't expected Qin Sang to be so decisive in killing him, and he cried out frantically: "Only Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Kuiyin Sect know how to get rid of the Soul-Eating Worm in you! Spare my life, and I'll ask my father to help you... Ah!"

Sun De's cry was cut short as his primordial spirit was crushed by Qin Sang, dissolving into specks of light.

"You must be wondering why I can resist the Soul-Eating Worm's devouring, yet you haven't asked a single question. That's quite something. You wanted to refine me into the main soul of the Yama Banner, knew so many of my secrets, and were so manipulative. How could I let you leave? As for the Soul-Eating Worm, at worst, I'll just stay in Shaohua Mountain until I break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. The Kuiyin Sect only has one Golden Core old monster left; I can't be so unlucky as to run into him, can I?" Qin Sang clapped his hands together, murmuring to himself.

Qin Sang had deliberately allowed Sun De to briefly retain a breath, giving his primordial spirit a chance to escape. From the very beginning, he had no intention of sparing Sun De's life.

Qin Sang's gaze shifted. He still felt a chill in his heart; he had truly experienced the treacherous nature of the cultivation world enough. Without the jade Buddha's help, he wondered how many times he would have died.

His eyes swept over Sun De's corpse. Qin Sang noticed the mustard seed pouch that had been flung aside and beckoned it over with a raised hand. Using his spiritual sense, he moved everything out of the mustard seed pouch, instantly filling a large area of the cave dwelling.

He tossed aside some miscellaneous items and low-grade magical artifacts. Qin Sang's gaze immediately landed on seven black ghost banners. There was one large banner and six smaller ones. The six smaller ones were the same size as his Yama Banner, but the ghosts depicted on their surfaces were far more ferocious than Yama, with significant differences in form. Qin Sang mused that these might be the Ten Directions Yama Banners.

Sun De actually possessed six Ten Directions Yama Banners, enough to form a formation. No wonder he had been dodging and weaving during their earlier fight, constantly trying to retrieve a magical artifact. Fortunately, Qin Sang hadn't given him a chance to catch his breath. The Ten Directions Yama Formation left by Patriarch Kuiyin was certainly not simple. If Sun De had been given the chance to set up the formation, the Ebony Sword might not have been able to defeat him.

Qin Sang secretly felt fortunate. He picked up the Ten Directions Yama Banners and found that their grade was slightly lower than that of typical high-grade magical artifacts, far from reaching the level of top-grade artifacts. It seemed Sun De had indeed been constrained and cautious in Shaohua Mountain, not daring to act recklessly. These Ten Directions Yama Banners required further refining before they could be used, so he put them all away. Picking up the largest ghost banner, he glanced at it, and his expression subtly changed. This ghost banner was identical to the one Zhao Yan had used at Yuanzhao Gate; it was a magical treasure!

"Could this be the genuine Ten Directions Yama Banner left by Patriarch Kuiyin?" Qin Sang murmured in surprise to himself. Sun De had just mentioned that Patriarch Kuiyin left five Ten Directions Yama Banners to his disciples, and Sun De's father was the successor of one of those disciples. Thinking that Zhao Yan had actually been able to wield this magical treasure at the time, Qin Sang's heart suddenly burned with excitement. The Ebony Sword was only a fragment of a magical treasure and yet so powerful. If he could wield a complete magical treasure, who among cultivators of the same realm would be his opponent in future battles?

But then a bucket of cold water was poured over Qin Sang's enthusiasm. He recalled Zhao Yan using the magical treasure back then, realizing it was likely through the power of the Sect Master's phantom in the Four Clouds Divine Restriction. Otherwise, with his Qi Refining stage cultivation, it would have been impossible to use a magical treasure. He had thrown away the Four Clouds Divine Restriction, and now he could only stare at it uselessly.

Qin Sang sighed inwardly, carefully put away the magical treasure, and continued his search. He found that Sun De's possessions were indeed substantial. Having a Foundation Establishment father was truly beneficial. There were five mid-grade spirit stones and over a hundred low-grade spirit stones alone. Sun De hadn't even had a chance to use some common spirit talismans, which now benefited Qin Sang. Bottles of spiritual medicines also dazzled Qin Sang. He was no longer illiterate in the cultivation world and could generally recognize these spiritual medicines. Most of them were healing elixirs, a notch better than the ones he had obtained from the man in the bamboo hat. There were also spiritual medicines that could restore spiritual energy during combat.

Qin Sang sorted and put them away, setting aside those he didn't recognize, intending to check them at Baota Peak. When he picked up a jade bottle, Qin Sang suddenly gasped, his face showing extreme excitement. He grabbed the jade bottle and held it up to examine it closely. Inside the jade bottle were two brilliant blue elixirs, the size of broad beans. Qin Sang gently opened the bottle and immediately smelled a pungent odor, exactly as described in tales he had heard.

Foundation Establishment Pills! And there were two of them!

Sun De was under forty years old and already at the eleventh level of the Qi Refining stage. One of the pills was likely a reward from Shaohua Mountain, and the other probably left to him by his father. Sun De likely had the same idea as him: to cultivate to a higher realm before taking the Foundation Establishment Pill to increase his chances of success.

Qin Sang clutched the jade bottle tightly, his heart pounding wildly. Even when he had just acquired the magical treasure, he hadn't been this excited. Magical treasures were merely external objects, but Foundation Establishment Pills could truly bring about his transformation! Foundation Establishment—what an exhilarating and captivating term! With successful Foundation Establishment, he would no longer be a small shrimp at the mercy of others, and his sect would value him more. More importantly, he would have taken a huge step forward on the path of immortality!

Qin Sang's greatest worry before was that his aptitude was too poor, and one Foundation Establishment Pill wouldn't be enough to help him break through. He had even prepared to spend over a decade collecting Foundation Establishment Pills. Although the chances of successful Foundation Establishment would diminish after forty, as long as his vital energy hadn't drastically declined before fifty, the impact wouldn't be decisive. Now, with three Foundation Establishment Pills beckoning him, how could Qin Sang not be excited?

Qin Sang couldn't put them down, gazing at the Foundation Establishment Pills repeatedly. He suddenly remembered something and hastily capped the jade bottle to prevent the pills' spiritual energy from dissipating and affecting their efficacy, which would cause him immense regret. He had become a little carried away. A hint of self-mockery appeared on Qin Sang's face, but his upturned lips wouldn't settle, and he felt like bursting into laughter.

After finally calming his inner excitement, Qin Sang began to ponder how to conclude matters. Sun De was a legitimate disciple of Shaohua Mountain, so he couldn't be killed off as casually as a rogue cultivator. However, since Sun De had come to retrieve the Ten Directions Yama Banners, he must have arrived secretly without informing anyone. Furthermore, the Sunken Earth Cave was an excellent place to dispose of a body and erase all traces, so clearing himself of suspicion shouldn't be difficult. Thinking of this, Qin Sang immediately set to work. Besides the crucial items, he took all other possessions along with Sun De's corpse and flew deeper into the Sunken Earth Cave. Only after watching these items burn to ash and scatter into the Sunken Earth Cave did Qin Sang feel at ease.