Chapter 172: Heavenly Corpse Talisman

The owner of this Heavenly Corpse Token likely held a respectable position within the Heavenly Corpse Sect, though not a high-ranking one. This explained why the token only contained a partial fragment of the "Heavenly Yin Corpse Art."

Qin Sang then picked up the black pouch. He learned that this item was called a Corpse Puppet Bag, a unique magical artifact of the Heavenly Corpse Sect. It was used to store corpse puppets and could isolate corpse energy and malevolent aura, preventing their detection.

Crafting a Corpse Puppet Bag required a significant amount of spiritual materials. Consequently, Qi Condensation cultivators could only use bulky coffins to store their zombies.

After putting away all three items, Qin Sang thoughtfully gazed at the living corpse before him, recalling the details about the Heavenly Corpse Talisman from the "Heavenly Yin Corpse Art."

Disciples of the Heavenly Corpse Sect left their spiritual consciousness imprints within the Heavenly Corpse Talisman to control living corpses.

There must be a Heavenly Corpse Talisman within this living corpse's 'primordial spirit.' With its master deceased and no one to control it, it had displayed its bloodthirsty nature.

If he could claim this Heavenly Corpse Talisman for himself, wouldn't he then acquire a corpse puppet comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator?

Judging by the malevolent corpse's power, it was likely a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator before being refined into a living corpse.

A surge of excitement stirred within Qin Sang as he considered this. He glanced at Baiyun Shanren, realizing the man had likely taken such a desperate gamble with similar aspirations.

After all, acquiring a living corpse puppet would directly double one's strength, and this was merely the apparent advantage.

In the future, whether exploring secret realms or encountering dangerous situations, he could simply send the fearless living corpse ahead, potentially avoiding countless perils.

He just wondered if it was truly possible.

With this thought, Qin Sang thoroughly reviewed the secret art of the Heavenly Corpse Talisman. The specific technique for controlling it was not difficult, and he mastered it with ease after just a few attempts.

Unexpectedly, when Qin Sang activated the secret art, sending his spiritual consciousness into the living corpse to attempt control, the living corpse suddenly let out a furious roar of shock. The Heavenly Corpse Talisman also violently trembled, unleashing an extremely fierce counterattack that nearly tore Qin Sang's spiritual consciousness apart.

Qin Sang hastily severed the connection to that wisp of spiritual consciousness. His face paled slightly, and his eyes darkened as he realized his idea had been too naive.

Each Heavenly Corpse Talisman was meticulously refined by a corpse refiner. During the refining process, a soul imprint was integrated into it, and even if the refiner died, the soul imprint remained, making it impossible to simply replace.

Unless the original owner dispersed their soul imprint, he couldn't possibly subdue this living corpse.

However, Qin Sang wasn't without gains. After learning the secret art of the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, even though he couldn't claim the living corpse for himself, he realized that since it was masterless, he could still use the secret art to influence its actions via the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, preventing it from exerting its full power.

Since it was confirmed that he couldn't subdue it, Qin Sang no longer harbored futile hopes and decided to directly slay the monster.

The masterless living corpse had no one to help it resist the secret art's influence. Its Profound Yellow Armor, originally exceptionally agile and capable of deflecting every wisp of the Ebony Sword's sword energy, immediately began to lag under the secret art's influence, its effectiveness greatly diminished.

While simultaneously activating the secret art, Qin Sang focused on controlling the Ebony Sword. Taking advantage of the Profound Yellow Armor's sluggishness, his sword energy surged. He continuously stabbed the same spot, leaving deep, bone-revealing wounds until the terrestrial malevolent energy on the living corpse could no longer keep up with repairs. With a final strike, he pierced the malevolent corpse's head, annihilating its 'primordial spirit.'

With a thud, the living corpse fell to the ground. Unlike the previous malevolent corpse, it did not turn into a pile of ash but still maintained its human form.

Qin Sang conjured a flame to incinerate the living corpse. He then waved his hand to collect the Ebony Sword and the Ten Directions Yama Banner. After a brief moment of internal adjustment, he turned to look at the corpses of Baiyun Shanren and Wu Yuesheng, a contemplative expression on his face.

Moments later, Qin Sang similarly burned Wu Yuesheng's corpse but sealed Baiyun Shanren's corpse in an ice coffin.

The method for refining malevolent corpse puppets in the "Heavenly Yin Corpse Art" specifically required the corpse of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Baiyun Shanren had initiated the killing intent first, so Qin Sang naturally felt no mercy towards him and intended to refine his corpse into a puppet.

Unlike the living corpse he had just dealt with, which was only slightly weaker than its living self after refinement, refining Baiyun Shanren into a malevolent corpse would yield a final strength somewhat greater than a cultivator at the thirteenth level of Qi Condensation. While its physical body could withstand attacks from Foundation Establishment cultivators, it could only cause some trouble for them; nonetheless, it would be a decent assistant.

Furthermore, as he prepared to venture into the Ancient Immortal Battlefield for experience, the corpse puppet's utility would be even greater. In that vast and sparsely populated realm, he wouldn't have to fear others discovering its existence.

However, Qin Sang dared not treat Wu Yuesheng's corpse in the same manner. Baiyun Shanren was a rogue cultivator with no powerful backing; no one would avenge his death. Wu Yuesheng, on the other hand, was different.

As they belonged to the same sect, Qin Sang knew that Shaohua Mountain would not idly stand by if a Foundation Establishment disciple mysteriously disappeared. Upon returning, any survivor would undoubtedly face an inquiry from the sect.

The cultivation world possessed countless peculiar methods. Even if Wu Yuesheng had made the first move, if any clues were found, Qin Sang refining a fellow disciple into a corpse puppet would be an equally unforgivable crime.

Even Wu Yuesheng's Vermilion Flame Sword, which was intimately linked to his life, would need to be discarded at the first opportunity.

Qin Sang then sealed Liu Jiang's remains. After all, Liu Jiang had helped guide the way, so Qin Sang did not touch his mustard seed bag, intending to return it to Liu Shan upon meeting him. He wondered, however, what Liu Shan's reaction would be upon seeing this corpse, corroded by corpse poison and utterly disfigured.

Next, Qin Sang beckoned, collecting the belongings of Baiyun Shanren and Wu Yuesheng into his palm. He then casually erased the traces of battle in the hall, knowing that once the terrestrial malevolent energy surged up, all clues would be completely obliterated, so he didn't need to be too meticulous.

While simultaneously breaking the restrictions on the profound iron heavy door, he also divided his attention to examine the two men's belongings.

Wu Yuesheng's magical artifacts and anything that could be traced back to Shaohua Mountain had to be discarded, while spiritual stones, elixirs, and spiritual materials could be kept.

This person's wealth was quite substantial; his spiritual stones alone amounted to over eight hundred low-grade spiritual stones. Including Baiyun Shanren's inheritance, Qin Sang's total gain was over twelve hundred low-grade spiritual stones.

After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, Qin Sang had been cultivating diligently in his cave abode. He hadn't touched the five mid-grade spiritual stones allocated by his sect, and combined with his original possessions, he had nearly a thousand low-grade spiritual stones in total assets.

Two thousand two hundred low-grade spiritual stones could buy a decent top-grade magical artifact. Among Foundation Establishment cultivators, Qin Sang could now be considered moderately wealthy.

Aside from the Vermilion Flame Sword, Wu Yuesheng also possessed several other excellent magical artifacts. Qin Sang could only regretfully return them to Wu Yuesheng's mustard seed bag, preparing to find a place to discard them. Compared to Wu Yuesheng, Baiyun Shanren seemed much poorer. His strongest magical artifact, the Heaven-Trapping Pouch, was already destroyed. Among his remaining artifacts, only the wooden staff named Dragon-Subduing Staff was noteworthy. It was an excellent high-grade magical artifact with its own unique uses.

The Dragon-Subduing Staff's original form was likely a section of spirit wood. Unfortunately, it had already been refined into a magical artifact, mixing in other spiritual materials and thereby destroying its original spirit wood structure. Thus, it could not be used to enhance the Ebony Sword.

After the Ebony Sword was refined into a Wood Spirit Sword Embryo, it became powerful indeed. However, in a sense, it also became much more fragile. Any incompatibility would greatly diminish the spirit sword's power, or even cause it to collapse entirely. It could only be integrated with the most pristine spirit wood.