Chapter 174: Entrustment

Thwack!

After a struggle, the living corpse was sent flying by the Jade Ruyi Talisman Treasure. Qin Sang immediately followed, controlling his sword to pierce the living corpse's head and shatter its 'primordial spirit,' thus slaying it.

Qing Ting immediately collapsed to the ground. The Jade Ruyi Talisman Treasure transformed back into a talisman paper, fluttering down from mid-air. A faint fine line appeared in the middle of the talisman paper, indicating that much of its power had been expended.

Qin Sang didn't look at the fierce corpse. He flashed to Qing Ting's side, gently helping her up. He could discern whether her injuries were genuine or not.

Pressing his palm against her back, he continuously poured spiritual energy into Qing Ting's body to help suppress the corpse poison and examine her injuries. Qing Ting offered no resistance, allowing Qin Sang's spiritual energy to flow through her meridians, expelling the surface corpse poison and malevolent aura.

After a moment, Qin Sang withdrew his hand. He looked at Qing Ting with a complex expression, wanting to speak but hesitating, finally letting out a soft sigh.

Indeed, just as Qing Ting had said earlier, her spiritual energy was nearly depleted, and the corpse poison had invaded her heart meridians. Her ability to persist in wielding the talisman treasure to help Qin Sang attack the living corpse was already remarkably difficult, and there was no way to save her.

Unless there was a cultivator extremely skilled in alchemy and medicine, but Qing Ting was on the verge of death now, where would they find one?

Qing Ting had been gazing at Qin Sang. Seeing his expression, her eyes dimmed for a moment before she smiled calmly. She opened her mouth, her voice exceptionally weak and hoarse.

"Junior Brother Qin, please don't be troubled. Death is not a terrifying thing for me. Cough, cough..."

Qing Ting began to cough violently, as if her heart was tearing.

Qin Sang took out a healing elixir and gave it to Qing Ting. Her complexion improved slightly, but it was merely a temporary rally. She suddenly raised her hand, pointing to a pile of rubble in a corner of the hall, and said urgently, "Junior Brother Qin, there are some scattered bones there. Please go and see if there are any relics."

Qin Sang raised an eyebrow, secretly surprised that Qing Ting, in her current state, was still concerned about bone relics. But under Qing Ting's expectant gaze, he sent out a stream of spiritual energy, forming a large hand to gather the entire pile of stones.

Indeed, some bone fragments were found within, but no relics.

Qin Sang showed these items to Qing Ting one by one. The look of anticipation on Qing Ting's face gradually faded. Finally, she gave a bitter smile and murmured, "It's better if there are none. I'm dying soon anyway; what difference would finding them make..."

As she spoke, Qing Ting suddenly used all her strength to sit up and said solemnly to Qin Sang, "Junior Brother Qin, the crisis is not yet resolved. As a dying person, I dare not waste any more of your time. I didn't expect such a vast accumulation of malevolent earth qi in the cave, causing you and a few fellow cultivators to fall into danger. However, Junior Brother Qin, rest assured, after opening the iron gate and proceeding further, you will reach the forbidden area of the Heavenly Corpse Sect. Once you arrive there, activating the entire cave mansion's restrictions will surely ward off the invasion of the malevolent earth qi. After it recedes, you will be able to leave this place."

Qin Sang glanced at Qing Ting. "Sister, do you know this is the Heavenly Corpse Sect?"

Qing Ting nodded but offered no further explanation. She gave a bitter smile and said, "Dying in such a place, I can only entrust my final wishes to Junior Brother Qin. To refine the Fire Crow Formation, I sold off all my family's possessions. Now I possess nothing but this talisman treasure and the partial corpse of the black tiger in my Mustard Seed Bag. I give them all to Junior Brother Qin, asking only that you do one last favor for me."

If it was an easy task, Qin Sang naturally wouldn't mind. He said noncommittally, "Please speak, Sister."

Then, Qing Ting took out a black cloth bag from her close-fitting spiritual robe. Qin Sang's gaze sharpened slightly, secretly surprised. It was a Corpse Puppet Bag!

He wondered if she had obtained this Corpse Puppet Bag from outside or just found it. Why would she keep it so close to her? Could it be that a corpse puppet was sealed inside?

Qing Ting opened the Corpse Puppet Bag, and a crystal coffin flew out, gently landing in front of them. Lying inside the crystal coffin was not a corpse puppet, but a person.

He had a square face, sword-like eyebrows, a high nose, and a robust physique. Although he lay motionless in the crystal coffin, he still exuded an aura of resolute charm.

However, this person was now like a corpse, completely devoid of breath, with no trace of blood in his skin.

Seeing his appearance, Qin Sang suddenly recalled something and softly asked, "Sister, is this Senior Brother Jiang?"

Qing Ting nodded slightly, her gaze filled with deep attachment and adoration. She couldn't tear her eyes away from his face, as if fearing she might never see it again.

Qin Sang remained silent. Back when he was in the Qi Condensation stage, he had heard some fellow disciples gossip that Senior Sister Qing Ting's Dao partner was named Jiang, and they were like an immortal couple, deeply affectionate. Later, Senior Brother Jiang reportedly met with an accident during an outdoor training session and was presumed dead. He never expected Senior Sister Qing Ting to have kept Senior Brother Jiang's body preserved in a crystal coffin all this time.

Wait!

As Qin Sang's divine sense swept over the crystal coffin, he discovered that Senior Brother Jiang's primordial spirit still had faint fluctuations within, though they were extremely weak, like a flickering candle in the wind.

He was still alive!

Qing Ting reached out and pressed on the crystal coffin, opening it. She tightly embraced Senior Brother Jiang's body, holding his hand, and softly said to Qin Sang, "His primordial spirit suffered severe damage. I tried everything, but I couldn't heal him. I could only slow down the rate at which his primordial spirit dissipated... Death, for us as a couple, might be a release. I only hope that after you escape this danger, Junior Brother Qin, you can bury my senior brother and me together. To share a bed in life, and a grave in death."

After being taken out of the crystal coffin, Senior Brother Jiang's physical body rapidly decayed, and the fluctuations of his primordial spirit also dissipated at an alarming rate.

Just then, a surprising scene unfolded: Senior Brother Jiang's finger trembled slightly, weakly yet decisively gripping Qing Ting's hand in return.

Qing Ting's face was filled with surprise and joy. She suddenly threw herself into Senior Brother Jiang's embrace and burst into tears.

It was as if countless years of sorrow and despair were being released, an anguish beyond measure.

A single tear also fell from the corner of Senior Brother Jiang's eye.

Heavenly Corpse Talisman!

A flash of insight struck Qin Sang, and he suddenly understood what Qing Ting had been searching for.

The Heavenly Corpse Talisman would turn Senior Brother Jiang into a corpse puppet, but it could merge with and seal his primordial spirit, perhaps preventing its dissipation.

According to the 'Heavenly Yin Corpse Art,' being sealed by the Heavenly Corpse Talisman was irreversible. Senior Brother Jiang would certainly become a corpse puppet, his primordial spirit would undergo strange changes, and he would not be able to recover.

However, in the cultivation world, as long as there was a sliver of hope, anything was possible. The true end was the complete dissipation of the primordial spirit.

The Jade Buddha could certainly resist the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, but Qin Sang wouldn't conduct such an experiment on himself.

Senior Brother Jiang's primordial spirit completely dissipated. After Senior Sister Qing Ting's outburst, her expression, far from showing fear of impending death, instead held a strange, subtle radiance.

She summoned her Mustard Seed Bag and talisman treasure back into her hands and offered them to Qin Sang.

Qin Sang saw that, apart from the black tiger's corpse, the Mustard Seed Bag contained only a few low-value items. Qing Ting had indeed exhausted her family's wealth for the Fire Crow Medallion.

Qin Sang had no use for these items. He asked, "Does Senior Sister Qing Ting have any relatives left?"