Chapter 1753: Ghost Fang Kingdom

The Human World

Bang! Bang!

On an unknown riverside, Qin Sang confirmed there were no local deities around, then flung the two demons onto the ground.

The snake demon was unconscious.

The weasel demon rolled over, its eyes still wide with shock and confusion. It had waited a long time for a command, but unexpectedly, Qin Sang suddenly captured the snake demon. His power was unfathomable, adding to the weasel demon's fear.

At that moment, Qin Sang glanced at the weasel demon.

The weasel demon shivered, understanding the meaning of the glance without Qin Sang needing to speak. It conjured a demonic wind, drawing river water and dousing the snake demon.

The snake demon slowly awoke, shaking its head, still groggy.

Because the Heavenly Eye Butterfly was inherently too fragile, Qin Sang tried to avoid letting her directly face enemies, giving her few opportunities to act independently. However, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's cultivation had already reached the late-stage peak of the Fourth Transformation, just a step away from the Fifth Transformation, and the divine abilities she unleashed possessed considerable power.

As Qin Sang had instructed to spare the snake demon's life, and ordered the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to always conceal her ability to devour tribulation lightning, the heavenly lightning strike aimed at the snake demon did not utilize the power of tribulation lightning. Even so, the snake demon very nearly perished under the heavenly lightning.

As its consciousness gradually returned, the snake demon recalled its recent experience. It looked up and saw Qin Sang standing on the bank, instantly turning pale with fright. Just as it was about to speak, the weasel demon, sensing the moment, sidled over and whispered a few words to the snake demon.

Upon hearing this, the snake demon's eyes turned bloodshot, and rage surged within it. It fiercely spat at the weasel demon. Judging by its gaze, had Qin Sang not been present, it would have surely swallowed the weasel demon whole!

The weasel demon let the spit dry on its face, not retaliating, and sneered at the snake demon.

Once the snake demon calmed down, its gaze shifting uncertainly, it finally sighed inwardly and chose to surrender. It slithered its body to Qin Sang's feet, prostrating itself on the ground. "This humble demon pays respects to the Immortal Master. Whatever treasures the Immortal Master desires, this humble demon will surely present with both hands, only begging the Immortal Master for extraordinary mercy, to spare this humble demon's life."

Qin Sang withdrew his gaze from the distance, lowering his eyes to look at it. "Display your Demon Talisman," he said.

"This..."

The snake demon froze. This person must be a True Daoist Master. The Daoist Talismans were unparalleled, so could a mere Demon Talisman truly catch the Master's eye, making it worth such trouble?

It subconsciously glanced at the weasel demon, but receiving no hint, it dared not hesitate further. Taking a deep breath, a phantom image appeared behind it.

The phantom image was that of a gigantic serpent, nearly a hundred zhang long, coiled on the ground like a small mountain.

The serpent's shadow had the exact same appearance as the snake demon, and the color of its scales was indistinguishable from the snake demon's, differing only vastly in size.

Upon seeing the serpent's shadow, Qin Sang initially thought it was the snake demon's Dharma Idol, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was completely different from his own Azure Luan Dharma Idol.

The serpent's shadow seemed to be condensed from the snake demon's vital energy and blood. It appeared vibrant and lifelike, utterly devoid of stiffness in its movements.

"This is a Demon Talisman?"

Qin Sang observed the serpent's shadow, his gaze peculiar. Indeed, it was vastly different from human Daoist Talismans and Altar Talismans.

The snake demon obediently nodded. "This is the 'Inner Truth' I cultivated from my Demon Talisman through contemplation."

Contemplation...

Qin Sang's heart stirred slightly.

The method of contemplation was presumably common to the Daoist sect, but what the Daoist sect contemplated were guardian generals for altars, whereas the snake demon contemplated a serpent's shadow nearly identical to itself, its aura also mirroring the snake demon's.

Outer God, Inner Truth!

Could this be the difference between Daoist Talismans and Demon Talismans?

Qin Sang concentrated, observing closely, and inquired about the function of the Demon Talisman.

The snake demon dared not conceal anything, nor was there a need to, because the Demon Talisman's most important function was singular: to contemplate the "Inner Truth," also called the "Inner God," which could protect one's mind from being bewildered by the chaotic energies of the world.

The biggest difference from Daoist Talismans was that Demon Talismans did not have the function of stabilizing primeval qi, and demon cultivators mostly cultivated "force," so chaotic qi was instead beneficial.

"Force" was this realm's demon cultivators' interpretation of the body refinement path, which was quite fitting.

Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then asked, "Where did you obtain this Demon Talisman?"

"This..."

The snake demon hesitated. "When this humble demon's spiritual intelligence was still dim, I accidentally stumbled into a limestone cave. It was the dwelling left behind by a great power of my serpent spirit race, and I obtained a fortuitous encounter within the cave..."

The snake demon elaborated on its experience from that year.

That day, as it roamed about, it came upon a limestone cave. Drawn by an unseen force, it ventured into a stone grotto deep within the cave. Suddenly, a streak of spiritual light shot into its glabella, instantly opening its spiritual intelligence. Immediately, cultivation techniques appeared in its mind, and it began cultivating in a daze.

When the snake demon broke through to the Transformation Stage, it gradually sensed something amiss: the protective effect of its Inner God on its mind seemed to weaken.

As it had not yet cultivated the methods passed down by the predecessor to their end, it couldn't be certain. After cultivating for some more time, it finally confirmed this.

Only then did the snake demon recall something: that serpent elder had also left behind a token in the stone grotto, stating that if a serpent descendant could cultivate to the Transformation Stage, they could take the token to Ghostfang Kingdom in the Twin Mountains region to find them.

As the snake demon had been cultivating alone in the cave dwelling, unaware of worldly affairs, it only discovered upon venturing out to inquire that Ghostfang Kingdom was the demon-ghost nation opposed to the Daoist Court.

The Twin Mountains referred to Jushan Commandery and Gangshan Commandery.

Legend had it that the territory controlled by the Daoist Court originally had four commanderies. For unknown reasons, it lost the Twin Mountains Commanderies, which were seized by demons and ghosts to establish Ghostfang Kingdom, now standing in opposition to the Daoist Court.

That elder had not described the demon-ghost nation in detail, and the snake demon dared not provoke the Daoist Court's immortal officials, thus it was unclear about the situation in the Twin Mountains Commanderies. It was said that the Daoist Court and the demon-ghost nation were not amicable and constantly engaged in conflict.

Hearing this, Qin Sang interrupted the snake demon and instead questioned the weasel demon.

The weasel demon should know more.

The weasel demon had once followed a True Daoist Master, and although it couldn't access true secrets, it had heard some things.

In the Daoist Court, there was also talk of "two commanderies, twin mountains": Zhongmao Commandery, Baishi Commandery, as well as Jushan Commandery and Gangshan Commandery.

Zhongmao Commandery and Baishi Commandery were governed by the Heavenly Pivot Academy and the Northern Pole Exorcism Academy, respectively.

The one truly occupied by Ghostfang Kingdom was Gangshan Commandery, while Jushan Commandery was situated between the Daoist Court and Ghostfang Kingdom, being the most chaotic and a constant battlefield for both sides.

When the weasel demon was subdued by its former master, that master had just returned from Jushan Commandery.

The personal guards under the weasel demon's former master often boasted about their glorious achievements on the battlefield, which the weasel demon once considered acts of "demon treason," holding them in great contempt.

The continuous conflict between the Daoist Court and Ghostfang Kingdom showed that the legends indeed held some truth.

Going to Ghostfang Kingdom was not an easy task.

The snake demon, of course, dared not cross the Daoist Court's territory, and bypassing it from the edges was also unsafe. Daoist cultivators referred to the wilderness outside the Daoist Court as the "Sinful Wasteland" and "Sinful Sea."

The snake demon had cultivated here and knew that the Sinful Wasteland and Sinful Sea were fraught with dangers. It feared it would perish halfway before even finding Ghostfang Kingdom.

It had cultivated for many years, dedicating its leisure time to refining those nine snake skins. Its other abilities were unremarkable. Unexpectedly, even its meticulously refined snake skins couldn't help it escape danger, and it was captured alive by Qin Sang.

Learning the full story, Qin Sang ordered the snake demon to take him to the limestone cave's grotto.

The man and two demons returned the way they came.

The limestone cave was located amidst the snake demon's nine cave dwellings. After the inheritance was taken by the snake demon, there was nothing else special about the place, which was why the Heavenly Eye Butterfly hadn't paid particular attention to it.

Drip-drop...

The grotto was quiet, the sound of dripping water clearly audible.

The snake demon shrank its size, transforming into a seven-chi long slender-scaled brocade serpent. It slithered on the ground, passing through thick stone pillars, then submerged into an underground river. After a short journey, it found the grotto entrance.

The snake demon turned its head. "Immortal Master, this is the place."

Qin Sang stepped forward, finding the grotto extremely narrow. In the center was a circular stone pool with crystal-clear water. Beside the pool lay a flat black stone, the only furnishing in the grotto.

Qin Sang released his spiritual sense and had the Heavenly Eye Butterfly scout the area. No hidden restrictions were found.

The snake demon couldn't remember how many times it had explored this place. It had stayed in the vicinity to cultivate, worried that the serpent elder might return.

"You conspired to harm the Daoist Court's branch altar master. Was it because you believed there was a connection between Daoist Talismans and Demon Talismans?" Qin Sang asked, looking directly into the snake demon's eyes.

The snake demon was startled, its heart trembling with fear. It nodded with difficulty.

The path to Ghostfang Kingdom was impassable. After deliberating, the snake demon decided to wait until its cultivation realm was higher before setting out, to ensure greater safety.

At the same time, the snake demon was actively searching for a way to save itself. It had noticed the Daoist Talismans cultivated by Daoist cultivators, feeling that the two were quite similar, and perhaps it could draw inferences from one to solve its future hidden troubles.

It had secretly used methods to capture several low-level cultivators, but gained little.

Although he hadn't personally experienced it, just by listening to the two demons describe Daoist Talismans and Demon Talismans, Qin Sang felt there must be a connection between them, likely diverging into different manifestations due to differences in their respective cultivation paths.

After pondering for a while, Qin Sang called the weasel demon over and ordered the snake demon to bestow the Demon Talisman upon it, so he could personally observe the process of bestowing the talisman.

The weasel demon was overjoyed.

Although it would once again be living under someone else's wing, it could at least continue cultivating.

Unexpectedly, the snake demon sighed bitterly, not daring to look at the weasel demon, and shook its head. "This humble demon does not know how to bestow talismans upon others. When this humble demon gained spiritual intelligence back then, I learned by myself without a master..."

Qin Sang had not yet reacted.

The weasel demon was already wide-eyed, gnashing its teeth at the snake demon, but unfortunately dared not erupt in front of Qin Sang.

Qin Sang waved his hand, dismissing the two demons. He then sat cross-legged on the black stone, lost in thought.

Having successively captured two demons, he now had a certain understanding of both the Daoist sect's and the demon race's cultivation methods.

Whether in the Daoist Court or Ghostfang Kingdom, the methods of transmitting and bestowing talismans seemed to be controlled by major powers.

As such, the strictness within the major powers of this realm and the high degree of control high-level cultivators had over low-level cultivators were unimaginable.

In the Storm Realm, even offending a major sect allowed one to become a rogue cultivator, hide in remote regions, and cultivate in seclusion. But in this realm, offending the Daoist Court would make it impossible to move an inch.

That serpent elder hailed from Ghostfang Kingdom, so the Demon Talisman passed to the snake demon should be an orthodox demon cultivation method. Since Demon Talismans lacked the ability to stabilize primeval qi, it indicated that utilizing chaotic qi for body tempering should have no other adverse effects.

Thus, he could safely cultivate the "Heavenly Demon Body Refinement" technique, continuing to temper his physical body and seek breakthroughs.

However, this was ultimately not a long-term solution. He would eventually have to return to the path of Dharma cultivation.

"Jushan Commandery..."

Qin Sang looked up slightly, gazing eastward, his expression slightly serious.

It would be difficult to find a solution within the Daoist Court, and the more chaotic a place was, the easier it was to operate!

The clash between the two major powers, Ghostfang Kingdom and the Daoist Court, and the confrontation between Demon Talismans and Daoist Talismans, also filled Qin Sang with curiosity.

Considering this, Qin Sang had a clear plan for his next actions: there was no need to rush into contacting the Daoist Court; he could first travel east to Jushan Commandery!

However, there was one point that had to be considered.

The Daoist Court and Ghostfang Kingdom had been warring for many years, not merely out of pique. It was likely that powerful cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage would appear on the battlefield. Although his current strength was not weak, he might not be safe.

Each time "Heavenly Demon Body Refinement" broke through a major realm, it required drawing in stellar essence to infuse the body. Chaotic qi and the spiritual liquid from the Dragon Transformation Pool alone were insufficient, and he currently had no direction for obtaining it.

However, before that, he could first open spiritual orifices for the Cultivation Tree, integrate it into his physical body, and forge a spirit wood body.

With a plan firmly in mind, Qin Sang left the grotto and returned to the limestone cave, only to find the two demons engaged in a brawl at some unknown point.

The weasel demon was biting the snake demon's seven-inch vital spot, while the snake demon was tightly constricting the weasel demon's neck. Both were covered in mud and looking utterly disheveled.

Fearing they might disturb Qin Sang, the two great demons, once demon kings, had reverted to their bestial nature and carefully fought, not even breaking a single stone pillar.

The snake demon was forced to dissipate several streaks of demonic light, severely damaging its cultivation, yet it still fought the weasel demon to a standstill.

Seeing Qin Sang approach, the two demons involuntarily stiffened, reluctantly ceased their fight, and respectfully stood at Qin Sang's sides.

Qin Sang made no comment on the two demons' behavior. He said, "This humble Daoist intends to travel to Jushan Commandery soon. Are you willing to accompany me?"

The two demons nodded repeatedly, in unison.

They thought to themselves that daring to say no would surely lead to death.

Qin Sang understood their thoughts perfectly and smiled faintly. "This humble Daoist is not a cruel person, nor do I wish to maintain a troop of followers. If you diligently execute my orders, granting you freedom will not be difficult. At that time, you may directly join Ghostfang Kingdom; this humble Daoist will not interfere. If you can render great service, this humble Daoist will bestow great rewards."

The two demons exchanged glances, greatly moved.

They dared not hope for great rewards, but joining Ghostfang Kingdom was immensely appealing to them.

As for whether Qin Sang would keep his promise, they couldn't be certain, but their situation couldn't possibly get any worse than it was now.

"We are willing to follow the Immortal Master!"

The two demons bowed in unison, their tones containing a hint more sincerity.

Qin Sang secretly nodded. Jushan Commandery was a battlefield for two major powers, and the two demons might prove to be good helpers for him.

Not long after, the man and two demons arrived at the most superior of the snake demon's nine cave dwellings.

"You two guard this place."

Qin Sang left that instruction and proceeded into the dwelling to cultivate.

The snake and the weasel guarded the dwelling from either side. Their eyes met, and anger flared up again.

Two years later.

The cave dwelling opened from within, and Qin Sang stepped out, a smile on his face.

Although he knew that cultivating the "Post-Heaven Wooden Man Stele" using the Cultivation Tree as a spirit medium might be easier, he hadn't expected to fully open all spiritual orifices and integrate them into his body in just two years.

Back then, the grotesque-faced man had spent over twenty years opening spiritual orifices on the Crimson Profound Ancient Tree.

Moreover, the grotesque-faced man had tempered his own orifices for a long time beforehand.

The more thoroughly one prepared, the greater the chance of success. Even so, integrating the Crimson Profound Ancient Tree into his body had been extremely difficult, almost resulting in failure.

Yet Qin Sang had only begun tempering his orifices two years ago. Just now, he had casually made an attempt, and it integrated effortlessly into his body, as if naturally flowing into place.

Qin Sang had not anticipated it would be so easy, and he couldn't help but be greatly surprised. This was naturally thanks to the Cultivation Tree, which saved him a lot of time.

Completing this step was equivalent to preliminarily forging a spirit wood body, but to use it in combat, it still needed to be nourished within his body for some time.

As his cultivation realm improved, it would gradually reveal more wondrous and mystical benefits.

He glanced left and right. The two demons had diligently guarded the place for two years and were still in a weakened state, so he abandoned the idea of using them for practice.

Qin Sang pointed eastward. "Let's go!"