Chapter 191: Five Elements Build the Foundation

Slavery is never eternal. Once intelligence awakens and instinct persists, few willingly accept subjugation. It is said that high-level magical artifacts can develop artifact spirits, but the relationship between an artifact spirit and its master is more akin to family or fellow cultivators, fundamentally different from slavery. Once the enslaved party gains the ability to break free, they will unhesitatingly turn against their master. The same holds true for the living corpses refined using the "Heavenly Yin Corpse Art."

According to the secret technique, it is best to refine living corpses using cultivators of the same cultivation stage. If a corpse refiner in the early Foundation Establishment stage refines a living corpse from a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, they must be cautious when controlling the corpse in combat. A difference of one cultivation stage is not insurmountable and can generally be suppressed. However, if the living corpse is refined from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, the refiner should abandon any thought of controlling it; they will certainly suffer a backlash and should prioritize their own escape.

With the help of the Jade Buddha, Qin Sang mused, he should be able to transcend this limitation. Nevertheless, refining a living corpse is the most challenging step. It requires not only defeating the opponent first but also capturing them alive and sealing their primordial spirit. He couldn't even defeat a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and without the help of a master, how could he possibly refine a living corpse from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator? At this thought, Qin Sang shook his head, dismissing these useless ideas. He focused his gaze on 'Mount Baiyun's Master,' recalling the secret technique of the "Heavenly Yin Corpse Art."

After refining it into a zombie, two more steps were necessary: first, establishing a foundation with Five-Element Yin objects, and then drawing Earth Fiend Qi into the body. This would ultimately transform 'Mount Baiyun's Master' completely into a Fiend Corpse. Ordinary corpse refining methods do not require this step of establishing a Five-Element foundation. If a cultivator's Dantian remains undamaged before their death, they can absorb Yin Fiend Qi into their body, forming a sea of Yin Qi within the Dantian and transforming into a Fiend Corpse. If a corpse with a damaged Dantian is placed in an area abundant with Yin Qi, it can also transform into a Fiend Corpse after prolonged nurturing, but it cannot be directly used for corpse refining.

Because Earth Fiend Qi is more volatile than ordinary Yin Qi, Five-Element Yin objects are required to stabilize the Dantian and prevent the Fiend Corpse from being destroyed. Moreover, the Five-Element Yin objects are essential for gathering Earth Fiend Qi. They act as a conduit, allowing the secret spell formations of the "Heavenly Yin Corpse Art" to merge with 'Mount Baiyun's Master,' thus subduing the Earth Fiend Qi.

'Mount Baiyun's Master' primarily cultivated Wood-element techniques in life. Qin Sang's gaze shifted to the Moon Locust wood core in front of him, and he beckoned it into his palm. The wood core was pure white, emanating a serene aura, as it was the most essence part of the six-hundred-year-old Moon Locust tree. Transforming spiritual energy into a blade, he carefully cut a piece from the Moon Locust wood core, then levitated it before him. Qin Sang then cast a series of secret spell formations onto the wood core.

Soon, this piece of wood core began to melt like ice. Eventually, the Moon Locust wood core was refined to an incredibly pure state, leaving only a small, liquid-like globule.

"Go!"

Qin Sang aimed at 'Mount Baiyun's Master''s Dantian. With a flick of his finger, the Moon Locust wood core shot into the Dantian, causing 'Mount Baiyun's Master''s aura to fluctuate. Under Qin Sang's control, the power of the Moon Locust wood core immediately permeated 'Mount Baiyun's Master''s Dantian, nourishing the withered Dantian. The depleted sea of qi seemed to begin revitalizing.

Without pause, Qin Sang continued, summoning a Ghost Eagle feather according to the Five Elements' mutual generation sequence. He enveloped the feather with spiritual energy, carefully extracting the mass of Yin fire from its center. As the Yin fire was forcibly extracted, the Ghost Eagle feather shattered into pieces, destroying a valuable spiritual material. Qin Sang paid it no mind, his gaze fixed on the Yin fire as he continued to refine it with secret spell formations.

Next came the Nine-Orifice Stone, Azure Underworld Gold, and finally, Yin Spirit Water. In this sequence, the Five-Element Yin objects were infused into 'Mount Baiyun's Master''s body. The essence of these objects merged within him, making his Dantian exceptionally stable and dense with spell formations.

The main event was next!

Qin Sang exhaled deeply, adjusted his state, and picked up a Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottle. Upon opening the bottle, a chilling aura immediately diffused. Qin Sang carefully drew out a wisp of Yin Fiend Qi, ignoring the bone-piercing cold. He fully suppressed this wisp of Earth Fiend Qi, and once it became docile, he slowly guided it into 'Mount Baiyun's Master''s Dantian.

*Boom!*

As the Earth Fiend Qi entered the body, 'Mount Baiyun's Master''s Dantian erupted like a boiling pot, suddenly creating a massive disturbance! Pulled by the qi mechanism, 'Mount Baiyun's Master''s body suddenly trembled violently. Qin Sang, dividing his attention to stabilize 'Mount Baiyun's Master''s physical form, didn't dare to hesitate. He swiftly exerted his full power to activate the spell formations remaining in the Dantian, refining this wisp of Earth Fiend Qi.

*Puff!*

A plume of black qi emanated from 'Mount Baiyun's Master''s Dantian, accompanied by violent fluctuations, as if on the verge of exploding. Qin Sang's expression subtly darkened. He waved his hand, sending out a stream of spiritual energy that silently extinguished the black qi.

The first attempt indeed failed, but this was expected. Qin Sang was not discouraged. After a brief rest, he grasped another wisp of Earth Fiend Qi. He failed repeatedly until nearly half of the Yin Fiend Qi bottle was consumed. Qin Sang's expression subtly shifted, and a hint of joy appeared on his face. His spiritual sense clearly perceived a wisp of black qi, swimming like a fish within 'Mount Baiyun's Master''s Dantian. He had finally subdued the first wisp of Earth Fiend Qi!

The beginning is always the hardest; subsequent steps became progressively easier. The success rate grew steadily, and by the time the Fiend Corpse was fully refined, a single bottle of Earth Fiend Qi hadn't even been fully depleted.

Qin Sang let out a long breath, waved his hand to store all the spiritual items back into his spatial bag, and looked at 'Mount Baiyun's Master' with a pleasant surprise. Compared to when it was merely a zombie, 'Mount Baiyun's Master''s appearance hadn't changed significantly. Only a faint layer of black qi vaguely swirled around its body.

It was not yet a true Fiend Corpse. It still needed time for the Earth Fiend Qi within its body to permeate its entire form, tempering its physical body with the help of the spell formations and enhancing its physical strength. Once 'Mount Baiyun's Master' and the Earth Fiend Qi fully merge, becoming inseparable, with black qi enveloping its entire body and transforming it into a malevolent, ghost-like Fiend Corpse, its strength will reach its peak!

Qin Sang no longer needed to worry about this process. He simply placed it inside the Corpse Puppet Bag, allowing it to slowly undergo its transformation, which wouldn't take too long.

*Bang!*

The Fiend Corpse vanished from its spot, then reappeared before Qin Sang, delivering a heavy punch. Qin Sang easily blocked it with his own fist, gauging the Fiend Corpse's power. As it had just been refined, its speed and strength were slightly inferior to a cultivator at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining. However, it would certainly surpass them once its transformation was complete.

Next, Qin Sang conducted some further tests. The Fiend Corpse could move freely and perform two tasks simultaneously. If controlled effectively, it had great potential. However, its limitations were also apparent. Qin Sang stepped out of the cave dwelling and performed a test, discovering that if the Fiend Corpse moved too far from him, the connection of the soul imprint would significantly weaken. Not only would he be unable to control the Fiend Corpse, but even sensing it would become difficult, leaving it to move independently. This shattered his idea of using the Fiend Corpse to scout dangerous areas.