Chapter 388: Condensing Evil to Temper Strength

As Qin Sang understood, the first part of the manual allowed for the refinement of three types of corpse puppets.

The first type is a Zombie Corpse, which can be successfully refined using a common zombie, the corpse of a Qi Refining stage cultivator, or the corpse of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator whose dantian has been destroyed. This type is the weakest.

The second type is a Fiend Corpse. This requires the corpse of a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator with an intact dantian. Its foundation is rebuilt using Five-Element Yin objects, after which earthly fiend qi is drawn into the body. This is one of the key differences from other corpse refining methods.

The requirements for a Living Corpse are more complex.

First, the Heavenly Corpse Talisman is used to stabilize the soul. Multiple times the amount of Five-Element Yin objects are then used to stabilize the Sea of Qi. Earthly fiend qi is drawn into the body. This process is extremely difficult and has a high chance of failure, as it must be done without damaging the dantian or losing the spiritual power within the Living Corpse's Sea of Qi.

Qin Sang has now just learned the secret method for refining a Flying Yaksha from Wushang's writings.

Broadly speaking:

One must first refine a Living Corpse from a pseudo-Core Formation stage cultivator who has reached the pinnacle of the Foundation Establishment stage and can progress no further. Then, using a secret method and earthly fiend qi, a Core Formation Pill or a demonic core is refined into the body, transforming into a Corpse Core.

As a disciple of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, Wushang was very familiar with these methods. After making his decision, he made thorough preparations, including mental ones.

Refining himself into a Living Corpse would involve two types of changes.

First, his soul would merge with the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, undergoing an unknown transformation.

Second, his physical body would undergo corpse transformation, especially after earthly fiend qi entered it.

Having already decided to forge a new path and use the Corpse Dao to achieve immortality, Wushang had long been prepared to abandon his physical body. As long as his consciousness remained his own, he would not hesitate, even if his body turned into a corpse.

The Heavenly Corpse Talisman could refine others into Living Corpses, but what if it were used on oneself?

Wushang collected numerous elixirs, secret techniques, and magical artifacts, all designed to stabilize the primordial spirit and protect the soul. He then spent all his wealth to gather all the necessary materials for corpse refining, including a demonic core.

For refining a Living Corpse, there were no stringent requirements for the Core Formation Pill or demonic core; it only needed to be intact.

No one knew if any of the Heavenly Corpse Sect's ancestors had been daring enough to use the Heavenly Corpse Talisman on themselves since the secret art was created.

In short, there were no such records within the Heavenly Corpse Sect.

Wushang only knew that he was the first.

The Heavenly Corpse Talisman merged with his soul.

Wushang discovered that the Heavenly Corpse Talisman did indeed have an effect, but firstly, he had refined the talisman himself, and secondly, his modifications to the secret technique's restrictions had also worked. As long as he did not actively erase his own consciousness, it would not be immediately lost, turning him into a mindless corpse puppet.

He would feel somewhat groggy, indicating that the Heavenly Corpse Talisman did affect the primordial spirit.

Complete assimilation by the Heavenly Corpse Talisman was likely inevitable. However, this change was gradual and required time. Furthermore, some of the measures he had prepared proved effective, buying him more time.

As for what he would ultimately become, Wushang did not know.

Perhaps after transforming into a Flying Yaksha, his power would surge, and he would be able to find a solution.

The changes to his physical body were as he had predicted. Before the earthly fiend qi entered his body, he could counteract the corpse transformation by consuming the essence blood of other Foundation Establishment cultivators. However, once the fiend qi was drawn in, under its impact, the rate of corpse transformation would rapidly accelerate, and no method could resist it.

After the fiend qi entered his body, he quickly gave up resisting and became a true corpse puppet.

Naturally, Wushang did not mind.

Instead, he was relieved, because his consciousness was still intact, offering a glimmer of hope.

Next, Wushang immediately began the next stage of transformation.

He integrated the demonic core into his body to achieve the form of a Flying Yaksha!

He actually succeeded, becoming a Core Formation-level corpse puppet.

Upon internal inspection, his Corpse Core, tainted by fiend qi, was as black as ink. It resided in his dantian and could be freely controlled.

This was his "Golden Core"!

This was the power of the Core Formation stage!

This realization was exhilarating.

Just as Wushang was overjoyed, he was horrified to discover that the Corpse Core within him was continuously releasing earthly fiend qi, which began to assault his primordial spirit!

In fact, there had already been signs of this when he drew fiend qi into his body as a Living Corpse, but the duration was short, so Wushang had not paid attention. He also believed that after forming the Corpse Core and gaining Core Formation-level power, he would be able to suppress the earthly fiend qi.

Unexpectedly, the Corpse Core not only failed to suppress it but intensified the problem.

While his consciousness hadn't been extinguished by the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, under the continuous erosion of the earthly fiend qi, his sanity began to be affected, and he gradually descended into madness.

If this continued, he would soon completely lose his mind and become a mere walking corpse!

This sudden turn of events immediately doused Wushang with cold water, jolting him awake.

With little time left, Wushang desperately sought ways to counter the earthly fiend qi. Having transformed into a Flying Yaksha, his power had surged, allowing him to easily obtain many treasures that were previously beyond his reach.

He had consumed various spiritual elixirs, tried countless righteous and demonic secret methods, cultivated orthodox Shaoyang techniques, and even refined earthly fire breath into his body...

Wushang tried countless methods, but none were effective against the earthly fiend qi, or they simply weren't powerful enough to withstand its impact.

Finally, Wushang suddenly remembered something: a supreme Yang wonder, equally renowned as the earthly fiend qi.

It was the Heavenly Yang Astral Qi!

Perhaps drawing the Heavenly Yang Astral Qi into his body could counteract the earthly fiend qi.

Both earthly fiend qi and Heavenly Yang Astral Qi were rare wonders born from the spiritual fortunes of heaven and earth, representing extreme Yin and Yang, respectively, and both were incredibly violent. Ordinary cultivators dared not even approach them, let alone draw both into their bodies.

A single mistake would lead to immediate death by explosion.

Wushang pondered deeply and gradually began to see a way, feeling great hope.

However, at that time, Wushang's sanity was increasingly eroded, and he had little time left. He was unable to search for Heavenly Yang Astral Qi to test his theory and first needed to find spiritual medicine to cleanse his primordial spirit.

Therefore, Wushang came to this place, searching for the Night Orchid Lily.

Alas, by then Wushang was at the end of his tether. His primordial spirit was almost completely eroded by the earthly fiend qi, and his fading consciousness could no longer hold on.

It was in this ice cave that he lost his sanity and transformed into a Flying Yaksha.

In his dying moments, Wushang was filled with unwillingness. He did not want the results of his painstaking research to simply vanish silently in this desolate ice cave.

In his final moments, he left his writings on the ice wall and engraved his name!

It was no wonder the handwriting on the ice wall became increasingly scrawled, for at that time, Wushang was on the verge of madness, enduring to the very end with immense willpower.

In his writings, Wushang thoroughly detailed the secret method he had been unable to personally test, which he named "Fiend Condensing and Astral Refining"!

And in the very end, he poured all his remaining strength into planting a persistent obsession within the Flying Yaksha.

It was due to this obsession that the Flying Yaksha remained confined here and, upon sensing the aura of the Heavenly Corpse Talisman within the Living Corpse, did not immediately kill it.

"To the future generations of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, if you find my writings, take them from this place.

"If you are ambitious, you may use my secret method to attempt to condense a Corpse Core.

"Will you be confined to the Foundation Establishment stage, living out your days there?

"Or will you risk everything, contend with heaven, dedicate yourself to the Corpse Dao to achieve immortality, and witness the splendor of the Core Formation stage?

"The choice is yours."