Chapter 396: Corpse Mutation

Qin Sang directed a portion of the Netherworld Demonic Flame to block the Flying Yaksha.

At the same time, fearing Yu Hua might still have the strength to retaliate, Qin Sang activated the remaining Netherworld Demonic Flame, completely destroying Yu Hua's Ten Directions Yama Formation. Only after confirming Yu Hua was unconscious and utterly powerless to resist did Qin Sang gather his resolve and swiftly move to Yu Hua's side. He sealed Yu Hua's Qi Sea, set up restrictions to turn him into a living corpse embryo, and then placed him into the Corpse Puppet Bag.

The Flying Yaksha, having lost its target, looked confused before vanishing on the spot and returning to its nest.

Qin Sang recalled the Five Elements Spell-Breaking Swords that were scattered on the ground and directed them towards the barrier.

He chose not to exit the ice hall.

For one, he didn't know what abnormal movements the group of Flying Horn Fish Dragons might make after their nest was destroyed, or if they would leave the secluded pool. If he were to encounter them in the passage, his current condition would make escape difficult.

Secondly, he was afraid Yu Hua might have accomplices waiting outside.

On the contrary, the space behind the barrier was a rare safe haven, especially with the Flying Yaksha guarding it.

The sensible approach was to first recover from his injuries, then figure out a way to leave.

After teleporting into the ice hall, Qin Sang immediately collapsed to the ground.

Looking back at the recent events, from helping Yun Youzi delay the Flying Yaksha to encountering and then defeating Yu Hua, not much time had actually passed. However, he had not only sustained further injuries but his mind had also been under constant strain, without a moment's relaxation.

Now, all he wanted was to fall into a deep sleep and forget everything.

But he couldn't.

Qin Sang gathered his resolve, propped himself up with his arms, and sat up, but suddenly let out a hiss of pain. His face twisted, and his upper body hunched over like a shrimp as he clutched his dantian, gritting his teeth to endure.

Cold sweat dripped onto the ground, instantly freezing into ice beads.

That slight movement had affected his Qi Sea, making it feel like a knife twisting inside him.

After resting for a while, Qin Sang felt a little better. He internally examined his body, noticing the depletion of his vital essence and the chaotic state of his Qi Sea and meridians. He couldn't help but give a bitter smile.

After encountering Yu Hua, he had repeatedly overdrawn his Qi Sea, forcibly refined pills into his body, and even fed vital essence to the ghost. Although he had found opportunities to take healing elixirs during the battle, it was inevitable that he had sustained significant self-inflicted damage.

Now, with new injuries compounding old ones, the state of his Qi Sea and meridians was dire.

Even with spiritual medicine, a full recovery in a short time seemed unlikely; he would need a period of gentle recuperation.

Qin Sang sighed softly, took out a bottle of spiritual pills, and swallowed one. As the pill transformed into a cool medicinal energy and circulated through his meridians, his injuries began to improve.

After a brief period of meditation, Qin Sang awoke from his trance. He looked at Yu Hua, formed a ball of icy water, and splashed it on his face.

Yu Hua shivered and awoke from his unconsciousness.

"It's you..."

Seeing Qin Sang, Yu Hua's expression changed to one of alarm. He immediately realized his predicament and tried to struggle, only to find his entire body bound and his spiritual power sealed, rendering him no different from a mortal.

Surprisingly, Yu Hua quickly calmed down, a display that even Qin Sang found somewhat admirable.

"Zhao Yan didn't die unjustly!"

Yu Hua, maintaining his dignity even in defeat, stared at Qin Sang with a dark gaze. "When you were at Yuanzhao Gate, your cultivation was only at the Qi Refining stage, wasn't it? You had just been implanted with the Heart-Devouring Gu by Yi Tiannie before being sent there. How did you resist the Heart-Devouring Gu?"

"You want to know?"

Qin Sang's expression was playful. "But I won't tell you!"

"You!"

Yu Hua was furious, his face flushed, and he gritted his teeth. "You won't kill me, but you want me to obey you from now on? I advise you to stop dreaming!"

Qin Sang sneered, "Don't worry, I'll give you a swift end! But first, I need to ask you a few things before sending you on your way."

Before his words finished, Qin Sang cast the spell from his palm, and the Soul Seizing Curse landed on Yu Hua.

He couldn't be bothered to play games with Yu Hua.

Moreover, Qin Sang could tell that Yu Hua was determined to die. With such a cunning old demon, torture would be ineffective and might even yield false information, potentially leading to him being tricked by Yu Hua before his death.

As the Soul Seizing Curse took effect, Yu Hua's eyes became vacant. Qin Sang interrogated him, racing against time.

Yu Hua's cultivation was far higher than his, and the Soul Seizing Curse's duration was limited. Qin Sang prioritized the questions he most urgently needed answers to.

The first question concerned the method to counteract the Heart-Devouring Gu.

The second question concerned the identity and cultivation of the surviving Golden Core cultivator from the Kuiyin Sect, the extent of his injuries, and the whereabouts of the other Kuiyin Sect remnants.

Just as he was about to ask the third question, Yu Hua suddenly rolled his eyes, and his soul began to rapidly decay.

Qin Sang frowned deeply, sending his spiritual sense into Yu Hua's Nascent Soul space. He found Yu Hua's Nascent Soul incredibly dim and on the verge of collapsing.

Was this due to the damage inflicted by the Netherworld Demonic Flame?

Yu Hua's Nascent Soul was decaying rapidly. Qin Sang raced against time, injecting the Heavenly Corpse Talisman into Yu Hua's Nascent Soul space, merging it with the Nascent Soul itself.

If he could successfully draw evil energy into the body and transform Yu Hua into a living corpse, Qin Sang would gain an extremely powerful refined corpse, greatly boosting his own strength.

However, the final step of refining a living corpse was extremely difficult.

Qin Sang mused that with his current Mid Foundation Establishment cultivation, the success rate would likely not be very high. To be safe, it would be best to wait until he broke through to the Late Foundation Establishment stage.

Holding Yu Hua, Qin Sang stared at his neck, and his brows suddenly furrowed deeply. A strange impulse, a craving for vital essence almost like an instinct, suddenly welled up from the depths of his heart.

Qin Sang raised his own arm to examine it. His skin was unnaturally pale, completely devoid of color, and he felt a faint chill inside his body.

These descriptions were all mentioned in Wushang's parting letter and were indeed the effects of corpse transformation.

However, Wushang didn't possess the Jade Buddha and was manipulated by the Heavenly Corpse Talisman. That impulse was far stronger for Wushang than for Qin Sang, requiring him to continuously consume the vital essence of cultivators just to barely resist the corpse transformation.

Qin Sang exhaled, his face showing no sign of panic.

The moment the Heavenly Corpse Talisman touched his Nascent Soul, he was absolutely certain that, if he wished, he could use the Jade Buddha to remove the Heavenly Corpse Talisman from his Nascent Soul.

After the Heavenly Corpse Talisman was undone, the corpse transformation should cease. Since the current degree of transformation was very shallow, recovery would not be difficult.

However, Qin Sang wasn't quite sure if, by relying on the Corpse Dao to condense a Corpse Core, the corpse transformation would become extremely deep. If he were to transform into a Flying Yaksha and then undo the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, would he still be able to reverse the effects and return to his original state?

"This path, unless absolutely necessary, is best avoided," Qin Sang murmured to himself.

In his Nascent Soul space, Qin Sang 'saw' the Heart-Devouring Gu clinging to the surface of his Nascent Soul. From Yu Hua, he had already learned the secret method to remove it.

However, Qin Sang suddenly decided he didn't want to remove the Gu.

Combined with a complete poisonous Gu technique and the Void Origin Seal, he could suppress the fluctuations of the Heart-Devouring Gu to the absolute minimum.

From Yu Hua, Qin Sang had learned a great deal of information.

For instance, the surviving Golden Core cultivator from the Kuiyin Sect was at the Early Golden Core stage and was hiding near Qingyang City. His injuries were extremely severe and had not yet recovered.

This was because the Kuiyin Sect remnants gathered under that person were now operating under the disguised name of an organization called 'Demonic Flame' and had been continuously collecting healing spiritual medicine.

Qin Sang quietly activated a secret technique, using it in conjunction with the Void Origin Seal to seal the Heart-Devouring Gu.