Chapter 397: Preparing for a Rainy Day

Yu Hua's position within the Kuiyin Sect was higher than Qin Sang had imagined, making him privy to many secrets. Not only did he know the complete secret technique for the Heart-Eating Gu Worm, but he also had a clear understanding of the movements of the Kuiyin Sect's remnants.

The surviving Core Formation cultivator of the Kuiyin Sect was Daoist Jiupao, who was Yi Tiannie's martial nephew and Kuiyin Old Ancestor's grand-disciple. With the Kuiyin Sect's talent pool dwindling, Daoist Jiupao was the only living Core Formation cultivator among the third generation of disciples. The other two Core Formation cultivators, Yi Tiannie and his junior martial brother, were both ancient beings nearing the end of their lifespans.

Daoist Jiupao had not been a Core Formation cultivator for long. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he was expected to succeed Yi Tiannie and his junior martial brother as the Kuiyin Sect Master, taking control of the demonic sect, after their deaths. He should have had a boundless future, but he was implicated because of Yi Tiannie. Now, with his physical body shattered and his Golden Core severely damaged, he could only gather the remaining Kuiyin Sect members, hiding near Qingyang City and barely surviving. He secretly dispatched his minions, disguised as a small sect called 'Demonic Flame,' to search for spirit medicines.

Qin Sang recalled the information he had learned from Yu Hua, a thoughtful expression on his face. The reason he didn't want to remove the Heart-Eating Gu Worm was that he was considering the possibility of using it as bait to hunt down the Kuiyin Sect's remnants, or even a Kuiyin Sect Core Formation cultivator!

Qin Sang had never forgotten his talent—the Five Spirit Roots. For a Five Spirit Roots cultivator, reaching Foundation Establishment was already an incredible stroke of luck; forming a Golden Core was an absolute pipe dream. Yet, Qin Sang was not satisfied. He was unwilling to stop there!

Among cultivators at the False Core stage, fewer than one in ten successfully formed a Golden Core. Moreover, those who could cultivate to the False Core stage were already considered elites among cultivators, each possessing talent infinitely greater than his own, which highlighted the difficulty of the immortal path. Senior Martial Brother Qi Yuanshou, whose talent was among the best in Shaohua Mountain, had already reached the False Core stage when Qin Sang first arrived at the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, yet he had made no further progress and had not managed to form a Golden Core.

Every cultivator struggled. What about Heavenly Spirit Roots? Even those who could easily traverse Foundation Establishment and Core Formation would still be stuck at the Nascent Soul stage. Fairy Chenyan, a favored child of the Heavenly Dao with Heavenly Spirit Roots, was ultimately forced to choose the demonic art of cultivation to break through. When Qin Sang returned to his sect this time, he had not heard any news of Fairy Chenyan successfully forming her Nascent Soul. Fairy Chenyan was likely still in seclusion, and even having dedicated herself to the demonic path, her hope of forming a Nascent Soul remained slim. It was common for cultivators to die during seclusion if an accident occurred.

Even if one formed a Nascent Soul, there was still the difficult barrier of Body Transformation. In the Minor Cold Domain, although Nascent Soul cultivators were few, they still existed. However, no one had achieved Body Transformation for a very long time. Unless absolutely necessary, Qin Sang would not choose this perilous path, one untrodden by others. Nevertheless, he had to make preparations for a rainy day, lest he regret it when the time came. The existence of the Jade Buddha meant Qin Sang didn't have to worry about the most terrifying hidden danger of this secret technique. This was where he surpassed Wushang and others, and it was his greatest reliance.

The Core Formation secret technique, 'Condensing Fiendforce and Refining Grand Auras,' created by Wushang, required two essential components, both extremely difficult to obtain. One was the Qiantian Grand Aura. The Qiantian Grand Aura was born high in the Nine Heavens, deep within the gale winds, a place even Nascent Soul cultivators could not traverse. To obtain the Qiantian Grand Aura, one could only seek out Qiantian Grand Essence, which had fallen from the Nine Heavens, remained in the world, and eventually evolved. Qiantian Grand Essence was exceedingly rare, even harder to find than Earthly Fiend Yin Veins. Qin Sang currently only knew that Qingyang Grand Essence existed within the Qingyang Demonic Sect, but as it was tied to the sect's foundation, the Qingyang Demonic Flame, it was clearly impossible for him to enter and take it at will.

The second requirement was a 'fresh' Golden Core or demonic core from an early-stage Core Formation cultivator or early-stage Demonic Core cultivator, preferably extracted within the last ten years, and the fresher, the better. In the `Heavenly Yin Corpse Art`, refining a Flying Yaksha also required a Golden Core or demonic core, but the requirements for the core itself were not high; it simply needed to be complete and undamaged.

However, the 'Condensing Fiendforce and Refining Grand Auras' secret technique created by Wushang was different. The secret technique required that at the very moment the core was refined and absorbed into the body, transforming the user into a Flying Yaksha, both Earthly Fiendforce and Heavenly Grand Aura had to be simultaneously refined and integrated. This was to ensure that the Earthly Fiendforce was immediately neutralized by the Heavenly Grand Aura upon entry, preventing the Corpse Core from being thoroughly corrupted by the Fiendforce and damaging both the physical body and the Nascent Soul.

Although Qin Sang wasn't afraid of the Earthly Fiendforce impacting his Nascent Soul, he didn't want his physical body to be destroyed by it, turning him completely into a refined corpse—that would truly be beyond remedy. Therefore, if it ever came to this, Wushang's requirements had to be met without fail; otherwise, subsequent recovery would be much more difficult. When Heavenly Grand Aura and Earthly Fiendforce entered the body simultaneously, they would inevitably collide, causing a powerful impact on the Golden Core or demonic core. Golden Cores or demonic cores that had been stored for too long, even if sealed by restrictions to prevent power loss, would become 'dead objects' and unable to withstand such an impact. As the secret technique pertained to Core Formation, even the slightest deviation could have immeasurable consequences. The result would be the destruction of the core and death.

Golden Cores and demonic cores could be used in medicine and artifact refinement, possessing infinite wonderful uses, their preciousness goes without saying. Qin Sang was confident in his strength and wealth. He might have a slight chance of buying a Golden Core or demonic core by spending everything he had, but the secret technique's requirements were too stringent, so he had to find another way.

After learning about Daoist Jiupao's condition, Qin Sang's gaze settled on him. A Core Formation cultivator was someone Qin Sang wouldn't dare provoke, even with a hundred times his courage. However, someone severely wounded and with their physical body destroyed was a different matter entirely. Qin Sang had suffered terribly at the hands of the Kuiyin Sect. Apart from Tan Hao, Shi Hong, and a few others, he had no fondness for anyone else in the sect, so killing and seizing a core would not burden him in the slightest.

Of course, if he were to truly attempt this, he would have to wait until his cultivation broke through to the False Core stage and he had refined Yu Hua into a Flying Yaksha before making any plans. Even if it wasn't to slay Daoist Jiupao, the Flying Yaksha still needed to be refined. With a Flying Yaksha, Qin Sang would be able to stand proudly among Foundation Establishment cultivators, and everything he did would become significantly easier. With the Ten Directions Yama Banner artifact and the Flying Yaksha, Qin Sang would possess two means of confronting Core Formation cultivators. In the time before he broke through to the False Core stage, it might even be possible to find more ways to strengthen himself! He only hoped that Daoist Jiupao's injuries wouldn't recover too quickly.

For some unknown reason, Daoist Jiupao dared not show his face, only sending his minions to search for medicine. And judging by Yu Hua's tone, the identities of these individuals were complex, including disciples of Yi Tiannie and another Core Formation cultivator. Each of them was cunning and ambitious, only temporarily submitting to Daoist Jiupao due to the disparity in cultivation levels and the pressure from Yuanzhao Gate's pursuit. Feigning obedience while harboring dissent was perfectly normal. Whether they would truly carry out Daoist Jiupao's orders precisely was a big question mark. He himself could also do something...

Qin Sang's eyes flickered. If he could eliminate Daoist Jiupao's direct lineage, it might delay Daoist Jiupao's recovery speed. With this goal in mind, Qin Sang thoroughly questioned Yu Hua about the identities of those Kuiyin Sect remnants. This was merely a general plan; the specific, detailed actions would require careful strategizing. He absolutely could not let the Kuiyin Sect remnants or Daoist Jiupao become aware of his presence.