Chapter 487: Unexpected Incident

As wisps of Earthly Fiend Qi impacted the demon core, its color gradually changed, with a small portion now stained black. At this moment, the demon core appeared incredibly bizarre, resembling neither a true demon nor a true fiend. Everything appeared calm. If this smooth process could continue until the demon core was completely black, the Fiend Qi infusion would be accomplished. The Flying Yaksha would then be considered successfully refined.

Unfortunately, in this world, things often don't go as planned.

Qin Sang never relaxed, pouring all his energy into observing every subtle change in the demon core. Despite his vigilance, he was still caught off guard by the sudden turn of events. Without warning, the demonic power within the demon core abruptly erupted. Before Qin Sang could even withdraw the Fiend Qi, it surged to an extreme frenzy in an instant, violently colliding with the Earthly Fiend Qi!

Caught off guard, Qin Sang frantically activated his spiritual power, ordering Yu Hua to try and mitigate the situation. To his dismay, all his efforts were futile, utterly unable to stop the process. Soon, Qin Sang felt a subtle tearing within the demon core, which appeared to be on the verge of self-destructing. In an instant, the situation spiraled uncontrollably. Qin Sang's heart sank into an abyss, and a chilling dread washed over him.

Reason told Qin Sang that his only option was to abandon the process and leave immediately! Unable to stop the demon core's self-destruction and knowing the living corpse couldn't be saved, leaving before the explosion offered a chance to escape its epicenter, thus avoiding severe injury and worsening his predicament.

Qin Sang was unaware that even among the Heavenly Corpse Sect disciples, only a select few elites dared to refine a Flying Yaksha during the Foundation Establishment stage, and even fewer attempted it alone without the aid of elders or peers. But how could Qin Sang accept this outcome? He had poured an immeasurable amount of effort into creating a Flying Yaksha. The Heavenly Corpse Talisman, the pseudo-core living corpse, and the demon core were all incredibly precious. More importantly, this failure would introduce significant variables into his subsequent plans.

Without the Flying Yaksha, he would only be able to rely on two magic treasures with limited, temporary power, and a single Void Sky Thunder with a restricted range. Qin Sang understood the terrifying power of Core Formation cultivators. Even if Daoist Dove Robe was still severely injured, these items might not prove effective against him. He absolutely refused to accept such a failure!

A magic treasure! Facing the increasingly violent demon core, Qin Sang remained motionless. Suddenly, his brow flashed, and the Ebony Sword shot out without hesitation, soaring directly into Yu Hua's Sea of Qi. Qin Sang had anticipated such a predicament. After careful consideration, he concluded that the only viable option was to utilize the power of the Ebony Sword. The Ebony Sword was a magic treasure of comparable grade to the demon core, but Qin Sang had no idea how much it could truly help. But how could he know without trying?

Inside Yu Hua's Sea of Qi, the Ebony Sword silently positioned itself above the demon core. The storm around the demon core had already begun to spread outwards. The Ebony Sword effortlessly pierced into the center of the tempest, targeting the demon core.

*Boom!* Sword qi suddenly erupted, fully revealing the formidable power of the magic treasure. The sharp sword qi pierced through the storm and enveloped the demon core. At that moment, the storm surrounding the demon core momentarily paused.

It worked! Qin Sang's eyes lit up with elation. Seizing this hard-won opportunity, he swiftly separated the two conflicting forces, and the storm finally began to subside. Qin Sang didn't retrieve the Ebony Sword, letting it hover quietly in Yu Hua's Sea of Qi, allowing the Fiend Qi infusion to continue.

Qin Sang wasn't sure if the Ebony Sword was truly responsible, but the subsequent steps proceeded with unusual smoothness, encountering only a few minor disturbances. The fiend core was refined relatively successfully. As expected, the Fiend Qi within Yu Hua's body proved insufficient, depleting halfway through the process. Fortunately, Qin Sang had chosen to perform the refinement in the Earth Sinking Cave, allowing for timely replenishment and preventing any irreversible damage.

The once exquisite demon core had turned a dismal, pitch-black, becoming an unbearable sight. The fiend core slowly rotated within Yu Hua's body, releasing torrents of Fiend Qi that the internal restrictions could no longer suppress. The dense Fiend Qi surged directly into Yu Hua's meridians, rampaging throughout his body, even affecting his primordial spirit. While tempering his physical body, this process also made Yu Hua's corpse-like characteristics increasingly pronounced.

Originally, Yu Hua's appearance hadn't changed much as a living corpse, especially after Qin Sang infused him with the 'Spirit Evasion Art' to conceal his corpse qi. Without close inspection, others would have mistaken him for a real person. Now, if anyone saw him again, they would undoubtedly grow suspicious, as his skin, including his face, had turned a bluish-black, just like Wu Shang in the Boundless Valley Ice Cave. However, these were minor concerns.

Qin Sang, almost utterly exhausted, sank to the ground, gazing at Yu Hua with a face full of joyful surprise. The Flying Yaksha! The Flying Yaksha! It was finally refined! With the Flying Yaksha as his aid, being unrivaled among Foundation Establishment cultivators was no longer a pipe dream.

After a brief recovery, Qin Sang eagerly summoned the Flying Yaksha to inspect the fiend core within it. The fiend core had truly integrated with Yu Hua and was beginning its transformation into a Corpse Fiend Core. His prediction proved correct; his soul imprint was indeed incredibly stable. Even after transforming into a Flying Yaksha, Yu Hua remained completely docile and obedient.

A moment later, Qin Sang withdrew his divine sense and examined the Flying Yaksha. Its transformations perfectly matched Wu Shang's records. Throughout the Flying Yaksha's refinement, Qin Sang gained a deeper understanding of the 'Fiend Condensation and Astral Refinement' secret art left behind by Wu Shang. Perhaps Wu Shang's secret art truly held some feasibility. If half of the Earthly Fiend Qi could be transformed into Heavenly Astral Qi... As extraordinary phenomena born from the spiritual fortune of heaven and earth, perhaps they could truly neutralize the Earthly Fiend Qi, thereby preventing it from impacting areas outside the fiend core. This would prevent an instantaneous and irreversible corpse transformation, unlike what happened with Yu Hua.

In that case, the only remaining hidden danger of the 'Fiend Condensation and Astral Refinement' secret art would be the Heavenly Corpse Talisman. And the jade Buddha could destroy the Heavenly Corpse Talisman... Theoretically, even if Wu Shang's secret art failed, it wouldn't pose any hidden dangers to him. However, all of this was mere speculation, full of uncertainty. Unless he was truly desperate, Qin Sang wouldn't stake everything on it. He still possessed the Kan-Li Golden Elixir, along with the Snow Spirit Lotus and Iris – a pair of spiritual herbs most beneficial for Core Formation. There was no need to force himself down this path now.

Dismissing these scattered thoughts, Qin Sang continued to examine it for a while before storing it back in the corpse puppet bag. The evolution into a true Corpse Core would take time; only then would it be a genuine Flying Yaksha. Afterward, Qin Sang casually set up a spirit-gathering array and meditated to recover.

Once his strength was fully restored, Qin Sang immediately left the Earth Sinking Cave. Without even returning to his sect, he piloted the Netherworld Cloud directly towards the northeast. Cultivation and corpse refinement had already consumed too much time. He wondered if Ji Wu had managed to deliver the Reversion Pill. Qin Sang had to race against time; the longer he delayed, the more unforeseen complications might arise.

However, before confronting Daoist Dove Robe, Qin Sang still needed to accomplish one task: travel to Boundless Valley to subdue the evil flood dragon's spirit and upgrade the Nine Dragons Celestial Chariot Talisman. This would provide him with a potential escape route in case of an unforeseen emergency.