Chapter 509: Idle Notes

In fact, none of the four had ever seen Daoist Jiupao with their own eyes.

This was the first time the Sect Master of Fiery Demon Gate had appeared in public.

Qin Sang nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the four individuals one by one. He already understood the temperaments of these people very well.

Daoist Jiupao had been dormant here and had not yet revealed his true demonic nature. Although Fiery Demon Gate was known as a demonic sect, its disciples seemed unaffected and were no different from those of ordinary immortal cultivation sects. Among these four, Aunt Mei was the most kind-hearted and held the highest prestige within Fiery Demon Gate.

“Rise,” Qin Sang didn’t want to waste too much time here, so he spoke directly: “I am here this time to summon your Senior Brother Luo and others to descend the mountain for an important matter. I’m not sure how long we’ll be gone. The four of you will remain at the sect. In my absence, Aunt Mei will act as the interim sect master, with the other three assisting...”

The four were utterly astonished to hear such news from the Sect Master’s own mouth. Regardless of their thoughts, Qin Sang issued his commands unequivocally and made the necessary arrangements.

Daoist Jiupao had left a solid foundation. Both the spiritual veins in the mountains and the mountain-protecting array were excellent, requiring no further modification.

“After I leave, your priority should be to improve yourselves and strengthen the sect. Continue with your usual routines; the mountain-protecting array is sufficient to ensure your safety. Remember, when you travel outside, do not engage in perverse actions that might bring enemies to the sect, or I will certainly punish you...”

Qin Sang let out a cold snort, and a lightning bolt suddenly flashed from his brow, accompanied by earth-shattering thunder. Sword qi, like a flowing waterfall, descended directly upon the four individuals! The sword qi was chillingly lethal, striking fear into their hearts.

The aura of the magic treasure fully erupted. The four were awestruck by the Ebony Sword and plunged into terror. They had no idea that beneath the black robe was merely a cultivator in the False Core stage, wielding his life-bound spiritual sword to put on a show of strength. This single sword strike left an unforgettable impression on them.

When Qin Sang withdrew the Ebony Sword, the sword qi dissipated. The four were drenched in cold sweat, as if they had been washed with water. Lu Xing and the others were even trembling.

“Your disciples wouldn’t dare!”

Seeing the four trembling with fear, Qin Sang’s tone softened slightly. Qin Sang had no intention of truly becoming a sect master. With his limited talent and precarious situation, he would definitely not focus on other matters, thus he wouldn’t invest extra energy into Fiery Demon Gate. This was merely a casual arrangement Qin Sang had made. It might prove useful, or it might not. Daoist Jiupao had put great effort into establishing the foundation, which was gradually taking shape. Since there were no hidden dangers, it was fine to leave it. Destroying it entirely would be a great pity.

Fiery Demon Gate was still very weak at present. Its future development depended entirely on them. Of course, since Qin Sang had intervened, he certainly had to leave his mark before departing. This was to ensure that if the sect were ever needed in the future, its disciples would know of the true sect master, not just the interim one.

“Go summon all disciples under fifty years old who have broken through to the tenth level of Qi Refinement...” Qin Sang instructed Aunt Mei.

“Your disciple obeys!”

Aunt Mei’s demeanor was far calmer than the other three, and she departed to carry out the order.

Before long, all eligible disciples were summoned. Qin Sang took out a portion of the spoils he had just acquired and personally bestowed a high-grade magical artifact upon each person as an incentive. Aunt Mei and the others, meanwhile, received top-grade magical artifacts as rewards. Although they were merely ordinary top-grade artifacts, they still thrilled Aunt Mei and the others.

Finally, Qin Sang dismissed the others, spoke privately with Aunt Mei for a while, left her some items, and then drifted away.

Descending from the volcano, Qin Sang put Fiery Demon Gate out of his mind. Not having wasted too much time there, he now had more time to prepare, as infiltrating the Qingyang Demonic Sect was the real objective.

After descending the mountain, Qin Sang returned to the underground cave. Finding a rock to sit on, Qin Sang opened his Corpse Puppet Bag, and fourteen corpses lined up in front of him.

Spirit Guiding Grass was hard to find, and Qin Sang only had two Sky Corpse Charms left. Unwilling to waste them on these individuals, he killed them all. The two cultivators who were in the late Foundation Establishment stage he intended to turn into Evil Corpses for his own use. The other twelve would mostly be made into zombies, with a small number becoming Evil Corpses. Qin Sang’s plan to infiltrate the Qingyang Demonic Sect was not unrelated to these zombies. He intended to take them to Qingyang Market and sell them to the Qi Refinement disciples of the Qingyang Demonic Sect! Evil Corpses were too conspicuous, so there couldn’t be too many of them.

Zombies were fine. Their strength was equivalent to Qi Refinement cultivators. The method of refining zombies used by the Heavenly Corpse Sect was not significantly different from other corpse-refining sects, but it allowed for rapid completion by borrowing a wisp of Earth Fiend Qi. While the Qingyang Demonic Sect was not as bloodthirsty or reckless as other demonic sects, being in the demonic domain, its members were accustomed to certain things and were not easily surprised. Demonic corpse refinement techniques were not uncommon, and the raising and trading of corpses were common practices. The Qingyang Demonic Sect would not excessively restrict its disciples from purchasing zombies for self-defense.

However, with the current volatile situation, the Qingyang Demonic Sect was very cautious. Qin Sang was uncertain whether they would permit disciples to bring corpse puppets of unknown origin into the sect. These corpse puppets were Qin Sang’s probing stones. As long as they could enter the Qingyang Demonic Sect, Qin Sang would also be able to get in easily!

Having obtained the "Heavenly Yin Corpse Art," Qin Sang was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Although he had never refined zombies before, he was already very proficient at refining Evil Corpses, so zombies would be no challenge.

Qin Sang selected one cultivator, destroyed his dantian, erased any traces of him being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and then drew in Yin Fiend Qi, beginning to carve corpse-refining restrictions onto its body. The restrictions were completed in one go, with ease. Next, Qin Sang took out the prepared demonic beast souls and Earth Fiend Qi. This step required caution, but it didn’t stump Qin Sang. He systematically completed each step, and finally, the last zombie was refined.

‘Thud!’

Qin Sang gripped the zombie’s attacking fist with one hand, sensing its power. This zombie’s strength was comparable to a cultivator at the eleventh level of Qi Refinement. Zombies refined from the corpses of Foundation Establishment cultivators would at least possess the strength of the tenth level of Qi Refinement. Qin Sang intentionally varied their strengths to avoid suspicion that all zombies had identical power. Next, Qin Sang circulated corpse qi throughout the zombie’s entire body, completely destroying its former appearance and transforming it into a true green-faced, fanged zombie.

Qin Sang stayed in the underground cave for two days, refining all the zombies and corpse puppets. He then stored them all in his Corpse Puppet Bag and set off for Qingyang City.

The spiritual tide was still strong, and Qingyang City and Tianyou Pass were closed. Many cultivators gathered outside the two great passes, waiting for the spiritual tide to end so they could immediately enter the ancient immortal battlefield to seek treasures. It was also convenient to gather information here. With so many cultivators gathered at the two great passes, continuous auctions were being held, and information was easy to come by.

Qin Sang, using the alias Daoist Qingfeng, mingled among them. He learned that there was no news of the Qingyang Demonic Sect’s sect master appearing at either Tianyou Pass or Qingyang City. It seemed the Qingyang Demonic Sect Master was very patient. Qin Sang secretly frowned. He could only be patient. After reuniting with Yun Youzi, they each guarded one of the great passes, awaiting their opportunity.