Chapter 523: Success

Soon after, Shi Ying regained her composure. She once again drew a wisp of Qingyang Divine Gang and sent it into Qin Sang's Sea of Qi.This time, Qin Sang's strategy changed. He attempted to channel spiritual power to conceal the aura of the Earth Fiend Qi. Although it still failed, the situation was much better than before.Neither Qin Sang nor Shi Ying were as tense now. They calmly accepted the failure, and after adjusting their breathing, continued their attempts.

Soon, the Qingyang Divine Gang Shi Ying had gathered was depleted.An entire night passed.Shi Ying had visited Divine Gang Peak twice more, but so far, she hadn't even attempted the Gang-Fiend Core Impact. This was because, for the Gang-Fiend Core Impact to succeed, the Qingyang Divine Gang and Earth Fiend Qi first needed to coexist in the Sea of Qi before together impacting the Golden Core.

After Shi Ying recovered through meditation, she rose and left the cave, returning to Divine Gang Peak.Once she departed, Qin Sang opened his eyes.That night, besides attempting the secret technique and making repeated adjustments, he had also listened to Shi Ying recount her story.

Shi Ying's original name was likely Lan Ying. Her parents were initially rogue cultivators, but their cultivation was not low. Her father came from an immortal cultivation family, and although the family had declined, their assets were far more substantial than those of ordinary cultivators. Both her parents successfully established their foundations.After Shi Ying was born, she was found to have an innate deficiency of vital energy and a hidden illness. As she grew older, this illness would affect her more severely.Her parents learned that there was a spiritual medicine in the second layer of Boundless Valley that could cure Shi Ying's illness. Not long after she was born, her parents entrusted her to a friend's care and journeyed into Boundless Valley with companions to gather the medicine.Unexpectedly, they never returned, both dying in Boundless Valley.

Her parents' friend realized something was wrong and immediately took Shi Ying far away, living under assumed identities. She adopted Shi Ying as her goddaughter, changing her surname to Shi.Shi Ying's adoptive mother treated her like her own child. She took immense risks, entering Boundless Valley to gather the spiritual medicine needed for Shi Ying's illness, and also investigated the murderer of Shi Ying's birth parents. It turned out to be Wen Yanjie, one of the companions who entered Boundless Valley with them.This person coveted the Lan family's inherited magical artifact and conspired to murder the Lan couple.Although the Qingyang Demonic Sect bore the name "Demonic Sect," its disciples generally did not act erratically. The Lan couple had little defense against Wen Yanjie, and both perished.After uncovering the truth, Shi Ying's adoptive mother attempted to avenge her friends, but her assassination attempt failed, and she also died at Wen Yanjie's hands.The revenge for her parents that Shi Ying spoke of referred not only to her birth parents but also to the adoptive mother who had painstakingly raised her.

By then, Shi Ying's adoptive mother had found every way to send her into the Qingyang Demonic Sect.Twelve-year-old Shi Ying, from the moment she entered the sect, had only one thought: revenge. Yet, she could only watch her enemy, using the treasures obtained through murder and plunder, advance smoothly and increase his cultivation.As the saying goes, "murder and arson lead to wealth."The gap between the two grew wider and wider, like the difference between clouds and mud!

Shi Ying was overcome with despair and pain, with nowhere to vent. This time, when she visited the graves of her birth and adoptive parents, she wept bitterly before their tombs.Had it not been for these events, Shi Ying would have been a very talkative person; her true nature was suppressed by the profound hatred.

The stone door was pushed open from the outside, and Shi Ying returned.She was much faster than the first time; in less than fifteen minutes, she successfully drew a wisp of Qingyang Divine Gang."Going to Divine Gang Peak four times in less than a day, if my senior uncle finds out, he'll definitely suspect me..."Shi Ying's expression was somewhat anxious. Cultivating the Qingyang Demonic Flame did not require such frequent trips into the mountains.She risked entering the mountains because she noticed that the time needed seemed to be getting longer each time, and the situation was gradually improving. She thought this attempt might finally succeed.However, if this attempt failed again, she would have to wait two days before trying again.

Hearing this, Qin Sang was not anxious, because he already had a clue. He was confident that this time he could make the two coexist. The next step was to see if the concept of Gang-Fiend Core Impact was feasible.

The person and the corpse sat facing each other.The Qingyang Divine Gang entered the body.The moment Shi Ying withdrew the Qingyang Demonic Flame, Qin Sang fully sealed off the aura of the Earth Fiend Qi. At the same time, he released a wisp of Earth Fiend Qi of roughly the same size, controlling it to rush towards the Golden Core.This was not entirely Qin Sang's own action; it also coincided with Shi Ying's intentions.The reason for the delay until now was that Qin Sang had been subtly guiding her, patiently showing signs of improvement little by little, and quietly 'directing' Shi Ying onto the correct path.He did not want to expose himself before confirming the result, so he could not let Shi Ying feel any disharmony.In Shi Ying's view, she was in control, but in reality, everything was within Qin Sang's grasp.

As the Earth Fiend Qi appeared, it was immediately sensed by the Qingyang Divine Gang.The Qingyang Divine Gang, like a nimble snake, swiftly pursued the Earth Fiend Qi. The two approached the Golden Core, almost reaching it simultaneously, on the verge of collision and explosion.At this moment, Qin Sang suddenly channeled his spiritual power with full force, enveloping both energies.*Whoosh!*The conflict between the two energies did not stop, but Qin Sang, at the cost of spiritual power, managed to delay their explosion. Then, without hesitation, Qin Sang wrapped them and sent them crashing into the Golden Core.The Earth Fiend Qi and Qingyang Divine Gang, when combined, possessed far greater destructive power than the Earth Fiend Qi alone.Although the Golden Core was powerful, it was merely an ownerless object. Qin Sang condensed the power of the two to its extreme, and they instantly broke through the Golden Core's surface energy, making contact with the core itself.

*Boom!*The Golden Core radiated divine light.The Sea of Qi violently vibrated!Shi Ying's face turned pale. She found her spiritual consciousness instantly overwhelmed by the immense surge. Without hesitation, she quickly regained control of the refining corpse, but could only do her best to stabilize his Sea of Qi, anxiously awaiting the outcome.Unaware, Shi Ying did not notice that at this very moment, a transparent spiritual sword quietly materialized above the Golden Core.The sword qi gathered into a single stream, enveloping the Golden Core.Qin Sang, having learned a lesson from his previous refinement of the Flying Yaksha, summoned the Ebony Sword, regardless of whether it would truly be effective, to add another layer of protection.

Earth Fiend Qi, Qingyang Divine Gang, Golden Core...Three powerful energies, using the Golden Core as their battlefield, collided, erupting in astonishing fluctuations.However, these fluctuations came and went quickly.Because both the Earth Fiend Qi and the Qingyang Divine Gang were too minuscule, they were no match for the Golden Core and quickly dissipated.In the blink of an eye, the turmoil subsided, and the Golden Core and Sea of Qi returned to normal.Shi Ying gasped for breath. Seeing Qin Sang's Sea of Qi stabilize, her heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled. She then carefully observed the Golden Core, but found no abnormalities. A wave of disappointment washed over her. After a brief adjustment of her breathing, she gathered her resolve and tried again.

A third time...A fourth time...The Qingyang Divine Gang was depleted again. Shi Ying sighed and entered meditation to cultivate.Just then, Qin Sang suddenly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in his dark pupils, and vanished from his spot.The next moment, Qin Sang silently appeared behind Shi Ying, reached out and tapped her, casting a restrictive spell.Shi Ying's body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, only to be helped by Qin Sang onto the bed.Qin Sang straightened up, looked in the direction of Divine Gang Peak, and a faint smile appeared on his face. He had finally seen signs of success!