Chapter 529: Leap

Qin Sang took a deep look at the wind-and-cloud vortex, then turned and left.

He hadn't gone far when Qin Sang suddenly felt an anomaly within his body. Daring not to delay further, he quickly found a secluded spot nearby and sat down cross-legged.

Just now, he had been forced to use the power of the Ancestral Sacred Flame to trap the two individuals, thus having to temporarily halt his Vital Qi and Earth Fiend Core Formation process. This was an extremely risky move, but Qin Sang had no choice but to do it.

As expected, in the mere three breaths of time since the battle began, he was already struggling to suppress it. He could feel that his Golden Core was also nearing its limit.

Fortunately, his Golden Core hadn't lost its spiritual essence; otherwise, he likely wouldn't have been able to hold on until now.

The two individuals were trapped within the wind-and-cloud vortex. Even if other cultivators from the Azure Sun Demonic Sect came up the mountain to investigate, they would be powerless to rescue them and could only watch helplessly.

They would probably have to wait for the Azure Sun Demonic Sect's Golden Core cultivators to return to the mountain. It remained to be seen if these two individuals could last until then.

Qin Sang had to seize this window of opportunity to complete the final step!

Qin Sang absorbed all the Azure Sun Divine Vital Qi fragments in his hand into his body. Then, he channeled the vital qi into his Qi Sea. At this moment, his Qi Sea was empty, with only a small amount of Earth Fiend Qi remaining, which was comparable to the influx of vital qi, but it was enough.

He wrapped them in spiritual energy and propelled them towards the Golden Core!

Simultaneously, Qin Sang used his last shred of spiritual energy to activate the Ebony Sword. The sword qi flared, enveloping the Golden Core from above.

'Boom!'

The three forces converged, using the Golden Core as their battlefield, colliding together.

Qin Sang's Qi Sea violently trembled, and he felt a sweet taste in his throat. Enduring the intense pain, he swiftly completed the final incantation. Then, he inwardly observed his Qi Sea, anxiously monitoring the changes in the Golden Core.

His Qi Sea was hollow, with only a Golden Core suspended in mid-air, spinning rapidly. The last small section of the Golden Core was gradually consumed by black mist and green light, finally disappearing.

The Golden Core transformed into a strange pill, intertwined with black and green!

Was it a success?

Qin Sang was filled with doubt and uncertainty. According to the secret method for refining a Flying Yaksha, the core formation process was successfully completed. At this point, it could be declared that this Flying Yaksha had been refined.

But Qin Sang hesitated, unsure if it was a success or a failure.

He also didn't know what to call the Golden Core within his body.

Fiend Core?

Vital Fiend Core?

Or, following the "Heavenly Yin Corpse Art," should it be called a Corpse Core?

For now, he would refer to it as the Corpse Core.

The good news was that, upon its formation, the Corpse Core didn't release surging fiendish qi that violently rushed into his meridians, causing irreversible corpse transformation and widespread destruction, unlike what happened with a Flying Yaksha, even though it could temper the physical body.

However, at this moment, the Corpse Core remained silently in Qin Sang's Qi Sea, completely still, which made Qin Sang feel even more bizarre!

After thinking for a moment, Qin Sang attempted to use his spiritual sense to touch the Corpse Core.

Unexpectedly, as soon as his spiritual sense made contact with the Corpse Core, it suddenly began to tremble violently.

Qin Sang's expression changed dramatically, but he was helpless, as the Corpse Core was completely beyond his control.

He anxiously observed the Corpse Core, noting that the two distinct colors on it began to merge with each other, quickly assimilating, and finally transforming into a unified greenish-black Corpse Core!

At this moment, Qin Sang suddenly felt a strange connection form between himself and the Corpse Core, and the Corpse Core rapidly became more docile!

As Qin Sang's thoughts stirred, a peculiar energy surged from the Corpse Core. Qin Sang couldn't yet control it freely, but fortunately, this energy was very gentle.

After a cultivator successfully forms a core, regardless of whether they are a demonic cultivator, an evil cultivator, a righteous cultivator, or from any unorthodox path, the power generated within their body undergoes a transformation and is no longer mere spiritual energy; it is collectively referred to as True Essence.

Qin Sang tentatively called the power released by the Corpse Core "True Essence," but he found this True Essence to be very peculiar. It contained fiendish qi, vital qi, and even corpse qi from the secret technique, all fused together.

Wushang's concept of vital qi balancing fiendish qi had come true!

The originally extremely violent Earth Fiend Qi and Heaven Vital Qi, after restraining and merging with each other, had oddly become docile, not wildly coursing through his body like what happened with a Flying Yaksha.

He cautiously guided this True Essence into his meridians, circulating it according to the secret method of the "Heavenly Yin Corpse Art."

Qin Sang was extremely tense, fearing that the True Essence might suddenly become violent and damage his physical body. However, after one full circulation, the True Essence remained remarkably docile.

Seeing this, a huge weight lifted from Qin Sang's heart. He immersed his consciousness into the Corpse Core, carefully experiencing it, and found himself utterly captivated.

Qin Sang still couldn't fully control the Corpse Core; he needed to familiarize himself with it to achieve human-core unity and control it at will. However, Qin Sang could already faintly sense that the Corpse Core contained immensely powerful energy, far surpassing his previous cultivation.

This wasn't merely an improvement; it was a qualitative change!

It was a leap!

"Haha..."

Qin Sang grinned, feeling a surge of delight in his heart, and abruptly stood up.

This was not the place to familiarize himself with the Corpse Core. The Azure Sun Demonic Sect's Golden Core cultivator had already been gone for two hours, and with the anomaly at Divine Vitality Peak, he would surely return much sooner.

With his Corpse Core newly formed, Qin Sang dared not engage in battle with a true Core Formation stage expert. His top priority was to leave the Azure Sun Demonic Sect as quickly as possible and find a hidden place to familiarize himself with the Corpse Core.

With this thought, Qin Sang turned and swept down the mountain. As he passed the wind-and-cloud vortex, he glanced at it but paid it no further attention, continuing straight down the mountain.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Qin Sang detected the aura of many cultivators outside the mountain, clearly drawn by the anomalous phenomena at Divine Vitality Peak. Although Qin Sang hadn't fully controlled his Corpse Core, he could still use his True Essence to conceal his aura.

There were no masters among these cultivators, so Qin Sang wasn't worried about being discovered.

Effortlessly sneaking away from Divine Vitality Peak, Qin Sang didn't look back. He swept directly towards the Azure Sun Demonic Sect's mountain gate, mentally calculating how to burst out of the mountain unexpectedly.

The Azure Sun Demonic Sect's interior was empty; the few masters who had remained were now drawn away by Divine Vitality Peak. Qin Sang believed that escaping wouldn't be too difficult.

However, after escaping, he had to flee as quickly as possible and not linger near the Azure Sun Demonic Sect. As Qin Sang walked, he connected with the Corpse Core using his spiritual sense, racing against time to familiarize himself with its power, hoping to control more True Essence.

To his surprise, he found that his progress in familiarizing himself with the Corpse Core was much faster than Yu Hua's. Back then, it had taken Yu Hua a full two days to achieve human-core unity and gain complete control over his Corpse Core.

Was it because he was actively familiarizing himself with the Corpse Core, whereas Yu Hua was separated by a soul imprint, making him faster? Or was it because True Essence was gentler than fiendish qi and easier to control?

Qin Sang didn't understand why and couldn't explain the reason at the moment, so he didn't delve deeper.

At this time, the Azure Sun Demonic Sect's inner sect security was also very lax. Qin Sang easily bypassed a patrol of disciples, reached the outer sect, unleashed his movement technique, and swiftly moved towards the mountain gate.

After traversing mountains and valleys, he finally arrived before the mountain gate.

Qin Sang suddenly stopped, his gaze darkening as he stared at the mountain peak shrouded in a sea of clouds.

The Azure Sun Demonic Sect had actually sealed its mountain gate!

If the mountain gate hadn't been sealed, he could have stealthily approached it and burst out unexpectedly, and no one would have been able to stop him.

Now, he absolutely dared not rush in carelessly.

Even a true Core Formation stage expert who trespassed a grand formation would not be able to retreat unharmed!