Chapter 530: External Elixir

Qin Sang stood in the shadows, intently observing the grand formation.

After observing for a long time, he still couldn't locate the formation's core. The Azure Sun Demonic Sect's mountain-protecting formation, created by a Nascent Soul expert, was incredibly profound. Qin Sang felt dizzy and utterly lost, so he had no choice but to give up.

However, he knew deep down that even if he found the core, he wouldn't be able to break through it.

To leave, he would have to wait for the Azure Sun Demonic Sect to open the formation themselves.

Qin Sang quickly pondered his options.

His presence was now exposed, though the two individuals who discovered him were trapped and killed by the Ancestral Sacred Flame, preventing them from sending any message.

However, he couldn't stall for long. Once the Core Formation cultivator returned, rescued them, and learned the truth, the sect would immediately seal off the mountain. They would then dedicate all their power to a massive search within the sect, relentlessly pursuing him until he was found.

Trying the same trick again—continuing to lurk in the shadows and wait for an opportunity to leave—would certainly not work.

He would be trapped like a turtle in a jar by the Azure Sun Demonic Sect, with nowhere to run.

Qin Sang was currently weak. Before he could familiarize himself with the Corpse Core's power, he was unable to charge into the blue light to silence them.

Qin Sang even suspected that even if he mastered the Corpse Core, provoking the Ancestral Sacred Flame without the aid of the Azure Sun Demonic Flame would put him in dire peril long before he could kill those two.

He had experienced firsthand the immense power of the Ancestral Sacred Flame. If those two hadn't cultivated the Azure Sun Demonic Flame and possessed that peculiar blue flag for protection, the blue light would have instantly reduced them to ash.

Although the blue light wasn't the Ancestral Sacred Flame's true form, it was a manifestation of its purest power. Once unleashed, it was far more terrifying than the Nine Nether Demonic Flame contained within the Ten Directions Yama Banner!

What about using the Void Heaven Thunder?

Qin Sang considered it for a moment, then subtly shook his head, dismissing the thought.

The lingering traces after detonating the Void Heaven Thunder couldn't be erased quickly, which would expose him just the same.

The Void Heaven Thunder was his most crucial tool, not to be used lightly. If he wasted it without achieving his goal, he would only put himself in a far more dangerous situation.

After a brief deliberation, Qin Sang decided to remain calm. Since he couldn't escape, he should quickly find a place to familiarize himself with the Corpse Core. Once his strength recovered, anything he wished to do would be easier, which was far better than simply daydreaming.

He had less than two hours remaining.

Qin Sang had just realized that his progress in mastering the Corpse Core far surpassed Yu Hua's. By fully committing, there was a significant chance he could grasp the Corpse Core's power within this timeframe.

By then, he would possess strength comparable to a Flying Yaksha, and with the Ebony Sword and Void Heaven Thunder at his disposal, he might not fear the Core Formation cultivator.

That individual was only in the early Core Formation stage.

With this in mind, Qin Sang looked around and found a hiding place not far from the Azure Sun Demonic Sect's mountain gate. He calmed his mind and entered a meditative state, single-mindedly sensing the Corpse Core within his body.

As time passed, Qin Sang's control over the Corpse Core became increasingly effortless. The more familiar he grew with it, a gradual understanding dawned on him.

His previous spiritual energy and the Corpse Core's true essence were on completely different levels.

When Qin Sang activated the true essence, although it lacked the seamless, integrated feel of his previous spiritual energy, he found no hindrance in wielding it; it was truly a power at his command.

It was no exaggeration to say that Qin Sang was now a completely different person.

However, this transformation only occurred at the true essence level. His divine sense and physical body remained unchanged, unlike true Core Formation cultivators who could trigger celestial phenomena and undergo a complete, all-encompassing metamorphosis.

This was his fatal flaw, unless Qin Sang accepted the irreversible Corpse Transformation, ceased restraining the true essence, and allowed his primordial spirit and physical body to endure the full impact.

The Flying Yaksha's strength lay in its physical body.

Its elusive speed and physical body, capable of clashing with cultivators of the same level, were forged through continuous tempering by the Corpse Core, simultaneous with its Corpse Transformation.

Qin Sang was unwilling to undergo Corpse Transformation, so his physical body changed little, effectively forfeiting the Flying Yaksha's strongest ability.

Logically, Qin Sang's strength should have been inferior to that of a Flying Yaksha.

However, as time progressed, Qin Sang was surprised to discover that even though he hadn't fully mastered the Corpse Core, the true essence power it displayed already surpassed Yu Hua, who possessed a powerful physical body!

Qin Sang estimated that once the Corpse Core was fully at his disposal, his strength would likely be comparable to a genuine early-stage Core Formation cultivator!

It was a blessing in disguise.

This was completely unforeseen by Qin Sang.

Was it because he used a Golden Core that hadn't lost its vitality, or because the combination of Earthly Fiend Qi and Heavenly Gang Qi caused this metamorphosis?

Perhaps it was a combination of both.

This discovery filled Qin Sang with elation and greatly boosted his confidence.

However, Qin Sang soon realized that his Corpse Core was entirely different from Yu Hua's. Its true essence had a peculiar composition: it was a fusion of the Golden Core's inherent power, Earthly Fiend Qi, Heavenly Gang Qi, and Corpse Qi.

Spiritual energy constituted only an insignificant portion; the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend were far more crucial.

After the Corpse Core's power was depleted, it could gradually recover by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. However, the recovery rate was exceedingly slow, negligible during combat, and even absorbing spirit stones didn't significantly improve it.

To rapidly restore his power during combat, he needed to simultaneously absorb both Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Qi.

Earthly Fiend Qi was manageable, but Qin Sang had no means of carrying Heavenly Gang Qi with him.

This meant that no matter how powerful he became, his bursts of strength would be temporary. He would need to find a way to kill or escape his opponent before his true essence was depleted.

This sensation—why did it feel so much like the legendary Outer Core?

Qin Sang subtly furrowed his brow.

In the cultivation world, legends of Outer Cores were abundant, objects of desire for every cultivator.

However, the true secret methods for cultivating an Outer Core had never genuinely circulated.

Still, it was conceivable.

An Outer Core was still a core, and its secret cultivation method would surely be no easier than true Core Formation, perhaps even more difficult.

It was said that only Core Formation cultivators possessed the ability to refine an Outer Core.

Qin Sang wasn't sure if Shaohua Mountain possessed any secret methods for Outer Cores; he wasn't yet qualified to access techniques of that caliber. However, he had once read an unknown, incomplete ancient text on Pagoda Peak that contained fragmented mentions of Outer Cores.

These mentions bore striking similarities to the Corpse Core within his own body.

Reflecting on it, wasn't the secret method for refining a Flying Yaksha in the "Heavenly Yin Corpse Art" essentially attaching an Outer Core to a refined corpse?

Deep within the damp gully.

Qin Sang had, at some point, awakened from his meditative state, opening his eyes with a pensive expression.

He then slowly shook his head, deciding to set these thoughts aside for the moment.

After all, the time he had spent with the Corpse Core was too brief to fully grasp its intricacies. There were certainly aspects he had overlooked, and he would only be able to draw definitive conclusions once he was safe and could thoroughly understand it.

With this in mind, Qin Sang stood up from the ground. He could now almost fully control the Corpse Core, and it had taken him even less time than he expected—just an hour and a half.

The Azure Sun Demonic Sect's Core Formation cultivator had still not returned.

Qin Sang decided not to wait any longer. He would return to Divine Gang Peak and cause some trouble for the Azure Sun Demonic Sect.

He couldn't take the Azure Sun Gang Essence with him, but he could destroy it. If the Ancestral Sacred Flame became unstable, he estimated they wouldn't have the energy to pursue him for a while.