Chapter 538: The Relics of the Dove-Robe Taoist

However, before deciphering the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, Qin Sang needed to use the Corpse Core's power to complete some other tasks. This was a precaution in case the core shattered, preventing him from doing them later.

Qin Sang and Yun Youzi had agreed to meet at a location far from the Qingyang Demonic Sect after their respective tasks were complete. To avoid disrupting his secret technique, Qin Sang had allocated an extra two days, so there was no need to rush.

He took out four items and laid them before him. These were the Yin Ring of the Primal Chaos Conjoined Rings, two damaged Ten Directions Netherworld Banners, and the iron thumb ring he had acquired from Daoist Dove-robe.

He picked up the Primal Chaos Conjoined Rings and infused them with his True Essence. The white metallic ring was riddled with gaps. In the past, whenever Qin Sang channeled spiritual energy into it, it was like a stone vanishing into the sea; the Primal Chaos Conjoined Rings would show no response. This time, however, was noticeably different. As soon as the True Essence entered, the Primal Chaos Conjoined Rings began to glow with a faint white light, then subtly trembled under Qin Sang's expectant gaze.

However, no matter how much more True Essence Qin Sang poured in, the Primal Chaos Conjoined Rings showed no further changes. After a moment, Qin Sang gave up.

"It seems I must repair this and refine the Yang Ring before it can be used. No wonder Old Man Dique couldn't activate it back then. I wonder when I'll be able to gather the Myriad World Camphor and Heavenly Capital Rock."

Qin Sang shook his head, returned the Primal Chaos Conjoined Rings to his spatial bag, then picked up the Ten Directions Netherworld Banners.

There were two Ten Directions Netherworld Banners. One had been damaged by the Fat Chicken when he was stealing the Boundless Blood Mulberry from the Thunder-Swallowing Falcon's cave. The other, originally in Daoist Dove-robe's possession, had its spiritual essence severely diminished after being tainted by the Blood Filth Divine Light, and was subsequently damaged in a later battle.

The damage to both Ten Directions Netherworld Banners wasn't severe. Qin Sang had initially believed they could be restored by nourishing them with his Corpse Core for a period, but now he realized it wasn't so simple.

Half an hour later, Qin Sang withdrew his True Essence, holding both Ten Directions Netherworld Banners before him for closer inspection. He noted that the cracks on the banners remained, showing no signs of healing.

"How could this be..."

The damage on both Ten Directions Netherworld Banners was confined to their main fabric. Qin Sang's fingers brushed over the pale, cloth-like surface of the banners. The long strips hung naturally, feeling as smooth as silk and cool to the touch. He examined them for a long time but couldn't determine the material.

Logically, this shouldn't be the case. Once a magic treasure is refined, it becomes a cohesive whole, and nourishing it with a Golden Core should facilitate its recovery. Although Qin Sang's Corpse Core was unusual, it was no less effective than those of other Core Formation cultivators, so it shouldn't be the reason for the banners' failure to heal.

Qin Sang pondered, "Could it be that I need to find spiritual materials of the same composition to repair the damage? That would be quite troublesome..." He had no idea how the Ten Directions Netherworld Banners were originally forged. To repair them, he would need to find Old Ancestor Kuiyin's original refining methods and then locate the specific spiritual materials. The Kuiyin Sect had been annihilated, and the three Core Formation cultivators most likely to know the banners' refining method were all deceased.

Qin Sang paused in thought for a moment, then set down the Ten Directions Netherworld Banners and turned his attention to the iron thumb ring beside them.

The dark iron thumb ring was covered in rust. It emitted no unusual fluctuations, and if thrown into a pile of scrap metal, no one would give it a second glance. Only when held in hand did its surprising weight become apparent. Qin Sang recalled his first attempt to open the iron thumb ring, when he discovered it seemed to contain a spatial dimension similar to that of a spatial bag, likely a magic artifact Daoist Dove-robe used to store treasures.

The iron thumb ring contained a restriction left by Daoist Dove-robe, which Qin Sang hadn't been able to decipher before. Now, he might be able to attempt it. It might contain what he was looking for.

"I wonder what surprises await inside..." Qin Sang's expression grew thoughtful.

The restriction Daoist Dove-robe had placed within the iron thumb ring relied heavily on spiritual sense. Since Qin Sang's spiritual sense hadn't advanced, a brute-force approach was out of the question. He would need a strategy, employing his True Essence to dismantle the restriction. Fortunately, Daoist Dove-robe was deceased, rendering the restriction ownerless and relatively easy to bypass.

Qin Sang held the iron ring in one hand, then moved swiftly out of the cave to an open area. There, he guided a wisp of his spiritual sense into the iron thumb ring. The next moment, the iron ring suddenly glowed, and an exceptionally sharp blade light, swift as lightning, slashed towards Qin Sang.

Qin Sang was prepared. With a mere push of his foot, he left a trail of afterimages. His current strength far surpassed his past self; he could easily dodge the blade light without even needing his Ebony Sword, leading it on a wild chase as if walking a dog. Simultaneously, True Essence surged from Qin Sang's palm. He guided it, along with his spiritual sense, into the iron thumb ring. After several repetitions, he discerned the restriction's mechanism. Finally, he activated his Corpse Core, concentrated his full power, found a weak point in the restriction, and successfully broke it.

*Boom!*

Inside the iron thumb ring, the restriction shattered, revealing a space dozens of times larger than a spatial bag, which appeared before Qin Sang's mind's eye.

Qin Sang extended a wisp of his spiritual sense, observing cautiously. Finding no anomalies, he then confidently surveyed the interior. To his disappointment, the iron thumb ring appeared to be nothing more than a simple storage artifact. Aside from its much larger spatial capacity compared to a spatial bag, there were no other distinguishing features. However, it was more convenient to carry and more discreet than a spatial bag. Worn directly on his finger, it also allowed for much quicker and easier storage and retrieval of items.

Clearly, Daoist Dove-robe had also used it primarily as a storage artifact, as it was filled with numerous miscellaneous items. Qin Sang returned to his cave dwelling and emptied the contents. To ensure no hidden features similar to the iron thumb ring itself, he meticulously examined even the miscellaneous items.

There were quite a few jade slips and scrolls. One jade slip, in particular, contained a cultivation method called the "Ancient Tome of Yin Fiend," the fundamental cultivation technique passed down by Old Ancestor Kuiyin for the Kuiyin Sect. Qin Sang had previously obtained the first two sections of the "Ancient Tome of Yin Fiend," corresponding to Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages, after killing Yin Yan and others. The jade slip held by Daoist Dove-robe contained the complete "Ancient Tome of Yin Fiend" cultivation method, comprising four layers, which could be cultivated up to the late Nascent Soul stage.

Upon recognizing it as the "Ancient Tome of Yin Fiend," Qin Sang immediately focused on reading. The jade slip was densely filled with Daoist Dove-robe's annotations and cultivation insights.

The "Ancient Tome of Yin Fiend" was a demonic cultivation art that utilized Yin Fiend Qi. This explained why the Kuiyin Sect was built upon the Yin Fiend Abyss; cultivating this method with sufficient Yin Fiend Qi allowed for rapid progress. However, since Yin Fiend Qi was an external force, practitioners would face an additional obstacle when encountering major bottlenecks, making breakthroughs more challenging compared to cultivators practicing orthodox methods. At this point, Qin Sang mentally dismissed the "Ancient Tome of Yin Fiend." Even if he didn't have the "Soul Nourishing Sword Chapter," he wouldn't consider switching to this cultivation method.

As for the magical abilities and incantations associated with the cultivation method, most required Yin Fiend Qi for activation. There were very few Qin Sang could learn, and even those were of limited use.

Qin Sang quickly skimmed through the first two layers of the cultivation method and, in the third layer, found details about the "Ancient Tome of Yin Fiend"'s associated Natal Magic Treasures. Surprisingly, this cultivation art included refining methods for two perfectly suited Natal Magic Treasures: one called the Yin Profound Pagoda, and the other the Yin Thunder Pearl. Of course, each cultivator could only choose one of the two. Neither, however, was a banner.