Chapter 544: Instinctive Hidden Danger

Qin Sang stood with his hands behind his back on the summit of the mountains, surveying the world.

Reflecting on his past experiences, particularly the aimless and hopeless period when he despaired of forming a Core, his so-called foundational injury now seemed like a mere skin affliction. What was there to fear?

His journey had been fraught with hardships, yet he had finally broken through the clouds to see the sun. A magnificent path lay ahead, and the future was bright.

At that moment, Qin Sang felt a great surge of exhilaration, wanting nothing more than to let out a long howl to the sky!

The howl was like thunder.

It echoed continuously, resonating through the wilderness.

Shortly after, a sword light abruptly appeared, soaring away with the wind.

A favorable wind provides the strength to send me soaring to the clouds!

***

West of the Azure Sun Demonic Sect, there was a small mortal city.

In the city, an old Daoist, with an air of immortality and a transcendent demeanor, borrowed a table and chairs from a teahouse and set up his stall by the roadside. A divination banner was planted in the ground, proclaiming: 'Wandering Ten Thousand Worlds, Known as a Half-Immortal.' He spoke with great arrogance.

Beside the old Daoist stood a yamen runner with a pointed mouth and sunken cheeks, whose demeanor was frivolous and unreliable. He sought a divination on his marriage prospects.

Initially, a crowd of common folk seeking medicine and fortune-telling had gathered around, but upon the yamen runner's appearance, they scattered as if fleeing from a plague god.

"Your appearance suggests great wealth and nobility, my friend," the old Daoist said, shaking his head from side to side. "But wealth and poverty are in conflict. If you marry that poor girl, not only will she bring you no fortune, she will also hinder and harm you, depleting all your original good luck..."

The yamen runner jumped in surprise, pointing at his own peerless face as he questioned, "You can tell all that just from my face?"

"Of course! Otherwise, why would they call me a half-immortal?"

Mid-sentence, the old Daoist suddenly felt something, turned his head to glance outside the city, and put away his playful demeanor. He grabbed the turtle shell from the table and sharply rapped the yamen runner's head three times.

"Ow! You old geezer, how dare you hit me! Ow! Ow!"

The yamen runner cried out in pain, screaming repeatedly.

Though skilled in martial arts, he couldn't dodge or retaliate, and was knocked directly to the ground.

Just then, the old Daoist sternly declared, "Lust and wickedness will surely bring disaster!"

When he came to his senses, only the divination stall remained on the street; the old Daoist had vanished.

"A true immortal..."

The yamen runner, utterly dismayed and his arrogance completely gone, clutched his head and scurried away.

Thereafter, whenever the yamen runner harbored wicked thoughts, the old Daoist's final stern warning would miraculously echo in his ears, refusing to fade. Slowly but surely, the man began to turn over a new leaf.

But that is a story for another time.

***

This old Daoist was Yun Youzi. While waiting for Qin Sang in the city, boredom led him to disguise himself as a fortune-teller, resuming a trade he had practiced in the mortal realm.

Yun Youzi walked out of the city, seemingly possessing the mystical ability to shrink space. Though appearing slow, his pace was incredibly swift, reaching a low mountain outside the city in just a few steps.

Just then, a sword light streaked forth, circled briefly above the mountaintop, and then descended before Yun Youzi, revealing Qin Sang's figure.

"Brother Qin, you are beaming with joy, all gloom dispelled. Have your wishes been fulfilled?"

Yun Youzi scrutinized Qin Sang from head to toe, noting his high spirits and striking difference from when he arrived, knowing he must have gained something significant.

Qin Sang nodded, cupped his hands in thanks. "I haven't properly thanked Senior for your righteous assistance. The beast tide in Boundless Valley must have been your doing, wasn't it?"

Yun Youzi smiled faintly. "How else could I get the Golden Core cultivator from the Azure Sun Demonic Sect to leave his mountain if not by inciting a beast tide? It just so happened that when I went to Heavenly Demon Mound to gather information, I learned a few tricks to lure demonic beasts. I had originally intended to incite two groups of demons to fight, but by a fortunate coincidence, I ended up triggering a small-scale beast tide in the Azure Sun Demonic Sect's training grounds, which saved me a lot of trouble later."

"So that's how it was."

Qin Sang realized, and seeing that Yun Youzi was disinclined to elaborate, he did not press for details.

"What did you gain, brother? Did you sense the opportunity to form a Core?" Yun Youzi asked curiously.

"Thanks to Senior's blessing..."

There was no need to hide anything from Yun Youzi. Qin Sang briefly recounted how he had deliberately halted his Core Formation process and his accidental discovery that Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend qi could aid in Core Formation.

If Yun Youzi wished for a detailed method of Core Formation, Qin Sang would teach him everything he knew.

However, the method of condensing Fiend and refining Gang qi, based on the 'Heavenly Yin Corpse Art,' would certainly not be suitable for Yun Youzi. He couldn't simply copy it and would need to find his own unique path.

"Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend qi can aid Core Formation? This is truly unprecedented, but both of those are extremely dangerous. Only you, brother, would dare to attempt it."

Yun Youzi, however, showed little interest in the Core Formation method. He merely sighed with emotion, then greatly praised Qin Sang's decision: "You were able to stabilize your Dao Heart in the face of the Golden Core's temptation. I did not misjudge you!"

"Proximity to vermilion makes one red. As your junior, following in your footsteps and being influenced by you, I have learned a great deal," Qin Sang said earnestly.

He had to admit that the unwavering resolve of his pursuit of the Dao owed much to Yun Youzi's subtle influence. Although he hadn't formally become a disciple, in Qin Sang's heart, Yun Youzi was his guiding master.

Yun Youzi stroked his beard and chuckled. "I don't have your patience, brother. If my soul weren't discordant, I would have eagerly formed my Core long ago. Since your hidden injury impedes Core Formation, it seems the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit is an absolute necessity for this trip. The Ziwei Palace is about to open, so we should head to Hanging Skull Pass early and plan carefully."

"I was just thinking the same thing, Senior..."

Immediately, the two headed straight back to Mount Shaohua. As they passed the Pure Serenity Palace of the Upper Prime, Yun Youzi bid Qin Sang farewell. He had no intention of seeing Li Yu-fu and decided to go ahead to Hanging Skull Pass.

Qin Sang still needed to return to check on the Flying Yaksha's condition, so he arranged a meeting point with Yun Youzi, and they parted ways to act separately.

Qin Sang estimated that the Flying Yaksha's injuries would not heal so quickly.

However, he was no longer the same as before.

During the process of refining himself into a Flying Yaksha, Qin Sang had gained a deeper understanding of the Corpse Core.

Previously, he had been helpless regarding the Flying Yaksha, only able to let it recover on its own. Now, however, he could offer assistance based on his own experience, accelerating its recovery speed.

The Flying Yaksha was indispensable for the trip to Ziwei Palace; he had to heal it no matter what.

Watching Yun Youzi's escape light vanish into the distance, Qin Sang was about to fly south on his sword.

Suddenly, he paused, his brow furrowing slightly.

A moment later, that inexplicable bloodlust gradually subsided. Qin Sang smoothed his brow and let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

After removing the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, Qin Sang immediately took the prepared pills to expel the corpse qi from his body. However, he hadn't expected that the accumulated corpse qi within him, after the Corpse Core's formation, was far greater than during his time as a living corpse.

On the surface, no trace of his prior corporeal transformation was visible, but only he knew that he hadn't truly healed.

That bloodthirsty instinct would surface from time to time.

It wasn't severe, but it was bothersome.

In recent days, Qin Sang had tried many methods, but none could eradicate it.

He had also discreetly inquired with Yun Youzi, but there was no good solution; he simply had to wait for Core Formation.

During Core Formation, when spiritual energy infused the body, a cultivator's physical form would undergo a transformation, and the after-effects of the corporeal change could be easily erased. For now, he could only endure it silently.

Fortunately, his Dantian was stabilized by the Five-Element Yin Objects, and the Golden Core now bore the brunt of the Gang and Fiend qi, so the damage was minimal, and it had fully recovered.