Chapter 588: Treasure Secret

This soul-scouring technique must have been created by the Demonic Sect; it's extremely sinister. It's unknown where Yun Youzi acquired it.

Once activated, the soul instantly shatters.

Even if Yi Tiannie hadn't cultivated dark spectral arts, he would be unable to enter reincarnation.

This demon had caused him such profound suffering in the past, leaving him in perpetual dread. Qin Sang, naturally, felt no compassion as he coldly watched Yi Tiannie's remnant soul struggle in his palm, exhibiting various forms of extreme torment, as if enduring the cruelties of the eighteen layers of hell.

Qin Sang remained unmoved.

At this moment, Yun Youzi also emerged from the Demon King's Blood Seal. His strength had partially recovered, and he was no longer as weak.

The stone hall had now returned to tranquility.

The Nine Nether Demonic Flames retreated into the Ten Directions Yama Banner, which Qin Sang then put away.

A gurgling sound of water emanated from the lakebed. The continuous flow from the underground river quickly added a layer to the dry small lake, which would soon be completely refilled.

However, the sound of flowing water was completely drowned out by agonizing screams.

Qin Sang had been in the cultivation world for a long time, but he had never heard such a desperate shriek, indicating the horrifying torment Yi Tiannie was enduring.

Yun Youzi looked at Qin Sang, whose gaze was as hard as iron, and suddenly sighed softly. "Brother Qin, rest assured, I swear by my inner demon that no third person will know about today's events. I won't inquire about your past experiences; I only wish that even if you walk in darkness in the future, a lamp will remain lit in your heart, so you do not succumb."

Qin Sang, seemingly lost in thought, raised his head with a blank expression, as if only just reacting. After a slight hesitation, he nodded and said earnestly, "This junior has learned a valuable lesson."

At that moment, Yi Tiannie's screams abruptly ceased. The resentment on his face was replaced by an expression of relief, and his remnant soul shattered with a 'boom'.

Yun Youzi suddenly reached out and pointed at Yi Tiannie's remnant soul, gathering it. Using his palm as a furnace, he refined a ball of the purest soul power and handed it to Qin Sang.

"Don't waste this. Let your Flying Yaksha consume it; it might help it undergo a transformation."

Qin Sang accepted the ball of soul power, saying with a hint of skepticism, "Senior, the refining method for my Flying Yaksha differs from the corpse refining arts of other Corpse Dao sects. Once refined, its strength cannot be further enhanced, so I doubt this will be effective."

Yun Youzi smiled faintly.

"I've long known your corpse refining art is unique.

"However, this time is different. While it certainly wouldn't work for others, Yi Tiannie is an exception.

"Did you notice that Yi Tiannie likely intended to fully seize control of this corpse? He used a dark spectral secret art to actively merge his soul with the Flying Yaksha's primordial spirit. A significant connection already exists between the two.

"Such an opportunity is incredibly rare and might just break the inherent limitations.

"Yi Tiannie's consciousness no longer exists, so you don't need to worry about your refined corpse being taken over again.

"This is the most fundamental essence of a late Core Formation stage master. If your refined corpse can absorb it, it will undoubtedly gain immense benefits and might even transform into a true Flying Yaksha."

Qin Sang's eyes lit up. What Yun Youzi said did seem plausible.

Apart from Yi Tiannie, who sealed his own fate, no one else would willingly merge with a refined corpse. Therefore, Qin Sang had never considered this possibility before.

It was worth a try.

Immediately, Qin Sang summoned his Flying Yaksha. He inspected it meticulously over a dozen times, and only when completely reassured did he allow it to consume Yi Tiannie's essence soul power.

Initially, the Flying Yaksha appeared normal and remained perfectly calm.

However, within a few breaths, the Flying Yaksha's aura suddenly became chaotic. It then clutched its head and roared incessantly. Only after Qin Sang exerted his full effort to soothe it did the Flying Yaksha finally calm down.

Yet, its primordial spirit remained unstable; it seemed to be undergoing intense changes, and it would likely be difficult for it to stabilize in the short term.

During this period, the Flying Yaksha's combat capability would also be lost.

"This is a good sign! It's very likely undergoing a transformation!"

Yun Youzi stated firmly. Then, as if recalling something, he asked Qin Sang with a hint of sympathy, "Brother Qin, how did you come to practice these dark Corpse Dao arts yourself? Are there any lingering side effects?"

"Senior, I possess a five-element spiritual root."

Qin Sang uttered this seemingly bland statement, then offered a bitter smile.

For cultivators with a five-element spiritual root, even Foundation Establishment is an extravagant hope, let alone Core Formation.

If not for sheer desperation, who would willingly resort to the Corpse Dao? Even the Snow Spirit Lotus and Iris proved ineffective. Beyond this path, Qin Sang saw no other way forward.

"This junior was fortunate enough to stumble upon a Core Formation opportunity through the Corpse Dao, and the hidden dangers are easily manageable..."

Yun Youzi nodded. "That's good! By the way, here's the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit."

Qin Sang accepted the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit, feeling a mix of excitement and emotion. It had indeed led to many complications, but the rewards were astonishing.

From the recent soul-scouring, Qin Sang had confirmed the presence of the Three-Light Jade Liquid within Ziwei Palace and had pinpointed its exact location. He could now go and retrieve it.

Furthermore, Qin Sang took the opportunity to extract more information, primarily concerning the use and refining method of the Ten Directions Yama Banner artifact set.

If he could acquire the refining method and complete the Ten Directions Yama Banner to its full ten poles, it would possess the power to contend with a top-grade artifact. Qin Sang couldn't help but be tempted.

This was Patriarch Kuiyin's prized artifact. After his passing, he would undoubtedly have passed down its refining method, yet Qin Sang had searched all of Daoist Jiupao's relics without success.

He had thought that with the demise of all three Core Formation experts of the Kuiyin Sect, this secret art would be lost forever. However, by a twist of fate, he unexpectedly acquired it from Yi Tiannie.

Only now did Qin Sang truly understand the intricacies of the Ten Directions Yama Banner.

The Ten Directions Yama Banner comprises three main components.

One is the banner pole, which is made from a surprisingly simple material.

Qin Sang had guessed correctly at the time: it was the mysterious, neither-iron-nor-stone black iron pillar found among Daoist Jiupao's relics.

However, transforming the black iron pillar into a banner pole was no simple feat.

The black iron pillar is a rare and extremely hard item, containing peculiar restrictions. It requires the aid of a spirit array and must be powered by high-grade spirit stones to be barely refined.

No wonder Daoist Jiupao never parted with those four high-grade spirit stones, even until his death.

He had been attempting to use the black iron pillar as a spiritual material to re-forge his natal artifact once his injuries healed, a process that absolutely required high-grade spirit stones.

High-grade spirit stones are exceptionally rare; they are easy to sell but difficult to procure again. This was particularly true since the Kuiyin Sect had been destroyed, leaving Daoist Jiupao a displaced wanderer, akin to a rogue cultivator.

The second component is the banner flag. This isn't refined from spiritual materials but is instead created by imprisoning tens of thousands of living souls, condensing the purest soul qi, and then using a dark spectral secret art to refine it into threads, which are then woven together!

This is an extremely sinister method.

To create this artifact, Patriarch Kuiyin had killed countless individuals in the past.

No wonder Qin Sang had tried repeatedly yet failed to repair the damaged banner surface at the time.

To repair this artifact, living souls are essential.

Fortunately, the damage to those two artifacts was minor, and the living souls contained within the Ten Directions Yama Banner implements he possessed would suffice.

These implements had limited power and became essentially useless after he achieved Core Formation. They were, however, perfectly suited for repairing the artifact.