Chapter 614: Doubt (Extra Chapter for the Alliance Leader Ma Mangmeng!)

The Human World

Strange forbidden talismans, unlike anything Qin Sang had ever seen, floated within his meridians and Qi Sea. Although his spiritual power was intact, it was completely inaccessible, firmly sealed away. The forbidden talisman left by Uncle Dongyang was far from simple. For days, Qin Sang had tried countless methods to no avail, unable to budge the talisman even slightly.

Qin Sang had initially been skeptical of "Stone Bridge Zen," the cultivation method Uncle Dongyang presented. This meditation technique clearly deviated from traditional Buddhist practices; it resembled demonic cultivation more than contemplative Zen. Given that Buddhist monks cultivate the Path of Absolute Detachment, it felt incongruous. Qin Sang suspected Uncle Dongyang was likely deceiving Chen Yan.

However, after experiencing the effects of the forbidden talisman, Qin Sang's perspective shifted, leaving him profoundly shaken. Breaking this talisman would likely require the intervention of someone with immense power; Qin Sang even doubted if a late-stage Golden Core cultivator could achieve it. If "Stone Bridge Zen" were merely a deception, Uncle Dongyang wouldn't have needed to waste such a valuable forbidden talisman on him. A mere pseudo-Core Formation cultivator couldn't escape his grasp anyway.

Qin Sang wondered if Uncle Dongyang was unwilling or simply dared not sever ties with Chen Yan, having already prepared an escape route. He was confident Chen Yan would comply, using the forbidden talisman as a sign of his sincerity. It seemed that "Stone Bridge Zen," the Path of Absolute Detachment, and the idea of "killing one's husband to attain enlightenment" were all real. If not for the Jade Buddha protecting his nascent soul, shielding it from the forbidden talisman, and granting him a slim chance, he would have been utterly defenseless after being bound, losing all his power and facing certain death.

Qin Sang felt a profound sense of dread. The Path of Absolute Detachment was nothing like dual cultivation; it defied all logic. "I wish to transform into a stone bridge, enduring five hundred years of wind, five hundred years of sun, five hundred years of rain, just for her to walk across!"

The Path of Absolute Detachment required the cultivator to fall deeply in love with someone, the deeper the better, an eternal love that would last until the seas dried and the stones crumbled. The other person's feelings were utterly irrelevant.

"Mountains without peaks, rivers run dry.Winter thunder rumbles, summer snow falls.Heaven and Earth merge.Only then would I dare to part from you."

This was the ideal scenario! To achieve enlightenment through "killing one's husband" meant taking the life of one's beloved amidst extreme sorrow, enduring the most devastating emotional trauma, and completely tearing one's inner self apart. A young widow's profound grief, attaining enlightenment through detachment!

However, this was also the hidden danger of the Path of Absolute Detachment. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult to achieve such an extreme effect. Insufficient cultivation could instead lead to flaws in the cultivator's Dao heart. Coincidentally, Qin Sang and Chen Yan had formed a connection through the "Mysterious Mother Jade Cauldron Scripture," leaving an indelible imprint on Chen Yan's heart. If Chen Yan were to open her mind and allow the imprint to guide her, it might truly be achieved. In this situation, the Jade Buddha would not only fail to save Qin Sang's life but would instead become a death warrant, causing Chen Yan to love him even more deeply. Once her cultivation was complete, Chen Yan would behead Qin Sang with a single strike, and not even a hundred Jade Buddhas could stop her.

With the forbidden talisman on him, seeking help to break it was impossible. In this unfamiliar place, he wouldn't find an expert capable of dispelling the talisman anytime soon. Moreover, it would require him to lower all his defenses, opening his Qi Sea and meridians to allow another's intrusion, essentially putting his life in their hands—something Qin Sang would never do. The only method Qin Sang could conceive was to use the infusion of heavenly and earthly spiritual energy during his Core Formation to break through the forbidden talisman. However, while Core Formation drew cosmic forces and spiritual energies, primarily serving to infuse spiritual energy into the body and unify spirit and flesh, its inherent power was actually limited. Qin Sang couldn't be certain if it would be enough to break the talisman.

As these thoughts lingered, Qin Sang instinctively touched his empty left shoulder. He had severed this arm himself to employ the "Body-Slaying Clone Secret Art." This secret art was an artifact obtained after he killed the Old Man of Earth Chasm at the Ancient Cultivator's Estate in Hanging Skull Pass. It was a technique of self-mutilation and substitution, akin to a gecko shedding its tail. The Old Man of Earth Chasm had relied on this method, severing his left arm, in his schemes against Daoist Xuan Yu. His previous leg injury was also likely due to this secret art.

Qin Sang had never used the "Body-Slaying Clone Secret Art" before. He would only use it if pushed to the brink of death, as the secret art rendered even the Old Man of Earth Chasm unable to regenerate lost limbs, leaving him crippled. However, at Ziwei Palace, when confronting Uncle Dongyang, Qin Sang had already prepared to sever his arm to survive. Qin Sang knew that Nascent Soul Patriarchs possessed unfathomable methods. If he had suddenly attacked, Uncle Dongyang might have had countermeasures. Qin Sang had originally planned to use a clone to escape the lock and then flee. Unexpectedly, Chen Yan was also decisive and successfully intercepted Uncle Dongyang, sparing Qin Sang the pain of severing his arm.

Yet, after entering the teleportation array, Qin Sang's left arm was not spared after all. His spiritual sense instantly withered, and he couldn't use his spiritual power. Before falling unconscious, he felt an incredibly terrifying force lock onto him; had it struck, there would have been no hope of survival. In that final moment, Qin Sang had no choice but to take a desperate gamble, severing his arm to survive, hoping to escape that force. He then fell into a coma.

The teleportation process was instantaneous. To this day, Qin Sang was unsure whether he was simply lucky to have been successfully teleported before that force descended, or if the secret art had truly worked. This was because when he awoke, he found himself not at the other end of the teleportation array, nor rescued by anyone, but adrift alone in a river! Qin Sang was utterly bewildered by this. He had made countless conjectures but had never anticipated such a situation. Apart from his self-severed arm, his body bore only bruises and abrasions from drifting; there were no signs of injury inflicted by others. Could it be that the other end of the teleportation array was a cliff, and he had simply fallen after teleporting?

While drifting in the river, Qin Sang's spiritual sense was exhausted, his spiritual power was sealed, and his body was severely injured. Furthermore, the corpse transformation within him was uncontrollable, emanating a pervasive corpse aura that made him indistinguishable from a true cadaver. The most perilous moment was when he encountered the man in animal skins. Fortunately, that man's cultivation was not high. Seeing the dense corpse aura emanating from Qin Sang, he lowered his guard and recklessly opened his spirit beast bag, meeting his demise at the mouths of the Blood-Winged Ghost Head Bees. In truth, whether the man in animal skins had opened a corpse puppet bag or a spirit beast bag, he would have died. The Flying Yaksha had already completed its metamorphosis. If that man had opened a corpse puppet bag, Qin Sang would now have the Flying Yaksha protecting him, sparing him such a miserable state.

Although he hadn't managed to fully subdue the Blood-Winged Ghost Head Bees, having raised them for so long had created a slight connection. The Blood-Winged Ghost Head Bees were familiar with Qin Sang's aura and initially chose not to attack him. However, it was hard to say what would happen once they had consumed all the living creatures around them. Qin Sang dared not remain there. He used all his strength to turn over, allowing the river and a broken log to carry him away, eventually being saved by the mute girl.

After several days of recuperation, he had finally recovered some of his vital energy. As soon as a trace of his spiritual sense recovered, he could open his Qianjun Ring, retrieve the healing spiritual medicines within, and accelerate his recovery. Qin Sang turned his gaze to the mute girl and said softly, "The old man was right just now; you are too naive. You mustn't trust others so easily in the future."