Chapter 786: Seed Origin Demon Fetus

A dark, deep cave entrance appeared on the stone wall.

Qin Sang secretly activated the Golden Jade Lock for protection and flashed to the cave entrance.

Unexpectedly, the interior was completely different from the Ziwei Palace. It wasn't a grand hall filled with stone swords, but rather a familiar-looking bluestone passage.

The passage floor was also paved with bluestone, very smooth and even.

The wide passage stretched straight into darkness. There were no sculptures, puppets, altars, or any other objects inside; not even a single inscription or pattern was visible.

Qin Sang stood at the entrance, observed, and after confirming there was nothing unusual, he stepped inside.

'Thud!'

His footsteps echoed in the empty passage.

As Qin Sang entered the passage, his peripheral vision caught something. He spun around abruptly and saw a jade slip neatly placed in the corner of the passage.

The jade slip lay there alone, with a few simple lines of text written on the ground next to it:"This is an incomplete cultivation method I once practiced, but I can no longer continue.The world is unpredictable, and human power cannot contend with destiny.Alas! Alas! Alas!"

At the end were four more characters: "Master of Spirit Turtle Island."

Qin Sang's face was filled with surprise. He composed himself and carefully examined the handwriting.

The person who left the inscription signed it as the "Master of Spirit Turtle Island" instead of "Qing Zhu," which surprised Qin Sang. He guessed that "Master of Spirit Turtle Island" was likely Senior Qing Zhu's alias. Leaving behind cultivation methods for future generations, guiding those who follow, and ensuring his efforts wouldn't be forgotten—this was precisely Senior Qing Zhu's style. Back in Ziwei Palace, even while being pursued by powerful enemies, Senior Qing Zhu didn't forget to leave behind his life's work, engraving two killing talismans next to the teleportation array. Furthermore, this handwriting and the inscriptions on the stone pillars of the teleportation array were clearly by the same person, meaning Senior Qing Zhu himself left the message.

However, this time he was likely not being pursued by powerful enemies, as the handwriting was extremely neat, stroke by stroke, meticulous, and the brushstrokes appeared very heavy. The three prominent "alas" characters conveyed a sense of helplessness that seemed to strike the heart. Qin Sang was deeply affected by the message, his expression heavy.

Upon seeing the sword marks in the valley, he suspected that Senior Qing Zhu's guidance was meant for him. However, he had no other choice; relying solely on himself, the hope of finding the teleportation array was too slim, so he decided to take a gamble. Qin Sang had heard many rumors about Senior Qing Zhu, forming an image in his mind. Although he couldn't grasp the full picture of Senior Qing Zhu, he at least confirmed that he was a true sword cultivator who settled scores and repaid grievances.

However, after seeing this inscription, he felt he might have misunderstood. Senior Qing Zhu's guidance and message might not have been intended for him, or rather, not specifically for one person. Anyone who had cultivated the *Divine Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter* and was teleported here would have seen the killing talismans he left at the teleportation array, thus leading them to this place. Senior Qing Zhu hoped that someone would be able to continue along this path.

"Master of Spirit Turtle Island..." It sounded as if Senior Qing Zhu had occupied an island and adopted the title of its master as an alias. Qin Sang carefully recalled the names of renowned Nascent Soul Patriarchs, but he had never heard a similar title. He had previously assumed Senior Qing Zhu had already reached the Nascent Soul stage, but now he was unsure. He was at a loss.

Qin Sang's gaze shifted to the jade slip nearby. After a moment's thought, he summoned a Fiend Corpse and simultaneously retreated to the entrance. The Fiend Corpse walked over, easily picked up the jade slip, and handed it to Qin Sang without encountering any obstacles. There were no hidden restrictions near the jade slip.

Qin Sang gave a self-deprecating smile. He picked up the jade slip, hesitated for a moment, then activated his divine sense to examine it. As he examined the jade slip, Qin Sang's expression changed constantly, at times excited, at others disappointed. Finally, he opened his eyes and stood there, deep in thought.

Inside the jade slip were the first half of the *Divine Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter* and two killing talismans created by Senior Qing Zhu himself. Unlike in Ziwei Palace, both of these killing talismans were complete! Senior Qing Zhu had left a message back then, stating that he had gained new insights while cultivating on the sword path and could complete the seventh killing talisman, but had to leave. This indeed was not an empty boast; he had completed this talisman.

But that was the extent of it! With Senior Qing Zhu's astonishing talent, he could only deduce the *Divine Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter* to its seventh level before he could no longer continue, leaving behind these disheartened words.

"Has this path... been severed?" Qin Sang muttered to himself, feeling lost.

Senior Qing Zhu could not possibly have failed to notice the unique sword intent in the teleportation hall. He must have searched everywhere, but it seemed he had failed. Did Senior Qing Zhu break through to the Nascent Soul stage? What did he mean by "human power cannot contend with destiny" in his message? If it were merely his inability to deduce the cultivation method further, he wouldn't have expressed such deep emotion. Did Senior Qing Zhu encounter something at that time?

Qin Sang's head throbbed with pain. He didn't expect that after reading the jade slip, his doubts would not only remain unresolved but would multiply.

Besides this cultivation method, the jade slip also contained a secret art for external avatars, a cloning technique Senior Qing Zhu had created by drawing inspiration from the demonic cultivation method, *Demonic Fetus of Soul Seed*. While it was indeed cause for joy to obtain these cultivation methods and secret arts, Qin Sang felt more disappointment. Because other than these, there were no further messages. Qin Sang tried to find any hidden messages, but found nothing.

"*Demonic Fetus of Soul Seed*..." Qin Sang gathered his thoughts and began to meticulously study this cloning technique.

Originally, he had wondered if Qing Zhu had fallen into the demonic path, but after reading, he suddenly understood, realizing why Senior Qing Zhu had specifically left this secret art here. The *Demonic Fetus of Soul Seed* was an outright demonic evil art. Practitioners would split their own divine souls to refine demon seeds. These demon seeds were fragile and needed to be planted in low-level cultivators for incubation. Once the demon seed hatched and a primordial fetus secretly formed, the practitioner could gradually devour the host and then, through blood sacrifices and various secret arts, refine them into their own external avatar.

The success rate of this evil art was extremely low. Demon seeds were difficult to refine; it wasn't as simple as merely splitting one's divine soul. Practitioners had to endure immense pain and suffered severe damage to their vital essence. Furthermore, accidents were prone to occur during the demon seed's incubation. And even after successful refinement, one always had to guard against the external avatar turning against the main body. It was possible for the external avatar, once it escaped control, to manipulate or even devour the main body.

However, the benefits were obvious: once refined, the external avatar's cultivation could rapidly increase to be on par with the main body, and it could cultivate independently, act autonomously, and behave like a normal person.

The reason Qing Zhu was able to cultivate and modify this demonic evil art was actually the divine ability of 'Sword Light Manifestation' granted by the *Divine Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter*. According to Qing Zhu's own explanation, after he formed his Golden Core, he reflected on divine abilities, and his sword dao realm rapidly improved. It wasn't long before he independently comprehended the 'Sword Light Manifestation' divine ability. But as his mastery of the sword dao deepened, he gradually felt something unusual. The sword light manifested by the cultivation method seemed different from the one he had manifested on his own. Qing Zhu was deeply puzzled by this. He meditated for many years and finally discovered the mystery. This sword light manifested by the cultivation method carried the power of the divine soul; it seemed to have fused with a portion of his divine soul! And before this, he hadn't noticed anything at all.