Chapter 919: Corpse Refining Art

Yin energy permeated the swamp. Who knew how many creatures had been swallowed by the swamp to nurture such a vast extreme Yin location.

At the periphery of the swamp, the Yin energy was weak, and the spiritual energy was denser than in other places. However, unless they were ghost path cultivators who relied on Yin energy for cultivation, ordinary people would not establish their cave dwellings here.

Deep within the swamp, thick Yin energy congealed without dispersing, devouring all vitality. The presence of living creatures was almost nonexistent, much like the Yin Fiend Abyss of the Kuiyin Sect.

Yet, in such a place, a stone pagoda stood, half-submerged in the swamp and half-floating above it.

At this moment, three figures hovered in front of the stone pagoda.

A large pit had formed in the swamp below. The surrounding black mud was closing in on the center, and the rotting mud from the bottom, both black and yellow, had been churned up, emitting a putrid smell.

This indescribable scene was nauseating to behold.

Standing in front of the stone pagoda was a square-faced cultivator. His face was ashen, and his left hand, tucked into his sleeve, was trembling continuously, though he was forcefully suppressing it with true essence, making it imperceptible from the outside.

“Your methods are impressive!” The square-faced cultivator clenched his fist, his face filled with rage, and gritted his teeth, saying, “Fine! I, Luo, admit defeat. The corpse refining technique is yours!”

With that, he flicked his sleeve, and a streak of light flew towards the opposite side, containing a jade slip.

The two individuals opposite stood one in front of the other, both wearing ghastly masks. Though not magic treasures, they were top-tier magic tools. The black-robed cultivator, a dignified Core Formation expert, was actually unable to penetrate the masks with his spiritual consciousness to discern their true appearances.

“Thank you, fellow Daoist.” The person in front snatched the jade slip, swept it with his spiritual consciousness, and after reviewing its contents, spoke with a hint of joy in his tone. He raised his hand and sent back a jade slip. “I apologize for the offense today, and I hope fellow Daoist Luo doesn't take it amiss. I will abide by my previous promise and not leak a single detail of your corpse refining technique. In exchange, this is a corpse path secret art I collected previously, which should be helpful to you. Farewell!”

Before he finished speaking, the two raised their escape light and fled into the distance without looking back.

A moment later, several cultivators flew out of the stone pagoda and landed behind the square-faced cultivator, their faces filled with indignation. United in anger, they asked, “Master, are we just letting them go like that?”

The square-faced cultivator's face was grim. “If we don't let them go, are we supposed to keep them? Didn't you see? That person just now, in our exchange, was able to contend with me using only sword techniques. The aura of the person behind him seemed even stronger, very likely a late Core Formation expert.”

“Late Core Formation!” Everyone was astonished.

Another person spoke, “But Master, you haven't fully activated the grand formation yet. Even a late Core Formation expert couldn't easily break your Nether Corpse Grand Formation, could they? Furthermore, your main nether corpse's strength is comparable to a Core Formation cultivator. As long as we hold out for a while, Elder Mao will arrive with reinforcements…”

Upon hearing this, the square-faced cultivator's expression darkened further. He snorted coldly and said, “Look at where that person stood—it was precisely the weakest point of the grand formation. This is no coincidence! The Nether Corpse Array is my own creation; others couldn't possibly know how to break it. That means this person is extremely proficient in array formations, easily seeing through the grand formation's flaws…”

Hearing this, the disciples were even more horrified, only then realizing how dangerous the situation had been.

“Enough! This person wasn't coveting the true legacy cultivation methods of my Nether Corpse Sect. Without cultivating the true legacy, many secret arts cannot be used. The remaining parts are largely similar to the corpse refining techniques of other corpse path sects, so giving it to him is fine. Moreover, the corpse refining technique he gave me seems to have a significant origin. After I, your master, comprehend it, I might even be able to perfect the Nether Corpse Array…”

The square-faced cultivator gradually suppressed his anger and flashed back into the stone pagoda.

Meanwhile, the two individuals had already flown out of the swamp. They were none other than Qin Sang and his incarnation.

For more than a decade, Bai Zhongqiu and his wife had followed Qin Sang's orders, conducting discreet investigations to find renowned corpse path cultivators in the Rifting Isles.

Qin Sang selected those he could afford to provoke and visited them one by one, exchanging insights on corpse refining techniques and the corpse path.

The jade slip Qin Sang gave to the man did not contain the 'Heavenly Yin Corpse Arts,' but rather another corpse path legacy he had obtained in the Lesser Cold Domain, which was also incomplete, of course.

Such incomplete cultivation methods were not uncommon in the Lesser Cold Domain, most being ancient cultivator legacies unearthed from the ancient immortal battlefield. They were quite valuable, allowing fellow corpse path cultivators to gain insights.

Thus, Qin Sang used such secret arts for exchange, and with his and his incarnation's strength evident, the exchange process was quite smooth.

Qin Sang did this for two reasons: firstly, to find a way to unlock the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, and secondly, to see if he could gain inspiration from other corpse refining techniques to comprehend the subsequent parts of the 'Heavenly Yin Corpse Arts' himself.

In fact, Qin Sang had been collecting these techniques even while working for the merchant association in the Demon Sea, buying them with spirit stones back then. In the Rifting Isles, it was more often a matter of resorting to force.

Cultivators who could establish themselves in the Rifting Isles all possessed some capability, and some of the corpse refining techniques Qin Sang acquired indeed had their unique aspects.

Unfortunately, none of the corpse refining techniques followed a path similar to the 'Heavenly Yin Corpse Arts.'

Among these corpse refining techniques, there were indeed secret arts capable of refining flying yakshas, but all required a long process of nurturing and refining corpses, coupled with various stringent conditions, making the difficulty no less than a normal cultivator forming their core.

His external incarnation already consumed enough resources and energy; he couldn't afford to divert his attention to nurturing more corpses.

Over the past decade or so, Qin Sang spared no expense to enhance his incarnation, which finally broke through to the late Core Formation stage not long ago. From Core Formation to the late stage, it took less than thirty years; other cultivators, upon hearing this, would surely shed tears of envy.

But for Qin Sang, it was still too slow.

According to the information he had received, the opening of the Seven Kills Hall was estimated to be in seven or eight years, which wasn't enough time for his incarnation to cultivate to the peak of the Core Formation stage. He needed to use a quick method.

The good news was that the cultivation process of 'Heavenly Demon Refinement' had been smooth, successfully breaking through to the third-layer mid-stage ten years ago, matching his cultivation level.

Although the subsequent improvement speed dropped sharply, Qin Sang was not afraid of star fiends, and his cultivation speed for this technique was still much faster than others.

He was even considering whether to consume a Tyrant Blood Fruit and attempt to break through to the third-layer late stage before the Seven Kills Hall opened.

“Nether Corpse…” Qin Sang landed in a safe place, instructed his incarnation to guard him, and then focused on examining the newly acquired corpse refining technique.

“The Nether Corpse Sect's corpse refining technique is indeed different from others, but it requires cultivating a unique Nether Yin Qi before one can refine corpses. No wonder that person so readily handed over the technique!”

Qin Sang withdrew his spiritual consciousness and sighed softly.

Aside from the Nether Yin Qi, this technique was not significantly different from other corpse refining arts and offered little help in deciphering the Heavenly Corpse Talisman.

“There are still a few more (techniques) to check, but there isn't enough time now. The auction on Windhiding Island is about to begin, and I must acquire the jade pendant for entry into the Seven Kills Hall. It seems I will have to use some of the valuable spiritual items obtained from that person on Black Serpent Mountain…”

Qin Sang mused for a moment, then set off, flying west.