Chapter 947: Responsibility

Amidst the mountains, two figures concealed in the shadows, watched the wasteland.

"Must we cross the wasteland to leave this place?" Bai learned about the Seven Kills Hall from Qin Sang, and his expression turned grave. "If that person keeps guarding the wasteland, won't we be trapped?"

"Unless he's crazy!" Qin Sang scoffed. "Besides the Nascent Soul cultivators of the two races, there are also Core Formation cultivators from various major forces who entered the Seven Kills Hall this time. All of them are elites among their peers, holding significant positions. Does he truly dare to defy convention and offend all these powers by searching them one by one? Canglang Sea isn't a place he can control completely, and neither the Grand Shaman nor Ling Zhuzi, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Sect, would allow it."

At this moment, the wasteland had regained its tranquility, with no one in sight. After leaving the Purple Mist Perilous Zone, the two hadn't found any trace of the Nascent Soul cultivator and didn't know his whereabouts. Bai wondered if this person would continue to guard the spot in expectation.

By conventional wisdom, no matter how mad that person was, he wouldn't dare do such a thing; it would be too unconventional. Encountering a Nascent Soul cultivator's ambush meant certain death for a Core Formation cultivator. If everyone did this, any treasures acquired would simply benefit others; who would still dare to enter the Seven Kills Hall to seek treasures? Such an incident had no precedent. Various factions must have reached an unspoken agreement long ago, perhaps even established rules. Furthermore, with the two Grand Cultivators, Ling Zhuzi and the Grand Shaman, present in the Seven Kills Hall, it wasn't this person's place to act so recklessly.

However, Qin Sang suddenly recalled an incident that occurred in the Seven Kills Hall last time. The Demon Lord and the Grand Shaman had fought over a treasure, their conflict escalating from inside the Heavenly Pagoda all the way to Canglang Sea. The Nascent Soul cultivators of both races were drawn into the conflict, nearly sparking a full-scale war between them. He had been caught in the aftermath and nearly lost his life in the Heavenly Pagoda.

If a similar situation were to arise again, the Grand Shaman and Ling Zhuzi would surely prioritize the larger picture, having no time to bother with such minor issues. It was indeed possible that this person could succeed. If this individual believed there was a great treasure in the ghost domain, it wasn't impossible for them to act wildly. Thinking of this, Qin Sang genuinely felt a sense of unease.

"Daoist friend, please think carefully again; do you truly not remember his appearance?" Qin Sang pressed Bai. He had asked Bai about this in the ghost domain, wanting to confirm the enemy's identity to avoid him in the future, but unfortunately, Bai hadn't seen the man's face either.

Bai shook his head and said, "Last time he appeared, I had just seized your Fiend Corpse. After you left, I was focused on refining the physical body. By the time I sensed the demonic flame's fluctuations, sealed the refined corpse, and came out to check, that person had already departed. This time, he deliberately ambushed you, not even revealing his true form. It was only because I was prepared that I noticed the flaw he exposed while setting up his formation. As for other times, whether he came or not, I have even less idea. The cultivators who tried to break in weren't just one or two; several Nascent Soul cultivators once arrived together, setting up a top-tier grand formation, but they still couldn't shake the demonic restriction..."

Qin Sang sighed inwardly and slowly shook his head. "Never mind, since we're here, we'll make the best of it. It's not yet time to leave; I still have an important matter I must attend to. The Seven Kills Hall might descend into chaos later, and perhaps then we can make our escape. I've already removed the spiritual imprint for you, Daoist friend. What are your plans now?"

Just now, Qin Sang fulfilled his promise, releasing the spiritual imprint within the refined corpse's primordial spirit. He had naturally obtained the Soul Nurturing Wood as well. Their oath to each other was fulfilled; they no longer owed each other anything.

Bai frowned and said, "Daoist friend, is merely removing the spiritual imprint enough? Within the refined corpse's primordial spirit, there's another strange power, intertwined with its primordial spirit, indistinguishable from it. That must also be something you left behind, right?"

"Indeed." Qin Sang nodded. "That power is called the Heavenly Corpse Talisman. It's crucial to this secret corpse refining technique. However, I only know how to refine the Heavenly Corpse Talisman; I don't know how to undo it."

Bai stared at Qin Sang, his eyes clearly showing disbelief. Qin Sang met his gaze calmly. His words were entirely truthful. "This corpse refining art is called the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art. It's no longer of much use to me, so there's no need for secrecy. If you don't believe me, see for yourself."

He took the Heavenly Corpse Token from his Qianjun Ring and tossed it to Bai. After Bai finished reading the contents of the Heavenly Corpse Token, his expression suddenly turned exceptionally grim.

Qin Sang was curious. "Daoist friend, why dwell on a mere talisman seal? Without my spiritual imprint, the Heavenly Corpse Talisman itself isn't difficult to break. With your strength, you should be able to easily erase the refined corpse's primordial spirit, shouldn't you?"

Bai let out a bitter laugh. "Erasing the refined corpse's primordial spirit isn't difficult, but if I do that, I'm afraid I'll be stuck on the path of corpsemancy forever, with no possibility of returning to normal." After a pause, Bai explained, "After merging with the refined corpse's physical body, I discovered that the body hadn't truly died; there was still a trace of vitality within it. Once I erase the refined corpse's primordial spirit, that vitality will also vanish, turning it into a true corpse. To restore the physical body to normal, one must start from the root, first refining the refined corpse's primordial spirit to slowly recover... Unless I obtain some divine pill or rare treasure, there's no turning back. I've heard you say that the current cultivation world is severely fragmented, with the strongest experts only in the late Nascent Soul stage. Where would one find such a heaven-defying treasure capable of altering fate?"

Hearing this, Qin Sang's heart stirred. Although he had once transformed into a living corpse, protected by the jade Buddha, he wasn't considered a true refined corpse, so his experience wasn't as profound as Bai's. He hadn't expected that after so long, the flying yaksha's physical body still retained vitality. Was this the true reason the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art referred to them as 'living corpses'? If Bai found a way to break the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, perhaps it could be used on Mute Maiden.

Considering this, Qin Sang quickly pressed, "What kind of vitality are you referring to, Daoist friend? After breaking the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, is it truly possible to restore someone to a normal state?"

Bai gave Qin Sang a meaningful glance. "The vitality I speak of is different from the external vitality brought by pills; it refers to fundamental vitality. You've guessed correctly, Daoist friend: as long as the Heavenly Corpse Talisman can be undone, the woman in your corpse puppet bag has a chance to return to normal. I hadn't expected you to be such a devoted person, using an evil artifact to save someone and keeping her by your side faithfully. It certainly makes me see you in a new light..."

"You saw her?" Qin Sang sighed softly. "It's not devotion, but responsibility. If it were you, Daoist friend, could you simply watch your lifesaver die before your eyes? If I hadn't witnessed it myself, perhaps helping her get revenge would have brought closure. But since there's a method to save her, even if the hope is extremely slim, I can't just stand by. Otherwise, my conscience wouldn't be at ease."

As he spoke, Qin Sang opened his corpse puppet bag and summoned Mute Maiden. Mute Maiden was like a sleeping beauty. Unlike the flying yaksha, her appearance showed no resemblance to a refined corpse; her skin was even more rosy and supple than it had been in life.

"Daoist friend, you've been a ghost cultivator for many years; are you truly helpless against the Heavenly Corpse Talisman?" Qin Sang gazed at Mute Maiden for a long time, then looked up and asked.

Bai shook his head, his expression serious, and said, "I suspect the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art might not be a corpsemancy secret art, or at least, not entirely belonging to the corpsemancy path."