Chapter 959: Defining the Path

The roar was peculiar; it was impossible to tell what kind of fierce beast it was.

Qin Sang gestured backward, and the Two-Headed Huli immediately disappeared into the Hunyuan Concentric Ring. He then crouched down, concealing his presence.

As he watched the fleeing cultivator, a peculiar glint flashed in Qin Sang's eyes. The cultivator's escape light was surprisingly black and white. This type of escape light was rare. Qin Sang had only seen it before on cultivators from the Yin-Yang branch of the Landou Sect, who trained in Yin and Yang energies from the Qi Condensation stage. It was only when they employed their unique escape arts that such a special escape light would appear.

"Could it be someone from the Yin-Yang branch of the Landou Sect? Could it be Old Daoist Huayang?" Qin Sang mused to himself.

The fierce beast behind him finally appeared. From a distance, it appeared as a surge of black demonic wind. Even with Qin Sang's excellent eyesight, he could only vaguely make out the beast's silhouette within. It resembled an eagle or a falcon, and with a gentle flap of its wings, it closed the distance. Its speed was clearly much faster than the cultivator's.

"Roar!"

The fierce beast roared wildly, causing the demonic wind to ripple intensely. Along its path, all the rocks were shattered.

Within a few breaths, the fierce beast drew closer to the cultivator. After another roar, the beast opened its massive maw and spat out a ball of demonic flame, which shot forth from the demonic wind.

Whoosh!

Wherever the demonic flame passed, vegetation ignited and instantly turned to ash.

Sensing the power of the demonic flame, the cultivator's face filled with horror. He hurriedly conjured a spell, his escape light sharply veered, and he plummeted downward, yet he was still grazed by the edge of the demonic flame. The cultivator cried out in alarm and fell into the mountains. Fortunately, he wasn't severely injured. Without a moment's hesitation, he activated his escape art again, fleeing frantically without choosing a path.

Qin Sang, hidden in the shadows, observed the chase and roughly assessed the strength of both parties. The fierce beast exuded a formidable aura, its strength slightly inferior to a demonic beast in the late Demonic Core stage. Although the cultivator had a Mid-Core Formation cultivation, he was injured and completely helpless against the fierce beast.

Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then his figure flickered. After surveying his surroundings and confirming there was no danger, he stealthily approached in the direction the cultivator had fled.

Whoosh!

An escape light, wavering unsteadily, streaked through the air and flew over a mountain peak. The fierce beast followed closely behind. The cultivator, scorched by the demonic flame, had a tattered daoist robe and sustained considerable injuries. Despair appeared on his face.

Just then, an unexpected turn of events occurred. As the cultivator just swept past the mountain peak, a masked figure suddenly leaped out from underground, intercepting them and directly facing the fierce beast. This person was none other than Qin Sang.

The fierce beast reacted incredibly fast, its eyes blazing with ferocity. Sensing a threat from this person, it opened its sharp, gaping maw and spat out a basin-sized ball of demonic flame. Qin Sang let out a cold snort, his escape light flashed, and he effortlessly bypassed the demonic flame, appearing beside the fierce beast the next instant. He did not use the Ebony Sword; instead, he wielded another spirit sword, and the power of his sword technique was not diminished in the slightest.

The fierce beast let out a strange roar, its wings flapped furiously, and the demonic wind condensed, barely blocking Qin Sang's attack. However, facing Qin Sang's relentless and rapid assault, it became increasingly overwhelmed. Terrified, the fierce beast turned and fled. The speed it unleashed in its escape was even faster than before, but it was still too slow for Qin Sang. Enveloped by the sword wheel, it didn't struggle for long before perishing by the sword. Blood splattered across the sky.

Qin Sang did not take the corpse; he only retrieved the fierce beast's demonic core. The fierce beasts in the Seven Kills Hall possessed a strange malevolent aura within them, rendering them unusable for refining artifacts or concocting pills. The same applied to the demonic core; however, such high-grade demonic cores were uncommon, so Qin Sang still kept it.

By this time, the fleeing cultivator had stopped far away. Having narrowly escaped death, he was both surprised and apprehensive. After a moment of hesitation, he forcibly suppressed his injuries and actively flew back. Having personally witnessed Qin Sang mercilessly kill the fierce beast, the cultivator was utterly astonished. He looked at Qin Sang with some trepidation, cupped his hands, and said, "Many thanks for your assistance, Fellow Daoist."

Qin Sang turned to look at the cultivator. "Are you a Landou Sect cultivator?"

The cultivator dared not conceal it and quickly replied, "Your discernment is truly sharp, Fellow Daoist. I am indeed a disciple of the Yin-Yang Peak of the Landou Sect, my daoist name is Mingyi. May I ask your daoist name? Mingyi will never forget your life-saving kindness, and in the future..."

Qin Sang waved his hand, interrupting Mingyi. "I've heard that your Yin-Yang branch of the Landou Sect primarily cultivates Yin and Yang, so your attainments in the Dao of Yin and Yang must be profound. I have some interest in this; might I ask if you could explain a thing or two about your cultivation insights, Fellow Daoist?"

Mingyi was taken aback, not expecting Qin Sang to make such a request, but he immediately nodded repeatedly. Qin Sang was merely asking about his cultivation insights, not demanding cultivation techniques. This didn't violate sect prohibitions and allowed him to repay the kindness, so naturally, Mingyi didn't hesitate and answered every question.

Qin Sang gestured toward Flower Fairy Lake, and they conversed as they walked, with Mingyi readily complying. When they were halfway to their destination, their discussion on the Dao concluded. As expected, although Mingyi's cultivation was far superior to Old Daoist Huayang's attendant, and his understanding of the Dao of Yin and Yang was more profound, he had not escaped the confines of the first layer of the *Yin-Yang Heavenly Combat Secret Art*.

Qin Sang felt a little disappointed. His earlier premonition was correct: the subsequent cultivation techniques created by Daoist Yin-Yang had significant flaws. Mingyi was surprised to discover that Qin Sang also possessed unique insights into the Dao of Yin and Yang. Delighted by this intellectual exchange, he invited Qin Sang to his sect to discuss the Dao with his fellow disciples. Unexpectedly, Qin Sang shook his head, suddenly accelerated, and vanished into the depths of the mountains in the blink of an eye.

"My action today was simply on a whim. We are now even, Fellow Daoist, so please don't take it to heart..."

Only Mingyi remained, staring blankly in the direction where Qin Sang had vanished.

"What a pity. If the *Yin-Yang Heavenly Combat Secret Art* could be cultivated, it would serve as an alternative cultivation technique after forming a Nascent Soul. Of course, such true inheritances come with numerous restrictions, making them not easy to acquire.

"Actually, once I successfully form a Nascent Soul, my lifespan will greatly increase, and cultivation won't be as urgent as before. With Senior Qingzhu's precedent, perhaps I can attempt to mend the *Soul Nurturing Sword Chapter* myself.

"However, this would inevitably sow hidden dangers for the future, leading to a dead end eventually. It's not a long-term solution. The current cultivation world is in decline, and spiritual medicines are hard to find. Cultivation itself is an extremely difficult endeavor; perhaps only peerless geniuses can achieve both.

"Moreover, the Nascent Soul stage is still far from achieving immortality, and it's not yet time to forge one's own Grand Dao. When there's no tiger in the mountains, monkeys become kings—Nascent Soul Grandmasters can only lord it over others in this current world. The best approach is still to first find a suitable cultivation technique, prioritize improving my cultivation, and along the path of cultivation, observe countless wonders and discover a Grand Dao that suits me..."

As Qin Sang pondered these thoughts, he drew closer and closer to Flower Fairy Lake. He opened his palm and took out the token Elder Zou had given him. After a moment's thought, he put it away again, choosing not to activate the forbidden spell within it.

Soon, at the edge of his vision, he could vaguely discern the beautiful scenery of Flower Fairy Lake. Fat Silkworm also seemed to sense something, eagerly stirring within the spirit beast pouch. Flower Fairy Lake had two entrances; Qin Sang was heading for the other one this time. He picked up Fat Silkworm, hid it inside his chest armor, and accelerated towards Flower Fairy Lake.

Just then, a sudden, urgent whoosh of air approached, and an escape light streaked directly towards Qin Sang's position.