Chapter 518: A Straw in the Wind

The girl's name was Shi Ying. Though she appeared young, her true age was not as small as it seemed.

Back when Qin Sang had mingled among the crowds of Qingyang Market, he had often heard her name mentioned by fellow disciples of the Demonic Qingyang Sect.

For immortal cultivators, qi and blood remained abundant before their vitality waned, making them far less prone to aging than ordinary mortals. Moreover, some special cultivation arts could even work wonders in preserving one's appearance.

Added to that, Shi Ying was a rare type of ascetic. Since childhood, she had secluded herself within a cave dwelling, cultivating day and night without ever stepping into worldly affairs. That she appeared like an innocent young maiden was therefore unsurprising.

Her fame stemmed precisely from these facts.

Among the many youths entering immortal sects, very few, whether male or female, could endure solitude and tedium without distraction when they were first admitted.

Even among those mighty advanced cultivators who ultimately achieved greatness, most had undergone a painful process of refining their hearts, only awakening through some pivotal enlightenment before finally devoting themselves wholeheartedly to the Dao.

As for the majority of cultivators, they might never achieve that awakening in their entire lives.

If not for the fact that Qin Sang had lived two lives and survived the brink of death, he too might have faltered back when faced with the temptations of power, beauty, and wealth.

Shi Ying, however, was different. From the moment she entered the Demonic Qingyang Sect at a young age, she displayed astonishing willpower. In her eyes, it seemed there existed only the word "cultivation."

She was strikingly beautiful, with a delicate, pitiful aura that naturally drew the affection of others.

Some senior brothers admired her deeply, but Shi Ying always treated everyone with the same distant indifference. Other than completing the minimal sect duties required of her, she spent all her time secluded in her cave dwelling, cultivating.

Neither summer's heat nor winter's chill, neither day nor night, ever disrupted her.

Among her peers who had entered the sect at the same time, she had been a complete outlier.

Qin Sang had learned of her existence from those would-be admirers. Although he had never seen her in person, he once viewed her portrait from a disciple of the Demonic Qingyang Sect.

At the time, Qin Sang had no interest in prying into the life of a mere Qi Refining female cultivator, and his understanding of Shi Ying had remained limited to that.

"So it’s her," Qin Sang muttered inwardly.

Shi Ying rarely descended the mountain. Even when she did leave the Demonic Qingyang Sect, it was only to temper herself in the Endless Valley.

The Endless Valley lay to the east of the Demonic Qingyang Sect. Yet now, Shi Ying had approached from due south.

From her appearance, it seemed she had just wept bitterly. What could have happened to drive someone with such unshakable will to sorrow?

Shi Ying’s character and Yu Batian’s could not have been more different; they stood at opposite extremes.

Qin Sang had chosen Yu Batian as his target after careful deliberation. Now, with this sudden change, even he was uncertain whether it would turn out for better or worse. For now, he could only wait and see what Shi Ying would choose.

The Corpse Coffin opened.

Shi Ying clutched her defensive artifacts tightly, her eyes wide and wary as she stared at the refined corpse lying inside, afraid that it might suddenly attack.

Yet the refined corpse remained silent and motionless, showing no signs of reanimation.

After a while, when nothing abnormal occurred, Shi Ying pressed her lips together, steeled herself, and took a step toward the coffin, only to suddenly remember something. She quickly re-sank her spiritual consciousness into the jade slip.

Moments later, Shi Ying formed a hand seal and sent a soul imprint directly toward the refined corpse.

The soul imprint entered the refined corpse's skull without any resistance.

In Qin Sang’s primordial spirit space, he fully relaxed his primordial spirit, allowing Shi Ying’s soul imprint to embed deep within, effectively handing control of himself over to the girl before him.

It was only because he had the protection of the Jade Buddha—able to dispel soul imprints at any time—that he dared take such a risk.

Even among mighty cultivators, none would dare to allow another’s soul imprint to be implanted into the depths of their primordial spirit so recklessly.

Though they might rely on their formidable cultivation to eventually break free of the imprint’s control, erasing it completely without leaving a trace would be extremely difficult.

Should even the faintest remnant remain, it could someday become a fatal weakness, a foothold for heart demons to exploit.

But Qin Sang had no such worries. If the Jade Buddha could expel even the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, how could a mere Qi Refining cultivator’s soul imprint pose any threat?

Once the imprint was embedded, Qin Sang withdrew completely, relinquishing all control over his physical body.

Seeing her soul imprint successfully take control of the refined corpse, Shi Ying finally relaxed. She flashed to the side of the coffin and narrowed her eyes to examine the corpse’s condition.

After a brief inspection, Shi Ying’s mind stirred.

Swoosh!

The refined corpse sprang upright in a rigid stance, obeying her commands with seamless precision.

From the jade slip, she had learned that the refined corpse was not yet fully completed—it still lacked the final step: charging the core with Celestial Gale Qi.

Until then, it could not be used for combat. If forced into battle prematurely, the refined corpse would lose control of the Golden Core forming within its dantian, causing its body to explode before even striking a blow.

It was precisely because of this unstable stage that the corpse cultivator had perished while the refined corpse remained intact.

"He came here for our sect's Qingyang Gale Essence, didn't he? Yet he must have provoked some formidable enemy. Instead of obtaining the Qingyang Gale Essence, he lost his life instead..."

Shi Ying murmured to herself.

Having cultivated the Demonic Qingyang Fire, she naturally understood just how rare Celestial Gale Essence was in the world.

And now, the truth lay plainly before her eyes.

The corpse, the Mustard Seed Pouch, the refined corpse, the Golden Core, the Earth Malevolent Qi...

Everything was real. Moreover, when she planted her soul imprint, she encountered no resistance, leaving her with no room for doubt.

"There really exists such a method of corpse refinement in this world..."

Shi Ying’s heart stirred. She reopened the Mustard Seed Pouch and took out a small pile of Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles. Upon uncorking one, she found it filled with dense Earth Malevolent Qi.

"If I use the Qingyang Gale Essence to complete the final step of the refinement, I can obtain a refined corpse on par with a Fake Core Realm expert!"

Shi Ying’s eyes widened round, her hands clutching the Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles tightly, her voice trembling with excitement.

Suddenly, her eyes reddened, and two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks as she broke into uncontrollable sobs.

"Father, Mother... your daughter can finally avenge you..."

Although Qin Sang had withdrawn into a state of inner silence, it did not prevent him from hearing the sounds from outside.

Hearing these words, Qin Sang was secretly astonished. It seemed that this girl had been carrying a deep, searing hatred on her back all along.

No wonder...

Such a temperament could not have arisen without cause.

At a time when youth should have been filled with innocence and wonder, how could one resist the temptations of the mortal world without such a heavy burden?

What followed shocked Qin Sang even more.

Shi Ying suddenly knelt down, facing south, and kowtowed nine times with loud thuds, her voice brimming with hatred as she cried out, "Father, Mother, please watch over your daughter! I will personally slay that villain Wen Yanjie and avenge you!"

The murderer of her parents was actually Wen Yanjie—her fellow sect member, her senior uncle.

Just a few days ago, when Qin Sang had sold a refined corpse to Wen Yanjie, he had sensed that this man was two-faced, capable of committing any vile act. It now seemed his instincts had been correct.

What a tangled web of hatred and vengeance. Qin Sang could not guess the full story.

But now, knowing of Shi Ying’s grudge, Qin Sang immediately realized that Shi Ying was an even better candidate than Yu Batian!

Shi Ying possessed decent talent, but Wen Yanjie was even stronger.

By the time she broke through to the Foundation Building Realm, Wen Yanjie might have already advanced to the Golden Core Realm. Even if he failed and was stuck at the Fake Core Realm, Shi Ying would have to cultivate for decades just to catch up.

More likely, she would never catch up to Wen Yanjie in her lifetime and would forever lose her chance at revenge.

In her eyes, this refined corpse was her only straw of hope!