Chapter 733: Middle Stage of The Core Formation Realm

The good news was that the fat silkworm was smoothly devouring the demonic cores of poisonous beasts and already showing signs of a breakthrough.

After checking on the condition of both spiritual insects, Qin Sang settled into meditation, and the cave dwelling returned to silence.

***

On a nameless, desolate island.

The island stretched unusually wide, with large groups of demonic beasts roaming across it.

Beneath the island, deep underground, there lay an enormous karst cave. Within the cavern, strange crystals glimmered with a dreamlike radiance.

At the very depths of this cave, a stalactite pillar had been sliced cleanly in half by a sharp weapon. Seated cross-legged atop it was a solitary figure, deep in meditation.

This person was none other than Qin Sang.

The stalactite pillar was massive. Qin Sang sat at its center, having arranged a temporary spirit-gathering array around him.

What was unusual was that the spiritual qi within this cave was exceptionally rich, more than sufficient for cultivation.

His complexion was rosy and his body completely still, though his aura continued to fluctuate wildly. Any cultivator who saw this would have been filled with envy. This was a sign of an imminent breakthrough.

The flying yaksha and the Two-Headed Hou stood dutifully on guard nearby.

From time to time, the Two-Headed Hou would raise its head to glance at Qin Sang, its eyes flickering with anticipation, seemingly even more eager than Qin Sang himself.

It clearly remembered the oath Qin Sang had sworn to his heart devils to release it once he reached the late stage of the Core Formation Realm.

The day of freedom was growing ever closer.

The Two-Headed Hou was far from dull and had a keen sense of self-preservation.

During the years it had followed Qin Sang, although it had been used in battle, Qin Sang had never once abandoned it in times of danger. That, at least, showed some integrity.

There were plenty of examples of spirit beasts following their masters to success, rising in fortune alongside them.

Qin Sang’s aptitude seemed decent enough.

But that was not what the Two-Headed Hou desired. It had never forgotten the joy of roaming free.

Qin Sang’s mind was fully focused. The true essence within his dantian surged, and his five-colored Golden Core spun at an astonishing speed.

Time did not exist in the depths of the cave.

He no longer knew how long he had maintained this state.

After another stretch of time, Qin Sang suddenly let out a muffled groan. His face twisted slightly. The Golden Core erupted with dazzling light, and the surrounding spiritual qi surged violently before rushing madly into his dantian.

In an instant, the surrounding spiritual qi was completely drained.

Qin Sang let out a long howl. With a thunderous boom, his aura burst forth, and an almost invisible wave of force swept outward, instantly shattering the spirit-gathering array.

The spiritual qi within the array’s spirit stones had already been nearly exhausted. What remained was weak and thin, and now crumbled to dust without resistance.

The stalactite beneath him cracked and collapsed with a roar.

Dust billowed in all directions.

A moment later, a figure soared skyward, followed by a hearty laugh echoing through the cavern, ringing out for a long time.

The laughter ceased.

Qin Sang flickered down and landed on the ground.

By now, it had been twenty-two years since he arrived at the Five-Elemental Islands, and nearly fifty years since he had been teleported to Canglang Sea.

Learning that Seven-Kill Hall would open ahead of schedule, Qin Sang had not dared to slack off. Nearly all of these twenty-two years had been spent deep within the Demonic Sea.

Wandering alone in the sea, surrounded by demonic beasts.

After decades of hard cultivation, he had finally broken through.

"Twenty-two years... I still remember Elder Zhou saying Seven-Kill Hall would open in a little over twenty years. Though no exact date was ever given, it must be soon," Qin Sang muttered, unable to contain the excitement as he turned his spiritual awareness inward. His eyes gleamed with brilliance.

Not only had his true essence grown stronger, his spiritual consciousness had also advanced significantly.

As expected, after breaking through to the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm, the remnants of the seal left behind by Dongyang Bo had finally been completely cleared out. Although the presence of the corpse core had rendered the remnants negligible, having them inside his body had always been an irritation.

However, what made Qin Sang frown was that the mass of gray qi still lingered stubbornly.

He urged his now more potent true essence to crash into it, but the result was no different from before. The gray qi devoured it mercilessly, not even stirring in response.

Fortunately, ever since he had formed his core, the gray qi had remained quiet. For now, he could only let it be.

Qin Sang glanced around, then chopped off another stalactite and leapt onto it. He intended to carefully examine the changes in his body and test the cultivation art created by Senior Qingzhu to compare it with the original art.

Unexpectedly, not long after entering meditation, Qin Sang was suddenly jolted awake.

He looked up toward the top of the cave and tilted his ear, listening intently. Moments later, he raised his hand and summoned the flying yaksha and the Two-Headed Hou back into their respective containers before shooting out of the cave.

The cave entrance was extremely well hidden, concealed in a field of waist-high weeds and covered by a pile of scattered rocks.

This grassy patch sat on high ground. Lying flat at the cave mouth, Qin Sang could faintly make out the distant coastline.

What surprised him was that the demonic beasts on the island had grown restless for some unknown reason. Roars and bird cries rang out one after another all around, sharp and eerie.

Out in the Demonic Sea to the west of the island, though there was no wind, the waves surged endlessly.

Within the crashing tides, shadows of all sizes swam back and forth. From time to time, one would leap out of the sea, unleashing a ferocious aura that left one’s scalp tingling.

"A beast tide?" Qin Sang frowned.

During his years on the Five-Elemental Islands, he had witnessed beast tides before. The last time had coincided with his stay on the Metal-Elemental Island.

Thankfully, the island had been warned in advance, and most of the cultivators managed to evacuate to the Wood-Elemental Island in time, resulting in minimal casualties.

That event had shown Qin Sang just how terrifying a beast tide could be.

The demonic beasts had flooded the skies and land. In the face of such overwhelming numbers, individuals were utterly insignificant. That experience had only made him more desperate to grow stronger.

Later, he had heard that even that beast tide hadn’t been the worst of its kind.

"This is the heart of the Demonic Sea, far from the Five-Elemental Islands. For a beast tide to begin here already, and so soon after the last one? It hasn’t even been ten years..."

Qin Sang’s expression grew grim. He had a strong premonition that this beast tide would be far from ordinary.

After some thought, Qin Sang left the cave dwelling and silently made his way toward the eastern side of the island. He had decided to return and deliver a warning.

Over the years, the Wang Sisters had managed the merchant guild’s business with great success. Qin Sang had benefited greatly, acquiring various auxiliary cultivation pills through their trade network.

He did not want the merchant guild to be destroyed in the beast tide.

"A pity I’ve been too focused on stabilizing my cultivation and haven’t had the chance to practice the cultivation art created by Senior Qingzhu. I’ll have to wait until I return. It's about time I went back anyway. Elder Zhou has been silent for so long. I just hope I won’t miss the Seven-Kill Hall."

With the beast tide so close, Qin Sang dared not expose his aura and moved with extreme caution.

Upon reaching the eastern part of the Desolate Island and confirming that the beast tide had not yet spread there, Qin Sang finally relaxed. He continued eastward, and once he had put enough distance between himself and the beasts, he activated the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman.

Shrouded in the spirits of Jiao, Qin Sang transformed into a streak of red evasion light and vanished into the sky within a few flashes.

Now that his cultivation had advanced, the speed at which he could wield the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman had clearly improved.

While traveling, Qin Sang experimented by incorporating the Sword Qi Thunderclap, feeling the astonishing speed of his evasion. Even late-stage Core Formation cultivators would likely be left in the dust.

His heart surged with joy as he alternated between the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman and the Two-Headed Hou to speed up his journey, all while sensing the shifting patterns of the beast tide.

"Looks like they’re heading for the Wood-Elemental Island..."

Once he confirmed the beast tide’s target, Qin Sang immediately accelerated.