Chapter 828: Freedom

Qin Sang still had three Tyrant Blood Fruits left in his possession. Although they were all unripe, the combined medicinal effect would still be enough for a breakthrough. Trading one Tyrant Blood Fruit for a late-stage Demonic Core Realm spirit beast was a worthwhile bargain.

He was eighty percent confident he could subdue the Two-Headed Hou.

The Tyrant Blood Fruit lay right in front of it, incredibly tempting.

Opportunities for breakthroughs were fleeting. If it failed to seize this one, who knew how long it would have to wait for the next? Such chances were rare indeed.

But to his surprise, an unexpected scene unfolded. The Two-Headed Hou tried once more, only to fail again.

It lay motionless on the ground, slowly closing its eyes, allowing its demonic power to fade without ever swallowing the Tyrant Blood Fruit. It resisted the temptation, choosing to forgo the chance to advance rather than acknowledge a master.

"Freedom, huh..." Qin Sang murmured, momentarily dazed.

As an immortal cultivator, Qin Sang was used to seeing demonic beasts subdued by cultivators, especially those below the Transformation Realm which lacked true intelligence and could not comprehend their own thoughts.

Most cultivators bound beast cubs as their companions, raising them from youth. Only those with exceptional strength or secret beast-taming arts could forcibly subdue an adult demonic beast. Qin Sang knew no such art, and so the Two-Headed Hou would have to acknowledge him on its own.

After years of living together, Qin Sang knew the Two-Headed Hou possessed excellent talent and above-average intelligence. Yet it had never taken Imperial Elixir, and he had not expected it to resist the pull of instinct for the sake of freedom. Or perhaps it simply had the confidence to advance on its own.

As the Tyrant Blood Fruit’s medicinal energy gradually dissipated, the Two-Headed Hou’s breathing grew steady. It seemed utterly exhausted, lounging lazily without moving. Clearly, it had failed.

The bulge at its neck did not fully recede. Though it had not broken through, that instant of enlightenment had still brought great benefits. Its strength had leapt forward, and so had its natural talent.

Sensing its aura, Qin Sang silently acknowledged that a demonic beast with such a powerful bloodline was already stronger than cultivators of the same realm. Now, it could likely face an ordinary late-stage Core Formation cultivator alone without fear.

Qin Sang picked up the spiritual fruit and spoke calmly, "Since you have made your decision, I will not force you. This Tyrant Blood Fruit will be kept for you. The moment you agree to my terms, it will still be yours."

If the Two-Headed Hou could advance on its own, there was nothing to argue. A melon forced from the vine would never be sweet.

But with its breakthrough failed, Qin Sang certainly would not let it go easily.

It was a top-tier talent at the peak of the middle stage, and one that the Primordial Unity Ring could control was too rare. Even if found, they were not easily subdued.

"Did it still remember my promise that I will set it free once I reach the late stage of the Core Formation Realm...? It must have been deceived by my cultivation speed and overestimated my talent."

His expression turned strange. Without finding the Ten Divine Woods, his cultivation would soon stagnate. Until the next opening of Seven-Kill Hall and the discovery of an ancient teleportation array, the Two-Headed Hou’s hopes of freedom were slim.

At his words, the Two-Headed Hou lifted its eyelids, snorted, and remained indifferent to the lure of the fruit.

"Alright then, may your dream come true someday..." Ignoring it, Qin Sang stored the fruit and went back to his work.

As it turned out, chances for breakthroughs truly did not come easily.

The Two-Headed Hou roamed Qin Sang’s cave dwelling daily, sometimes sneaking into his spirit-gathering array. Half a year passed without any progress.

It was nearly driven mad, howling at the moon and stars every night as if questioning the heavens. Annoyed beyond measure, Qin Sang finally sealed it into the Primordial Unity Ring to make it sleep.

Qin Sang’s own days were full, refining his external incarnation, cultivating, tempering his body, and raising his spiritual insects. There was barely a moment of idleness.

A month ago, Xiangan Auction House delivered the spiritual herbs he had ordered to nurture the Sky-Eyed Butterfly. Some were even more precious than the Six-Petaled Butterfly Pansy, yet luck had been with him, and the full prescription was complete.

The price was naturally steep. His savings had already been greatly depleted when gathering materials to refine the Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions.

The Sky-Eyed Butterfly’s appetite was like a bottomless pit, and with such a glutton to support, Qin Sang felt the strain more and more.

Thankfully, the fat silkworm could forage for its own food and ate slowly, just one nibble sent it into long slumber. The stash of Purple Crystals would last for decades.

"If this keeps up, it seems I will have to return to my old trade and refine artifacts for profit. Alchemist Yi has long invited me to join the auction house, but I have never refined a true astra before. Crafting common artifacts earns only hard labor’s pay. Still, with a single high-grade spirit stone on hand, I could try arranging a spiritual array to refine several Yan Luo Banners. Once completed, my artifact refinement skills will improve greatly as well..." With that, Qin Sang flipped his palm, producing a high-grade spirit stone.

After some contemplation, he cleared his cave dwelling of clutter and laid out the materials for the array.

Rustle...

With a rustling sound, the floor was soon piled high.

The collection was vast and valuable, much of it demonic beast bones and hides that had to fit the five-elemental cycle[1], along with beast essence souls.

The beast essence souls would be sealed into the banner poles, later refined into Soul Threads, the key to weaving the banners.

Such items were nearly impossible to gather in the Small Cold Domain. Even the great Spiritual Infant Founder Kuiyin had labored long to do so.

But in Canglang Sea, as long as one had the spirit stones, they could be bought.

The difficulty lay with the other materials, which Xiangan Auction House had spent considerable time sourcing.

Once Qin Sang confirmed nothing was missing, he brought out the black iron column and set it aside, then organized the materials and began his work.

The spiritual array was an extremely complex ancient array that Founder Kuiyin had uncovered in ancient texts.

Qin Sang first refined each material, then arranged them into an array. He worked for hours before the array began to take shape.

Three days later, the cave dwelling was filled with a grand five-colored array.

When completed, the array looked seamless, its materials indistinguishable beneath what appeared to be carved white jade. Openings along its perimeter allowed insertion of middle-grade spirit stones, but at its heart, a high-grade spirit stone was essential to activate it.

Above the array, five-colored light cycled, manifestations of the five elements' power within the materials, flowing toward the center under the array’s design.

The black iron column would be placed there. This time, he intended to forge more banners than Founder Kuiyin had.

The old method of setting ten poles in an array might not draw out the full power of an astra, so he planned to find a more suitable array and adjust the crafting process accordingly.

Since returning from Seven-Kill Hall, Qin Sang had pondered the matter and had begun to form an idea.

But that concern was for when he wove the banners later. For now, all his focus would go to refining the poles.

1. This is a cycle of the five elements established by ancient Chinese. The order goes wood → fire → earth → metal → water → wood. It represented the conflict and support between the elements. ☜