Chapter 917: Subjugation

Gazing at the cave master’s ruined body, Qin Sang wore a pensive expression. Then runes surged in his palm, drawing streams of blood and essence from the corpse.

The glowing runes flickered like flames, purifying the blood until only the most refined blood qi remained.

In the end, what lay in Qin Sang’s hand was a crimson bead the size of a longan fruit. With a faint tremor of his arm, he shattered the withered corpse into dust.

He was using a secret technique from the

Seeded Devil Embryo

, extracting the essence and blood. Once the external incarnation consumed and refined it, his cultivation would rise rapidly. It was a shortcut to power.

But raising cultivation in this way would also make the incarnation more bloodthirsty and harder to control, sowing the risk of backlash. Even with the aid of the Jade Buddha, suppressing it would be difficult.

The one most at risk of suffering such backlash would be the incarnation’s master. Thus, unless the incarnation could not otherwise advance to the peak of the Core Formation Realm, Qin Sang would avoid this method.

He flipped his hand and stored away the blood bead. The incarnation flew out of Poison Island, flashing to Qin Sang’s side.

After interrogating the cave master’s subordinates, he reported the details. Qin Sang nodded, leaving the incarnation to guard the island while he himself took the Two-Headed Hou to settle the loose ends.

In a stretch of sea scattered with reefs, the skies abruptly changed. Lightning and thunder split the heavens, startling the beasts and birds on nearby islets into panic.

Swoosh!

From the forest, flocks of birds burst into the air.

Two figures suddenly appeared, arriving on a small reef island. They looked at a charred patch of land where several blackened corpses lay.

Leaping from the Two-Headed Hou’s back, Qin Sang flashed to the corpses and identified the remains of a Golden Core cultivator from the Devil-Worshipping Cave.

This was the very helper the cave master had tried to summon. Qin Sang made the Sky-Eyed Butterfly spare a flying insect and followed it here.

The man had been second only to the cave master in strength, formidable in cultivation, and accompanied by another early-stage Core Formation cultivator.

Qin Sang had used them to test the might of the

Lightning Control Technique

. The result was plain. Including the cultivator surnamed Xun, none of them had the power to resist. All perished under the lightning.

After the slaughter, Qin Sang’s face was pale, his true essence reduced to barely a tenth. But his body was far stronger than that of Douniu Peak disciples. Not only had he endured the backlash of the

Lightning Control Technique

, he retained some combat power.

"Not bad!" Clutching a spirit stone to replenish his true essence, Qin Sang nodded secretly, satisfaction flickering across his face.

Even without opening the Heavenly Demon Transformation, his use of this Dao Technique already carried the power to gravely wound or even slay late-stage Core Formation cultivators. Experts like Daoist Fang or Abbot Lu would suffer heavily if caught off guard.

No wonder Landou Sect, despite the hidden dangers, was willing to pour so many resources into this technique.

Behind him, the Two-Headed Hou gawked at the remains, stunned by the terrifying force of the

Lightning Control Technique

. For over a decade it had seen Qin Sang hurl himself into storms, clashing recklessly with heavenly lightning. Only now did it realize he had been tempering himself for this dreadful ability.

With a wave of his hand, Qin Sang cast a spiritual flame to erase all traces of the battle. Lifting his gaze to the distance, he said coolly, "Let’s go. The Devil-Worshipping Cave has no reason to exist anymore."

Ten days later, Qin Sang returned with blood on his hands.

Having confirmed the Devil-Worshipping Cave had no great power backing it, he uprooted the entire faction. It was only days after his departure that nearby forces noticed something amiss. To their shock, despite countless investigations, no one uncovered a single clue.

They could only hope some passing mighty expert had taken offense at the Devil-Worshipping Cave’s deeds and casually erased them.

For a time, fear gripped all the surrounding cultivators. Factions reined in their subordinates, becoming far more restrained.

Qin Sang neither knew nor cared about the waves he caused. He returned directly to Poison Island, intent on resuming his cultivation.

"Greetings, Senior!" Seeing Qin Sang enter, the scholar and his family hurriedly bowed.

The incarnation had thrown them into a quiet chamber and gone off to cultivate. These days they had lived in unease, uncertain of their fate.

Now, seeing Qin Sang return weary from travel, the scholar and his wife exchanged anxious glances.

On the day they fled to Poison Island, they had been trapped in the illusion array and never saw the battle outside. But with the Devil-Worshipping Cave's master never returning, they had guessed the outcome.

The scholar cautiously asked, "Senior, the cave master..."

Qin Sang said casually, "Oh, that old devil is dead. I’ve been out these past days cleaning up his close allies, so no hidden troubles remain. I forgot to ask, what are your names?"

His tone was mild, yet his words left the scholar both elated and shaken. Elated, because the devilish monster who coveted his daughter was gone. Shaken, because the man before him wielded unfathomable power, speaking of eradicating the Devil-Worshipping Cave as if it were nothing. Trapped on the island, he did not know whether this was fortune or calamity.

Startled by Qin Sang’s question, the scholar quickly answered with utmost respect. "Disciples of White Flame Valley all bear the surname Bai[1]. My name is Bai Zhongqiu. This is my junior sister Bai Hong. As for my daughter, you may simply call her Ying’er."

At her father’s signal, Ying’er obediently stepped forward, bowed, and said softly, "Junior Ying’er pays respect to you, Senior."

"Senior, your saving grace to our family will never be forgotten..." Bai Zhongqiu knelt with his wife and daughter.

Qin Sang did not stop them. He walked to the inner chamber, sat down, and said calmly, "I killed that old devil only because I value quiet cultivation and would not tolerate interruption. He has only himself to blame for crossing me."

At those words, Bai Zhongqiu’s heart skipped a beat. He instinctively shielded his wife and daughter.

Qin Sang’s tone paused slightly, then grew heavier. "The only reason I left you alive is that you may yet prove useful."

Sensing the meaning, Bai Zhongqiu immediately dropped to both knees. "Senior, you just have to say the word, and I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Qin Sang chuckled lightly. "No need to be so dramatic, though there will be some danger. The two of you are not weak. From now on, you will go out to gather spiritual items and news for me. I wish to focus on cultivation, so I will leave the trivial matters to you. As for your daughter, she possesses the Water Jade Body. To those devilish cultivators who practice energy-extraction methods, she is a prized cauldron. Letting her roam outside would only invite calamity. She will remain here to cultivate."

At the first half, the husband and wife had breathed in relief. But upon hearing their daughter must stay behind, their faces changed drastically.

"What, are you unwilling to?" Qin Sang’s eyes narrowed.

Bai Zhongqiu shuddered, his expression shifting several times before he forced a smile. "I shall obey your will. For Ying’er to remain at your side and receive guidance is her great fortune."

The middle-aged woman opened her mouth but dared not speak. She only pulled her daughter tightly into her arms.

1. "Bai" translates to "white" in Chinese. ☜