Chapter 926: Elder Zhou’s Invitation

Before anything else, Qin Sang wanted to try leveraging the power of the Tyrant Blood Fruit to force a breakthrough to the late third stage of the

Heavenly Demon Body Refinement

.

Within the peril-laden Seven-Kill Hall, every extra shred of strength meant a bit more chance of survival.

Inside a quiet chamber of the cave dwelling, Qin Sang sat cross-legged atop the Star Platform, settling his condition. Beside him rested a jade box containing the Tyrant Blood Fruit. With the toughness of his body now, he no longer feared the impact of the medicinal energy as much.

Back when he had broken into the third stage, he had taken Azure Reed Root followed by the Tyrant Blood Fruit to force the barrier. After ramming the bottleneck, the remaining medicinal energy posed a risk of bodily collapse due to his insufficient physique, so he had activated the Heavenly Demon Transformation and shunted most of it into the phoenix wings.

Even so, the portion he refined had benefited him greatly. Otherwise, he would not have advanced so quickly.

Now, even if taking the Tyrant Blood Fruit failed to yield a breakthrough, it would still further temper his body.

Qin Sang adjusted his state to its peak. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed a Tyrant Blood Fruit whole.

As the medicinal energy dissolved in his belly, he followed a familiar routine. His expression twisted, yet he held his posture without moving, gritting through the first wave and methodically guiding the energy.

The violent medicinal tide rampaged through his body like a flood. Qin Sang’s face paled and he let out a muffled groan, but he did not manifest the phoenix wings. He endured the pain, intent on having his flesh refine the fruit’s power on its own.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

His skin grew glassy and translucent; beneath it, boiling flesh and blood could be seen.

A tearing illusion crawled over his limbs, bone marrow tingled and ached from deep within. This was pain an ordinary person could never bear. Sweat poured from him, and a strange odor wafted from his body.

More impurities seemed to be driven out, though nowhere near the effect of his last breakthrough. Wave after wave of medicinal energy surged, and Qin Sang shouldered them all.

He finally exhaled, discovering that sweat had soaked him through. He slowly clenched his fists. His body had clearly toughened, yet the threshold was still far ahead. After all, he had not cultivated this art for very long.

Turning his inner vision inward to inspect himself, Qin Sang murmured, "Most of the medicinal energy has sunk into dormancy. I must refine it before taking another Tyrant Blood Fruit. The Tyrant Blood Fruit is not like Azure Reed Root. Two such fruits together would risk collapsing my body, and I would have to divert the excess into the wings again, which would be wasteful. I have no need to keep boosting the wings or my evasion technique right now. The body must be strengthened step by step with a solid foundation; relying solely on spiritual herbs will only plant hidden dangers."

With that settled, he stilled his thoughts, activated his art, and refined the remaining power.

More than a year passed in this manner. A figure flew out of the cave dwelling and vanished after a few flashes into the blue stretch of the Demonic Sea. With the Heavenly Corpse Coffin on his back, Qin Sang sped toward Desolate Island.

His external incarnation now lay sealed within the Heavenly Corpse Coffin. After refining the blood bead, its cultivation had reached the peak of the Core Formation Realm.

At that very moment, however, the hidden dangers of the shortcut art fully surfaced.

The gap between Qin Sang’s cultivation and the incarnation’s had grown too great. The residual power of the Jade Buddha within the sword soul and the secret techniques in

Seeded Devil Embryo

could no longer suppress the incarnation’s devilish soul.

The bloodthirsty devilish intent could not be dispelled. Once released, the external incarnation would be a true devilish monster, and Qin Sang himself would be the first target.

Only by activating the Heavenly Demon Transformation could Qin Sang forcibly suppress the backlash and drive the incarnation to fight.

At ordinary times, he could only keep it sealed in the Heavenly Corpse Coffin, sunk in sleep.

A dozen days later, his evasion light retracted as he landed on Desolate Island and used the teleportation array to return to the Inner Sea.

He had arranged to meet Elder Zhou on Tianxing Island before the opening of Seven-Kill Hall; he wondered if Elder Zhou had had the patience to wait this long.

Back in Tianxing City, Qin Sang made straight for the Qiongyu Merchant Guild’s shop.

Elder Zhou hurried into the shop. His gaze swept the room, and when he saw Qin Sang, he exhaled in relief. "Daoist Master Qingfeng, you have finally come! You are as elusive as a dragon; gone again for years without a word. I thought that..."

"You thought that I had perished?" Qin Sang’s mouth curved in a smile, and then he composed himself. "I have been preparing to enter Seven-Kill Hall and was delayed a few days. Fortunately I did not miss the time. Elder Zhou, have you confirmed that you will act together with the Daoists of Dongji Alliance?"

Elder Zhou nodded. "Yes. I acted a little late. The talismans outside were long since divided up, and the few that appeared later were bid up to sky-high prices. Just like last time, I must first do a task for the alliance. Fortunately, among those traveling with us there are two Daoists who are friends with me; they can look after me a bit."

Hearing this, Qin Sang nodded. He asked no more and had no wish to be drawn into the alliance’s disputes.

Elder Zhou paused, then continued, "Over these years I have traveled everywhere asking questions and finally confirmed three places that I must visit. For the first two, I have some confidence. Only the last secret site is said to hold ancient barriers and various dangers; I will need help. I have persuaded two Daoists to lend a hand then. If you can secure the treasure you seek early, why not come there and explore with us? Once we enter, apart from the single spiritual herb I require, the rest of the spoils will be split among us evenly."

As he spoke, Elder Zhou produced a geomantic map and pointed out the locations to Qin Sang.

The map was very detailed. Two of the secret sites were ones Qin Sang had never heard of. This was clear proof of how much effort Elder Zhou had poured into this venture.

His lifespan was nearly spent; this would be his final gamble.

"Celestial Blossom Lake?"

When Qin Sang saw the point Elder Zhou indicated, surprise crossed his face. It was the entrance to Celestial Blossom Lake, the very place where he and Madam Liu had ambushed Cui Ji.

Elder Zhou caught the change in Qin Sang’s tone. "Daoist Master, have you been there?"

From beneath the bamboo hat, Qin Sang’s gaze flicked over Elder Zhou, and he shook his head. "I only passed by; I did not dare enter. Elder Zhou, you are not planning to go into Celestial Blossom Lake, are you? It is one of the three deadly poison lands of Seven-Kill Hall."

Elder Zhou chuckled, cutting him off. "Do not worry. We will only move in the lake’s outer edges. The toxins there are not as violent as the depths, so with our cultivation, we can endure for a time. I have also prepared detoxifying pills sufficient to last until we withdraw. Take this command token. When you reach the entrance, crush it, and I will sense it."

"Since Elder Zhou has thought it through, if I can settle my own business smoothly, I will consider joining you," Qin Sang said, taking the token.

Inwardly, he calculated that even without Elder Zhou’s invitation, he would still wish to take a trip to Celestial Blossom Lake if the chance arose, to see whether the fat silkworm’s abilities could win him any benefit. If he could aid Elder Zhou along the way, all the better.

He knew the man well and trusted his character; if Elder Zhou truly reached the Spiritual Infant Realm, Qin Sang would gain a powerful ally. Of course, Qin Sang also understood that forming the Spiritual Infant was no easy feat.