Chapter 990: Passing the Dao

Earlier...

Qin Sang had once given up on trying to subdue the Two-Headed Hou after realizing it would never truly yield. He had promised that once he reached the late stage of the Core Formation Realm, he would release it and allow it to return to the Demonic Sea.

Perhaps because his breakthrough had been delayed for too long, the Two-Headed Hou had grown impatient.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"You’ll be taking the Fire Curse into your body to buy me time. It will be dangerous," Qin Sang warned.

The Two-Headed Hou growled repeatedly, its tone firm and resolute.

"Alright!" Qin Sang took a deep breath and stopped hesitating.

Bai gave the beast a strange look, then nodded at Qin Sang before turning back to study the Fire Curse, refining the technique of the curse seal.

Qin Sang glanced once more at the Two-Headed Hou, his lips moving slightly. Moments later, the ring around the beast’s neck loosened, slipped free, and turned into a streak of light that sank into Qin Sang’s palm.

The Two-Headed Hou shook its heads and paced back and forth in the air. With the restraints finally lifted, freedom restored, the beast felt an overwhelming sense of relief. It threw its heads back and let out a thunderous roar that echoed endlessly through the skies, filled with pure exhilaration.

Seeing its unrestrained excitement, Qin Sang felt a deep pang of emotion. Then, he retrieved two remaining Tyrant Blood Fruits from the Thousand-Jin Ring and handed one to the Two-Headed Hou.

"Refine this Tyrant Blood Fruit here. I’ll protect you while you cultivate. Hopefully, you can break through to the late stage of the Demonic Core Realm," Qin Sang said.

He had originally intended to keep one fruit for the beast as a parting gift once he released it, and the other for himself.

If the Two-Headed Hou failed to break through, he would not hesitate to give it the second one as well.

Although the beast had long reached the bottleneck of its cultivation and had almost succeeded when it previously took a Tyrant Blood Fruit, breakthroughs were never guaranteed. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been trapped at its current level for decades.

Whatever the risk, Qin Sang was willing to sacrifice both fruits if it meant helping the beast advance.

If it reached the late stage of the Demonic Core Realm, its cultivation would soar, and its life-bound supernatural ability would also evolve. Skilled in Wind Evasion Technique, it would become even faster, able to buy them more precious time.

The Two-Headed Hou stared at the Tyrant Blood Fruit, its eyes burning with excitement. It opened its mouths and swallowed the fruit in one gulp, closing its eyes to fully focus on refining the medicinal energy.

Qin Sang slowed his speed, using his true essence to carry the beast along as they flew.

After a brief calm, the Two-Headed Hou suddenly arched its body and let out a roar filled with pain. Its fur bristled as faint blood light surged from its body. The fierce medicinal energy raged within, rampaging through its meridians.

The flesh on its body rippled violently, bones shifted and cracked audibly as though they were breaking apart. It was an agonizing transformation that made even Qin Sang’s scalp tighten. Yet both he and the beast were familiar with the Tyrant Blood Fruit’s violent power, and neither panicked.

The Two-Headed Hou’s growls grew sharper and more urgent as it curled into a ball, enduring the immense agony. Even so, it was faring better than the first time it had taken the fruit.

The struggle lasted for fifteen minutes, and still, there was no sign of a breakthrough. Qin Sang frowned slightly in concern. Then, a sudden change occurred.

A bulge began to rise between the beast’s two heads. Its roar lowered in pitch, losing the pain from before, and its aura gradually steadied, as if it had fallen into a deep slumber.

Finally, the swelling grew into a pronounced mound. It was the embryonic form of a third head.

In the next instant, the Two-Headed Hou’s eyes snapped open. It rose to its full height, its vertical pupils flashing with dazzling light.

Its fur fluttered wildly, as streams of azure aura spiraled around its body, filled with immense and pure energy.

The azure aura grew denser and more profound until it formed a massive azure cocoon of wind, enveloping the beast completely.

Roar!

A thunderous bellow erupted from within the wind cocoon.

Boom!

The cocoon shattered apart. A powerful wave of energy burst outward.

The chaotic azure aura spread in all directions, forcing Qin Sang to withdraw his true essence and retreat far away.

The sea below was struck by the shockwave, sending waves surging high into the sky before they finally subsided.

When the last traces of azure aura dispersed, a towering figure emerged, radiating dominance in all directions.

The Two-Headed Hou’s body was now larger than before, and the bulge on its neck was clearly visible. Once that third head fully formed, it would be on the verge of taking human form.

Its aura had become far stronger. It had successfully broken through to the late stage of the Demonic Core Realm.

Excitement burned in its eyes. After decades trapped at a bottleneck, it had finally advanced. Looking around, its gaze settled on Qin Sang, and it appeared eager for a spar.

"If this were any other time, I’d indulge you," Qin Sang said, seeing through its thoughts. "But even without using my devilish banners, you still wouldn’t beat me. Stop showing off and focus on stabilizing your cultivation."

The Two-Headed Hou snorted lightly, then lay beside him, closing its eyes to meditate. Qin Sang watched it quietly for a while, unsure what he felt. He shook his head and continued flying onward.

Two hours later, a trace of anxiety appeared in his expression. He kept glancing at Bai from time to time.

He realized that Old Devil Mou must have used some unknown secret technique this time. Each time the Fire Curse flared, the surge in power was stronger than before, far greater than in previous bursts.

That could only mean one thing: Old Devil Mou’s speed had increased, and time was running out faster than expected.

Two more hours passed. Finally, Bai brought good news. Overjoyed, Qin Sang immediately summoned the devilish banners to aid Bai in casting the sealing technique.

Bai first repeated his earlier method, sending a strand of the Fire Curse into the Two-Headed Hou’s body. Then, using the power of his own soul together with the devilish flames, he constructed the seal.

At last, the devilish flames transformed into a black veil that enveloped Qin Sang completely.

When the Fire Curse flared once more, Bai pushed himself to the limit to sustain the seal, finally succeeding in suppressing the Fire Curse completely. Seeing this, Qin Sang felt a tremendous weight lift from his chest.

The Two-Headed Hou let out a low growl toward Qin Sang. It was time for it to leave.

"Wait." Qin Sang called out to stop it, raising his hand and sending forth a streak of light.

The light sank into the beast’s body. Moments later, its two eyes widened in shock, filled with disbelief.

Within that streak of light was the content of the first four stages of the

Heavenly Demon Body Refinement Art.

Qin Sang passed this cultivation art to the Two-Headed Hou.

As a human, Qin Sang had relied on the Jade Buddha to forcibly cultivate the body-refining portion of the art. His body required an external force, the Star Essence Infusion, to break through. But the Two-Headed Hou, being of the demon race, could cultivate the complete form of the art, advancing by continuously refining its own bloodline power without the need to seek out a place infused with star essence.

The beast naturally understood the immense value of this art. The doubts it once had were now resolved upon seeing the cultivation method.

No wonder this man can grow wings and exude such a demonic qi.

It stared at Qin Sang with a hint of confusion, unable to understand why he would suddenly show such generosity.

Qin Sang sighed softly. "That Tyrant Blood Fruit was always meant for you. You’ve followed me for so long and rendered great service. Consider this art your reward. The method is incomplete, and I only have the first four stages, but it’s enough to let you cultivate up to the late stage of the Transformation Realm. How far you advance after that will depend on your own fortune."

Qin Sang knew the beast’s nature well. There would be no promise of reunion between them. The path of the cultivation world was long and boundless; they were unlikely to meet again.

The Two-Headed Hou looked deeply at Qin Sang one last time, then raised its heads and let out a long, thunderous roar that pierced the clouds. Turning resolutely, it stepped into the wind and vanished into the distance.