Gateway of Immortality

The second reason was that even if one were lucky enough to find both of these rare objects, who would dare to absorb them into their body?

Whether it was the Earth Malevolent Qi or the Celestial Gale Qi, both were wildly violent and utterly untamable. To a cultivator, they were as dangerous as venomous serpents. It was something to be avoided at all costs.

Had it not been for theHeavenly Yin Corpse Art'sunique secret techniques and barriers, which allowed him to subdue the Earth Malevolent Qi, Qin Sang's dantian would've been obliterated the moment he drew it into his body.

Even the Demonic Qingyang Sect, which treated the Divine Qingyang Gale as its foundation, only used it to temper the fire seed of the Demonic Qingyang Fire within the body. They didn't dare let the Divine Qingyang Gale come into direct contact with flesh.

Letting both forces enter the Qihai simultaneously, allowing them to collide and temper the spiritual power in the process, was utterly insane.

If the two were to erupt inside the body, the cultivator would be instantly obliterated, without even a corpse left behind.

Moreover, during the fusion of the Celestial Gale and Earth Malevolent Qi, Qin Sang hadn't noticed any immediate changes in his spiritual power. This suggested that, unlike the Snow Spirit Lotus or Iris Flower, condensing and refining these two forces didn't produce instant effects.

It likely required prolonged tempering, grinding the spiritual power down to its limits before the transformation would finally manifest.

Even if someone were mad enough to attempt it, they would almost certainly never last until the end.

Looking back on the entire corpse refinement process, Qin Sang had taken every step as if walking a tightrope over a cliff, treading cautiously with each breath.

His success had been no accident.

First, he used five-elemental yin objects to lay the foundation and strengthen his Qihai. Then, through the Heavenly Corpse Talisman andHeavenly Yin Corpse Art, he pacified the Earth Malevolent Qi and refined a foreign Golden Core into his body. Only then did he dare to attempt the fusion of Celestial Gale and Earth Malevolent Qi.

During that fusion, the Golden Core had absorbed the brunt of the impact from both forces. That was the only reason Qin Sang had survived.

Even then, the Golden Core had nearly collapsed under the pressure. Had it been a ten-year-old core or one with damaged spiritual essence, or merely a demonic core, the attempt would have undoubtedly failed.

Of course, the truly pivotal factor was the Jade Buddha.

The Jade Buddha was the foundation of Qin Sang's courage in attempting all this. With its protection, he had dared to implant the Heavenly Corpse Talisman into his primordial spirit.

Otherwise, even if he had attempted all of it as a last resort, after completing the fusion, he would still have fallen to corpse transformation in the end, unable to resist the erosion.

He would have ended up like Wu Shang, transformed into a mindless flying yaksha, trapped eternally in some icy cave, never to find release.

All these harsh and near-impossible conditions aligned by chance and fate to create the path that led Qin Sang to this point.

This path was one no one else could replicate.

Even if others learned of the power of the Celestial Gale and Earth Malevolent Qi, they would have to seek another method. This process, so illusory and precarious, was likely even harder than gathering spiritual items to aid in Core Formation.

After all, most Fake Core Realm cultivators weren't cursed with talent as abysmal as Qin Sang's. They had no need to risk everything for a sliver of hope.

Qin Sang couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. He hadn't expected Wu Shang's writings to open up an unforeseen road to Core Formation instead of leading him to the path of corpse.

The Great Dao is fifty; the heavens causes forty-nine.[1]

The Heavenly Dao might seem heartless, yet it had deep compassion.

And now thinking back on it, how many trials have I faced, testing the very limits of my character?

If I have become dejected after failing to form a core with the Snow Spirit Lotus and Iris Flower, if I haven't clung to that sliver of hope amidst the impossible...

If I have flinched at the dangers of corpse refinement, lacking the resolve to stake everything on a single gamble...

If, after forming the corpse core, I have succumbed to the allure of newfound strength, content to stop there, and refused to unseal the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, losing sight of my pursuit of the Great Dao...

Then a single misstep would have caused me to miss this rarest of opportunities.

This was not just a metamorphosis of his cultivation.

It was a baptism of his Dao Heart.

...

Thinking of the Jade Buddha, Qin Sang suddenly recalled that Shi Ying's soul imprint was still buried deep within his primordial spirit.

Back at Divine Gale Peak, after stunning Shi Ying, he hadn't rushed to remove the imprint, just in case. But now, there was no more use for it. He immediately had the Jade Buddha shatter the soul imprint.

As expected, the Jade Buddha crushed it effortlessly, leaving not a single trace behind. This was something even Spiritual Infant cultivators would find difficult to accomplish.

"The Demonic Qingyang Sect will definitely investigate how I infiltrated them. But when I left and fought Wu Youdao, Shi Ying should've already woken up. If she has any sense, she would've either fled during the chaos or found a way to cover her tracks. Whether she survives or not... that depends on her own fortune."

Qin Sang shook his head and cast the thought aside.

His karma with Shi Ying had ended. They owed each other nothing. There was no reason to return or meddle further.

...

After the excitement passed, Qin Sang's mind settled once more. He reminded himself that the situation was still unstable and he couldn't afford any mistakes. He quickly composed himself and continued cultivating, slowly restoring the spiritual power in his Qihai.

Time passed in silence.

When the spiritual power within the two middle-grade spirit stones was nearly exhausted and the stones turned pale and brittle, Qin Sang suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing within them.

That faint strand of spiritual power had now grown countless times stronger.

At this point, his spiritual power had become incomparably dense. It was a complete transformation. Even if he didn't form a core, his strength had already reached a whole new level.

If one had to measure it, he now stood somewhere between a Fake Core cultivator and a flying yaksha, provided his spiritual power could remain in this state.

Qin Sang didn't rush to attempt Core Formation. Once his spiritual power had recovered to about seventy or eighty percent, he stopped cultivating, because he still hadn't taken control of the corpse core.

The longer he delayed, the harder it would become to subdue it. The signs of instability were growing. He couldn't afford to wait any longer.

Even after forming a true core, the corpse core would still be a formidable asset, essentially giving him two Golden Cores. It had cost him an unimaginable amount of effort to refine, and he certainly wasn't about to let it go to waste.

Of course, if the corpse core were to interfere with his Core Formation, then he wouldn't hesitate to discard it.

Qin Sang patiently observed for a while. Once he confirmed that his spiritual power was completely stable and showed no sign of regression, he relaxed and turned his attention to the corpse core.

Originally, he had planned to weaken the corpse core by allowing some of its power to dissipate, making it easier to control. But now that his spiritual power had undergone a metamorphosis and his strength had soared, such precautions were no longer necessary. He could try to take control of the corpse core at full strength.

With a clear strategy in mind, Qin Sang immediately poured his spiritual power toward the corpse core.

The corpse core did not resist him. There was no fear of backlash, so he could go all out.

This type of subjugation required slow, meticulous effort. It took a full hour before Qin Sang emerged from meditation, letting out a long breath, his face alight with exhilaration.

After countless attempts, he had finally subdued the corpse core. His true essence no longer felt sluggish. It was once again under full control.

At this moment, all his true essence had been drawn into the corpse core. The bluish-black orb spun slowly in his Qihai, faint traces of barrier light glowing across its surface.

If he wished, Qin Sang could unseal the corpse core at any time and unleash power on par with a Core Formation cultivator.

He tested it briefly. It flowed as smoothly as before. More importantly, it didn't interfere at all with his use of the divine abilities of thePrimordial Spirit Sword Nourishment. Right now, his strength had surpassed what it was even during his battle with Wu Youdao!

1. This is an ancient Chinese saying. It means that the Great Dao—operation of events in the universe and how everything works—is mostly decided by the heavens. ☜