Gateway of Immortality
Chapter 411: Taiyin Form Refinement

Chapter 411: Taiyin Form Refinement

During his time at the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, although Qin Sang had long toiled in the Tianjing Hidden Realm, every time he returned to Xuanlu Stronghold he meticulously prepared gifts for Qi Yuanshou, Yu Yangzi, and others.

Qi Yuanshou’s decision perfectly aligned with Qin Sang’s own thoughts.

His cultivation art truly was not suited for one to remain confined to the cave dwelling for constant practice.

Unless one intended to betray the sect, the tasks assigned by the sect were never to be disobeyed; fortunately, Qi Yuanshou had intervened to resolve this difficulty.

Qin Sang immediately rose, bowed, and expressed his heartfelt gratitude.

"I'm happy with your decisions, Senior Uncle Qi!"

Qi Yuanshou nodded slightly, signaling Qin Sang to sit down, and then asked, "Are you planning to return to Xuanlu Stronghold for cultivation? With the influence of the Spirit Tide growing ever stronger and the Ancient Immortal Battlefield becoming increasingly unstable, I can draft a letter for you to deliver to Senior Brother Rong, so that you may be exempt from future Shadow Guards duties."

Unexpectedly, Qin Sang shook his head and replied, "Senior Uncle Qi, I intend to go to Endless Valley for cultivation for a period of time and will not be returning to Xuanlu Stronghold for now."

Indeed, at Qingyang Market Qin Sang made up his mind—not to return to Xuanlu Stronghold but rather to cultivate in Endless Valley.

He had already secured a cave dwelling there at Qingyang Market by paying a hefty sum, and with a large influx of spirit stones from Yu Hua, he was financially well-endowed.

Moreover, after obtaining the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood, he no longer needed to spend spirit stones on spiritual wood, so his cultivation resources had become much more abundant.

There were two main reasons for remaining at Qingyang Market.

First, Qingyang City lay to the north of Qingyang Market and was not far away, which made it convenient to investigate and monitor the members of the Kuiyin Sect.

Second, he was drawn by the promise of the Qingyang Gale Essence of the Demonic Qingyang Sect.

As for the other source of Celestial Gale Essence in the Spiritual Infant cultivator's cave dwelling, Qin Sang didn’t even dare to entertain that thought.

The Demonic Qingyang Sect, however, was different—in his knowledge, even the Qi Refining Realm disciples of the Demonic Qingyang Sect could cultivate Demonic Qingyang Fire and might well find opportunities to tap into the Qingyang Gale Essence.

With Qingyang Market situated just outside the mountain gate of the Demonic Qingyang Sect and in close proximity to it, Qin Sang planned to remain there and thoroughly investigate the sect’s inner workings.

All of this was in preparation for forming his Golden Core—a measure taken well in advance.

In Endless Valley, countless ghostly creatures roamed. Training there produced effects similar to those at the Ancient Immortal Battlefield and did not significantly hinder one’s cultivation.

"Endless Valley?"

Qi Yuanshou frowned, his gaze stern, and asked, "Deep in the Tianduan Mountains, in the heart of the demonic sect’s territory... How confident are you?"

Qin Sang replied confidently, "Rest assured, Senior Uncle Qi; I will disguise myself as a rogue cultivator. I have my own methods to ensure my safety."

He possessed the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions and several protective artifacts, as well as the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman and other precious treasures—especially when Yu Hua would be refined into a living corpse and the ebony sword would devour the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood.

Qin Sang felt that he was not far from becoming invincible among his peers.

After a thoughtful pause, Qi Yuanshou uttered a soft "Mhmm" and tossed a token to Qin Sang.

"This is a secret order from one of our sect’s hidden guard branches in Qingyang City. Should you encounter danger, you may seek help there. You cultivate the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment and possess combat strength far exceeding that of other cultivators at your level but remember to safeguard your body. I must continue handling sect affairs, as I do not wish to be left without capable subordinates in the future."

Qi Yuanshou gazed deeply at Qin Sang, and Qin Sang was overjoyed as he accepted the token with both hands.

With this token in hand, it was tantamount to having an extra life.

As for being assigned tasks by Qi Yuanshou, Qin Sang was not at all worried—he only feared that Qi Yuanshou might not need him!

He believed that Qi Yuanshou would never assign his trusted disciples tasks beyond their capabilities, and with his true strength hidden away, he was confident he would complete any task with ease.

Without further instructions from Qi Yuanshou, Qin Sang took his leave, bidding farewell, and flew away from the Sect Leader Peak. Glancing back for a moment in contemplation, he then soared toward Treasure Tower Peak.

Upon entering the area at Treasure Tower Peak where ancient texts were stored, Qin Sang began to peruse them patiently.

For an entire day he sifted through the texts, and when he finally emerged, his eyes betrayed his uncertainty.

He had combed through every ancient volume in search of any clues that might be similar to Wu Shang's secret art, but alas, many of these texts had been lost or fragmented, with only a few words remaining, and genuine relics from antiquity were exceedingly rare.

Among these scattered remnants, he found one fragment that contained only a few sparse lines: in the realm of ancient immortal cultivation, there existed a Great Dao of Ascension known as Taiyin Form Refinement—the Great Dao of Corpse Dissolution!

This was a secret art of a righteous sect. Cultivators who devoted their bodies to the Dao of corpse, without letting their true spirit fade, might be able to glimpse the realm of immortals!

Unfortunately, the Taiyin Form Refinement had long been lost.

Qin Sang wondered if the secret art pioneered by Wu Shang might share a mysterious kinship with Taiyin Form Refinement.

But he did not know.

He gently shook his head, left Treasure Tower Peak, and returned to Dao Peak, where he met with his familiar Senior Brother Zhuang Yan and others, and even encountered Song Yi.

Song Yi, carrying Qin Sang’s token, had joined Shaohua Mountain.

Zhuang Yan, knowing that Song Yi had been introduced by Qin Sang, took him under his wing. Since the mundane tasks were handled by other Daoist attendants, Song Yi could simply concentrate on his cultivation. That was the advantage of having powerful backing.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Qin Sang made another trip to Wenyue Market.

There, he met Shopkeeper Wu again and engaged in a lengthy discussion about the art of artifact refinement. When he left, he stopped by Tianhen House to purchase fine medicinal herbs to treat corpse transformation.

Upon returning to Huilong Temple, Qin Sang activated the barrier to seal his cave dwelling for his period of seclusion.

Inside the cave dwelling, Qin Sang sat cross-legged on a stone bed with two items arranged before him.

One was a corpse refinement embryo crafted from Yu Hua, and the other was Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood.

He had been ceaselessly experimenting, yet he had made no headway with refining Yu Hua.

After some thought, Qin Sang stowed away Yu Hua in his Corpse Puppet Pouch, planning to try again once he had refined several living corpses.

Capturing a cultivator from the Fake Core Realm alive was no easy feat—it was a rare opportunity, and since it involved the secret art pioneered by Wu Shang, success was the only option.

Qin Sang believed that Wu Shang would never act without purpose, but he also felt that he must witness firsthand the metamorphosis of a living corpse into a flying yaksha. Only by fully understanding this secret art could he place complete trust in it.

After putting away Yu Hua, Qin Sang directed his gaze toward the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood and waved his hand to shatter the barrier imposed on it.

A surge of blood-red light burst forth, soaring skyward and beginning to spread over his body.

Qin Sang’s expression remained unchanged as he grasped the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood with one hand and then summoned the ebony sword from within his primordial spirit.

Sensing the aura of the divine wood, the ebony sword emitted a lively sword chant, as if it were elated and eager to devour the spiritual wood to enhance itself.

Qin Sang had made ample preparations.

He gently tossed the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood into the air, then activated the ebony sword, unleashing a torrent of sword qi that enveloped the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood.

In an instant, the ethereal sword light and the eerie blood-red light in the cave dwelling intertwined brilliantly.

It was truly divine wood! Even other spiritual woods, regardless of their quality, could not withstand the devouring force of the ebony sword, but the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood managed to resist, and the two locked in a stalemate.

In mid-air, the light emanating from the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood grew so intense that it countered the ebony sword.

Not to be outdone, the ebony sword persisted with its continuous sword chant, and its sword light grew ever more brilliant.

Qin Sang gazed at this wondrous sight, his heart filled with expectations and hope for the future.

Then, he slightly closed his eyes, linked his spiritual consciousness with the ebony sword, and began to assist it with all his might.

Time passed slowly, and the two extraordinary objects remained locked in a stalemate. With Qin Sang’s help, the flames of the ebony sword grew ever more vigorous, while the Infinite Blood Mulberry Wood gradually began to wane.