Gateway of Immortality
Chapter 513: Refining Oneself

Chapter 513: Refining Oneself

Such a sudden order could only mean one thing.

Combined with the upcoming auction at Tianyou Stronghold, scheduled for half a month later, it was clear that the sect leader of the Demonic Qingyang Sect was no longer within the sect!

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Qin Sang knew he couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Without hesitation, he decided to initiate the next phase of his plan.

By now, Wandering Man had already entered the Endless Valley.

Qin Sang quietly left Qingyang Market and made his way to a desolate mountain he had long since selected.

There, he had hollowed out a cave and set up barriers and a spirit-gathering array, making it a surprisingly fine cave dwelling.

Upon entering, he sealed the barriers.

Qin Sang placed the spirit stones into the spirit-gathering array. Once spiritual power had filled the cave, he took a deep breath and opened his Mustard Seed Pouch.

Whoosh, whoosh...

Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles, the five-elemental yin materials, the Heavenly Corpse Talisman... Everything flew out of the pouch and landed neatly in front of him.

Having already made up his mind, he didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

Hooking a finger, he drew a Heavenly Corpse Talisman into his palm. After double-checking it, he flipped his hand and pressed it against his brow, guiding the talisman into his primordial spirit space.

Under Qin Sang’s will, the Jade Buddha did not resist the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, allowing it to merge peacefully into his primordial spirit.

He was repeating a familiar process, and this time, he was far more proficient than before.

Back then, he had been forced into it by a life-or-death crisis. But now, he was doing this of his own accord for the slimmest chance to break through and form a core. He was actively testing a path to Core Formation.

Because Qin Sang was voluntarily accepting the talisman, there was no resistance or conflict, and the first step in refining himself into a living corpse went smoothly. What lay ahead, however, was completely unprecedented.

Even demonic cultivators from corpse refinement sects likely wouldn’t dare go so far as to refine themselves into living corpses, would they?

Qin Sang raised his arm and looked down.

With the talisman now within him and the effects of the barrier taking hold, his body had already begun to change. His skin was starting to pale, and faint bluish veins became faintly visible—not obvious to the eye, but he could feel it.

It was a clear sign that corpse qi had begun to form.

Deep in his instincts, a faint bloodthirsty urge surfaced but as the corpse transformation had only just begun, it wasn’t severe. Even without the Jade Buddha’s protection, he could easily suppress it.

Pressing his pale skin lightly, Qin Sang withdrew his gaze and looked toward the five-elemental yin materials on the ground.

The Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment had no inherent elemental attribute. Following the Netherworld Scripture, Qin Sang had focused on water-based spiritual power throughout his cultivation journey. So, he immediately pointed at the Yin Spirit Water.

He was already extremely familiar with corpse refinement barriers. Removing the bottle cap, he extracted a cluster of Yin Spirit Water into his palm and began refining it.

The refinement was completed quickly. Qin Sang paused for a moment, then enveloped the Yin Spirit Water with his spiritual power and guided it slowly toward his dantian.

As the water touched his body, an icy chill spread throughout his system.

His brow twitched, but his hands remained steady. Once the Yin Spirit Water entered his dantian, he immediately began carving corpse refinement restrictions onto his body. Working together with the Yin Spirit Water, he began stabilizing his Qihai.

The five elements nourished one another.

Next came the Moon Pagoda Tree core, the Ghost Eagle Feather, the Nine-Orifice Stone, and finally, the Blue Nether Gold.

Under Qin Sang’s meticulous control, the spiritual power in his Qihai remained extremely docile. The foundational fusion of the five elements proceeded smoothly, without a hitch.

Now, only one step remained: drawing malevolent energy into his body.

Qin Sang put away the remaining five-elemental yin materials, leaving only a large pile of Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles on the ground.

To be safe, this step—drawing Earth Malevolent Qi into the body—was best performed in the Sunken Cave. That way, if the Earth Malevolent Qi was depleted, it could be replenished at any time.

But the Sunken Cave was far too distant. Qin Sang didn’t have that luxury of time.

Wu Shang had personally experienced this process—once the malevolent energy entered the body, it would become uncontrollable and begin attacking the flesh. The rate of corpse transformation was shockingly fast.

If Qin Sang refined himself into a living corpse while still in the Sunken Cave, by the time he made it back to Qingyang Market, his body would be completely lifeless, beyond saving.

Fortunately, according to Wu Shang’s experience, refining oneself differed greatly from refining another.

When refining others, control relied on the soul imprint; there was always a layer of detachment. No matter how refined one’s control, there would always be a delay in perception, response, and execution.

Refining himself, however, was a different matter. He could restrain his own spiritual power’s rejection of the Earth Malevolent Qi far more effectively. He could also respond to any changes immediately, greatly increasing the success rate of drawing the malevolent energy into his body, and minimizing waste.

This same principle would apply later when he advanced his flying yaksha.

However, this step brought a new challenge.

Once the Earth Malevolent Qi entered the body, it would cause a terrifying impact on the Qihai. This impact brought excruciating pain, and as the refinement process continued, the progressing corpse transformation would gradually affect his mind and spirit more and more deeply.

When the two effects overlapped, maintaining a steady state of mind throughout the refinement process became exceedingly difficult. It demanded immense willpower.

If his state of mind wavered and a single error occurred, all his prior efforts would be for nothing.

In the past, Wu Shang had prepared some healing and mind-calming pills, but never anticipated the backlash would be so violent. It was only through a fearless resolve and a strong heart that he had gambled everything and ultimately succeeded.

Qin Sang had no fear of the corpse transformation’s contamination. Whether he could endure the pain brought on by the upheaval in his Qihai, however, depended entirely on his own will.

There was not a trace of fear on his face. He swallowed several healing pills, then drew a Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottle toward him.

Bang!

The bottle opened.

A wisp of Earth Malevolent Qi leaked out.

Qin Sang paused in thought, scanning his Qihai to ensure nothing was overlooked. Once he was certain everything was in place, he guided a thin thread of Earth Malevolent Qi toward his Qihai to test the waters.

Gasp...

A chill a thousand times colder than Yin Spirit Water surged through him, and even Qin Sang couldn’t help but shiver. But he quickly steadied his mind and body, focusing all his attention on monitoring the behavior of that Earth Malevolent Qi.

Boom!

A sudden storm erupted within his Qihai.

The Earth Malevolent Qi had just entered when even his own spiritual power failed to restrain it. It instantly spun out of control.

His Qihai fell into chaos as the two energies clashed head-on.

But unlike before, Qin Sang didn’t immediately force the malevolent qi back out. He could sense every minute change within himself, and he hadn’t yet lost control.

The conflict grew increasingly violent. Qin Sang felt as though he had plunged into an icy abyss, his entire body frozen stiff, while his Qihai boiled like a raging cauldron.

Fortunately, the barrier formed by the five-elemental yin materials had fortified his dantian, making it extremely stable. There was no danger of it collapsing in the short term.

Qin Sang held out for three full breaths before finally repelling that strand of Earth Malevolent Qi. As he waited for his Qihai to recover, he carefully reviewed the experience just now, and found he had learned quite a bit.

A moment later...

Qin Sang drew forth another strand of Earth Malevolent Qi. This time, using the insights he had just gained, he adjusted his approach and proceeded slowly and steadily.

The second attempt still ended in failure but he acquired new understanding.

He tried again.

Though he failed repeatedly, his progress was clearly far faster than when he had first refined the living corpse. The expression on Qin Sang’s face grew increasingly relaxed.

Finally, after exhausting only a single Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottle, Qin Sang successfully guided a strand of Earth Malevolent Qi into his Qihai!