Chapter 1197: Investigation

To use a teleportation array, one had to spend a sum of spirit stones and present an identity token. However, Qin Sang was not afraid of the fragmented barriers within Heavenly Scar.

On his shoulder, the Sky-Eyed Butterfly trembled its wings slightly, observing the surroundings and searching for gaps in the shattered barriers.

Qin Sang’s figure flickered, and he quietly entered the dense fog.

After entering Sin Abyss, Qin Sang had kept the Sky-Eyed Butterfly outside at all times to act as a lookout.

Passing through the gaps between fragments of barriers was trivial for the Sky-Eyed Butterfly. Qin Sang did not touch a single barrier and easily crossed Heavenly Scar to the opposite side.

He unfolded the geomantic map, determined the direction, and flew toward Jinhen Mountain.

One day later, Qin Sang stood within a stretch of mountain forest and looked up at the majestic mountain range rising from the sea of clouds.

That place was Jinhen Mountain!

Qin Sang circled Jinhen Mountain and roughly surveyed the surroundings. Nearby, he found two markets. However, the layout of Sin Abyss was rather peculiar. It did not deliberately avoid mortal regions, and the markets were built close to mortal kingdoms.

Now the inspection of people entering and leaving the markets had become very strict. As an outsider, it would not be easy for Qin Sang to slip inside unnoticed.

"It seems I’ll have to use the old trick again." Qin Sang withdrew his gaze, pondered briefly, and his figure vanished from the spot.

***

A breeze drifted through the mountain forest. Within the wind moved a youth in white robes. His cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Realm, yet his bearing was refined as he glided through the forest.

Although he appeared composed, his face carried obvious anxiety. From time to time he looked back over his shoulder.

Whoosh! He flew out of the forest. Nothing unusual had happened behind him the entire time.

The white-robed youth relaxed slightly. Then a voice suddenly rang beside his ear. "Brat, your Wind Control Technique isn’t bad. Keep running. Let’s see how far you can go!"

The voice shifted from left to right, carrying a mocking laugh, like a cat toying with a mouse.

The white-robed youth’s expression changed drastically. In a hurry, he activated the slender Willow-Leaf Sword in his hand and slashed toward the left. At the same time, he released a spirit talisman he had been secretly gripping in his other palm.[1]

Bang! A dense yellow light suddenly erupted from the ground, instantly forming a layer of earthen-yellow light shield.

The spiritual sword struck it and only managed to carve a crack into the shield.

But immediately afterward, the talisman followed. It transformed into a streak of blue light as rich water-based spiritual power erupted. In an instant, more than a dozen crystalline ice spikes condensed and slammed into the shield.

Boom! The shield finally collapsed.

Seeing this, the white-robed youth was just about to show joy when he saw that beneath the shield there was nothing at all.

That eerie laugh sounded again. "Still a rookie. One little spell and I tricked out your Thousand-Spike Talisman. Got any other tricks? If not, I am going to make my move."

Before the words finished, the youth suddenly felt a sinister wind rushing toward his back.

He hurriedly controlled his sword and slashed behind him, but again struck nothing.

Then came a sharp clang. An iron ring suddenly locked firmly around the spiritual sword. The white-robed youth’s face changed drastically. He hurriedly reached for his Mustard Seed Pouch to retrieve another artifact. Before he could, he felt a chill in his back. Looking down, he saw a blood-stained sword tip protruding from his chest.

The light in his eyes gradually faded. After the youth died completely, a black-robed figure wearing a bamboo hat appeared behind him.

The man casually tossed the corpse aside and skillfully searched the youth’s Mustard Seed Pouch. A moment later he snorted. "Another poor wretch! Ever since those major sects sealed their mountains and pulled the Foundation Building experts to the front lines, things have been easier than before. But I haven’t made a big haul in a long time."

As he spoke, the man prepared to dispose of the body and clean up the battlefield. Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he saw that a figure had appeared behind him at some unknown moment. His hair instantly stood on end.

"Who’s there?!" the man shouted.

Clap! Qin Sang casually caught the flying sword that shot toward him. Smiling, he looked at the black-robed man. "I will borrow your body for a moment."

The black-robed man’s face filled with terror. He turned to flee, but in the next instant he lost consciousness.

Qin Sang waved his hand and took the unconscious man away. He planned to use the Seeded Devil Embryo to refine an external incarnation, borrowing this man’s identity to gather information.

Since he could no longer use the sword soul to refine a devil seed, Qin Sang could only employ the original version of the devilish art and plant the devil seed within a living person.

Because Jinhen Mountain had sealed itself off, it was impossible to find any of its disciples for the time being.

Qin Sang could only start with rogue cultivators. He knew that near markets there were always evil cultivators who coveted ill-gotten wealth. As expected, he soon discovered one.

As for the youth, although the invasion of Sin Abyss could hardly be blamed on a mere Qi Refining cultivator, to Qin Sang he was still an enemy. If the youth had managed to escape the evil cultivator himself, Qin Sang would not have taken action. Since he failed to escape, it could only be blamed on his insufficient strength.

Holding the captured man, Qin Sang casually opened a cave dwelling in the remote wilderness and threw him aside. Then he released the fat chicken.

"Go somewhere a little farther from Jinhen Mountain. Find the corpse of a Foundation Building cultivator with an unfamiliar face. While you’re at it, investigate whether there is any Earth Malevolent Qi nearby. Remember to keep a low profile and don’t alert the surrounding factions. If you run into a Spiritual Infant cultivator, even I won’t be able to save you," Qin Sang instructed.

If normal methods failed to uncover information about Corpse Ghost Immortal, he would have to refine a malevolent corpse. His external incarnation would then parade around with it openly as bait.

A malevolent corpse refined from unique Earth Malevolent Qi might very well attract interested parties.

The fat chicken acknowledged the order and departed, while Qin Sang busied himself inside the cave dwelling.

His cultivation was now far beyond what it had once been. Activating the Seeded Devil Embryo was far easier than when he had been at the Golden Core Realm. Moreover, this was merely a tool. He had no intention of nurturing it to the Golden Core Realm or the Spiritual Infant Realm, so there was no need for meticulous effort.

However, with his current insight, Qin Sang could tell that this devilish incarnation technique was far from a top-tier secret art. It contained inherent flaws. Cultivating the external incarnation to the Spiritual Infant Realm through normal methods was impossible and would only waste effort.

Unless, like Senior Qingzhu, one could find a method for achieving an External Spiritual Infant.

Qin Sang spent only a few days refining a barely usable devil seed and planted it into the captured cultivator’s body, successfully creating an external incarnation.

The incarnation was a short, somewhat timid-looking middle-aged cultivator. He shakily stood up and looked at Qin Sang with confusion. Gradually, clarity returned to his eyes. He nodded toward Qin Sang and then sat down cross-legged.

Qin Sang spared no effort in overdrawing the incarnation’s potential. He continuously used the blood-feeding technique to forcibly raise its cultivation.

During this time, the fat chicken also returned. He brought back a corpse and located a source of Earth Malevolent Qi.

"Master, about a thousand li south of Jinhen Mountain, inside Heavenly Scar, there’s a place where Earth Malevolent Qi has accumulated. The area is even larger than the Sunken Cave you once mentioned. Every Foundation Building cultivator knows about it. I only had to ask this fellow once to find out." The fat chicken pointed at the corpse. "However, he had never heard of Corpse Ghost Immortal. Since you ordered me strictly, Master, I didn’t dare capture too many people."

"Could this be the reason Corpse Ghost Immortal came to Jinhen Mountain? Did he only obtain the corpse-refinement secret technique after reaching the Golden Core Realm?" Qin Sang fell into thought.

That would make things troublesome. If he wanted to discover where Corpse Ghost Immortal had come from and how he obtained the inheritance of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, it would not be easy.

Leaving the fat chicken and the external incarnation inside the cave dwelling, Qin Sang took the corpse and flew toward the location the fat chicken had mentioned.

1. A Willow-Leaf Sword is a type of sword in ancient China. It is slender and shaped like a willow leaf. ☜

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