Gateway of Immortality

The owner of this Heavenly Corpse Token held a respectable position within the Heavenly Corpse Sect, though not one of the highest ranks. As such, the Heavenly Corpse Token only contained fragments of the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art.

Qin Sang then picked up the black pouch beside him, realizing it was called a Corpse Puppet Pouch, a unique artifact of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, used to store corpse puppets. The pouch sealed away corpse qi and malevolent qi, preventing detection by others.

Creating a Corpse Puppet Pouch was extremely challenging, and lower-ranking disciples could only use cumbersome coffins to store zombies.

After securing the three items, Qin Sang gazed thoughtfully at the living corpse before him, recalling what he had learned from the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art about the Heavenly Corpse Talisman.

Disciples of the Heavenly Corpse Sect left a soul imprint within the Heavenly Corpse Talisman to control living corpses through it.

This particular living corpse must have a Heavenly Corpse Talisman embedded within its primordial spirit. With its master deceased and no one to control it, its bloodthirsty nature had fully emerged.

If I claim this Heavenly Corpse Talisman for myself, won't I gain control over a powerful corpse puppet comparable to a Foundation Building cultivator?

Judging by the strength of this malevolent corpse, it likely had been a cultivator at the middle stage of Foundation Building before being refined into a living corpse.

Qin Sang's heart stirred at the thought, and he glanced briefly at Hermit Baiyun, realizing that he, too, had likely harbored similar intentions and dared to take this risk.

After all, possessing a living corpse puppet would effectively double one's power— and that was just one of the apparent benefits.

In future explorations of hidden realms or encounters with peril, he could send the fearless living corpse forward, circumventing countless dangers.

But will it really work?

With this thought in mind, Qin Sang meticulously reviewed the secret technique for controlling the Heavenly Corpse Talisman. The technique was not difficult, and he quickly mastered it after a few attempts.

Unexpectedly, as Qin Sang activated the technique, sending his spiritual consciousness into the living corpse to control it, the living corpse suddenly let out a furious roar. The Heavenly Corpse Talisman trembled violently, launching a fierce counterattack that nearly shattered Qin Sang's spiritual consciousness.

He quickly severed the connection with that strand of consciousness, his face paling slightly as his gaze darkened, realizing he had underestimated the challenge.

Each Heavenly Corpse Talisman had been crafted with care, merging a soul imprint into it during the refinement process. Even with the master deceased, the soul imprint remained intact, making it impossible to simply seize control.

Unless the original master’s soul imprint dissipated, he would never be able to fully claim this living corpse.

Still, Qin Sang had not walked away empty-handed. Having mastered the secret technique for the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, he could at least influence the living corpse’s movements through the Heavenly Corpse Talisman, limiting its combat ability since it had no master.

Having confirmed that he couldn't fully claim it, Qin Sang abandoned the thought and prepared to eliminate this creature directly.

The living corpse, without a master to shield it, was susceptible to the influence of his technique. The Xuanhuang Armor, which had previously protected it from the sword qi of his ebony sword, began to falter, losing much of its potency under his technique’s interference.

Qin Sang pressed the attack with his ebony sword, exploiting the armor’s lapse, and struck repeatedly at a single point. Deep wounds that exposed bone began to accumulate until the Earth Malevolent Qi on the living corpse could no longer keep up with repairs. Finally, with a thrust that pierced the malevolent corpse’s skull, Qin Sang obliterated its primordial spirit.

Thud!

The living corpse collapsed. Unlike previous malevolent corpses, it did not disintegrate into ashes but retained its human form.

Qin Sang summoned a flame, incinerating the living corpse, then retrieved his ebony sword and the Yan Luo Banners of Ten Directions. After a brief moment to catch his breath, he turned his gaze toward the bodies of Hermit Baiyun and Wu Yuesheng, his face pensive.

After a moment, Qin Sang incinerated Wu Yuesheng’s corpse as well, but he preserved Hermit Baiyun's body within an ice coffin.

According to the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art, refining a malevolent corpse puppet required the corpse of a Foundation Building cultivator. Since Hermit Baiyun had attacked him first, Qin Sang had no intention of showing mercy and planned to refine him into a corpse puppet.

Unlike living corpses, corpse puppets retained slightly less strength than they had in life.

If he used Hermit Baiyun’s body to create a malevolent corpse, its final strength would likely surpass that of a thirteenth-stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator, capable of withstanding attacks from Foundation Building cultivators. While it would mainly serve as a troublesome distraction, it would still be a useful ally.

This would be especially valuable for Qin Sang’s upcoming journey to the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, where the vast and sparsely populated terrain meant he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone discovering his corpse puppet.

However, Qin Sang didn’t dare treat Wu Yuesheng’s body the same way. Hermit Baiyun had been a rogue cultivator with no powerful backers, so there was no one to avenge him. Wu Yuesheng was different.

As a fellow disciple, Qin Sang knew that Shaohua Mountain wouldn’t ignore the unexplained disappearance of a Foundation Building disciple. After leaving this place, those still alive would surely have to answer to the sect.

The world of immortal cultivation held countless strange techniques, and if any evidence were to emerge, Qin Sang would be in serious trouble. While Wu Yuesheng had initiated the fight, refining a fellow disciple into a corpse puppet would be equally unforgivable.

Even Wu Yuesheng’s life-bound Crimson Flame Sword would need to be discreetly discarded.

Qin Sang then preserved the remains of Liu Jiang, who had helped guide him earlier. He refrained from taking Liu Jiang’s Mustard Seed Pouch, intending to return it to Liu Shan, though he could only imagine how Liu Shan would feel upon seeing the corpse, disfigured and corroded by corpse poison.

Next, Qin Sang made a gesture, gathering up the belongings of Hermit Baiyun and Wu Yuesheng before carelessly wiping away the traces of battle in the hall. Once the Earth Malevolent Qi rose to fill the space, all clues would be erased, so he didn’t bother being thorough.

He then began dismantling the barrier on the black iron door while also examining the items he’d collected.

Anything related to Shaohua Mountain, including Wu Yuesheng’s artifacts, had to be discarded. However, spirit stones, pills, and other spiritual materials could be kept.

Wu Yuesheng’s wealth was considerable. Just his spirit stones amounted to over 800 low-grade ones. Adding Hermit Baiyun’s possessions, Qin Sang’s gains totaled over 1200 low-grade spirit stones.

After breaking into the Foundation Building Realm, Qin Sang had practiced diligently in his cave dwelling without touching the five mid-grade spirit stones given to him by his sect. With what he already had, he now possessed about 1000 low-grade spirit stones in total.

A sum of 2200 low-grade spirit stones would be enough to buy a fine top-grade artifact. Among Foundation Building cultivators, Qin Sang now had a respectable level of wealth.

Aside from the Crimson Flame Sword, Wu Yuesheng had a few high-quality artifacts, which Qin Sang reluctantly placed back in the Mustard Seed Pouch, intending to discard it later. Compared to Wu Yuesheng, Hermit Baiyun’s collection was sparse. His strongest artifact, the Sky-Trapping Pouch, was destroyed, leaving only a wooden staff called the Dragon-Subduing Staff, a high-grade artifact of excellent quality and unique functionality.

The staff was crafted from a piece of spiritual wood. Unfortunately, it had been refined into an artifact mixed with other spiritual materials, which compromised the wood’s structure and made it unsuitable for enhancing the ebony sword.

While the ebony sword, now refined into a spiritual sword embryo, had grown stronger, it had also become more delicate in some ways. Any improper infusion would weaken it, even to the point of collapse, as it could only merge with the purest form of spiritual wood.