Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Nine: Refining Corpses

, Qin Sang continued to cultivate diligently in his cave abode. He didn't touch the five mid-grade spirit stones issued by his sect, adding up with what he had before, he had roughly a thousand low-gr...The sinister energy surged wildly into the cave.

Qin Sang shivered, not daring to linger any longer. He hastily pressed down on his wound and darted deeper into the cave with all his speed. Just then, he suddenly felt a strange sensation, stopped in his tracks, and turned his head back.

As soon as the evil qi entered the cave, golden runes suddenly appeared on the walls. These runes were connected by golden threads, some bright and some dim, appearing all over the cave walls.

The ominous earth energy clashed with the golden light emanating from the runes, successfully halting its advance.

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Qin Sang's eyes lit up. He guessed right, there was indeed a restriction in the cave that isolated the evil energy, otherwise it would be impossible for someone to cultivate in such a place.

But Qin Sang didn't get to be happy for long.

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Perhaps because they were unmanned, or perhaps because too much time had passed, the power of the restrictions weakened. Faced with the ever-increasing surge of Earthly Fiend Qi, these runes only lasted for a short time before rapidly fading and disappearing.

The demonic energy ravaged the cave, obliterating the runes like a storm. Its invasion only slowed slightly.

Seeing this, Qin Sang had no more luck in his heart. He sighed inwardly and rushed deep into the cave dwelling. In fact, he wasn't sure what lay ahead either. He was most afraid that the end of the cave would be a dead end, and the evil qi would linger indefinitely. All he could do was take one step at a time.

The cave wasn't very wide, and there was no telling what might be inside. It wouldn't do to make a loud entrance with my sword drawn.

Qin Sang urged the Falling Cloud Wings, moving unseen.

This magic artifact has followed him from the Guiyin Sect to the present day, making numerous contributions. Unfortunately, it is a cursed weapon and will eventually self-destruct. Qin Sang also tries to use it as little as possible, saving the good stuff for when it's needed most.

It's best to be cautious and proceed with care as we don't know what lies within the cave.

Fortunately, the cave wasn't a dead end. As they ventured deeper, there were numerous branching paths leading in all directions—up, down, left, and right. They intersected and split, forming an intricate network that surprised Qin Sang. The space inside was far larger than he had initially imagined.

The figure darted forward, quickly reaching a fork in the path. All three paths led deep into the cave, but one veered to the left, another ascended, and the third descended.

Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then chose to go down.

The upper half of the cave had no entrance to a cavern, it was most likely a dead end. Qin Sang had tried attacking the stone wall, but the restrictions on it couldn't hold back the Earthly Fiend energy, yet it wasn't something he could shake.

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Qin Sang was the quickest to react at that moment. Everyone else, if they managed to escape into the cave, was below. The cavern felt too eerie for him, so he decided to first find a way to reunite with his companions before confronting any potential dangers.

Qin Sang's figure flashed, moving without any hindrance to the end of this stone path. He discovered that the stone gate ahead was tightly closed, and there seemed to be a seal still in place on top.

Upon seeing the roadblock ahead, Qin Sang's expression changed slightly. Throughout his journey, he had encountered stone gates, but they were all wide open. This was the first time he had come across such a situation. If the restrictions on the stone gate were too strong, he might very well be trapped here!

He tentatively divided his spiritual energy, effortlessly breaking the restrictions on the stone gate. The restrictions on the gate and the wall were not one entity.

"Thank goodness!"

Qin Sang secretly rejoiced.

At this moment, a rumbling sound came from behind, the earth-shaping energy relentlessly pursuing. Qin Sang dared not hesitate any longer, pushing open the stone door with all his might. Unexpectedly, a gust of evil wind suddenly struck him.

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"Is anyone in there"

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Qin Sang was both surprised and delighted, her figure flying back to dodge the sneak attack.

The attacker wasn't fast, Qin Sang easily dodged from afar. He saw a black shadow flying towards where he had just been standing. A black hand reached out and grasped empty air, its five fingers striking the stone wall beside him.

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With a sharp "sizzle," several sparks flew out.

The hand was as withered and dry as kindling. Its skin was covered in steel-like black spines, its fingernails longer than its fingers, sharp as blades, black as ink, and with a faint sickly greenish aura that seemed to ooze poison.

...hehehe...

That dark shape turned, revealing a monster resembling a human in form. Its appearance was terrifyingly evil, with fangs and nails that emanated black and green miasma. Beneath its thick, dark fur, its skin glimmered with a bronze-like sheen.

The monster greedily stared at Qin Sang, its throat emitting a strange sound.

"Zombies"

A look of surprise flashed across Qin Sang's face. No wonder he hadn't sensed the other party's aura; it wasn't a living being, but a zombie startled by the human aura emanating from him.

Flowers, grasses, trees, rocks, and even tools can transform into spirits. Of course, corpses can too.

Especially when cultivators die unexpectedly, if their bodies happen to fall into a peculiar terrain, their residual spiritual energy remains for years without decay. Under the influence of obsession, there is a possibility of corpse transformation.

In the Demon Realm, there are demonic cultivators who practice the art of corpse refinement. They are skilled in this technique and can refine the bodies of mortals or even cultivators into corpse puppets, which they control to fight their enemies.

Qin Sang didn't get the Corpse Refining Art from Gu Tiannan. It was more like an alchemy technique.

Zombies are the lowest and weakest type in Corpse Refinement. Most naturally formed zombies belong to this category.

If by chance, a mortal's body is buried in a place of extreme yin energy, it is very easy to become a zombie. Some grow white hair, some grow black hair, they are strange and varied in appearance. Ordinary people do not know the truth and think that white zombies and black zombies are different, but in fact, they are just the most common types of zombies.

The weakest zombie only has brute strength, is immune to pain, and has tough flesh. They are also afraid of yang energy and can be subdued by ordinary humans.

But if it were a corpse that had been dead for many years, or a zombie puppet refined by cultivators, then it would be beyond the reach of ordinary people.

The zombie before Qin Sang was just like this. Its flesh was abnormally hard, like gold and iron, its movements were agile, and it had almost no weaknesses. It also carried a corpse poison aura. Even cultivators at the eighth or ninth level of the Qi Refining period would have to work hard to deal with it, and if they were not careful, they might fall to the zombie's hands.

A zombie that absorbs enough Yin Sha Qi can transform into a Sha Corpse, a powerful being that moves like the wind and can manipulate Yin Sha Qi. Even cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage would have to be wary of them.

Very few become shambling corpses through natural means, and those who do are filled with hatred for living things, becoming bloodthirsty killers. If one were to appear in the mortal realm, it would undoubtedly bring about a catastrophe.

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Some demonic cultivators use Yin Shaqi to meticulously refine, and they can also refine corpse puppets called "Sha Shi".

It is said that above the Corpse King, there are even flying yakshas comparable to Jindan cultivators. They are proficient in five-element escapism and possess formidable and enigmatic power.

There aren't many demon cultivators capable of refining corpse puppets of the Feitian Ya class. The difficulty is self-evident. It requires not only the body of a powerful cultivator but also numerous rare spiritual objects. The process is extremely complex, comparable to refining a magic treasure.

In ancient times, there were celestial corpses that achieved immortality and ascended to the immortal realm. However, now it is difficult for human cultivators to reach the Nascent Soul stage, and those are only legends.

Seeing that it was a zombie attacking him, Qin Sang felt a little disappointed. He immediately summoned the Five Elements Breaking Sword and directly cut it in half. Then, his figure flashed as he darted to the side of the severed zombie. Bamboo Flying Boat raced through the low sky. Qin Sang drove away the cloud beasts along the way while distinguishing directions and guiding the Cloud Wanderer, an hour later, the flying boat landed...