After their success, the two immediately left the corpse king’s lair.

They made their way safely out of the Immortal Tomb, crossed the Corpse Vulture Mountain, and arrived at the cluster of palaces at the entrance to Ziwei Palace.[1]

At the entrance, Qin Sang found a secluded courtyard and quietly waited for the celestial array to halt.

Before long, sounds of air being torn apart echoed from deep within the palace. Qin Sang was startled awake, leaned forward, and looked behind him. A large group of immortal cultivators were approaching together.

None of them concealed their presence, and among them were even Spiritual Infant grandmasters!

"So many Spiritual Infant grandmasters traveling together within Ziwei Palace?" Qin Sang was astonished. Recalling the confrontation outside the devilish hole, he realized that the cultivation world must have undergone some great upheaval.

The group of cultivators flew straight toward Ziwei Palace's entrance. Fortunately, the palace complex was vast. Qin Sang kept a low profile, hiding in a corner so as not to be spotted by any old enemies.

He carefully withdrew, suppressed his aura, and waited in silence. Not long after, other scattered cultivators also gathered nearby.

Finally, the fluctuations in the sea of clouds of the celestial array began to weaken, until the clouds itself froze in place. The entire Ziwei Palace trembled as it started to sink into the depths of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield.

In that instant, streaks of evasion light shot into the sky. Qin Sang was not to be outdone. Activating his astra for protection, he soared upward into the clouds.

He vividly remembered the dangers he had faced when first entering Ziwei Palace, but this time, his departure was far smoother.

He passed through the celestial array safely and finally returned to the familiar terrain of the Ancient Immortal Battlefield!

The Spirit Tide had yet to subside completely, and chaos still reigned across the battlefield. Ziwei Palace lay deep within the battlefield, a region no less perilous than the storm belts surrounding the two great seas.

Landing upon the sand, Qin Sang glanced once more at the swirling storm clouds behind him. Wishing to avoid any encounters, he immediately departed.

Before leaving Ziwei Palace, he had already summoned the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros horn. This treasure could still guide him through the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, ensuring he would not lose his way.

No one noticed Qin Sang leaving alone.

The Spirit Tide’s power had faded. Dodging and weaving through the dangerous terrain, Qin Sang swiftly escaped the desert. Then, spatial rifts began tearing open in the void, revealing sights that made one’s heart tremble.

He summoned the Sky-Eyed Butterfly, relying on its Sky Eyes to navigate toward the direction of the seven strongholds.

Traveling alone across the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, his speed varied, sometimes swift, sometimes cautious, as he frequently changed course to avoid danger. Days passed before the spatial rifts thinned and the Spirit Tide weakened further.

Suddenly, Qin Sang noticed an unusual phenomenon deep within the mountains ahead. Seven-colored light shimmered intermittently, a clear sign of a hidden realm’s emergence. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Though the speed of Spiritual Infant grandmasters far exceeded his, Qin Sang had deliberately taken a detour. It was unlikely anyone else had discovered this anomaly yet.

He crossed the ridges and arrived at a bare stone mountain. The strange light emanated from within the mountain, seeping through cracks in the rock.

After a brief investigation, Qin Sang confirmed that the glow indeed came from a hidden realm’s barrier, partially revealed after being disturbed by the Spirit Tide.

However, it was less a hidden realm and more of a cave dwelling, one filled with a faintly decayed aura.

A thorough search yielded no treasure. Qin Sang cast a spell to clean the cave dwelling, then repaired the damaged barrier, concealed the traces of spiritual fluctuation, and decided to use this place as a secluded cultivation spot for a time.

Since entering Seven-Kill Hall, he had faced wave after wave of turmoil, barely catching a breath between one crisis and the next. He needed time to organize his thoughts and reflect on everything that had happened.

Moreover, from what he had seen, it was evident that great changes were sweeping across the cultivation world. He would need to consider carefully what to do next and how.

Bai emerged from the Corpse Puppet Pouch.

Qin Sang asked, "Have you found any leads regarding the Corpse Soul Orb?"

Bai turned his palm upward, revealing an orb, the Corpse Soul Orb of the corpse king.

After Qin Sang had helped him heavily wound the corpse king, Bai tried to subdue it but failed. In the end, he had no choice but to slay the corpse king and seize its Corpse Soul Orb.

This orb was formed when a refined corpse became a corpse king. Its essence soul would fuse with its corpse core and undergo metamorphosis. It was the equivalent of an immortal cultivator’s Spiritual Infant.

Its surface gleamed with an azure-black hue, shining with an alluring luster. At times, mysterious runes flickered across it, Bai’s seals embedded into the orb.

Inside, corpse qi swirled like mist. Occasionally, a twisted, terrifying face emerged, baring its fangs in silent fury as if trying to break free.

Such Corpse Soul Orbs were exceedingly rare. Neither Qin Sang nor Bai knew how to refine it.

Bai shook his head slightly, hesitating. "The Heavenly Corpse Talisman fused with its essence soul and merged into the orb. I dare not act recklessly. It is not something that can be refined overnight. Still, if I manage to refine this Corpse Soul Orb, even if I cannot fully comprehend the Heavenly Corpse Talisman’s mysteries, I may still have a chance to surpass the corpse king..."

Qin Sang’s eyes brightened. "Then it was not in vain after all! Once you achieve the level of a corpse king, we can join forces to search for the Heavenly Corpse Sect’s ruins. We will surely uncover something."

Bai chose a stone chamber within the cave to begin his secluded cultivation. Qin Sang sealed the barriers, and silence fell.

Inside the cave dwelling, Qin Sang extended his spiritual consciousness into the Thousand-Jin Ring to examine his spoils one by one.

He had temporarily lent the Nine-Life Black Tortoise Shell to Bai as a shield. However, Qin Sang felt that refining the shell into a mere defensive treasure would be a waste of its potential.

The shell contained an exceptionally pure power of black water. A faint idea took root in Qin Sang’s mind, one that would require him to reach the Spiritual Infant Realm and deepen his understanding of artifact refinement before testing its feasibility.

Before him lay four items: a transparent lotus seed, a fragment of the Killing Sword, and two jade slips.

The Killing Sword fragment remained unchanged from days ago. The sword spirit within had yet to awaken, and Qin Sang did not know how long it would take. After a brief inspection, he stored it away.

Next, his gaze fell upon the transparent lotus seed. The lotus seed carried the Fire Seed Golden Lotus. His decision to enter seclusion here was largely because of this treasure.

He had refined his fire seed hastily before, with no time to properly comprehend the Fire Seed Golden Lotus, nor had he used the lotus seed, fearing potential hidden injuries.

Holding the transparent lotus seed, Qin Sang activated his spiritual consciousness, simultaneously delving into the secret art while erasing Old Devil Mou’s lingering imprint.

Time passed unnoticed within the cave dwelling. Two full months went by before Qin Sang awoke from his meditative state.

He stared at the lotus seed for a moment, yet instead of absorbing it into his body, he placed it back into the Thousand-Jin Ring.

During this period, he had studied the Fire Seed Golden Lotus and examined the lotus seed thoroughly.

In the end, he confirmed that the lotus seed served only two purposes. First, as a vessel that recorded the secret technique. Second, as an auxiliary item during the initial stages of cultivation to prevent an immortal cultivator from being burned by their own fire. Beyond that, it held no further function.

Qin Sang felt that after refining the fire lotus seed to a certain extent, he had already reached his limit. If he tried to absorb any more of the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells, his body would no longer be able to withstand it.

Neither the Jade Buddha nor the lotus seed could help him further. The limitation lay in his own insufficient cultivation.

It was clear that the Fire Seed Golden Lotus had not been designed for cultivators of the Core Formation Realm. To advance further, one had to first reach the Spiritual Infant Realm.

The current fire lotus seed was too weak, its enhancement to his spiritual consciousness negligible. For now, the Fire Seed Golden Lotus could only serve as a supporting secret technique to assist in wielding the devilish banners.

1. Corpse Vulture Mountain refers to the mountain filled with Corpse Vultures. ☜