Chapter 38

“Are you really willing to let him go?”

The sky had fully brightened; above, a hundred zhang high, the cloud layer revealed a mosaic of brilliant hues—the sun hung high, shining with radiant glory.

Yin Gonghao gazed at the scene of golden ripples and dawn birds piercing the gloom for a moment, then withdrew his gaze and turned his eyes to Zhou Chuyu, who knelt prostrate on the ground:

“That man saved you from ruin. Without him, you’d still be suffering and violated on that little hilltop. I ask you to kill him with your own hands—can you bear to? Do you resent me?”

“Master, how do you know all this?”

“The gap between cultivators dwarfs the difference between man and dog. Your petty thoughts don’t even need my spiritual sense—I see them at a glance. How could you possibly hide them from Yin Gonghao?”

“He… saved me from my suffering, but he came too late. Now that he’s here, what meaning do my past days hold?”

Zhou Chuyu avoided Yin Gonghao’s gaze, unconsciously grabbing a handful of damp, black soil, her fingers digging deep into her palms as she murmured:

“The more he saved me, the more I feel I must hate him. He is as pure as clouds in heaven, while I am filthy and foul, like rotting manure buried in the earth… Looking at him, I can’t help but want to drag him down from the heavens, to make him share my filth, to cling to him, to stain his whole body with my scent—no matter how hard he washes, it will never come clean. In the end, we’ll die entwined, our bodies rotting together…”

Yin Gonghao laughed with delight.

“Though ungrateful, it’s heartfelt—every word sincere.”

“So I have never dared to resent you, Master. You gave me a golden path—only by standing on this road to heaven can I reach out and pull Chen Hang down from the heavens into the mud.”

Yin Gonghao slightly narrowed his eyes.

“Never dared to resent,” not “would not resent”?

A single word’s difference laid bare her true intentions.

But Yin Gonghao paid it no mind—he had seen too many arrogant souls. How many among them had ever condensed a Golden Core or entered the Primordial Spirit realm?

Even if this woman truly achieved great fortune and later came to kill him, Yin Gonghao would only clap and rejoice—for it would prove his teaching was excellent!

“If you truly kill him, you may join my sect. And if you can cultivate to the Golden Core within fifty years, I shall guide you to a great boon.”

Yin Gonghao’s long eyebrows flickered: “Countless true disciples and Dao heirs from the Eight Sects and Six Clans are waiting for this chance. If you gain from it, you’ll face no further obstacles in your cultivation before the Three Calamities!”

Zhou Chuyu lifted her head and smiled sweetly, her eyes and brows shimmering with seduction.

“But those are matters for later. I give you one month. If you haven’t finished by then, I’ll strip your Qi Condensation cultivation and reduce you to beast form.”

“The mortal world is vast—if I cannot find Chen Hang’s trail, or if he’s already been killed by someone else?” Zhou Chuyu asked. “How will that count?”

“Still a loss for you.”

Yin Gonghao smiled faintly, arms crossed, speaking coolly:

“Be grateful—I’m testing you gently. When my master tested whether I was worthy to join his sect, he disguised himself as me and slaughtered half the cultivation sects in a realm, then threw me into that realm and demanded I survive a month to pass.”

“By the time the month ended, my bones had been stripped, my skin peeled, and my soul had been lit like a candle in a Yin Fire furnace. Only because those fools wanted to torture me and didn’t extinguish my Primordial Spirit did I barely manage to pass.”

Zhou Chuyu took a deep breath and silently rose from the ground.

“You’ve only received one Qi Condensation technique from me. In such haste, even if I gave you Dao arts, you couldn’t master them—better not to learn at all.”

Yin Gonghao paused, then a ring of black light leapt from the crown of his head. A white bone hand emerged from the light, swept through the void, and seized several cultivators clad in apricot-yellow Daoist robes—men and women alike, their qi fluctuating, clearly all at least Qi Condensation seventh layer.

“F-forebear…”

Among them, their leader forced down his terror and spoke tremblingly.

They had been meditating in their cave temple when suddenly a white bone hand reached from nowhere, effortlessly shattering their sect’s protective array. Several elders tried to intervene—but before they could approach, their limbs were shattered, turning to pulp midair.

“We are all disciples of Lianyan Mountain. My father once had ties with Zhang True Person of Luofu Sect. We do not know—”

Before he could finish.

Yin Gonghao grew impatient. The white bone hand clenched its five fingers tightly, crushing them all to death—blood rained in all directions.

“What damn Lianyan Mountain? I’ve never heard of it. And Luofu Sect dares to threaten me? My ‘Corpse Response Banner’ still lacks several banner spirits—I’ll invite them all to reside in it soon!”

Yin Gonghao sneered, then pointed at the fresh pile of blood-mud and said to Zhou Chuyu:

“Go. Pick out a few talismanic artifacts you like. Your Qi Condensation third-layer cultivation is enough to wield them.”

After Zhou Chuyu carefully sifted through the blood-mud and collected her items, Yin Gonghao said nothing more, waving his hand to dismiss her.

Zhou Chuyu bowed deeply, kneeling and kowtowing three solemn, resonant bows before turning and leaving the valley.

“I’ve received the Dao. Finally—I’ve received the Dao…”

A gray-blue aura shot violently into the clouds, soaring over a hundred zhang before finally halting.

Zhou Chuyu, flying with her embryonic breath wrapped around her body, cupped her face and wept and laughed:

“Mother, can you see me down below? Yu’er has received her immortal fortune today.”

…

…

Within the True Dharma Realm.

Chen Hang’s breath came in fits and starts. Suddenly, his throat burned with pain—a cold qi pierced through it, then his five viscera froze stiff; even the blood that spilled was a deep blue.

“Again, I erred. I should have slowed down.”

As this mental form ceased breathing, the light and shadow before him flickered, coalescing into a new Chen Hang.

As this mental manifestation lost its breath, the light and shadow at the spot shimmered and coalesced into a new Chen Hang.

…

Refining the “Cold Strife True Qi” was indeed difficult.

Even when motionless, it had tortured the then Chen Hang beyond endurance. Though after achieving Qi Condensation, his embryonic breath had grown immeasurably stronger, sufficient to protect his internal organs from the freezing agony,

Yet to refine it remained an immense challenge…

The cultivation of Qi Condensation involves continuously strengthening the innate embryonic breath within, layer upon layer, until it reaches the threshold for condensing true qi.

During this process, due to differences in cultivation methods, the embryonic breath undergoes various transformations.

For instance, those who cultivate the “Solid Gold True Qi” gradually manifest its qualities as their Qi Condensation advances—their embryonic breath takes on the attributes of “metal” and “sharpness.”

Chen Hang, relying on the “Primordial Origin True” principle of “Dragon Heaven’s Clarity, All True Qi Unified,” dared to attempt refining the “Cold Strife True Qi” because his embryonic breath, whether increased or diminished, had been subtly tainted by this nature.

But true qi is inherently superior to embryonic breath. Even though his embryonic breath’s nature was extraordinary, fully refining it was by no means easy.

“Try again.”

Chen Hang steadied his mind and sat down once more on the ground.