Chapter 614: Chapter 614

Floating within his meridians and Qihai was a strange sealing rune that Qin Sang had never seen before. It was utterly unfamiliar to him.

Though his body still contained spiritual power, not a single trace of it could be summoned. It was locked down completely.

This sealing rune left behind by Dongyang Bo was no ordinary thing. Over the past few days, Qin Sang had made countless attempts, tried every method he could think of, yet the rune remained unmoved.

Originally, Qin Sang had harbored doubts about the Stone Bridge Zen that Dongyang Bo had revealed.

This so-called Zen art clearly had nothing to do with true Buddhist art. It did not resemble Buddhist meditation but leaned more toward devilish practices. The Great Dao of Absolute Detachment pursued by Buddhist cultivators was completely at odds with it. Qin Sang had thought Dongyang Bo was simply bluffing Chenyan.

But after experiencing the power of this sealing rune, his thoughts had changed. A deep sense of dread crept over him.

To break this seal, one would likely require someone of immense strength. Qin Sang even doubted whether a late-stage Golden Core cultivator could manage it.

If Stone Bridge Zen was merely a fabrication, there’d be no reason for Dongyang Bo to waste such a precious rune on him. Just putting on a show would have sufficed. He was only a Fake Core Realm cultivator, no real threat to Dongyang Bo.

Qin Sang couldn’t tell whether Dongyang Bo simply didn’t want to turn against Chenyan or didn’t dare to. But it was clear he had prepared an escape route and was confident Chenyan would give in. Hence, he used the sealing rune as a token of sincerity.

The Stone Bridge Zen, the Great Dao of Absolute Detachment, and the concept of attaining enlightenment through killing a loved one... All of it was likely true.

If not for the Jade Buddha shielding his primordial spirit and suppressing the rune, Qin Sang would have been stripped of all strength, utterly helpless, at the mercy of others. It would have been a certain death.

Qin Sang shuddered at the thought. The Great Dao of Absolute Detachment was unlike dual cultivation. There was no reasoning, no balance.

"I am willing to become a stone bridge, to endure five hundred years of wind, five hundred years of sun, five hundred years of rain, just for her to walk across it once."

This Dao demanded the practitioner fall madly in love with someone. The deeper the love, the better. Whether the other person returned the feelings didn’t matter at all.

"When the mountains crumble, and the rivers run dry...

When thunder rolls in winter, and snow falls in summer,

When heaven and earth merge...

Only then will I part with you."

To attain enlightenment by killing one’s loved one, the practitioner had to take the life of the one they loved most while drowning in heartbreak, tearing their soul apart in utter sorrow and agony.

To become a widow and gain Dao through detachment.

Yet this was also the fatal flaw of the Great Dao of Absolute Detachment. In most cases, it was difficult to attain such an extreme emotional state. If the cultivation wasn’t sufficient, the practitioner's Dao Heart might instead develop flaws and collapse.

The problem was, Qin Sang and Chenyan had shared a deep bond formed through the Sutra of the Profound Jade Cauldron, which had imprinted itself indelibly on her soul. If Chenyan ever fully opened her heart and allowed that imprint to guide her, she might actually succeed.

Under such circumstances, the Jade Buddha wouldn’t be his salvation but would become a death curse, deepening Chenyan’s love for him even further.

Once her cultivation reached perfection, she would decapitate him without hesitation. And by then, even a hundred Jade Buddhas wouldn’t be able to save him.

Carrying this sealing rune, there was no way he could ask anyone else for help. In this unfamiliar place, it would be near impossible to find a cultivator skilled enough to break such a seal in a short time. And even if he did, it would mean lowering all his defenses, laying open his Qihai and meridians, and allowing another to invade his body. That would be handing over his life entirely. Qin Sang would never take such a risk.

The only possible solution he could think of... was to rely on the spiritual baptism that occurred during Core Formation, using the surge of spiritual power to try and forcibly break the seal.

But when forming the core, the convergence of spiritual power—the moment of unity between spiritual qi and flesh—was brief and not necessarily strong enough to overwhelm a sealing rune.

Whether the attempt would work, Qin Sang couldn’t say for sure.

As these thoughts churned in his mind, he reflexively touched his empty left shoulder.

He had severed the arm himself, in order to use the Secret Technique of Bloodshed Body Puppet.

He had obtained this secret art after killing Di Que at Xuanlu Stronghold, among the relics of an ancient cultivator. It was a technique akin to a gecko discarding its tail or a decoy tactic, the art of sacrificing one limb to save the whole.

Elder Di Que had planned to ambush Daoist Master Xuanyu, relying precisely on this technique. He had severed his left arm back then, and his earlier broken leg was likely also a result of it.

Ever since acquiring the Secret Technique of Bloodshed Body Puppet, Qin Sang had never used it, not unless forced into utter desperation. Once a limb was lost through the technique, even Di Que himself couldn’t regrow it; it would be permanent disability.

But in Ziwei Palace, when facing Dongyang Bo, Qin Sang had already resolved to sever his arm if needed, just to survive.

He knew that a Spiritual Infant grandmaster’s methods were beyond fathoming. Qin Sang had intended to use the puppet technique to escape detection, then flee.

Unexpectedly, Chenyan had proved just as decisive. She had successfully held Dongyang Bo off, sparing Qin Sang from having to cut his arm then and there.

Who would have thought that after stepping into the teleportation array, his left arm would still be lost.

His spiritual consciousness had been instantly drained, and his spiritual power rendered completely unusable. Just before losing consciousness, he had sensed a terrifying force locking onto him. Had it struck, there would have been no chance of survival.

In that final moment, Qin Sang had no choice but to gamble his life, severing his own arm in a desperate attempt to survive. He hoped the sudden shock would help him evade that force. Then everything went black.

The teleportation process happened in an instant.

Even now, Qin Sang still couldn’t tell whether he had simply been lucky enough to complete the teleportation before that dreadful power arrived, or whether the secret technique had truly taken effect.

Because when he woke, he hadn’t found himself on the other side of the teleportation array, nor had he been rescued by anyone. He had been drifting alone in a river!

This puzzled him deeply.

He had made countless speculations, but none could explain what had happened. Official source ıs novel[f]ire.net

Other than the self-inflicted severed arm, and the bruises and abrasions from drifting along the river, there were no other signs of injury. No wounds that looked like they came from a fight.

Is the other side of the teleportation array a cliff, and I fell off upon arrival?

As he drifted in the river, with his spiritual consciousness depleted, spiritual power sealed, and his physical body severely injured, even the corpse transformation within him had started to surface uncontrollably. Corpse qi seeped from his body, making him indistinguishable from an actual corpse.

The most dangerous moment had come when he encountered that man in beast hide.

Thankfully, that man’s cultivation was not high. Upon seeing the dense corpse qi emanating from Qin Sang, he had let his guard down and recklessly opened his Spirit Beast Pouch, only to be torn to shreds by the Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps.

In truth, whether he had opened the Corpse Puppet Pouch or the Spirit Beast Pouch, he was doomed either way.

The flying yaksha inside the Corpse Puppet Pouch had already completed its metamorphosis. Had the man opened that pouch instead, the flying yaksha would now be guarding Qin Sang, and he wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable state.

Although Qin Sang had never truly subdued those Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasps, he had raised them for quite some time. There was, at least, a faint bond between them.

The wasps were familiar with Qin Sang’s aura. That was likely why they hadn’t attacked him immediately.

However, once they had devoured all the living creatures nearby, there was no telling what they might do.

Qin Sang hadn’t dared stay in that place. Summoning every last ounce of strength, he had managed to flip over and drift away on the river clinging to a broken log, only to be rescued by Mute Girl.

After days of rest, he had finally regained a sliver of vital energy. Now, all he needed was for his spiritual consciousness to recover just a little more. Then he could open the Thousand-Jin Ring, retrieve the healing pills inside, and greatly accelerate his recovery.

Qin Sang turned slightly and glanced at Mute Girl, then said softly, "That old man was right earlier. You’re far too naive. In the future, don’t trust others so easily."