Starting with the consumables of the Demonic Sect, one can barely achieve immortality.

Many cultivators shared the same doubt. The Heavenly Child raised his hand, signaling everyone to calm down, and said leisurely:

"I know what everyone is thinking."

"Yin metal is metal refined by yin water, which fosters evil energy and suppresses yang fire."

"If you break through here, you will almost certainly not encounter the situation of Yang Fire backlash."

"Otherwise, why would you all owe the Hall five strands of Yin Corpse Qi?"

Aside from Yan Cheng, all the cultivators looked back at themselves and found that since entering this secluded cultivation room, the restless Yang fire within their bodies had indeed subsided somewhat.

But if that's all there is to it, why would Tiantong bother to waste so much breath on them?

The guy laughed and said:

"Of course, there are always exceptions in the world."

"Among corpse cultivators, there are many who are born with more yang energy than others. When they reach the critical moment of breakthrough, they are in danger of exploding and dying."

"When that time comes, I can offer you all a helping hand for a fee."

"I will gladly accept twenty strands of Yin Corpse Killing Spirit. I can pay on credit, but the price is non-negotiable."

"Please don't blame me for making exorbitant profits just because you hear these numbers."

"This is the best price we can offer, after deducting all costs, so we don't make a single penny."

He said softly:

"You are all wise people, and you should know that evil energy can be refined again, but life is only once."

Everyone now fully understood the difficulty of breaking through to the mid-stage, and surprisingly, no one showed any dissatisfaction when faced with his exorbitant price.

Only Yan Cheng's eyes lit up upon hearing this, though he inwardly cursed.

If Tendo hadn't mentioned this perilla, things would have been fine, but now that he's put it so explicitly, trying to break through here will definitely lead to trouble!

If the corpse cultivators don't go into a state of demonic possession, how will Senior Brother Tiantong collect the life-saving money of twenty strands of evil energy?

Yan Cheng didn't want to incur a huge debt to Tian Tong as soon as he broke through.

Furthermore, neither Tian Tong nor Huang Tong behind him ever said that there would be no interest charged for this advance payment of evil energy.

Given the nature of these shady characters, since they didn't mention not charging interest, they'll definitely charge a hefty sum!

Even if you successfully break through to a higher realm, you'll never be able to repay Senior Brother Tiantong's kindness in your lifetime. It would be better not to break through at all.

"And...do I really need His Highness's help to break through?"

Yan Cheng pondered that the difficulty in breaking through to the mid-stage was nothing more than the three barriers of physical constitution, true qi, and yang fire.

In terms of physical constitution, having undergone the double tempering of the moonlight, he was already far superior to his peers and had more than enough to withstand the impact of a breakthrough.

As for true qi, the quality of the Yin Star Qi is beyond question; it is incomparable to the Yin Corpse Qi of other cultivators.

His Qi Palace was cultivated by himself, so his foundation was extremely solid, giving him a much greater advantage in this area than those who relied on loans.

The only problem lies in the potential backlash from the yang energy.

The true energy of the Yin cultivators is clear and pure like the moon, unlike the Yin Sha cultivators who are full of turbid evil energy and need to worry about triggering the backlash of the Yang fire in their bodies.

The Upper Yin Star Flame is a wonderful technique for regulating Yang Fire. If Yan Cheng masters this flame and goes into seclusion to break through, his chances of victory are practically guaranteed.

Yan Cheng wanted to break through on his own, but he knew that if he did so, it would inevitably arouse the suspicion and retaliation of Huang Tong's faction.

He thought to himself at that moment:

"This is forcing me to owe them money!"

The pent-up frustration of the past few days made it impossible for Yan Cheng to endure it silently any longer.

As the cultivators gradually dispersed, he stopped the celestial boy and probed him with his words:

"Did you also achieve your breakthrough in this very secluded room, with your senior disciple protecting you?"

Tiantong glanced at him with interest, then shook his head and said:

"At that time, the palace was in dire need of manpower, and the palace master specially approved the loan of Tian Su Yin Yue to help me achieve my breakthrough."

"Junior Brother has also seen this spiritual artifact. It takes the moon in the sky as its image and is formed by the moonlight. It greatly enhances the cultivation of Yin-type techniques such as Taiyin and Youming. It is the most precious of the many ancient spiritual artifacts in the hall."

His expression was somber:

"If we don't count the Soul-Capturing Bell in Senior Sister Huang's possession."

Moonlight Refining...

If Yan Cheng's deduction is correct, the true method of collecting the essence of the sun and moon has long been lost in the Hall of Longevity.

As the only surviving Taiyin spiritual artifact passed down from our predecessors, the value of the Tian Su Yin Yue is self-evident.

Facing Yan Cheng, a familiar face, Tian Tong seemed unconcerned about saying a few more words, and leisurely said:

"The Yin spiritual energy within the Heavenly Yin Moon cannot be replenished; every bit used diminishes it."

"Of the fifty-three early-stage perfect beings who were expected to break through back then, I was the only one who was fortunate enough to break through with the blessing of the Yin Moon."

"As for others... they haven't even had the chance to borrow the wonders of Yin Yue."

"The wonders of the Heavenly Tracing Yin Moon are indeed profound, but they are only useful to those who already have the potential to achieve greatness, helping cultivators to minimize the chance of their Yang Fire backlashing."

"For those who have achieved enlightenment through the radiance of the moon, this is an immense debt of gratitude that can never be repaid in ten thousand lifetimes."

Yan Cheng suddenly understood what he meant.

The breakthroughs achieved by the cultivators in the hall are owed to Huang Tong and Tian Tong.

Tian Tong himself owes the Palace Master a debt of gratitude for his achievements.

The former still has room to empty its savings to pay off the debt, but the latter cannot be wiped out by a few wisps of evil energy!

The person destined to become a celestial corpse is named Celestial Child.

And what is a Heavenly Corpse? Isn't it a vessel prepared for a superior cultivator to possess another's body?

This guy in front of me must know very well that the reason the emperor helped him up was to wear him down at a crucial moment.

In public, he appeared to be a master of social graces, a true standout among corpse cultivators.

But in the eyes of those true disciples, he was nothing more than a high-level consumable with slightly better aptitude and the potential to cultivate to the peak of Qi Refining.

Yan Cheng remained silent for a long while before finally unable to hold back and asking:

"Is there anyone in Your Highness who has achieved the intermediate stage without relying on external forces or incurring karmic debts?"

Tian Tong smiled:

"There are indeed people who can accomplish things without external help, and quite a few of them."

"As for not incurring any karmic debts? Are you joking?"

"Now, the times no longer allow such talent to flourish."

"Even if there are people who can achieve success through their own efforts, the higher-ups will not allow them to live freely and without checks and balances."

"The more outstanding a genius is, the more we should try every means to either control or suppress and eliminate them."

"Even the most outstanding talents and peerless geniuses, if they cannot be used by me, are not as valuable as a mere corpse puppet guarding the gate!"

His eyes shone brightly as he met Yan Cheng's gaze, whose eyes had concealed their alluring purple flames.

"If you, junior brother, are confident that you can cultivate to this level on your own, then I might as well collect your corpse."

"If you really succeed, it's just a matter of taking away a few dozen strands of Yin Corpse Fiend from you."

Yan Cheng blinked, and after a long while, the corners of her mouth slowly turned up.

"I understand what you mean, senior brother."

"From today onwards, I will go into seclusion to break through to the next level."

"If things truly fail, this cultivation will serve as provisions for my senior brother's enlightenment!"

These words were spoken with such passion and fervor that even Yan Cheng himself felt a little ashamed.

Upon hearing this, Tiantong merely smiled meaningfully:

"Then I will await good news."