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

"Still awake?"

Yan Cheng frowned slightly.

【Insight】The divine reflection reveals the cultivator's aura, but it's not yet possible to discern the other party's specific state.

A corpse cultivator who can remain conscious even at the fourth watch of the night must be a ruthless person with an unwavering heart for seeking the Dao, devoting every moment of their time and energy to cultivation.

Unfortunately, in front of a mid-stage cultivator, neither the determination nor the ruthlessness of an early-stage corpse cultivator could compare to the sharp blade in the girl's hand.

He looked into the girl's large, watery eyes, which couldn't hide her fear but forced a resolute and ruthless expression, and raised the ring expressionlessly.

The girl's eyes widened instantly, and her arms, which were holding the sharp blade high, trembled violently.

Then, with difficulty and slowness, he twisted the blade and began to smear it across a patch of white, smooth neck.

Snapped!

Yan Cheng stepped forward and slapped the short sword away, then held the black gold corpse-controlling ring directly in front of the young woman.

The girl's long eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she wanted to close her eyes, but in the next instant she was overwhelmed by the ring's magical power and lost all will to resist.

His eyes had barely closed when they opened again, and when they opened them again, all that remained was a pale, wooden expression.

Yan Cheng exhaled, slowly took a few steps back, and pressed his back against the tightly closed door.

Seeing that the girl was no longer moving, he stared at the ring with its dim light flowing on his left index finger and suddenly felt a strange unease.

The Black Gold Corpse Control Ring suppresses the mind of the corpse cultivator, but in essence, it has never transformed him into a corpse puppet.

The miraculous power to control subordinates will eventually come to an end. Whenever the corpse cultivator is found to be no longer obedient, the ringholder must raise the ring and strike the latter again.

After repeated cycles, one day the one who upholds the precepts will no longer need the corpse cultivators under his command, and may even take pity on the divine mystery and withdraw it.

The corpse cultivator, whose mind had been subjected to multiple shocks, could not return to his original state, and his path to cultivation was essentially over.

In terms of severing all paths to enlightenment, there is not much difference between controlling corpses and directly cultivating corpses into corpse puppets.

In Yan Cheng's mind, only the words of the silk weaver kept replaying:

Do not regard the corpse cultivators as fellow disciples, and certainly do not harbor any camaraderie among them...

He had thought it over a lot before coming and felt that he had no psychological burden.

But attacking a conscious target still made him feel uneasy, so he immediately asked:

"name?"

"Wang Qing".

Okay, it's a name that sounds the same as my own.

Yan Cheng, his robes fluttering, adopted a leisurely smile like a celestial child and said nonchalantly:

"From now on, you will cultivate in my cave."

"I will not take all of the Yin Corpse Sha I have cultivated; I will only take what I need."

"Once I have completed my cultivation, I will set you free. You can then seek the Dao on your own."

Wang Qing stared at him without saying a word. Although she made no further move to resist, Yan Cheng still felt uneasy.

Damn it, not just anyone can be a villain.

After a long while, the girl finally spoke:

"My cultivation is already at its peak. If I were to refine more demonic energy, my Qi Palace would be unable to contain it, and it would inevitably fall into your hands."

"Since you have the upper hand, why spout such nonsense to taunt me? Haven't you gained enough advantages already?"

Yan Cheng's smile froze, and she regretted talking so much with this guy.

The Black Gold Corpse Control Ring is ultimately just a spiritual artifact at the Qi Refining level. The control it exerts is limited to making people obey orders, and it cannot achieve the exaggerated effect of brainwashing.

Didn't you see the female cultivator under Tian Tong's buttocks? She's been bound by the puppet strings for so many days, yet she still gets restless and goes crazy from time to time?

After a long pause, he finally spoke:

"If I told you I could help you reach the intermediate stage, would you still think the same way?"

Wang Qing's eyes lit up, but then her gaze dimmed again:

"What good will doing this do you?"

"I have been in the temple for half a year and have never seen anyone do good deeds without seeking personal gain. You may not be an exception."

Yan Cheng smiled slightly:

"Of course it is."

"It's just that you only have the perspective of an early-stage corpse cultivator, so you can't see things from the perspective of a mid-stage cultivator. There's no point in talking to you any further."

"I just don't want you to self-destruct your dantian the moment the divine power I've placed on you weakens..."

"It must be incredibly difficult for an ordinary person to cultivate to your level, right?"

"Is it really worth sacrificing all our hard work just for a moment's anger?"

He understood all too well the way of thinking of those who were single-mindedly seeking the Tao.

As long as they are promised that the other party will continue on their path, even if they know that the promises of the immortal sects are worthless, these people will still seize the opportunity at all costs.

Isn't Yan Cheng himself just like that?

Wang Qingxiu reached the initial stage of perfection, but never broke through.

They can only be worried about the success rate of the breakthrough and want to make as many preparations as possible.

Yan Cheng desperately needed a mid-stage cultivator who would obey his orders.

As long as we help Wang Qingxiu reach the mid-stage, not only will the amount of evil energy we can extract increase, but we can also push this guy out to face the calamity when necessary!

His rank was high, at the peak of Qi Refining. Even if Wang Qing cultivated to the later stage, under the wondrous control of the Black Gold Corpse Control Ring, he would still be under his control.

No one else could have foreseen this. When the time was right, this was another brilliant move by Yan Cheng to avoid death and prolong his life!

Thinking of this, the unease that had been weighing on his mind vanished.

Yan Cheng smiled and extended his hand to Wang Qing, saying:

"In this place, no one will do good deeds without seeking personal gain."

"But similarly, no one would break a promise without seeking any benefit in return."

"Now that things have come to this, it will always be better for you to trust me a little more!"

A glimmer of clarity appeared in Wang Qing's hazy eyes as she stared intently at him:

"Anyway, I didn't have a choice, did I?"

Yan Cheng laughed loudly, took her hand, and went out.

The foot that had crossed the threshold stopped abruptly upon landing.

A dozen or so steps away stood a graceful figure with a hood covering his face, his pristine white robe untouched by a speck of dust.

The aura of this person, as perceived by the [Cave Illumination], was unlike any other cultivator Yan Cheng had ever seen in the hall; his entire body radiated a white light that was both righteous and sinister.

The Yin Star Qi within Yan Cheng's body seemed to respond in some way, rising and falling slightly within his Qi Palace.

The last time Yan Cheng had a similar feeling was when he first gazed at the bright moon hanging high above the main hall!

"There's no mistake...this guy possesses a top-tier spiritual artifact related to the solar energy path, and in fact, she cultivates solar energy techniques!"

"How could that be?"

The Hidden Immortal Mirror clearly showed that although the white light within the female cultivator's body was bright and flawless, her body itself still faintly emitted black energy, even blending into a strange gray at the edge of the white light.

The woman before me is a corpse cultivator, yet she cultivates the [Sun] with a yin body!

Yan Cheng remained silent, released Wang Qing's hand, and slowly bowed.

"I have met the Holy Maiden."

Bowing to people casually is an act that diminishes one's status, and high-ranking cultivators generally swear to never do it.

However, Yan Cheng was not some high-ranking cultivator. No matter how high his rank was, could he possibly kill the female cultivator in front of him?

If he wasn't mistaken, this person was the sixth true disciple under the master of the Longevity Palace, the mastermind behind the loan sharking gang, and the one who planted the Hundred Birds Returning to Their Nest Talisman.

The Holy Maiden of the Hall of Longevity!

The pure white aura reflected in the mirror was incredibly intense, while the air around the two of them was gradually getting colder.

The silence became unbearable, and the saintess finally spoke, her voice gentle and slow:

"Junior Brother Yan has killed four of my disciples, but out of consideration for our shared sect, I have never pursued the matter."

"But I never expected... my junior brother would go even further, daring to harm even fellow disciples who had received my favors!"