Translator: Cinder Translations
---
"Elder Rong, didn't you say you wanted to try this with several Foundation Establishment elders? This is Wu Sheng from Alchemy Peak, let him give it a try as well," Zhou Siyi pointed at Song Wen and said to Rong Jingyun.
Song Wen had consulted Elder Rong before on formation techniques, so Rong Jingyun still had an impression of him.
Rong Jingyun looked at Song Wen and nodded slightly.
"Since Elder Wu is here, let's have him try."
Song Wen was still confused and asked, "May I ask, Elder Rong, what exactly do you need me to do?"
Rong Jingyun did not answer directly but pointed to the coffins in front of them and asked, "What do you think is different about these bodies compared to normal corpses?"
After thinking for a moment, Song Wen replied, "These bodies were refined before death using corpse qi and materials with yin attributes, turning them into neither human nor corpse. Their bodies were corroded by corpse qi, causing them to die in prolonged agony."
Rong Jingyun was not surprised that Song Wen could tell this much. Any cultivator in the late Qi Refining stage could discern how these bodies had died.
Rong Jingyun said, "These bodies were eroded by corpse qi for an extended period before death, leaving them in a strange half-human, half-corpse state, which we call 'Mystic Corpses.' The corpse qi and vital qi in their bodies show signs of merging, but only signs."
"What we seek is for the corpse qi and vital qi to fully fuse, creating a new form of special heaven-and-earth qi, one that possesses both life and death attributes."
"This new type of qi is called 'Mystic Qi.'"
"The more than a thousand bodies before you were all from mortals or low-level Qi Refining cultivators. Their bodies were weak, making them more susceptible to corpse qi. However, they could not withstand the prolonged erosion of corpse qi, and their bodies collapsed before the qi could fully merge."
"Late-stage Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivators, with their stronger spiritual energy and tougher bodies, can resist corpse qi and refine it into demonic energy. But too much corpse qi will kill them."
"Thus, it seems that using human cultivators to cultivate 'Mystic Qi' is a dead end."
"So we thought of using a different species with stronger vitality—spirit creatures. Coincidentally, Elder Liu has been breeding human-serpent hybrids, creatures with incredibly strong vitality and the ability to regenerate even severed limbs."
"Human-serpents are the best vessels for cultivating 'Mystic Qi.'"
"However, their vitality is so strong that when corpse qi enters their bodies, it is quickly expelled by their life force, making it extremely difficult to refine them into Mystic Corpses. So far, over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators and three Golden Core experts in the sect have attempted this, but none have succeeded."
Rong Jingyun spoke slowly, her tone and expression more like she was thinking aloud to organize her thoughts than explaining to Song Wen.
After a moment of silence, Rong Jingyun asked, "Elder Wu, in your opinion, is there any solution to this?"
After thinking for a while, Song Wen replied, "In corpse refining, demonic techniques are most effective. Why not enlist some demonic cultivators to help with refining the Mystic Corpses?"
Rong Jingyun responded, "We've tried that as well. We captured two corpse-refining demonic cultivators and had them try, but the results were not ideal. Ordinary demonic corpse refiners cannot solve this problem."
With a sigh, Rong Jingyun continued, "Since you are here, Elder Wu, you should give it a try. If you succeed, the sect will reward you handsomely. But remember, everything you see in the Serpent Cave must not be disclosed. Violating this will result in severe punishment for revealing sect secrets."
With a serious expression, Song Wen bowed and said, "Rest assured, Elder Rong. I understand the gravity of the situation."
In one corner of the northern side of the hall, there were twenty small caves, each about ten meters wide and long, carved into the stone wall.
Led by Zhou Siyi, Song Wen arrived at the entrance of Cave No. 10.
"Junior Brother Wu, this corpse cave is currently unused. You can refine your corpse here."
She raised her hand and tossed a token engraved with the words "No. 10" and a storage bag to Song Wen.
"The token is the control token for Cave No. 10. The storage bag contains Yin materials needed for corpse refinement, such as Yin Fiend Dew and Yin yellow earth. I'm in Cave No. 2, so if you need anything, feel free to come to me."
"You'll need to go to Elder Liu Jiang to get a human-serpent for the half-corpse refinement. He is responsible for providing the human-serpents."
"Thank you, Senior Sister Zhou," Song Wen said, cupping his hands in thanks.
After Zhou Siyi left, Song Wen used his spiritual sense to probe the storage bag.
Inside, everything needed for corpse refinement was provided. There was a high-grade nurturing coffin, a jade slip with corpse refinement techniques, and various corpse refining materials. The quantity of these materials, including a bottle of Yin Fiend dew, was impressive, valued at no less than a thousand spirit stones.
Seeing the materials in the storage bag, Song Wen felt a bit tempted.
Yin Fiend dew is condensed from pure corpse energy and is commonly used by corpse-refining cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage. It was particularly valuable for Song Wen, whose cultivation technique, Corpse King Blood Refinement Method, required a large amount of it.
The fact that the Beastmaster Sect provided so many corpse refining materials just for an initial attempt showed how important refining the human-serpent mystic corpses was to them.
Putting the storage bag away, Song Wen headed to the serpent pit area.
"Elder Liu, I'm here to receive a human-serpent."
Song Wen respectfully greeted Liu Jiang.
Liu Jiang was observing the growth of the human-serpents in the serpent pit when he saw Song Wen approaching and kindly responded, "Elder Wu, what strength of human-serpent would you like?"
Song Wen was a bit puzzled, "Does the cultivation level of the human-serpent make a difference in refining the mystic corpse?"
Liu Jiang explained, "The higher the cultivation level of the human-serpent, the stronger its life force, and naturally, the more difficult the refinement process becomes. However, it can also endure more corpse qi, increasing the chances of successfully creating a mystic corpse and cultivating mystic qi."
"Since this is your first attempt at corpse refinement, I would suggest starting with a first-tier human-serpent."
Liu Jiang seemed to be giving helpful advice, but in reality, he was reluctant to hand over a second-tier human-serpent to Song Wen for practice. He didn't believe that Song Wen would be able to refine a mystic corpse.
Second-tier human-serpents were not easy to cultivate, and Liu Jiang didn't want to see one wasted by Song Wen.
Song Wen smiled and said, "Thank you for your advice, Elder Liu. I'll follow your suggestion and start with a first-tier human-serpent."
Seeing that Song Wen agreed, Liu Jiang's face showed a hint of satisfaction. Several people who had come before, thinking highly of themselves, had demanded a second-tier human-serpent right away, only to end up wasting one for nothing.
"Come, I'll take you to choose a human-serpent."
Passing through a few serpent pits, Liu Jiang pointed to one of them.
"Elder Wu, how about this human-serpent?"
The human-serpent was about as thick as a bowl, at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and its human form was still that of a child, indicating that it had just been born not long ago.
Song Wen looked troubled, "Elder Liu, this human-serpent is too immature. Let's choose another one."
After thinking for a moment, Liu Jiang said, "Fine. Considering you helped me out at the Spirit Beast Market in Yan Kingdom, I'll let you choose one from among the first-tier human-serpents yourself."
(End of the Chapter)
---
Want More of (RDC)?
Read ahead on [Pa.treon](pa treon. com/CinderTL) – up to Chapter 454.
Early access starts at $5. Your support keeps this going!
💥Use Code CINDER2025 to get 50% first month discount on TUR and TUP Tiers. Valid Till 15Jan2025.
Subscribing to this tier also gives you access to Nightmare Strikes!
Translated 1200+ Chapters and 1.42M+ Words.