Clutching the soft little dumpling in one arm and wielding a cold lightning whip in the other, wherever she went, cries of agony ensued. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen of the Mu Mansion's guards were on the ground, none with all four limbs intact and standing.
The residual electricity from the whip crackled like white flying fish wriggling through the ground, startling the ghost cultivators and their ilk into leaping to dodge. The whip, thick and black yet soft, moved like exquisite calligraphy in motion, a blur of wind, frost, snow, and lightning. Who would dare to take a direct hit from this whip?
Thus, the passage connecting the suburban sacrificial grounds and the altar was instantly cleared of people. The man, holding the child tightly, strode forward with powerful steps, a streak of light and shadow flashing out of Wusu Street.
Mu Nanxue’s face was ashen. She summoned her life-bound weapon, intending to strike, but she was stopped by the eldest daughter of the Mu family.
“Axue,” she said, her voice deep and cold.
“Sister!”
Mu Nanxue looked at her, not understanding why her sister was preventing her.
“Nanxue, that person is definitely not at the Qi Refining stage. The divine weapon in his hand is also by no means an ordinary spirit artifact. Sister doesn’t want you to get hurt. Besides… that child isn’t that important. If we continue to entangle with him, I’m afraid it will delay our important business.”
Her tone was calm and gentle, as if advising her to avoid disaster, and more so, assessing the situation.
The arrogant tone of that man just now was not unfounded; he possessed the confidence to crush everyone present.
The eldest daughter of the Mu family could not discern his cultivation. To anyone else, he appeared to be merely at the Qi Refining level, but once he made a move, it was impossible to keep up.
“But Sister, what about our Mu Mansion’s reputation? That child isn’t important, but he’s trampling on us and showing off his might!” Mu Nanxue retorted angrily.
Mu Nanxue’s outburst was heard by others. The surrounding ghost cultivators who had avoided danger cast gloomy glances at them. The Mu Mansion guards, lying sprawled on the ground, trembled in pain, their faces pale, ashamed, and dejected.
Everyone in Shuofang City knew that the eldest daughter of the Mu family had gone out some time ago to handle a major affair, and had been injured ever since, requiring a period of rest. She was advised not to engage in combat lightly to prevent the recurrence of old injuries.
However, since the eldest daughter of the Mu family had come to Fengdu, despite the speculation and rumors about her being passed around with various fantastical accounts, no one had actually witnessed her abilities.
Did she… truly have such capabilities?
It was only heard that the dignity of the strong should not be offended, so… was she truly that heavily injured?
Because of the appearance of this unkempt man, they seemed to have shattered the perfect image they had of the eldest daughter of the Mu family, and a seed of doubt had been sown in their hearts.
The eldest daughter of the Mu family had no idea what a wave of gossip her “endurance of humiliation” would bring to her in the future.
“Ye Jin has come out of seclusion, and he will definitely come to see me. Let’s deal with our main business first. As for these matters, we can discuss them later.”
Upon hearing that Gu Ye Jin was coming, although Mu Nanxue still let out a deep, displeased breath, she was ultimately persuaded by the eldest daughter of the Mu family.
But Hua Jie, overhearing the eldest daughter of the Mu family, became flustered and anxious. He knew she intended to give up on Hua Lu, but he was unwilling.
He was currently at the twelfth level of Qi Refining, unable to fly with his artifacts or levitate. He could only rely on his legs. He was about to chase after them, but he was stopped in his tracks by a word from the eldest daughter of the Mu family.
“Hua Jie, if you intend to chase after them, I will not wait for you to return.”
Hua Jie’s feet suddenly felt as if they were filled with lead; he could not take another step.
His expression flickered with the struggle of choice. In the end, his long eyelashes drooped, and his clear, deer-like eyes, unnoticed by anyone, overflowed with venomous malice. “Understood, young lady.”
—
Outside the hundred-mile radius of Cibei City, the cold, dark energy surging from the ground almost merged with the horizon, as if an endless night was about to descend.
After Fu Wanyan determined the direction, she threw the array flags in her hand. They were planted precisely in the four directions of Qian and Yuan, marked by purple, red, green, and orange colors.
As soon as the array flags were inserted into the ground, they unfurled with a “whoosh,” forming an isolation array that shot straight into the sky. The thin, membrane-like array blocked the dry corpses that were rushing out of the ruined temple.
Driven by the ghost energy, they opened their entirely black, evil eyes, mindlessly yearning for blood and flesh.
Roar—
Cheng Hong unfurled his wide, fluttering sleeves, his feet stepping on lotus blossoms, standing in mid-air like a white crane on a cloud.
He clasped his thumb and index finger together and brought down his palm in a wave. A beam of spiritual light, golden and brilliant, expanded from his palm and pressed down, scattering the dense, suffocating ghost energy that made one’s nose and mouth burn.
Lu Ziyin bent down and swung his sword, its cold light slicing through the howling ghost energy. He quickly formed an earth seal, placing his palm on the ground. Instantly, a wild surge of airflow kicked up a half-zhang wave of soil, returning the stone and soil walls that had been broken and collapsed by the dry corpses.
Yan Tianjiao stepped forward, a ray of ice-blue light transforming into a rope. It rapidly circled them countless times in an instant, quickly erecting a wall of solid ice, five inches thick, as a new barrier.
In a very short period, the four of them completed their cooperation, temporarily halting the movements of these dry corpses.
“How did these dry corpses suddenly come to life?”
Lu Ziyin rotated his sharp sword, transforming it back into a stylish small fan. He disdainfully brushed off the dust clinging to him.
Yan Tianjiao had already encased himself in spiritual energy at the first moment, unlike Lu Ziyin, who was slower to react.
As soon as he used his spiritual energy, the frost still lingered in his eyes, his phoenix eyes flickering, making him unapproachable.
“Alive? They should be thoroughly dead, shouldn’t they?”
Lu Ziyin ignored the words of the venomous snake and turned to look at Cheng Hong. Naturally, such matters had to be inquired of the professional.
Cheng Hong floated down to the ground, his robes unstained. He moved prayer beads in his hand and calmly said, “These people were likely killed by a most sinister technique that drained their vital essence. I probed them earlier and found that their three souls and seven spirits are absent; their life and death souls have perished. There is an evil art called ‘corpse stiffening.’ Before they died, they suffered greatly, so their resentment was immense. Thus, as long as someone performs corpse refining techniques, they will completely become tools of slaughter in that person’s hands…”
Lu Ziyin was startled. “Who is using these dry corpses?” He thought for a moment. “Could it be the people of Fengdu?”
Yan Tianjiao, after listening to Cheng Hong’s account, recalled something. “Cibei City just mentioned the matter of blood slaves, and now these corpse-stiffened beings have appeared. Could it be that someone wants to use these things to deal with Cibei City, or perhaps… to deal with us?”
Lu Ziyin’s expression also became serious. “We came to Fengdu to handle the matter of blood slaves for Cibei City. Now we’ve stumbled upon it. According to the master, these dry corpses might have been blood slaves before they died, and after death, they became these monstrous things that are neither human nor corpse.”
Since they had accidentally encountered this situation, what should they do next?
These dry corpses had suffered enough before they died. Now that they had become corpse-stiffened, they were beyond saving. It was likely they wouldn’t even have a complete corpse left in the end.
In the mortal realm, people believe that if a corpse is cremated, one cannot reincarnate in the next life, which is also considered unfilial to one’s parents. Although there are no such sayings in the cultivation world, having one’s corpse used for evil deeds after death is also a great offense to the deceased.
“Leaving them would only be a menace. Let them be buried.”
Yan Tianjiao was not as sentimental as Lu Ziyin. He did not feel pity for these evil beings. Since they were dead, they should return to dust and earth.
Buried, to rest in peace.
A layer of ice-blue light appeared on him. He stamped his foot, and an extremely cold ice crack spread from beneath his feet towards the corpse-stiffened beings trapped by the ice and array flags.
The hundreds of corpse-stiffened beings were still crashing and roaring until they were covered by ice up to their heads, becoming unmoving blocks of ice, their eyes still open.
Lu Ziyin averted his gaze, Fu Wanyan watched indifferently, and Yan Tianjiao gently clenched his palm. Then, with a “bang,” the ice blocks cracked, and the ice surface, covered with broken corpse fragments, shattered on the ground.
Although corpse-stiffened beings were already corpses, they would not feel pain, bleed, or die again, but being shattered into pieces meant they could no longer move.
At this moment, Cheng Hong strode forward. The prayer beads on his wrist spun and enlarged as they floated into the sky. He sat down cross-legged on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to chant.
The Sanskrit transformed into a radiant golden light, which then softened and spread. The cold ice melted under the scorching heat. The Sanskrit chant, from a low hum, transformed into a grand lament, shrouding the heavens and earth in solemn, magnificent Buddhist light.
In an instant, the black energy on the corpse-stiffened beings began to seep out, forming extremely dense resentment. But as this black resentment rose and dispersed, under the gentle golden light of the bright and precious dharma form, it vanished without a trace.
Boom!
The ground collapsed, forming a large pit. The shattered ice and corpse fragments sank into it, finally being buried in the earth to rest in peace.
After Yan Tianjiao and Cheng Hong resolved everything, Lu Ziyin said with some concern, “We need to hurry to Cibei City. If these dry corpses are indeed blood slaves, then what is the purpose of the other party controlling so many blood slaves at once?”
“It’s certainly not for the salvation of all beings,” Yan Tianjiao stated coldly.
Seeing that the situation had temporarily come to an end, Fu Wanyan finally spoke, “Earlier, I saw a figure outside who was very evasive coming out of the ruined temple. He was heading in the direction of Cibei City.”
The three of them looked at her in unison.
Yan Tianjiao’s eyes were like cold stars. “You just let him go?”
Lu Ziyin also looked at her disapprovingly.
Only Cheng Hong’s expression remained as serene as the Buddha’s gaze upon all living beings.
Fu Wanyan swept her gaze over them, placed her hands on her abdomen, and stood with her back perfectly straight. She said, “Since Master asked me to be responsible for the task of external support, I could not possibly leave just like that. If you encountered danger inside and needed rescue, wouldn’t I have made a great mistake? Moreover, since I saw the person’s suspicious movements, I would not have done nothing. I placed a tracking talisman on him, and as long as he does not leave the scope of Fengdu, I can find him.”
Her words made everything clear, leaving no room for misunderstanding. In fact, what she had done was flawless. This woman was indeed thoughtful, no wonder the Wushuang Realm had sent someone with such low cultivation to handle the “blood slave” matter in Cibei City.
The atmosphere among the four was momentarily quiet.
Just then, the oppressive ghost energy that had enveloped their surroundings began to dissipate. If it were not purified, it would normally be consumed by the heavens and earth at a very slow rate, but now it was like a stagnant pool with a large hole punched in it, the ghost energy rapidly flowing away and dissipating…
“What’s going on?”
They suddenly looked at Cheng Hong. He had a pensive look on his face, clearly indicating that purifying the ghost energy was not his doing.
Then who did it?
The barrier formed by the ghost energy had become extremely fragile. The true scenery of the outside sky gradually revealed itself. They looked ahead and saw that as the black mist that obscured their vision dispersed with the wind, a tall man in a white cloak was walking towards them through the hazy, indistinct light and shadow.
The dark, oppressive sky outside was shrouded in misty clouds. At some point, it had begun to snow. As the crystal-clear snowflakes fell like jade butterflies dancing in the air, the man walked slowly in the snow. When the wind blew, his dark green hair and the fur trim on the edge of his cloak intertwined, lifting gently.
But he was not alone. Beside him, he held a small figure.
The little child walked steadily in the snow, one hand held, the other pressed against his chest. He wore a cross-collared robe with knotted buttons, and a small cloak as well, but he did not wear a hood like the adult.
The large and small figures emerged from such a gray backdrop, yet they seemed like the only bright, vibrant colors adorning it. Traversing mountains and rivers, their journey was like a unique scenic painting.
Bang, bang, bang, bang—
Fu Wanyan’s eyes widened slightly. Her gaze was fixed on the figure clad in frosty white, pure and unadorned. For some reason, looking at him, she felt a sense of predestination.
“Father, there are people ahead.”
A crisp, soft, and sweet little voice.
It turned out they were father and son.
“Mm.”
“Father, shall we go and ask them for directions?”
“Cough—you go ahead.”
The man’s health did not seem to be good. He had coughed several times on their journey. The fingers holding the little child were slender and fair, and even the falling snowflakes were not as beautiful as his. He was as exquisite as a top-grade treasure presented as an offering.
The little child released his father’s hand. He first tidied his clothes slightly and then walked towards them.
As they approached, they could see clearly that this little child was truly beautiful.
The snow-white child was as cute as an exquisite and noble doll.
“Esteemed master, two elder brothers, and little sister, may I ask where this place is? Father and I seem to be lost in the snow.” He opened his pair of innocent, clear, large eyes and smiled sweetly at them.
Lu Ziyin glanced at the child’s father, who was walking slowly behind, and then turned his gaze back to the little milk bun in front of him. “What a truly adorable little child. Where are you and your father going?”
“We are naturally going to… where we need to go.” He asked with a smile.
Lu Ziyin was stunned. He hadn’t expected these words to come from such a little milk bun. He couldn’t help but laugh heartily for a moment, then turned to tease Cheng Hong, “Master, is this little one your disciple? His words always seem to hide some mystery.”
Compared to Lu Ziyin’s indirect probing, Yan Tianjiao bypassed the little milk bun and directly asked the man with an icy expression, “Why have you come here? Did you open the ghost energy barrier just now?”