Mo Hua menyusuri atap, menghindari para Kultivator Mayat, keluar dari gerbang Benteng Mayat Berjalan, lalu bersembunyi di bawah bongkahan batu besar dan bertemu dengan Bai Zisheng dan Bai Zixi.
Bai Zisheng bertanya, "Kenapa lama sekali?"
Mo Hua terkekeh dan berkata, "Aku menemukan Instruktur Yan!"
"Instruktur Yan baik-baik saja, kan?" kata Bai Zisheng.
"Iya," Mo Hua mengangguk. "Kita akan menyelamatkan Instruktur Yan dalam beberapa hari lagi."
Bai Zisheng tampak bingung. "Kenapa harus menunggu beberapa hari? Selamatkan sekarang saja. Aku akan menyerbu masuk dan membantai semua Kultivator Mayat itu!"
Mo Hua acuh tak acuh. "Boleh, silakan saja."
Bai Zisheng tertegun, lalu menggaruk kepalanya dan berkata:
"Sudahlah. Kau lebih licik. Kita ikuti rencanamu saja."
Mo Hua tidak senang. "Kau sendiri yang penuh akal licik."
Bai Zisheng bergumam pada dirinya sendiri:
"Andai saja aku bisa lebih banyak akal licik. Sayangnya, sifatku terlalu lurus untuk memikirkan hal seperti itu."
Mo Hua bergumam pelan, "Menurutku kau cuma lamban..."
Bai Zisheng mengacak-acak rambut Mo Hua. "Kau berani menyebut kakak seperguruanmu lamban lagi?"
...
Keduanya terus bersahut-sahutan dan berdebat tanpa henti.
Bai Zixi mengambil sebatang ranting dan mengetuk kepala mereka masing-masing sekali. "Fokus ke urusan yang ada!"
"Oh."
Keduanya langsung menurut.
Maka mulailah ketiganya berdiskusi tentang langkah selanjutnya.
Bai Zisheng berpikir sejenak, lalu berkata:
"Kita siapkan penyergapan di jalur yang pasti dilewatinya, lalu tangkap Zhang Quan. Tanpa pemimpin, Benteng Mayat Berjalan akan kacau, dan kita bisa memanfaatkan kesempatan itu untuk menghancurkannya..."
Baru saja Mo Hua hendak mengangguk, tiba-tiba sesuatu terlintas di benaknya, dan ia menggelengkan kepala. "Tidak, itu tidak akan berhasil."
"Kenapa tidak?" tanya Bai Zisheng, bingung.
Mo Hua merenung. "Di belakang Zhang Quan, pasti ada orang lain."
"Siapa?"
"Orang yang menggambar Formasi untuknya."
Ekspresi Mo Hua menjadi serius. "Diagram Formasi yang Instruktur Yan gambar untuk Benteng Mayat Berjalan adalah Formasi Lima Elemen standar, dan semuanya untuk keperluan arsitektur."
"Tapi yang dipakai untuk Pemurnian Mayat sama sekali berbeda — Formasi Jahat."
"Zhang Quan tidak bisa menggambar Formasi semacam itu, dan dari apa yang kulihat, sepertinya tidak ada orang lain di Benteng ini yang bisa juga."
"Setidaknya dari para Kultivator Mayat yang kulihat, tak ada satu pun yang mampu menghasilkan Formasi seperti itu."
"Lagipula, ini adalah Formasi Poros Roh dari Sekte Roh Tersembunyi Kecil, yang bukan sesuatu yang bisa dihasilkan oleh Master Formasi sembarangan."
"Tanpa mengetahui siapa orang itu, membunuh Zhang Quan dan meratakan Benteng Gunung Hitam tidak akan menyelesaikan apa pun."
"Formasi adalah kuncinya. Selama orang ini memahami Formasi, ia akan terus membunuh orang, membeli mayat, memurnikan mayat..."
"Dan," Mo Hua berhenti sejenak, lalu menghela napas dan menambahkan:
"Formasi Ultimat ini adalah warisan Sekte Instruktur Yan, dan aku tidak ingin ada Kultivator yang memakainya untuk kejahatan..."
Bai Zisheng mengangguk dan berkata, "Baiklah, aku ikut katamu."
Bai Zixi juga mengangguk sedikit dan bertanya kepada Mo Hua:
"Kau sudah tahu apa yang harus dilakukan?"
"Iya," Mo Hua mengangguk, lalu berkata:
"Kita biarkan Zhang Quan kembali ke Benteng Mayat Berjalan, lalu kita intai dia untuk melihat siapa yang ia temui, siapa yang membantunya membuat Formasi..."
"Setelah semua ini jelas, kita beri tahu Kakak Situ dan bergabung dengan Pengadilan Tao untuk menumbangkan Benteng Mayat Berjalan."
"Lalu tangkap Zhang Quan, ambil Lonceng Pengendali Mayatnya, dan pulihkan Bagan Formasi Poros Roh."
"Dan yang terbaik, kita seret keluar juga Kultivator di belakangnya..."
"Binasakan akarnya agar tidak ada masalah di masa depan..."
...
Mo Hua menjelaskan semuanya dengan sistematis.
Bai Zisheng mengangguk setuju, tetapi tetap menyampaikan kekhawatirannya:
"Sepertinya tidak akan berjalan semulus itu..."
"Guru selalu berkata, rencanakan jauh ke depan dan bersiap untuk hal tak terduga, tapi rencana tak selalu mengikuti perubahan. Kita harus menyesuaikan diri saat waktunya tiba," kata Mo Hua.
"Baiklah!"
Setelah berdiskusi, ketiganya mulai bertindak sesuai rencana.
Langkah pertama adalah menunggu Zhang Quan kembali ke Benteng.
Namun langkah pertama ini menemui sedikit kendala tak terduga.
Zhang Quan tampaknya terlalu berhati-hati...
Ia masih berkeliaran di pegunungan tandus, merangkak masuk ke gua, bersembunyi di hutan, memasang jebakan, beradu kecerdikan dengan udara kosong. Ia keras kepala menolak kembali ke Benteng.
Zhang Quan mengira dirinya sangat teliti, tapi ia tidak tahu semua tindakannya sedang diamati oleh Mo Hua.
Mo Hua bingung dengan kelakuannya.
Benarkah ia perlu seberhati-hati ini...
Dan sepertinya ia bisa terus begini tanpa batas.
Mo Hua sudah lelah hanya dengan menontonnya.
Bahkan orang sesabar Mo Hua mulai kehabisan kesabaran.
Maka ketiganya sepakat untuk berpisah dan bertindak sendiri-sendiri.
Mo Hua kembali ke Benteng Mayat Berjalan lebih dulu, untuk mendapatkan gambaran jelas tentang tata letak internal dan memetakan Formasi Arsitekturnya, sekaligus mengobrol dengan Instruktur Yan untuk melihat apakah ada yang terlewat.
Bai Zixi tetap di luar Benteng untuk mendukung Mo Hua.
Bai Zisheng pergi mencari Situ Fang untuk membicarakan penataan tenaga lebih awal, sebagai persiapan untuk pemusnahan Benteng Mayat Berjalan.
Butuh lima hari penuh sebelum Zhang Quan kembali ke Benteng.
Ia tampak letih dan lesu, tapi di dalam hatinya, ada beban besar yang terangkat.
Setelah beradu kecerdasan dengan pengejar tak kasat mata, yang sebenarnya tidak ada, Zhang Quan mengerahkan banyak akal dan tipu daya dan akhirnya yakin bahwa ia telah melepaskan pengintaian Mo Hua. Baru setelah itu ia berani kembali dengan percaya diri ke sarang Pemurnian Mayatnya.
Sesekali, ia masih merasakan sensasi halus.
Seolah ada sesuatu, seperti belatung yang menempel di tulang, menempel padanya.
Tapi setelah menghabiskan begitu banyak waktu dan menerapkan begitu banyak langkah, kalaupun ada yang mengikutinya, seharusnya sudah terlepas sekarang.
Zhang Quan menyeringai dalam hati.
Setelah hidup selama ini, pengalamannya dalam Kultivasi Tao jauh melampaui si pemula yang sedang ia hadapi.
Hantu kecil yang pandai bersembunyi itu tidak akan pernah bisa lagi melacak langkahku!
Zhang Quan merasa sangat lega, penuh kegembiraan, dan dengan langkah lebar, ia kembali ke Benteng Mayat Berjalan miliknya yang rahasia, tak diketahui orang lain, dan tak terkatakan.
Saat itu, Mo Hua sudah lama menunggunya di rumah lamanya.
Melihat Zhang Quan masuk, Mo Hua merasa lebih senang daripada Zhang Quan.
Selama beberapa hari tinggal di Benteng Mayat Berjalan, Mo Hua bersembunyi dengan baik, hampir mengetahui segala hal tentang benteng itu, dan ia mulai bosan, mencari-cari kesibukan.
Ia bahkan menghitung ada berapa peti mati di benteng itu...
Zhang Quan berjalan dengan angkuh melewati pintu masuk Benteng Mayat Berjalan.
Mata Mo Hua berbinar saat ia menjalankan Langkah Menyeberang Air, melompat ringan dari atap ke atap, lalu memasuki ruangan paling dalam. Ia memanjat ke atas balok, duduk bersila, dan menunggu dengan sabar.
Ruangan ini luas, tersembunyi, dan formasinya lengkap, serta penuh dengan segala hal yang berkaitan dengan Pemurnian Mayat.
Ia menduga ini adalah ruang rahasia Zhang Quan.
Benar saja, tak lama kemudian, Zhang Quan masuk ke ruangan itu, tepat di bawah tempat Mo Hua bertengger.
Mo Hua menyembunyikan diri, bahkan menggambar Formasi Penyamaran di dekatnya sebelumnya.
Zhang Quan sama sekali tidak menyadarinya.
Ruangan itu sunyi; di permukaan, tampak hanya Zhang Quan yang ada di sana.
Zhang Quan menghela napas lega panjang, lalu membakar dupa dan mandi, berganti pakaian yang layak, duduk bermeditasi mengatur napasnya beberapa saat sebelum para Kultivator Mayat datang satu per satu melaporkan situasi benteng kepadanya.
Para Kultivator Mayat melapor dengan hormat; Zhang Quan duduk di tempat tinggi, mendengarkan dengan saksama, sementara Mo Hua, yang duduk di atas kepalanya, menajamkan telinga untuk menguping.
Sebagian besar hal yang dilaporkan para Kultivator Mayat adalah urusan kecil benteng.
Bulan itu, mereka merampok beberapa pedagang keliling, membunuh beberapa Kultivator, membeli beberapa mayat...
Mereka memurnikan beberapa Mayat Berjalan, berhasil beberapa, gagal beberapa;
menghabiskan banyak Batu Spirit, mengonsumsi banyak bahan;
bahan Pemurnian Mayat mana yang mulai menipis dan perlu diisi ulang, Zombie mana yang lepas kendali dan perlu ditangani, dan sebagainya...
Semua itu detail yang berserakan.
Mendengarkan dari atas, Mo Hua perlahan memahami cara operasi dan prosedur Benteng Mayat Berjalan.
Benteng itu punya bandit, punya Kultivator Mayat.
Bandit biasa yang berani membunuh, mau membunuh, dan pernah membunuh, bisa bergabung dengan Benteng Mayat Berjalan.
Tapi masuk ke Benteng Mayat Berjalan tidak menjamin diajari cara Pemurnian Mayat.
Seseorang harus melewati penilaian, bertahan dengan senioritas, dan mendapatkan kepercayaan Zhang Quan, untuk menjadi Kultivator Mayat sejati.
Kultivator Mayat adalah mereka yang memurnikan mayat dan mengendalikan mayat, para Kultivator Iblis Jalur Mayat.
Kultivator Mayat memurnikan mayat membutuhkan mayat Kultivator.
Sumber mayatnya ada beberapa.
Pertama, melalui perampokan dan pembunuhan.
Para Kultivator di dalam benteng, sebelum bergabung, adalah Kultivator Berdosa atau bandit, terbiasa merampok dan membunuh.
Tapi
Mo Hua followed the roof, avoiding the Corpse Cultivators, left the gate of the Corpse Walking Stronghold, went under a large rock, and met up with Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi.
Bai Zisheng asked, "Why did it take you so long?"
Mo Hua chuckled and said, "I found Instructor Yan!"
"Instructor Yan is alright, isn’t he?" Continue your adventure with empire
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded, "We’ll rescue Instructor Yan in a few days."
Bai Zisheng looked perplexed, "Why wait a few days? Just rescue now. I’ll rush in and slaughter all those Corpse Cultivators!"
Mo Hua was indifferent, "Sure, then you go."
Bai Zisheng paused, then scratched his head and said:
"Forget it. You’re craftier. Let’s follow your plan."
Mo Hua was displeased, "You’re the one full of crafty ideas."
Bai Zisheng muttered to himself:
"I wish I could have more crafty ideas. Sadly, my nature is too upright to think of such things."
Mo Hua murmured softly, "I think you’re just dull…"
Bai Zisheng ruffled Mo Hua’s hair, "You dare call your senior brother dull again?"
...
The two bickered and argued incessantly.
Bai Zixi picked up a stick and knocked each of their heads once, "Focus on the matter at hand!"
"Oh."
The two quickly complied.
And so, the trio began to discuss what to do next.
Bai Zisheng thought for a while and then said:
"We set up an ambush on the inevitable path, then capture Zhang Quan. With no leader, the Corpse Walking Stronghold will be in chaos, and we can take the opportunity to wipe it out…"
Just as Mo Hua was about to nod, something suddenly occurred to him, and he shook his head and said:
"No, that won’t work."
"Why not?" asked Bai Zisheng, puzzled.
Mo Hua pondered, "Behind Zhang Quan, there must be someone else."
"Who?"
"The person drawing Formations for him."
Mo Hua’s expression grew serious, "The Formation Diagrams Instructor Yan drew for the Corpse Walking Stronghold were standard Five Elements Formations, and they were all for architectural purposes."
"But the ones used for Corpse Refinement are completely different Evil Formations."
"Zhang Quan cannot draw such Formations, and from what I’ve seen, it seems that no one else in the Stronghold can, either."
"At least from the Corpse Cultivators I’ve seen, none can produce such Formations."
"Moreover, these are the Spiritual Pivot Formations of the Minor Hidden Spirit Sect, which are not something ordinary Formation Masters can produce."
"Without figuring out who this person is, killing Zhang Quan and razing the Black Mountain Stronghold won’t solve anything."
"Formations are the key, as long as this person knows about Formations, they will continue to kill people, buy corpses, refine corpses…"
"And," Mo Hua paused, then sighed, adding:
"This Ultimate Formation is an inheritance of Instructor Yan’s Sect, and I don’t want any Cultivator to use it for evil…"
Bai Zisheng nodded and said, "Alright, I’ll listen to you."
Bai Zixi also slightly nodded and asked Mo Hua:
"Have you figured out what to do?"
"Yes," Mo Hua nodded, then said:
"We’ll let Zhang Quan return to the Corpse Walking Stronghold, then we’ll spy on him to see who he meets with, who is helping him with Formations…"
"After clarifying these matters, we’ll inform Sister Situ and join forces with the Taoist Court to take down the Corpse Walking Stronghold."
"Then capture Zhang Quan, take his Corpse Controlling Bell, and restore the Spirit Pivot Formation Chart."
"And best of all, we’ll drag out the Cultivator behind him as well…"
"Eliminate the root to prevent future troubles…"
...
Mo Hua explained everything systematically.
Bai Zisheng nodded his agreement but still expressed his concern:
"It probably won’t go that smoothly…"
"Master always said to plan ahead and prepare for the unexpected, but plans can’t keep up with changes. We’ll have to adapt accordingly when the time comes," Mo Hua said.
"Alright!"
After the discussion, the three of them began to act according to their plan.
The first step was to wait for Zhang Quan to return to the Stronghold.
But this first step met with some unexpected trouble.
Zhang Quan seemed overly cautious…
He was still wandering around the desolate mountains, crawling into caves, hiding in the forest, setting traps, fighting a battle of wits with the air. He stubbornly refused to return to the Stronghold.
Zhang Quan thought he was being thorough, but he didn’t know that all his actions were being observed by Mo Hua.
Mo Hua was puzzled by his behavior.
Did he really need to be this cautious…
And it seemed like he could keep this up indefinitely.
Mo Hua was finding it exhausting just watching.
Even someone as patient as Mo Hua was starting to run out of patience.
So the three of them agreed to split up and proceed separately.
Mo Hua went back to the Corpse Walking Stronghold first, to get a clear picture of the internal layout and map out the Architectural Formation, and also to chat with Instructor Yan to see if anything had been overlooked.
Bai Zixi stayed outside the Stronghold to back up Mo Hua.
Bai Zisheng went to find Situ Fang to discuss manpower arrangements in advance, to prepare for the extermination of the Corpse Walking Stronghold.
It took a full five days before Zhang Quan returned to the Stronghold.
He looked haggard and worn out, but inside, he felt a great weight lifted.
After an intellectual struggle with an invisible, and actually nonexistent, pursuer, Zhang Quan expended a lot of wit and tricks and finally confirmed that he had shaken off Mo Hua’s tracking. Only then did he dare to return confidently to his den of Corpse Refinement.
Occasionally, he still felt a subtle sensation.
As if something, like a bone-clinging maggot, was sticking to him.
But after spending so much time and employing so many measures, even if there was something following him, it should have been thrown off by now.
Zhang Quan sneered to himself.
Having lived for so many years, his experience in Tao Cultivation far exceeded that of the greenhorn he was dealing with.
That little ghost skilled in concealment would never be able to trace my steps again!
Zhang Quan felt greatly relieved, filled with joy, and with big strides, he returned to his secret, unknown to others, and unspeakable Corpse Walking Stronghold.
At this time, Mo Hua had already been waiting for him at his old home for a long time.
Seeing Zhang Quan enter, Mo Hua felt even happier than Zhang Quan did.
Staying in the Corpse Walking Stronghold these past few days, Mo Hua hid himself well, nearly having figured out everything about the stronghold, and he was starting to get bored, looking for things to do.
He even counted how many coffins there were in the stronghold...
Zhang Quan swaggered through the entrance of Corpse Walking Stronghold.
Mo Hua’s eyes lit up as he executed the Water Passing Step, lightly leaping across rooftops, and then entered the deepest room. He climbed up onto the beam, sat cross-legged, and waited patiently.
This room was spacious, concealed, and the formations were complete, and it was filled with everything related to Corpse Refinement.
He guessed this was Zhang Quan’s secret chamber.
As expected, after a while, Zhang Quan walked into the room, right beneath where Mo Hua was perched.
Mo Hua hid himself, even drawing a Concealment Formation nearby in advance.
Zhang Quan was completely unaware.
The room was silent; on the surface, it seemed that only Zhang Quan was present.
Zhang Quan let out a long sigh of relief, then burned incense and bathed, changed into a respectable set of clothes, sat in meditation to regulate his breathing for a while before Corpse Cultivators came one after another to report the situation of the stronghold to him.
The Corpse Cultivators reported respectfully; Zhang Quan sat elevated, listening intently, while Mo Hua, sitting above his head, pricked up his ears to eavesdrop.
Most of the things reported by the Corpse Cultivators were minor affairs of the stronghold.
That month, they robbed several traveling merchants, killed a few Cultivators, bought a few corpses...
They refined several Walking Corpses, succeeded with a few, failed with several;
spent many Spirit Stones, consumed numerous materials;
which Corpse Refinement materials were running low and needed restocking, which Zombies had lost control and needed to be dealt with, and so on...
These were all scattered details.
Listening from above, Mo Hua gradually understood the operation and procedures of Corpse Walking Stronghold.
The stronghold had bandits, had Corpse Cultivators.
Ordinary bandits that dared to kill people, were willing to kill people, and had killed before, could join Corpse Walking Stronghold.
But entering Corpse Walking Stronghold did not guarantee being taught the ways of Corpse Refinement.
One had to go through an assessment, endure some seniority, and gain Zhang Quan’s trust, to become a legit Corpse Cultivator.
Corpse Cultivators were those who refined corpses and controlled corpses, the Corpse Path Demon Cultivators.
Corpse Cultivators refining corpses required Cultivator corpses.
The sources of corpses were several.
One was through robbery and murder.
The Cultivators within the stronghold, before joining, were either Sin Cultivators or bandits, accustomed to robbing and murdering.
But this "loot" included not just Spirit Stones and Spiritual Artifacts, but also the bodies of Cultivators.
The bandits of Corpse Walking Stronghold would kill people, then bring the corpses back to be used for Corpse Refinement.
The second was to buy.
Employing people like Wang Lai to kill Mining Cultivators, buying corpses.
Or to purchase them from tomb raiders who dug up graves.
Of course, the main source was still the Mining Cultivators.
After all, there were many mines in South Yue City and numerous Mining Cultivators, and in their eyes, Mining Cultivators’ lives were cheap, not worth much Spirit Stones.
After buying the corpses, came Corpse Refinement.
Mo Hua had taken a cursory look at this before.
The means of Corpse Refinement, indeed as Sister Situ said, required herbs, Corpse Raising Coffins, Corpse Controlling Bells, etc.
But the specific techniques became somewhat complicated.
Which herbs to use, in what proportions, to boil into a foul-smelling medicinal juice.
Then, to soak the corpse in the medicinal juice.
After enough soaking time, place it into a Corpse Raising Coffin for refinement.
During Corpse Refinement, Corpse Cultivators would walk back and forth around the coffin every day, while walking, shaking the Corpse Controlling Bronze Bell.
This process had numerous steps, but the division of labor was clear.
Just like the herbs in Alchemy, the refined iron in Artifact Refining, the Corpse Cultivators of Corpse Walking Stronghold saw corpses as a "material" for refining, not as people.
Their expressions were cold and numb, as if it were perfectly natural.
Mo Hua frowned as he watched.
He even thought of directly drawing some Reversed Spirit Formations, to collapse the Corpse Walking Stronghold altogether.
But upon reflection, he held back.
Impatience could ruin grand plans; he could not act impulsively.
The Corps Cultivators of Corpse Walking Stronghold, continued to report the minor matters of the stronghold, but did not touch on the formations related to Corpse Refinement.
Mo Hua listened for several days without any clue, until after three days, he overheard something.
A Corpse Cultivator, in a low voice, asked Zhang Quan,
"Householder, shall we send the corpses?"
Hearing this, Mo Hua was intrigued.
Send corpses?
What corpses? Where to? Why send them?
Could it be... for Formation Painting?
Mo Hua remembered that in Corpse Walking Stronghold, some of the newly refined Walking Corpses had no formations on the heart meridian.
Since there were none, then they must be painted.
Send corpses... that means it’s not that he himself would paint them, nor that they would be painted within Corpse Walking Stronghold, but instead they were sent out for someone else, for someone else to help him paint?
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