Waktunya sangat mendesak. Tanpa menunda, semua orang mengirimkan pesan untuk melaporkan isu Taoist Demon itu.
Berita itu memicu seribu gelombang. Tidak hanya berbagai klan dan sekte terkejut, tetapi Pengadilan Tao juga diguncang.
Di dalam Paviliun Tianshu,
Paviliun Tua mengamati observatorium langit, menebak dalam hatinya, lalu perlahan mengangguk berkata,
"Itu adalah tanda Taoist Demon..."
Ia mengeluarkan Slip Jadi, mengukir beberapa pola, lalu memerintahkan seorang murid, "Berikan ini kepada Pangkat Taoist Soldiers."
Murid itu dengan hormat menerimanya, mengemaskannya dalam kotak rahasia, lalu tanpa lelah mengirimkannya ke Pangkat Taoist Soldiers.
Pangkat Taoist Soldiers segera mendiskusikan secara mendesak, lalu mengeluarkan pesan pemanggilan:
Dari Negeri Li, perbatasan Negeri Minor Wilderness, serta batas-batas Gunung Hitam, Negeri Li Mountain, dan Negeri Great Wilderness yang sekitarnya, ke dagungan wilayah tanah liar, panggil puluhan pemimpin Pendirian Fondasi dan dua ribu pasukan Taoist penilaian pertama.
Mereka akan berkelana hari dan malam ke Kota Yue Selatan di perbatasan Negeri Minor Wilderness untuk menggagalkan Tambang Mayat dan menyingkirkan bahaya roho. Siapa pun yang menghalang mereka, dikurungi mati!'
Sementara itu, Pengadilan Tao Tengah juga mengirimkan panggilan:
Dalam radius lima ratus mil dari perbatasan Negeri Minor Wilderness, setiap kekuatan yang diakui dan dinilai oleh Pengadilan Tao wajib mengirim minimal satu pendjual Pendirian Fondasi ke Kota Yue Selatan untuk membantu memerangi, menghancurkan Tambang Mayat, dan menghilangkan Raja Mayat.
Setelah masalah selesai, hadiah akan dibagi menurut pencapaian.
Seperwaanya yang tidak mematuhi perintah, klan atau sekte mereka akan diturunkan peringkat, dan tidak layak dipromosikan selama seratus tahun...
Setelah pesan dikeluarkan, berbagai kekuatan tergerak, dan kultivator berlarian dalam kekhawatiran.
Momentum hujan lebat yang sedang mengintai berkumpul di atas Kota Yue Selatan...
Di pavilien tinggi Paviliun Tianshu,
Paviliun Tua berdiri sendirian, matanya dalam seperti memandang ke langit. Setelah lama, ia berbisik pelan,
"Orang Gui Tao, ya..."
Di matanya terkacaup rasa tak terduga.
"Padahal, pada akhirnya bisa mereka tumbuhkan Taoist Demon dalam seratus tahun... sebuah demon besar lain akan muncul..."
"Tapi... Taoist Demon itu sebenarnya mudah ditumbuhkan?"
"Apakah masalahnya ada pada orang Gui Tao, atau ada tidaknya masalah pada Dao Surgawi...?"
Paviliun Tua menatap langit dengan diam.
Namun di langit, di mana angin berbadai danawan menebar, serta di siang hari, tidak ada yang dapat melihat misteri yang tersembunyi; di bawah sinar matahari yang meriah, tidak ada tanda yang bisa dilihat.
Garisra di lopinya yang menuncup hanya semakin dalam.
...
Di luar, situasinya berubah cepat, dengan aliran rahasia di tengah berbagai kekuatan.
Di dalam Tambang Mayat, namun, rutinitasnya tetap berjalan normal.
Setiap malam, Zhang Quan tetap berdenting bel untuk mengatur mayat, Lu Chengyun terus melukis Formasi, dan Mo Hua memiliki rutinitas yang sama, menelusuri Pola Formasi Lu Chengyun.
Di dalam peti mayat perunggu, Qi mayat semakin padat, kehadirannya lebih menakutkan.
Namun di dalamnya, tiga lapisan kontrol perlahan memperketat...
Hingga tiga hari kemudian, Raja Mayat akan selesai dipurnai.
Di atas Mahagri Permenan Sepuluh Ribu Mayat, Zhang Quan hampir tak tahan gembira, lalu berseru gila-gilaan,
"Besok Raja Mayat akan problemsukan dan masuk subdomainku! Seluruh perbatasan Negeri Minor Wilderness akan berantakan mayat-mayat mengambang, menjadi sebuah 'Minor Wilderness' yang sebenarnya; dan aku, Zhang Quan, akan menjadi leluhur lama jalur mayat domain ini!"
"Brother Lu, Lu Chengyun!"
"Aku akan membuat kamu sadari siapa yang benar-benar pemarah—ini kamu sendiri!"
Setelah berseru, Zhang Quan pergi.
Setelah Zhang Quan pergi, Lu Chengyun muncul dengan ekspresi tenang.
Ia memperkuat Formasi Poros Roh Sial dan, menatap arah Zhang Quan telah pergi, menyeringik,
"Mencoba mengatur trik di depanku? Menghujani kematian!"
Setelah menyeringik, Lu Chengyun juga pergi.
Yang terakhir muncul adalah Mo Hua, dengan mata besarnya berbinar.
Ia dengan lancar membuka peti, menggambar formasi, menggunakan Formasi Poros Roh sebenaranya untuk menekan Formasi Sial Lu Chengyun dan meningkatkan kontrolnya atas Raja Mayat.
Setelah selesai, ekspresi kecilnya berubah menjadi senyum penuh candaan sebagai ia berkata dengan lembut,
"Ayo lihat yang menjadi 'bubur besar' besok ini..."
Mo Hua dengan serius menyelesaikan Penggambaran Formasi, mematukan ketat peti, lalu melangkah perlahan dari Mahagri Permenan Sepuluh Ribu Mayat.
Setelah meninggalkan Mahagri, Mo Hua menganggap beberapa saat, lalu dengan menggunakan Little Tiger, mengirimkan catatan ke adik-beradiknya.
Catatan itu berbunyi:
"Dalam tiga hari, pada tanggal 15 Juli, Raja Mayat akan dipurnai, dan Formasi Seribu Mayat akan dimulai."
Mo Hua menaruh catatan pada Little Tiger.
Menurut perintah, Little Tiger "menghirup dan menolak" sambil naik ke atas.
Di hatinya, Mo Hua memiliki kekhawatiran.
Dengan banyaknya zombie di Tambang Mayat, ia tidak tahu berapa banyak orang yang adik-beradiknya, Saudara Situ, dan Saudaranya mobilisasi.
Jika tidak cukup orang, pasti akan berbahaya.
Mereka tidak akan mampu mengendalikan Lu Chengyun, menahan zombie, atau menghancurkan Tambang Mayat, dan jika terjadi pemberontakan, akibatnya akan tidak dapat dijangkau.
Namun setelah mempertimbangkan semua sisi, Mo Hua juga merasa yakin tidak akan cukup orang.
Kekuatan mereka saat ini tidak sebanding dengan Lu Chengyun.
Ia tidak bisa memesan untuk memanggil lebih banyak kultivator...
"Lupakan itu, sekarang sudah tergantung padaku..."
Mo Hua menghela napas dalam hati.
Ia telah melakukan semua yang bisa diliputi.
Yang tersisa adalah urusan yang ia, seorang kultivator Qi Refinement saja, tidak memiliki kekuatan untuk mengubahnya.
Semua yang bisa dilakukannya adalah membuat upaya terbaik dan membiarkan takdir mengatur sisanya.
Yang paling pentar sekarang adalah menemukan cara untuk kabur.
Mo Hua telah merencanakan secara matang:
"Secepatnya seseorang menyerang Tambang Mayat dan kedua sisi bertempur, memicu kekacauan, aku akan menemukan cara untuk melarikan diri!"
Di saat itu, Lu Chengyun terlalu sibuk dengan musuh yang menakutkan di depannya untuk peduli pada aku.
Menghilangku dan merobek formasinya, aku bisa kabur dengan lancar.
Kalau tidak ada, ya begitu.
Peta Kontemplasi adalah benar-benar barang berharga, dan selama ini aku selalu memikirkannya leluhur Zhang Quan yang tergambar dinyanm.
Tapi nyawa lebih penting; aku tidak bisa berbahaya dalam kebodohan untuk sebuah Peta Kontemplasi yang cuma itu.
Di Tambang Mayat, dengan banyaknya zombie dan Formasi Seribu Mayat yang menampung puluhan Mayat Besi, Zhang Quan memandangiku seperti tiger yang menyusuri prey-nya, dan Lu Chengyun memiliki niat jahat...
Lebih baik menjadi orang yang malas ketika menghadapi bahaya yang setiap saat menyergap.
Mo Hua mengangguk pada dirinya.
Setelah kabur, aku akan membuat rencana jangka panjang...
Aku akan kabur dulu, lalu mencari seseorang untuk bantuan, dan dengan dukungan, aku akan bersembunyi masuk lagi. Secara diam-diam mengontrol Raja Mayat, mungkin aku bisa "menangkis" Lu Chengyun.
Memikirkannya dan tidak menemukan kelemahan, akhirnya ia merasa tenang.
Namun yang Mo Hua tidakantisipasi adalah bahwa hal-hal tetap akan berjalan buruk.
Dan kejutan yang tiba tiba...
Besok, ia masih berada di balik mahagri.
Zhang Quan masih berdenting bel untuk mengatur mayat.
Namun setelah berdenting, Zhang Quan mengusap air lahak, wajahnya pucat langsung mengerikan, namun tetap tertawa berteriak,
"Maju! Maju!"
Mo Hua tidak bisa memahaminya.
"Apa yang berhasil? Mengapa Zhang Quan begitu gembira?"
Selanjutnya, Zhang Quan berjalan lurus ke depan mahagri dan mendadak mengantarkan kain kuning!
Mo Hua terkejut; ia memusatkan penglihatan dan melihat bahwa di bawah kain memang ada sebuah mayat.
Mayat itu ferocious dan jahat, wajahnya membawa kemiripan dengan yang ada di mural.
Memang benar ini adalah Lu Family Old Ancestor, "Capitalist Lu.
Time was of the essence. Without delay, everyone sent out messages to report the matter of the "Taoist Demon".
The news set off a thousand ripples. Not only were various clans and sects shocked, but the Taoist Court was also shaken.
Within the Heaven Shu Pavilion.
The Pavilion Elder watched the celestial observatory, deducing in his mind, before slowly nodding and saying,
"It’s a sign of the Taoist Demon..."
He took out a Jade Slip, inscribed a few patterns, and then instructed a disciple, "Give this to the Taoist Soldiers Court."
The disciple respectfully took it, sealed it in a secret box, and without delay, promptly delivered it to the Taoist Soldiers Court.
The Taoist Soldiers Court urgently deliberated and then issued a mobilization order:
From Li State, the boundary of Minor Wilderness State, as well as the nearby Black Mountain State Boundary, Li Mountain State Boundary, and Great Wilderness State boundary, to the borderlands of the barbaric territory, summon ten Foundation Establishment leaders and two thousand first-assessment Taoist soldiers.
They were to march day and night to South Yue City in the boundary of Minor Wilderness State to suppress the Corpse Mine and quell the undead menace. Any who obstructed their path were to be executed without mercy!
Meanwhile, the Central Tao Court also sent out a summons:
Within a five-hundred-mile radius of Minor Wilderness State Boundary, any power acknowledged and assessed by the Taoist Court was to deploy at least one Foundation Building Cultivator to South Yue City to aid in the fight, to flatten the Corpse Mine, and to exterminate the Corpse King.
After the matter was settled, rewards would be distributed according to merit.
Should anyone disobey the command, their clan or sect would be demoted in rank, and they would be ineligible for promotion for a hundred years...
With the order released, various powers were stirred, and cultivators moved about in alarm.
The momentum of an impending torrential downpour was gathering over South Yue City...
At the high pavilions of the Heaven Shu Pavilion,
The Pavilion Elder stood alone, his gaze deep as he looked up at the sky. After a long while, he murmured softly,
"Gui Tao’s people, huh..."
In his eyes, there was a hint of surprise.
"To actually rear a Taoist Demon... within a hundred years... another great demon will arise..."
"But... is the Taoist Demon so easy to rear?"
"Is it the problem of Gui Tao’s people or has the Heavenly Dao... developed a problem...?"
The Pavilion Elder silently gazed at the sky.
Yet in the sky, where winds surged and clouds roiled, and within the daylight, no one could discern the mysteries secreted away; under the blazing sun, not a single sign could be seen.
The frown on the Pavilion Elder’s brow only grew deeper.
...
Outside, the situation was rapidly changing, with undercurrents flowing in secret among various powers.
Within the Corpse Mine, however, it was business as usual.
Each evening, Zhang Quan would still ring his bell for corpse refinement, Lu Chengyun continued his Formation Painting, and Mo Hua shared the same routine, tracing over Lu Chengyun’s Formation Patterns.
Within the bronze coffin, the Corpse Qi grew denser, its presence more imposing.
But within it, the triple layers of control slowly intensified...
Until three days later, the Corpse King was about to be refined to completion.
Within the Ten Thousand Corpses Sacrificial Altar, Zhang Quan could hardly contain his glee, and he burst into wild laughter, saying,
"Soon after the Corpse King awakens and comes under my control! The entire Minor Wilderness State Boundary will be littered with floating corpses, becoming a true Minor ’Corpse’ Wilderness; and I, Zhang Quan, will become the old ancestor of the Corpse Path of this state boundary!"
"Lu Brother, Lu Chengyun!"
"I will make you realize who the real short-sighted one is—it’s you!"
After laughing, Zhang Quan left.
Once Zhang Quan had gone, Lu Chengyun made his appearance.
With a calm expression, he reinforced the Spiritual Pivot Evil Formation and, looking in the direction Zhang Quan had left, sneered,
"Playing tricks under my nose? Courting death!"
After sneering, Lu Chengyun, too, departed.
The last to show himself was Mo Hua, with his big eyes twinkling.
He smoothly opened the coffin, drew the formation, used the genuine Spiritual Pivot Formation to suppress Lu Chengyun’s Evil Formation and increase his own control over the Corpse King.
After finishing his work, Mo Hua’s young face broke into a mischievous grin as he exclaimed playfully,
"Let’s see who this big dumpling will listen to once it’s refined!"
Mo Hua earnestly completed the Formation Drawing, meticulously sealed the coffin, and tiptoed away from the Ten Thousand Corpses Sacrificial Altar.
After leaving the altar, Mo Hua pondered for a moment and then, using Little Tiger, sent a note to his Junior Brother and Sisters.
The note read:
"In three days, on the fifteenth of July, the Corpse King will be refined, and the Formation of Ten Thousand Corpses will commence."
Mo Hua placed the note on Little Tiger.
Obeying the command, Little Tiger "huffed and puffed" as it climbed upward.
In his heart, Mo Hua harbored some worries.
With so many zombies within the Corpse Mine, he didn’t know how many people his Junior Brother, Sisters, and Sister Situ had mobilized.
If there weren’t enough people, trouble was sure to follow.
They wouldn’t be able to control Lu Chengyun, subdue the zombies or suppress the Corpse Mine, and if an uprising occurred, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But after considering every angle, Mo Hua also felt certain there wouldn’t be enough people.
Their current strength was no match for Lu Chengyun.
He couldn’t think of any other place to summon more cultivators from...
"Forget it, it’s out of my hands now..."
Mo Hua sighed inwardly.
He had done all that he could.
What remained were matters that he, a mere Qi Refinement cultivator, had no power to change.
All he could do was to make the best effort possible and leave the rest to fate.
The most important thing now was to find a way to escape.
Mo Hua had already planned ahead:
"As soon as someone attacks the Corpse Mine and the two sides clash, causing chaos, I’ll find a way to slip away!"
At that time, Lu Chengyun was too preoccupied with the formidable enemy at hand to care about me.
Hiding myself and dismantling his Formation, I’d be able to escape smoothly.
As for the Contemplation Map...
I’ll see if there’s a chance, but if not, so be it.
The Contemplation Map is truly a valuable item, and I’ve always been thinking about Zhang Quan’s ancestor depicted in it.
But life is more important; I can’t risk it all for a mere Contemplation Map anymore.
In this mine, with so many Zombies and the Formation of Ten Thousand Corpses harboring dozens of Iron Corpses, Zhang Quan glaring at me like a tiger stalking its prey, and Lu Chengyun harboring ill intentions...
It’s better to be a coward when faced with danger at every turn.
Mo Hua nodded to himself.
After escaping, I’ll make a long-term plan...
I’ll slip out first, then find someone to help, and with backup, I’ll sneak back in. Secretly controlling the Corpse King, maybe I can "ambush" Lu Chengyun.
Thinking it through and finding no flaws, he finally felt at ease.
But what Mo Hua didn’t anticipate was that things would still go awry.
And this surprise came unexpectedly...
The next day, he was still hiding behind the sacrificial altar.
Zhang Quan was still ringing his bell to control corpses.
However, after ringing the bell, Zhang Quan spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his pale face turning instantly ghastly white, yet he kept laughing as he chanted:
"Success! Success!"
Mo Hua didn’t quite understand.
"What’s successful? Why is Zhang Quan so ecstatic?"
Next, Zhang Quan walked straight to the front of the altar and suddenly pulled off the yellow cloth!
Mo Hua was startled; he focused his gaze and saw that under the cloth was indeed a corpse.
The corpse was ferocious and sinister, its face bearing a resemblance to that in the mural.
It was indeed the Lu Family Old Ancestor, "Capitalist Lu."
His eyes bulged with bloody streaks, ugly beyond compare, and his chest had been flayed open, forming a large hole with no heart inside.
A shiver ran through Mo Hua’s heart.
He had guessed correctly.
They were indeed refining the Lu Family Old Ancestor into the Corpse King!
The bronze coffin was used for Corpse Refinement, refining the heart, while the Golden Altar was for the sacrificial ceremony of the corpse.
Zhang Quan bowed and said:
"Elder Lu, that deceiving Lu Chengyun has tricked you and harmed you, making Zombies work the mines, making you oversee such laborious work."
"This is an insult to you!"
"I, on the other hand, will make you the leader of ten thousand Zombies, the Corpse King of the Minor Wilderness State Boundary, striking fear into the cultivators of this state, ensuring your name is revered for a hundred years!"
...
Zhang Quan passionately delivered his ambitious speech.
Mo Hua frowned. "What’s going on?"
Wasn’t it said that the Corpse King would be refined in three days?
What did Zhang Quan mean now?
He was opening the coffin early?
Mo Hua sneakily glanced at Lu Chengyun, who was hiding behind the altar, and saw that his expression was also a bit excited, but not surprised.
It seemed he too knew that today was the day the Corpse King would be refined.
Mo Hua was dumbfounded.
So, only I was unaware?
On the fifteenth of July, the Corpse King will emerge from the coffin.
This had been the unified story shared by Zhang Quan and Lu Chengyun.
Both had conspired and said as much.
Mo Hua, eavesdropping, had heard the same.
Yet, he never expected that Zhang Quan was deceiving Lu Chengyun, who, fully aware, did not expose him; therefore, in the end, the only one deceived was the eavesdropping Mo Hua himself.
Mo Hua was somewhat speechless and helpless:
Who made me an amateur in Corpse Refinement? Amateurs are always easily deceived by the experts.
Meanwhile, Zhang Quan had already opened the coffin and the bronze casket, lifting a dark green, sinewy heart enveloped in Formation Patterns, solemnly and respectfully, and shoved it into the chest cavity of the Lu Family Old Ancestor’s heartless corpse on the altar.
The eerie heart gave a bizarre twitch.
A muffled sound echoed.
Then, blood streaks formed, resembling threads, weaving on their own, fusing tightly with the corpse.
The beating of the heart grew louder.
Though the sound was not loud, it made Mo Hua feel an oppressive suffocation.
Mo Hua hastily covered his ears.
But the sound seemed to arise within his heart, filled with a frightening majesty, capable of commanding the dead.
At the same time, Zhang Quan bowed down and murmured incantations.
These were Corpse Path incantations.
Dull and sinister, unlike any human voice.
Mo Hua couldn’t understand at all, but the chanting made him feel nauseous.
Mo Hua struggled to endure. After an unknown period, the incantation and heartbeat sounds ceased simultaneously, and deathly silence fell over the altar.
Zhang Quan suddenly looked frenzied.
And atop the altar, the Lu Family Old Ancestor abruptly opened his eyes!
Lu Chengyun, hidden in the shadows, grinned sinisterly, his eyes gleaming coldly.
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