Chapter 489: Hiding the Sky with One Hand
Chapter 489: Hiding the Sky with One Hand
"Good!" Lu Chengyun nodded.
Zhang Quan's face was filled with anger.
Lu Chengyun glanced at him indifferently, "What do you plan to do?"
Zhang Quan suppressed his anger, his eyes filled with ambition as he coldly replied, "What else can be done?"
"The Corpse King lies dormant while the walking corpses mine. Isn't that akin to letting a formidable sword gather dust?"
"When the Corpse King emerges, it should command an army of corpses, sweeping through the states and dominating all under heaven!"
"With the Corpse King, this many iron corpses, and an abundance of walking corpses..."
"...not just the Xiao Huang State, but even the neighboring states, which power could stand against us?"
"Where the army of zombies tread, floating corpses will blanket the land."
"Any who dare oppose us will be devoured and annihilated!"
"Without lifting a finger, we can first occupy Nanyue City, then gradually rule over Xiao Huang State, and eventually inch our way into the neighboring Second-Rank States..."
"We will forge corpses and slaughter, then slaughter to forge more corpses!"
"Again and again, in an endless cycle, we will expand our power!"
"Thus, we can establish a formidable Corpse Devil Sect, bringing glory to our ancestors and reigning supreme over the states."
"At that time, you and I will be the founding ancestors of a sect, what is the position of a mere clan leader in comparison?"
...
As if envisioning this prospect, Zhang Quan's face turned crimson, his eyes bloodshot, and his spirit stirred.
Lu Chengyun, however, remained unmoved, instead letting out a cold laugh, scoffing, "Naive!"
Zhang Quan's expression darkened as he glared at Lu Chengyun, his gaze unfriendly.
Lu Chengyun was unperturbed and instead replied indifferently:
"Your Zhang family, although you have passed down the Corpse Path for generations and possess some background, is ultimately a minor clan with only a single successor each generation. Your numbers are few, thus your vision is limited, and your ambitions are small..."
"Dominating the states, founding a sect, and establishing a devil sect?" Lu Chengyun's face held a mocking smile, "Do you think this is child's play?"
"What can a single Second-Rank Corpse King and a few dozen iron corpses amount to?"
"Do you think the Dao Court is vegetarian?"
"The Dao Court has unified the Nine States. Even some demonic cultivators with thousands of years of heritage know to lie low and plot in the shadows, not daring to show their heads. With our meager resources, how can we hope to occupy states and dominate with just these First and Second-Rank zombies?"
"Are we even qualified?"
Zhang Quan's face alternated between green and red.
Lu Chengyun shook his head and sighed, "You only know how to forge corpses, but your understanding of the cultivation world is sorely lacking. You are far from comprehending the true might of the Dao Court."
"We can act in secret, build a corpse mine, and raise walking corpses without attracting attention. The Dao Court might not even bother with us."
"Even if they wanted to interfere, they might not be willing to pay the price, risking everything to bring about mutual destruction."
"But if you make a big fuss, waving the banner of passing down the Corpse Path and establishing a devil sect, you will be committing a taboo of the Dao Court!"
"The Dao Court will spare no expense to put us to death!"
"Once the news spreads, within three days, hundreds or even thousands of Foundation Establishment dao soldiers will arrive, wielding silver spears and clad in golden armor. Their formation will be overwhelming as they slaughter their way straight to our door."
"They will annihilate you and I, along with every single walking corpse and iron corpse in this corpse mine, grinding our bones to dust!"
"Forget about one Corpse King, even ten would be useless!"
"A Corpse King is nothing compared to a great demon, a great corpse, or a great ghost—disasters that only appear once in a millennium. What qualifications do you and I have to dare provoke the Dao Court and commit such a taboo?"
"Are you relying on your stupidity, or do you simply have a death wish?"
Lu Chengyun's tone held no hint of kindness.
Zhang Quan was left speechless, a ball of anger welling up in his heart as he indignantly said:
"But we can't just...mine..."
Lu Chengyun's gaze turned stern, "That's why I said your ambitions are too small."
Zhang Quan was taken aback.
Lu Chengyun coldly smiled, "What's wrong with mining?"
"What do we exchange mined resources for?"
"Spirit stones!"
"Who in this world doesn't want spirit stones? Who would complain about having too many? Without spirit stones, how can one cultivate immortality and pursue the Dao?"
Zhang Quan furrowed his brows, deep in thought.
Lu Chengyun's gaze turned indifferent as he said,
"These cultivators of Nanyue City, whether alive or dead, turned into zombies, will mine for my Lu family!"
"In life and death, they will be enslaved by my Lu family!"
"By day, the living will mine, and by night, the dead will continue."
"This mine will continuously produce, and my Lu family will have an endless supply of spirit stones!"
"Spirit stones are the foundation!"
"With these spirit stones, we can bribe the local Dao Courts and curry favor with various powers, keeping them like 'pigs', making them greedy, foolish, and insatiable, dependent on our Lu family for sustenance. Only then can we truly act with impunity in the Xiao Huang State!"
"What use is there in dominating the states? What's the point of becoming a demon?"
"The Dao Court has unified all under heaven. Any demonic cultivators daring to show their faces have long been eradicated without a burial ground!"
"True demonic cultivators learn to cling to the local Dao Courts, monopolize industries, amass spirit stones, and suck the blood of cultivators in the states. They enslave with power, oppress with status, and exploit with spirit stones..."
"...not relying on slaughter, corpse poison, or demonic arts..."
"...but instead, openly consuming their flesh and blood to strengthen themselves!"
"Even if the Dao Court wants to investigate, they won't find anything."
"The local Dao Court officials are our people; the local sects share our interests; the local clans are under our control;"
"As for those miner cultivators, they are insignificant and powerless. We trample them underfoot, and they dare not speak out. Even if they do, no one will believe them..."
"This is how spirit stones should be used!"
"This is the true meaning of hiding the sky with one hand!"
Lu Chengyun's voice was resolute, his gaze profound.
Zhang Quan's expression fluctuated.
Mo Hua, hiding behind the altar, listened with a pounding heart.
Within the Ten Thousand Corpse Altar, silence reigned.
After a moment, Lu Chengyun calmly said, "Brother Zhang, do you understand now?"
Zhang Quan snapped back to his senses, his eyelids twitching as he nodded vaguely, as if only half understanding.
Lu Chengyun nodded slightly, then added meaningfully,
"If you use these zombies to kill, the Dao Court will come for us."
"But if you make them mine and earn spirit stones, offering them to the local Dao Courts or even the higher-ups in the Dao Court..."
"...not only will they not harm us, but they will also wish for us to kill more people, forge more corpses, mine more resources, and offer them more spirit stones..."
"Times have changed, and even demonic cultivation is not just about killing and slaughter anymore..."
"Brother Zhang, think carefully about it..."
After speaking, Lu Chengyun patted Zhang Quan's shoulder and turned to leave.
This Lu Chengyun was even more treacherous and devious than he had imagined.
If Lu Chengyun succeeded in his plans, his influence would spread like the roots of an ancient tree, deeply entrenched in the mine, with tendrils of interest stretching far and wide, making it almost impossible to eradicate...
Mo Hua took a quiet breath, and just then, he heard a voice.
"Nonsense!"
Mo Hua started. It was Zhang Quan's voice.
After Lu Chengyun had left, Zhang Quan finally spoke up, his voice filled with indignation.
"Rubbish!"
"Instead of being a proud founder of an evil sect, you choose to grovel before the Dao Court, currying favor with them and sucking up to various powers. You're no better than a dog to them!"
"Are you content with letting the zombies endlessly mine?"
"What kind of zombies don't eat people or drink blood? They'd be a disgrace to our ancient ancestors of the Corpse Path!"
"What's more infuriating is that we're supposed to send the spirit stones we earn from mining to others?"
"You're nothing but a dog to them, and you've grown accustomed to it!"
"And you dare say I have a small vision? It's you who's been a family head for too long, greedy for wealth and power, with shallow ambitions and a cowardly heart!"
"Your petty schemes over the centuries are nothing compared to the grandeur of a true evil sect!"
"We should establish a powerful evil sect, carry on the legacy of the Corpse Path, and leave an infamous mark in the history of Xiao Huang State, striking fear into the hearts of cultivators everywhere, even if it means eventual destruction by the Dao Court!"
Zhang Quan's expression was resolute, his eyes gleaming with determination.
...
Mo Hua fell silent.
This Zhang Quan had his own ideas...
And perhaps... a faith and dedication to the Corpse Path? Mo Hua struggled to judge.
After venting his anger, Zhang Quan calmed down, and after a moment, he let out a cold laugh, muttering to himself,
"Lu Chengyun...
"Refining corpses isn't solely up to you...
"...Once the Corpse King is fully refined, it won't be your decision anymore..."
"I won't be as timid as you.
"I will unleash the Corpse King, have the Iron Corpse ravage the city, turn Nanyue City into a land of walking corpses, and turn this Xiao Huang State into a living hell, making cultivators everywhere tremble in fear. Then they will know what true Corpse Refinement is!"
Zhang Quan's voice was icy, and after a cold snort, he left.
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed, a cold light flashing in them.
Zhang Quan and Lu Chengyun...
Though their methods differed, neither of them was a force for good.
Whichever one gained control of the Corpse King would bring about a disastrous outcome.
One would lead to a world filled with floating corpses, and the other would bring about deep and insidious poison.
Mo Hua recalled Zhang Quan's indignant expression and the words he had spoken, and an idea formed in his mind.
Zhang Quan and Lu Chengyun were at odds, and from what Zhang Quan had said, it seemed he also wanted control of the Corpse King. To gain control, he would have to open the bronze coffin.
This presented Mo Hua with an opportunity. Mo Hua's eyes flickered with anticipation.
From then on, whenever he had free time, Mo Hua secretly tailed Zhang Quan.
When Zhang Quan was alone, he indeed acted suspiciously, even setting up a spirit sense surveillance array, clearly preparing something in secret.
Mo Hua didn't want to alert him, so he refrained from inspecting the array too closely.
However, he knew that Zhang Quan was definitely up to something.
Zhang Quan's behavior reminded him of his own scheming nature.
Sure enough, a few days later, on a night when Lu Chengyun was away from the corpse mine attending to family matters, Zhang Quan also sneaked out.
Mo Hua immediately hid himself and hurried ahead to the Ten Thousand Corpse Altar to wait for him.
Before long, Zhang Quan entered the altar room.
Mo Hua remained hidden behind the altar, secretly observing him.
Zhang Quan, seeing that he was alone, cautiously took out a bronze coffin nail from his storage bag.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up as he immediately understood its purpose.
"So it's a coffin nail!"
This coffin nail served as both a key and an integral part of an array.
While regular coffin nails were used to seal coffins, this one was designed to open them.
Zhang Quan measured the coffin with the nail, finding the right spot about three inches to the left, and then hammered the nail into the bronze coffin.
The coffin responded with a faint flash of energy.
Something within it had been unlocked.
Zhang Quan was elated and quickly lifted the coffin lid, revealing the blood-inscribed bronze casket inside.
He then took out a dagger, cut his palm, and let his blood drip into the grooves of the casket.
Once the grooves were filled, Zhang Quan retrieved a corpse-controlling bell.
This bell was neither stone nor wood, neither copper nor iron. It was pitch-black and bore the same blood-red patterns as the bronze coffin.
Zhang Quan rang the bell, creating a deep, odd sound, like the moaning of a zombie.
After ringing it for a while, he fed more blood to the coffin and then rang the bell again, walking backwards around the coffin in a strange gait.
Feed blood, ring the bell, walk backwards.
All the while, he muttered incantations under his breath.
Though Mo Hua couldn't understand everything, based on his own research and what he had learned from Lu Ming about corpse refinement, he guessed that this was a special technique for controlling corpses during the refinement process.
Indeed, after feeding blood seven times, ringing the bell seven times, and walking backwards seven times, the bronze coffin began to emit a heartbeat.
It was the heartbeat of a dead person.
It was vastly different from that of a living person, eerie and sinister.
Just hearing it made Mo Hua feel uncomfortable, his heart feeling slightly stifled.
Fortunately, the heartbeat only thumped once before stopping.
Zhang Quan, however, was overjoyed.
He resealed the coffin, removed the coffin nail, checked his surroundings to ensure he hadn't left any traces behind, and then left the spacious and empty altar room with a cold laugh.
Mo Hua, hiding behind the altar, poked his head out.
(End of Chapter)
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