Chapter 494: Breeding Evil
Chapter 494: Breeding Evil
In the city of Nanyue, cultivators from various clans and sects affiliated with the Celestial Cabinet converged, each possessing their own unique abilities and connections.
The emaciated old man was not the only one who could see this.
Above the mine, the stench of corpses hung heavy in the air.
Within it lay countless undead creatures.
Even though those present were from influential backgrounds and had experienced much in their lives, the overwhelming stench of death caused them to suck in a breath of cold air.
With the unification of the Dao Court, the demonic path was gradually declining.
Where could one still find such a dense concentration of corpse energy, and where could one lay eyes on so many zombies? For a moment, everyone was filled with shock and fear.
"How dare they!"
"Who is daring enough to refine corpses here?"
"...Just how many people have they killed?"
"To disregard the Dao Court and flout the Dao laws, this is unforgivable!"
"...Which demonic sect is behind this?"
......
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, and finally, someone asked:
"What should we do now?"
This question caused the group to fall silent.
A cultivator spoke up, "We cannot stand idly by in the face of evil. We should join forces to eliminate this threat!"
"There are too many..."
"We can't handle this alone..."
"Let's not forget why we're here. We didn't come to meddle in other people's business."
"How can you call this meddling?"
"Upholding justice and protecting the Dao is our duty!"
"Hmph, such hypocrisy. Who are you trying to impress?"
"You son of a..."
Arguments broke out within the inn.
However, these discussions were confined to the inn itself.
The entire Nanyue Inn had been reserved by this group of cultivators, and they had set up auditory and visual barriers to ensure privacy. No outsider could enter without an invitation.
After a lengthy debate, the emaciated old man, who had been divining with the "Trigram Copper Coins," furrowed his brow and slowly asked:
"Do any of you know where that person is?"
The group fell silent for a moment, and then everyone shook their heads.
The emaciated old man continued, "He wanted us to find him, so he led us here. But now that we've arrived, there's no trace of him, only this mine filled with corpse energy. Do you think this is a coincidence?"
"What do you mean?" someone asked.
The emaciated old man replied, "Perhaps the reason he led us here is related to this mountain of corpses."
The group exchanged glances, and someone asked, "And then?"
"Could it be that he felt compassion and wanted us to lend a helping hand?"
"No, he's probably using us as his labor force..."
"Or maybe he's testing us? Whoever can solve this problem will earn an audience with him."
"What are you thinking?"
"Our intentions are not pure... He's not some benevolent old man giving away opportunities."
"Indeed... That person is arrogant, with unparalleled talent and no regard for others. Why would he bother with such a boring game?"
"So, what do you suggest we do?"
The group looked at each other, each with their own hidden agenda, but no one spoke.
Finally, they parted ways, dissatisfied and unresolved.
Back in their room, the emaciated old man and his companions set up a soundproofing formation before engaging in a private discussion.
The middle-aged cultivator said, "The stench of corpses is too strong. Soon, it might turn into a tide of corpses. We shouldn't stay in Nanyue City for too long."
The emaciated old man asked, "What do you suggest?"
"What else is there to consider? We should leave immediately. If we get caught in a tide of corpses, we might not be able to escape," the middle-aged cultivator replied, his tone slightly grave.
"Even without the tide of corpses, the fact that someone was able to conceal their actions and refine so many zombies indicates that this cultivator is not someone we should provoke," he added, his voice carrying a hint of concern.
"Why would we want to get involved in something that offers us no benefit?" the middle-aged cultivator asked, his frustration evident.
The emaciated old man remained silent.
The middle-aged cultivator, taken aback by his silence, asked, "You don't really want to stay, do you?"
The emaciated old man nodded, his brow furrowed as if deep in thought. His expression was solemn, and after a moment, he slowly said, "I... have a premonition..."
The middle-aged cultivator was stunned. "What kind of premonition?"
The emaciated old man took a deep breath, his eyes filled with uncertainty. "Lately, I've been feeling a sense of foreboding, as if there's a great terror lying ahead on our path—an extraordinary danger that could mean life or death."
"If we can suppress the tide of corpses and save the cultivators in this city, or even the entire state, we might forge a virtuous connection. In the future, when we encounter a life-threatening situation, we might have a glimmer of hope..." The emaciated old man's voice trailed off, his gaze distant.
The middle-aged cultivator frowned. He couldn't sense anything, so naturally, he didn't believe in such vague premonitions.
However, he also knew that sometimes it was wise to heed the advice of others. In the cultivation world, where few lived to an old age, even the slightest premonition couldn't be ignored.
"Fine, I'll stay too," the middle-aged cultivator relented. "But let me make this clear: if things take a turn for the worse, I'm out of here."
The emaciated old man nodded, and the young man in white breathed a sigh of relief, a slight smile appearing on his face.
The next day, the inn saw a decrease in its occupants.
Some had failed to find any clues about Mr. Zhuang in Nanyue City and had left to continue their search elsewhere.
Others, fearing the imminent outbreak of the tide of corpses and unable to ensure their own safety, had departed without saying goodbye.
However, there were also those who chose to stay.
Like the emaciated old man, they sensed a hidden connection between the mountain of corpses and their destinies—a thread of cause and effect that they couldn't ignore.
However, with countless zombies within, dealing with the situation was extremely tricky.
"I'm afraid we cultivators alone won't be enough."
"We should write a letter and ask our clans or sects for reinforcements."
"That will take some time..."
"There's no other way. We can't just rush in unprepared and court death..."
"We also know nothing about the situation inside the zombie mine."
"How many Iron Zombies, how many Walking Corpses, and are there any other special zombies? Who is refining them, and are there any local cultivation forces involved?"
"No need to guess, there must be local forces. Building a zombie mine would require a lot of manpower and resources, and it couldn't be done without their support."
"Probably the Lu family..."
"I think so too."
"Any evidence?"
"Just a hunch...it's obvious at a glance."
"A big fish in a small pond, that complicates things."
A young cultivator spoke arrogantly, "It's a shame that this place is only a second-rate state realm. Due to the heavenly restrictions, Golden Core cultivators can't take action, otherwise, I would ask my father to come and destroy this mountain with a single sword strike!"
"Okay, okay, we know your father is a Golden Core cultivator..."
"Even with a Golden Core cultivator, a single sword strike wouldn't be enough to destroy it..."
"Even if we destroy it, we won't be able to kill all these zombies immediately. If they get out of control and invade Nanyue City, all the cultivators in the city will turn into zombies, and the problem will become even bigger..."
"Young man, don't be too hot-headed."
"To solve this problem, we need more than just brute force, but relying solely on force won't work either..."
The young cultivator sat down, looking dejected.
"So, what should we do?" someone else asked.
After a moment of silence, someone suggested, "What about the Dao Court?"
"Should we request the deployment of Dao soldiers?"
"That could be a solution..."
"Who has connections with the Dao soldiers?"
"I have a few uncles in my clan who hold positions in the Dao soldier division..."
An elderly man shook his head. "Don't even think about it. The Dao Court won't send Dao soldiers. Even if they do, it won't be many."
"The risks are too high, and the cost is too great."
"Why not? Exorcising demons and eliminating evil is one of the fundamental principles of the Dao, and it's the duty of the Dao Court!"
"That's true, but..."
"Don't underestimate the situation. It's not that simple."
"With so many resources and manpower involved, how can we just deploy them as we wish?"
"Exactly. If we consider the layers of bureaucracy and the resources that will be skimmed off along the way, the actual cost might be even higher."
"We shouldn't be discussing this..."
"The Dao Court has its own difficulties as well..."
"What kind of difficulties? The kind that involves bribery and corruption?"
"Don't be so sarcastic..."
"You son of a..."
As the discussion continued, tempers began to flare.
"Alright, alright," an elderly man with a white beard, who had the most seniority and respect among them, spoke up, "Let's focus on the matter at hand."
The arguing gradually ceased.
After a moment of silence, someone else spoke up, "Why don't we join forces and petition the Dao Court, explaining the severity of the situation and making it a public issue? The Dao Court won't be able to ignore it then..."
The group nodded in agreement.
Just then, the emaciated old man who had been sitting among them suddenly stood up, his face pale as he held the Trigram Copper Coins in his hand.
The other cultivators exchanged puzzled glances.
The white-bearded old man frowned and asked, "Brother Wen, what's wrong?"
The emaciated old man, his face filled with dread, said in a trembling voice, "I just had a sudden insight and used the Trigram Copper Coins to divine a hexagram..."
"The hexagram showed..."
"...the future of this mine."
The emaciated old man was still shaken by the vision:
"Living people and corpses mixed together, the boundary between life and death blurred, the living resembling corpses, and the corpses resembling the living. And above them all stood a Zombie King, its eyes glowing with a dark golden light, impervious to the control of any person or corpse..."
Upon hearing this, the white-bearded old man's expression changed drastically.
The other cultivators, however, were confused. "So what?"
The emaciated old man, his face filled with fear, slowly said, "This means that within this zombie mine, a Zombie King is being refined. If we don't suppress it and let it continue, a hundred years from now, it will surely become a heavenly disaster. This Zombie King will transform into... a Zombie Calamity!"
"In other words, this zombie mine is nurturing a Dao Calamity!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the group of cultivators was filled with dread.
"A Dao Calamity!"
This was a term they had only seen in cultivation manuals, signifying a disaster that was almost impossible to resist with human strength.
Even clans or sects with a thousand years of heritage had records of being annihilated by a Dao Calamity...
Nurturing a Dao Calamity?
The white-bearded old man's voice trembled, "Are you sure about this?"
The emaciated old man's heart was pounding. "That's what the hexagram indicates..."
He paused, then added, "I wouldn't have been able to calculate the Dao Calamity on my own..."
Implied in his words was that someone had allowed him to calculate it, or rather, someone had revealed this through his hexagram.
They all knew who that person was.
After a moment of silence, the white-bearded old man spoke with a solemn expression, "We must report this matter to the Celestial Cabinet and request the elders to make calculations."
"We should also petition the Dao Court and request their support with Dao soldiers..."
"If this is true, and there is indeed a Dao Calamity being nurtured within the zombie mine, then we must mobilize all available cultivators, regardless of the cost, to suppress the zombie mine, slay the Zombie King, and eradicate this Dao Calamity in its infancy, leaving no future troubles!"
(End of Chapter)
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