Chapter 502:
Chapter 502:
Mo Hua hid on the sidelines, manipulating Elder Song and engaging in a fight with the newly arrived Zombie Elder.
Elder Song should have been the stronger of the two, but being controlled by Mo Hua through the Spirit Pivot Array, his movements were not his own. He could only exert seven or eight parts of his strength, and so after exchanging blows for several dozen rounds, he began to fall behind.
If one wasn't enough, then two would do.
Mo Hua had no regard for martial ethics, and he began to control Zhang Quan as well, the two of them attacking in a pincer formation.
Thus, the new Zombie Elder was put in a difficult spot.
Mo Hua took this opportunity to observe its techniques.
The Zombie Elders of the Zhang family all used similar methods, relying solely on spiritual consciousness to animate their corpses and engage in close-quarters combat.
If they were losing, they would further animate their corpses, causing their bodies to swell, their skin to harden, and their faces to contort with fangs.
In this state, their movements would become faster, their strikes more powerful, and their fangs sharper.
But even this held little interest for Mo Hua.
The first time he saw it, he found it novel, but after seeing it so often, it had become dull.
Aside from Elder Song, who could use the shrinking technique to escape, the other zombies were more or less the same.
It was unclear if they were unskilled or if their ancestors had withheld knowledge, not teaching them other methods.
This Zombie Elder also had no new tricks up its sleeve.
Mo Hua was somewhat disappointed.
Time was limited, so he didn't dawdle. He manipulated Zhang Quan and Elder Song with all his might, the two of them ganging up on the Zombie Elder and forcing it back step by step.
The Zombie Elder flew into a rage and went all out, but it couldn't win.
Even after animating its corpse, it still couldn't turn the tables.
Not only that, but its injuries were gradually worsening. If this continued, there was no doubt it would die.
The Zombie Elder's eyes narrowed dangerously, and it swallowed a mouthful of blood, causing its aura to surge. With one punch, it knocked Zhang Quan back, then did the same to Elder Song, and it tried to make its escape.
But Mo Hua wasn't about to let it get away.
With a slight point of his finger, a water prison quickly condensed around the Zombie Elder.
Just as it was about to leave, it was instantly bound in place by spiritual chains.
The Zombie Elder was shocked.
Mo Hua slowly revealed himself from the corner.
Despite his young age, his spiritual consciousness was thick and profound, and his gaze was unfathomable.
The Zombie Elder's eyes widened in horror, and it asked, "Who are you?"
Mo Hua didn't bother with pleasantries for such a lowly elder. He greeted it with a Fireball Spell.
The fireball whistled through the air and stuck to the Zombie Elder's face.
The Zombie Elder fell with a cry.
Still not reassured, Mo Hua followed up with several more fireballs, the explosions echoing through the air as they blasted the Zombie Elder, causing its body and spirit to crumble, leaving it on the brink of death and unable to move.
Zhang Quan and Elder Song, standing by, watched with their hearts in their mouths.
Before they could feel sorry for themselves, an even more terrifying scene unfolded before them.
In front of Zhang Quan and the others, Mo Hua began to set up the Spirit Pivot Array.
He focused his consciousness, pointing his finger at the Zombie Elder's heart meridian, its consciousness on the verge of collapse, unable to move.
Using the heart meridian as the array's eye, the pale blue array patterns bloomed like delicate orchids on the Zombie Elder's chest before extending outward, taking root in its body and growing layer by layer until it was completely integrated...
And just like that, this Iron Corpse Realm elder had become a living puppet.
Zhang Quan and Elder Song looked on in horror.
What kind of array was this?
Had this little devil been controlling their bodies with this array?
Had the same array been implanted in them as well?
Just what was this array?
The array was incredibly sophisticated, its techniques bordering on the profound and the mystical.
It was absurd and beyond their comprehension.
Zhang Quan froze.
This array seemed similar to the corpse-controlling array that Lu Chengyun had treasured.
However, it didn't have the same sinister aura, and it looked even more complex, profound, and profound.
But Lu Chengyun had said that array was extremely difficult. He had said that the threshold was high and that the array's principles were intricate.
Zhang Quan remembered Lu Chengyun's words:
"...If one does not dedicate oneself to solitary research for decades, if one does not understand evil arrays, integrate sinister thoughts into their consciousness, use bones as their brush, blood as their ink, and corpses as their medium, how could they possibly learn it?"
Then when did this little devil learn it?
Zhang Quan wanted to ask, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.
He was now a puppet, his consciousness enslaved and his body not his own...
After Mo Hua finished drawing the Spirit Pivot Array on the Zombie Elder, he turned the two zombie disciples he had killed earlier into smoke and fed them to the Zombie Elder to help it recover some of its strength.
After a moment, the Zombie Elder's illusory body stabilized, and it slowly opened its eyes.
Its eyes were filled with confusion.
The only thing it remembered was Mo Hua's vicious fireball spell.
Soon, it realized that it couldn't control its body.
It was being manipulated by Mo Hua, standing there with Zhang Quan and Elder Song. Its mouth had been sewn shut by spiritual threads, so it couldn't speak either. It could only exchange a glance with Elder Song.
Their fate was no longer in their own hands.
Instead, it rested in the hands of the cute yet terrifying little cultivator beside them...
Mo Hua held onto the three Iron Corpses, continuing his patient wait.
He recalled Elder Song mentioning that the Zhang family's zombie elders relied on the spiritual devotion of their descendants for sustenance and would not actively consume them.
Although Mo Hua was unclear about the specifics of this devotion, it stood to reason that the Zhang family's ancestors wouldn't enter his spiritual sea.
Unless he captured all of the Zhang family's elders at once...
Soon enough, two more Iron Corpse elders from the Zhang family entered Mo Hua's spiritual sea.
Mo Hua repeated his strategy.
This time, it was three against two, a chaotic battle.
When their tricks were exhausted and the battle was drawing to a close, Mo Hua revealed himself, using Fireball Spell, Water Prison Spell, and the Earthfire Array in conjunction to swiftly finish off the two elders.
Then, he employed the same tactic again.
He set up the Spirit Pivot Array to control the Zhang family elders.
With that, the Zhang family lost two more elders, and Mo Hua gained control of two more Iron Corpses.
Mo Hua was like a fisherman, patiently waiting for his catch.
He fished them out one by one.
With each catch, his basket gained one more fish, and the river lost one.
All the Iron Corpse elders in the Zhang family ancestral chart were now Mo Hua's prey...
...
While Mo Hua was "fishing," turmoil was brewing in Nan Yue City.
Various cultivation forces gathered within the city.
The streets were filled with unfamiliar faces.
Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, oblivious to the underlying currents, continued to toil for their daily livelihood, exhausting themselves for a single spirit stone.
The cultivators involved in the matter, however, wore grave expressions.
The calm before the storm hung heavy in the air.
But they could only sense the wind; they knew not the nature of the impending storm.
At the Situ family residence.
In a modest, elegant, yet secluded hall.
Representatives from various factions had gathered.
There was a Dao Soldier Commander dispatched by the Dao Court, affiliated with the Dao Soldier Division; there were Dao Foundation elders from nearby cultivation forces, summoned by the Dao Court; and there was the trio of the thin old man, the white-robed youth, and the middle-aged cultivator, who had come to pursue Mister Zhuang and were connected to the Celestial Pivot Pavilion.
...
These family factions had arrived covertly. The Dao Soldiers were also stationed outside the city at an abandoned mine, all to keep a low profile and avoid alerting the Lu family.
At the same time, they bypassed the Nan Yue City Dao Court Division.
The Dao Court officials present were all from nearby immortal cities or directly affiliated with the Dao Court.
The only person from the Nan Yue City Dao Court Division was Si Tu Fang.
However, she was only included due to her status as a disciple of the Si Tu family and her knowledge of the inside story.
The host of this gathering was a Dao Soldier Commander named Yang, a middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with a stern and upright appearance and a calm demeanor.
Commander Yang cut straight to the chase:
"I am Yang Ji Shan, holding the position of a second-grade Dao Soldier Commander."
"By the decree of the Dao Court, our mission is to suppress the Corpse Mine, apprehend Lu Cheng Yun, seal the Corpse King, incinerate the horde of corpses, prevent a corpse tide, and avoid a corpse disaster that would bring calamity upon the people of Nan Yue City..."
Commander Yang's gaze was solemn as he scanned the room, his voice deep and authoritative.
"The Lu family holds significant influence in Nan Yue City, and the Corpse Mine houses countless zombies."
"Therefore, we must proceed with caution, or we will undoubtedly bring about a catastrophe!"
"I ask that you all follow my commands to avoid any mishaps that could lead to disaster. If we fail in our mission, none of us will be able to bear the consequences should the Dao Court lay the blame upon us."
Seeing no dissent, Commander Yang nodded and continued:
"For this operation, we will divide our forces into two groups:"
"One group will suppress the Lu family;"
"Seal off the Lu family mansion, capture their Foundation Establishment cultivators, and restrain them with second-grade Binding Spirit Locks. For ordinary Qi Refining disciples, place them under house arrest. We will deal with them once the matter of the Corpse Mine is concluded."
"Do not harm the innocent."
"However, if any of the Lu family descendants show resistance, kill them without mercy!"
"The other group will assemble cultivators and rendezvous with the Dao Soldiers outside the city to launch a surprise attack on the Corpse Mine."
"Our movement must be stealthy, aiming for a swift and decisive battle to suppress the Corpse Mine, capture Lu Chengyun, and eradicate the corpse threat before it fully awakens..."
"Next, we will discuss the specific tactical arrangements..."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
