Chapter 504: The Zhang Family's Ancestral Master
Chapter 504: The Zhang Family's Ancestral Master
With everything planned, Yang Jishan's voice turned grave as he gave the order, "Tomorrow, we ready the troops and gather our cultivators. The day after tomorrow, at the hour of the rabbit, we begin our suppression of the Lu family and eradicate the Corpse Mine!"
The weight of their decision hung heavy in the air, and everyone's expressions turned solemn.
The day they chose for battle would be a day of pouring rain.
In the city of Nanyue, the wind and rain swayed the trees.
And what they were about to face was the deeply rooted Lu family, an endless sea of corpses...
...and the Corpse King, who possessed the qualifications of a Daoist demon!
The atmosphere in the room turned somber...
...
Within the Corpse Mine, Lu Chengyun suddenly furrowed his brows.
A sense of unease crept into his heart.
It felt as though something extremely dangerous was happening, yet he was completely unaware of it.
What could be the cause of this foreboding feeling?
Lu Chengyun calmed himself and thought carefully.
Zhang Quan was already dead, so his control over the Corpse King had disappeared.
In this world, he was now the only one capable of controlling the Corpse King.
As for Mo Hua, he had used her as a sacrifice, feeding her to the Visualization Picture.
Once her spiritual sense was devoured and only her shell remained, he would refine her into a little zombie and keep her by his side to do his bidding.
After all, this child was clever and adorable, and he rather liked her.
It was a shame that she was too knowledgeable about formations, and that had proved to be her downfall.
The matter of the Corpse Mine was too important, affecting not only the fate of the Lu family but also his future path to greatness. He had no choice but to eliminate all potential risks and cut them off at the root.
Brilliant children were a liability and could not be spared.
First Zhang Quan, and now Mo Hua.
He had discarded them both after they had served their purpose, eliminating any potential threats they might pose.
Aside from them, who else could threaten him? Who else could make him feel so uneasy?
Lu Chengyun's fingers tapped mindlessly on the table, his expression cold and unyielding.
After a moment, he picked up some intelligence reports that had been gathered by Lu family cultivators, containing recent clues about the movements in Nanyue City and the Corpse Mine.
It was through these reports that Lu Chengyun kept an eye on the goings-on in Nanyue City.
"The number of visiting cultivators has increased..."
"Their appearances are unfamiliar, and their auras are unreadable..."
"The Nanyue Sect is distancing itself from our Lu family, refusing to accept our spirit stones..."
"The Dao Court is still accepting our spirit stones, and the brothel is still in business."
"The Chief Judge indulges in debauchery and has taken the life of yet another female cultivator..."
...
Lu Chengyun's eyes narrowed slightly as he pondered in silence.
"There's nothing particularly unusual about this..."
"Am I just being paranoid?"
"The increase in visiting cultivators is a good thing. Within a few hundred miles, only our Lu family's Jin Hua Street is the most decadent and indulgent. They indulge in the bodies of female cultivators, but in doing so, they also bring us spirit stones..."
"There's nothing unusual about the Dao Court."
"If there were truly any movements from above, it would be impossible to keep it from the local Dao Court."
"Otherwise, even if they didn't directly inform us, they would at least show some restraint."
"Is the Nanyue Sect just putting on a show? Do they want more spirit stones?"
Lu Chengyun coldly huffed, "I think their leader is just tired of his position!"
Lu Chengyun carefully reviewed the intelligence reports once more, and a vague sense of unease lingered in his heart, though he couldn't pinpoint the source of his suspicions.
"Could it be... that our plans for the Corpse Mine have been leaked?"
Lu Chengyun thought for a moment, then shook his head, "Impossible..."
The only people who knew the full details were Zhang Quan and Mo Hua.
Zhang Quan was already dead, and he had fed Mo Hua to the visualization picture.
As for the corpse cultivators, they only knew bits and pieces. They were unaware of the core formations—the Myriad Corpse Formation, the Spirit Pivot Formation, and the Corpse King hidden within the altar.
Even if they were to report what they knew, it wouldn't matter.
He could easily find someone to take the blame, and the Dao Court wouldn't bother investigating further.
Lu Chengyun's suspicions grew, but he still felt uneasy.
"Perhaps I should go to the city and take a look myself?"
Lu Chengyun pondered for a moment, then shook his head again.
He still had to worry about the Myriad Corpse Formation.
This complex composite formation required long-term operation and maintenance. It wasn't something he could just set up and forget about. He needed to inspect, maintain, and verify that the formation eye was intact, the formation pivot was functioning smoothly, and that there were no errors in the formation patterns.
Moreover, the formation eye of the Myriad Corpse Formation had been constructed by Mo Hua, and some of her ideas and methods for directing spiritual power were unique and unlike anything he had anticipated.
Even Lu Chengyun himself found it challenging to maintain, and checking, verifying, and repairing the formation took a significant amount of time.
As for the other formation masters in the Corpse Mine, they would be lucky to even understand it.
Lu Chengyun sighed, feeling a bit of regret, "I was too hasty in killing that young master..."
Now, he had to handle everything personally and had no time to spare for other matters. However, he still felt uneasy and gave his orders, "In the coming days, tighten security and increase patrols day and night. Report any abnormalities immediately."
The corpse cultivators acknowledged the order and passed it on.
Soon, the entire Corpse Mine was on high alert...
As the Dao Court meticulously prepared, the Corpse Mine bristled with defensive measures.
The stage was set for a major battle...
And within the white coffin, in Mo Hua's sea of consciousness, the final enemy was about to arrive:
The Zhang family's ancestral master, the Zombie Daoist!
During this period, Mo Hua had been fishing non-stop.
The elders were left alive, their movements controlled by the Spirit Pivot Formation.
The disciples were refined and used to restore the elders' strength.
Among them, the strongest was the Great Elder of the Zhang family.
Mo Hua expended a great deal of effort and ultimately sacrificed two Iron Zombie elders before he could subdue the Great Elder.
He had reached the limit of his control over the Iron Zombies.
Following Lu Chengyun's example, Mo Hua drew the Spirit Pivot Formation on the Great Elder's body, similar to the one on the Corpse King, and imbued it with high-level sequence array patterns. He then drew subordinate sequence array patterns on the other Iron Zombie elders.
By controlling the Great Elder, he could command the ordinary elders.
This approach indeed lightened the burden on his spiritual sense, and his control over the Iron Zombies became more precise.
In total, Mo Hua now had eleven Iron Zombies under his command!
This was the entirety of the Zhang family's current elders.
They had all been elders of the Zhang family, obeying the commands of the Zhang family's ancestor. But now, they had become Mo Hua's spiritual puppets, subject to his dominance.
The tables had turned, and the odds had shifted from fighting a lone battle against many to commanding many against one.
He was using the Zhang family's own elders against their ancestor.
Mo Hua smiled smugly and nodded in satisfaction at his cleverness.
"As expected of me!"
Next, Mo Hua arranged the eleven Iron Zombie elders of the Zhang family in a line, setting up an imposing formation to await the arrival of the Zhang family's ancestor.
While they stood guard, Mo Hua concealed himself nearby, biding his time and preparing to watch the Zhang family's ancestors fight amongst themselves, intending to be the fisherman reaping the benefits...
Zhang Quan, who witnessed everything, regretted his actions to the core.
He never should have provoked this little ancestor! No, perhaps it would have been better if he had been angered to death by him earlier.
If he had died earlier, he wouldn't have been manipulated and used to threaten the ancestors of the Zhang family.
Now, they had all fallen to the point of becoming "accomplices to a tiger."
Mo Hua was that little evil tiger.
After consuming them, he still wasn't satisfied. He intended to turn them into vengeful ghosts to harm the ancestors of the Zhang family.
The current elders of the Zhang family had all become "accomplices" to this "little evil tiger," and the one they were about to harm was none other than their own ancestor!
The ancestor truly faced grim odds! This little ghost, Mo Hua, was far more terrifying than Lu Chengyun!
Zhang Quan's heart was filled with anxiety and fear.
But at this moment, he was merely a puppet under Mo Hua's control, obeying his commands, and he could do nothing to change the situation...
...
After an unknown amount of time, Mo Hua, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
He sensed vibrations in his sea of consciousness, as if something powerful was approaching...
Soon after, mist and smoke filled the air.
An elderly man with a divine-like aura descended upon the clouds.
This man, with his white hair and beard, exuded an air of immortality and solemnity. He was none other than Zhang Quan's ancestor, the zombie ancestor from the ancestral painting.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up, and a mischievous smile curved the corners of his mouth...
...
The Zhang family's ancestor had arrived.
He had no choice but to come.
Because there was no one left in the Zhang family.
One by one, they had all disappeared without a trace.
In just half a day, his descendants had vanished.
The ancestral painting, once filled with generations of his descendants, now held only him, a solitary figure.
If he didn't come, the Zhang family, the bearers of the Corpse Technique, would truly become extinct!
Someone must have plotted against them.
It concerned the bloodline and the continuation of the Corpse Technique.
He wanted to see who, or rather, what vile thing dared to scheme against his Zhang family.
As the Zhang family's ancestor entered, he was initially taken aback.
What pure spiritual sense!
Just like the legends of lush Paradise of Caverns, the spiritual sense here was terrifyingly concentrated.
Could it be that his disciples were so enamored by this place that they forgot their roots and didn't want to return?
The ancestor of the Zhang family frowned and looked around, his expression filled with dismay.
There were no outsiders, no evil spirits, or spiritual entities in sight.
Only about a dozen elders of the Zhang family stood in a row, their gazes dull and unmoving like wooden stakes.
"What do you intend by this?" The ancestor of the Zhang family asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
The elders remained silent, their auras obscure and their eyes vacant.
A sense of foreboding crept into the ancestor's heart.
Just as he was about to step forward to inspect them closely, a chill wind blew, and the Great Elder of the Zhang family took the lead, lashing out with his claws, imbued with corpse poison, aiming for the ancestor's back.
"A sneak attack?"
The ancestor's expression changed drastically, and he grabbed the Great Elder's wrist, blocking the attack.
At the same time, the other elders also struck, targeting the heart, eyes, heavenly spirit, lower body, and joints...
Each move was vicious and aimed to take the ancestor's life.
Enraged, the ancestor of the Zhang family shouted, "A bunch of unfilial descendants!"
He tried to defend himself, parrying a few blows, but he couldn't withstand the onslaught of so many attackers. His robe was torn, his arms were wounded, and several strands of his white beard were pulled out...
The ancestor's eyes darkened.
The ancestral master's thoughts raced.
Controlled by what?
Sorcery?
Illusions?
Had they been bewitched or brainwashed?
As these thoughts crossed his mind, the ancestral master quickly chanted an incantation, and then shouted in a clear voice,
"The ancestor has arrived, quickly pay homage!"
"Pay homage to me, and seek the path to longevity..."
"Pay homage to me..."
"Seek the path to longevity..."
These words, sometimes loud and sometimes distant, resonated in their ears and sank into their hearts, bewitching their minds and urging them to pay homage.
Mo Hua's spiritual sense wavered for a moment.
But soon after, his mind cleared like a flowing spring, and he quickly regained his composure.
On the other hand, the Iron Zombies' eyes shone with aspiration and longing.
However, as they were controlled by the Spirit Pivot Formation and their actions directed by the spirit threads, they were nothing more than puppets. What they thought in their hearts didn't really matter.
Even though Zhang Quan's ancestor was bewitching their minds, their bodies remained honest, obeying only Mo Hua's commands.
They continued their relentless assault.
These Iron Zombies, their eyes filled with aspiration, clearly had wavering hearts.
Yet, their attacks were vicious and ruthless, showing no mercy.
A chill ran down the ancestral master's spine.
What kind of control method was this? He had never seen anything like it.
The ancestor shouted, "Who is the master behind this scheme?"
To be able to control eleven Iron Zombies simultaneously and remain unaffected by his own sonic attack, only a master could possess such abilities.
But Mo Hua remained silent, with no intention of revealing himself.
The ideal scenario was to not have to lift a finger himself.
Let the zombies of the Zhang family destroy each other.
When both sides were severely weakened, he would then step in and finish them off.
With their numbers, he could let the ancestor be slowly worn down by his own descendants, dying without even knowing how he met his end. That would be the best outcome.
It would save him a lot of trouble.
And it would also minimize the risk.
Even if he had to make a move himself eventually, he would first force the ancestor to use all his tricks and reveal his trump cards, so that he could be prepared and have a counterstrategy...
Mo Hua's thoughts stirred, and he commanded the Iron Zombies to intensify their attacks.
The ancestral master felt extremely aggrieved.
To be besieged by his own descendants, without even knowing who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
At first, he held back because of their ancestral bond, and didn't use his full strength. But gradually, as his injuries mounted, he realized that he couldn't afford to drag this out.
If he continued like this, he would surely die here!
The ancestor's expression turned solemn, and his aura changed drastically.
That ethereal, immortal-like quality vanished, replaced by a dense corpse aura.
His eyes transformed into vertical pupils, the black irises turning into a rusted copper color, and his gaze turned cold and indifferent.
His Daoist robe tore apart, revealing ancient bronze-colored skin with hideous, rugged blue veins.
His figure also abruptly expanded, his body swelling like bronze and iron.
His sharp claws were like fine swords, the tips glowing with a coppery red hue.
His appearance was terrifying, and his aura was savage and cruel.
Mo Hua drew in a cool breath:
A Bronze Zombie!
Although he had expected it, he was still shocked.
He never imagined that the ancestor's manifested spirit would actually be a Bronze Zombie!
Only a second-grade zombie could be refined into a Bronze Zombie.
The strength of a Bronze Zombie was at least at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and if cultivated further, it could reach the late stage.
Mo Hua estimated that the ancestor was just a hair's breadth away from the late Foundation Establishment stage.
But because he was the ancestral master, he benefited from the family's incense offerings and the faith of the Zhang family's descendants, which also influenced his strength.
Now, most of the Zhang family's descendants had either been fed to or refined by Mo Hua, or had become his puppets, currently "betraying their ancestor".
As a result, the ancestor's strength had been greatly diminished, and at the moment, he seemed to be at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
Even so, he was still extremely powerful.
Mo Hua assessed the situation in his mind and felt that if they were to face each other directly, he would likely be at a disadvantage, with the odds of victory and defeat about even.
His chances of winning would probably be slightly lower.
A Bronze Zombie...
How could he deal with such a thick-skinned, tough-fleshed, fast-moving, and deeply corpse-infused opponent?
Even if he won, it would probably be a narrow victory.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly and then felt relieved, muttering softly,
"It's good that I don't have to fight him myself..."
Mo Hua controlled the Zhang family's Iron Zombies, and they began a righteous assault...
Mo Hua cheered them on in his mind:
"Go!"
"Take down your ancestor!"
"Take him down, and you will become the new ancestor!"
...
Eleven Iron Zombies faced off against a Bronze Zombie, engaging in a fierce, brutal battle.
Fist struck flesh, and claws drew blood.
The scene was incredibly intense.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
