Chapter 867: Corruption
Chapter 867: Corruption
Patriarch Xiao’s liver and gallbladder were torn apart.
Thin threads of black gas were seeping through the seven orifices of his divine avatar, penetrating his divine consciousness and infecting his divine soul, bit by bit, corroding and polluting him.
Patriarch Xiao couldn’t understand.
How did his beloved great-grandson manage to provoke such a terrifying existence?
This terrifying being was akin to the legendary “Evil Deity” or “Heavenly Demon,” a “Taboo” that even a Void Passage patriarch like himself feared immensely.
And when did such a being begin to spread its influence in the Qianxue Region?
Patriarch Xiao couldn’t fathom it.
But in the face of such a life-threatening crisis, there was no time to think deeply.
Patriarch Xiao, drawing upon all his knowledge of divine techniques, activated a divine consciousness method.
His divine avatar began to peel like a snake shedding its skin, splitting from the surface and shedding its entire outer layer of divine consciousness, thereby escaping the evil influence and preserving the purity of his divine soul.
The Divine Shedding Technique!
This was the last and most difficult divine technique he had obtained through great fortune, a heavenly method.
Through this secret technique, one could shed their divine body like a snake shedding its skin, retaining only the purest essence of the soul.
Although his divine consciousness would be severely weakened, he would shed the polluted parts, preserving the purest essence of his divine soul.
This technique was created to deal with various unknown entities within the divine consciousness and to purge all sorts of bizarre corruption, a “cutting off the wrist to save the arm” method of divine consciousness.
It was also the most challenging technique in his lineage.
Patriarch Xiao had never thought he would need to use it in his lifetime.
Yet, his beloved great-grandson had brought him this shocking “great surprise,” forcing him to face such a terrifying existence almost completely unprepared.
Patriarch Xiao’s divine consciousness began to shed its skin.
His skin cracked inch by inch, shedding most of his divine consciousness along with the black gas that had seeped in.
A “miniaturized” and pure version of Patriarch Xiao emerged from the abdomen of his original form, not even glancing back at the little demon or the “terrifying” presence, and directly fled the causal realm.
The situation was dire.
Time was also running out.
He needed the resolve of a warrior cutting off his own arm and seize this rare opportunity, not missing a single moment.
Any hesitation would mean certain death.
Patriarch Xiao’s shedded divine form desperately fled the causal realm.
The little demon no longer paid him any attention, seemingly distracted by the vast divine consciousness of a Void Passage patriarch he had shed.
The “terrifying” presence continued to spread its corrupting black gas.
It seemed to be on the brink of awakening, lacking some ritual or a physical vessel, but not quite fully awake yet.
Otherwise, a single glance would have been enough to corrupt a Void Passage being.
Patriarch Xiao felt a sense of relief.
His luck was terrible, but it was also good.
Otherwise, he would have been doomed.
Through this encounter, he finally understood what the “great terror” in the heavenly secrets truly was.
This experience would greatly benefit his future cultivation of the causal path.
“I must escape first…”
Patriarch Xiao spared no effort in his escape, fleeing farther and farther, almost breaking free from the causal realm and escaping this nightmare.
But just then, a sudden distortion occurred, and Patriarch Xiao seemed to collide with something.
A putrid, decaying scent wafted over.
It seemed to be a corpse.
Patriarch Xiao, after shedding, looked up and saw a towering, fierce “Copper Corpse” with eyes like bloody seas and a body like ancient bronze.
Patriarch Xiao’s heart tightened.
Copper Corpses were not frightening.
To a Void Passage patriarch like him, a Copper corpse was merely a low-level zombie at the Foundation Establishment stage.
But this was within the causal realm, in the midst of heavenly secrets…
Where did this Copper Corpse come from?
Patriarch Xiao examined it closely and saw the haughty dignity in its eyes, the overwhelming blood aura, and the faint images of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood behind it. A chill ran through his spine, and his organs trembled with cold.
“This isn’t an ordinary Copper Corpse. This is… the ruler of all corpses, accompanied by a sea of blood… a Corpse King?”
“This damn thing is… a Dao Pariah?”
Like a cold winter, a bucket of icy water was poured over his head.
Patriarch Xiao was frozen to the bone, his face ashen.
He had never imagined he would face such a situation in his lifetime.
A bizarre evil fetus, a slumbering ancient evil deity, a Corpse King blocking the path…
Patriarch Xiao didn’t know how he managed to escape from this situation.
When his divine consciousness struggled back to his mind sea, he felt no relief from surviving the ordeal, only endless fear and terror.
His divine soul was tainted with the Dao Pariah’s influence, the evil deity’s corruption, and the evil fetus’s bite marks.
His forehead was dark, his eyes lifeless, his face pale as paper, and his eyes bloodshot.
Though he was alive, he looked like a “living corpse.”
His divine consciousness had been shed like a skin, causing severe depletion.
Yet, despite his weakened divine consciousness, his desires were extremely abundant.
His heart was filled with countless cravings and desires.
Patriarch Xiao’s expression was numb, as if he had lost a loved one, and he sat in front of Xiao Tianquan’s bloody severed head, muttering to himself:
“It’s over…”
“The Xiao family is finished, everything is over…”
“I… am no longer myself. What am I now…”
The doors of the cave abode were tightly shut, and no one answered.
A few days later.
On the Spirit Boat of the Xia family.
Xia Jiancha was writing a letter.
The first letter was addressed to the Xia family, to a certain powerful elder, but he didn’t sign his name, only writing “Elder’s eyes only”:
“The plan has changed.”
“Xiao Tianquan died suddenly, the cause unknown. The plan to control the Xiao family must be reconsidered.”
“If that’s not possible, we must gradually take control of the Dao Court through the Kui Water Gate, and then use the Dao Discussion Conference to further infiltrate, taking advantage of the divided attention of various sects.”
“Xia Rong’er lacks the capacity for great tasks. Her support from the clan will be reduced by thirty percent… and her engagement will be put on hold.”
He paused, then added, “… and her engagement will be put on hold.”
He then briefly summarized the recent situation in the Qianxue Region and the movements of various families, sealed the letter, and summoned a trusted messenger to send it back to the clan via the Xia family’s magnetic secret channel.
After that, he started writing the second letter:
This letter, addressed to no one in particular, had no salutation, and he did not sign it.
"Xiao Tianquan’s body has been returned to the Xiao family."
"TheXiao Family’s ancestor sealed the cave mansion, as per his nature, to deduce the cause and identify the murderer. However..."
Xia Jiancha’s expression turned grave, "The cave mansion has been sealed for three days now and hasn’t been opened. Not only that, theXiao Family’s ancestor has ordered allXiao Family cultivators to stay away from the cave mansion, and he himself has been in seclusion, with no further news..."
"TheXiao Family’s ancestor has likely been ‘corrupted’."
As he wrote the word “corrupted,” Xia Jiancha felt a cold sweat trickle down his back.
"Although the situation is unexpected, theXiao Family’s cave mansion is essentially ruined..."
"The Elder’s guess was right; the Qianxue Province is indeed shrouded in evil intent, with dark and foul forces at work..."
"However, due to the internal conflicts among the families and sects, we can’t intervene for now, as we don’t know the full details."
"If the situation can’t be resolved, we should make plans early..."
...
Xia Jiancha finished writing, sealed the letter, placed it in a golden sword, and with a light flick of his finger, the sword vanished.
He then let out a long breath, still feeling a lingering fear.
"The ancestor’s warning was not in vain. If he couldn’t deduce it, I might have been the one ‘corrupted’."
No, it wasn’t just “corruption.”
TheXiao Family’s ancestor, with his profound knowledge of celestial secrets, had met such an end. If it had been him, he would likely have died on the spot.
Xia Jiancha sighed and frowned.
The path of cultivation is perilous, and celestial secrets are especially terrifying.
He had no idea what kind of terrifying existence Xiao Tianquan had provoked...
...
Inside the Taixu Sect.
This “terrifying” presence was teaching his junior disciples array formations in the Dao lecture hall.
"These array patterns will likely be on the sect’s exam..."
"These array formations must be memorized; they will definitely come in handy during missions..."
Ink Hua lectured earnestly, and the junior disciples listened attentively.
Under Ink Hua’s guidance, the current generation of Taixu Sect disciples made rapid progress in array formations.
One of his junior seniors, who was even younger than they were, could stand on the lectern and teach array formations, which invisibly spurred these disciples to strive harder.
At first, the fellow disciples all had the ambition to “surpass the junior senior” and followed Ink Hua in learning array formations.
Later, they realized that the more they “surpassed,” the greater the gap became, and they eventually came to terms with reality.
Their goal shifted from “surpassing the junior senior” to “matching the junior senior.”
Then it became “not falling too far behind the junior senior.”
Finally, under the pressure of circumstances, it became “not understanding the junior senior’s lessons”...
Ink Hua’s status in the Taixu Sect was also quite exceptional.
Favored by the ancestor, indulged by the elders, and respected by the disciples, he could go on a long absence to the Dragon King Temple and return without anyone questioning it.
Some disciples were genuinely curious about where Ink Hua had gone and what he had done, but they stopped asking after he assigned them array formations as homework.
Thus, life in the sect returned to normal.
However, a thorn remained in Ink Hua’s heart.
It was the “evil embryo” of the Great Wasteland Lord, fused into his divine soul.
A few days ago, for some unknown reason, the evil embryo in his divine soul seemed particularly excited, as if it had eaten a hearty meal from somewhere...
This startled Ink Hua.
He thought the evil embryo had broken through the divine Dao array he had set up and started devouring his divine soul.
Later, after a thorough inspection, he found that it hadn’t happened.
The “evil embryo” had eaten something unknown.
He didn’t know which unfortunate soul had fed it and satisfied it.
Although it wasn’t “eating” him, this still gave Ink Hua a warning.
The “evil embryo,” even if sealed, still possessed some unpredictable means and was gradually growing stronger.
If one day it became powerful enough to break through his divine Dao array, it could further corrupt his divine thoughts and seriously threaten his divine soul.
If his divine soul was completely corrupted, he and it would truly become one with it, a “little Evil Deity.”
"Troublesome..."
"Indeed, evil deities are not to be trifled with."
Ink Hua’s brows furrowed.
He currently had no good way to root out this parasitic presence or purify this “corruption.”
He also didn’t dare to tell Elder Xun.
If Elder Xun suddenly decided to “put family aside for the greater good,” he would truly be in a predicament with no tears to shed.
The future was uncertain, but for now, he could still suppress the evil embryo and prevent it from spreading.
He was still himself, not the embryo of an evil deity.
But the problem was that he didn’t know what the future held.
Ink Hua pondered for a long time, found no clear solution, and decided to take things one step at a time.
There would always be a way when the time came.
The evil embryo was sealed, and as long as he was careful, he would be fine for now.
The immediate priority was to eat the “dishes” he had ordered.
In the Dragon King Temple, he had summoned many demons and spirits, and a grand feast was about to take place, so he needed to prepare well.
Before this, Ink Hua had specially consulted Elder Xun Zixian, probing and seeking confirmation about the relationship between the divine soul and divine consciousness, ensuring that devouring pure divine thoughts would not affect his divine soul or promote the growth of the evil embryo. Only then did he feel reassured.
However, another issue arose:
He had summoned too many.
So many demons and spirits would invade Yu’er’s nightmares.
He could handle them, as it wasn’t easy for the demons to harm him.
But if he lost control and the demons went berserk, Yu’er would be in danger.
He could set up divine Dao arrays, but he felt that a simple divine Dao array might not be enough.
It would be best if someone could help him check for any gaps and stabilize the situation from the divine consciousness level, so he could be completely at ease.
But it wasn't something he could easily talk about with others.
Moreover, not all cultivators’ divine consciousness was as resilient as his, able to withstand battles with demons and monsters.
With the "meal delivery" day approaching, Mo Hua was quite troubled.
After class that day, he walked and pondered over the matter.
As he passed by the northern water-facing book pavilion where disciples resided, Mo Hua caught a glimpse of a large white dog spraw out and bored on the ground.
Mo Hua paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up.
He ran over to the large white dog.
The large white dog was highly alert and, sensing someone approaching, its fluffy ears perked up, and its demeanor suddenly became stern. It slowly stood up, growling deeply.
But halfway through the growl, it recognized Mo Hua and lazily barked, then slumped back down, listless.
"Why so listless?" Mo Hua muttered.
The large white dog spraw on the ground, lifting its eyelids slightly. giving Mo Mo a Mo Hua a glance of resent.
Then it lowered its eyelids again and continued to rest.
Mo Hua leaned in and whispered, "I’ll treat you to a grand feast. Will you come?"
The large white dog’s ears twitched, but it didn’t respond.
Mo Hua.
It was tired of chicken legs.
Besides, it didn’t really enjoy chicken legs; it just ate them to save face for Mo Hua.
"Not chicken legs."
Mo Hua understood the large white dog’s meaning and quietly said, "Something even better to eat..."
The large white dog turned its head, its large eyes ged on Mo Hua, a bit confused.
Mo Hua thought for a moment, unsure how to explain, then had a sudden idea and took out a bone sword from his storage bag.
"This thing..."
The large white dog froze, then couldn't help but sniff, catching a whiff of the demonic scent from the sword.
Demon!
The large white dog’s eyes lit up, and saliva dripped uncontrollably.
It suddenly opened its mouth wide, about to swallow the bone sword.
Luckily, Mo Hua was quick and swiftly put the bone sword away.
Without the bone in its mouth, the large white dog glared angrily at Mo Hua.
Mo Hua glared back.
Meeting Mo Hua’s gaze, the large white dog’s anger gradually faded, and it spraw back on the ground, its eyes involuntarily glancing at Mo Hua’s hand.
At this moment, the wretched bone inside the bone sword nearly almost pissesd itself out in fear.
It truly feared that Mo Hua, in a whimsical mood, might take it to feed the dog.
This little ancestor sect, playing pranks without warning, was truly life-threatening...
The wretched bone secretly wiped a cold sweat.
And at this moment, Mo Hua also warned the large white dog, “This bone can’t be eaten. I still need it.”
The large white dog whined, very unhappy.
Mo Hua then tempted it, “I'll take you to a grand feast, much fatter than this bone. Will you come?”
The large white dog, upon hearing this, immediately perked up, stretching its large tongue, and nodded eagerly at Mo Hua.
"Great!" Mo Hua said happily.
Then he tried to take the large white dog away, but found it chained by a strange lock, unable to leave the book pavilion.
Mo Hua frowned, then remembered, this seemed to be the Sect Master’s dog.
"Sect Master..."
Mo Hua stroked his chin.
He wasn’t very familiar with the Sect Master, having only seen him a few times during the annual grand opening ceremony.
And the last time, at the book pavilion entrance, when he “bullied” the large white dog and was caught red-handed.
But even so, the Sect Master didn’t punish him.
Moreover, he was gentle and refined, with a demeanor that made him easy to talk.
"How about borrowing the dog from the Sect Master?"
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then decided to give it a try.
But he didn’t know where the Sect Master resided, so afterwards, whenever he had time, He squatted at the book pavilion entrance, hoping for good luck to bump into the Sect Master.
Two days later, he indeed bumped into the Sect Master.
The Sect Master, slightly plump, with a rosy complexion and a head of black black and hair, just arrived the squatting Mo Hua at his door, and couldn’t help but be stunned.
"Mo Hua?"
"Um." Mo Hua nodded.
"Is there something?" The Sect Master said gently.
"Sect Master," Mo Hua whispered, "I have a small request. I wonder if you could agree it..."
The white dog outside, "this dog. Could you lend it to me for a day?"
The Sect Master was stunned, not reacting for a while.
Mo Hua whispered, "Not possible..."
"Not exactly impossible, but..." The Sect Master was puzzled, "What do you need it for?"
"To guard the door!" Mo Hua said confidently.
The Sect Master was momentarily at a loss for words.
This child really treated this divine beast, with residual divine bloodline, as a "door guard dog"...
"This dog... is very dangerous," the Sect Master warned.
"It's fine. I get along well with it, and I’ve fed it chicken legs before," Mo Hua said.
The Sect Master hesitated, then shook his head.
This dog wasn’t an ordinary beast. Its temperament was too fierce, and in the clan, besides a few elders who respected it, it wouldn’t give anyone face.
Once it went berserk, ordinary cultivators would be at a loss.
Therefore, lending it to a disciple could easily cause a major incident.
The Sect Master was about to refuse, but looking at Mo Hua, he remembered Mr. Xun’s regard and expectations for him. Suddenly, his mind changed, and he nodded his head, as if possessed by it.
"Alright."
Mo Hua’s expression brightened.
Then the Sect Master personally undid the large white dog’s chain and handed the leash to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua hurriedly smiled, "Thank you, Sect Master! You’re truly a good person!"
The Sect Master chuckled, then just as he wanted to warn Mo Hua, "This beast is fierce and wild. You must be careful..."
Hua turned his head and saw the "fierce" and "wild" large dog, now free from the chain’s restraint, following him obediently, even wagging its tail...
The Sect Master silently swallowed his words, his expression extremely complicated.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
