Chapter 845
Mr. Corpse
After a brief moment of shock, the corpse raiser reacted swiftly, gathering magical power in his palm and slamming his withered hand toward the direction from which the sound came.
Song Changsheng dodged the attack with ease; the corpse-raising man's fierce moves didn't even lift the hem of his clothes.
"I set up a formation around the perimeter; how did you manage to avoid it?"
Why avoid it?
His figure detached from the space, condensing in front of the corpse-raising man like a wisp of green smoke. Song Changsheng had dozens of ways to find loopholes in ordinary formations and pass through them without attracting anyone's attention.
The corpse-raising master's skill in formations was far too crude; compared to him, it was no different from something made of paper.
“You should be familiar with this.” Song Changsheng spread his hands, revealing an ivory-white waist tag with a distinct “Chen” character written in ancient seal script.
This is the identity token he found on Xie Kui afterward.
"It's just a sign, cough cough cough..." The corpse raiser's eyes flickered, his cough stained with blood.
Although he wouldn't admit it, he was already certain in his heart why Song Changsheng had come. The Chen family was a powerful clan that had dominated a region tens of thousands of years ago, and had produced no fewer than a dozen Nascent Soul True Monarchs in history.
Although they declined rapidly over the past ten thousand years, eventually even suffering the fate of ruin and extinction, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. The family's survival wisdom allowed them to leave behind a lot of backup plans to prepare for their future rise, including a vast amount of resources.
As the former top decision-maker of the Chen family, he was fully aware of all of the Chen family's contingency plans. Although ten thousand years had passed, according to the normal operating model of a family, these resources, even if consumed, would be replenished in time and would certainly not be completely exhausted.
Even if they only get a portion in the end, it will still be crucial for the Song family.
Because of Song Changsheng's outstanding performance in the Five Academies Grand Competition, he not only received a generous reward, but also gained the qualification to enter the Myriad Manifestations Palace Treasury to exchange for treasures.
Currently, among the Song family, Zhuang Yuechan, Song Qingxing, and Song Xianming have all reached the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm. Except for Song Xianming, whose cultivation progress is slightly behind, Song Qingxing and Zhuang Yuechan have already met the conditions for a breakthrough, lacking only the right opportunity to break through.
Besides them, there are many other cultivators within the Song clan who are on the verge of advancing in their cultivation, which means that a large amount of resources are needed to support them.
However, the biggest consumers of resources are still Zhuang Yuechan and others. Golden Core cultivators are all built up by accumulating resources.
The Song family has undergone tremendous changes compared to the past, both in terms of its foundation and the scale of its industries. However, its existing resources are not enough to support three people breaking through to the Golden Core stage at the same time.
The Song family's rise to power was ultimately too short-lived; they didn't have enough time to accumulate resources.
If we can find some of the missing information here, we can definitely save a lot of time.
"You may not admit it, but I naturally have ways to get the answer you want," Song Changsheng said calmly, taking out the Jade Cleansing Sword.
"Shameless talk!"
The corpse raiser made hand seals and chanted incantations. In an instant, all the coffin lids around were blown open by a strong gust of air, and one by one, the stinking zombies sat up, their scarlet eyes flashing with bloodlust.
"Hear my command!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the corpse raiser clenched his fist and slammed it into his wound. A pool of bright red blood split into eight parts, which landed evenly and precisely on the foreheads of each zombie.
His [Corpse Control Bell] was damaged by Zhuang Yuechan's sneak attack, and now he can only use this method to temporarily control these zombies.
The eight zombies quickly surrounded Song Changsheng in the center.
With just a slight sweep of his divine sense, Song Changsheng understood the strength of the eight zombies. Among them was a long-haired zombie, and the rest were all powerful green zombies.
Including Xie Kui and the long-haired zombie that was burned to ashes by the Purple Void Divine Fire, he alone raised eleven zombies, three of which were long-haired zombies.
Even during the most prosperous period of the Corpse Path, this was extremely rare, and it must have aroused the envy of many in the same profession.
Unfortunately, despite their large numbers, none of them posed a threat to Song Changsheng.
However, he was not naive enough to think that corpse breeders only had these methods.
"boom--"
"boom--"
"Boom——"
Without warning, seven of the eight zombies exploded under the control of the zombie raiser, turning into pure corpse energy that all converged into the body of the only remaining hairy zombie.
The long-haired zombie's aura surged, almost reaching the limit of a flying zombie. Vast corpse energy gathered behind him into a sea, rushing madly towards Song Changsheng, trying to devour him.
"Wow--"
The sea of corpse energy was cleaved apart by Song Changsheng's sword.
"Roar--"
The long-haired zombie let out an angry roar.
A longing, an extreme longing...
His body clearly told him that he needed blood, lots and lots of blood, and he could smell the scent of blood, an extremely delicious scent.
"Ow..."
"boom--"
Before the long-haired zombie could make a move, Song Changsheng flashed in front of him and slashed him away with his sword. Before the zombie could regain his footing, the Jade Cleansing Sword in his hand had already turned into a bolt of lightning, piercing through the long-haired zombie's chest and pinning him firmly to the ground.
"Your body is far inferior to that of the Evil Lord." In an instant, Song Changsheng traversed the distance between them, lightning condensing into a spear in his palm, which he forcefully plunged into the head of the hairy zombie.
"Pfft-"
The corpse raiser was struck dumb, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His face turned deathly pale, and he almost collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"This... how is this possible? You are just a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, how could you possess such power!" This was not the first time he had been shocked by the power displayed by Song Changsheng. In hundreds of years, this was the first time he had encountered such a monstrous opponent.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and he remembered a piece of news he had heard not long ago.
"Song Changsheng from the borderlands, with his mid-stage Golden Core cultivation, defeated Zhao Yin, the eldest prince of the Great Zhen Immortal Dynasty, to win the top prize in the Five Academies Grand Competition held once every six hundred years!"
The Chaotic Ancient Domain is a melting pot of all sorts of people, with cultivators coming from all over the country. However, Zhao Yin and his group are not unfamiliar with each other, as his reputation has long been known far and wide.
But now, the invincible Zhao Yin has been defeated, and by a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator no less. This is simply unbelievable and was once considered a rumor.
After verification from multiple sources, the news was finally confirmed to be true, causing a sensation around the world.
The name Song Changsheng was also remembered by everyone.
Even the corpse raisers who never paid attention to this kind of news remembered this name.
He hadn't taken the matter to heart at first. He had seen and heard of many geniuses, and unless their corpses were placed before his eyes, they couldn't stir up the slightest ripple in his heart.
But just now, this name inexplicably flashed through his mind.
"You are, Song Changsheng!" The corpse raiser said each word slowly and deliberately, his heart filled with regret. If he had realized it sooner, would things have turned out differently?
Although his identity was exposed, Song Changsheng did not react at all. The [Thunder Law] surged, and the head of the hairy zombie exploded. Thick black blood, emitting a suffocating stench, splattered everywhere.
Destroying the head is not enough to kill a hairy zombie.
Song Changsheng snapped his fingers, and a cluster of crimson flames appeared at his fingertips. He flicked his finger onto the headless, hairy zombie, and the fire instantly spread, causing the zombie's body to rapidly vaporize.
"Om..."
The dark light flashed and disappeared in an instant. The corpse raiser planned to use the same trick again, but this time, Song Changsheng had no intention of letting him go. He directly summoned Kongsang Xiruo's palace, sealed the space with his supernatural powers, and suppressed him directly.
"You're leaving already? I still have many questions that I need you to answer for me," Song Changsheng said calmly.
The corpse raiser struggled to lift his head from beneath the palace and said in a deep voice, "Junior, don't even think about getting anything from me."
"I think I should be able to." Without saying a word, Song Changsheng reached out and grabbed the corpse raiser's crown.
"【Soul Searching Technique】!"
"what--"
Just as Song Changsheng was performing a soul search on the corpse raiser, a strange change was taking place in the city of cultivators...
Zhuang Yuechan returned to the inn where she had stayed earlier, as agreed with Song Changsheng. She planned to meditate and comprehend the "Wonderful Sound Manual" given to her by Lingyin Zhenren of Miaoyin Pavilion while waiting for Song Changsheng to join her.
As the sun moved westward, the bustling day was about to end and the quiet night was about to begin. Just as the blood-red setting sun was about to disappear behind the mountain peaks, a loud bang shattered the tranquility of the cultivator city.
The loud noise came from the city lord's mansion, which served as the guardian of the city of cultivators.
The city lord's mansion, which should have been the safest place in the city, collapsed suddenly, and the culprit was a tall figure in a long robe.
He broke through the roof of the city lord's mansion and came into the air, scratching his face repeatedly with both hands, as if he was experiencing some great pain, and his whole body looked somewhat distorted.
The strange attire and unusual movements immediately attracted the attention of all the cultivators in the city, but they only dared to watch and did not dare to do anything rash.
The fact that the opponent could stand firmly in the void without the aid of any objects clearly indicates that he is a Golden Core cultivator.
In the chaotic ancient domain, Golden Core cultivators are undoubtedly the strongest at the top of the food chain. The reason why the city of cultivators can maintain stability and order in such a chaotic place is because there are Golden Core cultivators in charge.
"Heh...heh heh heh," the middle-aged man in the long robe let out suppressed gasps in the air. His face was covered with bloody scratches from his own claws, and his expression was twisted and painful, as if he was trying his best to suppress something.
At this moment, an old man in the city recognized his face and exclaimed in surprise, "It's the city lord! It's Master Mingtai!"
The single stone stirred up a thousand waves, and the cultivators in the city were immediately in an uproar.
In the savage and bloody chaotic ancient domain, True Man Mingtai was undoubtedly an exception. He single-handedly established Rock City, sheltering many cultivators, large and small, who were tired of fighting.
The cultivators who settled in Rock City were all grateful for the kindness of True Person Mingtai. His condition was clearly problematic, which touched the hearts of everyone.
At this moment, a group of cultivators from the City Lord's Mansion also came out. An elder, who clearly knew some of the inside story, decisively ordered upon seeing the situation: "Evacuate the crowd and immediately activate the city's protective formation to imprison the City Lord!"
Several Purple Mansion cultivators, along with nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, cast spells together to activate the city's protective array. In an instant, hundreds of law chains surged from all directions of the city, firmly binding the limbs and body of True Person Mingtai in the air, slowly pulling him down.
An array was activated inside the now-ruined city lord's mansion, attempting to trap Master Mingtai within it.
Master Mingtai was well aware of his own situation, and therefore cooperated very well.
Everything was going very smoothly until the sun completely set and the bright moon hung high in the sky, casting its bright light.
The cool moonlight shone on Master Mingtai, and he felt completely comfortable. Even the pain from the corrosive corpse energy lessened a bit.
He raised his head, greedily accepting the baptism of the moon's power.
Gradually, his blood began to undergo drastic changes, followed by his nails, teeth, skin...
In less than half an hour, just as the elders of the city lord's mansion were discussing countermeasures, Mingtai Zhenren, who had calmed down, suddenly fell into a state of madness. Golden light emanated from him, and the law chains binding him shattered inch by inch.
"Roar--"
"not good!"
An elder from the city lord's mansion was shocked and immediately activated the backup plan, turning on another backup formation.
"All elders, use all your strength to calm the city lord down!"
"boom--"
The formation didn't even last a quarter of an hour, and all the elders of the city lord's mansion were thrown out like broken sacks.
The remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators didn't even have the right to resist. With a casual strike, Master Mingtai swept away a large number of them, leaving them scattered on the ground coughing up blood.
Fortunately, Master Mingtai still retained some rationality and was very restrained in his power; otherwise, at least two-thirds of these Foundation Establishment cultivators would have died on the spot with his full-force attack.
His nostrils twitched, his front teeth itched terribly, and his eyes involuntarily drifted to the necks of the surrounding cultivators. He felt incredibly thirsty, like a shriveled sponge yearning for the nourishment of water.
Looking into his pair of bright green eyes, the elder of the city lord's mansion couldn't help but tremble slightly: "This is bad, the corpse poison in the city lord's body is about to become uncontrollable."
"Immediately send people to evacuate all the cultivators in the city, leaving none behind."
"Notify Master Wang to restore the city's protective array to its full power as quickly as possible!"
Although the incident was sudden, they had clearly prepared a contingency plan in advance, and executed it in an orderly and efficient manner.
However, the cultivators inside the city were not so cooperative. Apart from a very small number who immediately fled when they saw that things were not going well, a large number of cultivators lingered in the city for various reasons.
Among them were those with ulterior motives. Seeing that the elders of the city lord's mansion were all injured, they took the opportunity to cause chaos. The fragile order that had been maintained in the city collapsed instantly, and in the blink of an eye, the entire city was in chaos.
Looting and fighting were happening all the time.
The city lord's mansion was tied up with too many people by Master Mingtai and was powerless to suppress the unrest, so they could only watch helplessly as the turmoil escalated.
At first, these people had some reservations, but when they saw that the city lord did not appear to stop them immediately, they became bolder and began to plunder the shops in the city.
The outside world was in complete chaos, which Zhuang Yuechan naturally knew. In fact, she had been alerted the moment Mingtai Zhenren appeared. Seeing that the situation was under control, she did not leave, but who knew that things would suddenly turn chaotic again.
"It seems that the root of the problem lies with that city lord. His behavior just now seemed very familiar." Zhuang Yuechan frowned and pondered, already having some guesses in her mind.
She wasn't particularly concerned about how things had gotten chaotic. To Pan Shi City, she was just a passerby, waiting for Song Changsheng to return before they left.
However, she suddenly had some other thoughts and plans in her mind, and after thinking it over, she decided to go and take a look first.
Although the city was in chaos, these people did not lose their minds. Zhuang Yuechan's cultivation at the Great Perfection of the Purple Mansion realm was already at the top of the food chain in Rock City, so no one dared to disturb her.
She went directly to the top of the city lord's mansion and saw Master Mingtai, who was in a state of madness and didn't recognize his own family.
The cultivators of the City Lord's Mansion collapsed to the ground. Only a few elders at the Purple Mansion stage were still struggling to resist them with the help of the great formation. Only heaven knew how long they could hold out.
Mingtai Zhenren acted like a ferocious beast, rampaging through the formation, tearing and biting wildly, completely lacking the demeanor of a Golden Core cultivator.
"He did indeed have contact with that corpse raiser." A glint of light flashed in Zhuang Yuechan's eyes.
The other party's current state clearly indicates that they have been infected with corpse poison and their body is showing signs of turning into a zombie.
Under other circumstances, she might not have made this connection so quickly, but there had just been a zombie outbreak outside the city, and he had been to the scene, so he was most likely infected with the zombie virus at that time.
No wonder the other party hasn't made a move; they've already suffered a loss in the relationship.
The corpse raiser was quite powerful, and he was accompanied by a long-haired zombie. Mingtai Zhenren was only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, so his ability to escape from the opponent's grasp showed that he had some real skill.
He is currently in the early stages of his zombie transformation and is still able to control himself. However, once he tastes blood, his ferocity will be fully unleashed, and at that time, Rock City will surely be destroyed.
With the city in such chaos right now, if he were to leave the city lord's mansion and venture outside, the stimulation of bloodshed would surely drive him into a killing spree.
"At this stage, if I play the Requiem, I should be able to subdue him," Zhuang Yuechan thought to herself, hidden among the clouds.
Although she had decided to take action, she was not in a hurry to do so.
The timing of making a move is also important.
The difference between taking action now and waiting for the situation to worsen is several times greater; a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation is always the most precious.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, an elder of the city lord's mansion made a mistake due to exhaustion and was captured by Master Mingtai, who broke through the formation and grabbed him by the neck.
The other elders did their best to save him, but without the formation, they were no match for him.
Just as the elder was about to have his life essence drained, a clear and melodious zither tune rang out in the sky above Rock City. Master Mingtai's movements immediately stopped, as if he had been frozen in place.
Everyone looked up and saw a woman in a long blue dress and a veil sitting high on a cloud. In front of her floated an antique zither, and her long, slender, white fingers gently plucked the strings.
Its melodious and graceful sound contains a hint of Buddhist chanting, which makes people feel clear-headed and spiritually detached. They unconsciously immerse themselves in it and forget all external things.
If even Master Mingtai felt this way, the other cultivators in the city were even more so. As they listened to the music, the turmoil in the city gradually subsided.
Zhuang Yuechan, with just her zither and her own hands, actually quelled the turmoil in the entire Pan Shi City!
……
At the same time, Song Changsheng had just finished searching the soul of the corpse raiser.
According to the information obtained, the corpse raiser is named Yin Wuxie, who is actually a direct descendant of the Yin clan, a Nascent Soul family in the Central Plains. He committed a serious mistake due to his obsession with studying corpses and was eventually expelled from the family.
After becoming a rogue cultivator, Yin Wuxie became even more unscrupulous, committing numerous atrocities, including murder and corpse refining.
At this point, however, he was still an unorthodox practitioner, following the path of the corpse puppet.
Until one day, he met a man named Mr. Corpse, from whom he received the most authentic lineage of corpse raising, and from then on he embarked on a path of no return.
He not only dug up people's tombs, but also used ordinary cities to raise zombies, which made him a frequent target of righteous sects.
However, he came from a prominent family and was skilled at self-preservation. The relentless pursuit not only failed to kill him, but with the help of Mr. Corpse, he broke through to the Golden Core stage despite the adversity.
Later, by chance, he was hired to participate in the siege of the Chen family. Because of his hobby of soul searching, he searched the soul of a Golden Core cultivator from the Chen family after defeating him and learned many of the Chen family's secrets.
The spirit body of the Reincarnation True Lord was obtained by him when he excavated these treasures after the war.
However, he did not know where the Soul of the Reincarnation True Monarch was hiding.
After the war, he successfully opened two Chen family treasures, keeping one as a backup. He used most of the resources on Xie Kui, and the rest were all in his storage bag.
After getting what he wanted, Song Changsheng decisively silenced them, truly reducing them to ashes, leaving not even their true spirit behind.
Of all these memories, what interested him most, besides the location of the Chen family's treasure, was the Corpse Master who taught him the secret method of raising corpses.
This person played a crucial role in Yin Wuxie's path to enlightenment, yet he received very little information.
However, what is certain is that this is a legitimate successor of the corpse-raising lineage, and his ambition is not small. Yin Wuxie, who is in the late stage of the Golden Core realm, is just a pawn he planted in the Chaotic Ancient Domain. He originally intended to replace Mingtai Zhenren, but unfortunately, he encountered him before he could carry it out.
"The Lord of Rock City has actually been infected with the corpse poison." Song Changsheng frowned slightly.
I thought this matter was over, but it turns out there were still some who slipped through the net.
"Never mind, let's check what's left in his storage bag first."
……
P.S.: Today's chapter is a 6,000-word long chapter, and it still doesn't count towards the monthly ticket bonus. I've already added 4,000 words, so I still owe 16,000 words. Thank you for your support, fellow cultivators! (End of Chapter)