Ghost Corpse Sect

A quarter of an hour later.

Wei Qing returned to the inn and headed straight for the secret chamber.

Inside the secret chamber.

"Lord Wei."

Seeing Wei Qing arrive, Zhang Zhidong immediately rose to bow.

"Brother Zhang, there's no need for such formality between us." Wei Qing raised a hand to stop him. "First, tell me what you've uncovered."

"Yes."

After sitting down, Zhang Zhidong did not relax as his words had promised; his posture still carried a trace of deference.

Seeing this, Wei Qing said nothing more.

"After a full day and night of investigation by the Night Owl Guard, we did find something unusual about Qingcheng, but..."

Wei Qing guessed at his hesitant expression: "Go on. Which family?"

"The Yan Family."

"One of the Night Owl Guard brothers said that two days before the Fang Family incident came to light, he happened to see a black-robed man enter the Yan residence. At the time, he didn't think much of it."

"It wasn't until I issued the order yesterday that he reported it to me."

"After that, I sent the brother with the best light-footed skills in the Night Owl Guard to infiltrate the Yan residence."

"In a well in the Yan Family's backyard, they found a large number of skeletal remains of young men and women."

"Moreover, the Yan Family's recent movements have grown increasingly secretive, gradually fading from the public eye in Qingcheng."

The Yan family was the foremost of Qingcheng's three great clans. The old patriarch had once served as one of the Jizhou Prefecture Chief's earliest mentors. Relying on this connection, the Yan family's position as the top clan in Qingcheng was unshakable.

No wonder Zhang Zhidong was hemming and hawing.

A mere prefecture chief wouldn't have made the Night Owl Guard hesitate.

The key was that the Jizhou Prefecture Chief had an elder sister who was a noble imperial consort.

Consort Xia, as one of Emperor Ming Xing's favorite consorts, had brought imperial favor upon the Xia Family. Their power swelled rapidly, leaping from a third-rate clan to a first-rate one in the Imperial City.

"So what if it's the Xia Family?"

"If they are colluding with demons and monsters, the first one to show them no mercy would be His Majesty himself."

The previous emperor of Great Zhou, Emperor Jin Kang, had died in a great battle against demons.

Emperor Ming Xing had taken command in a time of crisis, forcefully pulling Great Zhou back from the brink of fragmentation.

Great Zhou, reborn from its ashes, showed no signs of decline. Instead, under Emperor Ming Xing's wise rule, it rose to even greater heights.

As for the demons that killed the old emperor, they became the targets of his relentless crusade.

However, few knew the true reason for the old emperor's death.

Wei Qing knew only because his father, Wei Yuan, had been one of the participants in Emperor Ming Xing's "war of revenge."

"Any anomalies among the other families or forces?"

"None found so far."

Seeing that Wei Qing's words didn't seem like a lie, Zhang Zhidong's lingering wariness toward the Xia Family unconsciously faded a bit.

"Continue monitoring the Yan Family."

"Has the identity of the black-robed man been determined?"

"Based on the condition of the deceased, the method closely resembles the Ghost Corpse Sect's 'Corpse Refining Technique.'"

When Zhang Zhidong mentioned the name "Ghost Corpse Sect," a flicker of fear passed through his eyes.

The Ghost Corpse Sect was an evil sect within Great Zhou's borders, specializing in stealing corpses from all over to cultivate powerful corpse puppets.

They eventually provoked public outrage and were wiped out by a coalition of righteous sects, vanishing without a trace twenty years ago.

But the power and terror of corpse puppets had left a shadow over many.

"As I thought."

Wei Qing's heart sank. The suspicion he'd harbored was now confirmed.

The eighteen missing corpses from Zhu Huan's account had likely been stolen by the Ghost Corpse Sect.

"?"

Zhang Zhidong frowned slightly, not understanding.

"Brother Zhang, you must have heard about the eighteen missing corpses from the mortuary. I suspect they were stolen by the Ghost Corpse Sect."

"I've heard..."

No.

As if struck by a terrifying thought, Zhang Zhidong shot to his feet and urgently asked, "Lord Wei, have you checked the birth dates of the missing corpses?"

Wei Qing nodded. "It seems you've figured it out as well. That's right—every single one of them is a Pure Yang Person, born on a Yang year, Yang month, Yang day, and Yang hour."

"The Ghost Corpse Sect is planning to refine a 'Yang Kui'?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhidong sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

A Yang Kui was one of the most difficult corpse puppets to refine within the Ghost Corpse Sect, and also one of the most powerful in combat.

The corpse must be a male born on a Yang year, Yang month, Yang day, and Yang hour. After being processed with special medicinal treatments, it becomes a "Quasi-Yang Kui."

Then, these Quasi-Yang Kui are left to slaughter and devour each other, selecting the single strongest corpse puppet to emerge.

The corpse puppet born from this carnage starts at a baseline strength of the Seventh Grade Realm.

"Based on the intelligence we have now, that's the case." Wei Qing gave a slight nod, then shifted his tone. "And don't you think there's something wrong with so many Pure Yang People, all suitable for refining a Yang Kui, suddenly appearing in one place?"

"From Kai Yuan Year 19 to Jing Kang Year 3—four years—eighteen Pure Yang People were born in succession."

"So many coincidences piling up together—that's no longer a coincidence."

Hearing this, Zhang Zhidong's pupils abruptly contracted, and he exclaimed, "The Ghost Corpse Sect is treating Qingcheng as a Corpse Raising Ground!"

"Gathering so many Pure Yang People, waiting until they come of age, then killing them all to refine into corpse puppets."

"The Spiritual Stream Demonic Cat feeds on Mental Power, and the Mental Power of Pure Yang People is purer than that of ordinary people."

"By cooperating with the Ghost Corpse Sect, it can not only reap benefits but also perfectly conceal its own traces, steering the 'culprit' trail toward the demons."

"If that's the case, then Fang Xiang is also a pawn in this game."

"Mm." Wei Qing nodded slightly. "Fang Xiang is the surface-level lure in this corpse-raising scheme."

Zhang Zhidong said in a heavy voice, "If so, the current forces in Qingcheng may not be able to withstand the counterattack from the Yan Family, the Ghost Corpse Sect, and the demons—three sides at once."

From the moment the Spiritual Stream Demonic Cat died.

This killing game had already begun!

"You must send this intelligence back to the Imperial City's Heavenly Realm Division at the fastest speed possible, and simultaneously request reinforcements from the Ji Province Heavenly Realm Division."

"Hopefully, there's still time."

"Yes."

Zhang Zhidong also realized the severity of the situation. Not daring to delay in the slightest, he hurriedly turned around to make the arrangements.

At the same time, inside the Yan Family's secret chamber.

Yan Family head Yan Qingshan knelt with a reverent expression before a mysterious figure draped in a black robe. "Master, the last batch of Blood Food has arrived."

"Good." A slightly hoarse voice came from within the black robe. "Tonight, at the hour of Zi, bring them to the Old Place West of the City."

"Yes."

Yan Qingshan replied respectfully.

"Next, your Yan Family must immediately arrange to relocate to Ji Province City. This place will likely be exposed before long."

"The noses of those mad dogs from the Heavenly Realm Division are very sharp."

"Yes, today I will have my son lead a portion of the clan members to Ji Province City."

"As for Qingcheng, after tonight, there will no longer be any members of the Yan Family here."

The mysterious figure continued to ask, "Has there been any new news from that Spiritual Resonance Demonic Cat on Yandang Mountain?"

Ever since two days ago, their communication had suddenly been cut off, giving him a faint sense of unease.

He had even personally gone to Yandang Mountain but found no trace of the other party.

This only deepened the suspicion in his heart.