Mana Manifests as Yin

Sensing Wen Jiu's displeasure, Wang Nian spoke again, "Endure when you must, I'm sure you understand... And the reason you shouldn't come to the Dead Corpse Land at night isn't just because of Li Ye."

"Then why else?"

Wen Jiu was confused.

Wang Nian glanced around a few times, as if afraid of being overheard, "The number of Night Patrol Division disciples being killed has been increasing these past few days, all attacked at night. Initially, the Night Patrol Division suspected something was wrong with the Dead Corpse Land, but now Night Patrol Division disciples are dying all over the side peaks, so we suspect it might be a long-planned revenge. If you act alone, you're bound to be targeted."

"Revenge?" Before Wen Jiu could ask more, Wang Nian interrupted.

"No need to ask, there are too many grudges involved. Corpse Peak has stood for a thousand years, too much to explain, too much to understand. Just be careful," Wang Nian exhaled deeply, sighing helplessly, "I hope it's not the calm before the storm. We've only had a few months of peace..."

Wen Jiu didn't ask further.

But he could see a lot from Wang Nian's worried eyes.

After thinking it over.

Wen Jiu could only put the progress of nurturing his Black Zombie on hold. Losing a bit of experience was better than risking his life.

Wang Nian suddenly patted Wen Jiu's shoulder, "Since you can't nurture corpses at night, arrange your daytime schedule yourself... If you really can't manage, shorten the corpse-moving time by an hour or two. I'll approve it!"

Hearing this, Wen Jiu was stunned for a moment, then quickly bowed in thanks, a warmth spreading through his heart, "Brother Wang!"

Although Wang Nian's previous kindness was due to his display of extraordinary talent in the Unorthodox Path.

It seemed now.

It was no longer just that.

Wang Nian truly considered him one of his own.

Because the job of a Corpse Burier was assigned by the Side Peak Master. Even the stewards only had supervisory and management authority. If the Side Peak Steward found out about this leniency, Wang Nian wouldn't get off easily.

"Go on, get to work."

With that.

Wang Nian gave a smile and walked away from the Dead Corpse Land.

Wen Jiu watched Wang Nian's retreating back, silently grateful.

However, this thought only lasted for a moment. After stepping into the Dead Corpse Land to move corpses, a question quickly occupied Wen Jiu's mind.

Was it truly a long-planned revenge?

If he hadn't obtained the Yin Sha Blood Curse Body, he would have definitely believed Wang Nian's guess. But after obtaining the Yin Sha Blood Curse Body, Wen Jiu didn't believe it. Such revenge. A fool's act. Clearly, the intention was not just revenge.

"Dead Corpse Land, I absolutely cannot come at night anymore."

Wen Jiu made up his mind.

He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

Fortunately, not coming to the Dead Corpse Land at night would slow down the nurturing speed of his Black Zombie, but it wouldn't significantly affect his body-refining preparations. It wasn't only in the Dead Corpse Land that Earth Fiend Yin Energy could be drawn.

Earth Fiend Yin Energy was actually everywhere, it was just more abundant in the Dead Corpse Land.

Soon.

A day passed.

Before going home, Wen Jiu found Wang Nian again, wanting to borrow some money to buy Spirit Rice or Monster Beast Meat to aid his body-refining. Ordinary mortal food couldn't replenish the consumption from body-refining with Earth Fiend Yin Energy anymore.

Wang Nian was not stingy, and generously lent Wen Jiu a hundred taels. Upon learning that Wen Jiu wanted to buy Monster Beast Meat for body-refining, Wang Nian offered to buy it for him, as Wen Jiu couldn't enter the trading market.

One hundred taels was enough for twenty catties of unranked Monster Beast Meat. That would last him half a month.

In the following days.

Wen Jiu dug a pit half a zhang deep in his residence. This way, he could better draw Earth Fiend Yin Energy when chanting the Corpse Nurturing Incantation. He supplemented this daily with a catty of unranked Monster Beast Meat. Every day when calculating his gains, Wen Jiu received 20 body-refining experience points. It was incredibly fast.

However, there was one thing Wen Jiu hadn't expected. After only a few days of body-refining with Earth Fiend Yin Energy, he began to feel his body gradually becoming cold. Even under the bright sun, when Wen Jiu touched his skin, he could feel a chill emanating from within. Although not freezing.

but it was cold.

Now, if others were to touch him and find out his temperature, he'd be immediately branded as an outsider.

But when he refined his body with Earth Fiend Yin Energy on the fifth day, the change in the Mana within his Dantian filled him with both surprise and joy. He not only accepted the fact that his body was growing cold but even felt a sense of anticipation for truly cultivating the Yin Sha Blood Curse Body.

Seated cross-legged in the pit, Wen Jiu chanted the Corpse Nurturing Incantation. The wisps of Mana in his Dantian, after merging with the Earth Fiend Yin Energy, rapidly softened, eventually turning into a pool of sludge, becoming unusually cold and dark.

But it only increased by one percent!

The purity of his Mana had also greatly improved!

The change was quite significant.

Following that, Wen Jiu tried using a Mana flick to shoot Mana from his fingertip to attack an object.

A normal Mana flick would cause the Mana to explode like a water balloon upon hitting a target.

But Wen Jiu's was different.

When his Yin Mana landed on an object, it directly erased it, and the point of impact would be corroded by spreading Yin Energy.

It couldn't be cleaned away.

It would continuously spread.

It only disappeared when Wen Jiu actively absorbed it.

"If I use spells to fight enemies in the future, it'll probably be even more terrifying," Wen Jiu couldn't help but marvel inwardly.

At the same time, it strengthened his resolve to climb higher.

If he practiced this Yin Mana as a rogue cultivator or a lone wolf out in the world, he'd be hunted down by cultivators of the so-called "righteous path."

After all, my Mana flick only explodes.

Why does yours have the special effect of corrosion and spreading?

You outsider!

Damn it!

As for his body growing cold, Wen Jiu didn't care. Perhaps this was something one had to endure when practicing unorthodox paths.

As long as he stayed on Corpse Peak, he was sure some people would turn on each other because of such things.

If he managed to climb to a high position.

Heh heh.

Then it would be called special.

It would be called unique.

It would be called a master of unorthodox cultivation!

Not some damn outsider!

However.

The process of climbing up would likely face some resistance.

For example, Li Ye.

The next day.

Just as dawn broke.

Wen Jiu arrived at the Dead Corpse Land as usual.

He found Wang Nian had arrived even earlier than them, and there were more disciples from the Night Patrol Division around, along with Li Ye. Above the Dead Corpse Land, cultivators were occasionally flying on their swords, seemingly searching for something.

"Could it really be as I guessed?"

A thought arose in his mind.

Wen Jiu felt his heart tighten.

The many patrol members also appeared very tense, somewhat at a loss.

After all, if anything else happened and they got caught in the crossfire, their positions wouldn't afford them any benefits.

Time ticked by.

Sunlight had already spread around the Dead Corpse Land. If it were a normal day, they would have already started moving and burying bodies.

But today, they remained idle.

After another hour passed.

Wang Nian finally walked towards them, his expression stern, seemingly displeased. He glanced at Wen Jiu a bit longer.

"Several more Night Patrol Division disciples died here last night. For the safety of everyone, from today onwards, the Night Patrol Division disciples and Steward Li Ye will manage this Dead Corpse Land together with me."

As he finished speaking.

The three of them, Fang Zheng included, were overjoyed.

Their smiles stretched from ear to ear.

The other Corpse Buriers, however, were filled with worry. After all, another Night Patrol Division disciple had died, which was no small matter.

Wen Jiu felt the same.

However, his worries stemmed more from Li Ye.

Li Ye and Wang Nian managed things together.

Would Li Ye snatch away the trade he had finally managed to secure?

Or perhaps...

Would Li Ye deliberately make things difficult for him?

Although he didn't know what Li Ye would do, Wen Jiu had a bad feeling about it—no wonder Wang Nian had been displeased earlier and glanced at him more than once.

[Wishing all fellow Daoists a Happy New Year!

May everything go smoothly!

Apologies.

It was too noisy during the day on New Year's Day, so I couldn't write.

I'm currently typing furiously...

The second update will definitely be out by 12 o'clock.]