Soon.
After Wang Nian finished speaking, Li Ye also came over. His expression had changed from its earlier sternness, and he seemed the complete opposite of Wang Nian's usual fierce demeanor. "You'll all be people of my side peak in the future. I'm only a manager in the Night Patrol Division, so there's no need for me to put on airs... While I'm here, you can all come to me with any cultivation questions."
As soon as he said this,
the many corpse buriers were overjoyed.
No one had ever said such things to them before, nor had anyone ever treated them so warmly.
Watching this unfold, Wen Jiu couldn't help but marvel inwardly. This guy sure knows how to win people over.
With just that one sentence,
he'd probably have all these hundred or so corpse buriers hanging on his every word, wholeheartedly convinced.
Li Ye continued, waving his hand to signal everyone to disperse. "Feel free to work without worry. With me and the Night Patrol Division here, we'll guarantee your safety in the Dead Corpse Land!"
The next moment,
the hundred or so corpse buriers bowed.
"Thank you, senior!"
"Thank you, Manager Li!"
Wang Nian was displeased, but he didn't say a word.
Just as the corpse buriers were preparing to leave, Li Ye suddenly called out to Wen Jiu. "You, the kid from the Wen family. Come here."
Seeing Wen Jiu being summoned,
Fang Zheng and the other two couldn't help sneering, their faces full of smugness.
The other corpse buriers also looked on as if they were watching a show.
Wang Nian hurried forward. "Li Ye, what are you trying to do?"
Li Ye's expression darkened. "Fellow Daoist Wang, this is a matter for my Night Patrol Division. You mean to pry into it, too?"
"Don't push it!"
Anger flashed across Wang Nian's brow.
Seeing this,
Wen Jiu hurriedly spoke up to prevent a confrontation. "Brother Wang, it's fine... I'll be right back."
Only after hearing Wen Jiu's words did Wang Nian fall silent.
But the anger between his brows lingered.
Li Ye chuckled, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked away.
Wen Jiu immediately followed.
After they'd gone ten zhang, Li Ye didn't turn around. Facing away from him, he spoke. "Kid, don't take the year-end assessment. Ten years from now, I'll arrange a position for you in the Night Patrol Division... What do you think?"
Li Ye's voice was cold,
his words hiding a murderous intent.
He sounded as though he were asking.
But to Wen Jiu, how was that a discussion?
"Whatever you say, senior." Wen Jiu didn't dare refuse, worried Li Ye might attack him outright.
He was only a corpse burier.
The other man was a manager in the Night Patrol Division.
He could slap Wen Jiu to death
without having to bear any consequences.
"You know how to read the room." Li Ye nodded in satisfaction, and the chill around him eased somewhat. Then he continued, "To tell you the truth, Steward Xu definitely won't be back within a year. Without his word, no matter how strong your Unorthodox Path talent is, you'll still be an Unorthodox Path cultivator... No one will choose you as an apprentice disciple."
"I understand."
Wen Jiu nodded.
"Ten years from now, I'll keep my word. You can join my Night Patrol Division." Li Ye turned around and looked at Wen Jiu with satisfaction.
Wen Jiu clasped his fists in thanks.
"Thank you, senior."
Li Ye smiled and turned to leave.
Wen Jiu stood where he was,
motionless for a long while.
Ten years?
Heh.
After forcibly suppressing the killing intent in his heart, Wen Jiu turned and quickly left as well.
When he returned, he saw the smiles on Fang Zheng and the other two. Their smug grins were filled with mockery.
After returning to the Dead Corpse Land,
Wen Jiu said nothing and focused on his own work.
But to his surprise, Wang Nian, who'd always loathed the Dead Corpse Land, actually came inside of his own accord.
He found Wen Jiu.
"I heard everything!"
Wen Jiu could feel Wang Nian's anger.
"Brother Wang, it's fine... But I'm curious. Why would he personally step in just to stop me from taking the assessment?"
Wang Nian lowered his voice. "This was supposed to be a secret. I wasn't supposed to tell you, but I can't stand that bastard... This year, the apprentice disciples can become full disciples directly, and they can take the triennial newcomer assessment. As long as they pass, they can go to the main peak to cultivate and receive an elder's teachings."
"I see."
Wen Jiu understood.
They could go to the main peak to cultivate if they passed the assessment.
They could receive an elder's teachings.
No wonder Li Ye had personally stepped in on behalf of Fang Zheng and the other two.
Wang Nian continued, "Focus on cultivating for now. I'll try to think of a way to help you."
"Thank you, Brother Wang."
Wen Jiu bowed in thanks.
If Wang Nian could think of a way,
that would be best.
If he couldn't,
then Wen Jiu would have to take action himself.
Li Ye.
Qi Refining Third Layer, huh?
A few more days passed in the blink of an eye.
The Night Patrol Division's people were still in the Dead Corpse Land.
Quite a few of them ventured deep inside, again and again, seeming to search for something.
To be honest,
Wen Jiu was worried they'd find the corpse.
A male cultivator's corpse at the Qi Refining Perfected Stage, along with a damaged First-grade High-quality Magic Tool—he didn't want to lose either of them.
But there was nothing he could do now.
He could only pray.
Fortunately, after searching for several days, they stopped looking.
Wen Jiu breathed a huge sigh of relief.
The next day, Wen Jiu began searching the Dead Corpse Land for Yin Souls with the Black Zombie, hoping to make up for the experience he'd missed out on during those days. He began searching systematically with his Spiritual Sense, even venturing deep inside.
Perhaps because of the timing, it took less than an hour for Wen Jiu to find a nascent Yin Soul that had been hidden in the cracks between piles of rocks all along.
The Black Zombie lunged at it ravenously and swallowed it with ease. But at that moment, a voice came from within the white mist of Yin Qi—a weak, aged male cultivator's voice.
"Young friend..."
"Young friend..."
Wen Jiu's heart tightened.
He couldn't help taking a few steps back, standing behind the Black Zombie.
He couldn't tell where the voice was coming from.
But with his Spiritual Sense spread out, he could sense a surge of Yin Qi several times stronger than the surrounding frigid Yin Qi, ten times stronger than the nascent Yin Soul from just now—and it gave him an intensely dangerous feeling.
Just then,
the figure of a kind, elderly cultivator slowly floated out from between the corpses and asked, "Young friend, are you a corpse burier from Corpse Peak?"
Wen Jiu froze.
A Yin Soul!
A true Yin Soul!
Even in broad daylight, its aura surpassed his own, and it even made him feel a familiar chill.
It was probably comparable to a Qi Refining Second Layer cultivator.
Sensing Wen Jiu's nervousness, the elderly Yin Soul hurriedly said, "Young friend, don't be afraid. This old man is Si Kongming, a Night Patrol Steward from Thousand Leaf Peak. I fell here several months ago. After countless hardships, I finally managed to preserve my Yin Soul... Could you take a message back to Thousand Leaf Peak and bring people from the Night Patrol Division here? This old man will reward you handsomely!"
"How handsomely?"
Wen Jiu asked.
The elderly Yin Soul replied eagerly, "I can have an old friend of mine take you as his disciple. That way, you can become a disciple of Corpse Peak directly and won't have to toil as a corpse burier anymore... If you have any other requests, feel free to name them!"
"Sure!"
Wen Jiu looked delighted.
"Please wait, senior. I'll go get someone right away."
With that,
Wen Jiu turned around.
The instant he did, the elderly Yin Soul pounced on him like a hungry tiger. The kindness and benevolence on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by a terrifyingly savage expression!
His surging Yin Qi swept over like a tidal wave, and he disappeared on the spot, appearing behind Wen Jiu in the blink of an eye.
His speed
was terrifying.
"Kid, die!"
As the words fell,
just as the elderly Yin Soul pounced on Wen Jiu, the Black Zombie blocked him, clamping its jaws down on the old cultivator. A flash of blood-red light appeared across its body, and its arms seized him in a death grip. No matter how much he struggled, it was useless.
Wen Jiu retreated ten steps.
Once he turned around, he coldly watched as the Black Zombie swallowed the old cultivator.
The elderly Yin Soul hurriedly begged for mercy, even offering to pass on everything he'd learned in his life, but Wen Jiu didn't so much as blink.
Only after the Black Zombie had completely swallowed him did Wen Jiu move. He let out a sigh of relief. "Good thing it's daytime, and the Black Zombie's Blood Transformation Body has reached the second level... I didn't expect to run into a Yin Soul comparable to a Qi Refining Second Layer cultivator."
If it had been nighttime,
it really might have been difficult to deal with.
Even with the Black Zombie's second-level Blood Transformation Body.
"After swallowing such a powerful Yin Soul, I wonder how much experience and Death Qi it'll yield."
Wen Jiu couldn't help looking forward to tonight's settlement.
Soon,
Midnight arrived.
The daily settlement began.
[Daily Settlement Panel Lv2(1/1000)] [Today's settlement!] [Chanted the Corpse Nurturing Incantation for one hour. Yinzhou Corpse Nurturing Incantation experience +10.] [Buried corpses in the Death Ground for three hours, searched for Yin Souls for three hours, and continuously absorbed corpse qi and Death Qi. Panel experience +1, corpse qi +6, Death Qi +6.] [Nurtured a corpse in the Corpse Nurturing Ground for twelve hours using Yin Qi and a large amount of cultivators' blood; devoured a First-grade low-tier Yin Soul Ghost Cultivator. Panel experience +1, Dead Body Mutation experience +18, +40, Corpse Nurturer experience +1, Blood Transformation Body experience +12, Death Qi +200. The Black Zombie gained the Ghost Law: Three Rivers Ghost Concealment by devouring it.] [Used two bowls of inferior Spirit Rice and one jin of non-tiered demonic beast meat; tempered the body with Earth Fiend Yin Energy for two hours. Body-tempering experience +20.] [PS: The daily panel has leveled up. Starting tomorrow, all experience gained will be doubled!] [See you tomorrow! Please vote for the monthly ticket. Please keep reading! Thanks to all you fellow Daoists!]
Before you continue