"Many thanks, Steward Mu!"
Wen Jiu quietly committed the Yin Province Unorthodox Records to memory.
"All right, go back and cultivate. But don't ask for leave again. If you keep doing nothing after the two of us leave, Si Kongbai will surely make things difficult for you." Mu Canglong offered another couple of reminders, then waved for Wen Jiu to leave.
Wen Jiu cupped his fists in salute.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he strolled away.
His steps were swift, his heart already racing home.
After Wen Jiu left, Mu Canglong was about to give Liu Xiao a few more instructions when Si Kongbai's frivolous voice sounded outside the door. Just hearing it made Mu Canglong's eyes fill with loathing.
He would have preferred to ignore Si Kongbai and leave at once, but Si Kongbai had come bearing an oral order from Elder Gong Chi.
As usual, Si Kongbai wore a beaming smile, but this time there was a hint of schadenfreude in it. "Fellow Daoist Mu, Elder Gong has instructed the two of us to go to the Night Patrol Division's main hall immediately."
"What for?"
Mu Canglong asked in reply.
Si Kongbai's smile froze. "It seems you're rather displeased that Elder Gong ordered you to leave Flying Immortal Peak, Fellow Daoist Mu. Does Elder Gong have to tell us why he's summoned us? Why are you suddenly..."
Si Kongbai let the rest go unsaid.
Mu Canglong couldn't be bothered to deal with Si Kongbai any further. He set off toward the main hall.
Si Kongbai followed close behind.
Before long,
they reached the main hall.
As soon as they pushed open the door, they saw Elder Gong Chi seated at the head of the hall, his face pale with weakness. Beside him stood a black-clad, masked man: Ye Luo, the Night Patrol Division's third steward, who was almost never seen.
Mu Canglong studied him thoughtfully for a moment, then stepped forward and saluted. "Your subordinate pays his respects to Elder Gong!"
Si Kongbai followed suit.
Gong Chi spoke slowly, his expression stern. "Ye Luo just informed me that the Spirit Farming Division, Talisman Room, Alchemy Room, Artifact Refining Tower, and Monster Slaying Division are already discussing how to suppress us. They're also setting their sights on the Peak Master position."
"Elder Gong, if I leave Flying Immortal Peak now, won't that be exactly what they want?" Mu Canglong exclaimed.
But Gong Chi shook his head, seemingly unconcerned. "It doesn't matter. I never wanted to vie for the Peak Master position in the first place. If they want it, let them fight for it... I called you here for two reasons."
"First, I want to tell you that from today onward, the Night Patrol Division's affairs will be handed over entirely to Si Kongbai. You can focus on taking your people out with the Inspection Hall's agents to hunt down the Blood Robe Tower's remnants. You must uncover the truth behind the Peak Master's death and find out who the culprit is."
"The second reason is to give you a magic tool... This is a Mid-grade Magic Tool that has been with me for many years: the Wood Leaf Flying Dagger." As he spoke, Gong Chi took a wooden box containing the flying dagger from his Storage Bag.
"This...!"
The Wood Leaf Flying Dagger.
Elder Gong's renowned magic tool.
Mu Canglong was momentarily flustered. He couldn't quite make sense of Elder Gong's intentions, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. He hurriedly saluted his thanks and received it with both hands held high.
"Alone out there, don't let the Night Patrol Division's reputation suffer!" Gong Chi gave him one last reminder, then waved for Mu Canglong to leave.
Mu Canglong put the magic tool away and turned to leave.
All the way home, he kept thinking about the Wood Leaf Flying Dagger. Something about it felt strange.
But he couldn't say what.
Meanwhile, after Mu Canglong left, Gong Chi gave Si Kongbai a few instructions and settled on a plan to enter seclusion and heal his injuries.
Si Kongbai's expression turned serious. "Elder Gong, are we really not going to fight for the Peak Master position?"
"We're not!"
Gong Chi said, then waved for Si Kongbai to leave.
Si Kongbai didn't dare say more, but his face was alight with delight.
Whether or not Elder Gong fought for it,
the Night Patrol Division would be his to command from now on.
He had waited a very long time for this day. At one point, he had even considered killing Mu Canglong.
It was just that he couldn't beat him.
So the idea had died before it could go anywhere.
Once only two people remained in the hall, a black-clad man who had been standing in the shadows for some time slowly emerged.
"Fellow Daoist Gong, what was the point of that? You gave away the Wood Leaf Flying Dagger, announced you'd enter seclusion to heal your injuries, and said you wouldn't fight for the Peak Master position. You know this is our best chance yet to claim it!"
There was
a hint of displeasure in his words.
Gong Chi didn't mind. A cunning smile spread across his face. "Don't be impatient, fellow Daoist. Not fighting is the same as fighting. Before that Blood Robe Tower fellow left the Chen family grounds, he gave me a Purple Dew Pill worth a fortune—a First-grade High-quality pill. If I can use this opportunity to break through to the Late Qi Refining Stage with it... then even if I don't fight for the Peak Master position, it will still be mine!"
"I see."
The black-clad man remained in the shadows.
The displeasure in his voice eased at once.
Gong Chi continued coldly, "As for the Wood Leaf Flying Dagger, I only gave it away to put on a show for the Inspection Hall's Inspection Envoy and that Main Peak Elder from the Inspection Hall. My trusted subordinate is carrying the magic tool I treasure most, and I'm not fighting for the Peak Master position. How could they suspect us?"
"So Fellow Daoist Gong already had a plan. I was the one who got impatient." The black-clad man gave a dry laugh, then added, "I just wonder how you plan to find the person who stole the blood. We spent three years gathering that essence blood, and the task was personally assigned by the Alliance Leader."
"You don't need to worry about that. Just keep yourself hidden, and don't come here unless you have a reason."
Gong Chi spoke in a low voice,
as if he had everything under control.
Then he rose, intending to take Ye Luo with him.
The black-clad man gradually faded back into the shadows and disappeared.
After leaving the Night Patrol Division, Wen Jiu headed straight for the Dead Corpse Land.
There, he studied today's spoils closely, focusing on the True Meaning of Yin Talisman and Three Fiends Corpse Raising.
First was the True Meaning of Yin Talisman. Besides the Black Bone Yin Talisman Brush, it also contained three unusual talisman-drawing techniques. The first was Yin Talisman Paper: ordinary talisman paper made from demon-beast hide had to be soaked in Earth Fiend Yin Energy for three hours.
The second was Drawing Talismans in Yin Ground. It wasn't restricted to nighttime alone; it was also limited by location. The place had to be a true Death Ground.
The Dead Corpse Land fit the bill perfectly.
The third was Talisman Ink. It required corpse blood to be mixed with demon-beast blood ink. But under normal circumstances, a Black Zombie couldn't produce corpse blood; only corpse energy flowed through its body. Only a walking corpse could produce corpse blood.
Strictly speaking, though, it wasn't really blood. It was corpse energy so dense that it had blended with the blood the corpse had absorbed.
Without raising a walking corpse, there was simply no way to use the True Meaning of Yin Talisman.
Fortunately, his Corpse Eye could cultivate corpse blood.
He just didn't know whether it would work.
After preparing everything, Wen Jiu waited for nightfall. Then he had the Black Zombie hold a lamp and began drawing talismans in the Dead Corpse Land.
The moment his brush touched the paper, Wen Jiu was pleasantly surprised. Each stroke came easily, as smoothly as water flowing into its channel. The amount of Spiritual Sense it consumed had also dropped dramatically; drawing ten talismans now took no more Spiritual Sense than drawing one had before.
What's more, after drawing ten in a row, he had managed to complete six. Two were fine specimens, and one was of top-tier quality.
A Soul Seizing Talisman that could truly kill a Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator!
"This..."
The surprise had come too suddenly.
Wen Jiu was at a loss for a moment.
Just one Soul Seizing Talisman could fetch at least twenty or thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones if sold.
And the cost had been what?
A single grain of spirit sand.
That was only a tenth of a Low-grade Spirit Stone.
With this, I'll have enough Spirit Stones to raise corpse blood and to use Three Fiends Corpse Raising on the Black Zombie, turning it into a Three Fiends Walking Corpse. Wen Jiu was determined to raise a Three Fiends Walking Corpse that could tear apart a Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivator at the middle stage. He would make it happen, no matter how many Spirit Stones it cost.
A Three Fiends Walking Corpse, combined with Three Rivers Ghost Concealment and Blood Transformation Body, would become his greatest trump card and support.
It would surely be incredibly powerful. If it could reach the upper stage, it might even be able to kill Late Qi Refining Stage cultivators.
And if it could kill one, then Wen Jiu would have firmly established himself on Corpse Peak.
At the thought, Wen Jiu couldn't help smiling with satisfaction.
After indulging in the thought for a moment, he quickly gathered his wits and decided to visit the Rogue Cultivator market in a few days to sell talismans and earn Spirit Stones.
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