Ge Xian Wants to Loot the Corpses

As he watched the cast-iron statue, dressed in a Daoist robe and putting on airs like an immortal lord, Ge Xian felt both absurdity and a keen interest in the Myriad Laws Sect.

The ancient ferocious beast [Qiongqi], which had a taste for human flesh, had been transformed by their embellishments into the Spirit God Celestial Lord, worshipped with the incense of humankind.

What about the Myriad Laws Sect Master? What did his true form look like?

And the other Myriad Gods in the sect? Were they all ancient wicked gods or demonic beasts?

Of course, what concerned Ge Xian most was this Cultivation Path, which had clearly become the mainstream in this world. Was it always like this?

"The old man at the teahouse said that those who awaken a talent can enter the Dao and cultivate, as long as they find the corresponding [True Spirit Hall]."

"Clearly, the Fuyang County Magistrate and Qiantang County Magistrate both managed it that way. The latter is rumored to have been born with tiger stripes and tiger eyes, so the Spirit God corresponding to him must be the Gu-Eating Spirit God."

"What about me? I have two talents, Supernatural Perception and charm... Could the Spirit God corresponding to me be the Qingqiu Nine-Tailed Fox? Do I really have to become a Male Daji? No, thank you."

"If I can't avoid it, where should I go looking for a Fox Temple?"

Ge Xian gradually revealed his true nature: saying he didn't want to be a male fox spirit while already plotting how to find a way in.

As it happened, the very next moment he heard a living example:

It was the temple attendant, who was clearly a servant ghost as well. Perhaps on the county magistrate's orders, he had taken on the role of "storyteller" in addition to his duties at the temple.

But he told only one story.

It was the tale of Lu Hualong, known by the flattering title of the Thigh-cutting Magistrate, and the great deeds and glorious history of his first half of life.

The story was being told in service of his master, so it was no doubt embellished. Still, the many county residents, Ge Xian among them, listened with rapt attention.

"My master is a son of the Gusu Lu Family. One day, his mother dreamed of the Gu-Eating Spirit God. Thus, when my master was born, his body was covered in tiger stripes, and he possessed a pair of tiger eyes capable of subduing a hundred ghosts. Even as an infant, he could see Chimei Wangliang, undeterred by the divide between yin and yang. The tiger might of his body could subdue the demons and ghosts within a ten-li radius, keeping his home safe and peaceful."

"He showed signs of the miraculous as a child, and was a chivalrous hero in his youth. Many young heroes rallied to him, and together they vanquished demons and subdued fiends, protecting the people of the region. Later, he passed the imperial examinations and excelled in both letters and arms, earning fame across nine townships."

"At last, he received the guidance of the Gu-Eating Spirit God and achieved enlightenment. Before long, he will transcend the mortal world..."

In the crowd, Ge Xian tried to pick out clues to Lu Hualong's cultivation from the temple attendant's nauseating praise. He planned to quietly prompt him, then steer the conversation along.

But at that moment, his expression changed abruptly.

Suppressing the urge to look around, he continued using his Supernatural Perception to carefully sense and distinguish the sudden surges of extraordinary auras around him.

At first, his perception had detected no extraordinary beings within several hundred meters. They were all ordinary county residents.

But as the temple attendant went on, growing more and more excited, he unknowingly drew a great many beings beyond the ordinary closer. To Ge Xian's keen senses, these extraordinary beings—whether human or ghost—overflowed with malice whenever they heard the name "Lu Hualong."

"Outside the temple, there's a caravan pretending to rest. They're dressed strangely, as if they came from Xiangxi. Every one of them is an extraordinary being. And who knows what they've hidden in their wagons? It's cold and rigid, dead as a doornail, without the slightest sign of blood flowing... Could it be something like a zombie?"

"And those dozen or so beggars in the corner. Their Qi Blood is abnormal, even more potent than that of tigers and leopards. Could they be the Beggar Sect?"

"The most terrifying group is that troupe of performers coming over, shouting as they go. They've gathered men and women, old and young..."

When he sensed the third group, alarm bells rang in Ge Xian's mind. He didn't dare take another look and hurriedly lowered his gaze.

In that instant, before he had even made out their faces, his mind had already sensed writhing masses of flesh and rotten lymph nodes. At the same time, his own body stirred restlessly, as if it were about to mutate. He not only looked away, but temporarily shut off his Supernatural Perception as well.

Muttering, "What the hell are those things?" he realized something was wrong and decided to leave first.

But Ge Xian had barely stepped out of the temple when, before he could retreat behind the crowd, another upheaval occurred.

"The county magistrate has arrived!"

"Commoners, make way! Chant his name and praise our lord's benevolence."

At the servant ghosts' shouts, an even more luxurious procession came down the main street from the county yamen. No one—not even Ge Xian—looked at the servant ghosts, or rushed to scramble for their reward money. Instead, everyone's gaze fixed on the divine palanquin in the middle of the resplendent procession.

Behind layers of gorgeous curtains sat a tall man with extraordinary features.

Ge Xian didn't need to awaken his senses to feel a danger unlike anything he had ever encountered from the man. He immediately guessed that this had to be [County Magistrate Lu, the Thigh-cutting Magistrate].

What astonished him was that Lu Hualong wasn't wearing a county magistrate's robe. Instead, he wore a gaudy, dazzlingly colorful flower robe, so vulgar that even a woman would look tacky in it.

Yet not only was Lu Hualong wearing it, he had nothing beneath it. He draped the robe over himself without a stitch underneath, baring most of his muscular body.

But at that moment, nobody was looking at that. Everyone's attention had been drawn to two servant ghosts on a platform in front of the palanquin, utterly different from each other.

One was handsome, wearing a snow-white robe. If he had been whole, anyone would have praised him as a fine scholar. But now he was disheveled and covered in blood, wailing as he clutched the place where his nose had been.

The other was hideous, his face covered in moles and black hair. He was vicious and crafty, yet had been rewarded and was surrounded by treasures and beautiful women, living in great comfort.

Before the crowd could get a good look, Lu Hualong, still wearing his flower robe, seemed to suffer a "sudden illness." Something stirred inside his muscular body. In the blink of an eye, tiger stripes appeared, sharp spines grew from his back, and lumps of flesh swelled beneath his ribs before bursting with a wet pop. Membrane Wings seemed ready to unfurl, while his face appeared on the verge of turning into a tiger's head.

With a roar, he suddenly sprang forward, grabbed a whip soaked in brine, and lashed the white-robed scholar viciously. Only after finishing did he show a look of satisfaction. Then he rewarded the ugly man with a bag of treasure.

The county residents stared at the scene, dumbfounded and baffled.

Only when a low voice came from the crowd did they learn what was going on:

"That scholar is named Gongsun Xing. He was County Magistrate Lu's friend and strategist for many years, and he helped the magistrate achieve his present standing. No one knows what he did to offend the magistrate, but he became a servant ghost and suffered this calamity."

"As for that ugly man, he's a notoriously crafty, lazy scoundrel and thug from Qiantang. How did he catch the county magistrate's eye and win so many rewards?"

"I think the county magistrate can't suppress his transformation anymore. Should we run...?"

"Where could we go? Is there anywhere within a thousand li safer than Qiantang? County Magistrate Lu may have become strange and developed a taste for thigh meat, but at least he can protect us and keep us alive."

What Ge Xian saw and heard left him deeply uneasy.

He could tell there was something very wrong with Lu Hualong. His temperament had changed drastically, and he had somehow acquired strange obsessions: "Good Flower Clothes," "Good Thigh Meat," and "Evil Loyalty Admire Treachery." It also looked as if he was gradually losing control of his Demonic Body.

As he glanced at the extraordinary beings with malicious intent, mingling with the crowd and drawing closer, a rumor he had heard earlier suddenly surfaced in Ge Xian's mind: the Fuyang County Magistrate had followed the [Spirit God Without Apertures], then inexplicably gone mad and devoured the entire population of half the county...

A dire suspicion flashed into view.

"This is bad!"

The instant Ge Xian sensed that something was wrong, he sprang into action.

His steps were swift as he retreated behind the crowd.

Still not satisfied, he quickly backed away toward the street corner.

And the premonition that had come to him for no reason proved true the very next moment.

From the troupe of performers Ge Xian had sensed earlier—a bizarrely dressed group of men and women, young and old—an old man with white hair and a youthful face, tall and thin, suddenly stepped forward. He called out to Lu Hualong in a loud voice:

"I've long heard of County Magistrate Lu's great name. To keep one corner of the world peaceful in such a Chaotic World is no ordinary feat."

"We've come from afar to present the county magistrate with a [Spirit Meat Song], in praise of his merit."

Having said this, he didn't wait for Lu Hualong to respond.

The people behind him took out bone whistles, bone flutes, zithers, konghou harps, and other instruments, then began to play.

In an instant, Ge Xian's Supernatural Perception opened on its own.

A powerful premonition surfaced in his mind: "That song must not be heard. You won't be able to break free, and your spirit and flesh will inevitably collapse as your desires surge."

Without hesitation, Ge Xian tore off a strip of cloth and stuffed it into his ears, then grabbed a handful of wet mud and packed it in tightly. Even so, the last trace of the melody that had reached his ears made his heart pound wildly and his desires stir.

When he turned around, a scene like the Hellish Carnival Diagram met his eyes:

All the county residents, even the servant ghosts, had fallen into a delirium of desire, swaying like madmen.

And what of the troupe playing the music? They no longer looked human at all.

The men, women, old and young were plainly monsters wearing "Human Skin"—or rather, they had all been human once, but cultivation had turned them into what they were now: their bodies were deathly pale, yet strange growths of flesh appeared all over them. There were embryos, fused organs, and swollen fifth limbs.

Under the influence of their music, Lu Hualong, who had already been struggling to keep himself in check, finally revealed his True Form.

With a roar that shook the area for ten li, a tiger-shaped demon resembling the [Gu-Eating Spirit God] from the temple leaped out, still clad in his flower robe. He began frantically devouring the county residents around him.

Those who, like Ge Xian, had fled quickly—or had already been on the outskirts—now had a chance to scatter in all directions.

Nearly every county resident who had gathered for the spectacle met their end.

Seeing this, the old man in the lead was overjoyed. He clapped his hands and laughed:

"Just as it should be. Eat more, eat your fill. The Gu spirit embryo inside you will be well nourished."

"Attack! Cut off all four limbs first and lock his spine, lest he escape Qiantang. He cultivates the Gu Devouring Immortal Method, after all, and his cultivation is much stronger than that Fuyang County Magistrate."

As he waved his hand, two other groups appeared.

First, the beggars, who had seemed sickly only moments earlier, suddenly became capable of flying through the air and burrowing underground. They charged at Lu Hualong.

Then the traveling merchants set their copper bells ringing. One wagon after another shattered, and zombies with rotting bodies and stench that filled the air came bounding toward Lu Hualong.

As he fled with the other county residents, Ge Xian repeatedly glanced back and listened to what was happening.

In an instant, he understood: "Those people were behind the disaster in Fuyang County, too. Who are they? They seem to be hunting the [Demonic Officials] of the Dayuan Dynasty, treating their Demonic Bodies like precious tonics. Is Lu Hualong really going to fall here?"

At that moment, Ge Xian had his Supernatural Perception open. At the thought, he couldn't help sensing Lu Hualong, wanting to know what this Thigh-cutting Magistrate was made of.

Unexpectedly, the moment he peered at him, Ge Xian's face went pale and he spat out blood.

"Good heavens... How terrifying!"

"He's already a Tiger Demon, but he's still pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger?"

Ge Xian hadn't even finished muttering when—

Another change occurred in front of the temple.

Just moments earlier, the demonic Lu Hualong had been crazed, devouring county residents left and right. The instant the beggars and zombies attacked, his body suddenly swelled several times over. In the blink of an eye, a tiger-shaped demon nearly as large as the temple appeared, able to look down over the entire Qiantang County. A flap of his Membrane Wings whipped up a stinking storm that blew all the beggars and zombies away.

Then came his arrogant laughter:

"Hahaha... I was wondering where the Chimei Wangliang who killed my good brother had come from. So it was a bunch of [Eternal Life Cult] remnants, along with a few worthless beggars and a handful of walking corpses."

"You fools must have thought I was like that clueless fool in Fuyang County, unable to suppress the spirit embryo, my soul split apart and gone astray, easy pickings for you."

"I should thank you for this. The Spirit God would never bother with beggars and corpses, but the flesh and blood of ten Eternal Life Cult followers, along with the [Taisui Gu Worms] nurtured inside the county's children, should be enough for me to beg the old god for an advancement source and an advanced cultivation method."

"Today is an auspicious day. This official will completely stabilize his Mortal Transformation Realm."

Before he had even finished speaking, Lu Hualong abruptly drew back his clawed Membrane Wings and pierced his own ears, deafening himself with a wet pop.

Then he threw back his head and let out a long howl, audible throughout Qiantang County.

As Ge Xian watched in disbelief, every child in sight collapsed to the ground. One by one, colorful Gu worms with bodies like translucent meat jelly crawled out of them, exuding a rich meaty aroma. They all beat their wings and flew toward the Gu-Eating Spirit God Temple.

And there, a brutal slaughter was underway.

Several streets away, Ge Xian looked toward the area where he had escaped.

From what his senses reported, the balance of victory had tipped entirely in Lu Hualong's favor.

His Demonic Body was immersed in slaughter, still wearing the flower robe, but now it looked not the least bit comical. It only made hearts quake with terror.

Ge Xian had no doubt that if "Lu Hualong" let himself loose and ate his fill, he could devour the entire county population in a single night.

By rights, he should hurry home, pack his valuables, and flee.

But for some inexplicable reason, an odd gleam appeared in his eyes. He shifted his gaze toward the area around the temple.

He had seen it clearly earlier and remembered it well. His perception had missed nothing.

"The main force and masterminds of this ambush are clearly those cultivators called the [Eternal Life Cult] remnants."

"The beggars who cultivate Bizarre Martial Arts and the people from Xiangxi who control zombies... They're all cannon fodder."

"They suffered heavy casualties in the first clash. Quite a few were swept into the corners by the Gu-Eating Storm, seriously wounded, their fate unknown."

"If I can scavenge one or two of them, interrogate them for secrets, and search their corpses, I won't be stumbling around blind in this Demonic World anymore."

"Besides, the temporary powers I've absorbed one by one are about to disappear. I can't waste them..."

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Ge Xian suddenly set off as well.