Nine Yin Corpse Gathering Cave, Longevity Treasure Manual

"That sounds satisfying."

Zhao Ping stood to the side, grinning to reveal two rows of white teeth.

In his view, whether it was in speech or action, Lord Lu was always in the right.

The Demon-Suppressing Guard existed to slay demons and eliminate monsters; why should they have to stand aside and wait for you, Xu Zhi, just because this demoness had some connection to you?

How much trouble would that cause in the meantime?

Could a mere Demon Suppression Captain like you afford to take that responsibility?

Yang Lin and Li Qing nodded in agreement; the mere act of raising corpses and killing people was enough to warrant an immediate execution.

It was true that you, Xu Zhi, had your own obsessions, but you couldn't just sacrifice other people's lives to accommodate them.

"My Lord, I will look into Xu Zhi's background as soon as we return."

Su Ding'an only said this one sentence.

Although he had only been following Lu Yuan for two days, he knew that this Lord Lu was not a man who feared trouble.

If Xu Zhi wanted to find trouble, he would first have to weigh whether the sword in his hand was fast enough and ruthless enough.

Lord Lu was a man of decisive slaughter, and his style of conduct was indeed a bit ruthless.

But he also kept a scale in his heart; he killed when he should kill and spared when he should spare.

Even if Xu Zhi came knocking, at most he would only end up severely injured, not dead.

As the dark clouds over Cangyun Ridge dispersed, smoke swirled inside an abandoned apothecary in the northern suburbs of Chixia County.

In the center of the main hall, a strange, ash-gray Divine Statue was enshrined.

The statue was in a curled-up posture, its face split in two from the center of the brow to the jaw; the left half was calm and handsome, while the right half was a hideous white bone.

The statue stood upon a lotus pedestal of withered bones, with six arms growing from its back—some hanging down, some pressed together in prayer, some raised high, and others tearing at the air.

Before the eerie Divine Statue, a middle-aged man dressed in dark red Taoist robes sat cross-legged, three sticks of black incense burning in the bronze censer before him, the smoke twisting as it rose.

Rapid footsteps sounded from outside the door, and a youth in purple robes stumbled in, falling to his knees with a thud.

"Divine Envoy, it's bad! Something major has happened at Cangyun Ridge!"

"The Demon Suppression Bureau mobilized; the two Vice Altar Masters, Liu Yun and Liu Qingsi, were killed, three gray-robed cultists died, dozens of Corpse Puppets were destroyed, and even that thousand-year-old Corpse Demon beneath the Mountain God Temple... was destroyed!"

Yin Wuji opened his eyes; his irises were amber, and his pupils were vertical, resembling those of a snake or a cat.

He slowly turned the prayer beads in his hand, his voice very soft.

"Two Vice Altar Masters, if they die, they die. A thousand-year-old Corpse Demon, it matters not..."

"But beneath that seal lies the Corpse Suppressing Bell, the supreme treasure of my Longevity Cult!"

"This bronze bell is a magical artifact refined by our first Cult Master, engraved with eighty-one Corpse Suppressing Runes, used as the eye of the grand formation to suppress corpses for a thousand years without decaying."

"Had that Blood Demon not accidentally tainted the seal, the Corpse Demon would not have broken free even after another thousand years of suppression."

Yin Wuji turned around to look at the strange Divine Statue curled upon the withered bone lotus pedestal, his voice betraying neither joy nor anger.

"I have been in the Longevity Cult for twenty years, rising from an outer disciple to one of the four Divine Envoys, all for the sake of that Corpse Suppressing Bell."

"I let Liu Yun raise the corpse only to awaken the Corpse Demon and retrieve the Corpse Suppressing Bell."

"This bronze bell is the nemesis of all corpse-type demons in the world; with it, one can enter the Nine Yin Corpse Gathering Cave and retrieve the Longevity Treasure Manual that the Corpse-Dissecting Immortal stole from our cult three hundred years ago."

"The Treasure Manual contains a sect-founding divine ability; whether my Longevity Cult can flourish and grow depends entirely on this!"

Yin Wuji turned back around, his amber pupils finally showing a ripple, his voice becoming cold and hard as iron.

"But now, a mere few Demon-Suppressing Guards dare to obstruct my cult's thousand-year grand cause?"

"Pass down my decree!"

"The Chixia County branch is to mobilize in full force, regardless of casualties! Before sunset, I want to see the Corpse Suppressing Bell before me!"

"Yes!"

The wind on Cangyun Ridge was no longer cold and gloomy.

Sunlight spilled down through the gaps in the clouds as the group walked down the mountain path.

Lu Yuan calmly opened his panel.

After killing the thousand-year-old Corpse Demon, a new entry had appeared in his lexicon.

[Indestructible Bone: Physical body comparable to a Corpse King]

Initially, he had held a bit of contempt for purple-tier entries.

But then, upon second thought, purple was equivalent to epic-level quality.

The trace of contempt in his heart vanished in an instant.

Moreover, the weight of Indestructible Bone was far greater than he had imagined.

Corpse-type demons had a strict hierarchy; the lowest level was the Purple Zombie, equivalent to a newly formed corpse demon, possessing no intelligence and easily handled by ordinary hunters.

The White Zombie is a cut above, agile in movement and capable of threatening ordinary martial artists.

The Flying Zombie is even more formidable, capable of flight at night and moving like the wind; even a lone Demon-Suppressing Guard would have to take a detour upon seeing one.

As for the Indestructible Bone, it is the king among corpses.

It possessed profound cultivation in life, its corpse remains uncorrupted in death, and it is formed by long-term absorption of the earth's yin energy.

It possesses intelligence and memory, and its corpse has transcended the physical body of flesh and blood, becoming more indestructible than tempered steel.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan can use his blood energy for Resurrection and possesses the Heaven-Opening Power that can break through anything, otherwise, he would never have been able to kill that thousand-year-old Corpse Demon.

"Hey! Wait!"

Suddenly, Su Ding'an shouted, dropping down in front of a low bush with his face nearly pressed against the ground.

Lu Yuan closed his system panel and turned his head instinctively.

Zhao Ping was startled and immediately pressed his hand onto his sword hilt.

"What is it? Is there demonic energy?"

"What demonic energy? Look quickly, is this a Blood Jade Fruit?" Su Ding'an said with excitement in his tone.

The group crowded around to see several bright red fruits hidden in the low brush, each the size of a thumb, crystal clear and resembling small red jade stones.

"It really is!" Li Qing's eyes lit up. "Wild Blood Jade Fruit is a rare find; it sells for one tael of silver apiece in Yun'an County!"

"Good eye!"

Su Ding'an carefully pushed aside the leaves, terrified of damaging the fruit.

"This Blood Jade Fruit is great for nourishing energy and blood; it's a potent supplement for martial artists."

"These fruits love the shade and are cold-resistant, growing only in places with heavy yin energy. We've really struck gold today, brothers."

"Then what are we waiting for? Pick them!" Zhao Ping watched from the side, his eyes fixed on the prize.

Su Ding'an smiled and pulled out a dagger, picking all six fruits with swift, precise movements before wrapping them in a cloth and handing them to Lu Yuan.

"Lord Lu, freshly picked, please have a taste."

Lu Yuan glanced at the bright red fruit and popped one into his mouth.

The taste was indeed fresh and sweet, and after swallowing, a gentle, warm current surged through his body.

However, the fruit was too small to be of much use to him, so he didn't ask for more.

Su Ding'an ate two, and Zhao Ping and the others took one each, finishing the six Blood Jade Fruits exactly.

For the rest of the mountain path, Su Ding'an's eyes never stopped scanning.

One moment he was pointing to the left shouting about Spirit-Nurturing Grass, the next to the right about Snake-Tongue Orchid, as if he wanted to carry the entire mountain back with him.

Under his direction, Zhao Ping and the others dug here and there, working with great enthusiasm.

Lu Yuan walked at the very front, unhurried, occasionally stopping to wait for them.

"Lord Lu, aren't you going to dig? This is all cold, hard silver!" Su Ding'an said, clutching his bulging cloth bag.

"Are you that short on silver?" Lu Yuan asked.

"What a question, who would ever complain about having too much silver!"

Su Ding'an's eyes brightened, as if he had suddenly thought of something.

"By the way, my Lord, you said yesterday you'd give me an extra five taels of silver; does that still stand?"

"What's five taels? Since we slew the Corpse Demon today and I'm in a good mood, I'll add another five!"

"Ah? Ten taels?"

Su Ding'an froze, excitement erupting in his eyes.

"You are generous, my Lord! Thank you, my Lord!"

The group chatted and laughed, not moving particularly fast, and by the time the setting sun had dyed the mountain peaks a golden red, they finally reached the foot of the mountain.

Another ten miles or so, and they would reach the Chixia County station.

Excitement appeared on Su Ding'an's face; once they reached the station, the herbs in his bag could all be traded for cold, hard silver.

Zhao Ping, Zhang Qing, and Lin Yang also let out sighs of relief; once inside the station, they could bathe, rest, and eat a hot meal.

Just as joy appeared on everyone's faces, Lu Yuan's figure suddenly came to a halt.

"Stop."

His voice was very soft, yet it felt like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads; the smile on Su Ding'an's face instantly froze.

Zhao Ping instinctively pressed his right hand onto his sword hilt, following Lu Yuan's gaze as he looked ahead.

They saw that at the end of the dirt road, dozens of grey-robed cultists stood holding weapons, staring at them like a pack of wolves surrounding their prey.

In the middle of those men, a gaunt old man lay reclined on a wide, ornate armchair.

The old man wore a purple Taoist robe with frayed collars and cuffs, looking thoroughly disheveled.

His face was covered in wrinkles, his eyes half-closed, looking like a decrepit old man on the verge of drawing his last breath.

Yet, from his body emanated a pressure as heavy as a mountain, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

Su Ding'an recognized this person at a glance; his legs instantly went weak, and his voice trembled.

"Longevity Cult branch leader... Yan Jiuyuan..."

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