The Corpse Sha Sect

The Corpse Sha Sect was about two thousand li from Sishui Town.

The two thousand residents of Sishui, driven along by the Pei Family guards, reached the sect's headquarters in just half a month.

Fang Huai had exchanged Swift as the Wind with the guards, so he had no trouble keeping up. But the elderly and weak in the group suffered terribly. Anyone who couldn't hold on was cut down on the spot.

By the end of the journey, another thousand souls had been added to Feng Wuwang's Soul Banner.

Normally, the demonic sects wouldn't wipe out every mortal town under their rule. But times had changed. The Corpse Sha Sect had lost a battle against the Mystic Sword Sect, with more than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators slain and its strength greatly diminished.

To bring an end to the fighting, the Corpse Sha Sect had been forced to cede a vast amount of territory, including the land around Sishui Town.

Ceding territory didn't mean handing over the mortals living on it, which was why the Corpse Sha Sect's cultivators had forcibly seized them a few days earlier.

Fang Huai hadn't been idle during the journey, either. He kept working out the rules behind the labels, and discovered that a person's label could change color depending on their condition.

Swift as the Wind was one example. The first time he saw it on the same Pei Family guard, it was white. Later, as the injury to the man's leg healed, the label turned gray.

At last they reached the Corpse Sha Sect. The people of Sishui, Pei Family members included, clutched their wooden plaques, porcelain bottles, and Manuals for Servants as they waited with long faces for Yama's Roll Call.

After handing them over to a pale-faced cultivator in a green robe, Feng Wuwang left.

At the green-robed cultivator's signal, everyone bit their fingers and dripped blood onto their wooden plaques.

Fang Huai felt an irresistible force link itself to him from somewhere beyond his sight. Information from the wooden plaque appeared in his mind:

[Fang Huai]

[Status: Menial Disciple]

[Residence: None]

[Contribution Points: 3]

At the same time, a sharp pain pierced his sea of consciousness, and a technique called the Hundred Sha Technique was inscribed there.

"So this really is the world of cultivation. Who would've thought a tiny Identity Token could hold so much information?"

Fang Huai clicked his tongue. Though they had arrived at a demonic sect, the mountains of corpses and seas of blood he'd imagined were nowhere to be seen. On the contrary, the sect had treated them decently, at least giving them servant status.

With his ability to exchange labels, he might yet make something of himself here.

"Though you're only servants, don't sell yourselves short."

Seeing how dispirited everyone was, the green-robed cultivator spoke up:

"As long as you master the Hundred Sha Technique and advance to the First Layer of Qi Refining, you can be promoted to Outer Disciples.

"Controlling Sha Corpses, possessing furnace cauldrons, holding other people's lives in your hands... all of that will come easily!

"Also, the sect has given you three Contribution Points each. You can exchange them for Inedia Pills to stave off hunger, or Miasma-Clearing Pills to protect yourselves from the miasma."

The green-robed cultivator's words lifted their spirits, and the somber mood turned lively.

People whispered among themselves, their spirits soaring as if they'd become immortals and ancestors by the next day.

Fang Huai didn't think this demonic sect was some kind of blessed paradise. Frowning, he looked at the labels on the green-robed cultivator: [Corpse Transformation (White)] and [Qi Deviation (White)].

[Corpse Transformation: You're in luck. You can choose to become either a malevolent corpse or a jiangshi.]

[Qi Deviation: The spiritual energy is flowing in reverse, and the spiritual sense is in disarray.]

"Now that I've finished with the good news, here's the bad!"

The green-robed cultivator changed his tune, his voice turning vicious:

"You must hand in five bottles of Killing Intent every month. Anyone who fails to complete the quota dies!

"The sect has its rules. Read the Manual for Servants carefully. Anyone who breaks them dies!

"And you've already entered into a contract with the sect. Anyone who leaves its territory without permission dies!"

He'd wielded both carrot and stick!

The green-robed cultivator was about to leave when Pei Qing called out to him. "Senior Brother, Senior Brother Feng promised that two members of the Pei Family could be promoted directly to the Outer Sect. He said we only had to ask you..."

The green-robed cultivator narrowed his eyes and suddenly struck, sinking all five fingers into Pei Qing's skull. With a savage grin, he said:

"Now I remember. Before he left, Senior Brother Feng told me you had the strongest blood and qi among this lot!"

Pei Qing's shriveled corpse lay on the ground, and the crowd erupted into chaos.

Fang Huai had no intention of wasting time here.

He'd skimmed the Manual for Servants earlier and learned that after nightfall, Demonic Beasts roamed the Corpse Sha Sect. Without a means of self-defense, anyone who encountered them was as good as dead.

The sect provided servants with lodgings. Each had a small formation attached, enough to keep out low-tier Demonic Beasts.

Finding an empty room was the top priority.

The Corpse Sha Sect was full of sheer stone cliffs, with countless vines winding across their faces. Though it was the dead of winter, the vines showed no sign of withering. On the contrary, they brimmed with an eerie vitality.

Following the vines up the cliff, Fang Huai found an empty room and pressed his Identity Token to the door.

A red light flashed, and another piece of information appeared in his mind:

[Residence: Ding 1-3127]

Inside, Fang Huai pulled out the steamed bun he'd hidden against his chest and took a few hurried bites. Then he eagerly focused his mind on the Hundred Sha Technique.

The Hundred Sha Technique had three parts: the Breathing Method, the Body Forging Technique, and Sha Arts.

The Breathing Method was the method for Spirit Absorption, and the core of the Hundred Sha Technique. Its first volume had ten levels, corresponding to the First Layer of Qi Refining through to its pinnacle.

As its name suggested, the Body Forging Technique strengthened the body and aided cultivation.

The Sha Arts included various techniques, such as Sha Corpse Creation, Sha Soul Cultivation, Sha Gu Manipulation, and Sha Curse Casting.

The Breathing Method and Body Forging Technique only contained formulas for the Qi Refining Stage. The Sha Arts were even more incomplete: they listed the techniques' names and functions, but gave no specific methods for practicing them.

Even so, Fang Huai was left parched with excitement as he read.

He eagerly followed the Breathing Method's instructions, half-closing his eyes and drawing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into his body.

In an instant, an unseen force in the world was drawn into Fang Huai and raced through his meridians.

Was this Spirit Absorption?

Could I be a genius?

Fang Huai was delighted. It seemed his body had good aptitude. His promotion to the Outer Sect was just around the corner!

Before he had much time to celebrate, the "spiritual qi" turned violent, crashing through his body and surging straight toward his sea of consciousness.

"Die! Die! Die! Why are you still alive when I'm dead?!"

"You won't survive in the Corpse Sha Sect. You'll be just like us soon!"

"The Corpse Sha Sect is a man-eating demonic sect. Just wait until they turn you into a Sha Corpse!"

"..."

Countless resentful voices filled his sea of consciousness.

"Ah!"

Fang Huai's sea of consciousness throbbed with pain. He toppled to the ground and lay there for a long while before his thoughts finally cleared.

He really had achieved Spirit Absorption. It was just that what he'd drawn in was the resentment of the dead.

"No wonder the manual says cultivation has to be done in a designated cultivation room. Trying Spirit Absorption outside one is just asking for death!"

Though his soul had suffered some damage, it hadn't been for nothing. A new line had appeared on his screen:

[Hundred Fiends Art (Fragment) Beginner: 0/100]

An incomplete volume?

Fang Huai was puzzled, but this wasn't the time to think about it. Someone knocked on his door.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

The knocking was urgent, accompanied by a woman's frightened cries for help. "Senior Brother, open the door! I can't make it back to my room in time. Please, save me!"

Less than a quarter of an hour remained before the Demonic Beasts ran rampant.

There were so many fellow townspeople who'd come to the Corpse Sha Sect. It was only natural that a few wouldn't have the sense to remember when to get back inside.

As he hesitated over whether to open the door, the cries outside grew even more desperate, mingled with sorrowful sobs. "Senior Brother, I'm begging you. Please open the door!"

They were both from Sishui Town, both wretched souls in the same boat. In the end, Fang Huai opened the door.

The woman outside threw herself into his arms, her peach-blossom eyes brimming with tears and her lips trembling. "I'm Jin Xiaoxiao. Thank you for saving me, Senior Brother!"

Fang Huai furrowed his brow. His memory was excellent, but he didn't recognize Jin Xiaoxiao's face among the people from Sishui.

``` [Jin Xiaoxiao]

[Mortal]

[Water Spirit Body (Red)][Unwavering Dao Heart (Red)]

[Water Spirit Body: A combat physique. Ordinary people can hardly last ten breaths.]

[Unwavering Dao Heart: An exceptionally steadfast desire to seek the Dao.]

What kind of lewd labels were these?

Fang Huai pushed Jin Xiaoxiao away and pointed to a corner. "Stay there for the night. Leave as soon as it's daylight."

Jin Xiaoxiao's clothes hadn't been fastened properly to begin with. When Fang Huai pushed her, one side slipped down, revealing a stretch of smooth, snowy skin.

She gave a mocking laugh, then simply took off her clothes, showing off a juicy body like a ripe peach.

"Senior Brother, cultivation in a demonic sect is a matter of never knowing if you'll see the next day. You should enjoy yourself while you can. Why not spend this night with me, while darkness is falling?"