Corpse Sha Sect

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

Driven by the Pei Family guards, the two thousand Sishui townsfolk took only half a month to reach the sect's headquarters.

Fang Huai had exchanged [Swift as the Wind] with a guard, so he wasn't afraid of the journey, but the elderly and weak in the group suffered terribly—anyone who couldn't keep up was executed on the spot.

On this trip, Feng Wuwang's Soul Banner had gained a thousand new souls.

Normally, a demonic sect wouldn't uproot an entire mortal town under its rule, but times were different now. The Corpse Sha Sect had lost a war against the Mystic Sword Sect, with over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators slain, severely weakening their strength.

To quell the conflict, the Corpse Sha Sect had to cede large swaths of territory, one of which included Sishui Town.

Ceding territory didn't mean handing over the mortals living on it, which led to the scene a few days ago where Corpse Sha Sect cultivators forcibly captured the townsfolk.

Fang Huai hadn't been idle during the trip either, constantly summarizing the patterns of tag usage. He noticed that the same person's tags could change color depending on their state.

For example, with [Swift as the Wind], the same Pei Family guard—when Fang Huai first saw it, the tag was white, but later, as the injury on his leg healed, the tag turned gray.

Finally arriving at the Corpse Sha Sect, the Sishui townsfolk, including the Pei Family, clutched wooden tokens, porcelain bottles, and Manuals for Servants, their faces grim as they awaited Yama's Roll Call.

Feng Wuwang handed them over to a pale-faced cultivator in a green robe and then left.

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

Fang Huai felt an irresistible force connect with him in the unseen, and the information from the token appeared in his mind:

[Fang Huai]

[Identity: Servant]

[Residence: None]

[Contribution Points: 3]

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

"So this is truly entering the world of immortal cultivation. A small Identity Token can hold so much information."

Fang Huai clicked his tongue in amazement. Though he had arrived at a demonic sect, the mountains of corpses and seas of blood he'd imagined didn't appear. On the contrary, the sect treated them decently, at least granting them the status of servants.

With his ability to exchange tags, perhaps he could make a name for himself here.

"Don't sell yourselves short just because you're servants," the green-robed cultivator said, seeing the crowd's low spirits.

"Once you grasp the Hundred Sha Technique and advance to the first layer of Qi Refining, you can be promoted to Outer Disciple.

Controlling Sha Corpses, having a furnace cauldron, holding life and death in your hands—all of it will come easily!

Also, the sect has issued you three contribution points. You can exchange them for Inedia Pills to stave off hunger, or Miasma-Clearing Pills to avoid suffering from the miasma."

The green-robed cultivator's words lifted their spirits, and the previously stifling atmosphere grew lively.

The crowd murmured among themselves, their excitement high, as if they would become immortals and ancestors by tomorrow.

Fang Huai didn't think this demonic sect was truly a treasure trove. He frowned, looking at the tags on the green-robed cultivator: [Corpse Transformation (White)] and [Qi Deviation (White)].

[Corpse Transformation: Lucky break—you can choose to become a Sha Corpse or a Jiangshi]

[Qi Deviation: Reversed qi flow, chaotic divine sense]

"Now that the good words are done, let's get to the bad!"

The green-robed cultivator's tone shifted, turning harsh and vicious:

"Every month, you must hand over five bottles of Sha Qi. Fail to complete the task, and you die!

The sect has its rules. Read the Manual for Servants carefully. Break the rules, and you die!

Also, you've already signed a contract with the sect. Leave the sect's territory without permission, and you die!"

A mix of kindness and severity!

After speaking, the green-robed cultivator turned to leave, but Pei Qing called out to him: "Senior Brother, Senior Brother Feng promised that two of our Pei Family could be directly promoted to Outer Disciples. He said to find you..."

The green-robed cultivator narrowed his eyes, then suddenly struck, his five fingers digging into Pei Qing's skull. He cackled, "Ah, I remember now. Before he left, Senior Brother Feng told me that among this group, your blood and qi are the most vigorous!"

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

Fang Huai didn't want to waste time here.

He had just skimmed the Manual for Servants and learned that after nightfall, Demonic Beasts roamed the Corpse Sha Sect. Without any means of self-defense, encountering one meant certain death.

The sect provided residences for servants, each equipped with a small formation capable of repelling low-level Demonic Beasts.

His top priority was to find an empty room.

The Corpse Sha Sect was filled with steep cliffs, their surfaces covered in countless winding vines. Though it was the dead of winter, the vines showed no signs of withering; instead, they radiated an eerie vitality.

Climbing up the cliff along the vines, Fang Huai found an empty room and pressed his Identity Token against the door.

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

[Residence: Ding 1-3127]

Once inside the house, Fang Huai pulled out the steamed bun he had hidden in his bosom and wolfed it down, then eagerly immersed his mind into the Hundred Sha Technique.

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

The Breathing Method was the method for Spirit Absorption, the core of the Hundred Sha Technique. The first volume had ten layers, corresponding to the First Layer of Qi Refining through to Perfection.

The Body Forging Technique, as its name suggested, strengthened the body's constitution and aided in cultivation.

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

The Breathing Method and Body Forging Technique only had Qi Refining stage incantations, while the Sha Arts were even more incomplete, merely listing names and effects without any specific cultivation methods.

Even so, it left Fang Huai parched and eager.

He immediately followed the essence of the Breathing Method, slightly closing his eyes to draw the world's spiritual energy into his body.

In an instant, the obscure existence between heaven and earth was pulled into Fang Huai's body, rapidly circulating through his meridians.

He had achieved Spirit Absorption just like that?

Could he be a genius?

Fang Huai rejoiced—it seemed this body had decent talent; joining the outer sect was within reach!

Before he could celebrate for long, the "spiritual energy" turned violent, rampaging through his body and charging straight toward his sea of consciousness.

"Die! Die! Die! Why do you get to live when I'm dead!"

"You won't survive in the Corpse Sha Sect; you'll end up just like us soon!"

"The Corpse Sha Sect is a demonic sect that devours people; wait until you're made into a Sha Corpse!"

"..."

Countless resentful voices filled his sea of consciousness.

"Ah!"

Fang Huai's sea of consciousness throbbed with agony; he rolled to the ground and took a long while to gradually regain clarity.

He had indeed achieved Spirit Absorption, but what he had absorbed was the resentment of the dead.

"No wonder the manual said cultivation requires a dedicated cultivation room—doing Spirit Absorption outside one is pure suicide!"

Though his soul had suffered some damage, it wasn't without gain. A new line appeared in the light screen:

[Hundred Sha Technique (Incomplete Scroll) Initiation: 0/100]

Incomplete scroll?

Fang Huai was puzzled, but now wasn't the time to ponder this. Someone knocked on his door.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The knocking was urgent, mixed with a woman's panicked plea: "Senior brother, open the door! I can't make it back to my own room in time—save me!"

At this moment, there was less than half an hour before the Demonic Beasts ran rampant.

With so many fellow townspeople in the Corpse Sha Sect, there were always a few with slow wits who forgot the time to return to their rooms.

Hesitating whether to open the door, the cries for help outside grew more pitiful, accompanied by sorrowful sobs: "Senior brother, I beg you, please open the door!"

After all, they were both from Sishui Town and both unfortunate souls, so Fang Huai finally opened the door.

The woman outside threw herself into his arms, her peach-blossom eyes brimming with tears, her lips trembling: "This humble one is Jin Xiaoxiao, grateful to senior brother for the rescue!"

Fang Huai frowned deeply. His memory was excellent, but among the Sishui townsfolk in his recollections, there was no face like Jin Xiaoxiao's.

[Jin Xiaoxiao]

[Mortal]

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

[Water Spirit Body: A battle saint physique; ordinary people can hardly endure ten breaths.]

[Steadfast Dao Heart: An unyieldingly tenacious heart for seeking the Dao.]

What kind of ferocious tags were these?

Fang Huai pushed Jin Xiaoxiao away and pointed to a corner, saying, "Stay there for the night, and leave at dawn."

Jin Xiaoxiao's clothes hadn't been properly fastened; with Fang Huai's push, one side slipped off, revealing snow-white, smooth skin.

She let out a sneer, then simply shed her garments, displaying a body as juicy as a peach.

"Senior brother, in the demonic sect, life and death are uncertain from day to day—we should seize pleasure while we can. Why not take advantage of the approaching night and spend a wonderful evening with this humble woman?"