Corpse Shelling

Ning Xiaochuan shook his head, and the voice disappeared. He put away his thoughts and smiled, "It's nothing, let's go! We're going back."

Murong Wushuang's face lit up with joy. He said, "Brother Chuan, so you live in Begonia Manor. That's one of the largest manors in Nanshan Village, occupying the most fertile land. Many residents around here are supported by Begonia Manor's land. I heard that Begonia Manor is a large manor with a Marquis's Mansion background. Is that true?"

Ning Xiaochuan smiled, neither confirming nor denying it. He said, "Don't you want to become a Martial Dao Expert, a Divine Dragon Warrior? Come find me at Begonia Manor in a couple of days! Maybe I can help you become a Martial Dao Expert faster."

Murong Wushuang's expression became a little awkward. He whispered, "To be honest, Brother Chuan, I really don't dare to go to Begonia Manor. I already owe three years of annual dues. Several Deacons at Begonia Manor know me. When they see me, they'll definitely urge me to pay. If I don't pay, they'll beat me! Begonia Manor is a big business. If they get serious, I can't afford to offend them."

Ning Xiaochuan sat in the Azure Deer Carriage and smiled, "When you come, just say my name and tell them you're my friend. I doubt anyone would dare to make things difficult for you."

Murong Wushuang said in surprise, "Really? Brother Chuan, what's your status at Begonia Manor? You're not the Manor Lord's nephew, are you?"

"The Manor Lord of Begonia Manor doesn't have a nephew yet," Ning Xiaochuan said with a smile.

The Azure Deer Carriage left Nanyue Mountain.

In the market of Nanshan Village, Murong Wushuang got off and went home, while Ning Xiaochuan and Yu Yan drove the carriage back to Begonia Manor.

Ning Xiaochuan had stayed in Nanyue Mountain for a total of four days. The Steward, Deacons, maids, Servants, and Guards in Begonia Manor were all anxious, fearing that something had happened to him. Some had even reported the matter to the Marquis's Mansion.

Although Ning Xiaochuan was not favored in the Marquis's Mansion, he was still the Marquis's direct grandson. If something happened to him, the Servants in Begonia Manor would likely lose their heads.

Upon returning to Begonia Manor, Steward Qiu immediately came to inquire, "Young Master, where have you been these past few days? All the Guards in the Manor went out to look for you but couldn't find you. Yesterday, Fourth Master even came to Begonia Manor in person and was quite angry. He asked you to report your safety to him at the Marquis's Mansion after you return, so he wouldn't worry."

"Ning Qianwu actually came to Begonia Manor." Ning Xiaochuan knew that this Fourth Master of the Sword Pavilion Marquis's Mansion was not a good person and had always wanted to get rid of him.

Would he really be that concerned about my safety?

I guess everyone in Begonia Manor has been bought off by him by now!

Ning Xiaochuan said calmly, "This Manor Lord has been feeling unwell recently and needs to recuperate in the Manor. I'm afraid I can't go to the Marquis's Mansion to report my safety to Fourth Master. Steward Qiu, you go to the Marquis's Mansion and report my safety to Fourth Master!"

After saying this, Ning Xiaochuan didn't waste any more time with him and drove the Azure Deer Carriage into the Manor.

Ning Xiaochuan dismissed all the Servants from his small garden, leaving only Yu Yan.

He moved the Blood Toad Wood from the Azure Deer Carriage and planted it in a flowerbed filled with blooming Autumn Begonias.

This place was near the Sealed Cliff, adjacent to a mountain waterfall, and shielded by layers of Vermillion pavilions, making it an excellent growing location for the Blood Toad Wood.

The Blood Toad Wood itself possessed spirituality. After falling onto the soil, its roots automatically drilled into the ground.

Soon, the Blood Toad Wood was completely rooted in the soil. Its nine branches swayed in the wind, and its leaves emitted a blood-red radiance. A faint woody fragrance drifted in the wind.

A surge of Profound Spiritual Qi naturally gathered from the Heavens and Earth. The soil emitted a faint Blood Radiance, and the surrounding Heaven and Earth Profound Qi became nearly twice as dense, and it was still increasing.

Given time, this place might truly become a Holy Land or Spirit Land.

"Yu Yan, pass down the order. From now on, no Servants are allowed to enter the Purple Qi Garden," Ning Xiaochuan ordered.

As night fell, the moonlight was like water.

The moonlight shone on the leaves of the Blood Toad Wood, making the blood-red leaves even more crimson, covering them with a faint Blood Radiance, and dropping specks of light, like a divine tree from the Netherworld.

Ning Xiaochuan sat cross-legged under the Blood Toad Wood. Blood-colored specks of light continuously fell from the tree, scattering onto his body and being absorbed by him.

"Clang! Clang!"

In Ning Xiaochuan's Heart, the Demon Sword trembled incessantly, emitting a ringing sound, causing Ning Xiaochuan's Blood to flow faster and faster. The Earth Martial Essence Qi hidden deep within his Blood also decomposed into Martial Dao Profound Qi at an increasing rate, integrating into his body.

Ning Xiaochuan's blood already contained the Earth Martial Essence Qi that the Old Marquis had left behind to extend his life over the past ten years. If this Earth Martial Essence Qi were fully stimulated, it would be enough to allow him to reach the Divine Body Realm.

Therefore, the Earth Martial Essence Qi within the Gold Thread Purple Wood could be temporarily stored there. He would fully stimulate the Earth Martial Essence Qi in his body first, and then absorb it.

The Blood Qi power of the Blood Toad Wood could activate the Demon Sword. Stimulated by the Demon Sword, the Earth Martial Essence Qi decomposed even faster.

An hour of cultivation for Ning Xiaochuan was equivalent to ten days of cultivation for those young geniuses. The Martial Dao Profound Qi in his body was growing rapidly.

In the middle of the night.

"Save me... save me..." The aged voice began to echo in Ning Xiaochuan's ears again, like an old ghost calling for a soul, sending shivers down his spine.

Ning Xiaochuan couldn't cultivate in peace. He slowly opened his eyes, hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stood up. He leaped, jumping over three zhang high, kicked off the wall, and soared several more zhang, landing on the seven-zhang-high city wall of Begonia Manor.

In the night, the entire manor was very quiet. There were four or five guards in armor patrolling the city wall.

Ning Xiaochuan's speed was extremely fast, like a ghost's shadow. He slid down from the city wall and ran towards Nanyue Mountain, his body swallowed by the darkness.

Ning Xiaochuan's cultivation had reached the Profound Qi Eighth Level. With the Martial Dao Profound Qi in his body fully circulating, his running speed was even faster than an Azure Deer Horse.

Each step covered seven meters, truly moving like flying.

In less than an hour, he arrived at the foot of Nanyue Mountain again. Staring at the massive, dark mountain before him, he plunged into the mountain.

After traversing through the jungle for an unknown amount of time, he finally arrived at the place where Yue Wuyang and Minister Tian had fought the day before yesterday. Searching through the mountains and ridges, he finally found a large impact crater in a valley.

The crater was twenty zhang in diameter and contained many broken stones, as well as strong Martial Dao Profound Qi fluctuations.

In the center of the crater was a dark, charred object, like a person's "corpse," or perhaps a wild beast's "corpse."

Ning Xiaochuan stood at the edge of the pit, hesitated for a moment, and finally jumped into the crater. Stepping on the broken stones, he walked step by step towards the charred "corpse," and placed his finger on the corpse's nose.

"There's no breathing. It seems he's dead." Ning Xiaochuan withdrew his hand, intending to leave.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

Suddenly, the charred "corpse" cracked open, and a withered, aged hand reached out from within. Bone-green ghost fire burned on its fingers.

The "corpse" split open, and a hand reached out from inside.

Even Ning Xiaochuan, with his exceptional psychological fortitude, was startled. He quickly took a step back.

"Save... save me..." An aged black-clothed man crawled out from inside the "corpse," falling to the ground, his life hanging by a thread. His back and the top of his head were severely injured, his spine was broken, and a large piece of his skull was shattered.

After saying these two words, he became motionless.

Ning Xiaochuan squatted down, staring at the black-robed elder. Feeling the strong Evil Qi on him, he was momentarily unsure whether to save him.

This black-robed elder should be "Minister Tian" from Dark Emperor City.

Two days ago, Minister Tian was struck by Yue Wuyang's palm. As he fell from the sky, he sent a Divine Sense into the ears of Ning Xiaochuan, who was also in Nanyue Mountain at the time, asking Ning Xiaochuan to save him.

It was precisely because of this reason that Ning Xiaochuan had been restless these past two days, constantly wondering whether to return to Nanyue Mountain to check.

Tonight, while cultivating Martial Dao Profound Qi, Minister Tian's words kept echoing in his mind, making him restless and almost causing him to suffer a Qi deviation. In the end, he decided to come to Nanyue Mountain to confirm whether this person was truly dead.

"As a healer, I cannot stand by and watch someone die. Whether he is a good person or a bad person, in the eyes of a healer, he is a patient."

Ning Xiaochuan rubbed his palms together, took a deep breath, and his eyes became firm. "No matter what kind of world it is, a person should ultimately adhere to their principles. If even principles cannot be upheld, then falling into depravity is not far off."

Ning Xiaochuan carried Minister Tian on his back and quickly left the large pit, disappearing into the jungle.

"Swish swish!"

Not long after Ning Xiaochuan left, three figures flew out of the jungle and landed beside the large pit.

All three were young. The leader was a beautiful woman with blue hair and green eyes, tall with long legs. In her hand was a long spear as thick as a bowl mouth, and her body was wrapped in a thick layer of Martial Dao Profound Qi.

If Ning Xiaochuan had left even half an hour later, he would have discovered that these three were the three Dragon Elephant Warriors he had seen in Nanshan Village, except now none of them were riding Dragon Elephant mounts.

"Minister Tian is the head of the Four Great Ministers of Dark Emperor City, but in front of the Marquis, he was still no match. It seems the Marquis's cultivation has reached a realm we cannot imagine," one of the men, in his early twenties, stared at the corpse in the large pit and said coldly.

The beautiful woman with blue hair and green eyes also had a look of admiration in her eyes. She said, "The Marquis is the youngest Martial Venerable in the history of the Yulan Empire, gathering immense fortune. He is beyond our imagination. Huh! That's not right..."

Two beams of light, three feet long, shot out from the beautiful woman's blue and green eyes. Her pupils rotated like two black holes as she stared at the corpse in the center of the pit.

"Swish!"

Her body floated lightly and landed beside the corpse. Her expression changed drastically, and a strong burst of Martial Dao Profound Qi erupted from within her. She held the long spear horizontally in front of her, vigilantly scanning the surrounding jungle as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Captain, what's wrong?" a cold man asked.

The beautiful woman with blue hair and green eyes said, "Minister Tian used the 'Corpse Shelling' Divine Power to deceive the Marquis's Heart Spirit Perception. What's left here is just a corpse shell; his true body has escaped."

"What should we do now?"

The other two Dragon Elephant Divine Martial experts also became serious and began to guard the surroundings.

The blue-haired, green-eyed woman calmly said, "Zuo Jinfeng, you immediately go back and report this matter to the Marquis. Quickly, it must be fast. You Zui, you go mobilize the Garrison of Nanshan Village and have them send three thousand soldiers into Nanyue Mountain to search. Minister Tian is severely injured and definitely hasn't escaped far."

Zuo Jinfeng and You Zui understood the seriousness of the matter and left quickly.

"That demon Minister Tian wasn't killed. This is big trouble. If a master of this level seeks revenge, the entire Imperial City will be in turmoil." The blue-haired, green-eyed woman stared at the corpse shell again and let out a soft exclamation. She noticed that there were two sets of footprints on the ground, indicating that someone had been here before them.