The Old Heavenly Master

"Qiusheng, are you all right?"

Uncle Nine immediately asked after his disciple, who had suddenly attacked and been sent flying by the force of the impact.

"Master, I'm fine. This Zombie King is no ordinary foe. The corpse energy inside him is far too powerful. What we've subdued may only be an illusion."

Though corpse energy had seeped into Qiusheng's body, leaving him in unbearable discomfort, he forced himself to his feet and warned Uncle Nine.

"Mm. I know the legendary Zombie King wouldn't be so easily subdued."

Uncle Nine took his eyes off Qiusheng and spoke calmly. Then the magical power within him surged once more.

He had no idea why this Zombie King had been so easily subdued, but his eagerness to vanquish evil won out. He decided not to dwell on it and prepared to unleash a powerful technique, intent on killing this exceedingly rare Zombie King outright.

"Shangqing Dongxuan, majestic heavenly might! Divine thunder, descend and destroy evil!"

As the magical power within him churned, Uncle Nine paced the Dipper and unleashed Maoshan's secret Thunder Summoning Technique!

Qiusheng had used the same technique earlier, but compared to the terrifying power Uncle Nine displayed now, his own attempt had been child's play.

The instant the heavenly thunder was summoned, the Zombie King, who had been pretending to be subdued, finally unleashed his full strength.

Corpse energy erupted from his body. In just a few breaths, he broke through the Big Dipper Formation Qiusheng had laid down.

And that wasn't all. He let out a low growl, and the Mystic Dao Seal on his face shattered in an instant.

The Bagua Mirror Uncle Nine had used to pin him down shattered along with it. The Innate Bagua Mirror shot into the sky, and the bloodstain Uncle Nine had left on its surface quickly sank into the mirror. It flew toward Uncle Nine's hand.

Uncle Nine caught the Innate Bagua Mirror and stared grimly at the Zombie King, who now stood proudly beneath the dark clouds, waiting for the thunder to strike.

"Damn it. He did it on purpose. He let me subdue him so I'd have time to use thunder magic and call down the tribulation lightning for him."

"He wants to undergo the tribulation!"

Uncle Nine gritted his teeth and muttered. Beside him, Qiusheng's face twitched.

"Master, I remember you saying that once a Zombie King survives the thunder tribulation, he becomes the legendary Golden Armored Corpse King, right?"

"That thing is so terrifying that even a Heavenly Master would have to stake his life just to seal and suppress it."

"Against a vicious creature of that level, Master, how confident are you?"

Qiusheng asked in a hoarse voice, looking at his master.

"Heh. A Golden Armored Corpse King? You think too highly of me."

"I thought we'd be facing a fellow who'd only recently become a Zombie King. Who could've guessed this evil creature had already reached the pinnacle of that realm and could even undergo the tribulation?"

"Put it this way: if this Zombie King survives the tribulation, the two of us together wouldn't even be enough to fill the gap between his teeth."

Uncle Nine gave Qiusheng a strange look as he spoke.

Just as he finished, an elderly voice drifted over.

"The acting head of the Maoshan lineage is being far too modest. With the Innate Bagua Mirror and Mystic Dao Seal in your hands, surely you could kill a Golden Armored Corpse King if you were willing to give up those two treasures."

As the voice faded, an old man with graying brows and hair suddenly appeared.

Qiusheng looked up and studied the old Taoist. His purple-red robe fluttered in the night breeze, and an otherworldly air washed over him, leaving Qiusheng dazzled.

"I'm Lin Jiu. Greetings, Old Heavenly Master of Longhu Mountain."

Hearing the voice, Uncle Nine immediately turned toward it. As soon as he recognized the newcomer, he bowed in greeting.

Seeing his master address the old Taoist that way, Qiusheng was startled. He too bowed.

"I'm Qiusheng. Greetings, Old Heavenly Master."

"Haha, don't call me Heavenly Master. I'm just an old Taoist who's practiced a few years longer than you."

The Old Heavenly Master laughed and gestured for Uncle Nine and Qiusheng to rise. Then he looked toward the Zombie King being struck by lightning and shook his head with a sigh.

"Zhou Kun was once a great feng shui master, and in life, his cultivation even reached the peak of the Earth Master realm. Who could've imagined he'd become a demon for the sake of some illusory notion of immortality? It's truly beyond belief."

Uncle Nine frowned slightly at the Old Heavenly Master's words.

"Old Heavenly Master, you know him?"

"Heh. Of course I do. We go way back."

The Old Heavenly Master answered Uncle Nine's question without hesitation.

"Oh? Then did you come out of seclusion to capture him?"

Seeing how well the Old Heavenly Master knew the Zombie King, Uncle Nine's heart stirred, and he asked directly.

"Indeed. Some time ago, I suddenly sensed that my time was near while I was on Longhu Mountain, so I cast a divination."

"According to the reading, I was destined to die here. So I came."

"I never expected that, upon arriving, I'd find you, Lin Jiu, battling a Zombie King and summoning heavenly thunder. In that moment, I understood where my life would end."

The Old Heavenly Master spoke lightly of life and death, as if he didn't care at all about his own safety. Uncle Nine and Qiusheng couldn't help but regard him with solemn respect.

"Lin Jiu, take your young disciple and leave. Whether or not the one undergoing the tribulation becomes a Golden Armored Corpse King, now that I'm here, at the very least I'll seal him completely and keep him from ever emerging."

The Old Heavenly Master spoke calmly, but Qiusheng was filled with admiration.

Of course, if he were asked to face death without hesitation, he couldn't do it. But that didn't stop him from respecting these self-sacrificing elders.

"Very well. Lin Jiu will take his useless disciple and leave first. May your journey be peaceful, Old Heavenly Master."

After speaking, Uncle Nine led Qiusheng toward the rear.

"Heh. My old friend Zhou Kun, do you still remember Zhang Xianchu?"

Watching Uncle Nine and Qiusheng depart, the Old Heavenly Master flicked his long sleeves and called out in a loud voice.

As soon as he finished speaking, a roar suddenly erupted from the Zombie King's position.

"Zhang Xianchu, how dare you sever my path to immortality!"

The roar had barely left his mouth when an enormous bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, silencing him.

"Haha, my old friend Zhou Kun, don't be afraid. Today, I, Zhang Xianchu, invite you to die with me and enter the Netherworld together!"

Hearing Zhou Kun's roar, the Old Heavenly Master laughed heartily and strode into the tribulation ground ahead, engulfed by heavenly lightning.

With that, the lightning in the sky grew even more terrifying!