Mutual Destruction

About a mile away from the site of the lightning tribulation, Uncle Nine and Qiusheng watched from afar, their hearts filled with boundless shock.

Under normal circumstances, given Uncle Nine's cultivation and the fact that the Corpse King was a creature intolerable to heaven and earth, the lightning tribulation would have been terrifying enough on its own.

Now that the Heavenly Master had stepped into the heart of the tribulation, it was like adding fuel to the fire; the already horrific power of the lightning doubled, and the awe-inspiring might of heaven pressed down so heavily that Qiusheng could barely catch his breath.

"Master, do you think that Corpse King can survive this lightning tribulation?"

Qiusheng asked softly, his face solemn as he stared at the site of the tribulation.

"Difficult. Extremely difficult. There is almost no chance of survival."

Uncle Nine's expression grew grave, his voice low as he spoke.

"Then will the Heavenly Master be able to walk out of the tribulation alive?"

"Alas, with such a tribulation, how could a mortal body possibly survive after entering it?"

The master and disciple stood there, separated by a vast distance, watching the miraculous spectacle before them, their hearts surging with endless waves of emotion.

Suddenly, Qiusheng's brows furrowed slightly, as if he had remembered something.

"By the way, Master, what about Ren Weiyong?"

"Hmm?"

At Qiusheng's words, Uncle Nine's brows immediately knit together.

"Blast it, how could I have forgotten that wicked creature?"

Qiusheng stared, dumbfounded, at Uncle Nine, who seemed to have just been jolted into realization, the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

"Master, what do you mean? Don't you have that Bagua mirror? Can't you just use it again?"

"Although the Innate Bagua Mirror can pinpoint the location of such evil things, I no longer have the medium, so it cannot be used now."

Uncle Nine looked at Qiusheng with an embarrassed expression and said helplessly.

"Then what do we do now?"

"No matter. That wicked creature was heavily injured by me; it shouldn't have the strength to go out and cause trouble for the time being."

"Once tonight's affairs are settled, you can take Ren Weiyong and wander around tomorrow to see if you can track it down."

Uncle Nine instructed Qiusheng.

Although he knew in his heart that finding Ren Weiyong in this manner was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack, it was essentially impossible.

But they had to try; what if they were lucky and actually found it?

Seeing this, Qiusheng could only nod in agreement.

Just then, the lightning tribulation in the distance finally ended. Seeing that the area had returned to calm, Uncle Nine immediately took Qiusheng back to the site.

"Hiss!"

Looking at the terrifying scene before him, Qiusheng couldn't help but gasp.

In front of him, a crater about two zhang deep and one zhang wide had appeared on the ground.

At the bottom of the pit lay only a charred corpse, with a three-foot-long green blade, which looked extraordinary at a glance, still embedded in its chest.

"Master, is this the Corpse King that Zhou Kun transformed into?"

Qiusheng leaned slightly toward Uncle Nine and asked in a low voice.

"It should be. I never expected the physical body of a Corpse King to be so terrifying. No wonder they say a Golden Armored Corpse King is impossible to kill completely."

Uncle Nine replied in a low voice as he looked at the mangled corpse in the pit, then leaped down toward the bottom.

Seeing his master's movement, Qiusheng immediately followed him down.

Once they reached the bottom, Uncle Nine stepped forward to examine the remains.

The Corpse King was, after all, an existence near the pinnacle of the zombie path; he dared not be the slightest bit careless.

If this Corpse King wasn't completely dead, who knew if it might suddenly rise from the ashes one day and wreak havoc on the world again?

However, compared to his master's cautious examination, Qiusheng's actions were somewhat crude.

He pulled out the Mystic Dao Seal and slammed it directly onto the charred remains.

Instantly, a familiar dragon's roar echoed, and the golden light on the Mystic Dao Seal flared brilliantly, striking the corpse with immense force.

"Crack!"

With a crisp sound, the charred remains disintegrated into flying ash under Qiusheng's strike.

As the ash settled, only the three-foot green blade remained, standing slanted in the ground, unyielding.

"You brat, you're too reckless."

Seeing that the intact remains were now gone, Uncle Nine scolded Qiusheng, then reached out to pull the green blade from the ground, stroking it gently in his hand.

"Master, what kind of sword is this? Does it have a significant origin?"

Facing Uncle Nine's reprimand, Qiusheng didn't care at all.

He had just been testing to see if he could pick up some scraps and land a finishing blow on the Corpse King. If the Corpse King hadn't been dead and he had managed to finish it off, that would have been a staggering amount of Exorcism Points.

It was a pity, but clearly, this Zombie King was dead—dead in the most absolute sense of the word. Honestly, Qiusheng still felt a bit regretful about it.

"Hmph, of course this sword is extraordinary. It is the Jingzhen Sword, forged by the old Heavenly Master Zhang Xianchu in imitation of the Male and Female Evil-Slaying Swords. It can be ranked among the top-tier magical artifacts of this age."

Uncle Nine glanced sideways at Qiusheng as he spoke, though Qiusheng remained noncommittal toward his master's assessment.

"Oh, so it's just a replica. I thought it was the genuine article."

Seeing his disciple's lack of interest, Uncle Nine couldn't help but rap him on the head with the Jingzhen Sword in his hand.

"What do you know? This Jingzhen Sword is a supreme treasure comparable to the Innate Bagua Mirror and the Mystic Dao Seal in my possession. How is it that in your mouth, it sounds like it's worth nothing?"

Hearing Uncle Nine's explanation, Qiusheng couldn't help but retort.

"Master, didn't you say those two great treasures of yours are the mountain-suppressing treasures of our Maoshan Sect? How can they be on par with a mere replica?"

"What do you know? The Longhu Mountain Zhengyi Sect is not like a small sect like our Maoshan Sect. Their heritage is ancient, their foundations are deep, and they have produced a constant stream of Heavenly Master experts."

"And those Heavenly Masters—which one of them didn't possess artifact-refining methods superior to the ancestors of our Maoshan Sect?"

"After all, in our entire Maoshan lineage, aside from our founding patriarch, the highest cultivation level achieved has only ever stopped at the peak of the Earth Master realm."

Speaking of this, Uncle Nine couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

The path of cultivation is arduous; even for those with overflowing talent, if they cannot rely on a great tree for shade, how many can truly step onto the peak of the Dao realm and become one of the few Heavenly Master experts in the entire world?

"Master, don't worry. In the future, this disciple will definitely help you achieve your goal of becoming a Heavenly Master."

Seeing Uncle Nine's currently dejected mood, Qiusheng said jokingly.

"Hmph, you really don't know your own limitations. A Heavenly Master? You should worry about reaching the Earth Master realm first."

Sure enough, the moment Qiusheng's voice fell, it immediately drew a light scolding from Uncle Nine, who then looked up at the sky.

"Alright, dawn is approaching. Let's head back to the Ren Mansion first and see how your martial uncle is doing."

"He is still suffering from zombie venom. If we aren't careful, it could lead to a massive disaster."