At this moment, the Azure Lion Divine Dharma Body was incredibly majestic, with its six arms outstretched, its entire body a deep iron blue, and dozens of dark skulls flying out in a row, swirling around this zombie-like body.
"The mission is largely accomplished. The next step is to implant another ' Yin Demon ' seed into this magical Law Artifact, the Golden Clam Smoke Pearl..."
He Ping then took out another Law Artifact from Moxiuluo. This Law Artifact was a dark, yin-patterned corpse clam. The shell of the yin-patterned corpse clam was dark and emitted an extremely faint corpse aura.
This is a magical Law Artifact refined using the Sibi Art. It is a precious golden clam pearl, originally obtained from a rare golden clam in the East Sea. The pearl is actually an inner core, and the golden clam itself is a demonic creature.
After the golden clam was killed, the pearl lost its source of nourishing elixir energy. Moxiuluo, who obtained this precious pearl, found a Yin-patterned corpse clam and refined it with powerful incantations. He then constantly nurtured it with the two energies of metal and water to preserve its spirituality.
This precious pearl cannot be separated from the corpse clam for too long, otherwise it will lose its spiritual power, become ineffective, and turn into an ordinary pearl.
At this moment, he touched the shell of the corpse clam, and the upper and lower shells opened, revealing a pale golden pearl inside.
"Ba ci ya mi, duo!"
He Ping casually cast the Yin Demon into the pale golden pearl. The pearl's color changed, and a faint black aura emanated from it.
He communicated with the precious pearl with his mind, and the pearl immediately floated up, emitting five wisps of yellow smoke that twisted and turned like long snakes, circling around him, appearing somewhat eerie, giving the impression of a typical heretical cultist from a story.
"The appearance is a bit off, but it's fine for disguising himself as Moxiuluo. The Sibi Art and the Golden Clam Smoke Pearl can be considered Moxiuluo's trademarks. Moreover, the ' Twelve Golden Generals ' don't have any contact with each other in private, and none of them know each other. Even if they meet, they wear special masks."
He reached into his sleeve and, as if by magic, produced a strange mask. The mask was made of tungsten gold and was a human face, with a face as blue as indigo and hair as red as cinnabar. It had a slightly angry expression, with red hair standing on end and a golden crown with a rabbit's head on its head. This was the appearance of Moxiuluo, one of the twelve Yaksha generals.
"This mask was also found in a secret compartment of Mo Xiuluo's private residence in Feima Village, Beima Mountain. In addition, he also buried ten zombies in a corpse-shading ground at the foot of the mountain, all of which were refined using the Corpse-Refining Technique... However, their quality is too poor, far inferior to this Azure Lion Divine Body, and even inferior to my Crimson Fiend Corpse. I'm afraid that if they encounter a cultivator with even a little strength, they will be blasted apart in a single exchange."
Corpse refining is considered a low-level technique in the cultivation world, because the flesh and blood bodies of mortal beings are too weak, and no matter what method is used, they are difficult to use effectively, unless one has the corpse of a master who has entered the Dao to refine the corpse, which would definitely be an extremely ferocious corpse king or corpse demon.
However, on the other hand, the remains of a semi-immortal who has entered the Dao realm can be said to be the best material for refining magical artifacts. Various sects in the cultivation world have some superior magical artifacts made from the remains of their predecessors. Using them for refining corpses would be a waste.
He Ping wasn't interested in the Sibi Art he obtained from Moxiuluo's soul. The Sibi Art had no possibility of entering the Dao and was truly useless. As for the ten zombies, he brought them back to refine the Death Longevity Incense."
That was after he broke through the Wandering Soul Village set up by the Mud Sect and obtained a " Incense Burner Spirit Nourishing Method ". It recorded how to burn zombies into ashes and then make spiritual incense from the ashes. This incense could save people's lives. Even if it could not increase lifespan, it was still a rare treasure for cultivators.
"Everything is ready now, except for the final push..."
He put on the mask of the god Moxiuluo and strode out of the secret chamber.
"Cough, cough cough cough..."
Luo Jiuzhao was awakened by the cold in the night. He opened his eyes and found a group of poorly dressed refugees lying near the deserted temple. Unlike the people in the caravans, they were all emaciated, with sorrowful faces or gloomy eyes.
This group of people were refugees fleeing from disaster, and it was unknown where they had come from. They wanted to enter the area beyond the Great Wall with this caravan.
The area outside the Great Wall is sparsely populated and has remained undeveloped since ancient times. It has vast and fertile black soil and abundant resources. In recent years, whenever there have been natural disasters or man-made calamities such as floods and droughts, large numbers of refugees have had to leave their homes and seek other ways to survive.
However, the road into the pass was not easy. In addition to bandits and horse thieves everywhere, there were also wild beasts and man-eating monsters living in the desolate mountains and wilderness outside the pass. It can be seen that this was not an easy road. If you were not careful when going to the pass, you would lose your life.
"But ordinary people don't have the opportunity to make choices. No, even a cultivator like myself, under the workings of the Heavenly Dao, doesn't have many choices..."
Luo Jiuzhao was much older than he looked. He was originally a famous chivalrous knight in the martial arts world. He was quick to defend the weak and always had compassion for the suffering of the common people. He often stood up for ordinary people who were humiliated.
He was chosen by Li Cangjue, the White Cloud City, to be his disciple after he turned twenty-seven or twenty-eight, because of his exceptional talent Root Bone.
--The Curse Sword Sect is one of the Nine Evil Sects, and they are known for their viciousness. Li Cangjue and evil. He is a man of his word and keeps his promises. Apart from his eccentric nature, he has not committed many evil deeds.
After being injured, Luo Jiuzhao used a disguise technique to change his face and disguised himself as a refugee fleeing famine, traveling with these people.
Seeing the large number of disaster victims and recalling the ruins and dilapidated houses he had seen along the way, with refugees constantly arriving, he felt deeply saddened and indignant.
"What on earth are the officials of the Great You Dynasty doing? If this continues, the world will soon be finished," Luo Jiuzhao knew that the Great You Dynasty was in a bad situation, with the Mud Sect and the rebel army causing trouble in Dongli and Nanling.
The Western Wasteland Province is a barren land, located on a plateau, suitable for forestry but not for agriculture. Since ancient times, it has been sparsely populated and its people have been impoverished.
Since the founding of the dynasty, Northern Pass Circuit has been heavily fortified with troops to guard against the invading forces of foreign tribes in the far north.
The first Emperor You personally led an army to slaughter hundreds of thousands of Tiele tribesmen and personally killed the Tiele Khan known as the " King Tengqing ". For many years, the Tiele people have been sharpening their weapons and preparing for war, vowing to flatten Yujing City and repay this blood debt.
The Baiyue tribes in the Southern Frontier also have a deep-seated blood feud with the Great You Dynasty. Those Baiyue people are extremely brave and skilled in battle, and if the situation in the Southern Frontier changes, they will also threaten the heartland of the central plains.
"A hundred years ago, the first Emperor You's strategist, Master Yu Lizi, was the only disciple of the wise and shrewd Elder Yishang. He was a founding hero of the Great You and later became the Grand Tutor of the Great You. Legend has it that Emperor You asked him about the rise and fall of dynasties and the order and chaos of future generations. Yu Lizi composed the < Cloud Sky Song > in cryptic language, saying that the reign of Emperor You Great You lineage would not last more than three hundred years..."
Yu Lizi's master, the wise and shrewd Elder Yishang, was from the long-extinct lineage of the Hemp-Robe Dao Palace.
The Hemp-Robe Dao Palace is a unique phenomenon in the cultivation world. Its lineage of orthodox cultivation methods is called " Celestial Star Dragon-Pointing ". Its successive inheritors have all aimed to comprehend the supreme wisdom of the operation of the Heavenly Dao in order to achieve a state of perfect balance and clarity between heaven and earth.
For this reason, this lineage has always been detached from worldly affairs, rarely venturing into the cultivation world, and acting in an extremely mysterious manner.
It is said that unless the world is in great chaos and war ravages the land, the successor of this lineage will not be born. Once born, the successor of this lineage will choose a wise ruler, stabilize the situation, and wholeheartedly assist him in ascending to the throne to quell the chaos in the world.
Legend has it that after Yu Lizi finished writing " The Cloud Sky Song," he revealed that the Great You Kingdom's reign would last less than three hundred years. Three hundred years later, the Spring-Autumn Great Calamity would arrive, and disasters would frequently occur in the world. From then on, the three laws would be tilted, and the human world would face six more calamities. Only when the Supreme True Dragon descends into the world can the universe be cleansed.
After speaking, Yu Lizi sighed, "The rise and fall of a generation depends on fate, and the vastness of destiny cannot be sought." He knew that Emperor You would be furious. After leaving the palace, he took off his official robes, placed them on a stone table in a waterside pavilion, and quietly left, disappearing without a trace.
If Yu Lizi hadn't left silently, the cultivation world wouldn't have realized that this seemingly powerless strategist and Grand Tutor of the Emperor You's army was actually a reclusive master from the Hemp-Robe Dao Palace lineage.
On the other hand, this rumor has spread widely among the people and has become a household name. People in the city also claim that the " Cloud Sky Song " is a prophecy, and that the song, in the form of prophecies, foretells the changes in the national power of the Great You Dynasty over the past three hundred years.
Fangjing recounted this story vividly, but whether " Cloud Sky Song " is a true story, or even if such a book actually exists, remains unknown.
Despite repeated denials from officials and the royal family of the Great You Dynasty, they could not stop busybodies from embellishing and spreading rumors. Even many ambitious individuals, rebel armies, and cults would fabricate prophecies from the " Cloud Sky Song " as a basis for declaring themselves emperors and rebelling.
Luo Jiuzhao did not believe in the prophecies and divination circulating in the marketplace, but there was also talk in the cultivation world about the Great You Dynasty's fate lasting only three hundred years. There were many extraordinary people in the cultivation world who were skilled in the Taiyi Divine Calculation and could predict the calamities of heaven and earth. Among them, several experts were not optimistic about the Great You Dynasty's national situation, saying that its national lifespan would hardly last three hundred years.
Three hundred years later, there will inevitably be a period of turmoil until the great calamity ends, and the chess players of heaven and earth will carefully place their pieces until the final battle.
Luo Jiuzhao was also filled with many thoughts. After being injured, his mind was restless and unsettled. He thought of the battle between his master White Cloud City Li Cangjue, and Jiang Lingxu. He also recalled his own serious injuries and the relentless pursuit of various forces. He wondered if he could get rid of the powerful enemies after entering the pass.
Just then, a voice rang out.
"Uncle, would you like something to eat...?"
Luo Jiuzhao raised his eyes and saw a young girl wearing a high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) distributing food to the people in the dilapidated temple.
"Thank you, Miss Qiu."
Luo Jiuzhao shared a piece of steamed bun with him and thanked him repeatedly. Because it aggravated his injuries, he couldn't help but cough a few times.
"Uncle, are you injured? Shall I go to my dad's to get you some medicine?"
The girl's surname was Miss Qiu. She was the only daughter of the leader of this traveling merchant caravan. She was very kind-hearted and often gave food to the refugees.
The merchant caravan itself didn't like the refugees, but upon entering the interior, they encountered bandits and brigands.
Wild beasts are manageable, but the most frightening thing is encountering man-eating monsters. Those monsters can Heavenly Escape into the earth, and even if the caravan hires skilled martial artists, they will find it difficult to withstand them.
However, most monsters do not specifically target large groups or populated areas; instead, they attack lone travelers.
The refugees following the caravan ensured that the caravan's members wouldn't be targeted by any monsters, so the caravan members turned a blind eye.
No, no, no.
Luo Jiuzhao waved his hand.
"Miss Qiu, I won't trouble you any further. My illness can't be cured with ordinary medicine, and it's just a dry cough, nothing serious. You can go and attend to your other matters!"
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing this, Miss Qiu looked at him with even more pity. Then, the girl took out a bag of dried meat wrapped in her sleeve and handed it to him.
"Then, uncle, have some dried meat. It'll help you recover."
No, that's not necessary.
Luo Jiuzhao was about to refuse when he saw the girl turn around and leave, heading towards the outside of the dilapidated temple. Just then, his eyebrows twitched, and then his ears twitched as he heard a series of rapid hoofbeats coming from outside the temple. With his exceptional hearing, he could tell that at least a hundred fine horses were galloping over from the northeast corner.
"You've come from Cloud-Seizing Stronghold of Big Stone Slope on business. Which side are you from? The person in charge, come out here!"
Upon hearing the voice, Luo Jiuzhao frowned immediately, knowing something was wrong; this was likely aimed at him.