Heavenly Corpse Art

In ancient times, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was abundant, and all kinds of cultivation methods flourished across the land of Shenzhou. The Spirit Guiding Technique had been passed down from Maoshan, one of the nine great sects of antiquity. It was said to have been created by a Maoshan disciple, and in that era, it was considered an extremely powerful cultivation method. Of course, the Spirit Guiding Technique back then was nothing like the one Chu Xiaotian had now.

In those days, Spirit Guiders not only mastered the Talisman Art that Chu Xiaotian knew, but also possessed a genuine cultivation method called the Heavenly Corpse Art. This cultivation technique absorbed the yin baleful energy between heaven and earth to strengthen the body. Spirit Guiders dealt with corpses year-round, so it was inevitable they would encounter powerful beings such as thousand-year-old zombies. Besides absorbing the yin baleful energy of heaven and earth, the Corpse Poison inside zombies was also an excellent source of cultivation energy for them. After all, just hearing the name Heavenly Corpse Art was enough to tell that this technique had a deep connection to zombies.

Spirit Guiders in ancient times did not avoid zombies; on the contrary, they sought them out with all their might, using the Heavenly Corpse Art to draw out the corpse energy within them and put it to their own use. They could also use the technique to control zombies and make them fight for them. Spirit Guiders who cultivated the Heavenly Corpse Art usually relied on the Talisman Art to dominate their foes, but when great battles came, they would transform into zombie forms and slaughter their enemies with their terrifying bodies and the potent Corpse Poison within them, leaving every foe trembling in fear.

However, their cultivation method took an unorthodox path, and those who practiced it were mostly reclusive and eccentric. They were also prone to cultivation deviation, when the yin baleful energy within them would corrode their minds and turn them into mindless fiends who knew only slaughter. Some were even utterly destroyed by the frigid corpse energy within them, their bodies and souls wiped from existence. As a result, Spirit Guiders were unpopular in that era. Many hidebound sects regarded them as heretics and constantly clamored to vanquish demons and exterminate evil, hunting them down wherever they went. This made it difficult for the Spirit Guiders to truly integrate into that world. If their ranks had not included so many powerful experts, they might even have been wiped out. With no other choice, the Spirit Guiders withdrew into remote mountain forests and lived lives of secluded cultivation, almost cut off from the world.

The village where Chu Xiaotian and the others lived had once been a refuge for the powerful members of that lineage. The Spirit Guiding Technique had been passed down from generation to generation in that region. But as heaven and earth underwent great changes and spiritual energy dwindled, the Spirit Guiding Technique, like other cultivation methods, fell into decline, leaving behind only a few rudimentary arts.

Chu Xiaotian's ancestors had also acquired the Spirit Guiding Technique from someone else, and it had been passed down through their family ever since. But without a genuine cultivation method or spiritual energy from heaven and earth, all they could do was rely on a few rudimentary techniques from the Spirit Guiding Technique to scrape by.

The Jade Pendant around Chu Xiaotian's neck contained the origins of the Spirit Guiding lineage, along with the cultivation method for the Heavenly Corpse Art. Since the pendant had been acquired by chance, none of Chu Xiaotian's ancestors had ever learned what it was for, despite it being passed down for so many years. Only when it reached Chu Xiaotian had a string of coincidences finally unlocked its secrets. The pendant also contained runes imprinted by experts from the ancient Spirit Guiding lineage, which was why it could suppress the Corpse Poison in Chu Xiaotian's body.

When Chu Xiaotian learned that the pendant contained a cultivation method that used Corpse Poison as its catalyst, he was so excited he nearly fainted. In this world, filled with experts, the thing he wanted most was a genuine cultivation method. But with the Corpse Poison running rampant inside him, he could not cultivate any other technique. Just as he was nearing despair, he had suddenly obtained a method tailor-made for him. One could only imagine how he felt.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Xiaotian suppressed his excitement and began studying the Heavenly Corpse Art in earnest.

The Heavenly Corpse Art was far more difficult to cultivate than the Mad Battle Blade Art he had seen before. One careless mistake could cost him his life.

At the very beginning of cultivation, this technique required one to absorb a trace of frigid Corpse Poison into the body and keep it under control so it could not cause harm. After that, one had to keep absorbing the frigid energy of heaven and earth to strengthen the Corpse Poison. But for a beginner, even a trace of Corpse Poison could send them to an early grave. What was more, obtaining even that tiny trace was no easy matter. A careless encounter with a thousand-year-old zombie, and it would all be over. Zombies were not easy to deal with.

For Chu Xiaotian, however, Corpse Poison was no problem at all. His body already contained a vast amount of it. All he had to do now was control the Corpse Poison within him so that it could no longer harm him. Then he could absorb the frigid spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen it.

At the thought that he would soon be able to control the Corpse Poison within him, Chu Xiaotian was so excited he could hardly contain himself. His body even trembled a little. This had been a thorn in his side for so long. Without reading further, he merely skimmed the rest of the Heavenly Corpse Art, put the Jade Pendant away again, and immediately began cultivating according to the first-layer method described in the text.

The Heavenly Corpse Art had nine layers: Purple Corpse, Green Corpse, White Corpse, Black Corpse, Flying Corpse, Armored Corpse, Pill Corpse, Heavenly Corpse, and Undying Heavenly Corpse. Upon reaching each level, the cultivator could transform into a zombie of that rank and gain its abilities. Although they took on zombie forms, they were not actually zombies. They remained human, with their minds fully intact.

Chu Xiaotian had yet to control the Corpse Poison in his body, so he could not even be considered a beginner in the Heavenly Corpse Art, let alone transform into one of its zombies. Still, when the Corpse Poison in his body erupted, the purple-and-black zombie he transformed into was already extremely powerful. Of course, if he could master the first layer of the Heavenly Corpse Art and become a true Purple Corpse, he would be even stronger.

Cultivating the Heavenly Corpse Art was much like cultivating in the Moon-Refining Continent. The first layer, the Purple Corpse stage, also involved drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to temper the body. The difference was that this method could only use the frigid energy of heaven and earth.

Chu Xiaotian collected himself and focused inward, searching for the Corpse Poison hidden in his body. Though it lay within him, he had never known where it was concealed. Now that he wanted to cultivate the Heavenly Corpse Art, his first task was to find the corpse energy inside himself and bring it under control.

The human body might seem small, but searching within it for corpse energy with one's mind was no simple task. However, the Heavenly Corpse Art was a technique specifically designed to cultivate corpse energy, and it had a special method for locating the energy hidden deep within the body. Following the instructions in the Heavenly Corpse Art, Chu Xiaotian took a deep breath but did not exhale. At the same time, he slowly moved his body in a special rhythm described in the text.

Anyone could hold their breath for a short while. Moving the body in that rhythm, however, was extremely difficult. It was no easy feat for an ordinary person. And having to hold one's breath while moving that way made it even harder. The first time Chu Xiaotian tried, he managed only to take a deep breath and move his body once before he could not make the next movement.

This was normal, and Chu Xiaotian did not mind. Without hesitation, he tried again. But the result was exactly the same as before; he still could not manage anything. The third attempt ended the same way, and so did every attempt up to the tenth. Nothing changed. By then, Chu Xiaotian was starting to feel discouraged.

"Heavens, don't tell me I was never meant to cultivate in this life." Chu Xiaotian frowned and muttered to himself, deeply worried that he had made no progress after so many tries. Heaven was busy and had no time to answer him. Nothing stirred between heaven and earth.

"I refuse to believe that someone as clever as me can't succeed at cultivating!" After a moment of worry, Chu Xiaotian rallied his spirits and started practicing the method again.

Time flew by. Before he knew it, an hour had passed. In that hour, Chu Xiaotian had practiced the method more than two hundred times, but he had not succeeded even once. He was so frustrated he wanted to bang his head against the wall. But when he thought of the powerful strength he would gain if he could control the Corpse Poison in his body, he forced himself to calm down and continue cultivating the Heavenly Corpse Art.

Another half hour passed, and Chu Xiaotian finally made some progress: he could now complete half of the movements. At the same time, he could feel the Corpse Poison in his body beginning to stir. This reaction filled him with excitement. In high spirits, he almost hummed a tune as he practiced.

Two hours passed in a flash. At last, a relieved smile spread across Chu Xiaotian's face. He could now complete all the movements.

He could finally sense a trace of the Corpse Poison suppressed within him. But when he tried to control it, the frigid, vicious corpse energy nearly shattered his mind. The baleful energy lurking within it made his breathing quicken. Fortunately, the Jade Pendant was with him. At that critical moment, it suppressed the Corpse Poison once again, saving him from being consumed by it.