Ku Bu Luohan

Zhou Yi took out the Eight Trigrams Magical Artifact he had acquired.

Magical Artifact: Corpse Suppressing Compass

Tier: 1

Description: A special Magical Artifact for controlling zombies. Silver Corpses and above risk going out of control.

Zhou Yi bit the tip of his tongue, pressed a drop of heart's blood onto the artifact, then refined it with True Essence.

In a hazy daze, a mysterious connection formed between Zhou Yi and the Arhat Silver Corpse.

No wonder Old Ancestor Tai Yin kept this artifact close. Its bond with the Silver Corpse ran too deep. Anyone who refined it could wrest control of the Silver Corpse from him.

At this moment, Old Ancestor Tai Yin's soul was no longer inside the Silver Corpse.

Zhou Yi activated the compass with True Essence, and the Silver Corpse shot into the sky from the courtyard, leaping more than a dozen zhang high.

Boom!

It crashed to the ground, smashing out a pit several zhang wide.

In terms of physical strength alone, zombies far surpassed humans. What was more, this corpse had once been a Buddhist Sect golden-bodied Arhat.

Its strength and defense were even greater than those of the demon race.

Roar!

The Silver Corpse let out a howl and spewed a mouthful of purple corpse qi.

A bizarre rockery in the courtyard vanished in an instant from corrosion, leaving behind a pool of purple-green corpse poison on the ground.

I wouldn't be a match for it in close combat. If I got hit by that corpse poison, I'd be crippled even if it didn't kill me!

Zhou Yi felt more and more that Old Ancestor Tai Yin had been quite a decent fellow.

He had delivered himself, delivered a Magical Artifact, and even delivered his corpse after dying.

The second day of the second month.

Dragon Raises Head.

Spring returned to the land, and all things came back to life.

Great Jing's capital, which had been stifled all winter, seemed to become lively overnight.

Daoists and Buddhist monks swaggered through the streets, drawing crowds of commoners. News of the Crown Prince choosing a teacher had already spread throughout the capital.

Many cultivators who loved pomp had the streets cleared and sprinkled with water, then blew their own horns about immortal deeds, luring countless foolish commoners to kneel and kowtow.

Old Ancestor Tai Yin had originally enjoyed such excitement as well. The more out of place someone was, the more they liked to make a spectacle of themselves and attract attention, taking the chance to flaunt the Heavenly Corpse Sect's might.

Zhou Yi refused outright and instead ordered them to keep a low profile.

However, the Heavenly Corpse Sect's strength lay entirely in corpse refinement. No matter how discreet they tried to be, dozens of Bronze Corpses would inevitably draw attention the moment they appeared.

They traveled all the way to the Eastern Palace.

Its vermilion walls and green tiles were extravagantly luxurious.

No one stopped Zhou Yi when he entered. The Imperial Guards trembled at the sight of the Bronze Corpses, looking as though they wanted nothing more than to flee with their heads in their hands. There was none of the bearing expected of imperial elite troops.

A group of monks ahead of them had arrived before the Heavenly Corpse Sect.

Their leader wore tattered clothes, walked barefoot with his eyes closed, and held prayer beads the size of eggs.

Yang Bai reported in a low voice, "Old Ancestor, this man is an ascetic monk from Biyun Temple. He is two generations senior even to its current abbot and is known as Ku Bu Luohan."

"To experience the utmost suffering of the mortal world, Ku Bu Luohan gouged out his eyes, pierced his eardrums, and swallowed charcoal to ruin his throat. He is a ruthless man!"

"Besides Biyun Temple, Puzhao Temple and Jinguang Temple have each sent two Guardian Arhats."

Guardian Arhat was the title given to Buddhist Sect cultivators who attained the Innate Realm and condensed a golden body, similar to the Daoist Innate True Person.

Buddhist Arhats leaned toward physical arts and secret spiritual techniques, while Innate True Persons excelled in spells, alchemy, and artifacts. Each had their own strengths.

The Heavenly Corpse Sect had long investigated the matter thoroughly. Among the Buddhist and Daoist masters seeking the position of Grand Tutor, there were seven who could rival their patriarch, Old Ancestor Tai Yin.

Five were from the Daoist Sect and three from the Buddhist Sect. Since Tai Yin himself had belonged to the Maoshan lineage, the Daoist Sect held an absolute advantage in this contest.

Ever since Pu Du Ci Hang had accepted the title of State Preceptor, the Buddhist Sect's momentum had soared. Buddhist temples were being built everywhere, squeezing out the Daoist Sect.

The Heavenly Corpse Sect was a newly risen top Daoist force, yet Pu Du Ci Hang had called it one of the Heretical Demonic Paths. Many small Daoist temples had been squeezed out until their lineages were severed.

"Jinguang Temple... do you know anything about Vajra Chan Master?"

More than sixty years ago, Zhou Yi had traveled through Jiangnan challenging martial arts masters. When he passed through Jinguang Temple, he had once exchanged blows with Vajra Chan Master.

His Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill had long since brought his physical body to flawless perfection. Once his spirit reached perfection as well, he would have been able to communicate with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy and temper his golden body.

"Forty years ago, Vajra Chan Master forcibly tried to break through to the Innate Grandmaster realm. He drew forth a heart demon and Entered Paradise."

Yang Bai had spent the entire previous night gathering every scrap of information on the Guo Bei Sword Saint and knew that Zhou Yi had known Vajra Chan Master.

"The one Jinguang Temple sent this time is Vajra Chan Master's master, Du E Luohan. Rumor has it that he is already over one hundred and forty years old..."

At the Innate Realm, the limit of one's lifespan was one hundred and fifty years.

Du E Luohan had fewer than ten years left to live.

"What exactly is the Buddhist Sect trying to do..."

Zhou Yi quickened his pace and caught up with the group from Puzhao Temple.

As he passed Ku Bu Luohan, a True Essence needle silently flew out in a sneak attack.

Ku Bu, who had been walking with his eyes closed, paused and reached out with one hand to catch the True Essence needle.

Clang!

The needle, capable of piercing gold and stone, left only a faint mark on Ku Bu's palm.

"Which fellow cultivator is this?"

Ku Bu's voice was extremely hoarse. Without listening carefully, one could hardly make out what he was saying.

A ripple of divine sense swept back and forth through the area before finally locking onto Zhou Yi and the Silver Corpse.

Zhou Yi stepped forward and said, "This humble Daoist is Tai Yin. I have long heard of Master Ku Bu's reputation. Seeing you today, I find it well deserved."

"You are not Tai Yin!"

Ku Bu shook his head. "This poor monk's heart tells me that you are someone else."

Zhou Yi froze, then immediately realized that the Buddhist Sect possessed such a divine ability.

"What a fine Buddha Heart. I hope I will have the chance to witness Master's other divine abilities and spells today."

With that, he turned and left.

That brief probe had already given Zhou Yi a clear measure of Ku Bu.

A monk beside him said, "Those are the Heretical Demonic Paths from the Heavenly Corpse Sect. Patriarch, there is no need to show them any courtesy. Master Pu Du has long wanted to eliminate them!"

Ku Bu shook his head and sighed.

"This man's foundation runs deep, and he cultivates orthodox Daoist teachings. I am no match for him."

More than thirty Buddhist and Daoist factions had come this time, large and small. Four to five hundred monks and Daoists gathered together, clearly divided into two camps.

Though the Heavenly Corpse Sect was unwelcome among the Daoist Sect, no one cared about that now amid this dispute of doctrines.

Old Ancestor Tai Yin's strength already stood at the pinnacle of the world.

The Eastern Palace was enormous, and Crown Prince Li Zhu had cleared more than a dozen palaces to receive the Buddhist and Daoist masters.

The Buddhist Sect occupied the east side and the Daoist Sect the west, though neither side was worried about a fight breaking out.

There was no need to go into detail about the lavish banquet held before the Magical Combat.

More than seventy people attended the main feast: the leaders and deputies of the various Buddhist and Daoist factions. Daoists made up seventy percent of them.

Crown Prince Li Zhu was only fourteen or fifteen years old, yet he already carried himself with the bearing of royalty.

During the banquet, the Buddhist and Daoist masters traded verbal barbs, perfectly demonstrating how to insult someone without using a single curse word.

Compared to Buddhist eminent monks, Daoist True Persons truly lacked skill with their tongues. Outnumbered seven to three, they were repeatedly left speechless, shouting that they would teach the others how to behave before trying to start a fight.

Li Zhu, seated at the head, always stepped in at the right moment to ease the tension, while verbally favoring the Daoist Sect.

If more than seventy genuine Buddhist and Daoist cultivators started fighting now, the Eastern Palace would be flattened on the spot.

They are all well past their fifties, and at the very least masters in their own right, yet their acting is painfully fake!

The ones arguing and shouting are all deputies, while every leader sits as steady as Mount Tai. Are they putting on this show for the Crown Prince, or for someone else...

Zhou Yi glanced behind the screen in the banquet hall, where a mass of majestic energy lay concealed.

Great Jing's Dragon Qi, the Imperial Dynasty's Fortune!

The moment Zhou Yi's divine sense touched it, it felt as though he were being scorched by flames.

"With Dragon Qi still protecting the body, all evil is repelled. It seems Great Jing still has a few years of imperial fate left."

My head hurt, and I was writing extremely slowly.

I have sorted out the later plot. I hope I can write something different instead of simply following the plot along.

Only two chapters today. I am going to sleep early.

At least three updates tomorrow.

I have received the contract notification, so you can invest with peace of mind~

Thank you for your support, dear readers.