A Legitimate Death

The radiant light of the mental power gained from practicing the Heart Sutra illuminated the surroundings, making Zhang Xuezhou feel as if he had returned home after entering the mausoleum.

He was already very familiar with Yangling, and with the light, he easily crossed several minefields.

I don't like seeing you at all!

Like a statue guarding the house, the flying zombie quietly lay on the Sima Gate tower outside the palace, absorbing the corpse's Sha Qi to cultivate.

The peace was broken as Shi Wudao, who was controlling the flying zombies, spoke in a low voice.

Without needing to guess, he knew perfectly well that Zhang Xuezhou had gotten into trouble and was seeking refuge there.

"I don't like seeing you either," Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, "You'd better hurry back inside and bring His Emperor Jing back to his senses!"

"Young people these days have no manners at all!"

Shi Wudao muttered something, but he didn't recklessly attack Zhang Xuezhou. After all, Zhang Xuezhou and his group controlled the imperial tombs and possessed the Southern Brightness Fire Technique, and the risks of antagonizing them were too high.

After giving a reprimand, the lying-down flying zombie slowly stood up.

"I've brought your enemy to the entrance of the tomb. Do you want to take advantage of the terrain and stab him?"

Zhang Xuezhou got straight to the point.

Although he came seeking help, Zhang Xuezhou's words sounded more like he was giving Emperor Jing a chance for revenge.

"Has Zhu Jiuyin arrived?" Emperor Jing asked in a deep voice.

"Nine Spirits is here," Zhang Xuezhou said briefly.

"Nine Spirits are not my enemies," Emperor Jing said, shaking his head.

"If you don't stab Nine Spirits Primal Sage your sword and make him hold a grudge, you can forget about ever seeing Zhu Jiuyin come here to avenge Nine Spirits!"

Zhang Xuezhou briefly explained the connection, but Emperor Jing did not respond.

Just as he was about to assume that Emperor Jing had lost his ability to reason after turning into a flying zombie, he heard Shi Wudao's eerie voice.

"Liu Qi is not qualified to use that sword. He burns himself when he wields it, and with each strike, half of him dissipates," Shi Wudao sighed. "Moreover, that sword seems to have some flaws; its current power is limited, not the invincible power Liu Qi imagined!"

"Then you should try to persuade him. If he doesn't die, how will you have a chance to control the flying zombie's body?" Zhang Xuezhou said.

"You... you little brat, you really have a vicious heart, but what you said is true. I really do need to advise Liu Qi, and I will cooperate with him in drawing his sword. Liu Qi? Liu Qi? Qi Zi? Little Qi? A tyrant..."

Shi Wudao kept muttering to himself, clearly hoping that Emperor Jing would die soon.

"Once you leave Yangling, your strength won't make any waves. You're trying to gather your strength to Zhu Jiuyin's fate in one blow, but you'll hardly ever see that opportunity in your lifetime," Zhang Xuezhou advised.

"Did Zhu Jiuyin really not come?" Emperor Jing finally asked.

"You can go and check it out for yourself!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand, while Emperor Jing remained silent.

Having fallen to such a state, his life had lost its meaning; it was more a stubborn resentment that kept him willing to live in this dark and hopeless place.

He was not a corpse cultivator like Shi Wudao, and therefore found it difficult to accept this form of himself.

If he could fulfill his long-cherished wish, he would have no fear of death whatsoever.

However, the Nine Spirits Primal Sage was indeed not on Emperor Jing's list of targets for revenge.

"If I don't help you now, will you give up on this place later?" Emperor Jing asked after a few seconds of silence.

"This isn't a matter of me giving up. I'm being blocked by Nine Spirits Primal Sage. He'll either kill me or imprison me for life. Even if I wanted to cooperate with you in the future, I'd be powerless to do so!"

Zhang Xuezhou shrugged, indicating that his situation was not good.

His words made Emperor Jing think for a few more seconds. He stood up, leaped forward, and then disappeared into the darkness.

"I still have the sword!"

Zhang Xuezhou reached out and grabbed the Red Empyrean Sword, letting out a shout before quickly chasing after it.

He had fought with the flying zombie before and knew its strength very well.

Without the Red Empyrean Sword, Zhang Xuezhou thought the flying zombie would be slapped away by the Nine Spirits Primal Sage.

As he continued forward, heading towards the entrance of the tomb passage, Zhang Xuezhou felt the hilt of the Red Empyrean Sword slip from his grasp, and there was no trace of the Red Empyrean Sword left in his hand.

A painful roar came from the entrance of the stone gate, and Zhang Xuezhou felt as if he were encountering the power of the Moo Lan released by Zhao Tianhua.

As he plummeted and regained his footing, he saw dust and bluestone falling from the tomb. Cracks appeared in the half-person-high infantry terracotta warriors around him, and they all collapsed. The traps and hidden weapons set up by the cavalry terracotta warriors flew around in a flurry. Numerous terracotta dogs and pigs grunted and cracked, their sounds like a cacophony of human voices mixed with the barking of chickens and dogs amidst the roars of the Nine Spirits Primal Sage. The means that had once prevented cultivators from exploring the Yangling Mausoleum were destroyed almost instantly.

"It's really unpleasant to encounter loud voices in such enclosed areas!"

Zhang Xuezhou took two steps back and only found peace after blocking his ears.

His physical body technique was already highly advanced, just one step away from perfection, yet his body still felt extremely uncomfortable when subjected to such an impact.

If he hadn't improved his physical body techniques, he probably would have needed to use the Nine Revolutions Qi Harmony Technique to save his life.

"Save your life?"

As soon as he thought about it, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but lie down along with the terracotta figure.

"This is it! I thought Wu Jin couldn't take it anymore and came out. I wasn't on guard at all, but this white-haired zombie popped out and poked me like that. It even poked a hole in my bone!"

"Ninth Master, stop tearing it apart! You've already chopped this zombie into eight pieces. Let's hurry up and find the Wu Jin!"

"There's no other way. Even I couldn't withstand that Nine Springs Roar. Wu Jin must have been killed by my demonic Divine Ability!"

Using the Grain Avoidance Instruction to shield his breathing and the life force of his body, Zhang Xuezhou calmed down in just a moment. He then heard the conversation between Nine Spirits Primal Sage and Hongku, and also learned about the fate of the flying zombie who ambushed Nine Spirits Primal Sage.

"The Sha Qi of corpses in this place is too strong!"

"This stinking thing, ugh, I really can't stand it anymore. I tried asking for help, and now I'm injured and have been unwittingly tainted by the corpse's Sha Qi. I'm afraid I'll have to cut off my skin and flesh to avoid further trouble. This mess shouldn't have been my responsibility!"

Hongku took a few steps, but couldn't withstand the corpse Sha Qi and retreated. Nine Spirits Primal Sage abandoned the flying zombie's corpse and then ran away like the wind.

Zhang Xuezhou felt the Nine Spirits Primal Sage's body, filled with azure Yao Qi, rush past him. After a quick inspection, the creature continued to run out of the messy tomb.

"Wu Jin must have been killed by the Sha Qi and then dissolved into nothingness by the corpse energy. I didn't sense any living beings along the way," Nine Spirits Primal Sage muttered. "After I shouted that, those little things should have reacted even if they were far away. Can you hear them starting to ring the bell? I'm injured and need to leave here immediately to avoid running into Li Shaojun and being unable to handle him. Don't ride on my back this time; ride back on your own!"

After giving a brief instruction, Nine Spirits Primal Sage muttered a few more curses before the demonic wind whipped up and howled away quickly.

"Dongfang Shuo? Dongfang Shuo?"

At the entrance to the tomb, Hongku called out urgently several times.

When he found there was no response, he started calculating with his fingers again, and then couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

"You're usually incredibly clever, so how did you choose such a deadly path? Even going back to Chang'an City to find Li Shaojun would have been better than dying here..."

The sound gradually faded away, Hongku had obviously had to leave quickly because Yangling had entered a patrol area.

"So, I died legally?"

Only after the sound disappeared did Zhang Xuezhou stand up.

With the Nine Spirits Primal Sage, this death certification should have resolved all grudges.

If he didn't wander around aimlessly, Zhang Xuezhou felt that Daojun would most likely not seek revenge on him.

"He died such a tragic death, what a pity for His Majesty Emperor Jing!"

Returning along the same route, Zhang Xuezhou looked at the torn and mangled remains of the flying zombie and couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow.

"You only pity Liu Qi, not me?"

Only when a weak voice came from the head of the flying zombie whose jaw had been broken did Zhang Xuezhou's face show astonishment.

You're alive again?

"I'm used to being dead!"

Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise, while Shi Wudao was used to his own death.

He died again, but came back to life.