The Ministers of the Imperial Court

Inside the Weiyang Palace.

The new emperor sat on the dragon throne, gazing calmly ahead.

On either side stood several civil officials holding bamboo slips, scrolls, and tokens, their faces solemn.

Li Guang and Cheng Bushi at the entrance of the Weiyang Palace.

Li Guang, bow in hand, gazed into the distance, while Cheng Bushi stood in front, sword in hand, blocking their path. Meanwhile, the Imperial Guards and some dark, shadowy figures engaged in fierce combat.

Occasionally, someone might become overly tainted by the corpse energy or die during a fierce battle. In such cases, the opponent would be quickly carried away and their body would be firmly bound with ropes or other objects.

In some areas where precautions were not taken, some guards and palace maids were corrupted by the corpse energy and turned into zombies. They possessed immense strength and were unafraid of the pain of death and being hacked and slashed, causing considerable chaos.

"Your Majesty, the Corpse-Emperor School's Corpse-Wandering Path has already been wiped out once..."

"We need to wipe them out again!"

When his ministers spoke up, the new emperor responded calmly.

This was a school of thought that Emperor Jing suppressed during his reign. Normally, a school of thought would disintegrate after being suppressed, but the Shi Jiao School was an exception.

This is a school of thought that exists between life and death. When one cultivates to a high level, one can be born as a human and die as a ghost, possessing the ability to live in both lives.

When the imperial court suppressed the Corpse-Eating School, the school's leader was seriously injured and fled. The ineffective pursuit allowed the enemy to make a comeback.

Some officials were puzzled, but the new emperor had been given many instructions by Emperor Jing and was well aware of the truth behind it.

However, the new emperor did not emphasize Emperor Jing's original words.

He needs to gradually eliminate the influence of the previous generation, rather than reinforcing it, so that his ministers constantly follow the old ways.

"Imperial Censor, can you discern the true form of that Corpse-Destroying Dao?" the new emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, it is sufficient for us to hold the Weiyang Palace. Once daybreak, Shi Wudao will surely find it difficult to conceal his true form and will be forced to retreat!"

When the new emperor asked a question, an old minister stepped forward in the court, holding a token.

His response was clearly extremely conservative, even irrelevant, which caused the new emperor to frown slightly.

"What do you think, Prime Minister Wei?" the new emperor asked again.

"Your Majesty," Chancellor Wei Wan replied, "I believe the Imperial Censor is right. Once it gets a little brighter, Shi Wudao will find it difficult to hide and we will be able to discover his hiding place."

"Lord Wei Qi, what do you think?"

The new emperor frowned and asked again.

"Your Majesty," said Wei Qihou Dou Ying, stepping forward, "That Corpse-Isolating Dao was previously at the Sole Self Realm, his Technique Method extremely strange. Now that he has become an inanimate object, he is even more troublesome. We do not know his methods, so a more conservative strategy would be to stay at the Weiyang Palace!"

"What about being more radical?" the new emperor asked.

"A more radical approach would be to capture a zombie as the source and fight against the Corpse-Destroying Path to determine its location," said Wei Qihou Dou Ying.

Why doesn't anyone engage in magical duels?

"This kind of combat will inevitably be tainted by the aura of corpses, causing physical ailments. And by using our weaknesses to attack their strengths, we are bound to lose. We might even die before we even pinpoint the location of the Corpseless One!"

"Oh!"

The new emperor responded with a low murmur.

This is a job that risks your life, so it's no surprise that nobody wants to do it.

No one volunteered, and the new emperor couldn't force anyone to die.

Emperor Jing repeatedly lamented the lack of capable officials and the need for a new emperor to cultivate trusted confidants, which illustrates this point.

If they had even one or two true confidants, these people, even if they didn't lead by example, would certainly not be as corrupt as the current court.

As long as someone steps forward with radical ideas, a herd mentality will inevitably form, leading the other officials to act like wolves and tigers.

However, Prime Minister Wei Wan and Imperial Censor Bu Ning were conservative in their conduct, making it difficult for others to gain the respect of the masses, even if they had the intention.

The new emperor understood this, and therefore stopped pressuring the people in the court.

"Your Majesty, Confucian School scholars are learned. If someone were knowledgeable about the teachings of the Corpse-Emperor School, perhaps finding out about Corpse-Impure Dao wouldn't be so difficult!"

"Whom did you recommend, Marquis of Wu'an?"

"Zhao Wan, Wang Zang, and Dong Zhongshu happen to be keeping vigil for the late emperor at this time, so it's convenient to summon them!"

One person stepped forward in the court and began to recommend cultivators, sometimes even recommending three in a row.

"Xu, go to the inner palace and summon Zhao Wan, Wang Zang, and Dong Zhongshu!"

The new emperor nodded, indicating that the matter was feasible.

Regardless of whether we can deal with the ruthless corpse, it's fine to send someone to inquire.

He didn't bother with the expressions on the faces of Chancellor Wei Wan and Imperial Censor Bu Ning, and directly announced that Zhao Wan and the others should come to court.

The call from within the Weiyang Palace had barely faded when, just moments later, extremely hurried footsteps echoed outside the palace.

Cheng Bushi and Li Guang, who were guarding the entrance to the Weiyang Palace, exchanged a glance, then each took a step back, tacitly allowing the three to enter the palace.

"If we can find Shi Wudao, then everything will depend on Brother Li's methods," Cheng Bushi, raising his hand.

"As long as you can keep those demons and monsters at bay, you can leave the shooting to me!"

Li Guang nodded.

While the Corpse-like School isn't particularly strong at one-on-one combat, its ability to disrupt and pester opponents is truly formidable.

Without a target, no matter how skilled he is with his archery, he cannot find a place to land.

If these three great Confucian School could find Shi Wudao's hiding place, they would obviously be able to launch an accurate attack.

"I hate opponents who hide and scheme!"

Li Guang pondered the corpse-less path and couldn't help but think of the demons and monsters in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Those demons and monsters weren't difficult to kill; the difficulty lay in finding them.

He also hoped to find a sufficient opportunity to strike a fatal blow and resolve the corresponding troubles.

Just like how they are dealing with Corpseless Dao now.

Li Guang held a red-tipped arrow in his left hand, his gaze sweeping over everything around the Weiyang Palace.

The darkness concealed everything, and even the brightly lit palace could not illuminate every corner, providing the enemy with an excellent opportunity to hide.

Li Guang's gaze was fixed on every inch of darkness.

But this remarkable result disappointed him.

No matter how sharp his eyes were, or how sensitive his senses were, he couldn't tell that the other party was not an ordinary person.

Aside from the aura of death, it's difficult to find anything else on this dead creature.

Meanwhile, funerals were still being held in the palace area. After being guided by the other party to cast a spell, the most abundant thing was the aura of corpses, which perfectly concealed the other party.

"Bring the body in!"

Only after the order was given from within the Weiyang Palace did Li Guang wave to the guards dozens of meters away, ordering them to carry a corpse, tainted with the aura of death, to the Weiyang Palace.

"Brother Li, it's one thing for the corpse energy to linger outside the hall, but is it really appropriate for us to let something carrying this source of corpse energy into the hall?" Cheng Bushi said in a low voice.

"Even in the worst-case scenario, Weiyang Palace is still guarded by the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers, and twelve Grand Cultivators," Li Guang said. "If that Corpse-Impure Dao dares to infiltrate Weiyang Palace using this method, as long as they can restrain him even slightly, I can shoot him to pieces with a single arrow!"

"Fine!"

Seeing Li Guang's confidence, Cheng Bushi did not try to stop him.

Performing magic to trace the origins within the palace is risky, but it also ensures the safety of Zhao Wan, Wang Zang, and Dong Zhongshu to the greatest extent possible.

"Heaven and Earth are boundless, Yin and Yang borrow their power!"

The sound of Zhao Wan casting a spell Cheng Bushi Bushi's gaze swept across the main hall, then continued to scan every corner outside the hall.

"You dare to embarrass yourself by showing off your rudimentary knowledge!"

A sinister voice drifted through the air, expressing utter disdain for Zhao Wan's spell to trace the source.

Zhao Wan, inside the main hall, shouted loudly. As her Law Power was drawn outwards, the corpse that had been moved in as a medium for casting spells rapidly swelled up.

Seconds later, the body exploded with a loud bang.