"Such dense Yin energy! So this is a place where Yin energy gathers. No wonder that zombie chose this place to hide, and its strength increased so much in just a few days!"
Jiang Liu went inside to investigate. It was dark and damp, with many passageways, like an underground palace. Rats scurried by from time to time and then quickly disappeared into the darkness. Jiang Liu's eyesight was extremely sharp, and he could see the darkness as if it were daytime. He walked slowly through the room, looking around. He saw many bricks on the ground and traces of human excavation.
"It doesn't look like a tomb! If someone were buried here, they would become a zombie in a few years. So this is a place for refining corpses. Someone has refined corpses here! And it's been quite a few years, otherwise such a dense yin energy wouldn't have accumulated again." Jiang Liu thought for a moment and immediately guessed seven or eight parts of the reason.
It should be noted that even the reputable Maoshan sect uses zombies for its own purposes, so naturally, those evil sects also have the art of zombie refining. In order to obtain powerful strength, they even specifically seek out extremely yin and yin-gathering places, and then kill people to refine corpses, all in order to create powerful zombies.
However, while places where Yin energy gathers are not as rare as blessed lands, they are not common either, and they cannot be used continuously. After all, even places where Yin energy gathers have a limited amount of Yin energy to collect, and once a large amount is consumed, it takes a long time to recover.
More importantly, this is a world in the Dharma-ending Age, where the Dao and its teachings are waning. While renowned sects in famous mountains and rivers can still ensure the continuation of their lineages, smaller sects and solitary practitioners are prone to losing their traditions at the slightest mishap. Therefore, it is normal for this cave to remain empty.
"Heaven is helping me!"
Jiang Liu had already gained some skill in the Maoshan corpse-refining technique, and was just waiting for Old Master Ren to come to him so he could subdue and communicate with the spirits. Unexpectedly, he discovered another place where Yin energy gathers—truly a stroke of luck!
Logically speaking, the zombie that Old Master Ren transformed into during the Dragonfly Pointing Technique should be a naturally formed hairy zombie. But in reality, wasn't he also an armored zombie created by the feng shui master? It's just that the feng shui master didn't use any spirit-communicating magic on Old Master Ren and didn't make him his own, so he can only be considered a half-finished product.
However, this half-finished product is already very powerful. Killing Ren Fa to settle the karma will greatly increase his strength. If he were to kill Ren Tingting, his ferocity would increase even more and his strength would double.
Unfortunately, Jiang Liu couldn't bring himself to kill Ren Tingting.
After killing the chimpanzee, Jiang Liu meditated and cultivated in the cave, waiting for the zombies to arrive.
After cultivating in the cave for three days, just as dawn broke, Jiang Liu heard a commotion outside. He was overjoyed and thought to himself, "You've finally arrived."
Upon exiting the cave, they saw the zombie stiffly hopping and skipping towards the Yin-gathering area. Its Qing Dynasty official robe was tattered, indicating that it had been seriously injured by Uncle Nine.
Jiang Liu chuckled and affixed a Great General Talisman to the zombie's forehead. This talisman, drawn from his own life essence, was far more powerful than ordinary talismans. Even so, the zombie struggled desperately to break free. Jiang Liu snorted coldly and pressed the Thunder Tribulation Sword down on the zombie, finally subduing it.
"It really is a fierce corpse. The Dragonfly Touch technique is so effective. It's a naturally armored corpse! But it's a good deal for me..."
This zombie has been cultivating in the Dragonfly Point for twenty years, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon day by day. It is only waiting for an opportunity to transform into an armored zombie. Moreover, the zombie has already achieved this opportunity. After consuming Ren Fa's blood, it has begun to transform into an armored zombie.
The yin energy in a place where yin energy gathers shortens the transformation process to just a few days.
What Jiang Liu needs to do is use the spiritual energy contained in the spirit stones from the Journey to the West world to further strengthen the zombies, thereby achieving the strength of the Copper Armored Corpse.
This process was much more difficult than Jiang Liu had imagined. If it weren't for the support of spirit stones and Xuan Yuan pills, Jiang Liu might not have been able to refine this armored corpse.
Persistence pays off. The refining process is complete, and we've finally reached the crucial stage of spiritual communication! Once this stage is over, the zombie will be completely under his control. He can decide the zombie's life or death with a single thought, command it to fight, or even make it commit suicide.
Jiang Liu spat out a mouthful of blood essence towards the armored corpse, chanting a mysterious incantation, and then roared "Snatch!" The armored corpse let out a wolf-like howl, and then countless runes flashed in its blood-red eyes before gradually returning to calm.
Chapter Twelve: Return
"Bang bang bang!"
Uncle Nine tapped the zombie's body with his palm. A crisp metallic clang echoed from its bronze skin. Aside from that, it was almost perfectly normal, moving and running without any apparent abnormalities. Only its eyes were dull and lifeless. Uncle Nine circled the bronze-armored zombie several times and said, "Is this the bronze-armored zombie? Its defensive power is indeed astonishing. If it breaks free from your control, probably no one in all of Guangdong could suppress it. I estimate that even cannons might not be able to kill it."
Jiang Liu's face was somewhat pale. To help the Ironclad Corpse advance, he had worked tirelessly for seven consecutive days without sleep, finally unlocking all of the zombie's potential and bringing it to the Bronze-Armor Corpse realm. Further evolution would be very difficult. After all, this zombie was merely an ordinary person transformed from a low-magic, Dharma-ending world. Although it was the big boss in "Mr. Vampire," it was simply no match for the gods and Buddhas of Journey to the West.
After all, it's just a bronze-armored corpse. Although it has a bronze head and iron bones and a strength of a thousand pounds, it doesn't have any supernatural powers or spells to protect it. If it encounters a Qi cultivator who has achieved success in cultivation, it can only be slaughtered. But it's still pretty good as a meat shield.
Although exhausted, Jiang Liu was filled with the joy of success. If the Qingming evil path dared to come, with the copper-armored corpse as a meat shield and the thunder magic, Jiang Liu would have a slight ability to protect himself.
“Unless I die, it cannot escape my control! Uncle Jiu, I’ve come here to say goodbye…” Jiang Liu said, the time had come when he had to leave. He had a feeling that tonight was the time to leave this world.
"You're leaving? That makes sense, this small place can't keep you here!" Uncle Nine sighed.
"Ninth Uncle, this is a Blood Qi Pill and a spirit stone. I hope they will be of use to you! Don't give them away!" After Jiang Liu finished speaking, he strode away and disappeared into the night along with the bronze-armored corpse.
Unlike the fear and anxiety he felt when he first arrived in this world, Jiang Liu now has a sliver of confidence: confidence to survive in the Journey to the West world, confidence to avenge his master, and confidence to pass on the traditions of the Hidden Dragon Temple.
"There are still half of the spirit stones in the spiritual vein, enough to open another dimensional passage. Just to be on the safe side, I'll travel through it again. I have a feeling that the Azure Nether Evil Path is not someone who can be easily fooled."
"If I had enough time, I could have explored this world: the witchcraft of western Sichuan, the Taoist practices of Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi, the Onmyōdō of Japan, the Buddhism of Shaolin, the Christianity of the West... It's such a pity! However, to have obtained the true teachings of Maoshan in talisman-making and corpse-refining techniques is already a huge gain!"
As Jiang Liu sighed, an even darker bronze gate appeared in the darkness. Upon contact, one was immediately swallowed by darkness, the view before them unfathomably deep, seemingly piercing the mysteries of space and time. Turning to look back, there was only inky darkness; looking forward, it was still as inky as darkness.
The space, as black as ink, churned incessantly, as if a colossal beast were about to emerge from the darkness. As time passed, a deep crimson hue gradually crept into the darkness, possessing a captivating and mesmerizing allure.
Just then, Jiang Liu suddenly noticed a dazzling color appear before his eyes, but it was shrouded in a hazy, light mist. At first, he thought he was seeing things, but after shaking his head, he realized that it was indeed the spiritual vein beneath Qianlong Temple.
A strange power flowed through his body, and he could clearly feel a vast will gently yet resolutely enveloping him, severing all the intricate connections he had with the other world.
Meanwhile, in a very distant place, a vast and familiar presence began to resonate with him.
Then, in utter shock, Jiang Liu felt a tremendous suction force pull him in, as if he had been drawn into a vortex. He became dizzy and disoriented, and then simply lost consciousness completely!
When he opened his eyes, the bronze-armored corpse stood beside him like an iron tower. Looking around, he realized he was indeed in the spiritual vein.
After meditating and restoring his energy, Jiang Liu let out a soft exclamation, his face beaming with joy: "I didn't expect my cultivation level to break through, reaching the second level of Refining Essence into Qi!"
"And it even created a storage space, although it's only one cubic meter in size, but it's better than nothing!"
Jiang Liu (Qi Cultivator)
[Cultivation Level: Second Stage of Refining Essence into Qi]
【Taoist Method: Thunder Method (Entering the Inner Chamber): Using thunder and lightning talismans to perform the Nine Heavens Thunder Orthodox Method, it has many flaws, but it can suppress all evil spirits and break all evil.
Purification Mantra (Entering the Inner Chamber): Cleanse the body with the sun and refine the form with the moon, so that the physical body reaches the acquired state;
Maoshan Corpse Refining Technique (Advanced Level): Copper-armored Corpse, with copper skin and iron bones, possessing strength of a thousand catties;
Maoshan Talismans (Comprehensive Understanding): Great General Corpse-Suppressing Talisman, Zhang Tianshi's General Talisman for Suppressing All Evil Spirits, Qilin Talisman, Thunder and Lightning Talisman
[Martial Arts: Acquired Realm, lacking mastery of the methods for circulating qi and blood, and generating power]
[Equipment: Peach wood sword, one Profound Essence Pill, two Blood Qi Pills, one Soul Nourishing Pill, one Soul Jade]
"This strength is not enough! That Qingming evil path cultivator is at the fifth level of the Refining Essence into Qi realm, and has cultivated on the Ghost Path for decades, plus the treasure White Bone Banner. I am definitely no match for him with my current strength!"
Jiang Liu prepared to continue absorbing spirit stones to increase his strength, but the mechanical voice in his ear issued a series of warnings.
"Warning! Warning! Your soul power is insufficient. If you force your way through, your three souls and seven spirits will be damaged. Please choose carefully..."
"Notification: Soul Jade detected, absorbing soul power!!"
"Warning: The soul power contained in the Soul Jade is insufficient to break through the Heavenly Dao Barrier!"
"Warning: Transmigration will lead to unpredictable consequences... Preliminary estimates suggest a high probability of entering a world devoid of spiritual energy!"
"Fine! It seems that opening the bronze gate not only requires immense energy, but also the extraction of my soul power to break through the so-called Heavenly Dao Barrier. The Heavenly Dao Barrier must be the so-called Gaia consciousness, the Orochi consciousness!"
Since he couldn't travel through time again, Jiang Liu took a few high-quality spirit stones and left the spirit vein with the bronze-armored corpse. At this time, the sky was dark, and he wondered if the time in the Journey to the West world had synchronized after so many days of travel.
Next, Jiang Liu began to draw lightning talismans. When his vital energy was exhausted, he meditated to draw spiritual energy from the spirit stones. At dawn, eighteen lightning talismans were pasted around Qianlong Temple and arranged into a lightning-gathering array according to the book.
"Heh heh, talismans, lightning spells, formations—you've fallen into my trap. I'll give you a good five-thunderbolt attack and blast you to smithereens. I'll write my name backwards if I don't..."
Jiang Liu sat cross-legged under the eaves, with the Thunder Tribulation Sword on his lap and the bronze-armored corpse standing behind him. He closed his eyes to rest and waited for the fish to take the bait.
Chapter Thirteen: Thunderous Strike
"Young Taoist, where is your master? Fellow Taoist Xuanming, I, Qingming, have come to visit. May I ask if I may see you?"
This evil cultivator crossed the mountain gate, his body radiating a chilling aura. Although he was as thin as a rake, his skin was bronze, indicating that he had successfully cultivated his body.
Jiang Liu opened his eyes and said coldly, "Qingming, now that you're here, you're not leaving."
The bronze-armored corpse behind him suddenly leaped up and stood in front of Jiang Liu.
The evil Taoist looked at Jiang Liu, and seeing that the pretense of civility had been exposed, he chuckled wickedly, "Haha... little Taoist, your copper-armored corpse can't do anything to me. Hand over your thunder magic obediently, and I might be able to leave you with a whole corpse!"
After saying that, he took out a small three-inch banner, unfurled it in the wind, and it transformed into a tall, inverted triangular, pitch-black banner. A skull jumped out of the banner and in the blink of an eye, it grew to the size of a millstone, with gleaming iron teeth and howling ghostly winds.
The evil cultivator stood amidst the black mist, laughing incessantly. The skull floated in mid-air, emitting eerie howls!
"Don't show off, or you'll get struck by lightning!"
Jiang Liu snorted coldly and shouted towards the back of the evil cultivator, "Master, I've tricked you into bringing one here! Perfect, let's make an example of him and see who dares to covet the lineage of my Hidden Dragon Temple!"
"What? Master Xuanming isn't dead?" Qingming Xiedao was shocked and immediately looked back.
"Heavenly Thunder, heed my command!"
In an instant, Jiang Liu roared and quickly drew a thunder talisman in his palm with his blood, and a flash of light appeared in the air.
A thunderclap erupts from the ground! Destroy evil, slay demons, subdue monsters!
Talisman—Thunder and Lightning Talisman!
Daoist Method—The Righteous Method of Nine Heavens Thunder!
Formation – Thunder Gathering Formation!
When the three elements combined, the eighteen lightning talismans drawn with blood essence suddenly lit up! Above their heads, a terrifying bolt of lightning, as thick as a bucket, appeared and struck down with a tearing blue-white light!
"Oh no, the young Taoist priest is pretending to be weak to take advantage of us..."
In an instant, Qingming Xiedao waved the small banner in his hand, and the millstone-sized skull protected his head, surrounded by black mist and a ghostly aura.
Jiang Liu knew he only had one strike left, and he used almost all his energy on this one attack, instantly becoming extremely weak and collapsing to the ground. A terrifying current of electricity erupted from the evil cultivator's head, a bluish-white current at least twenty or thirty meters long! It was practically a massive, ferocious lightning serpent!
"Click-clack..."
The sinister skull was instantly shattered by lightning, and the small banner in the evil cultivator's hand spontaneously combusted, turning to ashes in an instant. The evil cultivator then completely engulfed it in the terrifying flash of lightning!
"The power is indeed immense! But it still can't compare to Master's thunder magic! There's only one chance to attack, and it requires drawing talismans and setting up formations, so it seems it can only be used for defense. In an encounter battle, who would wait for me to finish drawing the talismans before attacking!"
"Is he dead?!"
The electric light continued to flicker within the black mist. After flashing for five or six seconds, it reluctantly dissipated, leaving a faint, peculiar, and refreshing scent in the air. This was because the oxygen in the air was decomposed into ozone under the powerful action of the electric current.
"Bronze-armored Corpse, charge!"
Jiang Liu gave the zombie an order to attack, swallowed a "Mysterious Essence Pill," and felt his vital energy slowly recovering before he had the strength to look at the evil cultivator. Under the thunderous attack, the black aura protecting the evil cultivator dissipated, and then a charred hand suddenly stretched out! An indescribable acrid smell of burning filled the air.
He survived the devastating blow!
"As expected of someone at the fifth level of Qi Refining, they're still alive!"
"Damn it, you little Taoist priest! I've spent twenty years crafting this magical artifact! ...I'll tear you to pieces and capture your soul so you can never be reincarnated!"
The piercing screams were laced with threats, but they all sounded hysterical. It was clear that half of the evil Taoist's disheveled hair was charred, emitting wisps of acrid smoke, while the majority stood upright, resembling a bird's nest. His body was tattered and riddled with holes, making him look like a miserable refugee who had just escaped a fire, or a beggar who had been brutally beaten by his companions!
The bronze-armored corpse lunged at the evil path, its sharp fingernails reaching out to grab him without regard for anything else.
The evil cultivator knew that the bronze-armored corpse had strong defenses, so he completely ignored it. Instead, he took out something from his pocket that looked like a dart, or perhaps a black nail, but with strange symbols and characters on it. It gave off a chilling aura and sent shivers down one's spine, with a faint black aura rising from its edges.