"Fu Qingyang really is efficient." Delighted, Zhang Yuanqing set down his phone and opened the White Tiger Guards' repository. Half of the props inside had been cleared out, replaced entirely with materials. The ingredients required to refine three yin corpses and one spirit servant were immense, and Money Prince was certainly wealthy—the repository had previously been packed to the brim with props.
Zhang Yuanqing submitted applications one by one, retrieving all forty-odd medicinal ingredients in one go.
He first moved Guan Ya's large bed over by the window to clear ample space, then swept away the dust beneath it.
Finally, he went to the bedroom and carried over the corpses of Greed Divine General and Bai Ren Zhan, as well as Commandery Princess Yinyao, who was lying stiff as a board.
The commandery princess was not asleep; she had merely been resting with her eyes closed. The moment she heard the refinement was starting ahead of schedule, she snapped her eyes open, her eerie red pupils gleaming brightly.
She followed Zhang Yuanqing into Guan Ya's room, walked straight to the corner where the materials were piled, crouched down, and inspected them thoroughly for a long while before nodding in satisfaction.
"Everything is here. Nothing is missing."
Then, she began peeling off her T-shirt and long skirt, doing so with far more brisk efficiency than ever before.
Zhang Yuanqing watched as she stripped off her goose-yellow long-sleeved top and untied her waistband, letting the sheer gauze skirt glide down her porcelain legs.
Under the light, her fine, white porcelain skin shone with luster, setting off the black lace in a striking display of visual allure.
"You're going first?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, caught in a dilemma. "I was hoping you'd keep watch by the side. After all, this is my first time refining a Level 6 yin corpse."
Commandery Princess Yinyao lowered her head and glanced at the materials. "There aren't many materials. If you fail three times, all my hopes will be dashed. I'll go first."
Without another word, she bent forward, pushing her hips back, pinched the edge of the lace, and slid it down past her waist.
By now, she could disrobe and bare herself quite calmly... There was still a faint touch of shyness and discomfort, but raw at first, familiar by second, and by the third time, stripping came smooth and easy.
Zhang Yuanqing sighed helplessly. "Don't be in such a rush. Help me prepare the materials first."
"No." Commandery Princess Yinyao simply lay there.
*Huh, she can actually throw a little tantrum now. Looks like she's really dying to level up. Well, fair enough—she was stranded all alone in an ancient tomb for centuries, unable to make any progress...* Zhang Yuanqing bent down, picked up the skirt, and tossed it over her lower waist.
Even though she looked like an exquisite collectible figurine, looking at her too much still stirred up restless thoughts.
Zhang Yuanqing laid out the materials one by one. The main ingredients for the princess to advance from Level 5 to Level 6 were a Yin Soul Stone and a Heart of the Stars. The former was a crystal condensed from countless souls.
The latter was a pure heart brimming with vast stellar power—yes, the heart of a Stargazer.
The supplementary materials were few, numbering only six.
With practiced ease, Zhang Yuanqing crushed the supplementary materials and prepared the "ink" for drawing the spiritual talismans. At the same time, he carved runes onto the two primary materials—this was part of the array, designed to allow the yin corpse to better assimilate the core ingredients.
Once the preliminary prep work was complete, he swept the gauze skirt off the princess's waist with one hand. As the fabric fluttered down, he lifted his brush, moving it with fluid grace like dragons and serpents dancing across paper, drawing out flowing spiritual runes one after another.
Perhaps because it was night, Zhang Yuanqing was in top form. Over the course of half an hour, he didn't make a single misstroke, successfully completing the second stage of this monumental undertaking.
"Phew." He let out a soft breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Your talent for talisman drawing is remarkable," Commandery Princess Yinyao remarked, unable to hide her astonishment. "With the shallow foundation of Spirit Realm walkers, succeeding on the first attempt with a large Level 6 array ought to be exceedingly difficult. Only ancient practitioners like us, doing daily homework and practicing relentlessly year in and year out, could ensure such a success rate."
*That's because I swallowed Sect Leader Chunyang's spirit...* Zhang Yuanqing replied nonchalantly, "For me, it's as simple as junior high math."
Intimidated by his confidence, Commandery Princess Yinyao said, "Truly impressive. No wonder Master values you so highly. Back in our day, she definitely would have taken you as a direct disciple, and we would have been senior sister and junior brother."
"And then stolen her coffin together?"
"..."
The two bantered for a few moments. Once Zhang Yuanqing had rested enough, he proceeded to the final step: drawing the array.
An hour later, a circular array spanned the room's spacious floor. In its center lay a Spirit-Nourishing Talisman. With this talisman as its core, twisting yet Dao-imbued runes interlocked and linked with one another, forming a circular formation five meters in diameter.
Zhang Yuanqing placed the Yin Soul Stone and Heart of the Stars along the edge of the circular array, then scooped up Commandery Princess Yinyao and carried her into the center of the formation.
Setting the alluring yin corpse down, he stepped back outside the array, crouched, pressed his palm against a spiritual rune, and channeled lunar energy into it.
The circle, the runes inscribed on Commandery Princess Yinyao, and the runes on the two primary materials all lit up at once, emanating a brilliant black light. A majestic surge of yin qi surged toward the ceiling before slowly descending, pervading every corner of the room.
Zhang Yuanqing steadily channeled lunar energy. Moments later, the two main materials "melted," transforming into dazzling stellar power and pure soul force that surged into Commandery Princess Yinyao's heart and glabella.
The princess's body trembled as she slowly floated upward, hovering half a meter off the floor, her long hair draping downward to touch the ground.
The lunar energy billowing up from the array cradled her, cleansing her physical body and soul as it refined the power of the two main materials bit by bit, accelerating the fusion.
The process lasted a full twenty minutes. Zhang Yuanqing kept up an unbroken stream of lunar energy, nearly draining himself dry.
*If lunar energy were my primary specialty, this expenditure wouldn't be a big deal at all...* Watching the princess's delicate body slowly descend, and remembering that he still had two yin corpses and one spirit servant left to do, Zhang Yuanqing grimaced inwardly.
Commandery Princess Yinyao settled back onto the circular array. The residual spiritual power within the formation rushed into her body in one torrential surge, absorbed down to the very last drop.
She sprang straight to her feet like a released spring, her eyes blazing with radiant red light. A powerful aura surged outward, whipping up a fierce gale of yin wind throughout the spacious bedroom.
"I've broken through..." Savoring the changes within her with delight, Commandery Princess Yinyao repeated, "I've broken through!"
Her exquisite face remained expressionless, yet her violently fluctuating mental ripples resembled those of a girl leaping for joy.
Zhang Yuanqing had rarely seen such dramatic emotional swings in her. This commandery princess had traveled the world and possessed an enlightened outlook; normally, she observed Queen and the others from a detached height, egging them on and teasing them while standing aloof, calmly laughing at the worldly drama.
Only now did she truly resemble a young maiden.
"Take some time to adjust. I'm resting for half an hour." Zhang Yuanqing walked over to the window, took off his shoes, and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
Not until 4:30 a.m. did Zhang Yuanqing finally finish refining Greed Divine General and Bai Ren Zhan into yin corpses and converting Yi Chuanmei into a spirit servant.
Among them, the primary materials for Bai Ren Zhan were Snake Woman's venom glands and fangs. This leader of the Broadsword Alliance had been at the peak of Level 5; Zhang Yuanqing advanced him to early Level 6, then integrated the late-Level 6 Snake Woman's venom glands and fangs to enhance his quality.
Bai Ren Zhan was now a melee yin corpse equipped with poisonous attacks.
Greed Divine General received no attribute enhancements. After weighing his options, Zhang Yuanqing had decided it wasn't necessary.
On one hand, this divine general had belonged to a melee profession and was already at the peak of Level 6. His strength, speed, agility, and other stats were a whole tier above his master's; he didn't need any flashy bells and whistles.
On the other hand, refining a peak Level 6 yin corpse was exceptionally difficult. Adding materials from other professions would cause the difficulty to skyrocket, drastically increasing the chance of failure.
Refining Yi Chuanmei was far simpler. There was no need to add primary materials—all he had to do was convert her into a spirit servant, imprint a brand upon her, and cleanse her soul with his own lunar energy, shaping her entirely to her master's will.
As for Blood Rose, Zhang Yuanqing had no plans to upgrade her. This yin corpse had already begun to undergo beastification; after four or five more uses, she would turn completely into a mindless werewolf.
When that time came, she would simply have to be disposed of manually.
Treating her as a consumable would suffice.
*Four yin corpses and three spirit servants—now I'm finally starting to look like a proper Night Walker. Once I distribute props to them later, I can switch and combine combat strategies...* A sudden, fierce urge to test his skills welled up inside Zhang Yuanqing.
Unfortunately, finding an evil-profession walker of matching caliber to spar with on short notice was impossible.
Just as he was thinking this, he saw Yi Chuanmei prostrating on the floor, transmitting a mental ripple:
"Master, I have an impudent request."
"Speak!" Zhang Yuanqing was very gentle with his spirit servants.
Yi Chuanmei lifted her pretty face. "I beg Master to whip and humiliate me every day..."
As if afraid Zhang Yuanqing would refuse, she added, "If the psychological needs at the spiritual level aren't satisfied, my mental state will gradually twist until I lose control. This is a common ailment of evil professions—the higher the level, the more severe the symptoms."
*There's such a thing?* Zhang Yuanqing's lips twitched. Reflecting on the evil-profession walkers he knew, it seemed that really was the case.
Whether Demonic Eye, Fear, or Lust, the higher their level, the more twisted their mindset became, slipping beyond self-control.
Pondering for a moment, he condensed lunar energy into an illusory whip and lashed it hard across Yi Chuanmei.
"Like this?"
Yi Chuanmei let out a shriek and slumped limply, yet her spirit was thoroughly invigorated. "Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master! If you could whip me with the divine power of the sun, that would be even better..."
*What a bloody pervert...* Zhang Yuanqing granted her wish immediately.
Listening to Yi Chuanmei's shrill cries of pain, he said in a deep voice, "Whipping is fine, but forget about humiliation. You can't even compare to the commandery princess."
"I... I can possess someone..." Yi Chuanmei wasn't eager to have her recreational experience cut short, but under Zhang Yuanqing's glare, she backed down in resignation. "You are the master. What you say goes."
Zhang Yuanqing had originally intended to pry into some intelligence regarding the Nihility Sect (Southern Sect), but after toiling through the entire night, he was already thoroughly exhausted. He recalled his spirit servant, had Yinyao take the two yin corpses and leave, and climbed into bed to sleep.
*Ring, ring, ring!*
An urgent ringtone sounded.
*Why are there so many calls tonight?* Having just laid down, an irritated Zhang Yuanqing picked up his phone, only to see that the caller was Lingjun.
His spirits lifted, much of his drowsiness dissipating, and he answered the call.
"Is Guan Ya with you?" Lingjun's voice was grim and subdued.
"Couldn't take the whipping. She was just crying, begging for mercy, and calling me 'big brother.' She's asleep now," Zhang Yuanqing joked, before asking in a serious tone, "She's out on a mission. What's up?"
Lingjun breathed a sigh of relief. "I've uncovered some leads..."
In a hushed voice, he immediately relayed the intelligence on "Shanhe Yongcun," along with what he had learned from Elder Sun about the deaths of Ling Tuo and Shanhe Yongcun, to Yuanshi Tianzun.
"It really was him..." Zhang Yuanqing inhaled sharply. "Did Elder Sun give a reason?"
"That muddled Old Sun told me not to court death," Lingjun said grimly.
"Stop investigating," Zhang Yuanqing said with gravity. "I don't want anything happening to you."
He was the one who had dragged Lingjun into this mess; he was the one who wanted to learn about the past and uncover the truth behind Xiaoyao's dissolution and his father's death.
Yet if discovering the truth cost Lingjun his life, Zhang Yuanqing would rather delay for a while and investigate it himself later. His only worry was whether the hidden peril buried by his father's generation would erupt prematurely, claiming his life before he had any defenses in place.
"I don't want to just give up like this. But don't worry, I'll tread carefully and only probe along the edges without touching the core. As long as I don't touch the core, I won't be silenced," Lingjun consoled him. "Victoria is protecting me."
"Who is Victoria?"
"Uh... well... a trustworthy elder," Lingjun said.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a woman's languid, seductive laugh drifted through the speaker: "Just moments ago in bed, you were calling me darling. Now I've become a 'trustworthy elder'?"
"I've got something to take care of, hanging up first..." Sounding rather embarrassed, Lingjun blurted out a hurried goodbye.
*I was wrong. This guy is no better than the Demon Lord—both are scumbags with zero principles...* Listening to the dial tone, Zhang Yuanqing found himself at a total loss for words to roast him with.
A trustworthy elder? A lover? Was Lingjun's filial piety like cheese fermented for over a decade, spoiled beyond all recognition?
Zhang Yuanqing stuffed his phone under his pillow, pondering the deaths of Ling Tuo and Shanhe Yongcun, and contemplating the role Elder Sun had played in the affair.
Clearly, Elder Sun had been implicated by the events back then.
However, he likely hadn't been deeply involved, which was why he had merely been sidelined rather than eliminated.
*I can't force the Taiyi Sect lead. When it's time to let go, I should let go. If it ends up getting Lingjun killed, or draws the scrutiny of the Taiyi Sect Master, I'll be in grave danger. Even Fu Qingyang wouldn't be able to protect me.*
*I can investigate through other channels; there's no need to beat my head against a tiger's den... Sleep first. Sleep first. Recover my energy before doing anything else.*
He pulled up the quilt and sank into deep slumber.
The next day, 9:30 a.m.
Zhang Yuanqing was once again awakened by a piercing ringtone. Bleary-eyed, he picked up the phone. The caller ID showed Xiahou Aotian.
"Did you get the money?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
"Yuanshi Tianzun, someone's watching me!" Xiahou Aotian yelled. "Someone has their eyes on the Qin Dynasty antiques we sold! I'm hiding in Wanbao House—hurry and send backup to this protagonist!"
Chapter 490