"Third Elder, our disciples have already torn down the northern courtyard wall, yet there is still no movement within. That Geng Zhi is hiding like a turtle in its shell, and so are his men."
Less than a li east of the Geng residence.
An underground chamber with four rooms and three halls had been excavated. Lamps burning corpse oil hung throughout the central hall, beneath which about a dozen people had gathered.
Tables, chairs, fruit, tea, and wine were all laid out; the furnishings were surprisingly exquisite.
Four zombies stood around them, guarding the four directions. Multiple yin spirits patrolled the burrowed tunnels, while corpse vultures kept watch outside. Pingyuan Commandery City was not their territory, so they could not afford any carelessness.
The various factions within the city did not fear them; rather, none wished to tangle with such a demon sect, lest they gain nothing and only bring trouble upon themselves.
The reporting disciple was stealing glances at a burly, broad-shouldered elder who had passed sixty years of age.
This old man was none other than the Third Elder of the Xieling Sect. Beside him stood four Dharma Protector Elders, all clad in tight-cuffed, black short tunics.
Seeing that the Third Elder remained silent, the messenger disciple added, "That Geng Zhi has no other helpers. We have only heard that a core disciple of Yuansong Temple named Qin Xuan is currently staying at his manor."
"Oh? Yuansong Temple?"
The Third Elder asked, "What is his cultivation level?"
The disciple replied, "It is unclear. We only heard that he has called at the mountain and cultivated Dao for less than six years. He also accompanied Geng Zhi to the water manor, so I fear Jinghui's death cannot be separated from him."
Hearing "cultivated Dao for less than six years," the Third Elder found it difficult to take him seriously.
A young man beside him in a blue cloth robe smiled faintly. "Master, it seems this person's cultivation is not very high. Let Junior Brother Gong Kun handle him and claim the credit."
Hearing this, the Third Elder looked toward the eerie youth beside Lian Ji, who had a bloodless face, a round countenance, and a broad forehead. In a deep voice, he asked, "Gong Kun, how confident are you?"
Gong Kun's Adam's apple bobbed. He said in a low voice, "His cultivation is certainly inferior to mine, but he is a member of the Dao Sect after all. I do not know the foundation of his arts. Should he possess some secret technique and I make a misstep, I fear I would tarnish our sect's prestige. To be safe, I will need to control corpses."
"Very good." The Third Elder looked upon him with greater respect and tossed out three mother-and-child corpse whiskers in succession.
The mother whisker was given to Gong Kun, and the two child whiskers were distributed to two disciples.
"You two act together with Gong Kun. Hold nothing back—use the corpse array to slay the enemy swiftly, deterring any scoundrels looking to interfere. Then control the corpses to seize Geng Zhi. It seems he still has no magic power. You must take him away tonight without fail."
"Understood!" the three disciples chorused.
Gong Kun asked further, "This is Pingyuan Commandery City, after all, and that Qin Xuan is a core disciple of Yuansong Temple. Are we to execute him on the spot?"
The Third Elder and the four Dharma Protector Elders answered in unison, "Kill him!"
Lian Ji smiled and said, "Junior Brother Gong, only by killing him will onlookers know we have no scruples, deterring them from risking mutually assured destruction with us. Then capturing Geng Zhi will be effortless. As for Yuansong Temple, once we succeed, we will take the underground passage straight into the subterranean river. How could they catch up underground? And would they even dare give chase?"
Tomb robbers who could not dig tunnels were amateurish.
Over the past few days, their outward probing had been matched by covert preparations for an escape route. Once out of the commandery city, the world was vast—who would still fear some Yuansong Temple?
Gong Kun nodded, casting a surreptitious glance at Lian Ji.
This senior brother was not so kind-hearted as to give away credit out of goodwill. The moment Qin Xuan died, Lian Ji would surely rush to snatch Geng Zhi. He had to finish this in one fell swoop and act before him.
The Third Elder instructed, "When facing the enemy, do not let yourselves be distracted. We will remain hidden in the shadows. If any elders from Yuansong Temple arrive, we will handle them."
"Yes!"
Nearby the hall, strange sounds echoed from numerous caverns. Corpse bugs crawled into fresh, blood-dripping corpses, causing them to twitch and stir.
Through a fissure, the Third Elder looked up at the moon in the sky...
"The moon is truly round tonight," Geng Zhi remarked with a sigh.
Qin Xuan stood beneath the Geng residence. Old Wu and Old Huang were directing the others to fill in spirit stones. An altar stone platform lay underground, carved with an array diagram.
This array diagram was very similar to the escape array diagram Patriarch Geng had left in the water manor, only larger.
Qin Xuan walked a circle around the array diagram. "How is this array activated?"
"It requires the full radiance of moonbeams."
"I see."
Qin Xuan clicked his tongue, about to ask more, when suddenly—
The night breeze abruptly ceased. A terrifying silence fell all around, with even the chirping of insects falling dead still.
"They're here," Geng Zhi said.
"I'll go meet them."
Qin Xuan climbed the underground stairs. Just as he reached the entrance, Geng Zhi, Old Huang, Old Wu, and the others called out together, "Young Master Qin!"
Qin Xuan turned back and asked, "What, no confidence in me?"
"Thank you! Please be careful, Young Master Qin!" Everyone bowed deeply with clasped hands.
*Boom!*
Suddenly, a deafening blast shattered the dead silence, shaking the entire city. The earth outside the Geng courtyard was overturned, and walking corpses scrambled up one after another.
The onlookers retreated in haste.
The Xieling Sect had made its move!
Everyone knew the Geng family was finished.
Many were secretly preparing. If a treasure truly emerged, they would fight for it without caring about any Xieling Sect.
The ground trembled.
Beneath the round moon, the corpse bugs inside over a hundred corpses grew fiercely agitated, whipping into a frenzy. A dense, dark horde lunged toward the Geng residence!
Once refined, these corpses possessed tremendous strength, knew no pain, and carried dreaded corpse poison.
Seeing this commotion, many retreated further, clearly dreading the sinister methods of the Xieling Sect.
Just then...
A clear, ringing voice rang out from within the Geng residence: "Where did these sinister scoundrels come from, daring to loose corpses and commit evil in the city? Have you tired of living?"
The voice was not fierce, yet it carried an innate aura of dignity and authority.
The surrounding onlookers were startled, suddenly realizing who it was.
That Yuansong Temple disciple—what boldness!
A green silhouette leapt across under the moonlight, landing atop the highest building in the Geng residence's front courtyard. Standing with hands clasped behind his back, his feet rested lightly upon the chiwen ridge beast, with the round, luminous moon hanging behind him, casting down clear light.
Now, those watching the show or hoping to fish for benefits in the distance could all see clearly.
A hundred zhang outside the residence, Qi Baiyan narrowed his eyes at the top of the building, his heart surging with excitement. He said to his junior brother Tian Yifei beside him, "It's Qin Xuan. He's courting death!"
"Hahaha!"
A burst of mocking laughter erupted. "Just who has tired of living? A disciple of Yuansong Temple bluffing—nothing more than this!"
Among the horde of corpses, three figures darted back and forth.
Controlling nearly two hundred walking corpses with the mother-and-child corpse whiskers, they had formed a tight, impenetrable perimeter, holding an overwhelming advantage. Even if their opponent had some spells up his sleeve, when the corpses swarmed relentlessly, how many could he fend off?
Gong Kun was cautious enough, staying behind his two fellow disciples; even if an unexpected event occurred, he would have plenty of time to react.
The large horde of corpses had already charged past the stone lions before the manor, lunging straight toward Qin Xuan.
Hearing the laughter and speech earlier, Qin Xuan had already locked onto Gong Kun's location. Following the sound, he spotted the other two as well. That was enough!
He had not intended to waste words, but glancing at those corpses, his brow furrowed.
Some of these corpses lacked arms or legs, others were disemboweled, their expressions ghastly; yet they wore the plain, ordinary clothes of commoners. Judging by the bloodstains, they had died not long ago.
Suddenly, he recalled the fisherman's words from earlier today: *Captain Hong went to the downstream village; quite a few people went missing there.*
The corner of Qin Xuan's eye twitched. Looking toward Gong Kun, he asked, "Are you Gong Kun, or Lian Ji?"
Gong Kun was eager to make a name for himself, and seeing the corpses closing in on Qin Xuan, he was happy to reply: "I am Gong Kun, one of the five core disciples of Mount Tong's Xieling Sect!"
"The wine the Geng family head sent me—I hear you plundered it?"
This had been Senior Brother Lian's doing, but he naturally claimed it now to rattle his opponent's composure: "It was indeed I! The wine was exquisite, and it now rests in my belly!"
This was the truth; he had drunk plenty of wine today as well.
The onlookers shook their heads, especially the old Qi Refining cultivators. This Yuansong Temple disciple named Qin Xuan might have some talent, but his combat experience was abysmal.
Could one really deal with the Xieling Sect like this?
While the three opponents set up their corpse array, you actually have the leisure to chat about wine?
He had squandered the opportunity to strike at the array masters. Now that he was surrounded by the corpse array, he was dead meat.
"Good. You deserve to die!"
The voice atop the building turned abruptly sharp, as if stirred to genuine wrath.
Blue veins bulged on Gong Kun's eerie face as anger flared. His brows knit, and just as he was about to bark a rebuke—
Suddenly!
He instinctively felt a creepy chill run down his spine, the fine hairs on his broad forehead standing on end.
Fixing his gaze on the top of the building...
He saw the green-robed figure, just as the corpse horde was less than a zhang away, raise a hand with fingers held in a sword-finger technique, pointing straight at where he stood.
A soft chime drowned out the roars of the corpses. A cluster of clear green water ripples swirled unpredictably; under the moonlight, chill rays shot in all directions!
The Clear Water sword talisman transformed into a rainbow of jade green, tearing through the air with unimaginable speed. Wherever the sword light passed, corpses shattered like rotten wood as plumes of black smoke billowed. The flying rainbow cut through layer upon layer of the corpse array without pausing for an instant, charging straight at the three disciples.
*Not good! Immortal sword art!*
*This bastard is actually a sword immortal, and he even refined a sword talisman from the essence of heaven and earth's five elements!*
Though Gong Kun was reasonably knowledgeable, his soul nearly took flight in terror. His face drained of color as he frantically tried to conjure a white bone shield. Having taken no precautions beforehand, his reaction was already too slow. By the time he summoned the magical implement and raised the shield only halfway, his vision was flooded with jade-green light, the flying rainbow right before his eyes!
Silent and soundless, a head flew into the air!
The sword light wheeled around. The other two shrieked in horror, but possessing even weaker cultivation, how could they react? In the very next instant, they followed in his footsteps.
Yet because their heads were not as chubby and broad as Gong Kun's, they flew higher and saw further.
The two exchanged a glance in midair, still able to speak.
One said, "This sword talisman was refined quite well."
The other said, "The sword art isn't shoddy either."
Having spoken, their breath of life vanished.
Gong Kun's head fell a step ahead of theirs. He saw his own body pierced repeatedly by the sword light, blood and wine spurting from his belly. In his ears, a mocking voice seemed to drift:
"You indeed drank a lot of wine."
Gong Kun felt that Qin Xuan was too petty and calculative. As he closed his eyes, his body seemed to him like a large wine flagon leaking wine.
And stripped of the array's control, the walking corpses all froze where they stood, as if waiting for him to toast them, while the onlookers all around seemed thoroughly drunk as well...
Chapter 25