Chapter 101: Corpse Immortal Sect
Within the county office, a deep voice rang out, laughing coldly: "The Imperial Preceptor of Yanguo uses the emperor to command all the sects. The major sects have long suffered under his tyranny! Gao Judé, the magistrate of Dijiang County, acted as a tiger's accomplice, willingly serving as the Imperial Preceptor's eyes and ears. His death is well deserved!"
In the inn, Qin Mu frowned. "The magistrate of Dijiang County died so quickly? This is my first time leaving the Great Wasteland, and I run into this kind of situation. What rotten luck! Granny was right—people outside really are much more vicious than those in the Great Wasteland. Our people in the Great Wasteland are pure and kind. By the way, what rank was the magistrate of Dijiang County? How does his ability compare to a second-rank provincial governor?"
The official ranks of Yanguo were divided into nine grades and eighteen levels. These ranks were determined by status and cultivation level. Some sect leaders or patriarchs with extremely high cultivation were appointed as high-ranking officials, while those with lower cultivation were made feudal lords, and others governed various counties and prefectures.
For example, Mu Beifeng of the Lijiang Sword Sect was one of the strongest experts in the Southern Frontier, so he was appointed as a second-rank provincial governor, an extremely formidable position.
Fox Ling'er snapped back to consciousness and quickly activated her spell. A gust of demon wind swirled out through the window lattice. Qin Mu reached up, pulled out a pillow cushion, and tossed it into the air. The demon wind caught the cushion, and Fox Ling'er immediately leaped onto it, looking puzzled. "Young master, even if they rebel, they wouldn't go so far as to slaughter the entire city's population, would they? They probably won't threaten us."
Qin Mu jumped out of the window. Before he even landed, a demon wind swept up beneath him. The young man quickly stepped onto the wind and raced toward the city outskirts, speaking rapidly. "My sword is the Junior Guardian Sword, a first-rank official's court sword. If those rebels discover it, we're dead for sure! Besides, a wise man doesn't stand beneath a crumbling wall. These rebels definitely won't allow the city's residents to leave. If we stay, we'll only be trapped inside. Once Yanguo's army arrives, how many people in this city will survive? The Corpse Immortal Sect—they seem to train using corpses."
Fox Ling'er couldn't help but shiver.
Qin Mu's last words were truly terrifying.
The Corpse Immortal Sect trained using corpses. That meant if Yanguo's army came to suppress the rebellion, the city's inhabitants—regardless of status or identity—would all be refined into flying zombies by the Corpse Immortal Sect!
By now, Dijiang County was in complete chaos. The sounds of battle rang out everywhere. The Corpse Immortal Sect had come prepared. First, they released their refined flying zombies upstream on the Yong River, blocking the dam of Dijiang County. Then, they infiltrated the city in small, scattered groups.
When night fell, the Corpse Immortal Sect's patriarch used his corpse-controlling techniques to first storm the county office and kill the magistrate.
Although the magistrate of Dijiang County was also a skilled expert with remarkable divine abilities, he was caught off guard by the ambush and could only lose his head.
At the same time, other Corpse Immortal Sect experts rushed to the four city gates to intercept and kill the county's soldiers, while the patriarch led others to eliminate the deputy magistrate, the military commander, the registrar, and other officials, leaving the soldiers without leadership.
Although there were still experts in Dijiang County, no one was directing them, so they fought individually. The Corpse Immortal Sect, however, used yellow talisman paper to form formations, creating interconnected paths in the air that allowed them to support each other from all directions. This massacre was a sure victory for the Corpse Immortal Sect!
"The patriarch orders the city sealed! No one is to be let out!" shouts rang out from within the city.
Qin Mu had acted quickly. Fox Ling'er summoned the demon wind, and he rode the wind as they ran. Just as the one human and one fox were about to fly out of the county, a sword's hum suddenly sounded behind them. Without turning his head, Qin Mu activated the Fish-Dragon Spits Sword technique. The Junior Guardian Sword shot out of its sheath and stabbed backward!
*Ding!* A crisp sound rang out. The flying sword that had been thrust at Qin Mu from behind split in two. The Junior Guardian Sword, its momentum undiminished, shattered the strands of elemental energy attached to that sword one by one, plunged into the man's chest, and pinned the black-robed Daoist to a flagpole!
That Corpse Immortal Sect disciple had tried to ambush him from behind. Qin Mu had learned from Blind to discern positions by sound—the direction of the sword's approach and the location of the wielder were both clear to his ears.
When the man struck to kill him, Qin Mu counterattacked. Their energies connected, and the Junior Guardian Sword slew the opponent. This was almost a conditioned reflex, a habit he had developed since childhood.
The demon wind carried the one human and one fox out of the city, when a voice called out: "Senior Brother He Yin, someone has escaped the city and killed Junior Brother!"
"Junior Brother?"
A voice, both shocked and furious, came from the city: "How were you all handling things? How could you let Junior Brother put himself in danger? How am I supposed to explain this to the patriarch? You guard the city—I'll go kill him!"
Qin Mu stomped his foot, shattering the demon wind. Fox Ling'er dropped the cushion, leaped from the air onto the bundle on Qin Mu's back, and then crawled inside.
"Junior Brother? Could that be the son of the Corpse Immortal Sect's patriarch?" Qin Mu landed and immediately sprinted away, thinking to himself, "Or maybe it's just an ordinary disciple..."
Although Fox Ling'er's demon wind was convenient, it was slower than Qin Mu's running speed, and it was hard to hide one's tracks in the air. On the ground, however, he could use the forests and mountains to conceal himself, making it harder for enemies to catch up.
Suddenly, clusters of firelight rose into the sky, transforming into fiery birds that flew through the air, illuminating everything below in a brilliant white. These were divine abilities unleashed by cultivators.
Qin Mu looked up and saw the fiery birds flying, followed by sheets of yellow talisman paper fluttering through the air, spreading out overhead.
These yellow talisman papers were rectangular strips, about the size of a palm, that people could walk on.
"Divine Firmament Heavenly Eye, open!"
The elemental energy formation patterns in Qin Mu's pupils rotated, and his Divine Firmament Heavenly Eye activated. He looked back and saw flying zombies hopping and leaping through the air, stepping on the flying talisman papers.
The talisman papers split into two rows, and the flying zombies also split into two rows. More and more talisman papers appeared in the air, dividing into four rows, and the flying zombies likewise split into four rows, searching everywhere. Behind the talisman papers, a young Daoist carried a long sword case on his back. The case's lid was open, and sheets of yellow talisman paper flew out from within, continuously spreading forward through the air. This was presumably the Senior Brother He Yin that the Corpse Immortal Sect disciples had mentioned.
He walked through the air, stepping on the talisman papers. As he lifted his foot, the talisman paper beneath it would fly back into the sword case, while new talisman papers emerged from the case to appear before him, precisely catching his next step.
The reason each talisman paper had to return to the sword case was likely that after one use, the elemental energy within it was depleted and needed to be replenished in the case.
He walked forward at a leisurely pace.
Qin Mu's heart sank. This was a cultivator who had opened the Six Harmonies Divine Treasury—it would be very difficult for him to evade this person's pursuit!
Between the Six Harmonies realm and the Embryonic Spirit realm lay the Five Luminaries realm, the Five Luminaries Divine Treasury.
Qin Mu had trained diligently for the past three years. Not long ago, after his Embryonic Spirit awakened for the fourth time, he had reached the peak of the Embryonic Spirit realm, but he still hadn't touched the Five Luminaries Divine Treasury.
There was a gap of two realms between him and He Yin in the sky—two insurmountable chasms.
From the techniques He Yin had displayed, Qin Mu judged that he was a Vermilion Bird spiritual body, cultivating fire-type divine abilities. The sword case on his back indicated he practiced sword techniques, but since the case spat out talisman papers instead of swords, he likely used sword techniques to control the talisman papers.
These talisman papers flew out and returned in an orderly fashion, maintaining the flight of over a dozen flying zombies in the air while allowing the young Daoist to walk on them. This showed his sword technique was extremely impressive.
Moreover, these talisman papers were probably not just for maintaining flight. They had talismanic symbols written on them with cinnabar and blood, so the power of a single sheet was certainly not insignificant!
"If I had Ma Ye's Tathagata Seal or Blind Grandpa's Ninefold Heavenly Eye, I'd have the confidence to fight him. But I don't..."
Suddenly, a flying zombie swooped down, chasing after him at high speed. Qin Mu sprinted ahead, with more and more flying zombies pursuing from behind. These flying zombies weren't truly capable of flight—rather, He Yin's talisman papers continuously flew beneath their feet, supporting them, allowing them to walk, even run and fight, in the air, making them appear to be flying zombies.
When these flying zombies landed, they charged with astonishing speed, faster than martial artists!
Fox Ling'er poked her head out of the bundle, opened her mouth, and blew out a fierce demon wind. Invisible wind blades and curved knives within the gust slashed at the flying zombies!
*Clang, clang, clang, clang!* A series of collision sounds rang out. Fox Ling'er was startled—the flying zombies' bodies were incredibly hard, rendering her spells completely useless.
Qin Mu frowned. The flying zombies' bodies were even tougher than his own, practically equivalent to human-shaped spiritual weapons!
He made a quick decision and activated the Rain Summoning Art. Mist gathered in the air, and soon a light drizzle began to fall.
"Ling'er, help with the wind!"
Fox Ling'er understood and immediately performed her spell. Qin Mu turned and waved his hand, sending streams of rainwater shooting backward, transforming into water swords. At the same time, a fierce wind blew, amplifying the rain's force and greatly increasing the power of Qin Mu's spell. The water swords stabbed toward the charging flying zombies!
*Ding, ding!* Collision sounds rang out. With their combined efforts, the spell's power surged. The water swords pierced the extremely tough skin of the flying zombies, riddling the five pursuing ones like sieves!
But the flying zombies seemed oblivious, still charging forward, crashing through trees and rocks without dodging anything, shattering them all!
"If riddling them like sieves won't kill them, then I'll smash them to pieces!"
Qin Mu continuously activated the Rain Summoning Art, and Fox Ling'er kept summoning the fierce wind, making the pursuing flying zombies even more tattered, with limbs beginning to break apart. Just then, a fiery bird blazing with flames suddenly flew from behind the flying zombies, flapping its wings. Flames erupted, covering an area of over ten zhang in scorching heat, instantly breaking both of their spells!
Qin Mu and Fox Ling'er groaned. With their spells broken, the backlash of elemental energy sent their blood and qi surging.
"You dared to kill the son of our Corpse Immortal Sect's patriarch. Is your ancestral grave sprouting black smoke?"
He Yin strode quickly through the air. Flying zombies descended from the sky to attack Qin Mu, while the five on the ground charged at him with a roar!