Chapter 511: Pursuit and Annihilation

Lu Chengyun's spirit stone warehouse was destroyed, cutting off the supply of spirit stones; the Ten Thousand Corpses Array slowed and the pace of corpse cultivation grew ever slower.

Yang Jishan was overjoyed.

The other cultivators also exhaled in relief.

During the battle, Lu Chengyun was depleting his zombies.

What they were losing were living human lives.

Now that the Ten Thousand Corpses Array had been weakened and was gradually ceasing, escaping this endless depletion was a blessing for their side.

The Dao Soldiers and cultivators from all factions could not help but feel gratitude toward Mo Hua.

Next would be direct confrontation.

The commander of the Dao Soldiers led each unit and the cultivators from various factions into chaotic combat with the Iron Corpses and Walking Corpses.

Yang Jishan issued orders and coordinated the deployment, while Mo Hua stood beside him observing the battle.

Within the corpse mine, the battle raged fiercely.

Cultivators' swords and blades clashed with zombies' claws and fangs; spiritual energy interwove with corpse qi; corpse poison spread thickly, spells flew everywhere, one cultivator after another fell, one corpse after another was shredded.

Both gruesome and magnificent.

Mo Hua watched in shock.

Although he had previously glimpsed scattered battles between cultivators and zombies, and had even fought zombies when escaping,

now, standing atop the mountain and surveying the entire scene, he still found the carnage before him terrifyingly brutal and awe-inspiring.

Immediately, Mo Hua felt pity.

These Dao Soldiers were also human.

Though their cultivation was low, in this war they were but humble foot soldiers.

Yet they had parents, and perhaps wives and children.

Those who died here would leave behind people heartbroken beyond measure.

And these zombies, once human, were very likely suffering mine cultivators.

Alive, they suffered oppression from the Lu family; dead, they were turned into cannon fodder, aiding evil.

Mo Hua sighed.

This war of attrition could not continue.

If this continued, how many more cultivators would be wounded—or die…

Nan Yue City might soon face catastrophe.

Mo Hua observed the battlefield, frowned in thought, used his spiritual sense to calculate and discern the hierarchy of control within the corpse horde, then said to Yang Jishan:

"Uncle Yang, we must kill that tall Iron Corpse, that one-armed Iron Corpse, and that fat Iron Corpse first."

Yang Jishan blinked in surprise, "Why?"

He did not quite understand—there were dozens of Iron Corpses on the battlefield; why did Mo Hua single out these three?

These three did not even appear to be the strongest.

Mo Hua explained:

"The Walking Corpses here fall into two categories."

"One type is controlled by corpse cultivators using the Corpse Control Bell."

"The other is controlled by the Iron Corpses through an array."

"The zombies controlled by corpse cultivators are few and fight independently; their threat is minor. But those controlled by the array are different…"

"These three Iron Corpses carry arrays that control the greatest number of Walking Corpses. Kill them, and nearly half the Walking Corpses will become disorganized mobs, driven only by instinct, without coordination—no longer corpse soldiers, easy to deal with."

Yang Jishan stared, "How do you know this?"

The Thin Young Master beside him was also startled.

They knew only that the zombies were controlled by an array.

But how it worked, the underlying principles—they had no idea.

Mo Hua evaded, "I've seen the arrays Lu Chengyun drew, so I could deduce it."

Yang Jishan nodded, half-understanding.

The Thin Young Master froze.

Calculate?

"Could it be…"

He had a hunch, but found it hard to believe.

Yang Jishan called over a soldier and ordered:

"Issue the command: gather three Dao Soldier squads. Ignore all other zombies—focus solely on killing these three Iron Corpses!"

"Yes!"

The Dao Soldiers obeyed and relayed the order.

Soon after, three Foundation Establishment commanders each led a squad, suddenly breaking through and charging straight toward the three Iron Corpses on the battlefield.

They struck with foreknowledge against ignorance.

In less than half an hour, the three Iron Corpses were slain, their heart meridians shattered.

With the deaths of the three Iron Corpses, over half the corpse soldiers suddenly erupted into chaos, flailing like headless flies, darting left and right, seeking prey.

This was the sign of loss of control—driven by corpse qi and raw instinct.

To ordinary cultivators, uncontrolled zombies were extremely troublesome.

But in this kind of battlefield, uncontrolled zombies, stripped of coordination, became scattered sand—however violent and bloodthirsty, their threat was greatly reduced before disciplined Dao Soldiers.

Yang Jishan's spirits lifted.

"It really works!"

He immediately waved the command banner, ordering the Dao soldiers to form an array, like a millstone, grinding the out-of-control corpse horde to death bit by bit.

Once the walking corpses were ground down, the remaining iron corpses, facing ranks of Dao soldiers, were nothing to fear.

A general without soldiers is no longer a general.

And an iron corpse without corpse soldiers is just an ordinary iron corpse.

The Dao soldiers were like a blade, charging across the battlefield, harvesting walking corpses one after another.

The situation quickly became clear.

The Dao Court's side grew more and more dominant, while the corpse soldiers' losses grew heavier and heavier.

Soon Lu Chengyun gave the order to withdraw the corpse horde.

Suppressing the corpse mine was a long, drawn-out affair.

This was just one battle among all these many days, one victory among many wins and losses.

But this victory was the one where the outcome was clearest of all.

Yang Jishan let out a long breath of relief.

In the battles that followed, Yang Jishan would always bring Mo Hua along.

Mo Hua spread out his divine sense, scanned the battlefield, did some mental calculations for a moment, then told Yang Jishan which walking corpses were controlled by which iron corpse — kill that iron corpse, and the walking corpses over there would fall apart.

Not only that.

What tricks some of the troublesome corpse cultivators were using.

How to counter some of the violent corpse poisons.

How to break certain unorthodox arrays.

……

Mo Hua recited them all from memory, one by one.

When it came to arrays, he could see through them at a glance;

When it came to the corpse mine, it was information he'd secretly overheard while hiding;

When it came to corpse refinement, some he'd read from corpse-refinement manuals, and some he'd summed up from his clashes with the Zhang family ancestors and successive elders……

The more Yang Jishan listened, the more alarmed he became.

He almost suspected that this corpse mine had been built by Mo himself, the arrays were all drawn by him, these corpse cultivators were recruited by him, these jiangshi were all refined by him and under his control……

Even Mo Hua himself was a little demon of the corpse path……

Otherwise, how could he be so familiar with it all?

Of course, Yang Jishan was only thinking it; he knew it was impossible.

"Probably found out while he was in the corpse mine…"

Yang Jishan marveled inwardly.

He finally understood why his fifth brother Yang Jiyong had held this little brother in such high regard.

Mastery of arrays, brave and resourceful, with a pure Dao heart.

And able to gather such detailed intelligence without anyone knowing……

Wasn't this exactly the kind of talent the Dao Soldier Bureau needed most?

Yang Jishan looked at Mo Hua with shining eyes, wishing he could snatch Mo Hua back to the Yang family……

……

On the other side, however, Lu Chengyun's face was overcast with dark clouds.

He had never imagined that in just a few days' time, the situation would take such a sharp turn for the worse.

It seemed every one of his cards had been seen through.

The layout of Shi Dian, the deployment of the corpse soldiers, the operation of the arrays……

The other side was also seizing on the weaknesses, nibbling away at him bit by bit.

Lu Chengyun felt the pressure — even a hint of suffocation.

It was as if the net he had long ago woven was gradually closing, tighter and tighter; once it closed completely and trapped him, he would be fish and meat on the chopping block, at the mercy of others.

"The corpse mine can't hold out much longer…"

Holding on longer was meaningless.

Hesitate when you must decide, and you'll suffer for it.

Lu Chengyun felt the urge to retreat:

"I need to find a way to slip away and seek another path."

"As long as I escape, there's still a chance."

"Escape, change my name, then attach myself to some family or sect…"

"Although I'm not young anymore, this face doesn't show age — still refined and gentle, with an elegant bearing…"

"With my abilities, if I could marry into one family, I can marry into a second."

"At worst, I'll find an older one to marry into…"

"There are so many foolish women in this world who only look at a face — surely I can trick another one."

"If the corpse horde shrinks, I can refine more."

"If the Ten Thousand Corpses Array is lost, I can rebuild it."

"As long as the Corpse King is still in my hands, obeying my command alone, then sooner or later I can reinvent myself and make a comeback!"

Lu Chengyun's expression darkened slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

After this, the corpse horde's attacks grew even fiercer.

He launched a desperate counterattack, willing to sacrifice everything, as if seeking mutual destruction.

Yang Jishan frowned and said, "Lu Chengyun—is this a fight to the death?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "No, he's trying to save his life."

He understood Lu Chengyun well.

A man this selfish and self-centered would always put his own life first—how could he possibly die with the Corpse Mine?

He never cared about the former Xiao Lingyin Sect, nor about the Lu family now.

Even if the Lu family was wiped out and the Corpse Mine destroyed, Lu Chengyun would still shed his skin like a cicada and find another power to parasitize.

As expected, several days later, during a chaotic battle.

Mo Hua suddenly sensed a familiar aura mixed among the Corpse Cultivators.

The aura was subtle, but it did not escape the perception of Mo Hua's peak Thirteen Mark Soul Sense.

There were Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivators present, whose soul sense was stronger than Mo Hua's, but they did not know Lu Chengyun and thus could not detect him.

Mo Hua followed the aura and looked.

He indeed saw a masked Corpse Cultivator—his build familiar, yet acting furtively.

Mo Hua knew at a glance: this man was Lu Chengyun.

Mo Hua pointed his small hand and cried out quickly:

"Uncle Yang, that man is Lu Chengyun—he's trying to run!"

Yang Jishan froze, then his expression changed; he waved his command flag, pointing at Lu Chengyun, and barked sharply:

"Capture him!"

Several squads of Dao Soldiers formed a long line and rushed toward Lu Chengyun.

Lu Chengyun was startled and muttered a curse under his breath.

Yet he was inwardly alarmed—his cultivation was concealed, outwardly appearing only as Qi Condensation ninth layer; how had he been recognized?

Lu Chengyun did not understand, but since he was discovered, escape was impossible—he could only retreat back into Shi Dian.

The battle calmed. Lu Chengyun did not escape.

"Running now?"

Mo Hua found it suspicious; his soul sense swept through Shi Dian and detected a change in the array's aura.

Mo Hua calculated silently and understood the truth.

Inside Shi Dian, Lu Chengyun had laid numerous Earth-Rupture Arrays.

Once he escaped, he would activate all the Earth-Rupture Arrays, blowing up Shi Dian and collapsing the Corpse Mine, taking every Corpse Cultivator and Dao Court cultivator down with him.

Even Foundation Establishment cultivators might escape.

But countless Qi Condensation cultivators would die inside the Corpse Mine.

All these cultivators who died in the Corpse Mine—including Dao Soldiers, Corpse Cultivators, and clan and sect disciples—would become material for his Corpse Crafting.

Later, he would refine these dead cultivators into Corpse Soldiers.

Yang Jishan's gaze turned cold.

"Lu Chengyun is truly vicious!"

Mo Hua felt a chill of relief.

Afterwards, everyone, wary of the Earth-Rupture Arrays, dared not press too hard.

Mo Hua spent some time deducing the locations of the Earth-Rupture Arrays, marking them all, and handing them to Yang Jishan.

Whenever Dao Soldiers gained the upper hand and repelled the Corpse Soldiers, they sent teams to destroy portions of the Earth-Rupture Arrays.

The Earth-Rupture Arrays gradually decreased.

Lu Chengyun finally couldn't hold back; one night, as the Dao Soldiers withdrew, he activated all remaining Earth-Rupture Arrays, causing the Corpse Mine to tremble.

The Earth-Rupture Arrays were few and weak, but they triggered chaos.

Meanwhile, Lu Chengyun, guarded by the Corpse King and Iron Corpses, fought his way out of the Corpse Mine.

Waves of mindless corpses, fearless of death, formed a Corpse Tide to cover his retreat.

Yang Jishan led the Dao Soldiers and cultivators from all sides in pursuit.

The battle shifted from beneath the Corpse Mine to atop the Corpse Mountain.

Across the mountains and plains, cultivators and zombies clashed in brutal combat.

Many zombies, now uncontrolled, became Wandering Corpses, scattering across the hills…

The battle lasted an entire day; finally, Lu Chengyun fled toward a dark, desolate peak a hundred li south of Nan Yue City.

The peak was barren and vast, uninhabited.

Around it lay only jagged rocks and withered, blackened dead grass.

Yang Jishan flipped through the map and saw the mountain's name marked upon it:

Feng Mountain.

His expression instantly turned solemn.

Other cultivators also sensed foreboding.

This place was no ordinary ground.

Yang Jishan's gaze sharpened.

Whether to capture Lu Chengyun, subdue the Corpse King, and eradicate the horde of corpses—this battle would decide it all.

He ordered: "Proceed with caution—enter the mountain!"

The Dao Soldiers split into squads and advanced toward Feng Mountain.

Yet as soon as they crossed the mountain's boundary, the earth quivered, stones trembled, and one by one, zombies crawled out of the ground.

These corpses were older, their corpse poison far stronger.

And among them, quite a few iron corpses were mixed in.

Yang Jishan's face was dark as still water.

Still more?

Just how many years has this Lu Chengyun been refining, and just how many corpses has he refined?

Could this grave mound, like the corpse mine, be another place where he refines corpses?

Yang Jishan's brows knit tightly.

The Dao soldiers had been pursuing for so long they were worn out, and just when they were about to catch up to Lu Chengyun, new corpses sprang up again.

No end to it at all…

This Lu Chengyun truly has a deep, scheming mind.

Yang Jishan had no choice but to have everyone encamp outside the grave mound, watching the movements within at all times to prevent him from escaping.

The group discussed what to do next.

"The question now is, just how many corpses are still inside this grave mound?"

A middle-aged cultivator sighed.

"If there are too many, we certainly won't be their match."

"Not knowing the number, we'll surely fall into an ambush…"

"We don't have enough hands left…"

Yang Jishan frowned, his expression cold and stern.

Since the fighting began, they had already lost a considerable number of troops.

Most of the remaining cultivators were wounded, and some had to use Blood-Cleansing Pills to suppress corpse poison, utterly unable to fight.

The strength that survived now was less than a third.

And just how many corpses Lu Chengyun still had in hand remained unknown.

If Lu Chengyun was only feigning defeat, luring them in deep to set an ambush, then this time they would surely suffer a great loss.

But this grave mound was desolate and gloomy, filled with poisonous miasma.

How could they find out just how many corpses were inside?

Mo Hua thought for a moment and said, "Capture one walking corpse, and one iron corpse."

Yang Jishan was slightly startled.

Mo Hua continued, "I'll look at the array patterns on them and roughly estimate how many corpses Lu Chengyun still has."

Yang Jishan was a bit dazed.

The other array masters also exchanged uncertain glances.

But Young Master Yun's gaze sharpened slightly, as if in thought.

"That can be used to estimate?" Yang Jishan asked uncertainly.

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded.

Yang Jishan didn't quite understand, but figured there was no better method. After pondering a moment, he nodded and said:

"Alright."

He took action personally, leading several Dao soldier commanders to capture three walking corpses and one iron corpse, binding them with iron chains.

The corpses howled and thrashed about.

Corpse poison, like blood, seeped from the corpses' bodies, soaking into the iron chains and giving off a piercing stench of rot.

These corpses were clearly more violent, their poison far heavier.

Bai Zisheng stood in front of Mo Hua, guarding against the corpses losing control and harming him.

Bai Zixi stood behind Mo Hua, sword Qi condensing at her pale fingertips, quietly on guard.

Mo Hua said, "Uncle Yang, cut open the chest."

Yang Jishan nodded.

He had done this once before, so he was fairly familiar with the task.

A moment later, the skin over the corpse's heart meridian was sliced open, revealing the array within, connected to flesh and blood.

Mo Hua took out paper and brush, traced the array, then after some discrimination, identified the several special sequence array patterns within.

The Spirit Pivot Array uses sequence array patterns to "encode" the corpses.

Working backward from the sequence array patterns, one could reverse-engineer the "encoding" and derive the total number of sequences in the entire Spirit Pivot Array system—that is, the total number of corpses.

Mo Hua couldn't do this before.

Because this kind of derivation was rather complex, draining spiritual sense and testing one's grasp of arrays.

But since refining the Visualization Diagram, his spiritual sense had reached the peak of thirteen patterns, and after drawing the Spirit Pivot Array hundreds and thousands of times, Mo Hua's spiritual sense was powerful and his grasp of the Spirit Pivot Array thorough, so he could attempt this derivation.

Mo Hua gazed at the sequence array patterns, brow furrowed, focusing his mind on the derivation.

Yang Jishan and the others, watching Mo Hua's utterly absorbed state, couldn't help feeling a bit anxious, not even daring to breathe loudly.

No one knew how long passed before Mo Hua finally came back to himself, let out a long breath, his face slightly pale.

Yang Jishan asked tensely, "How is it?"

Mo Hua deliberated:

"I can only give a rough estimate, nothing especially precise…"

"That's fine, that's fine." Yang Jishan said.

Mo Hua then continued, "…Judging from the sequence array patterns, inside this grave mound, under the Corpse King's control, there are roughly another forty-plus iron corpses, and five thousand walking corpses."

Yang Jishan nodded, his brow tightening.

This situation was rather grim.

The walking corpses were still manageable, but these forty-plus iron corpses were indeed beyond his expectations and not easy to deal with.

But Yang Jishan had one thing he was even more curious about:

"You… how exactly did you calculate it?"

Mo Hua scratched his head, pointed at a formation pattern, and said:

"These formation patterns are connected, and they have an inherent sequence. Just spend a bit of divine sense, calculate a little, and you can work it out…"

Yang Jishan didn't understand.

He turned his head and glanced at the other formation masters, only to find that they too looked completely baffled.

Only Young Master Yun sat dazed and lost, murmuring inwardly:

"Derivation calculation…"

This was… among all the formation masters of the Yun family, only the Laozu Sect's ancestor knew… divine sense derivation calculation?

At such a young age, he already knew derivation calculation?

Was this something a child his age could learn?

Young Master Yun looked at the childishly innocent Mo Hua, his emotions churning.

This plot arc is wrapping up soon~

(End of chapter)