Chapter 515: Bringing Blessings

In Nanyue City.

Mr. Zhuang shook his head, a touch helpless, and said:

"Every time he makes such a huge commotion—this child really doesn't let anyone rest easy…"

Old Kui glanced at him. "You look very pleased with yourself…"

Mr. Zhuang couldn't help but chuckle. "Not bad, I suppose."

After all, he's my disciple!

Old Kui was speechless, then frowned and said:

"A Dao Tribulation kneeling… the karma it stains is enormous…"

Mr. Zhuang shook his head and corrected him:

"First, this isn't a Dao Tribulation yet…"

"My senior brother laid out his scheme to turn the Corpse King into a Dao Tribulation, and it required two conditions."

"One: refine corpses in this Nanyue City for another hundred years, slowly accumulating slaughter, and within the corpse qi, foul qi, death qi, and grievance qi, let this Corpse King slowly awaken."

"Two: once the matter is exposed, let the Corpse King devour its master, and it can immediately undergo tribulation."

"But evil cannot prevail over righteousness—the Spirit Pivot Evil Array cannot suppress the Spirit Pivot Absolute Array."

"So Lu Chengyun, from beginning to end, could never truly be considered the Corpse King's master. The Corpse King's master has always been this child, Mo Hua."

"It cannot devour Mo Hua, so it cannot devour its master."

"Therefore, this Corpse King can only be counted as a half-step Dao Tribulation, or rather, a Dao Tribulation Fetus—an unhatched body of a Dao Tribulation."

Mr. Zhuang glanced at Old Kui again, then continued:

"Second, even if it were a Dao Tribulation, it wouldn't matter."

"This child, Mo Hua, made it kneel through his own ability."

"Once it kneels, it means submission. This brand will be carved into the karma and Dao essence, and cannot be altered."

"For Mo Hua, this is actually a fortuitous encounter…"

"As for how to use this heaven-defying karma, he'll have to learn that later."

After Mr. Zhuang finished speaking, he was also somewhat moved:

"Still, although there was some chance involved, making a Dao Tribulation bend its knee and kneel is still… a little too absurd…"

Old Kui said quietly, "You didn't divine it?"

Mr. Zhuang said unhappily, "I'm not a charlatan—I can't divine everything…"

Old Kui stared at him in silence, lost in thought.

After a moment, Old Kui's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said in a low voice:

"This child's divine sense has already reached the peak of thirteen patterns."

Mr. Zhuang nodded, feeling both gratified and somewhat surprised:

"Yes, much faster than I expected…"

"What do you plan to do next?"

Mr. Zhuang paused slightly, raised his head, his gaze sweeping past the mountains toward the distance, and said calmly:

"Go where I should go…"

Old Kui's brow furrowed tightly. "You're really going?"

Mr. Zhuang nodded. "The debts of the past must be settled."

Then he looked at the courtyard again.

In the courtyard, the plants grew lush, and the pond water was clear.

The great tree that shielded the courtyard from wind and rain swayed in the breeze, leaves fluttering down one after another.

And beneath that great tree, Mo Hua and his little senior brothers and little senior sisters often gathered together—cultivating, meditating, learning formations, or chatting and playing—each scene surfacing one by one…

Mr. Zhuang's expression held both reluctance and melancholy.

"This journey, too, is reaching its end…"

……

On the Graveyard Mountain.

Mo Hua stood with his hands behind his back, beginning to direct the corpses, ordering them to return to the mine for now and slumber within the shafts.

The Corpse King hung its head, following behind Mo Hua.

The Iron Corpse stood like a guard, shielding Mo Hua in front.

And those tens of thousands of walking corpses lined up in formation, steadily and obediently walking deeper into the mine shafts…

Like miners who had toiled all day, heading home at sunset.

Amid the bloodiness and cruelty, there was somehow a touch of tranquility and peace.

The corpses returning to the mountain, in perfect order—this scene continued for an entire night.

Until the break of dawn, when the morning sun rose, morning glow filled the sky, and brilliant rays of light spilled over the mountain peaks outside Nanyue City.

The cultivators all seemed somewhat dazed.

They felt as if they had just woken from a nightmare.

In the dream were the terrifying Corpse King, the savage tide of corpses, and the desperate struggles and bitter battles between life and death.

Now the dream had ended, the sun rose as usual, and everything had vanished like smoke.

But they also knew this was no dream.

They still vividly remembered the blood-red night, corpse qi blotting out the sky, the Corpse King's horrifying roar, and the twisted, terrifying aura of a Dao Tribulation.

They also remembered.

Such a terrifying Corpse King was ultimately suppressed, forced to half-kneel and submit before a little cultivator.

Mo Hua was the Corpse King's master.

At the same time, he seemed like a profoundly unfathomable little demon.

The Corpse King knelt, and the horde of corpses paid homage.

This unbelievable scene, shock beyond words, was etched clearly into their sea of consciousness — impossible to forget even if they tried.

They looked at Mo Hua, still shaken.

Grateful for Mo Hua's life-saving grace, yet wary of the terror of Mo Hua commanding the horde of corpses.

Now every zombie in all of Nanyue City moved entirely at his will.

Life and death, fortune and calamity — all hung upon a single thought of his.

Everyone braced themselves.

But Mo Hua acted as if nothing had happened.

All his aura was drawn inward, and looking at him, he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary, adorable little cultivator.

As if everything that had happened before had nothing to do with him — not in the slightest — and he even asked Yang Jishan:

"Uncle Yang, is there anything to eat? I'm hungry…"

Controlling the zombies back to their lairs had drained his divine sense greatly; now that his mind had settled, he finally realized he was hungry.

He did have some dried meat in his storage bag.

But it had been made by his mother, and he usually couldn't bear to eat it, always saving it.

Yang Jishan was momentarily at a loss upon hearing this.

For a moment, the crowd didn't know what expression to wear…

……

It took an entire night.

Under Mo Hua's control, all the zombies — including the Corpse King and the Iron Corpses — temporarily returned to the mine and settled in the depths of the shaft.

Mo Hua laid down a simple formation.

Yang Jishan also strictly ordered that no cultivator enter the mine without permission.

This mine was a corpse mountain through and through.

And within the mountain, the Corpse King still slumbered.

With the corpse horde settled and some Dao soldiers left to guard, the other cultivators returned to the city to rest.

Mo Hua also returned to the cave dwelling with his senior brothers and sisters.

He had controlled corpses all night, his divine sense drained considerably, and he was somewhat weary; now that the matter was resolved, he slept soundly.

When Mo Hua woke, he discovered Yang Jishan had been waiting outside for quite some time.

Unlike Mo Hua, Yang Jishan hadn't dared sleep a wink.

The moment he lay down, he would recall the terrifying Dao Calamity, the powerful Corpse King, the ferocious horde of corpses, the broken Setting Sun Spear, and the Dao soldiers and cultivators who had perished in the zombies' jaws.

He recalled the mastermind behind the scenes who had nurtured the Dao Calamity.

He recalled Mo Hua, who seemed pure on the surface yet utterly impossible to read.

He recalled the shocking scene on the grave mound — the Corpse King kneeling.

And he recalled that now, tens of thousands of zombies were still under Mo Hua's command…

His head ached unbearably.

His mind was a tangled mess.

Yang Jishan's face was pale, his aura faint, and the circles under his eyes were dark.

Mo Hua, by contrast, was the exact opposite — after a good sleep, he was bright and alert, his eyes shining, his cheeks even plump and round.

"Uncle Yang, is something the matter?"

Mo Hua saw Yang Jishan and asked curiously.

How could there be nothing the matter!

Yang Jishan was inwardly bitter, but for the moment didn't know how to broach it.

"Is it about those zombies?" Mo Hua asked again.

Yang Jishan nodded, then finally steeled himself and asked, somewhat nervously: "What do you plan to do?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment, but said nothing.

Yang Jishan pretended to be calm, but his heart had leapt to his throat.

One Corpse King, dozens of Iron Corpses, tens of thousands of Walking Corpses.

Forming a corpse army — what a fearsome force!

He feared Mo Hua might make excessive demands.

Or worse, grow arrogant from wielding his "corpse" power, go astray, and become a thorough little demon.

Yang Jishan's heart was uneasy and restless.

Just then, Mo Hua spoke up and asked: "Uncle Yang, how does the Dao Court usually handle a corpse disaster like this?"

Yang Jishan was taken aback, pondered for a moment, then slowly said:

"When the Dao Court handles a corpse disaster, it generally hunts down and slays the chief culprit."

"Corpse cultivators who practice corpse arts and refine zombies are the primary targets — they must be arrested and punished; any resistance is to be killed without mercy."

"If captured alive, they are all thrown into the Dao Prison, and sentenced according to their crimes. At the lightest, they are exiled to the Southern Wastes to serve as cannon fodder in campaigns; most receive the death penalty, though the manner of death varies."

"The heavier the crime, the slower and more agonizing the death."

"Beyond the corpse cultivators, all zombies are to be burned without exception."

"Because zombies are undead and carry corpse poison. Once they come into contact with blood, the corpse Qi mutates, and they will rise again to kill and devour people. And as the corpse poison spreads, the harm is also extremely great…"

"Furthermore, all evil artifacts and evil arrays used to refine corpses are to be destroyed without exception."

"Those who shelter corpse cultivators, who condone the refining of corpses, or who assist corpse cultivators in refining corpses shall be punished as the corpse cultivators themselves…"

……

Yang Jishan told Mo Hua every detail without omission.

After listening, Mo Hua pondered and said, "In other words, all these zombies must be burned, is that right?"

Yang Jishan was somewhat uneasy and gave a slight nod:

"Yes…"

"I understand." Mo Hua nodded and said, "Then let's do it that way."

Yang Jishan was startled. "Burn them?"

"That's right."

Yang Jishan found it somewhat hard to believe. "Even the iron corpses, and the corpse king — burn them all?"

Mo Hua looked rather baffled. "What else?"

Yang Jishan was shaken in his heart, but still couldn't help asking in a low voice:

"Don't you want to keep them?"

Mo Hua shook his head. "They're all things that harm people — why would I keep them? And keeping them would also be very dangerous. The corpse king is also prone to losing control, so naturally they should be burned. Sweep away evil completely, settle it once and for all…"

Yang Jishan opened his mouth, so moved in his heart he nearly cried.

What a child of such noble and righteous understanding!

He had previously assumed Mo Hua would be selfish, and so had been uneasy — it turned out his own breadth of vision had been too small.

"However…" Mo Hua added.

Yang Jishan's heart gave another sudden lurch.

Generally, after the word "however," nothing good follows…

His mood tensed up once again.

"I have something I need these zombies to do," Mo Hua said.

Yang Jishan's heart chilled slightly, but he still asked in a deep voice:

"What is it?"

Mo Hua said, "I want to control these zombies and build a mine."

"A mine?" Yang Jishan frowned.

"Mm." Mo Hua nodded. "Build a mine…"

"In this corpse tide, the ones who suffered most were actually the mine cultivators of Nanyue City."

"Their lives were already hard enough while alive — spirit stones scarce, every day a struggle. And after death they were refined into zombies, made to aid the wicked, dying without peace."

"In life, they were exploited by others; in death, they were still enslaved…"

"After this corpse tide, the mine mountains collapsed on a large scale. The mines inside had their arrays damaged, the corpse Qi ran deep, and foul filth bred within — they can no longer be used."

"If they can't mine, the loose cultivators in Nanyue City will have no livelihood."

"If we just leave like this, they have no way to survive."

"So I want to build a new, larger mine, connecting several mine mountains, constructing more complete arrays, reinforcing the mountain bodies, clearing the corpse Qi, purging the foul filth, and finding ways to increase the mine's output…"

"So that the loose cultivators of Nanyue City can have a stable place to make a living — without risking their lives, without living in fear, without dying in the mines from accidents and leaving behind widows and orphans, alone and helpless…"

"But to do all this will require a great deal of material resources and manpower."

"I have a way to handle the material resources, but manpower is rather limited."

"Because when building a new mine and connecting the mine mountains, one will inevitably encounter the demon beasts of Shenshan, or breathe in the filthy and foul Qi deep within the mines — it is itself very dangerous."

"These tasks are beyond Qi Refining stage cultivators; it would put their lives at risk."

"But walking corpses can do it."

"These walking corpses, in life, were mostly mine cultivators of Nanyue City…"

"In the city there may still be their parents and kin, or familiar friends."

"I want them, before truly perishing body and Dao, to bring one more blessing to their living kin and friends, to their descendants…"

Yang Jishan's heart shook violently.

He couldn't help but look at Mo Hua, and saw his gaze like still water — clear and crystalline.

Jin Se sunlight filtered through the great tree and draped itself over him.

Yang Jishan drew a deep breath, slowly rose to his feet, and solemnly bowed to Mo Hua.

……

What followed proceeded according to Mo Hua's plan.

These zombies were to be burned.

The corpse king was the bane's calamity-fetus — it had three masters and a prior record of devouring its master. Although its final master was himself, Mo Hua had no intention of keeping it.

Otherwise, sooner or later, it would become a calamity.

The other iron corpses and walking corpses naturally had to be burned as well.

Burning zombies required the use of a Corpse-Burning Array.

This array, it was said, was designed by a great array master of the Dao Court specifically to eradicate corpse plagues.

It could both burn the zombies' bodies and utterly consume the corpse poison, leaving no trace.

Mo Hua had looked over the array — its conception was indeed ingenious. It employed both fire and earth types of the five-element array patterns, using earth to subdue water and fire to transform poison — truly very practical.

Mo Hua studied it a couple more times and secretly learned it…

But there are too many zombies in Nan Yue City.

This is a large-scale zombie disaster; correspondingly, the scale and number of the cremation arrays required are no small matter.

But all of this is handled by Dao Ting Si.

Mo Hua doesn't need to worry about it.

He only needs to figure out how to construct a large mine shaft.

This initiative was approved by Yang Jishan and supported by the Dao Ting cultivators present.

Some among them genuinely empathized with the hardships of the Nan Yue City cultivators and wished to do good.

Others simply wanted to repay Mo Hua's favor out of respect for him.

Some were unwilling inside, but could not forget the moment when Mo Hua made the Zombie King kneel, and thus feared him, daring not to defy him.

The last group, seeing everyone else agree, thought they shouldn't stand out, and so went along with the agreement…

Though hearts differed and the situation was complex, consensus was ultimately reached.

Yang Jishan had connections within the Dao Bing Si, and the other cultivators were all disciples from prominent families and sects of Daozhou, Qianzhou, and Kunzhou.

With their backing, implementing this matter became much easier.

Constructing a new large mine shaft requires manpower and material resources.

The manpower has already been resolved.

Zombies are the "manpower."

This may be the most meaningful thing they've done since becoming zombies.

Aside from that, there is material resources.

The material resources for building the mine shafts come partly from the Dao Ting Si of Nan Yue City.

The Dao Ting Si of Nan Yue City is deeply corrupt from top to bottom.

Especially the Chief of Nan Yue City's Dao Ting Si, who has accepted countless bribes from the Lu family.

Seizing it all back would likely yield a massive amount of spirit stones.

Of course, the Chief of Nan Yue City's Dao Ting Si has already been stripped of his post and thrown into prison; after sentencing, he will certainly not survive.

It's just unknown what kind of death he will meet.

Aside from that, there is the Lu family.

The Lu family has been confiscated.

All seized assets have been used to build the mine shafts.

These spirit stones and valuables were originally stripped layer by layer from the mine cultivators; now they are merely returning to their rightful owners, being used again for the mine cultivators.

Taken from the people, used for the people.

Mo Hua had already considered all this beforehand, but the actual confiscation and seizure still depended on Yang Jishan and his Dao Bing.

Yang Jishan did not hold back.

The Dao Bing were experienced in conducting confiscations.

The amount of spirit stones seized was enormous—several million spirit stones—so shocking even to Yang Jishan, who came from a great clan, that he couldn't help but sigh:

"This Lu Chengyun—no, this Lu family—was this rich?"

"And this Chief, he embezzled nearly a million…"

But Yang Jishan understood well.

In this world, wealth never comes without cause.

Wool always comes from the sheep.

The poorer the Nan Yue City cultivators, the richer they became.

The richer they became, the poorer the cultivators grew.

That they grew so rich meant that, over these many years, the Nan Yue City cultivators had grown impossibly poor…

This amount of spirit stones was far too great to be allowed to remain.

Dao Ting Si would find ways to seize it upward, then layer upon layer of clasps and locks, letting every cultivator involved feast greedily.

But this matter was too large.

It involved Dao Nie, was made public, implicated many powerful families, and under the watchful eyes of all, no one dared to embezzle.

Thus, to quell the unrest, Yang Jishan made the decision.

This sum of spirit stones would remain in Nan Yue City.

With both manpower and material resources secured, Mo Hua began formally constructing the new, large mine shafts connecting several mines.

Thank you to pyhuang and chanso for their donations~

(End of Chapter)