Chapter 500: The Arrival of Zhang Yuelu

The Lu Cun Abacus is an abacus with a crystal-clear appearance.

Every single bead on it is like fine jade, with a surface that is extremely smooth.

Except for the Pet Beast Master who has contracted it, every bead of this Lu Cun Abacus weighs as much as a thousand jun.

When attacking, one only needs to flick the abacus, and the beads will automatically shoot out from the frame, directly striking the opponent.

It is just like the Iron Balls of the Iron Gall Divine Marquis, but the number of beads is infinite.

If combined with Lan Fa's replication talent, it becomes a naked, long-range artillery platform.

If an enemy attacks Lan Fa, the Lu Cun Abacus can also directly transform into defensive armor to protect Lan Fa's safety.

It is no wonder the Lu Cun Abacus chose Lan Fa; his talent and the Lu Cun Abacus complement each other, allowing the power of the Lu Cun Abacus to be unleashed to the greatest extent.

"Lan Fa, your final shortcoming has now been directly filled by the Lu Cun Abacus."

"I look forward to the day you can grow into a true member of the Big Dipper."

Ye Bai encouraged Lan Fa.

"Our mission this time is not easy to complete; we are on an inspection mission, and the primary target of our investigation is the Mao Family in the Southwest."

The Southwest Mao Family?

Both of their pupils contracted.

That is a behemoth.

It is said that the Ancestor of the Mao Family has refined himself into a Golden Corpse.

A Golden Corpse is equivalent to a Seven-Tier Peak existence; however, its physical body is impervious to blades and spears, and it can use various Daoist Magic. In short, if he exerts his full strength, he can go head-to-head with an Eighth-Tier.

Moreover, the Mao Family is ruthless; every head of the family, after death, has their own corpse refined into a zombie.

They are all marked with yellow talismans and suppressed in the extremely malevolent Bei Mang Mountain Range, absorbing vast amounts of yin energy to evolve into the existence of a Corpse King.

The combat strength of the Mao Family is related to the number of zombies they control.

Therefore, this is a very hard nut to crack.

"Let me tell everyone the origin of this operation."

"Currently, the great war at the Haoshen Abyss is imminent, and there are still some unstable factors within the Yan Country; we cannot allow ourselves to be attacked from both front and rear while we are fighting the angel and demon armies."

"Do you understand what this means?"

"The threat from the Mao Family is immense; they like to steal the corpses of the strong to refine zombie armies."

"Furthermore, the Mao Family's stance is not firm; we cannot be certain that the Mao Family will stand on our side after the great war at the Haoshen Abyss."

"If the Mao Family's zombie army swarms us at that point in time, we will be in a very difficult position."

"This time, we are here to knock some sense into these noble families, do you understand?"

"This world is not just black and white; everyone has problems, and one check will always find something, which is why I was sent out for a secret investigation."

Ye Bai analyzed the situation for the two of them, and Lan Fa and Yun Luo nodded, indicating they understood.

"Lan Fa, Yun Luo, although the three of us are all Seven-Tier Pet Beast Masters and fellow members of the Big Dipper, there is still a difference in our strength."

"I do not mean to belittle you, but I want to warn you: the Mao Family is a behemoth and surely possesses many secret techniques. Once the Mao Family separates the three of us, you must be prepared to fight alone."

Lan Fa took out several Teleportation Talismans and placed them in Ye Bai's hands: "Don't worry, I may not have anything else, but I have plenty of items."

"I kept a low profile before because I didn't want to overwhelm others with items, but I am clear-headed now; I won't be low-key anymore."

"With your help, Ye Bai, my net worth might even be richer than yours."

Lan Fa boasted.

"For things like Teleportation Talismans and Diamond Indestructible Talismans, I have as many as I want."

"Exorcism Talismans, Corpse Suppressing Talismans, and so on—thanks to you providing me with so many crystal cores, we were able to mass-produce items so smoothly."

"Ye Bai, you have helped me so much, so don't be polite with me; take as many as I have."

"They are just Golden Corpses; I can kill them just by throwing items."

Yun Luo also nodded immediately: "That's right, Ye Bai, you helped us so much before without asking for anything in return; how about this, I'll add a luck buff to you too."

Ye Bai hurriedly interrupted Yun Luo: "Don't, this mission is very tense and arduous; let's talk about it after we complete the mission."

"Every time you use Yanchu Fashui, it has a certain impact on your body."

"Anyway, there's no rush; just take it easy."

"We must first conquer this hard nut, the Mao Family."

"Let's first collect intelligence on the Mao Family, and then we will discuss how to handle it."

Ye Bai also secretly searched for relevant intelligence on the Mao Family on the Dark Web.

The Mao Family is a behemoth, and there is a lot of information about them on the Dark Web.

Trafficking corpses, digging up other people's ancestral graves everywhere.

The crimes committed by the Mao Family are too numerous to record.

Moreover, it is said that the Mao Family has a Corpse City in the Bei Mang Mountain Range.

Legend has it that it was personally refined by the Mao Family's Ancestor, Mao Shiba.

It is a peerless malevolent array created using the corpses of numerous strong individuals as the eyes of the formation; it is said that in the Corpse City, only the direct descendants of the Mao Family and zombies can move freely.

This is a state within a state belonging to the Mao Family.

This time, the Six Marshals intend to use the Mao Family to make an example, primarily to kill the chicken to warn the monkey.

If the Mao Family is sensible, Ye Bai does not intend to wipe them out completely.

However, everything must be based on evidence; regardless of whether Ye Bai is a member of the Inspection Team or an imperial envoy, he must proceed through reasonable evidence.

Only after a complete chain of evidence is formed can Ye Bai officially take action against the Mao Family.

"The Lu Cun Abacus and the Wuqu Peacock Fan can both increase your foundations."

"Unless it is a moment of crisis, try not to show these two weapons."

"So as not to let others discover his trump cards ahead of time."

The Mao Family thought the Inspection Team sent this time was nothing more than some unknown small fry.

But he never expected that every member of this Inspection Team was a Big Dipper.

One day later.

The three of them gathered together once again.

However, the expressions on Lan Fa and Yun Luo's faces were not very good.

"The Southwest Mao Family has major problems."

"Quite a few people have gone missing while traveling in the Southwest; it is said they were drained of their blood and Qi by zombies."

Some of the victims' families went to protest, only to be sent back as dried corpses a few days later.

The Mao Family's influence in the Southwest is immense; ordinary people dare not provoke them.

This made Lan Fa and Yun Luo feel quite indignant.

Many people say the Mao Family are the emperors of the Southwest; with such a huge hidden danger, how could the Marshals be willing to let the Mao Family become an independent kingdom?

This is trampling the dignity of the Yan Country underfoot, isn't it?

Ye Bai also took the opportunity to ask the Yellow Dragon Marshal to what extent they should investigate.

The Yellow Dragon Marshal replied with one sentence: the sky is the limit; if they have a backer, catch them one by one.

Once this red line was drawn, Ye Bai knew just how great the intensity would be.

"Ye Bai, how are we going to the Southwest to meet this local emperor of the Southwest?"

Yun Luo was fretting over the matter of transportation.

"Lan Fa will help us handle it; let's book a luxury private train."

"I still have quite a few things I need to study right now, especially how to deeply develop Lan Fa's talent."

As for this talent business, some professional old professors haven't even figured it out yet, and Ye Bai didn't want to gild the lily, planning to take it one step at a time.

"It's booked; we are taking a luxury special train, one carriage per person."

"Our identities are concealed; the Mao Family shouldn't be so omnipotent as to track us down."

"There are quite a lot of monsters and demons in the Southwest; besides the Mao Family, there are also Blade Lenders, Paper Craftsmen, Coffin Shops, Gu Poison Cults, and so on."

"Since we are going there, let's clean them up one by one."

Ye Bai was actually quite interested in the factions of the Southwest.

After Ye Bai boarded the express train, he opened the carriage door and discovered that Zhang Yuelu was actually in the carriage.

"Blue Phoenix, why are you here?"

Ye Bai looked at Zhang Yuelu with great curiosity; wasn't it said that the Yan Country was short on manpower right now?

The Twenty-Eight Mansions basically couldn't spare any time.

"I am acting under the orders of the Azure Dragon Marshal to join your team."

"I have a better understanding of the secret arts in the Southwest; the Azure Dragon Marshal was afraid you might fall victim to special secret arts, so he specifically sent me to assist."

"A portion of my work has already been handed over to your master to help handle."

"My compartment is next to yours; I'm just telling you in advance so you don't say I didn't greet you."

"By the way, this is a Sound Transmission Gu; distribute them to everyone. Once we reach the territory of the Southwest, if there is anything to say, we will communicate through the Sound Transmission Gu."

"Our identities are tourists."

"Otherwise, if the people in the Southwest discover our identities, we will become extremely passive."

"The truth we want to find and the evidence we want to seek will all be covered up by others, and a scene of peace and prosperity will be displayed before us."

Ye Bai nodded, and he gave the Sound Transmission Gu to Lan Fa and Yun Luo.

This Sound Transmission Gu was just like a green bubble app; it would even make a 'dong-dong-dong' reminder sound when communicating.

However, you could also give commands to the Gu insect to mute the sound.

"Blue Phoenix has also joined, which proves that this mission is indeed not easy to handle."

Ye Bai rubbed his chin.

On the surface, the Mao Family only has one Golden Corpse, but in the shadows, their powerhouses should be countless.

The powerhouses they have secretly collected and turned into corpses might even include some old faces.

This investigation depends on to what extent Ye Bai pushes the Mao Family, and whether they will release powerful zombies to surround and annihilate them.

At dawn, the system updated.

【1. The former Kuimulang and Heart Moon Fox did not die; after hiding their names for a period of time, they infiltrated the Mao Family to pry into the Mao Family's secrets.】

【2. The Mao Family has already secretly prepared a large army of zombies, planning to make a move when the Angel Army descends upon the Haoshen Abyss; they are uniting with many noble families to strike together, wanting to become the overlords of the Southwest.】

【3. The Mao Family Ancestor, Mao Shiba, has refined himself into a Corpse King; he has been stuck at the Seven-Tier Peak for a very long time. He plans to perform a Blood Sacrifice on the entire clan on the next night of the full moon, using the blood of his closest kin to help him complete the Zombie Moon Worship Ceremony and break through to become an Eighth Rank Yaksha.】

【4. Because the Mao Family members are in contact with corpses, their bodies all emit dense Yin Qi; they are very afraid of contact with sunlight and fear light-attribute skills, but Mao Family members who have cultivated the Golden Light Incantation can walk under the sun.】

【5. The Mao Family is preparing to join forces with the prince who has cultivated into an Unchanging Bone in Qiyu County to transform the Southwest into a paradise for zombies; they are currently planning to send people to Qiyu County.】

【6. That Unchanging Bone's methods are extremely cruel; there are tens of thousands of vengeful spirits and zombies in his tomb. Once the Barrier on the perimeter of the tomb is broken, the army of zombies and vengeful spirits led by the Unchanging Bone will attack the nearest human city.】

【7. In the prince's tomb, there is a treasure called the Sun Moon Divine Pearl, which can directly increase a Pet Beast's ability by one rank; this Sun Moon Divine Pearl is also the prince's reliance for breaking through to the Ninth Rank.】

【8. The Mao Mountain Ancestor specifically refined a type of Corpse Poison claimed to be unsolvable by anyone; once infected with this Corpse Poison, one will fall into the agony of being burned by raging fire and transform into a neither-human-nor-ghost state. Nine-Section Calamus can dispel this Corpse Poison.】

【9. The Mao Family learned the top-secret news that the Inspection Team was about to inspect the Southwest and secretly contacted the Paper Craftsmen, Coffin Shops, and Blade Lenders, planning to form an alliance with them to resist the Inspection Team together. The Paper Craftsmen were forced to choose a side and stand with the Mao Family because the Mao Family mastered too many of the Paper Craftsmen's secret arts, and many of the Paper Craftsmen's clansmen were dragged into the Corpse City to keep company with the masses of corpses.】

【10. The Paper Craftsmen have a certain connection with the Heaven Gate; it is said that the paper puppet technique passed down by the Heaven Gate is the masterpiece of the first-generation Paper Craftsmen.】

The former Heart Moon Fox and Kuimulang are still alive?

This is indeed exciting news.

According to the Qilin Marshal's description, Kuimulang's strength is already capable of contending with a Pillar of the Nation.

Heart Moon Fox also possesses strength approaching that of a Pillar of the Nation; if the two great deities return, both the National Destiny and the strength of Yan Country will increase significantly.

But how should he report this matter to the Marshal?

In the name of Y?

That doesn't seem to work; who has the spare time to predict the locations of two predecessors?

Forget it, this matter can only be kept inside his heart; he will report it to Qilin Marshal and the others only when he finds the predecessors.

The second piece of intelligence indirectly explains one thing.

That is, the Mao Family has long harbored rebellious intentions and has secretly collected a large number of corpses of powerful individuals, refining them into zombies.

They even want to take advantage of the chaotic battle at Haoshen Abyss to proclaim themselves kings in the Southwest—don't even think about it.

This time, Ye Bai intends to find the evidence directly and wipe out the Mao Family.

The corpses of powerful individuals can also be further refined by the Blood Pool and transformed into blood-colored skeleton soldiers.

To be honest, Ye Bai is currently at the Seven-Tier Peak and is not yet a Tier 8 Beast Tamer.

However, a large portion of his Pet Beasts can temporarily exert Tier 8 combat power.

Moreover, Ye Bai has a blood-colored skeleton king in his hands, which is a bona fide Tier 8 Exotic Beast.

This blood-colored skeleton king is controlled by the Blood Pool and is already the most powerful henchman in Ye Bai's hands.

As for the news revealed by the third piece of intelligence, it proves that for ruthless people capable of refining themselves into zombies, there is no "most ruthless," only "more ruthless."

This is an attempt to use the lives of the entire clan to help himself complete the Zombie Worshiping the Moon ritual, allowing himself to transform into a Yaksha from Hell.

An "entire clan extermination package" will probably save him quite a bit of effort as well.

As for Mao Shiba sending people to Qiyu County to try and contact that Unchanging Bone, Ye Bai only needs to make a phone call to inform Qilin Marshal to break the alliance between the two.

(End of this chapter)